Kingdom Hearts II: Sonic Chronicles
OC's © original creators
Chapter Seven: An Unnatural Wonder, Part 1
Shadow snapped awake, clutching his chest with sweat racing down his forehead. He had imagined death would have been more painful, yet he didn't feel a thing. And as he looked around to what he believed to be the afterlife, he was discovered to be sitting on his bed within his own home, far from Elise's castle. The Jet-black hedgehog sighed in relief.
"It was only a dream." Shadow murmured.
But at that moment, his elbow touched something hard and cold resting on the headboard of his mattress. You could only imagine the look on his expression when he found Hybrid's championship belt. The Keyblade Master fell out of bed in fright, crawling away from the trophy as it were a plague.
"It wasn't a dream!" Shadow exclaimed. "Everything – Terro, the monster, that one guy – it was all real! But...how can I still be...alive?"
The scene alternates to the Kingdom Knight's Usual Spot at the edge of their territory. The moment Shadow walked into the warehouse, none of his friends seemed the least bit surprised that the jet-black hedgehog was still breathing. Knuckles did congratulate him on his victory over Hybrid, but made no mention of the events afterwards. But at this point, that was the least of his concerns. There were only three days left until Summer Vacation was over and that meant summer homework was required to be done. And as usual, Rouge was the one scolding the men over the assignment.
"Come on, Rouge." Knuckles pleaded from the rafters. "We still have three days left until the summer is over. Can't we just do it tomorrow?"
"We've put off the assignment for the past two months!" Rouge said in a stern manner. "We need to get the work done now! Next to Tails, I hold the highest average of anyone and you barely pull a C+! Tails and I aren't going to make excuses for you or Shadow this year!"
"Alright, already!" Knuckles shouted in response. "We'll do the damn assignment! I still regret the day you convinced us to sign up for independent study." He jumped down and landed softly, turning his focus to the group. "So, anyone got any bright ideas for a topic?"
"Maybe...we could study the stuff that's been happening to me lately." Shadow suggested hopefully. "You know – the dreams and the guys in black coats."
"I don't think that's a good idea?" Knuckles answered, surprising the hedgehog. "I have to admit that things have been weird with you and the town since the photos were stolen."
"That's why we're going to search the town tomorrow." Tails informed happily. "We've got as many people to help us investigate all the weird things going on and find out about the men in black coats that you've been seeing. We've even got Elise, Hybrid, and some of the Brawler Gangs to help out."
"All that...for me?" Shadow asked heartfelt. "You know, I'll go get some ice cream. Then we can talk about what we're going to work on for the project."
And in less than five minutes, the Kingdom Knight were sitting in a circle, eating Sea-Salt ice cream, while passing around ideas for their summer homework. Knuckles had earlier suggested a report on the Brawlers Tournament, only to have Tails point out that most people will be choosing the same topic. Rouge had come up with a suggestion on the social relations between citizens and workers in Soleanna – the guys were out in two seconds. And seeing as how Shadow's subject of the men in black coats was shot down, he was left without any other suggestions. The gang of four was at a loss...until..."
"I heard this strange rumor going around." Tails said suddenly, drawing all eyes. "You know the stone steps at the Sunset Hill? We use them all the time, without even thinking about it."
"You want us to do a report on steps?" Knuckles scoffed.
"No, that's not it." Tails shook his head. "I heard a wild rumor that the steps count differently up and down when ever you walk on them?"
"Are you serious?" Rouge laughed humorously. "Just sounds like someone whose lost count."
"That's not the only rumors I've heard about the town." Tails continued dramatically. "There are supposedly six other weird stories going on around here. People call them the Seven Wonders of Soleanna."
"That sounds like something worth being reported." Knuckles grinned deviously. "Tails, I know you have heard this before, but you are a bonafide genius."
"Aw, it was nothing." Tails said embarrassingly. "I think we should all take a trip to Sunset Hill and investigate the rumors before anyone else tries to make a discovery."
"Then we better head to the train station." Knuckles acknowledged, breaking into a serious run. "Last one there has to buy ice cream!"
"Hey, no fair!" Rouge exclaimed.
