Chapter 25- For My Life's Purpose
Sonic's first instinct was to jump away from Shadow and out of harm's way, but he fought his natural fight or flight reaction his body had been screaming for him to perform and stayed put, staring back at the glaring Shadow.
Slowly, the black hedgehog's brows returned to their normal positions and once again, his look was nonchalant. Maybe his glare had been a sudden outburst of the real Shadow that Sonic knew was buried somewhere in there, underneath all of the hate and revenge.
"Have I gotten any stronger by staying with you? Was I able to kill my brother when he came to Angel Island?" the ultimate life form asked so suddenly and in such impassiveness, that it caught Sonic off guard.
"No. Instead I was humiliated. Attachments have held me back from my destiny for too long..." he continued slowly, his hand shooting out and grabbing Sonic by the fur just below his neck, drawing him closer to his face.
"...And now I'm going to cut them all."
Sonic's expression of mild shock hiding his screaming outrage suddenly changed to one of pain as the hand around his delicate fur squeezed tighter. Slowly, Shadow lifted one leg up and positioned his foot at an angle, raising the hand he had Sonic firmly grasped in up.
With his other hand supporting his body, the cloaked ultimate life form stood to his full height, bringing the cerulean hedgehog in his hand with him, raising him above eye level and off the ground.
A faint pained gasp escaped Sonic's lips as he gripped Shadow's hand that was curled around his fur instinctively with his own, weakly attempting to loosen the vice-like grip.
Then, as fast as Shadow had lifted him into the air, he released him. A wave of fresh oxygen passed through Sonic's lungs as he took a sharp breath, only to have it knocked out of him again by Shadow, who dug his foot into the cerulean hero's tan stomach with a ferociously powerful kick.
Along with the air being knocked out of him, three or four clots of crimson liquid also spilled from his mouth. Blood had been spilled, and the inevitable fight was going to commence.
With a burst of gale force-like winds, the blue hero's body was sent spiraling downwards and into the crystal-clear lake below, crashing into the water with a loud splash and a wave of water.
Shadow slowly drew back his leg and examined it for a moment, as if unable to believe his own power. Quietly, he began to chuckle to himself at his newfound powers.
'If I gained so much power from this emerald, what would happen if Mephiles trained me to control it more?'
The possibilities seemed endless to the dark hedgehog and his mind began to race with ideas and images of his brother's lifeless carcass. His train of thought abruptly came to a halt when he heard another splash over the roar of the nearby waterfall.
'But first I have to deal with him.'
Sonic was on his hands and knees on the lightly colored rocks outlining the great lake below, his blue fur matted to his body from the weight of the water, his shoes and gloves drenched, and his breath ragged.
'If he stops me here, I'll never be able to defeat him,' he told himself in his mind again, his black eyes beginning to wander off Sonic's body and onto the blue sky above.
Flashback
"Brother, where are you brother?" Shadow called.
The small black and red hedgehog ran swiftly through the metallic halls of space colony Ark, occasionally passing by a few bewildered scientists.
His voice was a higher pitch than usual, making it obvious the small hedgehog had not fully matured yet. In fact, going by the date of his creation, Shadow was only seven years old.
Turning into a corner, the small hedgehog came to an abrupt stop when he ran full-force into something. Thrown back, Shadow landed on his rump.
"Ow," the seven year-old Shadow mumbled, rubbing his lower back.
Looking up at who or what he ran into, his face brightened.
"Brother, I found you!" Shadow yelled with a smile, hopping back onto his feet.
Before him stood a white hedgehog with silver highlights in his quills, on his arms, and on his legs. He was wearing white and silver hover shoes that mimicked the ones Shadow would soon own down to the last detail. His piercing silver eyes looked down upon Shadow with quiet nonchalance.
He looked almost exactly like Shadow save for the fur color, eyes, and the two bottom quills on his head that pointed down instead of up, like Shadow's. He, unlike Shadow, seemed fully developed, both physically and mentally. The tall hedgehog was fifteen years old.
The taller hedgehog before Shadow smiled slightly, "How are you, Shadow?"
"I was looking all over for you," the ultimate life form said with a smile, grabbing his older brother's hand, "Gerald just told me that I could train in the Gravity Chamber, but that I have to have a partner, can you help me train?"
Shadow gave the white and silver hedgehog before him a sweet smile along with big red, puppy-dog eyes. The other hedgehog's icy silver eyes softened under the gaze of his brother's innocent large ruby orbs.
The older hedgehog nodded, "Sure."
Shadow yelped in victory and grabbed his brother's hand, dragging him into the direction of the Gravity Chamber.
"All right Shadow," the white and silver hedgehog exclaimed with a small smirk, holding a hand full of tennis balls, "Try to dodge all of these."
The young Shadow nodded enthusiastically as his brother lightly tossed a ball at him, which suddenly accelerated to incredible speeds. The young hedgehog just barely managed to duck out of the way as the ball whizzed over his head, hitting the white wall behind him with a loud clank.
