- * - - * - - * - - * - - * - Part II - * - - * - - * - - * - - * -
"You are early." Still nothing but white... no physical sensation.
Just that voice. It's not like any voice I've heard before. It's
more like several voices, all saying the same thing at once.
"We had not expected you for some years yet." Expected? What is
this place? Who is it that would expect me here? ...who am I that
they would expect?
Physical feeling again. White turns to black. I'm lying on the
ground; smooth, hard, flat. I flex my tails... Tails... that's who
I am. I remember now. But why can't I see?
"Nonetheless, we are ready for you. You may open your eyes now."
Fool. That's why I can't see. I have my eyes closed. I roll over,
sit up, and open my eyes. I know this is my body, so why do I feel
so detatched from it? I look around. Everything's green around me.
The ground looks like green glass, yet reflects nothing but the odd
glimmer of light. I've seen that before. But what has this place to
do with the Master Emerald?
In the space of a blink, four figures appear around me. They have
the right general shape to be people, but have little definition
and no colour, just black shapes against the endless green. A wave
of fear washes over me and I check the fur on my arm. Still its
usual orange. Relief.
"Welcome, Tails Prower, to Chaotic Space." One of the figures leans
over me, as if inspecting me, and I immediately back away. "You are
younger than we expected. But no matter. The time must be right, or
you would not be here."
"The time must be right for what?" I clamp my mouth shut, realizing
I said that out loud. I'm beginning to feel more at home in my body
now. That's reassuring at least...
"You came to us with a question in your mind. As you turned to the
Masters Of Chaos for the answer, we will provide it for you. You are
not favoured by any of the seven."
Sonic skidded to a halt behind Knuckles. "Alright, what happened to
Tails?"
Knuckles didn't move, just kept looking at the Master Emerald. Or,
at least, where the Master Emerald should have been. Sonic stared
for a moment. "Knuckles, what happened..?" he asked again, the rage
gone from his voice.
"I don't know... the last I saw Tails, he was on top of the Master Emerald. I had no idea what he was doing there but then... there was this flash, and both of them were gone.
Sonic gulped. "Is he..?"
Knuckles shook his head, and let out a sigh. "The Emeralds couldn't
directly kill anyone. But I don't want to think about what it may
have done to him... or what the Master Emerald's second absence in
as many months will do to the island.
Knuckles looked ready to cry. Sonic had never thought him the
emotional type. But was he crying for Tails or the island? The
island, most likely, he was that sort of person. That, and he had
never been sworn to protect Tails. Sonic felt the guilt hit him
like a slap to the face. "No," he whispered, "That's my job."
"What's your job, Sonic?"
"Doesn't matter. I hope he's okay, though..."
Both pairs of eyes suddenly turned upwards, to the Master Emerald's
pedestal. Again, there was a blinding flash of light.
My heart sank. I knew it already, but to hear confirmation like that
was pouring salt in an open wound.
"You are, however," the voices continue, "Favoured by the eighth,
which does not yet exist in your world."
I look up again. To say I'm surprised would be rather an
understatement.
"You may take it with you when you return, if you so wish, but be
warned that it will cause changes you may not be ready for."
I stand up. Flat as the ground is, I find it a little difficult to
keep my balance at first, but quickly steady myself. I look directly
at the four figures. "I've felt the power of the Emeralds before.
I've seen what they can do. If it happens, I'm ready for that."
"So be it, Tails Prower. Take your prize and return."
Sonic let out a sigh of relief. Tails had come back. He rushed
forward, leapt up to the giant Emerald and looked down at the
unconcious fox. "Where in the world have you been, little guy?" he
said, half to himself, as he lifted Tails into his arms and leapt
down on to the stone floor in front of Knuckles. Judging by
Knuckles' expression now, Tails would be on the receiving end of a
ranting session when he woke up.
That expression changed, though, when he caught sight of a thin
silver chain around the fox's neck, from which hung one of the
Chaos Emeralds. It was yellow - the legendary eighth Emerald. He
himself had combed every inch of every so-called Special Zone
looking for it when he thought it might aid him against who he
then thought his enemy.
He glanced up at Sonic for a moment. Funny how they were not only
allies, but could actually be called friends. His gaze fell back
down to Tails. Where had he found the eighth Emerald? And... was
his fur always that pale? It had been orange this morning, unusual
enough for a fox to start with, yet now it matched the yellow of
the Emerald.