Shadow could only laugh at the childish antics of his friends and followed his companions in a brisk walk until they were completely out of his sight. Now while the jet-black hedgehog did not care for competition, he didn't have the rings to afford anymore ice cream today. So the Keyblade Master used his secret shortcut through the sewers and dashed through the maintenance tunnels to the train station two minutes before the others reached him. Rouge did question why Shadow smelled like raw sewage, but the dark Knight quickly brushed it off as Knuckles returned with the tickets. The group of four stood to the side of the rails as their destined transported approached.
"The time has come." Tails said dramatically. "Our journey for the seven wonders begins."
"Why are you talking like that?" Shadow questioned awkwardly.
"Sorry, just trying to add the effects." Tails grinned sheepishly.
"Just get on." Rouge ordered, shoving the little kitsune through the doors.
One by one, the Kingdom Knight filed through the doorway as passengers exited through the other end. It was a rare occasion that there were any free seats on the trains, but today was a lucky break for them. The group of four took the entire train car for themselves as they set off for their destination n the other side of town. There was a long and tense period of silence between the four, which unsettled Shadow – they were normally vibrant with energy. The awkward moment was shattered as Shadow watched Rouge reach into her pocket and retrieve the yellow crystal Shadow had given them the previous day. The white bat held the crystal towards the sun, witnessing the reflection of the lights. Tails and Knuckles follow with their own crystals, leaving Shadow to sit in silence. The dark Knight tried to locate his own crystal, but the blue sphere was missing – or was it stolen? Given the recent days, it didn't really surprise him.
"We're almost there." Knuckles said; Shadow jumped slightly.
After what seemed like centuries, the train car came to a screeching halt and the doors opened sharply. As Shadow crossed through the threshold, he was given an unobstructed view of Sunset Hill. In contrast to the section that the Kingdom Knights and the Soleanna Signers controlled, the town opened into a cultural terrace. And evergreen hillside overshadowed the small town at its base, which was abundant in grass and trees to give it a natural appearance. The group of four leaned against the railing, staring at the countryside with relaxed postures.
"Ah, I just love coming out to this part of town." Rouge sighed happily. "It always makes me feel like I'm spending the day in the valley were I was born. It's much better than that overcrowded city we control."
"This is the place where we had our first date." Knuckles grinned pervertedly. "You know, maybe later tonight we could..."
"Why don't you settle that for some other day?" Shadow commanded sharply; Tails looked confused. "Right now, I think we're supposed to get finished with a homework assignment."
"Y-yeah, right." Rouge stammered embarrassingly. She pushed the group ahead, stopping at the stone steps that lead into the suburban area. "Aren't these the steps you were talking about? The ones that count different going up and down?"
"Actually...there's a funny story about that." Tails chuckled hesitantly. "You see...Damian was the one who counted the steps going up and down. And every time he counted, he always ended up with a different number. He told Armand and Gemini and that's how the rumor started."
"Well, Damien is the only one who could get a lower math grade than Knuckles." Shadow joked.
"Hey!" Knuckles exclaimed.
"That's one rumor busted." Tails said, retrieving a roll of paper from his bushy tails. "And according to what I've heard, we have six other wonders to look for. I think we should look for 'The Friend from Beyond the Wall'."
"What's that about?" Rouge asked.
"There's supposedly this alley wall that shoots out balls at random." Tails explained eagerly. "Some people go back there and say that the balls just appear out of nowhere. I'll bet we'll figure it out before anyone else."
"I think we should split up and look for the alley." Knuckles said strategically. "That way, we can spread our search and find the wall faster. Whoever finds it first will report back to the others immediately."
"Yes, sir!" The gang said in mock salute.
And with that, the Kingdom Knights parted in their separate directions. Seeing how the assignment was supposed located in the back alleys of the town, Shadow escaped the wide roads and scraped around the trash littered narrows. Shadow pressed his hands against the walls and touched every solid surface that could possibly lead him to his intended target. But during one unfortunate incident, the jet-black hedgehog reached out without looking and felt something unusually soft and firm. The dark Knight snapped his head back in attention, finding Rouge and his hand held firm on her rear. The feminine Knight grew a throbbing vein on her forehead and Shadow received a palm-shaped welt on his face.
