Kingdom Hearts II: Sonic Chronicles
OC's © original creators
Chapter Twelve: A Savior Reborn, Part 2
The scene opens to a small world levitating aimlessly within the corridors of space and time. And it was at this time that the Ghost Train appeared in a flash of light, gliding along a road of invisible tracks. The enigmatic transport stopped directly in front of the land mass, allowing the Sonic Team to gander at the splendid structure in their presence. It was a tall tower made from a substance of pure silver with sapphire-blue stars scattered across the walls. A golden dragon statue was curled around the tower numerous times with its head resting at the highest point – Sonic was impressed by the style of the owner.
"Ooh, shiny." Marine said unconsciously.
"This looks like a long way from any world we've ever been to." Angel noted, staring out into the abyss of space that surrounded them. "There isn't another world within a hundred miles of this place."
"Ya think the train stopped at the right place?" Storm asked.
"I don't think we can check." Silver said pointedly.
The rest of the team looked to the Babylon mage before they noticed a powerful glow surrounding the Ghost Train. The railed transport was consumed by a flash of strong light before it vanished from the realm of existence entirely.
"There goes our ride." Sonic chuckled jokingly.
The Sonic Team shook their head at their leader. With no way of going back, the gang of off-worlders chose to move ahead and see who existed in this unknown tower and why they were brought to him. The walked across the landmass to the entrance of the Mysterious Tower, only to find that someone was already there, peeking into the doorway of the strange structure. None of the heroes could see his face, but they could hear him muttering to himself in a hushed tone, making his speech almost indistinguishable.
"Almost there..." The man muttered "Almost there..."
"Excuse me." Angel called politely. "But what's going on?"
"I sent some of my lackeys inside to see if the master of the tower is as big and tough as they say." The man cackled joyously. "Word is, he is a very powerful sorcerer, which would make him the perfect bodyguard for me. See, it doesn't matter how tough he is – once he's a Heartless, he'll do exactly as I say!"
"A Heartless?!" Storm exclaimed.
"That's right." The man said wickedly. "The creatures born from the darkness of people's hearts. Why, with all those Heartless and his side, my dear colleague Black Doom is going to conquer everything!" The Sonic Team looked at each other, smiling jokingly. "And since I have a debt to pay, I am going to other worlds to collect an army of Heartless, special for him." He suddenly realized something. "Why I am talking to you runts anyway? Go on, scram! I'm behind schedule as it is!"
"You oughta find something nice to do." Marine commented.
"Says who?" The man glowered as he turned. But once he caught sight of Silver and Storm, he screamed. "Ahh! You two!"
"Eggman!!" Silver and Storm shouted surprisingly.
The other three members of the Sonic Team were lost and confused as they looked over the one called Eggman. His name was properly suited to him given his egg-shaped body. He was a large human with a bald head and a very bushy orange mustache. He wore a long crimson-red jacket with golden cuffs and pockets, black pants with grey fasteners at the legs, giving them the appearance of boots, a pair of white gloves, a long white scarf around his neck, a pair of silver-grey goggles, and ocean-blue glasses over his eyes. Judging by the glares from Silver and Storm, this man wasn't a friendly character.
"What are you two nimrods doing here?!" Eggman snapped.
"We should be asking you the same thing." Silver said leering.
"You know this guy?" Sonic asked curiously.
"You bet we do." Storm nodded. "Eggman has been causing trouble to Babylon Garden for ages, but we never had any proof. But one da, the king found out about Eggman's latest scheme and banished him into another dimension. I wonder how he escaped."
"So you want to now how, eh?" Eggman grinned superiorly. "Given my superior intellect, I would have found a way in due time. But Black Doom made it much easier and set me free in exchange for a little assistance." He pointed out the Keyblade Master. "And your world – no, all worlds – are going to belong to the brilliant Dr. Eggman! Because with Black Doom's helpful assistance, conquering them will be a breeze."
"Black Doo, huh?" Sonic laughed; the other joined him.
"What are you laughing at?!" Eggman growled furiously. "Why, with Black Doom's power..."
