The keyhole

Sonic braced himself as they entered the relatively dark building; it was not completely dark since where parts of the roof and ceiling had collapsed sunlight poured through.

Dust hovered in the air around them, the sunlight allowing them to see it. The crumbling, burnt and decaying wood was damp from where the previous storm's rain had dripped through the holes in the ceiling and onto the wooden floor. By the looks of things the fire fighters that day only just managed to save the house from collapsing into a heap.

Every floor board they stepped on either bent unnervingly under his feet because it was damp or it creaked because of just how ancient it was; Causing Shadow to be extra careful and choose his steps carefully knowing that if the floor gave way it wouldn't just be his life on the line.

Sonic was strangely silent, not even whimpering as he glanced around what was once his home. He glanced up the set of stairs that once had a red carpet up its steps, at the top of those steps was Rouge waiting patiently. But Sonic felt very unset by this, where Rouge was standing now, was exactly the place where he had seen his mother alive for the last time. It was where Aleena had given her last smile and goodbyes to him.

"I think we found something." Rouge called to them as she started walking to the right at the top of the stairs and disappeared into a corridor.

Shadow ran up the stairs, dodging a giant piece of timber wood that had fallen from the ceiling years ago, the same timber pillar Sonic had just missed during the fire. The whole place was completely wrecked beyond repair, where all material things had been such as curtains and carpets were now bare since they had been burnt to complete ashes. Tapestries of Sonics ancestry and family were also gone since they once lined the wall of the corridor they were now walking down as they followed Rouge.

Where vases had lain on the now black tables were puddles of solid white pottery where they had gotten so hot that they melted. The burnt table legs weak and threatening buckle under their own weight. It was only then did Sonic realise where they were actually heading. They were heading to the room where his family's bodies were. Sonic immediately went white as he paled.

"Were there...any bodies in there?" Sonic struggled to get out, his voice sounding hoarse and dry.

"No," Rouge stated quietly, pity laced within her voice at realising who exactly those bodies Sonic was talking about were. "No bodies, there is just dried blood."

Sonic almost went green at hearing the last part and braced himself as they walked towards an unbelievably burnt door that had chunks missing out of its wood. The golden handle slightly deformed from the heat of the flames. Rouge silently grabbed the golden door knob and pushed the door open. It creaked unbearably loudly and opened to reveal Knuckles standing in the middle of the room fiddling with his bone whistle, his violet eyes scanning the room from top to bottom.

This room was very bright and when Sonic looked around he realised why. The wall to their right was completely missing, but this made Shadow very suspicious because, a fire could not easily destroy a brick wall. He narrowed his ruby eyes at the giant gap in the wall and Sonic admired his gorgeous rubies when he was thinking.

Rouge took out the crystal key and placed it on the floor near Shadow and Sonic, both gave her an inquisitive look.

"Because it is Sonics mothers, I think we are more reliable to find something if it is in Sonics hands," She said simply. "We are going to explore the rest of the building." And with that Rouge gave a signal to Knuckles and both left the room, her heels tapping on the wooden floor as they left the two remaining hedgehogs to their thoughts.

"I thought she said she had found something." Shadow snarled with agitation as he placed Sonic down in a sitting position on the floor.

Sonics legs were twitching now more than ever making it look like a muscle spasm and Shadow was starting to get seriously concerned about it since it seemed that even Sonic didn't know the reason. After looking at Sonic and waiting for him to nod that he was okay he started to walk around the room, his arms crossed as they used to always be as he explored the room. Shadow had missed crossing his arms, when he had a broken arm he couldn't cross them at all.

Suddenly something on a shelf under a large mirror on the wall caught his ruby gaze. It was a crystal collection, completely untouched and obviously strangely unaffected by the heat and embers that day. But it was not this that had caught his eye.

The crystal holders that were lined up next to each other had one holder missing a crystal, the holder in the middle of the line that was probably the biggest of them all. Narrowing his eyes he approached the colourful crystal collection, all the different colours really dazzling as they sparkled in the sunlight: There were red, purple, yellow, green and even a transparent one...but the holder in the middle was still empty.