"It's not like I did it on purpose." Shadow mumbled, resuming his work. "Damn it, why did she have to hit me so hard? It still stings. I don't know how Knuckles can stand being around her without having to take a trip to the infirmary everyday."
The jet-black hedgehog continued muttering curses under his breath, inwardly hoping that Rouge wouldn't come back for a second helping. He crawled throw the alleyway – he was cautious where he placed his hands – and curved around to the deepest and farthest alley in Sunset Hill. Shadow staggered close to the face of the wall, knocking his fist against the surface and receiving an unusually dull clunk. Now as far as he knew, none of the structures in Soleanna were made of metal. So why would this anomaly exist?
"Is there something that I am missing here?" Shadow murmured, folding his arms over one another. "Maybe it's just my imag..." All of a sudden, two pure-white balls exploded silent on either side of him. "What the he...?"
A third ball escaped the stone wall and smacked the dark Knight directly in the chest. Shadow was carried by the unknown enigma and tossed out of the alleyway as the solid substance vanished from the realm of existence. The jet-black hedgehog groaned, massaging the bump that had formed on is head when landing. And before the Keyblade Master could attempt to stand, two more white balls jumped from the walls and dived for his position. Using some well placed timing, Shadow pushed against his arms and jumped overhead of the white spheres and landed before they could it. At the same time, another round ball appeared, but Shadow effortlessly knocked it to the side with his hand.
"Ok, this is the fourth time a wall has attacked me." Shadow said seriously. "And I'm pretty certain the Soleanna Signers aren't behind this one."
"Scion...Scion...Scion..."
"That name." Shadow growled, shortly breaking into a shout. "Who are you?! Are you Terro or that woman in black?!"
The jet-black hedgehog knew he must have looked stupid yelling at a wall, but that was the least of his concerns. This sentient being was calling him Scion – a name only referred to him by a certain number of individuals. Shadow's mind went wild when think of a particularly angelic individual. The Keyblade Master's mind was brought back to reality as two white balls erupted from the wall structure. Shadow snapped back into his fighter's position and threw his hands out, using the flying spheres as a base to flip over them. And while he was still trapped in midair, a third sphere was shot ahead with its targets sighted on the hedgehog's back. Shadow didn't understand the reason why, but his natural instincts commanded him to curve in the air – a feat he had never accomplished before. Trusting his senses, Shadow turned to the right and spiraled out of the ball's range, landing expertly back on his feet.
"Wow, I didn't know I was capable of that." Shadow laughed lightly. "Wait until I show the knucklehe – ooh!"
In the time he wasn't paying attention, two balls rebounded against the side walls and struck Shadow on the left side of his legs and the right side of his face. The simultaneous impacts twisted the hedgehog into the air and landed on his face, adding the pain already caused by Rouge. Shadow shrugged his head free of his pained thoughts and soon realized that the wall had distributed one last assault against the hedgehog. With the hedgehog still on his knees and the white ball only a foot away, any normal being would have been pounded in that instant. If you think Shadow is a normal being, you haven't been paying attention. At the last moment, the Keyblade Master curved his body around and performed a difficult sideswipe with his foot. The shock of the attack rebound the ball back into the wall, seemingly ending the unwarranted assault. As Shadow stood and faced the wall that had just attacked him, noticing a momentary stream of data circulating through the cracks.
"What the?" Shadow questioned.
"Hey, what's with all these balls?" The dark Knight looked back and found Knuckles inspecting the sphere on the ground with the other Knights behind him. "Think these are what everyone's talking about?"
"I can't think of any other place." Rouge responded.
The Keyblade Master raised his brow in confusion. The first ball that attacked him disappeared into oblivion. So why were the other spheres still remaining on the ground? Shadow looked back to the peculiar wall and took notice that the stream of data had vanished without a trace.
"Hey, Shadow, were you the one throwing those balls?" Tails asked as the group approached; Rouge acted reproachful to his presence. "We've been looking for them everywhere, but we couldn't figure out where to look first."
"Try looking for the wall that just attacked me!" Shadow exclaimed.
"A wall...attacked you." Knuckles repeated in disbelief. The hot-blooded fighter pressed his hands against the wall and Shadow awaited the attack. Surprisingly enough, nothing happened. "I don't get what you're freaking out about. It's jus a normal wall."
