Chapter Fourteen
Author's Note: I'm starting to think I'm rushing the plot way too much. Perhaps it is time I slowed things down a bit…you know…for character development and stuff like that. I also think I need to practice writing good fight scenes…it's really hard. I also need a thesaurus to find more variations of the word "say". It's just me though…
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"And stay down!" Tahra said as the hulking angel finally lay dead on the ground. The two guards had put up a very good fight, but in the end, they were no match for the four hedgehogs. Normally, Tahra was not one to gloat over the loss of life…but she had no sympathy for the soulless being, nor did the others. Each had the same goal: the ultimate defeat of the Judgment, and saving the world. Now their objective was a mere stone's throw away.
No words were exchanged from the four friends, but so much could be said from their body language. Shadow and Amy exchanged a brief affectionate glance, while Sonic was scanning the humongous door, which was as white as all the others. It's only distinguishing feature was a circular indentation. Sonic finally gave the door a swift kick, but it didn't budge. He kicked it again, still with no results.
"Damn door…" Sonic mumbled. He kicked it yet again, this time with all his might. Still, it held fast. Tahra, meanwhile, had taken a small medallion from one of the guards. She placed the medallion in the indentation, and grinned at Sonic as the door began to slowly open.
"Smart aleck…" Sonic muttered under his breath, as he strode through the door, with the others following. The door had opened to another hallway. At the other end was another pair of massive doors. This time, they were slightly ajar, and the mumbling of voices could be heard from the other side. There was no light coming from the room, though. The four, with only a nod, pushed the loose door forward, and entered the darkened room.
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Judging from the echoing of their footsteps, the room had to be huge. But that was all they could make out…at least until the lights came up. When it did, the nature of the room proved to be anything but heavenly. The primary color of this room was a dark grey, and the walls projected statues of angels with spears looking down on them like a hawk would stalk a rabbit from high up. The room also had an immense central circle with strange runes written within it. As expected, Ragozine, Tails and Black Doom were present, but two other angels were present: a human-like angel and a hedgehog one.
"Well, well, if it isn't the four fools-at-arms," Ragozine taunted from his perch, his mocking and hiss-like voice ringing through the chamber. "I would like to say that we've been expecting you, but that line is so old hat."
"It's been three years since we've met, my friends," Black Doom continued. "This is surely a stupendous reunion! Don't you think so, Armeil?"
The human-like angel nodded. "Yes. We've heard so much about your travails. You've even managed to learn the method of drawing the power of the Emeralds from a great distance! Then again, it was all the idea of Milos here!"
"Can the chit-chat, you creeps!" Sonic retorted, pointing his finger at them in defiance, "We've come here to end this once and for all!" Armeil, Black Doom and Ragozine looked at each other, and started to laugh uncontrollably.
"What the hell is so funny?" Shadow said over this laughter.
"Oh, you have the wrong idea entirely…" Black Doom chuckled in his usual sinister manner. "You can't defeat us…the ones who made you who you are! We've been manipulating you for years! What makes you think you can stop us now?"
"He has a point," another voice rang out. Nazo, who was the owner of the voice, appeared on the ground floor, on the far side of the room. He was different now…his black eyes had turned a vivid sapphire. "It's been fun meddling with you all up until now, but I think it is time we got serious!"
Nazo raised his right hand, palm to the ceiling, and the seven Chaos Emeralds plus the Master Emerald appeared, and began to circle his hand like a merry-go-round.
"Hand over those Emeralds, Nazo…or we won't be responsible for our actions!" Sonic threatened.
"I'm afraid it's not quite like that…" Nazo said with an evil grin. The Master Emerald began to darken, and about a second later it shot four black bolts at them, making contact on their foreheads. Their pupils disappeared as they dropped to their knees.
"Everything is in place!" Nazo cried triumphantly. "Now we shall be whole again!"
…Whole again? Tails wondered. He can't be…
"Now, my brethren Aspects…return from your imprisonment and revive our Core that lies under the stone! Bring back our body and enslave the ones who served us!"