"Black Doom's finished." Angel answered giggling. "We finished him off over a year ago. It's amazing you're only figuring this out now."
"O-of course I know!" Eggman stammered defiantly. "I can't believe Black Doom would fall at the hands of a group of brainless animals!" Angel turned her head in a dignified fashion. "You won't get away with this! Heartless Squad! Round Up!"
And upon the command of the round human, the shade of the trees took on a life of their own and rose from the ground with their shape becoming more apparent. They resembled enlarge insects with bulging yellow eyes and a set of crooked antenna. Sonic smiled excitedly and summoned his Keyblade the moment the Shadow Heartless made their appearance.
"Now that's what I'm talking about." Sonic said eagerly.
The Sonic Team may not have stood a chance against the silver creatures, but they had plenty of experience battling Heartless. And going against a small group of Shadows, the battle really didn't take long. Sonic jumped into the air and landed into the center of the Heartless circle, twirling his Keyblade into a singular motion. He already took out four Heartless in one instant while the rest of his took care of the remains. Silver clasped his hands together, forming the sea of fire, and expelled a large fireball from his throat to extinguish six Heartless at one time. Marine back-flipped with expert grace several feet away from the Shadow and closed her fists to gain the familiar emerald-green glow. With perfect marksmanship, she took out every Shadow that approached her. Angel and Storm were the ultimate tag-team of the group. Given Storm's amazing endurance, Angel's swift agility, and both of their super strength factors, the dynamic duo crushed the Shadow with just their hands. Eggman staggered backwards frightfully as Sonic slashed his fabled weapon over the head of his last soldier.
"Got any more?" Sonic asked innocently. "I really need the practice."
"Just you wait!" Eggman snapped. "Nobody, and I do mean nobody, messes with the brilliant Dr. Eggman!"
"So 'brilliant' Eggman..." Sonic called casually. "Who lives in this tower, anyway?"
"Oh, you don't know, eh?" Eggman sniggered. "Well, this tower belongs to Nyrox. Of course, he's probably a Heartless by now."
"Master Nyrox lives here?!" Silver screamed joyously.
Sonic had never seen his teacher so happy since he betrayed Espio at Hollow Bastion after revealing his plot. Before the cobalt hedgehog was given a chase to ask, Silver had already dashed through the double doors and escaped into the inner sanctuary. Sonic looked back to Storm since he was the only one left with an explanation.
"Master Nyrox is Silver and Shahra's teacher." Storm stated. "He's also the one that taught the king how to wield the Keyblade a long time ago."
"Wow, he sounds powerful." Sonic said awestruck. "I've got to meet him."
And with that, the remaining four members of the Sonic Team followed the Babylon mage into the depths of the Mysterious Tower. They had promptly ignored Eggman, who was staring at the backs of the heroes with his mouth agape. The poor doctor knew he had been insulted in the highest degree and stomped around like a child throwing a tantrum.
The scene alternates to the inner chambers of the Mysterious Tower as Silver led the pack through the cylinder structure. The entrance hall was only a round room with a staircase that led to the higher reaches of the castle. And while his master took of running, Sonic stayed momentarily behind to admire the murals painted along the walls. A sea of stars covered every surface with dragon actually moving across the surface, nuzzling or growling to one another when meeting.
"This Nyrox guy really loves dragons." Sonic commented after following his teacher.
"That's Master Nyrox to you, Sonic." Silver stated, seemingly insulted. "The dragon represents everlasting magic and undefeatable strength. It is the symbol that represents Master Nyrox."
"You really admire him, don't you?" Angel asked.
"Master Nyrox found me on the streets in an unknown world and raised me." Silver explained heartfelt. "I became his student at the same time Shahra requested to become his apprentice. Master Nyrox was more than my teacher, he was my father."
Sonic could very well understand why Silver was so committed to praise his teacher. Sonic had only learned a year ago that he was the son of two Keyblade Masters that came before him: Zoan and Aleena. He had learned that his mother had perished during an unknown battle and visited her grave in Hollow Bastion. He also learned from his fight against Duskmon that Zoan was still alive, wondering somewhere between the worlds. Sonic could understand Silver's feelings. The Sonic Team climbed the Mysterious Tower until they stopped at a doorway with a brilliant-white star printed on the face of the wood. Silver cautiously crept through the door with the rest of the team following, entering an unknown chamber. It was very much like the rest of the tower, but with star statues glowing at a few points around the room and a single door on the opposite end.
