Hello, Sun Demigod! I can't tell you if it was him! XD Anyway, I can't wait, either! :D Yeah, Sonikku... You're not as safe as you wanna think... :(
Hello, StarryMoon33! Of course you do! XD YAS. SO MUCH EVIL. OMG. Yeah... Poor Sonikku.
~台風の目~
Want some epic music to listen to while reading this? I recommend "To Die For" from the Lion King movie soundtrack. Up until 2:08 (where the sad part comes in), it's practically perfect. I was listening to it while writing this. XD
~台風の目~
"Broken Seal"
~台風の目~
Deep within the heart of Adabat was a place darker than any other on the whole of Mobius. Light penetrated the almost impossibly thick canopy of trees above, casting weak beams upon all that were below them, but there was still so much darkness here. It was something few could ever truly see, but no living thing could escape feeling it. The feeling emanated from a single source in the center of this dimly lit clearing, a sort of spire of rock with a rounded-off tip at the top wide enough that a person could lay their hand upon it without bending their fingers.
Large through this crude monument-like structure was, the trees above were tall enough and their branches thick enough to prevent it from being seen from above. The foliage was thick. The journey to this place was far too treacherous for many to dare even attempt it. Few eyes had ever come to rest on that lone pillar of stone since it had appeared so many eons ago in what had once been the Land of Darkness. Even fewer lived to tell others what they had seen. Now, even so many years later, legends circulated of a stone structure deep within the jungle that housed immeasurable evil. However, the jungles had kept their secrets for eon, preventing anyone from ever truly investigating the mysterious of the supposed wicked stone. But the legends persisted.
It was those legends that drove Knuckles to come out here, for even his own tribe and father spoke of it. And come out here he did, not once, but several times. In his attempts to learn more about the structure without disturbing whatever the hell was in it, he had very carefully excavated around it during his first few visits. This rock's roots dug deep, preventing the structure from toppling over as a result of its own size and weight, but that was all he managed to learn. And yet, in spite of knowing nothing about it, the monument deeply concerned Knuckles, for he, too, could sense the immense evil within it. That evil seemed to grow exponentially in the months between each of his visits. This particular visit, one that was taking place just two days after the anniversary of Jet vanishing, was quickly proving to be the most worrisome of them all.
Approaching the pillar, his trained violet eyes quickly detected that there were subtle cracks and splits in the stone that had previously not been there before. Granted, this could easily be due to natural causes, but whether or not that was the case was irrelevant. The fact that they were there was somewhat fear inducing. The fear was unwelcome and hardly based on fact. Despite that, though, the fear that this rock being opened up would unleash utter hell upon the world remained strong. But, as he always did when faced with fear, he pushed through it and walked forward.
The rock split again without warning, great fissures spreading across the cold grey surface and releasing intense but dark purple light. Within seconds, the entire area was filled with that terrible light. The ground shook with so much force he stumbled this way and that, feeling as though he was again standing on South Island as it was about to explode. Waves of tremors so violent they made his vision blur wracked the land, scattering birds, felling trees, splitting the ground… And the rock continued to crumble, falling apart bit by bit until all that was left was a dark purple sphere floating in the air. Though the light remained, centered around and being emitted from that orb, the area suddenly seemed far darker now than it had mere moments before. But this was far from over.
Most of the last of the monument that seemed to be binding that sphere to a prison here exploded, ripping apart the ground and very nearly sending Knuckles cascading into the blackness of a dark underworld below the surface. Mighty trees that had withstood the ruthless brutalities of time fell this way and that, adding their own thundering cries to the already deafening noise. Then a blinding explosion rippled out from the floating orb. The fierce winds and shockwaves struck him and sent him hurtling backward, slamming him into the ground and sending his hat flying off of his head. Pushing himself up quickly, he had just enough time to see the orb split in two, releasing utterly terrifying waves of strange dark energy.
Just as he threw his arms up to shield his face (as though that would save him) and squeezed his eyes shut, that wave washed over him and the rest of the area in all directions. Suddenly, he felt cold, so cold it was like he'd never before felt warmth of any kind in his life. All around, he heard terrible laughter, weapons being unsheathed, running, voices speaking in a foreign language, some shouting threateningly, some whispering as though sharing secret terrors… And there was fear. So, so much fear. But then it was just… over. Just as suddenly as it had all begun, it all ended.
Risking opening his eyes after a long moment, he slowly lowered his arms and looked up into the sky. The sun had returned, but it was not alone in the sky. Fading away before his very eyes was some sort of beacon that almost seemed to be shooting through space. He didn't dare wonder whether or not that was true, and instead focused on standing first. That task was accomplished with only minor hitches. Dirty, battered, and bruised though he was, he wasn't terribly hurt. He could get home, which was what mattered. But…
Swallowing hard, he turned to the remnants of the monument that once stood, dark and ominous, in the center of this now ruined clearing. Stepping slowly, as though afraid to disturb a sleeping beast he knew was no longer here, he made his was over to the stone wreckage and knelt down before it. In each gloved hand he picked up a perfect half of the sphere that had once been hidden away here. It still carried its deeply evil aura and very much retained its dark purple color, but there was nothing else within it. The source of that evil was gone… but not truly. As he stared into depths of those two smooth surfaces, he couldn't help but wonder what had just been unleashed upon the world… and who or what in the hell had caused it.
~台風の目~
1,095 words this time. REAL QUICK! VERY IMPORTANT! I forgot entirely to explain to you all about the rating of this story! Like with Hero, there is a very specific set of reasons (not including romance-y stuff) as to why EotS is M rated. If you want the details, check the first chapter's author's note at the bottom of the page. Posted (at about 3:40 a.m.) 09-12-16.
