Another chapter, so soon? Le gasp! Yeah, I felt bad not updating for such a long time, so here you go.

Its short, but that's because it's a buildup chapter.


Had it been any other situation Sonic would have cheered in joy as he finally set the long spine of crystal down. He gazed at his artwork with a solemn expression, taking in the incredible intricacy of his creation. The lines twisted and squirmed in front of him, swarming his eyesight with their complexity. He hadn't created them, far from it, and drawing them wouldn't have been possible if the giant looming behind him hadn't helped.

Impressive. He could feel a pair of white eyes drilling hole through the back of his head, but made no move to acknowledge them. The cobalt hero stood there, silent, as the scarlet shadow loomed closer, turning his blue fur into a strange shade of purple. He ignored the weight of the other's stare, jade eyes fixated on the intricate system of letters he painstakingly copied.

The real Seal was hanging over their heads, high above even Twilight's, the strange mandala pulsing every so often, almost like a heartbeat. It had been there ever since Dark Sonic had activated it; neither the wyrm nor the hybrid had found a way to get it back to slumber like before. Sonic found the presence of the Seal to have a certain weight, like a giant boulder had been placed upon his shoulders that he couldn't remove. The sensation of being restricted that came by just looking at the complex array of lines was unnerving.

The blue hedgehog could only wonder how the Manacle could stand it. If this was what the creature had felt for the past hundred years...he'd would have gone mad within the first week.

He turned to his companion, frowning at the indescribable expression on the giant's face. "So, what do you see?" At first, Twilight did not respond. It merely stared at the drawing of the Seal, nearly pressing it's snout into the array to get a better look.

I never quite understood it. The Manacle finally admitted. I've been trapped for so long, you'd think I would have memorized it by now. The creature hesitated. It's just...I have always associated it with pain, helplessness, shackles. It hissed, rough and menacing. I can barely stand looking at it.

Sonic wasn't blaming his companion. A caged existence such as the beast had been suffering through for Chaos knows how many years was, in his eyes, the worst kind of torture. This was especially true for someone like the Blue Blur, who valued freedom above all else.

"I guess we are starting from scratch, then." He began pacing around the circle, eyes never leaving the complex drawing. "Geez, this is going to take a while."

I'm sorry.

The blue hedgehog waived off the creature's concerns. "Don't worry. On the bright side, you'll be out of here in no time!"

The unimpressed look the winged beast gave him made him falter.

"Come on. It was a good joke."

The Twilight Manacle gave out a weary sigh. I'm starting to wonder what made Shadow attracted to you, hedgehog.

"Stuff it."

That's the best you can come up with? You do realize that you're the one more likely to get bend over and let-

Sonic gave out a discreet cough, the growl hidden within the sound making the wyrm pause and blink at it's charge. If it had lips, the young hero knew it would be smiling. "Anyways," The sapphire hedgehog exclaimed with a bite, daring his friend from continuing. "...we should go back to the matter at hand."

Agreed.

They lapsed back into silence; Sonic carefully stepped around and within the Seal, forcing his eyes to swallow every single chicken scratch dotting the giant array of words. He couldn't understand in what language it was written, but he hoped there was at least something he could understand. There was no color to it, but maybe he could help by examining the form of the drawing...

Wait. The bright green orbs narrowed as he looked over the Seal once more. No, he wasn't hallucinating. There was clearly something there. If he ignored most of the small lines, the bigger ones formed a very particular set of shapes...

"Huh. Interesting."

What is it? The large crested head was suddenly inches from him, beady, eager pale eyes staring deep into his emerald ones. Did you find the secrets of the universe? If he hadn't expected it, Sonic would have snapped back at the creature. It was clear however that the Seal was making Twilight cranky, and he could understand the entity's displeasure to a certain extent.

"Just hear me out, will you? Sheesh." It has more attitude than Tails. The Twilight Manacle huffed, but otherwise remained silent and pliant as Sonic moved around, careful to not mess up the painstakingly drawn Seal on the floor. "When you ignore all the mushy, over complicated chicken drawings-"

Runes, hedgehog, runes.

"Cry a river later." Sonic exclaimed, earning a glower from the creature.