His eyes widened as he suddenly dashed across the room and smoothly swept the blue crystal off of the floor where Rouge had left it, not stopping to talk to Sonic who was watching him whilst trying to figure out what was wrong with his legs, the spasm was getting worse by the minute.

Shadow quickly went back over to the crystal collection with the beautiful sapphire key in tow and slowly raised his arm with the crystal in hand. Carefully, yet slowly, he hovered the crystal above the empty holder. Sweat started to form on his brow as he, unbearably slowly, lowered the crystal into the holder. A clink filled the air as the crystal fit perfectly.

"It seems that this whole incident is definitely related to your past." Shadow was not surprised as he stepped aside and allowed Sonic to see the crystal fitting perfectly back into its old holder, the blue hedgehogs eyes also wide as he too realised it all fit into place...but why.

"What has this got to do with anything though?" Sonic asked as he gave a hefty sigh before laying his head back against the burnt walls.

"...I don't know." Shadow confessed inaudibly, putting pressure on his forehead as a headache started to form.

The silent and still atmosphere was very unsettling as Sonic saw the blood stains on the wall from seven years ago from where his mother had been pinned. The image made him grimace and he immediately looked away with a shudder...to find something else.

Sonic suddenly stopped lazing around, his eyes narrowing as he spotted something he hadn't spotted before. Even as a child he didn't pay much attention to it, but in the middle of the wooden floor boarded room was a giant square slap of wood that was completely different to all the others. Now that he was older he found this awfully suspicious.

Shadow gave him a confused looked before following the others gave to his hover shoes, Shadow was standing on the giant square slab of wood and realising that this was what Sonic was looking at instantly stepped off. Noticing the difference in flooring himself he too found this an unusual and sceptical use of flooring.

He kneeled down to closer examine the slab and immediately noticed something. He mouth upturned into a smile as he realised all too soon what it was. Sonic just gave him strange looks from his position against the wall.

"What is it? What have you found?" Sonic asked excitedly as Shadow brushed his bare fingers against the ash covered slab.

"Haven't you noticed?" Shadow smirked as he made eye contact with Sonic, the other shaking his head clueless. "Look at the floor."
"I know there is a slab of different shaped wood on the floor Shadow." Sonic said sarcastically and Shadow palm smacked his forehead.

"NO! Look more carefully." Shadow growled exasperatedly as he waited for his blue counter part to finally click, Sonic didn't seem to get it and so just shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.

"Look at the patterns on the wood, the way the lines of the tree flow. All the other floor boards in this room have all their lines heading in a vertical direction...this slab however," Shadow paused as he brushed the ash more off the slab so Sonic could see. "Has its lines horizontal...as if it had been moved and put back the wrong way."

"You're a genius!" Sonic was gobsmacked that Shadow had figured something like this out.

Shadow just smirked and managed to hook his fingers under the slab with quite a lot of difficulty, he carefully lifted the square slab off of the floor, but because the slab was bigger than him he had to completely remove it and push it to the side. It was very heavy and a tiring experience.

"Does the ultimate life-form need a workout?" Sonic laughed as Shadow glowered at him, but he ignored the blue ones twisted sense of humour so he could look at what was bellow the slab.

Below the slab of wood was concrete. That is odd, we are on the second floor and there is concrete...that isn't natural. Shadow thought suspiciously as he now realised why this floor hadn't collapsed in the fire, it was supported by concrete. In the middle of the concrete was a strange hole, it didn't look like an ordinary hole though, yet it didn't look like a keyhole either. The hole had different shaped sides and Shadow had to squint as he noticed a small engraving in the corner of the concrete floor that had been revealed by removing the square wooden slab. There, scratched very faintly...was a date.

"We've found it." Shadow smirked as he got up, snatched the crystal key from its holder where he had left it and hurried back to the key hole. Sonics words from the past echoed through his mind and also his own words from when he had discovered the crystal was a key.

"Sonic told me, that his mother had a special way of doing things." He began, still keeping his promise to Sonic by not telling personal details, or telling them about her murder. "She liked to do things by dates, by dates of which things were made. His mother designed the keys and the objects that they belonged to. The way it worked was that the key and the object would have the same date that they were made engraved on them, this showed that a key with a pacific date would open the object which also had the same date."

