HELLO GUYS! I'm sorry I haven't updated, but life's been hectic these days. But thankfully everything is back to normal. Also, I'd like to tell you guys to go visit my profile and read the part that speaks about this story. Also, the part about Amy's dream is a dream I had myself.

Disclaimer: I think it is pretty obvious that I do not own Sonic.

Shadow's eyes opened abruptly at the recognition of the place he was in. It was the beach from where the two hands grabbed him, and where his nightmares began to take place. He stood up desperately, and gasped for air as he leaned his hands on his knees. He looked at the floor and saw the white sand, but when he kept going up, he saw a Dove, with white, glistening feathers, orange, fiery eyes, and it could speak.

"Who… Who are You?" Shadow asked with almost no energy; he felt his only bits of energy he had available had been sucked out earlier.

"I AM, Shadow."

Shadow stood quiet at the sudden expression. He scratched his head and sat down Indian style on the white, soft sand.

"You are who?" Shadow asked confused.

"I am the Holy Spirit, your peace in the storm, your light in the dark, your eyes when you can't see,"

Shadow moved himself closer to the Dove, who was peacefully sitting in front of him, looking at him with eyes that penetrated his soul, and his very existence.

"Nice meeting You… Did you know that I was in Hell a few seconds ago, and that a huge hand rescued me when I was about to get consumed by fire?" Shadow threw questions a million a minute. The Dove chuckled and kept speaking without moving its beak.

"There is no place where man can hide from me. If they go to the deepest part of the sea, I will be there; if they go to the darkest abyss in the world, I will be there. No one can hide from me. So I did know, Shadow; I was with you the whole time."

"Wait, so you knew I was there? If so, why did I have to go there?" Shadow stood up.

"Shadow, before this happened, what did you believe in?"

"Nothing. I thought nothing of this existed. I thought we were here because of random explosions, and crazy theories. I believed that there was nothing else but us…"

"And now, what do you believe in?"

"I believe that there is a pretty darn scary place down there. I… I don't want to… I never want to place a finger in that place of torment," Shadow said as he felt goose bumps as he spoke. Memories of the plaque, the different demons he saw, the movie, Eggman, the horse… everything came back as Shadow dropped on his knees and then fell down face-first.

"I do not want to go there again, I do not want… I…"

Here comes that feeling again.

Tears.

"You will not go there, Shadow. In fact, why don't we go somewhere special, and talk about a great deal?"

Shadow lifted his head and stared at the Dove. He seemed like a nice person to talk to.

"Come, Shadow."

He stood up and the Dove flew up to his shoulder. He made a small smile and started walking, then stopping, and stating an obvious question.

"Uh… where are we going to go now?"

"Walk on the water."

"WHAT?"

Shadow stared at the Dove with a shocked expression.

"Trust Me."

Shadow gulped and started walking towards the water, and expected his shoes to get wet. On the contrary, he began walking on top of the water just like if he were walking in the sand, or in his home. He had his eyes opened widely and the Dove took off in flight.

"HEY! WAIT! Don't leave!"

"Just keep your eyes on Me, and you will not sink."

Shadow nodded as he kept walking, always staring at the Dove. The sea was calm and the sun was still at its highest peak. The clouds were puffy and scarce, and the wind blew against his quills. But as soon as he was walking on the sea, he felt something that he bumped on. The dove kept flying up, so he decided to lift his leg, as if he were climbing up a stair. He then found himself going up in mid air, but he felt the stairs below his feet. He kept going up and so did the Dove, getting higher each passing second. After minutes of silent walking towards the heaven, he reached outer space.

He thought he was going to die from lack of oxygen, but instead he was perfectly normal.

"From this part now, you must keep your eyes on Me. Not to the right, nor to the left. Got it?"

Shadow nodded and kept walking up. The constellations were amazing from where he was standing; he saw galaxies, trillions and trillions of stars; it was beautiful. But when he was admiring the beauty, and staring at the dove at the same time, he felt a sudden whoosh and a laugh that seemed to descend to Earth. Shadow wanted to look, but he kept staring at the Dove, keeping his promise (something he was good at.) After a few seconds, another whoosh and a screeching sound, similar to the ones in Hell, passed his ear. He dared not to look back as his feet kept going up the invisible stairs. After a few minutes of walking, he saw clouds on the end of the invisible stairs; he saw like a door to somewhere, adorned with pearls, diamonds, rubies, and many other precious stones.

"What is that?"

"Home,"

They stood in front of the huge golden door and it opened, showing what held inside. He heard millions of angelical voices singing perfectly in-tune with many harmonious instruments; he saw kids playing in the immense paradise; he saw hills, flowers both existent and nonexistent in Earth; he saw strong trees with delicate flowers; he saw all kinds of animals; he saw tall, strong beings which had wings as long as their bodies. He saw a long carpet that guided you to some place. He saw the sky, it was bright and lively but it had no sun. It was simply beautiful, unexplainable; far too perfect for the accurate description with words.