Before the young ultimate life from had time to recover, another ball came whizzing at him. Shadow jumped this time to avoid it before he was hit square in the face with another.
Dropping to the ground, the red and black hedgehog held his right cheek, which was turning a light pink color.
"Ow brother, you threw that one too hard!" Shadow accused, standing back up to his feet.
The white hedgehog shrugged with a small smirk, dropping the rest of the tennis balls onto the ground,"You're the one who wanted to train with me."
Eclipse knew there was no way Shadow could have dodged that ball, but his smaller brother was always so enthusiastic about training with him. He had to make it a challenge.
Shadow smiled, "Yeah, I guess you're right."
The door to the large white metallic room suddenly slid open as an old, bearded man in a lab coat stepped in. Eclipse's small smirk immediately reversed into a scowl at the sight of his "father".
"Gerald," the white hedgehog mumbled, squeezing his hands into fists.
The scientist all but ignored Shadow and had his full attention on the hedgehog's larger counter-part as he spoke, "We have to talk, now."
The eyes of the tall hedgehog narrowed, "What about?"
Gerald stepped aside to reveal two armed guards that cocked their guns obediently, "It's best if we discuss it in private."
Shadow looked on confused as his brother walked towards Gerald and out the door after giving his younger brother a small but reassuring smile.
End Flashback
Obsidian eyes gleamed at the sudden resurfacing cascade of memories. He stayed in his position for a moment, letting the wind gently play with his fur before his gaze traveled back down and onto Sonic, who was standing at his full height again, staring him straight into the eyes.
"Let us finish the fight that never concluded," Shadow called to his counterpart, the roar of the waterfall providing a suitable background noise for his voice.
"Shadow," Sonic growled back between grit teeth at the black and red hedgehog high above him on one of the boulders that the cascading river flowed between.
With a small tug on the string of his clothing, the brown cloak that had been securely wrapped around Shadow's body fell to the rocky ground with a soft thud, creating a sloppy semicircle around the ultimate life form's feet.
Then, with a simple bend of his knees, the ultimate life form leaped from the giant rock and into the air, his quills waving about his head wildly as he began to descend upon the blue speed hero.
"I guess it can't be helped then," Sonic told himself quietly as Shadow continued to approach with narrowed eyes.
A small smirk graced Shadow's lips as he landed in front of Sonic with a soft thud, his knees bent to support his huge jump before straightening out his body.
"This time, Sonic," Shadow sneered in amused nonchalance as he balled his hands at his sides into rock-hard fists, "There's no Amy or Rouge to interfere."
Flashback
"Man, I'm tired!"
Shadow wearily slumped down against the side of the metallic wall that surrounded the Gravity Chamber. He had been training for almost three days now, catching only a little amount of sleep.
"I wonder what brother is doing?" Shadow asked to no one in particular. He had not seen his older brother since he left with Gerald that day in this very same training facility.
The young hedgehog shrugged, standing back up.
"I think I should go and see Maria, she's probably worried about me," the young ultimate life form mumbled before running out of the door.
Much to the young Shadow's surprise, the station was completely silent and dark.
'Strange,' Shadow thought, 'It's not that late, where is everybody?'
The only sound in the eerie environment was the soft clanking of Shadow's shoes against the metallic floor. Usually at this time, this place bustled with life. Scientists were everywhere. The black hedgehog ignored the thought and began heading towards his and Maria's quarters.
It was the same everywhere Shadow went. Complete silence and darkness. Absolutely no one was in sight.
Speeding up his pace a little, Shadow went into a full-fledged, panic-fueled sprint as he tried to make it to his room as fast as possible.
The darkness surrounding him with the ghostly silence was scaring the young hedgehog. His big red eyes scanned his surroundings frantically, the young hedgehog's imagination and mind plagued with monsters jumping out of the darkness at him.
Finally stopping before the familiar door that was his own, Shadow sighed in relief and opened it with the press of a button next to it, entering the room, which was also completely dark.
"Maria?" Shadow asked in a small frightened voice, the door behind him closing with a hiss, "Where are you?"
The room was completely barren, no soul in sight.
"Maybe they went to the observation room," Shadow mumbled, thinking of the large room with a giant window that was used to look down upon the Earth. Maria loved it there, and went there often so it was the obsidian hedgehog's best bet.
Opening the door and running back out of the room, the ultimate life form sprinted in the direction of the observatory at top speed.
Shadow gulped as he stood before the door that lead to the observatory. Something just didn't seem right, where was everyone? Why was it so dark, why was there not one single sound on the entire station?
The ultimate life form shook his head, pulling a small switch that would open the door.
The large door slid open with a loud hiss as the young hedgehog entered the giant room. The glow from the Earth below was the only thing illuminating the room.
Shadow stepped into the room, the door sliding closed behind him. His eyes scanned the room, finally resting on the central platform. And what he saw almost made him vomit, cry, and scream at the same time.
