Author's Note: ANOTHER update! I'm on FIRE, baby! With any luck at all, I'll have this finished by the end of the summer; that's far from a guarantee, mind you, but it IS my intended goal. Anyway, sit back, relax, and I hope you enjoy.

Continuity info: This takes place in the Archie comic's continuity immediately after the infamous #134("Say You Will", featuring what Dan Drazen aptly titled "the slap heard 'round the fandom" and Sonic and Sally splitting up…again…). Everything that happened after that issue is disregarded. The events depicted in this story act as a substitute for the events that take place at this point in the comics.

Where once was light
Now darkness falls
Where once was love
Love is no more
Don't say goodbye
Don't say I didn't try

-"Gollum's Song", Emiliana Torrini

Chapter Ten: All Fall Down

"What did you do to her?"

"This isn't what it looks like…well, I mean, I guess that depends on what you think it looks like, but…"

"We've been looking everywhere for you 'n' Sally, Sonic!"

"What's…why is there a scar on your chest?"

"What did you DO?"

"Geoff, calm down…just keep it together …"

"Should've known you'd cause us trouble even when we found ya…"

"Is she OK? How hurt is she?"

"For the last time, WHAT DID YOU DO?"

A dozen different voices tumbled all over one another, each trying to reach the other, all meeting with only limited success. The tension was growing and growing as they all tried harder and harder to be heard, and a single arrow stood aimed at Sonic's chest through it all. Geoffrey had been…surprised…at just how badly the rush of emotions had hit him when he saw the sight of Sally…limp, bleeding, and bruised in the hedgehog's arms. He had felt a grudge that had once been all but forgotten rekindle itself in his heart. Taking aim with his crossbow had occurred almost instinctually. It was all he could do not to pull the trigger then and there. If Hershey was not at his side, doing her very best to keep him calm, he very well might have. Instead, he took control of the situation, cutting through all the other voices and demanding answers as forcefully as he could. The others were all silenced by the skunk's commanding voice, leaving just him…and Sonic. "What. Did. You. Do?" Geoffrey repeated one last time, doing his best to keep the angry tremble out of his voice.

Sonic's eyes could not meet Geoffrey's, turning to the ground in sullen resignation. Knuckles, however, was not so willing to surrender. "Back off, Geoffrey," he said sharply, moving in front of the skunk and blocking him from Sonic, ignoring the sharp pain in his sides at his swift motions. "You've jumped to conclusions about Sonic before, it'd be pretty stupid to do it again."

"Knux…"

The echidna turned (slowly, this time) to face Sonic as he spoke. He'd never seen the hedgehog look so…sullen…before. "Don't…" Sonic said, and again the echidna felt himself unsettled by the surprising melancholy in his voice. "I know you're trying to defend me, but…just…don't."

While Knuckles felt confusion mix with frustration in his mind, Tails took a tentative step forward. "Sonic…?" he spoke softly. "What's going on?"

The Blue Blur's eyes glanced up at the fox briefly, but quickly returned to the floor. "It's a long story…I screwed up, Big Guy. I screwed up REALLY bad…"

With a deep sigh, Geoffrey finally lowered his arm. "Thanks…" Hershey whispered to him.

"Don't thank me yet, luv…" he answered likewise. "You never know what might happen…"

The cat gave him a soft shove; it was a joking gesture on her part, but she knew he was not joking at all. Ignorant of their conversation, Tails brushed past them both. "What…what do you mean?" he asked, finding it hard to keep his eyes from watering; Sally looked like she was in bad shape, and Sonic was not much better…

"I can't explain now," Sonic replied hastily, finally managing to tear his gaze from the floor and lock it onto the Arachne. Seeing the bloodied kunai one of them held in his hand, he found a memory…a memory of that OTHER life he'd led…flash before him. These really WERE the same Arachne who had attacked him before. "You three…" he said to them as calmly as he could, "You're how they got in, right?"