"So where's this Nyrox bloke?" Marine asked.
"It's Master Nyrox!" Silver snapped; Marine jumped into Sonic's arms in fright. "And this isn't his chamber, this is only the halfway point. If I know Master Nyrox, he will be at the highest point of the tower."
"He must really love walking." Sonic said, dropping Marine on the floor. "Come on, isn't there supposed to be some kind of spell that can get us up there. This is getting so boring that I actually wish the Heartless were here."
Ask and ye shall receive. A swarm of Shadow Heartless emerged from the darkness given off by the star statues, led into battle by another familiar Heartless. A beastly soldier garbed in knightly armor and a clanking helmet with the Heartless emblem present on his chest: a black heart with crossed thorns. The Soldier Heartless hissed at the Keyblade Master from beneath his helmet and as he summoned the fabled weapon to his hands.
"You were saying?" Storm grumbled.
"Hey, at least it's better than walking." Sonic smirked.
"Ugh...what happened?" A voice in Sonic's head moaned.
"Dark, is that you?" Sonic thought interestingly, pushing a Heartless away at the moment. "Looks like someone finally decided to wake up."
"I don't remember what happened." Dark Sonic proclaimed tiredly. "One moment we were facing Mephiles at Kingdom Hearts, the next I find you throwing off a bunch of Shadow in who-knows-where."
"I'm just as lost as you, pal." Sonic replied, raising his Keyblade to block off a soldier's foot. "Can we talk about this some other time. I'm kinda in the middle of something."
The Heartless persona disconnected from Sonic's mind for a while, obviously trying to regain his strength. At least the cobalt hedgehog could feel safe knowing that everyone on the team was ok. And back to the battle at hand, Sonic faced off against the only Soldier Heartless in the group while the rest of his team took out the Shadows by their own means. The Soldier was a tricky customer as he was continually twirling through the air, preventing Sonic to gain a direct shot. And on one occasion when he wasn't looking, the Soldier twisted over his shoulder and left behind a small cut as he foot sliced through the skin. The Soldier landed gracefully and looked back to the Keyblade Master, who brushed off the minuscule wound. The Soldier crouched low to the ground and kicked off with its signature spinning attack. But much to Sonic own amazement, he was unexpectedly prepared this time. For reasons unknown, Sonic twirled backwards away from the Soldier's line of fire, touched the floor, and propelled back to the Soldier with his Keyblade held outwards. The Soldier had landed and turned at the very moment Sonic's Keyblade crossed over its neckline, decapitating the shadow beast. The helmet dropped to the floor with a loud clank before evaporating into darkness with the rest of its body. Sonic stared at his Keyblade in awe.
"What was that?" Sonic thought surprisingly. "I was never that athletic before."
"I believe it's called a reaction command." Dark Sonic explained. "You heart memorizes certain techniques and mental reaction to protect the vessel. Your heart will learn more reaction commands as you continue on your journey and depending on the situation."
"Looks like you learn something new every day." Sonic chuckled. "Welcome back, Dark."
"Good to be back, rodent." Dark Sonic sniggered.
After eliminating the Heartless threat, the group met in the center of the room, perfectly unharmed. But Angel seemed to be growling under her breath and kicked her feet against the floor in frustration.
"This isn't right." Angel stated. "Heartless here, Heartless there, Heartless everywhere. How can they even still exist? Didn't we close the Door to Darkness after beating Mephiles."
"You're right." Silver nodded. "It is a bit unusual. Perhaps Master Nyrox can provide some answers to this situation."
