Kingdom Hearts II: Sonic Chronicles

OC's © original creators

Chapter Eight: An Unnatural Wonder, Part 2

The scene returns to Sunset Hill shortly after Shadow's confusing and stressful search for the Seven Wonders of Soleanna. The first wonder was solved due to Damien's lack of mathematic skills, but it only got harder from there. The Keyblade Master was eventually attacked by flying balls and a swarm of Damien clones, both of which were unexplained. Tails and the others tried to come up with some other logic for what happened, ignoring the first-hand experience from their Dark Knight. At this point, Shadow was venturing the western end of Sunset Hill, searching for the next unnatural wonder.

"The doppelganger." Shadow said, reading the map given to him. "Witnesses report that a strange counterpart appears at the corner of town, appearing out of thin air. Great, like I need another clone problem. Two is just about enough."

The Keyblade ventured through the streets, waving to the people who greeted him – and ducked whenever Rouge was near. After following the exact details of the map Tails marked, Shadow found himself in the empty lot placed close to the hillside trail. The small square was mostly dirt with a few small bushes growing close to the edges. And at the far-end of the corner, a classical waterfall was running smoothly down its predestined path, soundlessly pouring into the basin below. As the dark Knight ventured for a closer look, he was amazed at how clean the water was – he could see his own reflection.

"Well, what do you know?" Shadow shrugged amusingly. "Looks like there is a logical explanation for this one. I guess I won't have to worry about attacking clones this time."

"How can you be so sure?"

Shadow sharply scuttled away from the waterfall, feeling an ominous chill run down the course of his spine. He shot looks left and right, sighting that no one was in the lot other than himself. That's when it hit him. Shadow moved into his defensively position towards the direction of the waterfall, effectively blocking the incoming fist with his forearm. The Keyblade Master looked over his block to gain a better vantage point of his attacker. Shadow wasn't too surprised when he witnessed a perfect replica of himself, grinning insanely. The Keyblade Master lifted his foot and pressed against the clone's chest, shooting him back in the opposite direction.

"Why is it that a simple day in the park can never be simple?" Shadow groaned.

"Who knows?" The replica sniggered wickedly. "Maybe you're just cursed."

"So, which one sent you this time?" Shadow questioned. "Terro or that woman in black?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" The replica giggled in a crazed manner.

The dark Knight sighed, shaking his head in disappointment and fatigue. That was possibly the dumbest move Shadow could have ever pulled in his entire Brawling career. The moment his eyes drifted away from his opponent, the replica dashed ahead and drilled his fist into the Keyblade Master's face. Shadow felt the intense throbbing when the back of his head hit against the back wall. But the jet-black hedgehog had no time to null the sensation before he was forced to roll sideways in order to dodge the doppelganger's monstrous kick. The hedgehog replica smashed his foot through the sidewall, spreading a web of cracks along the surface. And while his clone busied himself into freeing his foot, Shadow noticed a vibrant red mark on the back of his clone's head – the exact spot where he hit the wall. This intrigued the Keyblade Master.

"Running away, coward?" The replica cackled, ripping his limb from the wall. "Then again, that is your greatest skill. I should know; I'm you."

"You're nothing like me." Shadow said confidently.

"Oh, but we're so much alike that we could be brother." The replica sniggered.

While the replica was momentarily distracted by his outward comment, Shadow dropped close to the ground and swiped his foot behind the clone's leg. The replica barely touched the dirt for half of a second before curling backwards and jumping back to his feet. The Keyblade Master threw his fist ahead, but the doppelganger constricted the originals arm and pulled it back, leaving him open for a direct blow. But before the replica could be given the chance to attack, Shadow used his clone's support to lift himself off the ground and press both feet into the replica's chest. The dark Knight flipped backwards over his doppelganger's back with a firm hold on the replica's wrist, flinging him over his shoulder. But at the last second, the replica caught himself and landed perfectly on his feet and counterattacked by throwing Shadow over his shoulder. The jet-black hedgehog smacked loudly into the cracked wall – the sound of bones cracking echoed in the lot. Shadow kneeled tiredly to the ground, holding his left shoulder, which had been pulled from its socket. And as he looked back, he noticed that the doppelganger's arm was hanging limp at his side – his left arm.

