I kinda forgot about updating this story so I worked the last three days to get this chapter out before I get swamped with more assignments .
Recap: Shadow and Azreal arrive in the Veil, but must keep their presence a secret. However, Shadow has plans of his own when he decides to mount his own search for Azure.
"Stay out of sight and stay quiet!" Anubis whispered harshly as he quickly ushered Azreal and Shadow into his home through the front door before shutting it hastily. He dashed over to the windows, eyes darting back and forth to make sure no one was watching before drawing the curtains to a close. "We can't risk letting Garnett know that you're both here."
"Everything looks the exact same as when I left… well except for you, old friend," said Azreal.
"Things are almost exactly the same as they used to be, Azreal. Garnett rules with the same iron fist and ruthlessness that your brother exhibited."
"Where is Azure?" Shadow asked, interrupting the reunion between the two friends.
"The Mythos household, the largest building here." Anubis gently pulled open the curtain wide enough to point out the large structure nearby to Shadow. "But you two have to stay here, at least until I can figure out what to do. Oh, I certainly did not anticipate this in our plans…" Anubis groaned, resting his metallic claws on the metal plates of his forehead, the metal clicking each time he tapped them against his forehead.
"What exactly were you planning?" asked Azreal, curiosity and concern written across his face.
"It started as a small crazy idea, courtesy of Raphaella," Anubis started.
"Naturally," Azreal added.
"We managed to get the other house heads on board with the idea and when Garnett left the Catacombs to track down Azure, it gave us the time we needed to coordinate ourselves and our plans. But in the end, it was pointless. It was a good idea in theory, but when we tried to apply it... None of us could agree on a way to carry out our plans and before we knew it, Garnett was back with Azure. All that time we could have spent carrying out our plans and we wasted it arguing and bickering with each other! And now it is too late. The Prophet's Eye has shown Ren that Garnett's prophecy is to occur tonight! There is nothing we can do now… It's over," Anubis continued.
"What's the Prophet's Eye?" asked Shadow, once again finding himself out of the loop. He wasn't used to be this uninformed. Whenever he went into a mission - whether G.U.N. sent him or on his own - he already knew everything he needed to know about what he had to do and what he could possibly end up facing. But with this rescue mission, Shadow had been walking in blind. And he didn't enjoy it one bit. The fact that he constantly felt the need to ask an additional question or ask for clarification was becoming an annoyance to him. Every second he had to waste asking all these questions was another second of not finding Azure. On the other hand, every second he'd spent getting his answers would allow for him to be more prepared. And based on what he'd heard about Garnett from not only Azreal, but even Anubis now, he couldn't leave out any information that might be significant.
"It is… difficult to explain. The Prophet's Eye is a phenomena occurring within the Divinus bloodline," Anubis started.
"The illusionists and seers," Azreal reminded Shadow, who nodded in response.
"The Prophet's Eye, in a sense, has a mind of it's own. The one who bears the Eye is shown a vision, a vision of past or the future that the Eye deems important and that the individual must know."
"And how is this different from someone of the Divinus bloodline without the Eye?" Shadow asked.
"A regular Divinus chooses to see into the future and only the future. They go looking for the events to come. But the Eye… The Eye is a sentient force and it brings the visions to you, but at the cost of great pain. Regular Divinuses do not feel this pain when they look into the future of their own volition. If the Eye feels you need to know something, it will show a vision, whether it be a lesson from the past or something to come that it hopes you can prevent," Anubis continued.
"Garnett's prophecy," said Shadow.
"Precisely. And based on the time, there will be only a few hours until the surface ends. Garnett has already begun preparing his siblings and has ordered the rest of us to remain down here until he returns."
"What exactly does this prophecy entail?" Shadow asked, his eyes narrowing with impatience.
"I do not know. In fact, no one is certain. It was long foretold by his ancestor, Mythos, that when the elements he commanded were once again reunited, his descendent would bring about the destruction of the world, following which our people would retake our rightful place as this world's rulers, and I use that term loosely. And before you ask, we do not share this view with Garnett. We have had one genocide and we do not want to give the world another excuse to purge us from existence," said Anubis.