The Sonic Team looked back to the door across the room, crossing the threshold after collecting themselves. This left Sonic with much to think about. If they did close the Door to Darkness with King Jet, why were the Heartless still causing trouble in the real world? Was it possible that the Heartless were secretly working with those silver creatures and somehow found a way to break through the barrier? That would mean that the Keyblade Master was needed again. Would it take another year before Sonic finally returned home. The cobalt hedgehog nearly bumped into Storm and fell back down the stairs when the group came to a sudden halt outside a singular door. There was no print on the door face, but the Keyblade Master could clearly sense the unlimited power behind it – it's no wonder Silver was so hesitant to open it. The group walked into the room one-by-one and Sonic took this opportunity to investigate the room. It was a very simple place with a large bookshelf, a pair of open windows, a personal desk, a throne-like chair, and the usual starry wall.
"Master Nyrox, it's an honor to be in your presence again." Silver said respectfully; he and Storm bowed simultaneously.
Sonic snapped his attention back to the desk, where he finally confronted the fabled Nyrox. To Sonic's eyes, the ultimate master was not nearly as old as he had expected. The eyes of wisdom and age betrayed Nyrox's youthful body. He was a silver-grey fox with white lines falling from his eyes. He wore a simple attire consisting of black, fingerless gloves, simple black boots, a metal chain around his waist, and a crimson-red coat with a golden dragon printed on the back. The ultimate master nodded in acceptance to his student's greeting.
"Hiya, mate!" Marine waved casually.
"Marine! Show some respect!" Silver snapped.
"That is quite all right, Silver." Nyrox said lightly. His eyes roamed over the heroes and eventually stopped at the cobalt hedgehog. "So, you are Sonic. It's funny how much you look like your father, but you have the innocence of your mother's eyes."
"You knew my mom and dad?!" Sonic exclaimed shockingly, shoving his team away.
"Sonic, don't be so rude." Dark Sonic scolded.
"I had the pleasure of meeting them and Nocturn on certain occasions." Nyrox answered softly, closing his fingers together. "But this is not the time to reminisce on ancient times. Have you see King Jet yet?"
"Yes, we did, Master." Storm nodded. "But we didn't have the chance to talk to him."
"Highly understandable." Nyrox stated. "The king has been quite busy of late. Therefore, it would seem that the task of instructing you falls upon my shoulders. You have a perilous journey ahead of you – must worse than the ones of previous times. You must be prepared."
"You mean...we have to go on another quest?" Sonic said disappointed. "I was looking forward to finding my friend Espio, so we could go back to the Islands."
"Yes, I know." Nyrox nodded understandably. "However, everything in your journey, Sonic, is connected. Whether you will find your way home to the Islands, whether you will return alone or with your friend, and whether or not the Islands will still be there. And the key that connects them all is you, Sonic."
"I'm...the key?" Sonic said questionable; he summoned the Keyblade with a sudden interest.
"Chosen wielder of the Keyblade!" Nyrox said mystically. "You are the key that will open the Door to Light and save those unfortunate souls!" Sonic narrowed his eyes with focus and nodded in acceptance to his destiny. "Now, it is time we discuss the enemies you will surely encounter."
"I've actually got a question about that." Angel said, waving her hand. "How come the Heartless are still running around?"
"Your past endeavors did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the great darkness." Nyrox explained seriously. "However, the Heartless are darkness made real. And darkness lingers in every heart." He rested against his chair. "The Heartless are fewer, but while darkness exists in a single heart, it will be difficult to eliminate them."
"Then that just means if everyone's heart was full of light, the Heartless would disappear." Storm stated happily; the other nodded joyously at the thought.
"That day can never come." Nyrox proclaimed, spearing their hope. "Light and darkness exist as one whole entity. Life cannot exist without the darkness, just as it can't survive without the light. Now it is time we speak of the enemies you will encounter." He waved his hand to the side, summoning an image of Silver. The Sonic Team watch for a moment and jumped back in shock as the Babylon Mystic was consumed by darkness and transformed into a Shadow. "If one such as you, Silver, yields to the darkness in their heart, they too will become a Heartless. But you know this."
"Why'd it have to be me." Silver moaned in despair as his teammate responded to the master.