"Wait a minute." Shadow said thoughtfully. "You said we were close, but you weren't too detailed on how close."

"Wow, you don't have much of an attention span." The replica giggled insanely. "I am you and you are I. We're both from the same mind and body. The questioned is: how do you plan to fight yourself?"

"How about like this?" Shadow said seriously. The Keyblade Master closed his eyes as he lifted his arm, jabbing his elbow into his right kneecap. While the dark Knight hissed at the expected pain, he smirked victorious as his clone dropped to the ground, holding the same knee. "You weren't telling the whole story when you said we were the same. If anything happens to me, you suffer the same consequence. The same thing would probably happen if I managed to attack you as well."

"So you know the truth; big deal." The replica growled. "It's not like you're going to kill yourself to stop me."

"Apparently, you know nothing about me." Shadow smirked.

The Keyblade Master looked over his shoulder, noting the weak structures in the cracked wall behind him. Glancing at the horrified doppelganger only momentarily, Shadow jabbed his hand backwards and removed the final support on the wall. The weakened structure slowly collapsed over the dark Knight, blotting over the last remaining lights of the sun Shadow would not see again.

"Shadow, are you ok?"

The jet-black hedgehog gasped suddenly, jumping to his knees as his vision was sharply returned to him. Shadow once again found himself kneeling in the empty lot, which was perfectly preserved from the battle that had taken place here. And to his left, Tails was crouching next to him with signs of concern, but the dark Knight simply brushed it off. Shadow lifted himself to his feet, taking notice that all his injuries had disappeared once again.

"Are you all right?" Tails asked cluelessly. "It looks like you passed out. I guess the heat was finally starting to get to you."

"I guess." Shadow said uncertainly, staring back into the waterfall. "What happened to the other me?"

"Other...you?" Tails repeated confused, turning in the same direction. "Oh, I get it! The waterfall is so clear and pure that it reflects everything in its view. Whenever one looks into it, the waterfall acts like a mirror and reflects the image, making it look like a doppelganger."

"I...suppose so." Shadow said hesitantly.

"Looks like we solved another one of the Seven Wonders." Tails said proudly.

Though the youngest of the Kingdom Knights was willing to accept this explanation, Shadow wasn't as thoughtfully. He knew that the doppelganger had existed and then vanished just like the floating balls and the Damien clones. Someone big was going on in Sunset Hill and the Shadow was determined to figure out what it was and why they were attacking only him. As the duo Knights exited the small lot, neither of them noticed the Shadow doppelganger breaching his head from the waterfall before shortly returning to the depths.

"Anymore wonders left." Shadow asked his comrade exhaustedly. "I'm pretty sure there are still a few bones I haven't broken yet."

"I never pegged you to be a whiner, Shadow." Tails chuckled, unrolling his map. "That last two wonders in Sunset Hill can both be found at the top of the hill. You go check out something called the Animated Bag and I'll go find Rouge and Knuckles. Maybe after we're done, we can go looking for the last wonder."

"Not if whatever's up there eats me first." Shadow comment.

Tails laughed loudly, mistaking the remark as a humorous joke. But knowing Shadow's recent luck, the possibility seemed very likely. While his companion walked back into town, Shadow followed the natural trail through the stone archway, leading to the countryside of Soleanna. The dark Knight treaded lightly upwards on the dirt path, noticing even few residences spending time in the open space. Shadow knew the reason why. The hillside was usually a nice getaway for young couple who wanted to spend time together...and more. As he passed a couple holding hands, Shadow's mind unintentionally drifted to thoughts of the silky-black hedgehog girl that had come to his rescue.

"Ugh, why can't I stop thinking about her?" Shadow groaned inwardly. "I haven't seen her in two days, what makes me think today will be any different?"