It was all he had been searching for.

"I love this place…"

The Dove chuckled and flew on top of Shadow's shoulder and looked lovingly at Shadow. Shadow offered his finger and the Dove walked on it, making Shadow look at Him face to face.

"Shadow, I want you to be here for eternity after your departure from Earth. I never want to see you suffer again like that in Hell, and much worse, suffer for all eternity."

"I don't want to go through that twice!" Shadow trembled and looked sad for a brief moment.

"So, I want you to consider a great deal; let Me live in your heart, and no matter what happens, I will never leave you. All things will work out with a good purpose; your burdens will be lifted. Each time you fall, I will be there to pick you up. No matter what you do, I'll forgive; I want to be your Fortress, I want to be there when you need Me the most," the Dove flew to the ground and looked behind Shadow, making him turn around and see.

He saw a Man.

Wait… was it the Man?

The Man that he saw in the cross?

He had beautiful brown hair that waved to shoulder length, a small beard, white clothes and a red cloth belt; His eyes were of a beautiful, fiery, orange-red color that penetrated even the most dreaded man's soul; his arms, legs and body were very strong. His hands and feet had huge holes in them, like if they were nailed a long time ago. He had a crown that said King of Kings and He had a smile that Shadow will never forget.

"I want to be your Savior, Shadow the Hedgehog."

The Dove flew to the Man's shoulder and they both looked at Shadow with a loving stare that got deep inside of Shadow's eyes.

"Who are you? I-I saw You in a vision I had in Hell… You… You were in a cross… Dying… How are you here?" Shadow asked as he felt his knees shook in this Man's presence.

"I am Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace. My Father sent me to Earth as a sacrifice for mankind, for it needed a Savior from its sins. But I am not dead, I am alive, and I will return to Earth to call my children home."

Shadow's eyes filled with tears.

"You have no idea how much time I've been waiting for you, Shadow. You have no idea how much I love you. You don't have even a small picture in your mind that could describe what this moment means to Me and everyone here in heaven."

Jesus stretched his hand to Shadow, and Shadow grabbed it weakly, as he felt he was fading.

"Jesus… Please, forgive me… I've been so blind all this time. I thought that my promise to Maria and Amy was my only purpose, and that purpose had been completed. I'm sorry, I'm… I'm so, so sorry… I cannot begin to express how sorry I am… I repent; I want to start a new, Lord. But I do not want to do anything without You by my side,"

Shadow fell to his knees and cried for the third time in his life. But this time it felt different. The last two times were of agony and fear, and those two feelings were like acid on his veins. But this time, it was acknowledgement, understanding and joy; not only because this place and these People were a million times better than Hell, but because he knew he had found what he always searched for since his conception; a purpose.

"You have been forgiven, and do not worry; I will never leave you alone. I promise, and my promises are unbreakable. And, Shadow?"

"Yes, Lord?" asked Shadow curiously.

"I have a surprise for you."

Jesus smiled and moved a little to the left and a young girl came to his sight. She was blonde with big, ocean blue eyes, white skin and a beautiful face.

Wait.

No, it can't be.

Was this a joke?

A dream?

…Maria?

It had been a week now, and progress was nowhere to be seen or found in Shadow's body. Silver was still being patient and taking care of Shadow's needs. He had changed his mind since his encounter with God, attending church more and he began to join Sonic's weekly Bible studies every Friday in Shadow's room. He had more knowledge of the Bible since then, and was more content with himself.

Sonic had been an eager fellow, always being happy and the positive one of the group. He never let anything bring him down before, and now in God's side, what would or could bring him down? Nothing!

One early morning, around 3:09 AM, Sonic felt uneasy and began to toss and turn in his bed.

"Argh… What's wrong…?"

"Sonic, wake up,"

Sonic opened his eyes widely at the audible voice he heard. He sat up in his bed quickly and felt his heart race in his chest.

"Lord, is that You? If so, here I am,"

"Yes, Sonic, I AM. I need you to do something urgent," the Lord spoke with a tone of voice that made Sonic know this was of top priority.

"What is it, Lord? You tell, I do!"

"I called you because of your amazingly fast speed. Run as fast as you can to Scarlet Hills, and start preaching out loud in the small forest on top of them. Now, go!"

Sonic was a little confused, but he didn't question the Lord. He got off from bed and put on his shoes, grabbed his Bible and darted out his front door. His destination was a little far, so he ran faster than sound, creating a sonic boom that could be heard miles away. It was in there where a shadowy creature in a building top stared at the blue beam of light in the distance. His features were those of a green hawk, with piercing green eyes. He frowned at this unlikely sight and clenched a fist.

"Sonic… I've been waiting for you."

With that, the bird grabbed some sort of air-travelling equipment and took off in flight.

"M… M-Maria…?" Shadow mumbled in disbelief.

"Shadow!"

"Maria!"