"WHAT!" Ragozine, Armeil and Black Doom exclaimed in unison. The eyes of Amy, Sonic and Shadow emitted four beams of black energy, striking the three stunned minions. Armeil and the hedgehog angel dodged these blasts. When the beams passed, entirely new beings were in their place.
Ragozine had transformed into a cross between a horrendously muscled man and his demon dragon form. Many spikes of bone protruded from his back, and his six eyes gleamed with hellfire. The head quills of his hedgehog form were still present, but were much longer. His tail was also equipped with a heavy spiked club.
Black Doom had changed into a smaller version of his Devil Doom form, but it was supplemented with six crab-like legs, and had only one head. The single head, appeared insect-like, but had massive bull-like horns sharper than spears rather than antennae.
Armeil had a more subtle change. His golden hair had turned jet black, and his white feathered wings were turned black as well. His eyes had turned red too.
"Welcome back, my brothers…Leawdak, Black Doom and Ragozine…" Nazo addressed the changed forms. Unaware to any of them save Tails, Tahra had managed to break out of the spell, and looked on in terror at these new fiends. Leawdak, the black-haired angel, noticed Tahra.
"Look, Nazo…one of them has broken free…"
Nazo turned around to see Tahra shaking her head in disbelief, and addressed her.
"You're stronger-willed than I thought, child. But it makes it all the more satisfying to have a witness see the next stage of your friends' evolution! Go, brothers, take the bodies as hosts, and bring judgment upon the world!"
The three fiends nodded and turned into black puffs of smoke. As they squeezed their way into the three mind-trapped souls, their minds and thoughts fused together, and events too horrible for words transpired…
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Author's Note: The events that would happen between this and the next part would push the rating to "M" and I dare not go that far…or maybe it's just that I'm lazy. I'll try to cover them in this next part.
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Tails finished inscribing the last part of the rune onto Sonic's arm. Shadow and Amy also had this same rune. They had been writhing, screaming and cursing as they tried to escape their bonds of magically reinforced adamant, but to no avail.
Many of their friends were there as well: Knuckles, Rouge, Cream, the Chaotix, and even Omega had lent a hand in subduing the three, and now watched in a combined look of concern and disgust as Tails did his work. Shadow and Amy were now about to come out of their trance.
"Wh…what happened?" Amy exclaimed when she came to. Cream, on the verge of tears, strode forward and punched Amy in the face as hard as she could. Of course, Amy had no idea who this rabbit was. Before she could respond, Cream began to scream in her face.
"You monster, you unfeeling cretin; how could you do those things!" the rabbit ranted. "You killed my mom! You ripped her head off, you freak!"
"Me? I would never…" Amy stammered. She looked at Tails, who simply turned away in a forlorn manner. Shadow started to come out of his trance, and now Omega strode forward and belted the bound hedgehog.
"Shadow…I am disgusted with you. You are responsible for the deaths of at least 45,626 innocent people. Amy is also guilty of the pointless massacre of 32,845 innocents, including Cream's female parental unit. Amy even went as far as to devour her own mother."
"My mom…is dead…because of me…" Amy whimpered.
"You're out of your mind, Omega. Amy and I would never do things like that!"
"Are you blind, Shadow?" Rouge fumed, resisting the urge to smack the ebon hedgehog, "I saw you laughing! You were enjoying it! Amy and Sonic too!"
"Who could have known that hedgehogs were capable of such despicable things…" Knuckles growled. "…it's a good thing Tahra didn't start bowing before that monster Nazo!"
"Tahra…is this really all true?" Shadow asked nervously. Tahra gave a nod, and turned her head away from them in contempt. A glance to the Chaotix only resulted in another gift of the cold shoulder. By now, Sonic had come out of his trance as well.
"Oh my aching head…" Sonic groaned. He noticed Shadow and Amy bowing their heads, sobbing quietly. One of his gloves felt warm and damp, and he soon realized what had just happened.
"Is this what I think it is?" Sonic asked. "Are we really…"
"Not only that…" Vector growled. "You three participated in the destruction of the ENTIRE HUMAN RACE. Yeah. There are no more humans. You and the Judgment killed them all! You don't know how much every one here wants to see you dead."