In the time that Shadow was preparing for the Brawler's Tournament, Shadow had spent most of his day searching Soleanna, asking questions on Kumori. Even after providing a detailed description on the missing female, none of the town residents seemed to have seen a girl like that in their lifetimes. It was as if she never existed. And while Shadow was distracted by his thoughts, the Keyblade Master unknowingly caught something with his foot a tripped over, falling flat on his face.

"Why is it always the face?" Shadow moaned as he stood.

The dark Knight was brought back to reality and discovered that he had made it to the top of the hillside. The space was fenced in with a perfect view overlooking the countryside and the railroad tracks below. Not much was placed in the enclosed section except a few benches, a couple of trashcans, a large trash bag, and a small-scale replica of the Soleanna Palace. Shadow approached the baggage, tapping it cautiously with his foot.

"So...this is the animated bag?" Shadow said questionably. "Hey, maybe if I'm lucky, this thing won't try to kill me."

But when do you ever expect Shadow to be lucky today? The Keyblade Master looked back at the trail, expecting to see his friends running any moment. But during his wait, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Looking back, Shadow still only found the enlarged trash bag....a few inches from its original spot. The dark Knight glanced momentarily back at the trail, hoping to see the others soon, and approached the baggage silently. Shadow cautiously loomed over the bag and tapped the surface of the piece gently – the bag jumped. Almost immediately, Shadow skipped backwards and prepared himself for combat, watching the bag roll hop randomly across the ground.

"Why do I even bother relaxing?" Shadow sighed.

As the Animated Bag hopped to the left of the fenced space, it hopped over one of the trashcans and skillfully knocked the edge of the lid. The living bag used its body surface to rebounded the lid and shoot it across the space in the direction of Shadow. With unexpected athletic ability, Shadow curved his spine and dodged the metallic plate by a few short centimeters – the lid stabbed into the bench behind him. The Keyblade Master had barely straightened himself, the Animated Bag hopped closer and jumped ahead over the jet-black hedgehog. Shadow effortlessly countered this move by dropping on his back and thrusting his feet into the bag, throwing it overhead. The bag landed with a dull thud and Shadow jumped back to his feet with his fists ready to strike back. Surprisingly enough, the bag only lifted itself partially before dropping back down in defeat – Shadow blinked animatedly.

"Uh...that was...easy." Shadow commented uneasily.

The dark Knight dragged his feet closer to the back and sharply snapped the rope hold the mouth closed. You could only imagine the surprise and relief that washed over shadow when he found Armand the Tiger crawling out of the Animated Bag with a large welt on his head.

"Armand, what are you doing in there?" Shadow questioned.

"What does it look like I'm doing?!" Armand sneered. "The backstabbing Damien knocked me out when I wasn't looking and tired me in this bag. I was trying to get out when something threw me and I landed on my head."

"Yeah...sorry about that." Shadow chuckled sheepishly.

"Well, that explains one thing." Shadow jumped and screamed shrilly as the Kingdom Knights finally made their appearance; Knuckles and Armand sniggered behind their hands. "At least we know where the Animated Bag mystery came from. Damien just tied up Armand and left him here. That's another Wonder solved."

"Don't you think it would have been better to leave him in their?" Rouge smirked playfully. "This town already has enough ugly mutts. I don't think they'll notice one missing."

"Just you wait." Armand growled. "You'll get what's coming to you."

The Kingdom Knights merely brushed off the comment, congratulating Shadow humiliating Armand once again. But in their praise, none of the Knights noticed the Signer tiger transforming into a Dusk and slithering from sight. After many long hours of searching the town, Shadow and his friends finally decided to stop at the bench under the palace replica, relaxing from their ordeals. While Knuckles, Tails, and Rouge didn't really think much of the Wonders, it had given Shadow much to think about. Most of Seven Wonder involved some outside force that couldn't effectively be traced, despite Tails' best attempts to find a logical explanation for them. And then there was Damien – he knew the second name: Scion.