"In any case, if you examine that part, you can see that there is a pattern." Sonic continued, pointing the middle of the complex drawing.

I don't see it.

With a terrible sigh at the blunt answer, the Blue Blur rushed to where he had left the thin needle of crystal. He picked it up and ran back to the drawn Seal, where he stabbed the mineral spear into one of the lines and began highlighting the pattern by making deeper impressions. Twilight followed him with it's head, silent as the grave. It watched it's host run around the design several times, before finally stabbing the small spire of crystal in the middle of the circle and leaning on it as if it was a cane, exhausted.

"There."

Well, the Twilight Manacle certainly saw it now.

Seven large circles had been hidden within the design of the Seal, the smallest starting to Sonic's left. Each shape was bigger than the other, spinning around the entire array until the largest circle was next to the smallest one...which looked quite frayed. For a lack of a better word the circle was shattered, the dismantled remains of the structure barely looking like a ring anymore. It was jagged, blistered and broken, a strange sight next to it's pristine brothers.

That is, until the hedgehog and his companion turned their attention to the second circle. This hoop looked almost as frazzled as the first one, the line suggesting that it was about to splinter like it's smaller, fragmented copy.

Twilight raised it's snout to the sky to confirm what it saw, pale orbs narrowing as they spotted the same pattern on the real Seal. It's keen eyes even picked up the second ring's subtle quivers, and a glance to the young hybrid at it's side informed the great beast that Sonic had seen it too.

"Was it like this before?"

No. Twilight admitted curtly, claws flexing against the decayed platform they were precariously perched on. Now that I think about it, it was never this way before.

"So, one of the circles broke, and the next one looks pretty messed up." Which was very much true, and the wyrm could not refute it. The smooth lines of the five other lines were complete counterparts to the wavering, jagged shape of the second hoop.

So that's the unsealing sequence. Twilight muttered, sharp nose clinking closer to the massive drawing. We are going to need a constantly way to track the uncoiling. You didn't feel the first ring break, the second one must be the same.

Would it? Sonic frowned as he looked over the drawing. He looked back up, to the real version. His scowl deepened as he lowered his gaze, the jade orbs narrowing on the long, jagged crystal formations that made up his mind, with the withered, dulling shards of gold that still clung to the black blades, speared through the sharp spires when his mindscape had first collapsed.

"...what if I did feel it?" The Blue Blur whispered, catching the attention of his companion.

What do you mean, little one? Twilight let out a soft croon, lowering it's head down to the cobalt speedster's level, allowing the young immortal to grasp onto one of the long carmine spines and lift himself up onto the being's head. He walked along the smooth surface, avoiding the crest to not hurt himself on the small serrated horns that dotted the snout of the beast before dropping down and sitting against the ridged spine, just above a giant, pale gold eye.

"Why would the Aritkoma had collapsed like that?" Sonic muttered, continuing with his train of thoughts. "I understand it changing somewhat, but do you remember how it went? It broke." A gloved hand unconsciously made it's way against a fawn chest, rubbing the itching skin just above the young male's heart. "It felt like something shattered inside of me."

You're saying...

"It could be simple ramblings..." He hesitated. "-but I felt it. I was too confused by what was happening at the time to understand it, with Ogilvie and everything...but now, well..."

It would explain a lot of things. Twilight said tightly, the beast trotting away from their drawing. Ruby wings stretched wide, unfolding a invisible layer of Chaos that allowed the creature to soar despite it's heavy weight and it's lack of aerodynamic figure.

It glided among the sea of ebony swords, ignoring how the spires would rub against it's paws and belly. Pale orbs searched for a more suitable spot to settle, quickly spotting a favourable, low-hanging golden platform that was nestled between three particularly large towers of opaque crystal.

Sonic barely twitched at the tremendous crash that followed as Twilight landed, scarlet claws tearing into the platform, tearing the golden plates apart as it did its best to not slip over the edge with the momentum of it's flight. The board wings beat wildly as their owner righted itself, finally settling down.

The blue mobian perched precariously on the entity's head slowly slid onto his side, laying on his companion's eyebrow in silence.

"...so each bond breaking could damage my mind."

Basically.

