Chapter 11: The apprentice

This is how it feels to be the person right now. You will experience how he feels and what is going on around you.

You're silently standing in the shadiness of a tree, your red eyes blankly staring forward. You begin to wonder about what happened to that blue hedgehog. He told you to wait for him at this tree. You then see a purple light that disappears as soon as it begins.

"Hmph, what was that all about?" You wonder.

You shake your head and decide it was nothing, but then you hear footsteps coming right at you. You hear them stop a few feet short of you and you speak without even moving your eyes.

"What do you want?"

Your voice is rather deep and somewhat cold, but the person coming doesn't seem to care.

"Did you see that?"

This voice is tough-sounding and has a "Watch what you say" tone in it.

"That purple light? I thought I was hallucinating." You ask with a cocked eyebrow.

You hear the voice then speaking in a more worried tone.

"That thing just took the guy that saved your life and you thought you were hallucinating?"

You turn around and meet this person. He has a doglike face with red dreadlocks running down the sides of his head. He has the 'lone wolf' eyes and spikes on his three-fingered gloves.

"Look at me, pal. I know that Sonic may be your rival, but if it wasn't for him, you'd be working with Black Doom or Eggman!" He shouts at your face.

You return his angry look with one of your own and you feel your temperature reaching boiling.

"I know your strong bond, Knuckles. But I have no idea of where your blue friend is." You say in an almost cold tone.

Knuckles raises a clenched fist and points it at you like an accusing finger. "You're very lucky we consider you a friend or I'd be grinding you to a pulp."

You open your mouth to speak, but you don't have time. Something is trying to suck you in and you have no idea what's going on. Strangely, Knuckles isn't being pulled in. You grip the ground with your fingers and grind your teeth so hard, you'd swear they'd break. Unfortunately, your hold on the ground is useless. After holding onto the grass that's already been uprooted, the suction pulls you skyward. You feel like you're in a roller coaster ride with the speed greatly turned up. The experience lasts briefly ten or twelve seconds and then you land face-first onto a hard floor of what appears to be an imperial palace. You slowly get to your feet and look around.

After you ask, "Who's there?" a voice answers in a deep snarl.

"Welcome to my humble abode."

You turn to see a strange, catlike person just standing there with its yellow eyes on your own red ones.

You scowl and ask, "Any reason you dragged me all the way here, kitty?"

The "kitty" simply says, "I need troops if I want to defeat some troublesome pests. And I think you'll fit the spot perfectly."

Your eyebrows scrunch downward and you begin to feel energy pulsating from your body. Then, without warning, anger breaks free and your entire body glows as red as fire.

"YOU WANT TO USE ME! I WORK FOR NO ONE!!!!"

You then pull your arms backward and launch your hands forward after you shout, "CHAOS BLAST!!!!"

An enormous, red supernova blasts right where the cat was and there's a massive crater where he stood. Strangely, you feel the anger leave you and your body is normal again.

You smirk and say, "You never stood a chance against me."

Then you hear someone whisper, "On the contrary." just before five claws slash you across the face.

You then feel yourself drop to the ground and hit the ground with a thud. A second later, you realize that the catlike person is right over you. The cat smiles, showing off his large canines.

"If you don't help me destroy them and their blue friend…"

You then realize the blue friend part. Could it be who you're after? Only one way to find out.

"Wait...Did you say 'blue friend'?" You ask.

The cat says, "Why, yes I did. If you kill them all, your reward will be handsome."

You slowly get to your feet and stand straight, looking at his yellow eyes with your own.

"I will do what you ask…master."

The cat's smile broadens and replies, "Welcome, my new apprentice. You will call me 'Master' or 'Concolor'. Should you disobey my orders once, I'll KILL you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Concolor. On one condition: You will call me by MY name."

The cat scoffs and says, "Very well. What is it?"

Your eyes narrow and you reply in just four words. "I'm Shadow the Hedgehog."