They both ran towards each other and embraced in a long, tight, tear-filled hug. Shadow played with Maria's hair as he hugged her, shaking in pure delight. The girl he had always loved like a sister was here in his arms again, and she was so close to him, it was almost unreal. But he knew she was really there, for he felt everything and he felt happy.

He had finally felt true happiness.

"Maria, I kept my promise in Earth! I did everything you said, to give myself a chance to be happy, I did everything. You have no idea how much I've missed you, you have no idea… no clue…"

"Shadow, I missed you too… And now I'm happy, because you will see me again for eternity pretty soon."

They both cried and then broke their hug rather hesitantly. Shadow looked up at Jesus and smiled with a small tear in his eye.

"Thank You… This means everything to me right now. I cannot begin to express my gratitude towards You," Shadow walked towards Jesus and hugged Him hard, ending up in more tears. If someone he knew in Earth saw him right now, they would call him a weakling or stupid. But he didn't care. It felt good. Jesus chuckled and hugged him tightly, never wanting to let go.

"I love you, Shadow the Hedgehog,"

Shadow remained emitting silent sobs on the Lord's chest. He could not explain the bliss, the happiness, the joy that he felt. He felt complete, like if he were a puzzle with only a missing piece, and the Lord was the piece that completed him. Maria also joined the hug, and Jesus extended His arm around both.

"Now, come, Shadow! I want to show you around!"

Shadow smiled widely and held the Lord's hand tightly and walked next to Him.

If only he had discovered Him before…

Sonic kept running until he reached Scarlet Hills. When he got to the top, he saw the small forest like the Lord had told him. He slowed down his pace and then stopped to look around. He walked until he reached a small clearing and opened his Bible. He narrowed his eyes because of the dim light and began searching for a text to base his message.

"Read Matthew 11:28-30," the Lord ordered.

Sonic quickly searched for the Bible and began reading out loud.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry,"

"The Lord wants you to put all of your problems, situations and past in His hands; God wants to help you with your burdens and lift them; God wants to be the Savior of your life, the One to pick you up when you fall. And no matter what happens, the Lord will never leave you alone, because He promised in His Bible, that He will never forsake us, as the Psalm 94 states: If I say, "My foot is slipping," your loyal love, O LORD, supports me. It also says that certainly the LORD does not forsake his people; he does not abandon the nation that belongs to him."

"I do not know what you're going through, but in only one thing I am certain; the Lord is my Shepherd, and I lack nothing; He will take me to lush pastures, and he leads me to refreshing water. He restores my strength, and leads me down the right paths for the love of His name. Even when I walk through the valley of darkness and death, I will not fear any danger, for the LORD is with me! Everything that you thought about God before is wrong… He is waiting for you!"

Suddenly a bush moved and Sonic's eyes locked on it immediately. He prepared himself for an ambush of some sort, but instead, a Mobian walked out of the bushes. He had a long rope in his hand and he dropped it. It was a light grey wolf with a white muzzle, ice blue eyes, and hedgehog-like quills adorned his head. He had tribal-like markings of the same ice blue of his eyes, and in his forehead he had a tattoo that said "207." He walked towards Sonic and his eyes were bloodshot red because he was apparently crying.

"Is… Is this true, what you speak?"

Sonic's jaw dropped.

"Yes, my friend… What's your name?"

"Silence… Silence the Wolf-hog, as I name myself…"

"My name is Sonic the Hedgehog! What are you doing here this early in the morning?" Sonic asked in curiousness.

"D-dude, I'm tired of everything! I hate myself, I have no job, no money, my girl dumped me after two years married, and my child died of a brain tumor at just three months of life! My parents died four months ago, and my sister has leukemia! M-my life, it's over! It's a disaster; I cannot live in this hell anymore! I'm sick of everything!" the wolf-hog blurted out in desperation and tears, yelling his lungs out.

Sonic thought what he was about to say for a few seconds, but he got interrupted by the wolf.

"I came here to kill myself; I cannot keep walking in this hell any longer!"

"This is not Hell. What you're living is hard, yes, but it isn't Hell. Hell is much worse, and if you kill yourself, you'll end up there… So that's not an option, Silence. Secondly, did you hear what I said?" Sonic asked.

"Yes," Silence spoke softly, trying to calm down.

"God loves you so much that He gave his only Son for your salvation. God loves you so much that he wants you to be rested and walk over your problems, not get overwhelmed and drown in them,"

"Hug him, Sonic,"

Sonic walked towards Silence and hugged him, making Silence cry out loud and landing both on their knees on the ground. Sonic then began crying too, hugging the wolf tightly.

"The Lord is hugging you right now, and He does not want you to take away your life. Just let Him have a chance to be the One to help you through this, because we can do all things through Him, who strengthens us!"

After a while, Silence converted to the Lord, and felt different. The pair walked away from the forest talking about God and His love, unaware of the green shadow that watched their every step.

And he was not happy about what happened.

What! Jet is a bad guy?

Yeah. XD Enjoy! And thanks for the support, as always.

God be glorified for this…

-Nameria