All eyes turned to the spiders. For a moment, none of them answered. It was as if they were waiting for…something. "Hello?" Sonic snapped sharply; there was no TIME for this! "Anybody home?"

"Y…yes. We…we're the ones who got them in…" one of the ninjas stammered haltingly, causing Tails and Geoffrey both to take notice; when had the Arachne become so unfocused?

"Then you can get us out." The hedgehog said, stepping toward the spiders, keeping his eyes focused squarely on them; he was afraid to look at any of the others.

The three ninjas all shared strange, awkward glances at each other. "Everything OK?" Tails asked, feeling an odd concern for the trio.

"The darkness of this place is…overwhelming…" one of them, a different one from before, spoke up. "I…I am no longer connected to my brothers, or the Source of All."

Sonic raised his brow in confusion and frustration; did they REALLY have time for this? "Look, can ya get us out or not?" he asked impatiently.

"Y…yes, it should still be within my…um, our…power to do so…" the third ninja spoke.

"Then we should get going right now," Rotor said. "Sally looks like she's in bad shape; she'll need medical attention, Sonic too."

No one argued the point, and before long the group had begun to move back toward the wall they had come from. That was when Sonic's entire body trembled with a familiar feeling…the sense of something approaching them…something powerful and dangerous. "It's gotta be…"

"EVERYONE, GET OUT OF THE WAY!!" he shouted, pressing himself to the side of the room.

Tearing down the crystalline hallway bolted a sphere of shimmering blackness. With only seconds between its appearance and its impact, the group dodged out of the way as best as they could. Once the sphere hit the back wall, however, all bets were off. The explosion was fierce and fiery, sending waves of smoke and force that had everyone reeling. Knuckles in particular found himself hit hardest by the sheer fury of the blast, falling to his feet with a pained shout, though it was hard to hear over the roar of the explosion. "KNUX!!" Julie-Su shrieked over the din, watching through the smoke as he fell.

"Hm hm hm…so nice to see you all again…" a silky smooth voice taunted as the after-effects of the mysterious assault faded.

"Damn it…DAMN IT…" Sonic cursed mentally as he slowly removed himself from the safety he'd achieved earlier. "I thought I bought more time than THIS…"

Knuckles likewise let his thoughts run wild with every swear and condemnation he could think of at his perceived show of inexcusable weakness. All that, however, was forcefully put on hold as a thin scraping sound echoed across the area. "Ah. So THIS is how you all got in…"

With a predator's gait, Lilith walked toward the scattered and shocked group. In her hand, she held the bloodied Kunai. Even as the Arachne realized it must have slipped away from them during the confusion, the bat clenched the blade in her hand. Slowly, she dragged her tongue across its dull side, giving a soft moan at the familiar taste. "Mmmmmmm…I'd forgotten how delectable your blood was, Blue…" she whispered softly.

Sonic visibly paled. "I've tasted your SOUL…" That was what she'd been talking about before…

A look of implacable rage then appeared on Lilith's face as she squeeeeeeeeeezed, and with a CRACK, the knife broke into pieces. "And now, you will NEVER get out…"

"I…I know you…" Tails whispered softly, the first to recover from the shock of the attack. "You're…you're that bat Sonic was with before…"

"Tails…" Sonic hissed warningly, already able to sense the anger boiling beneath the fox's voice.

"This is YOUR fault…" the fox growled.

Lilith grinned, clearly amused at the boy's reaction, but otherwise barely paying attention to him. Her eyes roved across the group, assessing each one as they began to overcome their fatigue. The Guardian would normally have been the biggest problem, but in his injured, weakened state, he was in fact among the least of her worries. Indeed, the bat could sense a familiar longing inside of the echidna…a need for strength that reminded her of a certain hedgehog's desire to be free. Something she would DEFINITELY keep an eye on for the future…as for the others…the Arachne were clearly incompetent, and the rest were mere Mobians…only Blue, the Chosen One, and the unconscious Child of the Source posed any real threat to her now, and they would be easy enough to deal with.