"So why not confront Garnett now? Stop his prophecy before it begins?"
"It is too late for that. With the prophecy so close, Garnett will slaughter us if we try to stop him, whether we are his people or not," Anubis whispered, carefully lifting the blinds enough to peek outside. "Wait here," he said, moving to the door and opening it slightly. "Raphaella! Raphaella, get in here!" he shouted in a quick whisper as a spotted feline with long red-brown hair dressed in blue and gold fabric and a staff in hand stepped into the small building.
"Anubis, what is it? I was just on my way to talk to Umber and-Azreal? Wh-what are you doing here?" Raphaella's phrasing of her question may have been one of shock and confusion, but her body did a much better job of portraying her true feelings. Raphaella leapt forward, tightly embracing Azreal in a warm hug. "Y-you're here? But how?"
"It's a long story. We came here to rescue Azure," Azreal replied.
"We?" Raphaella's head titled to the side and her eyebrow cocked up in confusion.
"Yes, Raphaella, this is Shadow the-" Azreal suddenly stopped when he turned only to find Anubis' hut experiencing a severe lack of jet black and crimson hedgehogs. "Shadow?"
"Ancestors! Where did that hedgehog disappear to? If Garnett finds him, there's no telling what he'll do!" cried Anubis, frantically searching the hut alongside Azreal.
Shadow crouched behind the back wall of another small hut, quickly glancing back and forth to make sure he wasn't spotted. He carefully poked his head out into the small alleyway between the building he hid behind and the one next to it. The few figures he could spot had their backs turned to him and he quickly dashed across the alley. He managed to reach the building Anubis pointed out to him as Azure's family home. Trying to get in through the front was out of the question. Not only was the entrance at the top of a set of stairs, but also the stairway and entrance itself was in perfect view of the central courtyard. He would be seen for certain.
But luck was not on his side this time, it seemed for the second he turned around to continue, a tall, elderly fox in purple and green robes blocked his path. Her fur - a triad of brown, orange and white - was brittle and losing its bright color while her grey hair was tied up in a bun. She had several tails curling around her while a large branch-like staff was held securely in her weak hand, an egg-shaped stone situated at the top of it. Shadow froze for a second, mentally cursing himself for being discovered so easily while running several possibilities of what he could do to correct this mishap.
"Ah, the hedgehog. I knew you would come," the fox spoke softly.
Shadow relaxed, "I don't believe we've met," he said, eyeing her suspiciously.
"We have not," she answered plainly.
"Then... how do you know me?" Shadow asked, eyes in a curious glare.
"I had seen your arrival long ago, young man. Times are changing and by being here, you are instigating that change."
"...You're a Divinus?" Shadow asked.
"That I am," she replied, giving him a small bow, "I am Esmeralda, head of the House of Divinus. You are well informed of our people, it seems."
"I'm just here for my friend, that's all."
"Allow me to clarify, I meant a good change. By coming here, Shadow, you have brought hope: hope for freedom, hope for new life and hope for acceptance. Azure is your friend and you come all this way to rescue her, despite the dangers you will face. That is proof enough that your people - those of the surface - are not the same as they used to be. And you have even managed to bring Azreal out from his exile to rescue the only family he has left," she spoke, her voice emphasizing those last few words as she gazed intensely at Shadow.
"Y-you know? Azreal said that only he and Adalinda knew..."
"They did not need to tell me for me to know," she said with a grin.
"So you 'saw' it then?"
"No, no. It was with another power that I deduced the truth, one I like to call: women's intuition."
"So then you know for certain? If Azure is Azreal's daughter?" Shadow whispered quietly.
"Perhaps, but it is not in my place to share that information, is it? Would you not say the same?"
"But she has a right to know!" Shadow argued fiercely.
"Indeed she does. But she also has the right to want to know for herself. Who are we to decide what is best for her by revealing this secret? If she truly wishes to know, then let that be the choice she makes for herself. I will not force you to keep this information to yourself, Shadow, but I give you this warning: would you risk forever destroying the relationship Azure and Azreal have for the sake of her knowing one secret?"