"The heartless are always lurking and ever seeking to capture new hearts." Nyrox continued darkly. "Never let your guard down! Now then..." He waved his hand again, summoning a Dusk to the Shadow's side. "At times, if someone with a strong heart and will – evil or good – becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own." The Heartless image vanished. "An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away – a spirit that goes on, even as its body fades from existence. For you see, Nobodies do not truly exist. Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse – they only pretend to have hearts. You must not be deceived!"
"Nobodies..." Sonic murmured. "They don't exist..."
The image of the Dusk vanished and the images of three men in Black Cloaks appeared behind the group. Remembering them from Hollow Bastion a year ago, Sonic nearly pulled his Keyblade on them before remembering they weren't real. And of all of them, Duskmon was the one Sonic remembered in particular.
"I understand that you have encountered these creatures before." Nyrox stated; the heroes nodded. "The beings you see before you are a different form of Nobodies. These powerful Nobodies have formed a group called Order XIII – they command the lesser Nobodies. But thanks to recent efforts, the Order's number has dwindled by a large amount."
"What happened?" Marine asked curiously.
"That is a tale for another time." Nyrox responded. "While Heartless react on instinct, Nobodies function in a higher manner. They can think and plan. And it seems they are working towards a goal. What that goal is, I do not know." The heroes glanced at one another nervously. "The king sensed the danger and journeyed forth to fight it. He found the dark realm's Keyblade and with it, closed the door. Now he is traveling from world to world, fight the Heartless as he seeks the answer to the riddle of the Nobodies and Order XIII."
"Then I guess we better find the king first!" Sonic said confidently as the images vanished.
"But where could he be?" Silver questioned.
Well, we won't know until we look." Storm smiled.
"Yeah." Sonic nodded eagerly. "And the king must know where Espio is, cause the two of them were together in the Realm of Darkness when we closed the door."
"Before you go, you will need some suitable traveling cloths." Nyrox laughed at their embarrassment. "Those look a bit too small for you." He waved his hand to a side door, which the others hadn't noticed until now. "Through there, you will find twin brothers. If you ask, they will create appropriate garments for you."
"Wow, Sonic, you sure are growing fast." Storm said pointedly.
"I'm not the only one." Sonic laughed.
The group bowed their heads in respect to the ancient master, the group pushed through the doorway and enter a small room on the side. It was round and definitely suitable for collecting garments as the only things present were a wardrobe and a set of mirrors hanging on the wall. Sonic wondered why they were covered. And in the center of the room, the twin brothers were chatting animatedly with each other until they noticed their sudden guests. To nobody's surprise, the twin brothers were actually small dragons with a different structure and skin tone. The first of the brothers was red/black scaled dragon with two horizontal horns and a row of phantasmal tendrils reaching down its spine. The second was a pure-white scaled dragon with eight angel wings and innocent blue eyes. The red dragon slipped off the ground and slithered closer to inspect their new guests.
"Look who it is, Light Gaia." The dark dragon said pleasingly. "Sonic and his friends have finally arrived."
"Dark Gaia and I have been waiting for you for a while." Light Gaia stated, hovering over the team's head. "Hmm...It looks like they could do with a bit of a wardrobe upgrade and perhaps a few weapons to focus their individual abilities."
"You take care of the designing, brother." Dark Gaia said to his counterpart. "And I'll take care of the weapons work. I dear say that you are a terrible blacksmith."
It's so true." Light Gaia nodded, slithering close to Sonic's shoulder. The twin dragon shoved the Keyblade Master away and set their sights back to the team. "You just stay there for a while, Sonic. We have a special project in mind for you."
Sonic cocked his head in confusion, but followed his instructions and stood back for the twin dragons to do their work. The brothers of light and darkness nodded to one another and raised their claws to the ceiling, summon a mass of their particular energies. The Sonic Team watched them for a short moment before suddenly being zapped by the mixed rays created by the Gaia brothers. Sonic was prepared to throttle the small dragons when he noticed that the rest of his team emerged from the rays of light and darkness, unharmed and with a new look to boot.
Silver's mane was finally tamed and his quills were more sleek than usual in addition to his new clothing. He wore dark-blue boots with turquoise straps and golden braces, his standards gloves and cuffs, and a black leather belt with a silver box strapped to his him. But what impressed him the most was the silver staff with the golden dragon head at the pinnacle and its tails wrapping around the main part of the staff.