"You hurt my family!"

Tails now stood in the center of the hallway, glaring fiercely at Lilith, who only grinned wider. "Please…" she scoffed. "Do you…"

Whatever she intended to say was never heard. To everyone's surprise, including his own, Tails tackled the bat with all the strength he could muster.

"CHOSEN ONE!" the Arachne all shouted, their individual cries toppling over one another.

"Tails, NO!!" Sonic yelled, knowing the danger his little brother was putting himself in all too well.

Lilith and Tails forcefully fell to the ground. Landing on her back, the bat's sinister smile returned. "Ooh hoo hoo, you are SO going to regret that…" she hissed sadistically at Tails, baring her sharp fangs.

The rush of anger that had driven him to attack was still there in Tails' quickly-beating heart, but he no longer knew what to do with it. He'd never been violent against anyone before in his life, usually relying on wits and cunning to defeat his enemies. Lilith, however, knew violence quite well, and kneed Tails in the stomach without hesitance. As he doubled over on top of her, she followed up by thrusting her hand palm-first into his face, knocking the boy onto his back. "TAILS!!" Sonic roared as his friend coughed and sputtered in pain.

Laying Sally's motionless body against the wall (and trying his best not to think too long about the fact that her breath seemed to be getting shallower and shallower by the second), he immediately took action. Running toward her at top speed, the hedgehog shouted, "Leave him alone! I'M the one you want, remember?"

Flipping onto her feet, the bat prepared to step out of the way. However, she felt a sudden sharp pain in her side, feeling a gust of wind pass by. Before she could realize what had happened, Sonic rammed into her, slamming her into the wall with all the force his weary body could muster. "Good shot, Geoff…" Hershey congratulated her husband as they both prepared for a rough battle.

"Not good enough, apparently!" Geoffrey replied, reloading even as Lilith knocked Sonic away from her. "She's still moving!"

With an enraged shriek, Lilith pressed her attack, nailing Sonic in the side of the face with a harsh punch, kneeing him in the stomach, then slamming her foot into his face before turning her wrathful gaze upon the others. Sonic collapsed to the ground with a pained grunt, panting wildly and finding it a struggle to move. Meanwhile, Knuckles, knees feeling weak and ready to give out beneath him, nevertheless immediately moved to where Sally was, standing protectively in front of her. Geoffrey and Hershey prepared to move in to help him, but with surprising speed, the bat dashed past them, claws raised for attack. A beam of energy suddenly cut through the air, stopping Lilith in her tracks mere inches from the Guardian. "Back off, lady, he's with me!" Julie-Su shouted, firing another round of laser fire at her enemy.

Lilith covered herself in the black leather of her wings to shield herself, backing away from Knuckles. Beneath her cover, however, her hands wrapped themselves around each other, pulling apart to create strands of electricity between them. Even as Julie-Su prepared to fire again, the bat's wings flowed open, revealing the shimmering sphere of blackness in her hands. Recognizing the energy from before, Knuckles leapt into action immediately. Roaring in a mixture of pain and defiance, he wrestled Lilith's arms downwards just as the sphere was let loose. It crashed into the ground, igniting into a storm of light, noise, and flame. The proximity of the explosion only made its impact worse, sending everyone, Lilith included, flying about the hallway. Sally's limp body, meanwhile, stirred…

X X X

The dream was empty. Not even Daxis' voice filled it. There was just…nothing. Not even thoughts, though there were so many Sally had buzzing about in her mind even if this blank world refused to let her express them. What was going to happen now? Why had she not yet awoken? Who would be there when she did? "Why is Daxis leaving me alone?"

Suddenly, the dream became lucid again. Black was replaced with burning red, emptiness with sweltering heat. Daxis? No…no, this was different. This did not come from within her mind, but somewhere else…somewhere OUTSIDE of it! Something was happening…

"Your friends are in danger…"

Daxis. He'd taken an interest in her again, apparently. "Connected as we are by this dream, I can sense the world around you…the WAKING world. I sense their peril…"

Sally did not react. He was lying; she had no friends in this Temple…not even Sonic. Even if he was being honest, she would not give him the satisfaction of taking his bait. "Come now…surely the noble Princess Acorn wishes to protect her friends?" Daxis asked jeeringly.