"The entire…human…race…how could we?" he mumbled, before glancing at Tails. "And what is Tails doing here! He's one of the Judgment's leaders! He's the one responsible!"
"If it wasn't for Tails, we'd all be dead," Knuckles replied, still angry. "He turned his back on the Judgment to save the Chaos Emeralds and Tahra. I can only wish that he'd have done it sooner." He left the room in disgust. The others, save Tahra and Tails, followed him.
"If we really did those things…how long has it been;" Shadow half-sobbed in the midst of composing himself. "If we did kill every human on Earth, it has to have been a while…"
"Your rampages lasted three weeks, and I spent two days trying to find a way to keep you under control," Tails said as he began to remove their bonds. "Nazo's brothers fused their souls with yours, making their thoughts yours as well. So technically, you are responsible for all the suffering of those three weeks. They still reside within you as well."
Amy dried her tears now. "Then why are we back to normal like this?"
Tahra decided to explain. "There are runes on your arms, called Marks of Penitence. They suppress the evil in your souls, and negate your Chaos powers, including your ability to use your Super forms. The creatures that are within you changed your bodies. It is a result of the darkness in the Chaos Emeralds."
"And how do we get these runes off?" Sonic asked.
Tails took a deep breath. "There is an ancient prophecy, that in order for the Heroes to be freed of their sins, and defeat the One True Evil, they must find the four Sacred Arms; and to do that, they must gain the blessing from each race who participated in their forging."
"So…I bet we have to do something really good for these races," Shadow said. "But what are the Sacred Arms, and who are the races that forged them?"
Tahra continued here. "The four Sacred Arms are Excalibur, the Sacred Sword; Masamune, the Perfect Katana; Mjolnir, the Thunder Hammer; and Splendra, the Emerald Mace. From what the legends speak of, Sonic gets Excalibur, Shadow gets Masamune…"
"I get Mjolnir," Amy interrupted, "and Splendra is Tahra's."
"Actually, Tahra doesn't need the blessing, because she did not stain her hands with the blood of innocents. It's unfair, I know."
Sonic stared at the blood on his gloved hand, which was beginning to clot. "No…I think it's perfectly fine. But what about the races we need to find?"
"Shadow must find the chameleons, the wolves and the hawks," Tails answered. Espio can lead you to the Chameleon homeland, Shadow. Amy must gain the blessing of the moles, the bats and the toads. Sonic must obtain the blessing of the hedgehogs, the echidnas, and…" he turned his head away at this point, as if he did not wish to say it, "…the kitsune…"
"So I guess Amy will be lugging Rouge along, while I have to put up with you and Knuckles, Tails," Sonic concluded before sighing. "This is going to be one difficult adventure."
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"Wow…" Shadow said as he and Amy stared up at the stars, as they had done so many times before together. The sky was different, though…it had gotten a reddish tint, from all the blood that had spilled because of their actions. "It's hard to believe that all the humans are dead…and that we're responsible."
"Yeah…I almost feel like I don't know who I am anymore," Amy replied. "I feel like I don't belong in this body. Our hands have cut so many innocent lives short. How could we have allowed the Judgment to win?"
"That doesn't matter now. The only actions we can take are to try and get the blessing of each race. I have a feeling that we've done things to them that we weren't enlightened on."
"But the worst part of it is that we don't know when, or even if, we'll see each other again," Amy said in a half-sob. She went up very close to Shadow, and they half-embraced. "All this time we've been together, and now we'll be alone again."
"No…we will see each other again…" Shadow replied in a tone that was both of sadness and confidence. Tears had now forced their way up. "I promise you…we will see each other again!"
Amy's face was slowly, and unconsciously, nearing Shadow's. "…Really?"
"I promise," Shadow whispered. They could taste each other's breath for a moment, and their scents became absolutely irresistible to each other. The couple's hearts began beating in time, and the breathing was also in synch. The feelings that they always had, the one thing that they wanted to do, but didn't feel ready for…now they were ready. With one final emotional nudge, their mouths met.