"Hey I think I figured out how this rumor started!" Tails shouted proudly. "I'll bet a couple of guys were playing pranks on the townspeople, so they started throwing balls out of the alley. And when everyone came to look, they were hiding, making it look like the balls were floating themselves."
"But where could a person...?" Shadow began.
"That makes total sense." Rouge nodded, ignoring the hedgehog's statement. "Looks like we busted another case."
But despite Shadow's attempted arguments, none of the Knights acted as if his view of the story mattered. None of them were around when the wall was attacking, so they had no clue of the whole story. The Keyblade sighed and followed his team out of the alleyway, never noticing the portal of emptiness forming in the background. Once the group of four had returned to the central road of Sunset Hill, Tails uncurled his map of the Seven Wonders, checking off the alleyway.
"The Friend from Beyond the Wall: Complete." Tails said in an adventurous tone. "I think we should check out the 'Cave Moaning' next."
"What's the story on that?" Knuckles asked curiously.
"What does it sound like, idiot." Rouge snapped. "There's a cave in the northern part of Sunset Hill that was originally used for mining until the company financing it went bankrupt. Just before the crew pulled out, one of the workers was killed when a stalactite crushed his skull. They say his spirit still lives in the cave, haunting anyone who intrudes on his resting place."
"How in the world did you know that?" Tails asked quizzically.
"A girl has her secrets." Rouge said, winking to the confused men.
The group of four traveled north of the hillside, stopping at the mouth of a smoothed cave entrance that was chiseled perfectly to support the structure. There were some broken shovel heads, snapped pick-axes, and cracked buckets scattered across the floor, proving the existence of a former mining team. Tails and Shadow crept silently to the left side of the entrance while Knuckles and Rouge scuttled to the other side. All four Knights craned their heads around to gain a better view of the situation, but the cave was pitch-black and the light was unable to penetrate the depths.
"Anyone hear anything?" Shadow asked.
"Nope, I don't hear anything!" Tails said quickly, attempting to flee. "So, let's just move on to..."
"Get back here, you coward." Shadow snarled, pulling his friend back by his collar. "Listen, someone is going to need to go in there and investigate this rumor. Any volunteers?"
"All who vote for Shadow, say aye!" Knuckles screamed frantically.
"Aye!!" Tails and Rouge shouted simultaneously.
"Heart of lions, these guys." Shadow mumbled sarcastically.
Admitting to his outvoted defeat, Shadow bravely stepped into the darkness and disappeared from sight. Despite the lack of light present in the cave, the Keyblade Master had no trouble navigating through the maze of Stalagmites. As he ventured further into the stone tunnel, Shadow passed a fallen stalactite with a pierced skull under its pointed tip – the hedgehog shuddered. The dark Knight ventured further into the cave, stopping only when he reached the ending point where the workers had concluded their work.
"This is the end of the line." Shadow stated. He kneeled close to the ground and scrapped a handful of dirt, allowing it to slip through his fingers. "The whole time I wandered into the cave, I haven't seen any signs of connecting tunnels or salvaging. It's obvious that they weren't looking for gold or oil. So what were they looking for?"
"Scion..."
"Who's there?!" Shadow shouted.
The jet-black hedgehog jumped to his feet, but was suddenly blinded by a sharp flash of light. As his vision was slowly adapting to the brief shine, Shadow realized that the light was coming from a stationed lighting system that had not been withdrawn by the excavation. The dark knight removed his arms and was greeted by a familiar and unwelcome guest.
"Damian, what are you doing here?" Shadow asked the golden hound. "Shouldn't you be shining Zeenint's shoes right about now?"
"Scion..." Damian murmured.
"Wait!" Shadow exclaimed, jumping into position. "You just said that name. Does that mean you're..."
The golden Signer refused to answer any further and motioned into his battling stance, taking a quick glance to his left and right sides. Drawn on by his own curiosity, Shadow followed the motion. For the second time in Shadow's life, the dark Knight was surrounded by a group of clones modeled after one of his rivals. Five Damians circled the Keyblade Master, all positioned in the same stance as the original. The group of clones waited approximately four seconds before attempting to capture the jet-black hedgehog in unison. Shadow raised his arm to defend against to Signers striking from either side, but left himself open for the remaining three to kick at his chest. The dark Knight was pushed back into a nearby stalagmite and quickly flipped over the structure as one of the clones threw their fist ahead. The pointed stone was instantly demolished the moment the hound's hand made contact.