Still nothing. "If you do not believe my words…" Daxis growled, clearly annoyed at her stoic attitude when previously she had been far more…enjoyable, "Believe your senses…"

Sally felt her eyes opening, even though she could also feel them remain closed. It was as if she was looking through a filter of fire…the world before her was bright and glowing, crackling with life. There was something wrong, though…this wasn't the room she had fallen unconscious in. How had she moved? Why was she not in…wait. There, rising from smoke and debris…it was Lilith! Collapsed all around her, Sally realized, there were others. Through the glare of the light and the obscuring smoke, it was hard to make them out at first, but…yes! Knuckles, Geoffrey, Hershey, Rotor, Julie-Su…they were all here. How? When? Suddenly the Princess felt her focus sharpening…all her friends…they really WERE here. To save her...? "How very touching…"

Daxis' shadow tainted the shimmering light, the gold twisting into red. "Mmmmmmmm…I can just IMAGINE the sensations I'll taste when you watch them alllllllllllllll DIE…"

Crimson vision stayed unwavering, but Sally felt his fearful presence washing against her. She felt the whispers of death he promised in her ear, and then…one last shape came to view. Laying upon the floor, behind the others…it was Tails. The fox coughed in the smoke as his body wearily rose, and Sally felt old habits surge through her, felt herself wanting to stroke his cheek and hold him in her arms 'til he'd finished coughing…and then the fox was in Lilith's arms, mouth open as if howling in pain. She was hurting him! The others…they were too tired to help! "Hm hm…seems I won't have to wait long…" that loathsome laughter crooned smugly.

"No…"

Sally's voice spoke now, soft and scared, and the red again began to twist around. Daxis…she could see his eyes now, feel his presence all the sharper as her emotions heightened. "I won't let them be hurt…"

"No, of course you won't…"

It was not mocking. It was, in fact, almost encouraging. Within the center of all her vision…Tails, still held in Lilith's crushing grip…the blood glow began to focus and form. A sphere…a heartbeat…it was power. HIS power. She'd felt it before, when she'd broken away from Sonic earlier. Overwhelming, cold, terrifying…and yet…

"You'll save them…like you always do…"

He WANTED her to take it, Sally realized… it brought her closer to him. Lilith's grip was tightening…Tails was DYING…and her body refused to act, no matter how hard the squirrel tried to make it. It was all happening again, just like before. The Princess, wounded and weak while her friends were in need, and Daxis, offering her the power to save them all at the cost of her soul. "You've already chosen, Child, many times before…" the Walker told her. "You know that, in the end, you will always choose them over yourself, no matter the cost."

He was right. The only problem was, taking his power was dangerous to her friends too…because HE was dangerous to them, and this act would clearly help HIM as much as it helped THEM. "You're right about one thing…" Sally said, and her voice was no longer helpless but vibrant…confident. "I will ALWAYS protect the people I care about…"

She reached into the red, the fire, the POWER…she knew what she had to do.

X X X

Sonic really, REALLY wished he could rest…just…curl up into a ball and take a little nap. A couple minutes, that would be all he needed. Of course, as Tails' agonized coughs and sputters hit his ears, he knew that was simply not an option. He'd screwed up bad enough by setting this whole situation off, he was NOT about to let his little brother DIE for that mistake! The problem, however, was that after two straight days of some of the fiercest fighting he'd ever experienced, the hedgehog was more than a touch fatigued. Nevertheless he tried to get up one last time, because that was what he needed to do. The others had all been knocked unconscious by the blast…he was the only one who could help Tails, and that was what he was going to…

"URK!!"

