Chapter 2: Shadow's Dream

Powerful, that is the adjective to describe Shadow the Hedgehog. He is known as the ultimate life-form because he is just that. He is an artificial hedgehog who was created by a mad scientist named Prof. Gerald Robotnik over fifty years ago. He is ageless, and he is one of a kind, but his design is not unique.

Shadow had a younger brother named Saturn the Hedgehog, a second ultimate life-form that was designed by Prof. Gerald Robotnik as his last, unfinished project. Saturn was completed and created by Prof. Robotnik's grandson, Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. Since Saturn was designed to harness the power of the seven mystic Chaos Emeralds and amplify them to a level of infinity, Eggman had hoped to use Saturn to conquer the world. However, Saturn betrayed Eggman and tried to take the world for himself. If Shadow and the other heroes had not intervened, Saturn may have done just that.

A week had passed since Saturn's death, but Shadow could still feel his dark presence haunting the air around him. At least it felt like Saturn's presence. Shadow was not entirely sure what was causing this horrible feeling in the air around him, but he knew it was somehow connected to Saturn because he had been feeling it ever since Saturn's death.

The feeling grew stronger day after day. Now, it refused to give Shadow any respite, even in his sleep. Shadow was in a pure white room, so white that it was impossible to tell where the floor became the walls and where the walls became the ceiling. It appeared to be an endless, white universe, and although he could not see a definite floor, Shadow could feel solidity beneath his feet. He did not like this place. It felt unstable and insecure. It was blank, empty, and purposeless. This place was everything Shadow did not want to be.

"Do you like it?" a voice echoed. Shadow was slightly startled. The voice sounded familiar, yet he could not recognize it. "This is your heart."

Shadow looked around in search of his unwelcome guest. "Who are you? Show yourself!" he demanded.

The voice cackled, "Ha-ha-ha, you're still so arrogant, aren't you, Shadow?"

Shadow clenched his fist. "Don't make me ask again."

The voice chuckled again, "Alright, just calm down. There's no need to get so worked up. I'm only a messenger."

"Then give me your message already!" Shadow demanded.

The voice answered, "I see you're as impatient as ever. Fine, I'll cut to the chase. There's something coming, Shadow, something more powerful than even you. It wants to erase you from the face of existence, and as of now, you don't stand a chance."

Shadow answered the voice sarcastically, "Thanks, you just made my day."

The voice kept going, "C'mon, Shadow. Surely you've noticed it by now, that dark feeling creeping through the air around you."

Shadow's eyes widened for a moment. "Go on."

"It's coming for you, Shadow. There's only one way you can fight it. You must gather the seven Chaos Emeralds. With their power, you can become Super Shadow and fight this threat. That's the only way you'll stand a—" the voice gave another chuckle "—shadow of a chance."

Shadow was not amused. "You're telling me I have to gather the Chaos Emeralds. Well that's certainly a cliché. Why should I trust you?"

The voice cackled again, "You don't really have a choice at this point. You can trust me and gather the Emeralds, or you can be unprepared for the impending threat and be erased forever."

Shadow responded, "I'm not saying that I'll do what you want, but if I did, where would I find the Chaos Emeralds?"

The voice laughed maniacally now, "How should I know? I'm just a dark voice in the back of your head, Shadow!" The laughing echoed loudly across the room. It grew louder and louder each second until Shadow's ears began ringing from the noise.

Shadow awoke with a gasp. He had been sleeping in a comfortable patch of grass by a mountainside. He eyed the rising sun on the horizon. He wondered aloud, "Great, now I've got voices in my head talking to me in my dreams." Shadow sighed. "Where am I even going to find the Chaos Emeralds? I've been trying to track Sonic ever since he ran off with them after the fight with Saturn, but that blasted faker doesn't sit still long enough for me to get a hold on his location."

A newspaper blew by in the wind. Shadow grabbed it and read the title on the front page. It said, "Dr. Eggman & Robots Seen Alive North of South Island!"

Shadow continued to think out loud, "Dr. Eggman, huh? It looks like he must have another evil scheme," Shadow smiled and reached a realization, "and when Eggman has an evil scheme, Sonic is always there to save the day, and Sonic still has the Chaos Emeralds." Shadow crumpled up the newspaper and through it back to the wind. "Perfect."