"You are early." Still nothing but white... no physical sensation.
Just that voice. It's not like any voice I've heard before. It's
more like several voices, all saying the same thing at once.
"We had not expected you for some years yet." Expected? What is
this place? Who is it that would expect me here? ...who am I that
they would expect?
Physical feeling again. White turns to black. I'm lying on the
ground; smooth, hard, flat. I flex my tails... Tails... that's who
I am. I remember now. But why can't I see?
"Nonetheless, we are ready for you. You may open your eyes now."
Fool. That's why I can't see. I have my eyes closed. I roll over,
sit up, and open my eyes. I know this is my body, so why do I feel
so detatched from it? I look around. Everything's green around me.
The ground looks like green glass, yet reflects nothing but the odd
glimmer of light. I've seen that before. But what has this place to
do with the Master Emerald?
In the space of a blink, four figures appear around me. They have
the right general shape to be people, but have little definition
and no colour, just black shapes against the endless green. A wave
of fear washes over me and I check the fur on my arm. Still its
usual orange. Relief.
"Welcome, Tails Prower, to Chaotic Space." One of the figures leans
over me, as if inspecting me, and I immediately back away. "You are
younger than we expected. But no matter. The time must be right, or
you would not be here."
"The time must be right for what?" I clamp my mouth shut, realizing
I said that out loud. I'm beginning to feel more at home in my body
now. That's reassuring at least...
"You came to us with a question in your mind. As you turned to the
Masters Of Chaos for the answer, we will provide it for you. You are
not favoured by any of the seven."
Sonic skidded to a halt behind Knuckles. "Alright, what happened to
Tails?"
Knuckles didn't move, just kept looking at the Master Emerald. Or,
at least, where the Master Emerald should have been. Sonic stared
for a moment. "Knuckles, what happened..?" he asked again, the rage
gone from his voice.
"I don't know... the last I saw Tails, he was on top of the Master Emerald. I had no idea what he was doing there but then... there was this flash, and both of them were gone.
Sonic gulped. "Is he..?"
Knuckles shook his head, and let out a sigh. "The Emeralds couldn't
directly kill anyone. But I don't want to think about what it may
have done to him... or what the Master Emerald's second absence in
as many months will do to the island.
Knuckles looked ready to cry. Sonic had never thought him the
emotional type. But was he crying for Tails or the island? The
island, most likely, he was that sort of person. That, and he had
never been sworn to protect Tails. Sonic felt the guilt hit him
like a slap to the face. "No," he whispered, "That's my job."
"What's your job, Sonic?"
"Doesn't matter. I hope he's okay, though..."
Both pairs of eyes suddenly turned upwards, to the Master Emerald's
pedestal. Again, there was a blinding flash of light.
My heart sank. I knew it already, but to hear confirmation like that
was pouring salt in an open wound.
"You are, however," the voices continue, "Favoured by the eighth,
which does not yet exist in your world."
I look up again. To say I'm surprised would be rather an
understatement.
"You may take it with you when you return, if you so wish, but be
warned that it will cause changes you may not be ready for."
I stand up. Flat as the ground is, I find it a little difficult to
keep my balance at first, but quickly steady myself. I look directly
at the four figures. "I've felt the power of the Emeralds before.
I've seen what they can do. If it happens, I'm ready for that."
"So be it, Tails Prower. Take your prize and return."
Sonic let out a sigh of relief. Tails had come back. He rushed
forward, leapt up to the giant Emerald and looked down at the
unconcious fox. "Where in the world have you been, little guy?" he
said, half to himself, as he lifted Tails into his arms and leapt
down on to the stone floor in front of Knuckles. Judging by
Knuckles' expression now, Tails would be on the receiving end of a
ranting session when he woke up.
That expression changed, though, when he caught sight of a thin
silver chain around the fox's neck, from which hung one of the
Chaos Emeralds. It was yellow - the legendary eighth Emerald. He
himself had combed every inch of every so-called Special Zone
looking for it when he thought it might aid him against who he
then thought his enemy.
He glanced up at Sonic for a moment. Funny how they were not only
allies, but could actually be called friends. His gaze fell back
down to Tails. Where had he found the eighth Emerald? And... was
his fur always that pale? It had been orange this morning, unusual
enough for a fox to start with, yet now it matched the yellow of
the Emerald.