Storm's newest appearance was almost miraculous. His excess body fat had been completely evaporated, leaving him with only pure muscle and bone. He wore bright yellow shoes with hard metal soles and black straps running across, a yellow bomber jacket completely unzipped to reveal his bulging abs, and a silver snake pendent. Storm was holding a magnificent round shield from the hardest metal with the symbol of Babylon Garden on the face.
Angel's appearance hadn't changed as much as the others. The only significant difference was that her wild fur was finally tame and that she wore a belt with twin holsters on either side. Angel seemed generally disappointed until she noticed that he holsters were holding a pair of silver daggers with golden hilts.
And when Sonic looked over to Marine, an overwhelming sense of pride filled his heart. The rascally raccoon had her hair tied into a pony tail that reach to the back of her neck and her scars were less visible than they once were. She was wearing a silken black shirt beneath an emerald-green vest, a pair of slender black pants with a silver crown on the pant legs, a pair of white gloves, and white/green sneakers. Her weapon of choice was actually a small green orb, which Sonic suspected was more valuable than he would imagine.
"So, how do I look, mate?" Marine asked, posing for the Keyblade Master.
"Like a talkative tree." Sonic said jokingly; Marine facefaulted.
"And now for you, big boy." Dark Gaia said interestingly. He and his twin brother formed a circle around the Keyblade Master looking at the cobalt hedgehog from every angle. "Hmm...Interesting energy frequency and very nimble."
"He appears to be great with speed, but his strength is also impressive, brother." Light Gaia commented. The dragon twins finally stopped circling him and resting in front of their subject. "I think he might be worthy enough to accept the gift."
"I agree, brother." Dark Gaia nodded.
"Um...what gift?" Sonic asked, scratching his head in confusion.
The mischievous dragons smirked. And before the Keyblade Master was given the chance to react to the situation, Light and Dark Gaia sharply stabbed their hands forward and expelled an equal amount of light and dark energy into hedgehog's heart. The Sonic Team watched in awe at the explosive display as Sonic emerged moments later from the mixture of energies. Sonic stood tall and proud with his quills trimmed down to their normal appearance and with the Keyblade present. His garments included a pair of red/white boots with white straps, a pair of white gloves restricted by metal bracelets, two black pouches were strapped to either side his waist by a black belt, a silver-crown necklace, and green-lensed sunglasses above his eyes. The cobalt hedgehog looked down and whistled impressively.
"This is awesome." Sonic laughed.
"And it's only going to get better." Light Gaia said promising. He closed his hands into a circle and created an orb of red light. "Take the orb and watch what happens."
The cobalt hedgehog knew he could trust the dragons so far and clenched the glowing sphere in his hands. What happened next was completely beyond what he would have expected. His chest gave a sudden lurched and lashed him directly into the air and Storm mimicked the same motion. The two collided in midair and exploded in a ray of red light, forcing the heroes to cover their eyes. The group was able to look when Sonic touched back to the ground and their mouths nearly dropped with him. Sonic's fur had transformed to a cherry-red color with a fleur-de-lis on his shoulders and forelegs, but that was not what attracted their attention. In Sonic's left hand was a Keyblade with a navy-blue base decorated with white stars with a golden star at the teeth, two shooting stars acting as the hand guard, and golden star acting as the Keychain.
"When could Sonic use two Keyblade?!" Angel screamed shockingly. "And what happened to Storm?!"
"Sonic has activated a special ability called the Drive Form." Dark Gaia explained. "It allows him to fuse with others to grant him greater powers, such as two Keyblades. This one is called the Valor Form."
"Your mission is going to be twice as hard as the last." Light Gaia proclaimed. "You'll need to be prepared. There are other Drive Forms as well, but you'll have to find those out on your own."
"We can't thank you enough." Sonic said appreciatively, deactivating his Drive Form.
"There's something else we're supposed to tell you." Dark Gaia said quickly. "Master Nyrox has prepared one last gift for you before you leave. He should be waiting back in the room behind you."