For a brief, terrifying moment, Sonic thought he had just heard Tails' dying breaths. Yet soon, he realized it had not been Tails' voice, but…Lilith's? Relieved and confused at the same time, the hedgehog watched as Lilith's arms unwrapped from around Tails, causing the boy to fall to the ground, coughing heavily. Lilith twitched and sputtered as if in pain, arms falling limply to the sides of her body even though she remained standing. Sonic, crawling over to Tails' side and putting his arm gently upon the boy's shoulder, could only watch in fear and awe. As he got closer, he saw that someone was standing behind Lilith…hand held to the back of the bat's head, frightening crimson aura surrounding her body…

"…Sally…?" Sonic whispered, almost unable to believe it.

He had seen her like this before, briefly…when he'd still been that other person, when they'd fought before…it had scared him THEN too. Her eyes were pure, empty black, and the hedgehog realized this was the first time he'd seen those eyes at all since he'd broken free of the Order; poor circumstances for that, to say the least. "What is she DOING to Lil?" Sonic wondered, watching the bat writhe with repressed sympathy.

Whatever it was, it soon stopped. The glow around Sally's body flickered and vanished, while Lilith crumpled to her knees, giving one last gasp before crashing fully to the ground out cold. Sally, meanwhile, took several steps backwards, the red energy appearing on and off again. The squirrel's hands rested upon either side of her forehead, eyes clenched shut in concentration and pain. She'd dipped into the power, knowing it would rouse her body to action, but now…now she had to get rid of it, cut the link before it was too late.

"A…Aunt Sally?" Tails wheezed, looking up at the Princess.

She leaned against the wall, hands still gripping her temples. Dear Goddess, it hurt, trying to drive this energy back where it belonged. She still heard Tails' voice, however, and that meant it was worthwhile. He was safe. "A temporary state…"

Daxis. His face was like a firebrand in her mind, pressing tighter and tighter. "Your kind are all so very predictable, Child," he laughed at her, and the burning grew that much hotter. "Shortsighted, ignorant, thrashing about wildly just to survive a little bit longer…you make the same mistakes over and over and never learn from them."

It was impossible to block the voice out. It felt impossible to resist the ever-tightening grip his presence held in her body. She still tried. "You cannot escape this, Child…you cannot escape ME. What is written in Blood can never be…"

Daxis' voice fell silent as Sally felt hands touch her shoulders. "Sally! SALLY!!"

Someone calling to her…a voice the Princess had not heard in a long time, had thought she would never hear again…she was being shaken, and the world began to feel real around her again. Then her eyes opened, and she was gazing at a familiar face. "C'mon, Sal, snap out of it!" Sonic the Hedgehog pleaded desperately, shaking the squirrel as vigorously as he could.

Sonic…? For a brief moment, his presence comforted Sally, but then she remembered…she remembered it ALL.

"I'm sorry, Sal…I can't…"

"There's no discussion about it, Sal. You screwed up big."

"I knew it was a good idea to track you down…this will be the perfect game…"

"That I could ever feel anything for a controlling, vindictive ball-and-chain like you besides disgust?"

Suddenly, the fire resurged. Daxis was staring into her again. Fear, sadness, anger, desperation…Sally's mind was wracked with a flood of emotions, and the crimson glow returned, brighter than ever. The world outside her mind began to fade away again. "SAL!" Sonic shouted in surprise as her body lit up…it was burning hot to his touch, but he did not let go.

"You see now, Child? There is no way out…in the end, you are already mine…"

Still Sally struggled, but the pull was stronger now, the connection more solid. Without words or motions, her body began to melt away into the floor beneath her. Her eyes were tearing up, and Sonic looked at her with a look of sheer panic. "No, NO!" he roared, moving his hands down to her waist and pulling.

"Hang on, Sonic!" Tails cried, flying over to lend a hand.

Both pulled at the squirrel's body as hard as their bodies would allow, but still she continued to sink, and they found themselves sinking with her. All this played out like white noise to Sally, fading in and out of full consciousness. "You fail yet again, Child. That is your destiny. That is my victory."