Shadow picked Sonic up off of the floor and brought him over to the key hole, gently putting him down next to it before taking the crystal key and getting ready to put it in its keyhole.

"Well, as I said, this crystal is not what it seems. When you look through the crystal at a pacific angle it reveals something." Shadow suddenly took the crystal from Rouges hand and slowly started twisting it in his fingers in the air so the other two could see.

Shadow suddenly reached the right angle and both Tails and Rouge gasped. There, as plain as day, a year number could be seen through the crystal. The different cuts did have a purpose, they showed the date.

"So, basically, are you telling us that this crystal is in fact a key made by Sonics mother?" Rouge asked with excitement at finally finding something. Shadow gave a small sigh.

Shadow slowly started to put the key into the hole at the right angle, the tension in the air so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

"No, I am saying that this is a key to open something

The key fell into the lock perfectly with a click.

...something in Sonics old house.

Nothing happened, Shadow sat back wondering if it did do something. But nothing came.

"What?" he said infuriated, just about to hit it with his fist.

"Maybe you put it in the wrong way." Sonic said next to Shadow as he stretched his arm out to the crystal to replace its position.

"No, it clicked to signal that..." Shadow suddenly stopped and stared at the crystal in the keyhole with wide eyes. When Sonics hand had gotten near enough it had begun to glow.

"It's you! Only you can open it!" Shadow gasped as Sonic hesitated at also seeing the crystal react to his presence.

Sonic froze for a minute, wondering why only he could make the key work. He completely put his hand onto the glowing crystal to suddenly jump as another click filled their ears...there were two locks. The last lock only Sonic could open.

The crystal began to glow brighter and brighter and the sound of moving rock filled their ears as rumbling could be felt down below. The house shook violently attracting the attention to something that shouldn't be there.

Shadow recoiled dragging Sonic with him as they sat on the floor a fair distance away as they watched the concrete in the middle of the room slide away, dust and ash flew into the air as the vibrating continued down below. Steps suddenly started to slide out from within the hole that was once concrete, a twirling staircase made out of stone rumbled as it forced itself out. Rubble fell down the steps as all that could be seen was darkness down the staircase.

When the rumbling had finally subsided as if by magic a torch on the stone wall of the staircase set alight with green flames, then the next torch, and the next torch, the green light illuminating the darkness down the stairs and giving it an eerie look. Both Shadow and Sonic looked at each other in shock, unaware that this happening was magic and had caught the attention of something.

"It seems that you are the real key Sonic...the real key to this mystery." Shadow managed to gasp out as he stared in awe at the stone staircase.

"Bet you're glad you brought me along huh?" Sonic sniggered and Shadow just smirked in response, before he picked up Sonic bridal style and started to make his way down the steps.

As an after thought he suddenly grabbed the crystal key from its keyhole, they could need it later. The crystal immediately started glowing within Sonics clasped hands and did not cease, it just kept glowing.

It was very cold and the steps just seemed to go on and on, Shadows hover shoes tapping on the stone steps as they descended into the unknown. The green flames casted their shadows against the freezing cold stone as they continued down the twirling staircase.

Sonics emerald green eyes were filled with curiosity and something akin to anxiety as they kept going down deeper, the crystal in his hands glowing wildly and giving another source of comfort. His legs were twitching non-stop now and it was starting to bug Sonic. But his thoughts instantly came to a halt as after about five minutes of climbing further down the stairs a pitch black room finally came into view.

It smelt damp and the sound of a scurrying rat could be heard in the darkness, Shadow froze as the strange sensation of tension was like gravity. Cautiously, he took a step. The room suddenly lit up causing him to jump as the torches in the room set alight with green flames. One at a time the torches lit on each wall, revealing a relatively huge room.

The room was made of pure stone and it was obvious that this place was far under the ground, the hidden room was like the mansions cellar. The room was big enough to fit sixty cars in at the least and Sonic looked around in amazement at all the giant dusty crates with strange symbols on them, barrels and loads of old furniture lay next to the crates untouched by the fire years ago.

Rats screeched at the intruders and quickly scurried off, hissing at the green flames since they were used to permanent darkness. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling like never ending string and Shadow was lucky that he didn't notice the many spiders crawling around the stone arches above his head as he walked further into the room.