"You've got to be kidding me." Shadow groaned, staggering back to the wall. "Damian was never this strong to begin with. Then again, he never had four identical twin brothers before, either."
The five Damian clones flocked around the hedgehog, preventing any means of escape. And the golden hounds pulled back their hands and thrusted them ahead, forcing Shadow to take immediate action. At the last split-second, the jet-black hedgehog jumped to the ceiling and grappled the closest stalactite as the Damian clones smashed their fists into the wall. Cling to the ceiling was possibly the dumbest move Shadow could have chosen. The moment the golden hounds made contact, the cave gave an involuntary shudder and slowly collapsed from above. The pointed rock that Shadow was holding was the first to fall, but the Keyblade Master quickly jumped away from the piece and landed safely on the floor. The tunnel was caving inwards, which only added to the fact that the five Damian clones had surrounded him once more.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Shadow exclaimed fearfully. "We have to get out of here before we all die!"
"You must return, my liege!" 'Damian' snarled. "You must return!"
Shadow raised his arms over his head as the five Damian clones jumped overhead with the ceiling finally crumbling out of place. And then everything went black. The same feeling of emptiness returned from Shadow's previous battle against the Twilight Thorn – would Kumori save him this time? The hedgehog was hopeful. Perhaps she could finally shed some light on the matters that were surrounding his dreams and the name. Maybe...she would...
"What the hell are you doing?"
The jet-black hedgehog jumped in fright. Shadow was once again in the cave and the electric system was still running, but the cave was still untouched and the Damian clones were nowhere to be seen. Instead, the original Damian was standing overhead, glaring down at the Kingdom Knight that was sleeping on the ground.
"Damian?" Shadow said questionably. "What happened? Why is the cave still standing? Where are the clones?"
"Clones?" Damian repeated tauntingly. "I think you're putting on too much hair gel. It's starting to leak into your brain."
"What are you doing here anyway, mutt?" Shadow growled.
"I was planning to get some practice in until you found my secret training spot." Damian explained. "Zeenint thinks he's so great because he's the fastest and can use magical powers. Armand is definitely the strongest, but not much of a free-thinker. After I'm done training, we'll see who's in charge of the Soleanna Signers."
So Damian was planning a small-scale coup against Zeenint and the Signers. Shadow had to guess that Damian didn't like the way he was treated as unnecessary member of the group. But even with all that training, there was not a chance in the world that Damien would be able to overpower Zeenint. Just as the golden hound left, Knuckles and the other Knight barged into the cave, exchanging glares with Damian as he passed by.
"Are you ok?" Rouge asked concerned.
"I'm...just fine." Shadow lied hesitantly. "I think the moaning everyone heard was Damian practicing his Brawling techniques. I think he's planning to challenge Zeenint for leadership."
"That stupid mutt!" Knuckles laughed outrageously. "It's amazing he even knows how to tie his own shoes!"
"You don't know how to toe your shoes either, Knux." Rouge grinned; Knuckles held his head in shame.
"Well, the chances of Damian actually winning are five-hundred million to one." Tails stated, retrieving his trusted map and marking off the tunnel. "It looks like another mystery has been solved."
Unfortunately, Shadow couldn't quite agree with their opinions. The Keyblade Master was certain that everything that happened was not an illusion. Damian had replicated himself just like Gemini during the Brawlers Tournament and had gained impossible strength beyond his normal potential. Shadow had already come up with an explanation for Damian's transformation, but there was still the question of the cave. How could it collapse and just rebuilt itself. Meanwhile, Damien turned the corner and looked back momentarily at the jet-black hedgehog. Once out of sight, a white light surrounded him and a Dusk slithered its way towards the entrance.
A strange new territory reveals hidden mysteries. What other perils await in the remaining four wonders? Does the Order hold deeper control over Soleanna? Will Shadow finally be captured? Find out on the next Sonic Chronicles!
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