Their kiss was one neither would forget. Time seemed to stop for them both, and for that moment, neither wanted to let go of the other. The moment was a one that rivaled Romeo and Juliet…the pair of young loves whose affection for each other was sincere, almost holy, a sacred love foretold by the ancient scriptures. When the two finally forced themselves to let go, it felt like they had thrust spears through their own chests. Without even looking at each other, the two walked away from each other, starting on their own respective journeys of repentance, even before the first steps would be taken. One could almost hear the spirits of the ancients weep in grief at this sight.
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"Tahra, I…"
"Sonic…I know you think there's no one out there. You think that no one can love you for the things you've done. Even your own friends were disgusted with you."
"I deserve it. But I have to ask you something…what did I look like when I was overtaken?"
"If I had just seen you for the first time, I would say you looked wondrous. You looked just like your father."
Sonic, who had been feeling amorous, suddenly recoiled from this shocking statement. "How do you know my dad, Tahra! I didn't even know he was alive!"
"It's a funny story, really…"
"Devlin…" Tails said to his companion. "We need to stop Nazo before he takes over Tahra. We can't save your son, but we can try to save the girl he cares for!"
"Milos, we'll both be killed if we try and oppose Nazo!" Devlin replied. "Who gave you this crazy idea of opposing Lord Nazo?"
"Just help me…for Sonic's sake!"
Devlin nodded uneasily, and the two angels sprung at Nazo, who was moments away from taking over Tahra's mind. Nazo was surprised by this sudden attack, and Tahra shook off his control.
"Tahra! Get the Emeralds and run" Tails yelled.
"What about the others!" she yelled back.
"No time! Go!" Devlin cried. Tahra quickly gathered the Chaos Emeralds and took off.
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"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Tahra asked once they had escaped the Tower. Tails had taken Cream with him, while the others had already begun their rampages.
"I was on their side, until Cream here convinced me to change sides. Armeil was absolutely insane. He wanted to purge the world of evil, but concluded that the only way to do that was to destroy all life. Those who followed him would become soulless angels."
"You sure don't seem soulless to me," she replied.
"That's because we are special cases. As leaders of the Judgment, we keep our souls and personalities. Have you heard the legend of the Four Chosen Heroes? Devlin here was one of them. He almost succeeded at his mission, but he was beaten by his friend Armeil, and became his minion.
"We've lived for over six thousand years, our biological clocks stopped in their current position," Devlin added. "What's more, Armeil was an echidna, and the guardian of the Master Emerald to boot. And for much of those six thousand years, I was alone..."
"So I'm really the child of this Devlin angel?" Sonic said.
"Correct…" a voice spoke from behind them. When Sonic turned around, none other but the same Devlin was standing there. Sonic felt like he was staring in a mirror, so close was the resemblance. The only difference was that the hedgehog that stood before him was as white as pure snow, and his eyes were golden."I saved your mother from marauders, and she and I fell in love. It wasn't long before she had you. But I was pursued by Nazo's minions, and they forced me to hunt down your mother and kill her. Angels are forbidden to love."
"But how was I saved?"
"I took you in my arms and went toward the city. But I was soon found and chased down. In my haste, I accidentally dropped you intoa river. I did not believe that you could have survived."
"But I did. I was found by some city dwelling hedgehogs, and they raised me until I was thirteen. Then they disappeared, and I lived on my own until then. "
"When Milos, whom you call Tails, told me that you were alive, I was beside myself, but I was unsure of what to do. But I didn't want to appear to you until the right time. It's sad that the right time came too late. Because of me and the Judgment, you are melded with a dreadful being. I can only hope the Mark of Penitence can suppress him, and that the blessings of Excalibur's forgers can free you."
"Dad…"
"We shall see each other again, my son. The sacred shrine where Excalibur rests is where that shall occur. Goodbye." Devlin took a few steps back, and disappeared. Sonic stood there, unsure of what to do or think.
Tahra approached him. "Sonic…"
But she was immediately caught off guard by Sonic's leaping embrace. He was weeping tears of joy, for a smile was across his face.
"Thank you, Tahra…for finding my family…"