"That makes five wonders solved." Tails said, checking off the map. "Only two left to find."

"You know, that last few wonders weren't exactly wonderful." Shadow commented frustrated. "In the few hours that I have been here, I had stone-solid balls thrown in my face, got ambushed by an army of Damiens, was nearly killed by my own reflection, and almost decapitated by a walking trash bag. You got anything that won't kill me?"

"Don't worry; you won't have to worry about this next one." Tails stated confidently. "Wonder #6: The Ghost Train."

"What's the story on this one?" Knuckles asked.

"Everyone knows about the Ghost Train." Rouge sighed exasperatedly; Knuckles hung his head in shame. "There are rumors flying around that a mysterious blue train can be seen from the hillside, but it suddenly disappears before it can make it to the train station. Legend has it that a sorcerer uses the train to travel to his hidden castle at the edge of the world."

"Like you actually believe that." Knuckles scoffed.

"After the kind of day, I've been through; I'm willing to believe anything." Shadow sighed, leaning back into the bench. "I'm just glad that for once I don't have to do anything life threatening."

And so the Kingdom Knights spent their time waiting besides the fence, waiting for the appearance of the Ghost Train. The crew waited close to an hour before sheer boredom began to break their concentration – Knuckles was close to falling asleep. Rouge was smart enough to bring some reading material to pass the time and Tails was throwing rocks off the edge of the hillside. Shadow's focus was the only one that had not been turned away. Of all of them, he was the most curious about the Ghost Train – maybe it held some answers to the mysteries that plagued him.

"We've got to make it to the beach next year." Rouge said suddenly. "That means we'll have to get jobs the second the next summer vacation starts."

"Hopefully they'll be much better than the ones two days ago." Knuckles groaned, falling on his back. "I still have soars from lifting that crate."

"Good afternoon, slackers." The Knight turned and jumped to their feet as the leader of the Soleanna Signer, Zeenint, walked up the trail. "You guys are just as lazy out here as you are in town. By the way, what are you guys doing out here?"

"What do you care?" Knuckles replied snidely.

"I don't." Zeenint shrugged amusingly. "Tell me anyway."

"We're waiting for the Ghost Train." Tails answered nervously.

"Waiting for the Ghost Train." Zeenint repeated mockingly; Shadow growled angrily and silenced him. "Why does looking at you always piss me off?"

"I dunno." Shadow commented sarcastically. "Maybe its destiny?"

"Destiny." Zeenint laughed. "In that case, let's be friends." He turned his back rudely to the Kingdom Knights. "I really don't feel like cooperating with destiny."

"When have you ever cooperated with anything?" Knuckles said.

The emerald-green hedgehog shook his head with amusement, leaving the group with their thoughts. For the first time since he could remember, Shadow couldn't think of a reason to fight Zeenint. It was strange. Shadow and Zeenint were like two sides of the same coin, each of them trying to dominate the other. Perhaps Zeenint saw this, too.

"Hey, look!" Rouge screamed.

The Kingdom Knights quickly followed Rouge's direction and leaned against the fence. Off in the distance, a blue train with a silver dragon pattern glided across the rails. All four Knights were shocked beyond imagination – there were no passengers, driver, absolutely no one was aboard the train. And judging by the direction it was facing, the train was going to stop at one particular place.

"It's headed to the station!" Shadow exclaimed. "We have to hurry before it leaves!"

The group of four wasted no time dashing back to the direction of the train station, hoping to catch up with the mysterious transportation. They remained completely oblivious to the outside world, including the pedestrian and hotdog vendors they ran over along the way. After what seemed like an eternity to Shadow, the Kingdom Knights stopped at the top of the stairways and saw it. The blue body reflected the lights of the sun, covering the surrounding area in a magnificent array of blue light. The silver dragon sparkled like a hundred stars covering the night sky. Shadow knew this was the answer he was looking for. The dark Knight tried to board the train, but he was held back when Knuckles sharply grabbed his wrist.