There, lying in a puddle of her own blood illuminated by the eerie glow of the moon, was the young Maria Robotnik, her grandfather Gerald protectively sprawled over her lifeless body.
Both were completely motionless. It was not a hard task to figure out that the two were no longer alive. Tears started involuntarily flowing from Shadow's eyes. How? Why?
A sudden movement made Shadow perk up, standing in a defensive position, still scared to death.
His ruby-red eyes picked out a silhouette that stood against the eerie glowing window of the room, his outline making it obvious that it was a hedgehog, one taller and probably older than Shadow. His stance was statue-like and his fists were clenched at his sides. The head of the shadow was turned to the side.
"Who are you?" Shadow managed to ask timidly through chocked sobs.
The young black hedgehog pushed back another sob, the corner of his eye still drowning in the image of Maria and Gerald laying before him, slaughtered.
The phantom turned towards the young hedgehog after a small pause, eerie silver eyes glowing through the darkness and focused onto Shadow.
Young Shadow's eyes widened. No, it couldn't be, it was impossible.
The stranger lifted his foot, stepping closer to the two corpses and Shadow. Waves of shadows and moonlight rolled over his expressionless face, revealing it completely under the glow of the Earth below.
"Brother?" Shadow asked in shock, not wanting to believe in his idol's presence "What are you - why are you--"
"Foolish brother," the older hedgehog interrupted, his voice cold and nonchalant.
Shadow's teary red eyes widened but he managed to choke back a sob and speak,"What happened brother? Maria and Gerald, they're both dead."
The white hedgehog's face remained expressionless as he raised his right hand. It was completely covered in a deep, red liquid, so much that drops of it were rolling off his glove.
It was blood.
More tears streamed down Shadow's face, "No...no, you didn't. Why?"
There was a heavy silence after the young hedgehog's question. The taller hedgehog did not move at all, his unblinking eyes still focused intently on his younger sibling.
"To rid myself of these attachments and rules. I had been bowing to someone inferior than myself for long enough, it was time to end it. I have a higher purpose in life than this, I am meant to be more powerful, as are you."
Shadow squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as his brother continued.
"They were not expecting it, so it was quick."
"Where is everyone else?" Shadow managed to ask through more tears and chokes, opening his eyes.
The tall hedgehog directed his gaze towards the window, with Shadow following.
And the sight before him made the young hedgehog step back out of fear before vomiting onto the cold steel floor. In the vacuum of space, dozens of human bodies littered the area around the colony.
They were all floating in no precise order or fashion. Their faces were all blue, due to the sheer coldness of the place they were in and the lack of oxygen. There was no doubt that they were dead.
Shadow fell to his knees when he heard his brother's voice again, "They on the other hand, saw my attacks coming, so to save precious energy, I simply shot them into space."
Shadow's ruby eyes suddenly flared with fury and hate as he shot up and charged for his brother. How could he do this? Why would he do this? Shadow didn't care, the young hedgehog only saw red.
"You Bastard!" Shadow cried as he lunged at the more powerful hedgehog.
Eclipse's nonchalant, almost lazy gaze never wavered. His smaller brother posed no real threat, and Shadow knew that better himself. Yet, he was still charging at him.
Foolish.
The taller hedgehog simply jabbed Shadow in the stomach with lightning-fast precision to cause his assault to cease. Shadow collapsed onto the floor in a heap, his breath ragged and torn.
"You are so weak, it disgusts me," Shadow heard his brother say from above him.
Out of pure terror, the young hedgehog managed to scoot backwards, his gaze traveling to Eclipse's, never breaking it.
"There is one simple reason I will let you live," the homicidal hedgehog explained, his eyes traveling from Shadow and towards the two corpses of Gerald and Maria, "You have the power to surpass me, to kill me."
Shadow continued to retreat when his brother appeared before him in a silent wisp of air and picked him up by the neck, raising him to eye level.
"When you have awakened the powers that reside within you, seek me out. Until then, you aren't worth my time."
Shadow shook his head, unwilling to believe what his brother was saying. This had to be a dream, it had to be!
"So, foolish brother, hate me, envision yourself standing over my fallen body, and once you have awakened, come before me."
End Flashback
"Rouge," Sonic voiced slowly at the dark hedgehog's words before his face contorted and twisted into a malicious scowl.
"How could you even mention her after what you did?" the blue hedgehog yelled, pointing his index finger at the black hedgehog accusingly as if meaning to make his bellowed words have a greater effect.
"She was a hindrance," the ultimate life form replied without missing a beat, his eyes remaining unblinking.
"I'm bringing you back, Shadow," Sonic hissed venomously, his usually hyper and happy facade gone and shattered the instance he had met this new Shadow, "Even if I have to kick your sorry ass and drag you back!"
Shadow's eyes narrowed slightly at the opposite hedgehog's threat, raising his left hand slightly and motioning to Sonic with his open palm, "Come."
The fight finally starts. Who'll grab the edge over his opponent? Find out next time in the chapter entitled: Former Friends, New Enemies!