"But it's a big secret," Shadow added.
"Nevertheless, Azure will come to resent Azreal regardless of whether it is true or not. To her, he was supposed to be the one person she could always trust. This would violate that trust to her. She would grow to withhold her trust from many while Azreal would succumb to his grief and regret. Their relationship would be destroyed."
"But their relationship is built on a lie!"
"Is it now? To Azreal, Azure is his child, one that he loves with all his heart and to Azure, Azreal is the family she sought help from, who guided and aided her in her time of need and became the father she never had. Their relationship is already one that mirrors parent and child."
"...And if she knew the truth - let alone the fact that he hid this from her..."
"It would be far from a happy ending. Azreal already lost the woman he loved twice - once to his brother and a second to death. His heart would not be able to bear losing Azure too. But I believed I have wasted enough of your time. I recommend entering through the pantry window around the back. It's always open," Esmeralda said before disappearing from his sight down one of the alleyways.
Shadow knew she was right about both things: the first being that just as Azreal had even said, Azure finding out about this secret could do more harm than good and that he couldn't afford to waste anymore time. Once he got to the back entrance of the Mythos household, he spotted the open window Esmeralda told him about and slipped inside. It was a pantry, just as she said, with shelves stocked well enough with food, most of which he didn't even recognize. He moved towards the door but quickly pulled away and braced himself against the wall when he heard voices from the other side in the hallway.
"So Raph was planning with the other house heads to overthrow Garnett and you stopped them?" Shadow could tell from the sound of the voice that it belonged to that of a young woman, definitely older than Azure.
"For the last time, yes. And keep your voice down!" replied a male voice. Shadow blinked in confusion for a second before looking through a small hole in the door in hopes of catching a glimpse of the two speakers. Shadow's suspicions on the owner of the second voice were confirmed when he recognized the dark brown fur and green eyes of Umber, one of Azure's older brothers. They had met only once and in another time, so the Umber in front of him now certainly would have no idea who Shadow was. But if memory were to serve, Umber had a less than stellar opinion of Shadow, something to do with Azure's feelings for him and how he never "appreciates everything she is", as Umber's future self had put it. Umber was anything but uncooperative when it came to their mission at that time, but he certainly didn't waste any time voicing his thoughts to Shadow. Umber's future self had even warned him about Garnett. "Insane and evil", he said. "He won't be easy to defeat," he said. And the fact that everyone else seemed to confirm this in their own words cemented the potential of Garnett's abilities in Shadow's mind. He couldn't afford to underestimate this brother of theirs if it came down to a fight between the two of them.
'If you can do something about Garnett, my opinion about you might just change.'
But Shadow wasn't doing this to tilt the scales of Umber's view of him in his favor. No, he was doing this for Azure, for his friend. Sure, he only knew her for just over a month, but she had more than proven her strength and loyalty to him. He may have placed trust and friendship in a select few, but he stood by those he trusted and cared for, just as they stood by him. Azure had not abandoned him during their crusade against Mephiles and he certainly wasn't about to abandon her now when she needed him the most.
"Why in Mythos' name would you do something like that?" Shadow brought himself out of his trance and refocused his attention on the conversation Umber was having with, from what he could tell, was an aquatic-like female - almost shark like even - with long, wavy blue hair and brilliant red eyes.
"Because, Sapphire, if Garnett found out about them, he would kill them! I can't let that happen, especially not to Raph."
"Umber, everyone sees it but you!"
"Sapphire, please-"
"No, you listen to me! You may be one year older than me, but I've done far more for this family than you! Umber, this is your destiny. I know that makes it sound scary, but it doesn't have to be scary, not unless you let it be. Look, you remember when mom and dad died..."
"Yes..." answered Umber.