All of the torches were now finally lit, the room so big that it made it take a while. Immediately Sonics breath hitched as he saw something in the middle of the room that made him completely

Freeze. A giant mirror was right in the middle of the room, bigger than a house as it stood supported by giant chains connected to the ceiling. The green lights reflecting off of the mirror as it stood there strong and proud. But that was only the second thing that made his blood run cold.

"Shadow..." Sonic whispered as Shadow followed his gaze to something lying right next to the mirror on the stone floor.

There, Lying on the floor...was Sonics father.

"Is there anything you are forgetting?" Shadow asked sternly, he had moved away from Sonic since he had felt uncomfortable when he had stopped crying and had full awareness of himself again.

"Yeah, there is something," Sonic started, narrowing his eyes as he tried to remember. "They think my father committed the crime. My father's body was not there, meaning he had not been killed. The police immediately suspected that my father had committed the crime...but there is one thing that does not make sense. If my father did do it, why did he spare me? He wanted me to go to the shops and whilst I went the crime was made, doesn't that seem odd to you?"

"My father was here...the whole time," Sonics voice broke as Shadow walked towards the giant mirror, their reflection could be seen even when they were at the entrance since the mirror was so large. "My father didn't kill my family...but if he didn't then who did?"

Shadow slowly and gently put Sonic on the cold stone floor next to his father, his rubies too distracted with the huge mirror. Sonics father looked exactly like him; the only difference was he had yellow eyes. Sonic had inherited his mother's emerald coloured eyes. His father was staring at the ceiling lifeless, his body untouched by the rats for some unknown reason.

Sonic put the glowing crystal down which immediately stopped glowing at losing contact with him, he put his hand to his father's cold face as he tried to figure out why.

"Are you alright?" Shadow asked softly, finally forcing his eyes away from the mirror and his own reflection, the mirror was strangely enchanting. The whole room was so unusual; it had a strange aura flowing through it that made Shadow cautious and ready at all times.

"I just, don't understand." Sonics voice bounced off the walls as it echoed, the green flames swaying calmly as he spoke. "...It makes no sense."

Shadow sighed before turning back to the mirror. He almost had a heart attack. His eyes went wide. Where they had come in the giant wolf-like beast was staring right them. He spun around getting himself into a battle stance. The beast was only ten metres away from them. Its bright red eyes burning into Shadows rubies, fire against fire.

"SONIC!" Shadow screamed as it charged towards them, its body so large it only just managed to not hit its head on the high ceiling. The room rumbled as it charged towards them, rubble and dust falling from the ceiling as it threatened to collapse on them.

"What's going on?" Sonic suddenly gasped out, his father's body had begun to glow blue just like the crystal. Bright blue lights shot from his father's body.

The wolfish beast slowed down and growled at them, slobber dripping disgustingly onto the stone floor as the lights flashed towards it. It reminded them of when Tikal had done the soul summon back in the marshy forest. A loud howl pierced their skulls as the lights entered the beast, the beast collapsing onto the ground with a loud thump straight afterwards. All went silent.

Shadow remained in battle stance, on guard as he waited for what could happen. The green flames started to die down and Sonic looked around in panic as the room slowly started to fall into darkness. The green light got dimmer and dimmer. The wolfish beasts' body suddenly started to dissipate into black smoke. The black smoke swirled around Shadows legs. A cold tingling sensation shivered up his spine. All went black as the flames disappeared.

The only light in the room was the blue crystal that Sonic had grabbed quickly to make it glow. Shadow growled with his gloveless fists clenched in the air as his fang glinted menacingly. Nothing happened. All was silent and Deadly still.

A cold evil laugh filled the air. The laugh echoed off the stone walls. Shadows head darted around to try and find the source. But it was too dark to see anything. As a last resort he let his guard down to turn back to the mirror. Shadow panted as his heart raced. He almost dropped dead as his heart pounded in his ears. In the mirror, right next to him...a shady figure stood.

"MEPHILES!"

END OF CHAPTER

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK? NEXT IS THE BIG FINALE! HOPE YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. I am only going to put up the next chapter when I get some more reviews. So please, if anyone is reading my story at all please don't hesitate to review, it helps with encouragement. THE TENSION AND SUSPENSE IS ON!