"What are you doing?!" Shadow snapped.

"Stopping you from becoming railroad pizza!" Knuckles shouted.

The Keyblade Master pried his arm away and turned back to the magnificent train, only to discover that it had simply vanished into the air. Like everything else that had occurred today, the unnatural wonder had disappeared. And at that same moment, a second train arrived at the station.

The scene returns to the train station in Soleanna, where the Kingdom Knights were dismally making their way back home. Tails and the others were grievously disappointed about the lack of excitement from the Seven Wonders, ignoring Shadow's attempts to explain his experiences. But Shadow quickly gave up the attempts as his heart was not into it – he wanted so desperately to board the Ghost Train and possibly find out why the silver creatures were after him.

"Let just get back and work on that damn paper." Knuckles said grumpy. "The rumors were bogus – the end."

"We can still make it sound good if we write about the work we did." Rouge said.

"You mean the work that I did." Knuckles stated gruffly.

"W-wait a minute." Shadow stammered confused. "Wasn't there one more left – the seventh wonder?"

"Who cares about that?" Knuckles sighed irritably. "It's probably just another hoax."

"I want to know!" Shadow demanded.

"All right, we'll tell you." Tails answered nervously. "It's at the ancient ruins on the edge of town. You know, the place where you chased that weird guy in the jumpsuit."

"Thanks, Tails." Shadow nodded appreciatively. "I'm going to find out what's going on around here."

Pushing past his friends, the dark Knight made a mad dash down the street in the direction of the outskirt forest. That was the place where he chased the silver creature and it was the place where he was going to get to the bottom of this mystery. Shadow didn't stop to say 'hi' or bother avoiding the pedestrians – he didn't even apologize for tripping Elise. All that mattered was the ancient ruins. After a brief spell of running, the jet-black hedgehog finally skidded to a halt at the gate of the ancient ruins, panting heavily from the effort. Straightening himself properly, Shadow scanned the area of the collapsed building – what secrets was it hiding?"

"You know something..." Shadow screamed once again as Tails appeared behind him. "We were going to check the ruins out tomorrow. It is the most suspicious place, after all. Even the Soleanna Signers are going to be helping out in the search."

"What?" Shadow questioned surprisingly. "How did you manage to convince Zeenint to help out?"

"They had an argument at first, but Knuckles managed to convince him to help." Tails explained.

"Heh! Didn't think he had it in him." Shadow smirked jokingly "So, what exactly are we looking for here?"

"Well, they say there's a girl who appears at the second story window." Tails explained dramatically. "Even though no one has lived here for years. Some say she is the spirit of the former resident."

Shadow wasn't at all concerned on the details, but one thing was clear: everything points back to the ruins. Scanning across the secondary structure, Shadow's focus stopped at a single room with white curtains still placed in the windowsill. And without knowing how, Shadow's mind was suddenly ripped into another view.

When Shadow regained his sense of sight, he was partially blinded by the intense light of the area. Once his eyes adjusted, he realize that it wasn't light at all, but a room made from pure white material. Everything from the floor to the flowers was crafted from the same material, leaving the room perfectly neat and tidy. The only thing that stood out was the deck of cards resting on the table. The Keyblade Master reached over and swiped the first card of the deck, revealing the portrait of Amy looking out to the sea.

"Scion..."

"Kumori!?" Shadow exclaimed suddenly. He searched the room, but the angelic hedgehog was nowhere to be seen. That was until he looked at the next cad, showing Shadow and Kumori standing on each side of Terro. The only difference is that Shadow was wearing a Black Cloak like the man. "This...me. You and Terro are there, too."

"Terro is our closest friend." Kumori echoed. "He is the one that links us, Scion."

"There's that name again." Shadow murmured. "What does it mean?"

"Don't you want to know the truth about who you really are?" Kumori asked hopefully.

"No one knows me better than me." Shadow commented. "But, I would like to know more about what's happening to me."

The Keyblade Master set aside the card and took hold of the third. It revealed a portrait of the entire Sonic Team, battling the shadows with their cobalt leader wielding his legendary weapon.