"You took care of Azure; you raised her and that's part of the reason why you're both so close. But then when dad died, they left behind the rest of us. We were just kids, most of us still under ten years of age! Someone needed to step up for the family. So... I decided it had to be me. I had to grow up fairly quickly so I could be strong enough to look after my brothers and sisters so that they wouldn't have to give up their childhood. And I did that because that's what the family needed from me. And now we need the leader in you, Umber," Sapphire said, sharply poking Umber in the chest. "Our family, our people need you to step up now Umber. You don't see what kind of leader you could be because you're too afraid to try!"
'Brothers and sisters?' Shadow thought, 'She must be another one of Azure's siblings. An older sister, then.'
"It's not that! It's just Garnett-"
"It is that, Umber! And it is Garnett. I understand you're afraid of him. We all are! But you've been brave enough to deny him the sick and twisted pleasure of hurting us in exchange for offering yourself up as our scapegoat! You'd rather that he hurt you than any of us."
"We just have to keep Garnett happy. Once he has what he wants, he'll leave us alone. He won't have any reason to hurt us."
"Do you really think that? Umber, I know our brother and with him, whatever he wants will never be enough. We'll always be at risk with him as our leader! Raphaella needs you to be this person, Azure needs you to be this person, Ancestors we all need you to be this person. But most importantly, you need you to be this person," Sapphire's voice dripped with a serious and pleading tone.
Umber closed his eyes and sighed heavily before opening them again. "How dare you lecture me? Do you think it's easy trying to acquiesce every one of Garnett's demands so that we all live to see another day? And how can you lecture me about standing up to him when you haven't even done that yourself. If I recall, you became just as submissive as me after what he did to Shamrock!"
"That's different, Umber!"
"And how is it different, Sapphire?"
"Because I'm not the one who should take Garnett's place," Sapphire started, being careful to whisper that last part. "How many more times does he have to hurt our sisters for you to see that you need to step up and take your rightful place as they leader we all need? What if he decides to hurt Raph next? You're already the person we need, Umber, deep down. But we need you to be that person now more than ever. The only reason we've never managed to get anywhere with this is because you halt us at every turn! Garnett's done the same thing to you as he's done with Pine. He's molded you into his submissive little servant boy."
Umber hung his head low, avoiding eye contact with his sister.
"You need this most out of all of this, Umber. Not just because we need you to lead, but also because you need you to lead. When we were kids, mom used to say that you were always so strong and brave... She would be disappointed if she could see you now." Sapphire didn't even give Umber a chance to respond before she turned and walked away.
Umber angrily balled his hands into fists before letting out a furious roar and punching his fist straight through the wood of the door. Shadow just managed to get away in time before Umber's fist struck through the weak wood. Umber's hand stayed there for a moment accompanied by Umber's heavy and strained breathing before dark brown shadows with orange streaks suddenly tore through the rest of the door. Shadow ducked behind one of the shelves. He could see the outline of Umber's shadow still in the doorway before it finally disappeared out of sight.
Shadow slipped into the hallway and made his way through the building as quickly as he could, refraining from the use of his skates lest the noise draw unwanted attention. Each of the doors he passed had a plaque hanging with name on them. His gaze only lingered on them for a moment, failing to spot Azure's name among them, before he continued on, slowing for a moment as he got to a corner to check if the coast was clear. Finally, he spotted the name he had been searching for.
He wrapped his hand around the doorknob before gently pushing open the door and closing it behind him. Shadow examined the room before him: the furniture was simple and unadorned and the walls were bare. This looked nothing like the room Azure had back at G.U.N. HQ. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn that this room belonged to someone completely different. Azure's G.U.N. quarters were bright, vibrant and reflected the optimism and personality in her. But here, it looked more like a prison than anything else.
"Who is it?" he heard her voice call out meekly from a section of the room partially divided by a wall. He entered the smaller section of the room and spotted the small blue dragon crouched by a large chest against the wall, rummaging through the contents. She picked something up into her hands and lightly patted off the dust before standing up and turning to face him. Her face dropped and her eyes grew so wide that her eyeballs looked ready to fall out of their sockets.
"Sh-Shadow?" she stuttered, frozen in a trance-like state. She blinked several time, bringing herself back to reality, no doubt realizing that Shadow was in fact in front of her and not an illusion like she thought. She jumped forward, hugging Shadow tightly, who was slightly taken aback by her response but relaxed and gently patted her back. "Y-you're here? Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked, pulling away.