"...and each time worse than the previous." Sonic could only wonder if he would be able to remember his own name by the end of it. He leaned his head back, wishing he could simply knock himself unconscious so he didn't have to deal with all of this bullshit. "Great. What else could go wrong?"

CRASH!

Fuck. He knew that taunting fate like that was bound to have some repercussions.

Both heads turned toward the source of the sound; one of the largest crystal spires had suddenly shattered like a broken vase, it's remains sinking into the ocean of darkness below. Sonic watched in silence as the tower vanished beneath the black waves, never to be seen again.

It's starting. The Twilight Manacle commented with restraint, though the blue hedgehog could feel the mixture of excitement and anguish within the beast's voice-feel. I don't doubt that you will be starting to feel the more serious effects of the next break soon.

Sonic didn't know wether to laugh or cry.

xxxxxxx

The very air quivered as Mephiles stepped into Mobius, uncaring of the guards who scattered in his wake. The portal glimmered like a mirror behind the crystal beast before vanishing once more, undetectable to even the sharpest of eyes. Only those who knew its location could ever hope to find the hidden passage, and even if they did, the infiltrators would need to go through the sentinels.

Reptilian orbs momentarily gazed into dull steel as the shadowy creature made his way past the chamber, barely glancing at the Sphinx perched atop of a pile of rubble, gazing down at him with her metallic eyes. The long, sharp wings fluttered briefly and the feline let out a warning growl, rising to her four, heavy feet. A lion tail flicked behind the angel as she turned around, using the crumbling stone walls to camouflage her glossy silver pelt.

Mephiles watched her go, wary of the beast. A Sphinx was a proud, noble creature, one that would not tolerate any trespassers. The perfect guardians. They took their duties very seriously, and it was one of the main reason her kin were often used as protectors of the gates.

There wasn't much time to think about that. He had more important things to attend to.

Slinking through the maze of hallways, Mephiles stepped outside, breathing in the warm, damp air of Mystic Ruins. For an area untouched by sapients for centuries, the wildlife was unusually silent. Maybe they knew what dwelled within the ruins...

A sudden snap of twigs drew his attention to the canopy of branches above him, blocking the sun and casting a broad shadow upon the crystalline male. Wordlessly, Mephiles took a step back as a familiar winged hybrid dropped low onto the ground in a flutter of leaves. The bat-like appendages, still tender from their owner's previous battle, immediately folded shut as to not cause further harm.

While the former god noted the obvious exhaustion in Dryagan's expression, he was more interested in the massive cargo the immortal was holding.

"You have her?" He gesture for the winged male to drop the large pouch, which the hybrid did so eagerly, tired of having to carry such a heavy load on his own for so long.

Mephiles glanced upwards, noticing a dark shape still in the trees, the form almost menacing had he not recognized the bright lavender eye staring down at him. Uwak was silent, the gentle movement of the coal feather on his barrel-like chest and the intensity of his gaze the only signs that the immortal was alive.

"Took a bitchload of effort to get her away from that overprotective mother of hers." Dryagan admitted with a puff as he lowered the leather bag onto the ground, unknowing of his companions' staring.

"A single mortal is easy to handle." Mephiles commented curtly as he broke off his connection with the vibrant purple eye. Though he would never admit it, the ancient demon did unsettle him. "If I remember correctly, she has no interesting abilities. She shouldn't have been too much of a problem."

"Not one with attitude." The smaller immortal replied with a mutter, taking a step back and letting Mephiles peer into the contents of the bag.

A small, pale form lay at the bottom of the sack, curled onto itself and shivering quite severely. A thin orange dress was all she possessed for warmth, and the terrified, wide eyes that gazed up at Mephiles were filled with unsheathed tears. The ancient fighter merely gazed down at the rabbit in distaste, only offering the pitiful mobian a calculative look before roughly closing the bag once more, despite the meek, desperate cry that followed.

There was struggle from within the pouch as the young rabbit futilely tried to pry it open, only to fall still one more as it proved to be useless. Only quiet sniffling was heard afterwards, barely picked up by the sensitive ears of her captors.

"Uwak had to blast her with a illusion spell, otherwise she would have noticed the child missing straight away." Dryagan grimaced, looking as if he wanted to kick the bag for good measure. "Let us not forget that imp."