"You know them, don't you?" Kumori questioned.

"Sonic, Silver, Storm, Angel, and Marine." Shadow answered instantaneously. "They're from my dreams."

"About a year ago...something happened." Kumori explained hesitantly. "I was captured and forced to take apart the Chain of Memories in Sonic's heart. After Duskmon was defeated, I was able to recollect all of Sonic's memories and put them back into place. But there were some...complications."

"Complications?" Shadow repeated.

When I broke the Chain of Memories in Sonic's heart, I had unintentionally reached farther than I should have." Kumori answered sadly. "Instead of ripping apart the memories in Sonic's heart, I also interfered with the memories of the one closest to Sonic's heart."

"Amy." Shadow answered unknowingly. "But...what does that have to do with Sonic? What about my dreams?"

"There was a moment in time when Sonic and Amy's hearts were joined together." Kumori explained. "And because of that, they had simultaneous memories of Sonic's battles against the Heartless. And even after Amy was freed, the bond between them was too strong to be severed permanently. Sonic's memories are Amy's memories, just as hers are his. And you have been seeing these memories through your dreams."

"So this dreams...these memories..." Shadow said thoughtfully.

"They originally belonged to Amy." Kumori responded. "I didn't realize this until after I had completed Sonic's the Chain of Memories four months after Duskmon was defeated. It took a long time to track them and they eventually found their way into you, Scion. And unless Amy's memories are properly aligned with Sonic's he can never wake up. You're their only hope, Scion."

"Kumori..." Shadow muttered thoughtfully. His eyes drifted across the table as Kumori suddenly appeared in the seat opposite of him. "Kumori...just who are you?"

"I'm a witch with the power over memories." Kumori answered depressingly. "And for this reason, I have been seen only as a tool for Order XIII and the Seekers. I don't know why I have this power, only that it can never be used for the right purposes. I though this was my fate. But then, I found hope. The only one that ever accepted me – the only one that treated me like a person – was Terro. And...He thought you would accept me, too."

"Terro's a smart guy." Shadow chuckled; he was happy to hear Kumori laugh with him. "It's funny. Suddenly...I feel like I don't know myself at all. I guess I would like to know. What do you know about me that I don't?"

"You..." Kumori stammered hesitantly. "You were never supposed to exist."

"How can you say that?" Shadow asked hurtfully. "Even if that were true?"

"I'm sorry." Kumori apologized. "I guess some things...really are better left unsaid.

"Shadow....Shadow, wake up!"

The jet-black hedgehog returned to his original body, shaken free from his trance by the two-tailed kitsune. There was no denying that everything that had occurred was real. Everything he had just learned was given to him by the one person he knew he could trust in this town. Then that meant...Amy's memories were still trapped inside him...and someone wanted them badly.

"Shadow, did you see the girl?" Tails asked hopefully.

"Nah, it's just curtains flapping in the wind." Shadow lied forcefully; he didn't want anyone to know about Kumori. "There must be some draft that's making them move. That's why people confuse it for a girl."

"Aw, I was really hoping that we would actually find something." Tails moaned disappointedly. "Well, let's head back to the Usual Spot. I'm sure Knuckles is waiting to say he was right. We'll never hear the end of it."

The Keyblade Master nodded, following his two-tailed friend out of the clearing. But before leaving entirely, he caught sight of Kumori leaning against the window, almost pleading for the hedgehog not to leave. Shadow wanted to find a way back to her, but then his friends would most likely worry over his safety and possibly upset whoever else is inside the ruins. With a resolve to come back immediately the next day, Shadow departed into the shade of the trees.

The scene alters within the ancient ruins, positioned in a small room on the eastern side. Like much of the antique structure, most of the furniture was ripped apart, the bricks creaked ominously, and the only lighting was provided by a candle on the floor. Within this depressing threshold, ZoN remained seated silently within one of the two remaining chairs. Her attention was drawn when the door creaked open loudly and slammed behind the crouching character entering.