Slowly but surely, despite Sonic and Tails' best efforts to avoid it, they fell through the ground…

X X X

"AMODEUS!"

The goat gasped in shock as his Master's voice rang in his mind. "Yes, my Lord?" he asked.

"I have the Child in my grasp! Go to the Inner Sanctum, NOW! I cannot hold our connection forever!"

Amodeus took only a moment to let the feelings sink in. It was finally time…time for this world to be tamed at long last. Time for Bach's sacrifice to pay off. Time for the old Gods who had forsaken him and his friends to realize their mistake. Hands clenching as his body felt a renewed surge of purpose rush through it, the Shaman whispered the words and melted into the ground, destined for the Inner Sanctum…and the rebirth of Lord Daxis.

X X X

"So…it is happening."

Alone in the midst of the pouring rain, the Source of All could sense the growing darkness in its Child's heart. At long last, she had reached a point of no return; after all the rises and falls she-and through her, the Source-had experienced, she had finally made the misstep Daxis had been waiting for. Trapped as it was in the limited form of the Sword of Acorns, the Source could take no direct action to help her. Yet it was far from helpless. "My loyal warriors…my Children…have you done as I have told?"

"Yes." Hundreds of voices answered in unison, though none were near the Source's physical being. "We have taken our webs to the destinations you have chosen."

"Then prepare yourselves. The hour of reckoning is on hand, and we must be prepared to do all that is necessary to stop it."

Spread out though they were over the surface of Mobius, the Source could sense the agreement of its loyal warriors. It almost made the omnipotent entity feel…sad, was the mortal word for it…for the spiders; their sacrifice would be great, but not in vain. With that resolution in mind, its focus turned to its Child's ever weakening spirit. "You were strong, my Child…" it thought. "But strength is not enough…against an enemy such as this…"

X X X

Only moments ago, Sonic and Tails had been going down. It thus felt more than slightly disconcerting to find themselves risingup out of the ground into an ominous, candle-lit room that looked like a shrine of some sort. Something strange rested in its center, a vortex of light floating over a strange altar, but neither of the two had time to give it much attention. Both were still pulling against Sally, even now; perhaps, somehow, they could get her to go backwards. "Come on, Aunt Sally!" Tails pleaded desperately, though his voice came out softer than he wanted it to. "You gotta wake up!"

Sonic too whispered anything and everything he could think of as their new location began to unfold around them. "Please, Sal…I'm sorry, I'm SO sorry, I woulda said 'yes' if I coulda, I swear I would've, please, Sal, please just wake up, I'll find a way to make it happen for us…"

It was a rush of words that he did not think over at all before saying. Stream of consciousness was all he had to give; it was all he had the strength for. Everything that had been building up around the hedgehog for days now, perhaps longer if he truly thought it over, was coming to a head. He could feel his grip on Sally's body loosening as the strength to hold on slowly drained away, the burning sensation only getting worse. "Ngh…c'mon, C'MON! You're stronger than this guy, Sal, I KNOW you are, you're the strongest person I've ever met and if that's not enough to beat this freak I don't know what is, but you gotta wake up, Sal, PLEASE! I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!"

For the briefest of moments, the Blue Blur thought he saw Sally's blank eyes turn slightly toward him…but it was cut short as he found his body flying away, crashing into a wall quite painfully. The same fate befell Tails not long after. "It seems keeping you alive was NOT a mistake after all…"

Sonic's bleary vision settled upon the blurred but instantly recognizable form of his former leader, Amodeus, hovering next to the vortex of light. "When your betrayal severed the Child's last tie to this world, I'd truthfully thought you'd be of no more use to us. Lilith's insistence that you remain part of the Order was all that kept you alive." The goat continued, descending to the ground and striding with deliberate confidence toward the incapacitated duo. "However…it seems you've managed to be useful to us again. Not only did you bring the Child back to us, but you've even brought the legendary Chosen One with you as well so that Daxis may eliminate the threat he might pose as soon as he returns."