"That was taken care of very quickly." Uwak retorted from his roost, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

"So, boss," Dryagan started with a huff, rolling his head and stretching his sore muscles. "...are you gonna tell us what the fuck are we gonna do with the kid?" The winged beast gesture at the bag. "I don't think she has anything to do with the blue hedgehog."

"Actually..."

The chuckle Mephiles let out made the younger hybrid bristle.

"...she has everything to do with our prince..."

xxxxxxxxx

Sonic let out a heavy breath as he flopped down on his back, darkening emerald orbs staring up at the clear sky as if it was the cause of all his problems.

The sapphire speedster ignored the sensation of warm liquid slowly dripping down his aching arms, the numbness in his body keeping the agony at bay. The blue hedgehog had been training for hours, trying, forcing himself to gather Neutral Chaos and forge an armor out of the mythical energy. The Twilight Manacle had, although reluctantly, helped him in his attempts. While he was strong in his own right, Sonic understood he would have no chance against strong immortals with only speed backing him up.

He needed to get the armor working again. Sonic had no idea what was wrong -neither of them did- but that wasn't going to stop him, nor would it stop the immortals coming his way.

Otherwise, I'm useless.

How he loathed that word.

A slight burn from his injured arms brought him back to reality, and Sonic glanced at them just in time to see a dim golden glow envelope the damaged limbs. The Twilight Manacle was painstakingly separating it's Chaos in a effort to heal his wounds. The blue hedgehog nearly sneered at the memory of what had caused them.

In his defence, he hadn't expected the Neutral Chaos he was forcing to gather in his forearms to literally explode. Thankfully it hadn't cause much damage, but the phenomenon had broken several blood vessels.

This incident was a reminder how much he needed to fix this, now.

That made him frustrated beyond belief.

Little one.

Yes? He snapped, his expression softening as he felt the creature falter. Sorry. What is it?

I think your mate is coming this way.

He's not my -oh fuck! The wounds. He had to get rid of the evidence. Quickly. Sonic floundered for a solution as he sprung to his feet, staring down at the slowly healing injuries -which looked more like scratches by now -to the blood dripping down his bare fingers.

"Twilight, burn it!" Good think I removed my gloves first. He watched the Positive Chaos glow brighter, a gentle warmth enveloping his aching limbs as the blood dried, cracked and then broke off, turning into a small shower of carmine dust. The Blue Blur hastily tapped the ground beneath him, mixing the remains of the blood with the dirt before scrambling to get his gloves, the gold shimmer around his limbs slowly fading away.

Unfortunately, he still had scratches.

No time to think about it now.

Sonic was in the process of putting on his gloves when his ears picked up the familiar sound of Chaos-powered fire scorching grass. He whirled around towards the source of the disturbance, jade orbs unknowingly lighting up as the sight of his rival.

Shadow raised a single eyebrow at the sight of the blue hedgehog looking as if caught in the act. He did not as why the sapphire speedster was acting this way, his attention drifting downwards to strange imperfections in the fawn fur of the hero's arms. Keen ruby eyes easily picked up the deep scratches running up and down his rival's limbs. He stepped forwards, a scowl forming in his previously calm face, wordlessly snatching up a thin wrist and pulling his rival closer spite Sonic's yelp of protest.

"What happened?" The unnecessarily harsh tone made the Blue Blur flinch back, nearly jumping away had the obsidian male not possess a iron grip on his wrist.

"Huh, well..." The sapphire hedgehog faltered, leaning away from the darker warrior, feeling slightly intimidated by the intensity in the carmine eyes. "I...I was training." He tugged at his trapped limb, diverting the other's attention. Shadow let go almost reluctantly but still stayed close, not wanting the other to run off.

"Training? What were you doing?"

"I was practicing my accuracy on a tree."

"That doesn't explain this."

"...I landed in a rose bush." Sonic offered lamely as a defence, ears twitching as their owner fought with the instinct of lowering them. "What do you want, anyways?"

"Tikal said you left the house in the morning, without explanation."