"How is our guest doing today?" ZoN asked nonchalantly.

"He is doing remarkably well." The female member responded. "Then again, he is the Seeker of Darkness. Even all the damage you caused was not enough to full defeat him."

"Have you gathered any information from him?" ZoN questioned seriously.

"His tongue has been silence for quite some time now." The female proclaimed. "Whatever he did with Espio, he obviously does not want us finding out. Deathwing is growing very curious as to the whereabouts of his partner." She took a seat opposite of the Seeker leader. "Speaking of curiosity, I would like to know why you showed him Nyrox's train."

"Because he missed the trip to the beach." ZoN answered simply.

"That was almost kind of you." The female stated.

"Now...what about you?" ZoN questioned. "Are the holes in your memories beginning to clear?"

"Yes...the haze is clearing." The female nodded lightly.

"The same thing is happening to everyone connected with Sonic and Amy." ZoN said. "Very soon, to them, the Keyblade Master will be like a good friend who has gone away for a year."

"I have waited long enough for this and I won't wait any longer." The female said impatiently. "I have been eternally grateful to you for freeing me from my prison and I have served the Seekers justly. And now I want to know...what exactly are you after?"

"Revenge." ZoN hissed.

"Revenge?" The female repeated; her claws scratched the arms of the chair.

"Now, for the finishing touches." ZoN proclaimed sternly. "Once the process is complete, we must dispose of Kumori immediately." The female member stiffened. "I know Terro hold great value over her life, but he has become too out of control recently. That is why the moment Kumori is destroyed, you must eliminate Terro to tie up any remaining loose ends."

"But why?" The female murmured softly.

"Scion isn't the only one who was never meant to exist." ZoN answered coldly. "Take care of it, Lily."

~Restoration at 97%~

The ground of the world was made from a sea of darkness and fractured pieces of land scattered throughout the world. On the other side of the dark sea, a large sphere of purple energy could be seen between a small series of pillars. The heroes were weary of walking across the sea, but Marine was too rambunctious for her own good. She jumped into the dark sea, only to find that it was solid as earth.

"Ow." Marine winced. "Is this it, mates? Is that all that's left from the worlds destroyed by the Heartless?"

"It would appear so." Silver said. "I defiantly can feel an endless streak of darkness. This is defiantly a Heartless world."

"Those worlds will be restored once we be Mephiles, right?" Sonic asked; Silver nodded. "But if we do beat him and all the worlds become restored and disconnect, what will happen to this place? What's going to happen to us?"

~287193~

Iblis roared furious at the intruders

~386951~

"All living things are born from the darkness and also die of it." Mephiles proclaimed. "The heart is no different. You see, darkness is the hearts purest and most potent form. Darkness is the source of all things."

"I know that the heart is weak and it may even give in." Sonic said seriously. "But I've learned that deep in our hearts, there is a light that will never go out."

~947293~

Sonic could easily see the fear in Mephiles' eyes and smirked. Sonic held out his arms and allowed the Chaos Emerald to become a part of him. In a blinding flash of light, Sonic's quills pointed upwards and his fur was turned a golden shade. With this new power, Sonic was able to wield the Oathkeeper and Oblivion at the same time. Mephiles feared the light above all and slowly tried to retreat, but that proved to be his downfall. Sonic vanished and suddenly appeared in front of Mephiles. Mephiles could only watch in horror as Sonic struck across his chest with both Keyblades. The attack not only cut across Mephiles, but also sliced the remains of Solaris to pieces. With no power able to sustain it, Solaris exploded with mighty force and took Mephiles with it.

~608827~

"Master Emerald!" Mephiles commanded, waving to the mighty gem. "I command you to open the door and fill me with the power of darkness!"

"You're wrong, Mephiles." Sonic said sternly, attracting the demon's attention. "I've learned many things over my travels. But I know now...the true Kingdom Hearts...is Light!"