"Thanks for everything." Silver said as he and the team bowed respectfully.
And with that, the Sonic Team turned on their heels and walked back into the other room. But beyond their notice, a dark-purple squid with a single red eye was watching the scene from above. Back in Nyrox's chamber, the ancient master was standing close to the wall with five new gifts lined alongside it. They were board, each with a different style and structure. One was blue with white wisps and a silver base, another was light-purple with a grey trimming, the next was brilliant-yellow with a chrome center, the following was a small pink board with a white 'V' at the nose, and the last was a green/blue board in a color mixture.
"Extreme Gear!" Storm cheered, hugging his board close.
"The king prepared these beforehand." Nyrox explained to the stupefied students. "He most likely thought they would come in handy."
"That's great, but we have a problem." Silver said disappointedly. "The walls between words are closed, so how are we going to get through them?"
"That is very true." Nyrox nodded. "Because of your previous endeavors, the world have returned to their original states. Under normal circumstances, that would mean the paths between them have disappeared. However, if what the king suspects is true, the world have prepared new pathways for you to travel. These pathways may be utilized by unlocking special gates. How these gates are opened, I do not know. However, the Keyblade will serve as your guide. When a beam of light radiates from the Keyblade, return to the stars." He sighed heavily and stared out the window. "Though the worlds may seem far apart and out of reach, they nonetheless remain connected by invisible ties. As do our hearts."
"Our hearts are connected." Sonic murmured.
"That is corrected." Nyrox nodded smiling. "But be warned. As you proceed, the Heartless and Nobodies will be using their own paths: Corridors of Darkness, to travel from world to world. They may be attempting to link these dark pathways to the gates between worlds."
"Hey! That's no fair!" Marine shouted childishly.
"Now then, that is all the information I can give you." Nyrox stated. "Go forth and bring peace to the worlds. Everyone is waiting."
"Yes, sir!" The Sonic Team shouted in salute.
With nothing left to say each member of the Sonic Team took their individual Extreme Gears and exited through the doorway. Nyrox remained close to his window, waiting patiently until the Keyblade Master and his friends took off into the stars towards their next destination. Nyrox smiled in appreciation. Sonic looked so much like his father.
The scene returns to the second room just off to the side of Nyrox's chamber, where Light and Dark Gaia were cleaning the room. The twin dragons were exhausted after distributing their powers to the Sonic Team and needed a long rest. This, however, was not the opportunity. When they least expected it, a dirty cloth dropped to the ground and a float squid monster peered at the dragons before slithering under the cloak.
"Brother, what is that?" Light Gaia asked. "Haven't we seen this garment before?"
"Yes, but I wonder where..." Dark Gaia murmured softly.
"Wait a minute!" Light Gaia exclaimed. "It's Bla...!"
"No! We can't remember his name!" Dark Gaia shouted hysterically, closing his brother's mouth. "He was nothing more than a monster of pure evil!"
Brother, the memories are coming back!" Light Gaia shouted hopelessly. "What do we do, brother?!"
"We have to warn Master Nyrox immediately!" Dark Gaia screamed.
But by that time, it was already too late. The dirty cloth was rising off the ground and slowly began to develop a life of its own. The dirty robe also gained a set of jewel in a circle around the chest and a golden chain hanging off the shoulders. The monster within them was black as the darkness itself with no legs to support it, demonic claws, two crimson-red horizontal horns, and three of piercing-red eyes that could kill a man with a simple gaze. While Dark Gaia slither back into the previous chamber, Light Gaia remained long enough to announce the return of a great evil.
"Black Doom!" Light Gaia yelled.
And the white dragon vanished. The former Higher Power chuckled malevolently while flexing his newly reformed hand with his three eyes taking in the surroundings. The alien overlord's laugh grew into a thunderous cackle as his plans have finally come in fruition – Black Doom was reborn.
The heroes set of on a new quest with greater consequences. Will the Sonic Team defeat this newest threat? Will Black Doom return for vengeance? And will the Order provide to be Sonic's most lethal threat? Find out on the next Sonic Chronicles!
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