At that, he lifted Tails' chin up with his staff, looking the boy over. "Hm...how fitting the treacherous Goddess should pick one so young to fight her battles…"

"Leave him alone…" Sonic growled threateningly.

Amodeus ignored him, slipping his staff out from under Tails' muzzle and moving instead to Sally, who simply stood still and straight, body glowing. "Her too!" Sonic added hastily, voice cracking as his attempt at menace fell clearly flat.

Unsurprisingly, the Shaman ignored him, instead waving his hand and causing the walls around them to reach out, hand-like, and place Sally upon the altar, where she merged again with its form. "At last…at long last…" he whispered softly as he spread his arms out. "The Ritual ends in Awakening…Ni Kenawag'in, Daxis L'ash'l Inodatem…"

The aura surrounding the Princess flared up brightly. "Yes…" a rumbling sound came from the vortex. "YES…"

Sonic gulped at the sound; it was like listening to death itself speak. This was him…this was Daxis…the one who wanted Sally, wanted to hurt his friends…the one who'd caused all the horrible things that had happened to him since the Order came into his life. "And I can barely even MOVE...dammit all…" he thought bitterly, trying to find the strength that had always aided him so much in the past to get up one last time and fight.

Tails, however, was far less incapacitated. With Amodeus' back turned to him, he slowly began to sneak toward the Shaman with quiet steps. "Good luck, Big Guy…" Sonic thought, still trying to get his body to stand up again so he could help.

Meanwhile, Sally's body now filled the sanctum with an eerie glow, looking for all the world as if she was bathed in crimson flame crackling and thrashing about. The void above her pulsed with hunger as Amodeus continued, hands motioning softly. Soon, the skull that had been placed upon Sally before was brought over to the goat on a stone hand from the wall. Taking it in hand, he returned it to the same spot it had been on the squirrel's body before. "Let this Avatar form your new body in the world of the Living…let it take the blood that has touched the Source of All and the glory of Daxis."

From his robes the goat produced a knife-Tails saw it had blood on it already as he snuck ever closer-and brought it down to Sally's forehead. As he dragged the blade across, cutting through fur and skin, Sally did not even squirm, but the flaming glow around her throbbed wildly. Amodeus than took the blade and placed its tip between the eye sockets of the skull on Sally's chest. "Rise again, Lord Daxis…live once more! Deliver this world from Evil and smite the wicked!"

A single drip of blood dribbled down the knife's edge and landed upon the skull. Eyes wide with excitement, he shouted joyously, "REVILER…"

"No…" Sonic thought fearfully.

"LA'L…"

Tails leapt forward, stealth no longer an option.

"SIOM'BU…"

The aura exploded, sending waves of wind and energy that knocked Tails out of the air and right back where he'd started from. The single drop of blood began to expand and flow out upon the skull, crawling about as if alive.

"TEN'RUR, DAXIS!!"

The room filled with bright red as Sally's body arched upwards. Sonic and Tails both could only watch in horror as her blood seeped into the skull, making strange markings along its eye holes and snout. From within the vortex, tendrils of black reached out to the skull, slithering inside like serpents, while Sally's aura also converged upon it. "SALLY, NO!!" Sonic shouted in a panic, eyes tearing up as he realized what was happening to her…her life force was mixing with Daxis'…giving him something to feed on so he could break free and enter their world again through the Avatar…she was dying.

Blood dripped from the skull as it began to rise into the air, but rather than land upon the ground the drops hovered beneath it, growing larger and larger as crackles of black and red energy flowed into them. Mixing together again, they throbbed and bubbled, flowing out into a long, ominous cape. "YES…" the dark voice growled triumphantly, coming not only from the vortex but the skull as well, "YES…AT LONG LAST…"

From within the skull's sockets, two glowing flames of crimson appeared.

"I LIVE AGAIN!!"

To Be Continued…