"Oh." Bugger me. Sonic made a mental note to come up with a list of excuses. "I wanted some fresh air, can you blame me? The house is full!" Which wasn't a lie. The cerulean male looked around, his eyes settling on a long, sharp trench that nearly sliced the bark of an old tree in half. If he remembered correctly, he sparred Shadow in this clearing before...

The idea stuck to him like glue.

"Hey, let's fight!"

Shadow peered down at him in bemusement, surprised by the sudden change of topic. "Are you sure you want to spar with me, hedgehog?" The darker warrior let gold energy crackle around his hands, acting as a deterrent for his companion.

The sapphire male was undeterred by the sight. He'd seen worse. Much worse. "Yup. I really need to make up for the last one." He replied, taking a few steps away from the larger male, easily falling into a fighting stance.

This will be the perfect way to let go of some tension. The Twilight Manacle commented airily, a huff escaping it. I hope you don't end up lose an arm during your little scuffle. That would be bothersome to heal.

Stay out of it. Sonic almost rolled his eyes at the creature's words.

"Our last fight? You mean, the one where you fell into a river and I had to go through all the trouble to fish you out?" The slight squirm the Blue Blur made was the only sign he remembered the embarrassing event. Shadow wasn't surprised the blue hedgehog wanted to forget their previous battle; Sonic had looked like a drowning bird with the way he had flailed in the water, all dignity forgotten in his struggle to keep his head out of the river they stumbled upon during the match.

I'm going to punch him in the face so hard he'll look like a wall.

It would be a shame. He's quite handsome.

If Shadow wondered why was there was a light dust of pink on his rival's face, he chose not to point it out. The Ultimate Lifeform remained where he was, arms crossed, patiently waiting for the cobalt hedgehog to answer.

Sonic growled at his companion, urging the other to act. With a irate sigh, Shadow uncrossed his arms and dropped into a defensive stance. At that, his younger rival grinned, satisfied by the idea of the approaching fight.

There was something wilder in Sonic's gaze, something new and dangerous that Shadow as much as he tried couldn't grasp. He eyed the blue male with hidden wariness, searching for the slight tensing of the long legs to know when he would need to dodge.

The Ultimate Lifeform spotted it a moment before Sonic was upon him, a fist sailing past his left shoulder as he leaned aside, avoiding the blow. A dark-furred hand shot out, grasping onto the peach arm and using it to bodily throw the younger fighter across the clearing.

"Ack!" Alright, I should have expected that. Sonic rolled to his feet, jade orbs narrowing on the waiting ebony male. "That's all you've got, Shads?" The sapphire hybrid taunted, baring his teeth. "You're getting old."

Shadow visibly bristled at the comment. "You're going to regret that." He raised an arm, causing Sonic's eyes to widen. The other wasn't messing around anymore. "Chaos Spear!"

He dodged the hail of golden spears with ease, noting with a bit of irritation how slow and dull they seemed. Was Shadow holding back on him?

The thought angered Sonic beyond anything else.

The speedster ran towards his darker rival, twisting around and jumping over the shimmering obstacles the Ultimate Lifeform sent his way. Knowing he would be unable to stop the sapphire male from reaching him, Shadow dropped his previous plan and charged at the smaller hero, intent on using his larger size and stronger body to subdue the jade-eyed beauty.

Sonic dodged the first few punches with ease, a mild grazing of a golden cuff against his right cheek making him drop low on the ground and spin with his left leg stretched out, using the momentum of his rival's attack against him. The Ultimate Lifeform grunted as he skit back, leaving tracks of upturned dirr as he fought to maintain his balance. His younger companion wasn't letting him off the hook however, lunching after the ebony hedgehog with a fist aimed at the other's face.

"Chaos Spear!" Not wanting to hurt the sapphire male, the blast of energy was directed at the ground in front of Sonic. The blue speedster was having none of it, seeing the attack coming and briskly rolling to the left, dodging the small explosion of dirt that could have thrown off his balance and left him vulnerable.

The hedgehogs grinned at each other, challenging one another with their gazes, bodies tensing, ready to spring into action. There was a moment of peace as the two rival stared deep into each other's eyes, fierce ruby greeting spirited emerald, before they suddenly lunged forwards, turning into blurs of colors.

At that moment, Sonic never felt more alive.