"I came to get you," he answered.
"You came... for me?" she asked, looking up into his eyes tenderly. She smiled to herself, clearly pleased with the idea that Shadow valued her enough to go to these lengths to come for her.
Shadow nodded in response as his eyes trailed down to what Azure had retrieved from the chest. "What's that?" he asked.
"Oh... It's, um a picture of my mom," she answered, handing it to him. "She died giving birth to me, so I never knew her."
Shadow carefully lifted the picture from her fingers. The woman in the picture was beautiful. Not his opinion, but more of a fact. She had light pink fur and deep, vibrant purple locks and a blue scarf tied in her hair that he recognized as the one Azreal now wore around his neck. "You look just like her," he commented.
"R-really? I don't know about that. Her fur and hair are both way brighter than mine and a completely different color even!" Azure protested.
"It's not that; it's the eyes. You have her eyes," he said, handing the picture back to her.
"You really think so?" Azure asked, to which Shadow answered with a confident nod and small smile. Azure smiled back, hers far wider than Shadow's, touched by his comment.
"Come on, we have to go. Azreal's probably wondering where I've gone," Shadow said.
"Uncle Azreal? He came with you?"
"Of course, now let's get going."
"I-I can't!" Azure exclaimed, planting her feet firmly in the ground.
"What do you mean?"
"Th-the last time I left, Garnett... he... he set my sister Shamrock on fire. I can't bear to think what he'll do if I get away again! I can't leave my family now! Shadow, please you have to get out of here! Take Azreal and go!" she pleaded.
"I'm not leaving here without you!"
"Please," she begged, "I can't bear to think of what Garnett might do if he finds you!"
"AZURE!"
Azure turned to her door with wide eyes. "It's Garnett! You have to hide, quick!" she cried, returning to the main section of her room just as the door burst open and Garnett entered.
"G-Garnett! Wh-what's the matter?" she asked nervously.
"Who were you talking to?"
"T-talking to?"
"I heard voices, sister. Is someone in here with you?" he asked, glaring at her while he paced around the room."
"N-no, of course not! Why would you think such a thing?" Azure gulped.
"Are you lying to me?" he shouted.
"N-no..."
"Your injuries may have healed quickly but it will only take me seconds to break your bones again. Do I need to resort to that to get the truth from you, sister?" he whispered in her ear, voice dripping with venom. Paralyzed with fear, Azure was unable to answer and dropped to her knees, shaking furiously. "What are you hiding?" he asked, strolling over to the smaller section of her room.
"No, wait!" Azure cried, jumping up to follow him. At first her eyes desperately scanned the room for Shadow, finding no sign of him before she sighed heavily in relief. Garnett walked around the room, inspecting everything he could get his eyes on before stopping when he felt something crumple under his foot. He reached down and picked up the old picture of their mother. "Oh, that... I was talking to mom... kinda," Azure quickly answered.
"You were speaking to a picture?" Garnett asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Yes," she answered timidly.
"And was the picture talking back?"
"No... Pictures don't talk. That would be silly," she said, casting her eyes to the ground.
"That's right, pictures don't talk. Mother is dead and you did not know her, you need not concern yourself with her," Garnett said, lighting his hand on fire. He dropped the picture to the ground as the flames ate away at it at a frightening pace while Azure fell to her knees, desperately trying to salvage the image. Tears welled up in her eyes when only the ashes remained. She squealed in pain when she felt his sharp claws roughly grasp her hair and pull her up before she discreetly tugged her ear. "Come now, sister, it is time for my destiny," he said, harshly pulling her along as they exited her room.
Hope you enjoyed that chapter, I put a lot of effort and work into it and I think it's my longest one yet. Over 4000 words! Hostile Encounters will be wrapping up in the next few chapters.
Next Chapter: Rallying Cry - Garnett prepares for the beginning of his prophecy while Raphaella tries one last time to rally her people against Garnett.