With his final words said, Mephiles allowed himself to be consumed by the light. When the light died down, only the Master Emerald remained. The Chaos Emerald began reacting and departed from Sonic's presence to surround the Master Emerald. The smaller emeralds circled the larger emerald before the all shot into the sky and vanished without a trace.

~883051~

"Come on, Sonic!" Jet called. "Time to close this door for good!"

"Take care of her, Sonic." Espio requested

~139124~

"Amy, remember what you said before?" Sonic Questioned. "Wherever you go, I'll always be with you." The piece of land began to pull away, separating the hero and princess. "I'll come back to you. I promise."

"I know you will!" Amy responded.

And with that, Sonic and Amy let go, losing the warmth of the others touch. Sonic wanted nothing more than to remain with Amy, but he had a duty given to him. It was his gift and curse.

~938171~

As for Sonic and his friends, the group of five traveled down a long winding road that led to the middle of an everlasting field. They wondered why they hadn't returned to their homes where they belong, but somehow knew deep down that they were still needed. As long as the Keyblade remained with its master, the journey would never end. They traveled on for miles in silence, trying to plan what would happen next.

"Anyone care to tell me how we got here in the first place?" Angel asked.

"I don't really know, nor do I care." Silver said grudgedly, turning to Sonic. "So now what, O' brilliant one."

"I thought that was obviously." Sonic grinned. "We got to find Espio and King Jet."

"That's right." Marine nodded. "We got to find that light door thingy."

"But where are we supposed to find the Door to the Light?" Storm asked. "It's not like it's gonna walk in front of us."

~472935~

Sonic shot around toward the path behind him, but found nothing.

"What the?" Sonic questioned.

"I fear that you are facing the wrong way." The voice stated.

The hedgehog shot back around at the voice to find a new figure watching over him. He wore a long black coat, black boots, and a silver chain close to the hood. Instead of hands, the man had two large black skulls attached to his arms. The man's hood was removed and revealed his face to the Keyblade Master. His face was covered in a black helmet with three red jewels stamped in the center. He had blond hair creeping from the back and piercing red eyes between the holes. That was a face Sonic could not easily forget.

~846284~

Back with ou ~348273~ awakened them and told them of Duskmon's ~748204~ nic, they thought it was a bit sketchy, but knew it was their only lead. Af ~640241~ ked down the path, the group found themsel ~ 932993 ~act castle on the girl's card. Storm looked over the thin path that ~2862037402949280373493938329~

~Restoration complete~

A dark beach existed between the realms of light and darkness, untouched by either force. The eternal moon was reflected off the cool surface of the water without a trace of wind controlling its directions. Many fragmented rocks coated the scenery, and the Superior took his place on the one closest to the water. He appeared to be waiting for something, but his waited was soon to be ended. A portal of darkness surfaced a few yards away and expelled a man where the Black Cloak. He walked across the dark sand, alerting the Superior of his appearance.

"You have arrived." The Superior acknowledged; the figure moved closer. "I've been to see him. He look's a lot like you."

"Who are you?" Scion asked.

"I'm all that's left." The Superior stated. "Or maybe, I'm all there ever was."

"I meant you name." Scion said impatiently.

"My name is of no importance." The Superior claimed. "But what about you? Do you remember you true name?"

"My true name...is..." Scion responded hesitantly.

"You have been with us for six days now." The Superior said, lowering his hood. "The time has come."

The newest member of the Order stiffened almost immediately as the leader of the group approached him. He had heard many rumors from the Dusks of the Superior's ferocity and disapproval of failure – it intimidated him. But instead, the Superior showed no dislike. In fact, the leader of the Order rested his hand on the hedgehog's shoulder in a friendly manner, showing favor and respect. And as he passed by, one name escaped his lip that still haunt the hedgehog to this day.

"Sonic"

The final chapter of Shadow's story is drawing to a close. How did Shadow come to obtain Amy's memories in the first place? Will the Seekers truly kill their own members? And will the secret of Scion finally come to light? Find out on the next Sonic Chronicles!

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