CHAIN OF MEMORIES: SONIC'S TALE

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Epilogue: Fractured Chain

Even as the Keyblade Master and his companions continue to sleep, the memories of those closest to them begin to slip away from the darkness. The links from the Chain of Memories were broken and the loose memories were scattered throughout the darkness of Sonic's mind. However, such a complicated was not without it negatives effects. The light of Sonic's heart stood silently on the shores of mainland for Destiny Islands, watching as the sun set over the smaller island a few short miles away.

"Amy..." Raine called as she approached her friend. "Are you all right? You didn't show up for school today."

"Something...doesn't feel right, Raine." Amy said hesitantly, placing a hand over her chest. "I just feel that a part of me has gone missing. A part that as very important. I don't know what happened, but I think it might have something to do with the island."

"Do you remember what it is?" Raine asked.

The Princess of Hollow Bastion merely shook her head in disappointment. She could easily recall all the memories of her trip to other worlds and meeting her father, Mephiles, who had been consumed by darkness. She could remember a group of four unusual creatures with special powers assisting another person who went against her father's wishes. But the only problem was that she couldn't remember who the leader was. She searched through the memories of her heart, only to be disappointed by an obscured blue blur. But though his face was unseen, his voice seemed vaguely familiar.

"I'll come back to you! I promise!"

"But..." Amy thought sadly. "Who are you?"

Without any memories to guide her, Tomo the Chameleon wandered aimlessly through the vast corridors of the castle. Though a part of her said it would have been better to join Sonic and the others, the Kunochi Chameleon resolved to complete her quest alone. But that would prove very difficult considering she had no idea where she was going.

"Maybe it would have been better for them to draw a map." Tomo grumbled. "Every damn room in the castle looks exactly the same. If I see one more flower pot, I swear I'm going to blow."

"Well, that would certainly be messy."

The killer kunochi swiftly reacted by withdrawing her katana at the moment a spiral of darkness erupted from the floor. Tomo prepared herself for whatever the Order would throw at her, but that still didn't prevent the expression of shock on her face. The portal of darkness evaporated into the atmosphere, leaving behind someone that was convinced to be dead.

"Yo." Terro said nonchalantly.

"You..." Tomo glared. "You're still alive?"

"Yep, that's the power of acting." Terro chuckled pleasingly. "I think I deserve some kind of award for my performance. I actually brought the Keyblade Master and his friends to tears."

"What do you want?" Tomo sneered.

"Oh, it's not what I want." Terro said smoothly. "It's about what you want. The reason you came to Castle Oblivion was to find someone very important to you. Someone you were willing to risk your life for."

"Espio?" Tomo questioned.

"Bingo, right on the dot." Terro said jokingly. "As a matter of fact, I just happen to know where he is right now. I could take you if you want....for a small favor."

"What favor?" Tomo asked.

"Oh, I'm sure it's not something you would mind doing." Terro waved easily. "I just think a little payback is in order. After all, you were transformed into a mindless puppet against your will after he cleverly tricked you with psychological warfare." He smirked at the chameleon's cold stare and threw his hand to the wall, summon another portal of darkness. "This is the Corridor of Darkness, which I'm sure you are familiar with. Use it to reach the basement floors and I'll get back to you in a moment."

"Aren't you coming?" Tomo questioned confused.

"Later." Terro said seriously. "Right now, I have some other things to deal with."

At the highest point of the day, Soleanna was joyful and bustling. The local residents continued with their daily routines, not realizing that their beloved town was playing a vital role in the fate of the worlds. While the locals remained blissfully unaware of the outside world, one of the outsiders was walking through the streets. The unknown figure wore the signature Black Cloak of the Order with the metal necklace clattered at her chest and the hem flapping wildly. She wore black gloves, high-heeled boots, and left her hood to cover the remainder of her identity. She had no idea what she was looking for, only that she needed to find it.

"Man, I wish everyday could be like this." A gruff voice could be heard.

"This is like everyday." A younger voice stated. "I can't think of one time where we didn't eat ice cream after every Brawl."

"Hey, I didn't ask for commentary!" The gruff voice snapped.

"Oh, shut up, knucklehead." A feminine voice commanded.

The unknown character stopped and stared as the three creatures passed her. The leader of the group was a cherry-red echidna with a number of dreadlocks reaching his shoulders and the crescent-moon birthmark on his chest. His attire consisted of scarlet-red shoes with yellow laces, finger-linked gloves with spiked knuckles, and a pair of moss-green goggles around his neck.

The youngest of the trio was a lightning-yellow fox with three bangs sticking from his forehead and, surprisingly, two tails. He wore a pair of red/white sneakers held by Velcro straps, a pair of white gloves restricted by metallic bracelets, and a pair of dark-lensed goggles on his forehead.

The only female of the group was pearl-white bat with flexible black wings that paled against Terro in terms of length. Her outfit was crafted to gain appeal from her views with her small, black tank top, black pants with white floral printing, a pair of white elbow-length gloves, and red/white sneakers. The cloaked figure watched interestingly at the trio as they passed – all of them were eating ice cream.

"Hey, after a hard days work, I think we deserve a little something." The echidna stated.

"You eat even if we're not working." The fox laughed.

"He got you there, knucklehead." The bat giggled.

"Ha, ha, very funny." The echidna said sarcastically.

The women covered by the Black Cloak watched the three friends until they vanished into the clustered crowd. Seeing those three together reminded her of the promise that was made by an old friend – a promise that had yet to be kept. Reaching into her pocket, the shadowed female unveiled a tiny seashell she had recovered from the shore earlier. Placing the shell close to her ear, she could hear the faint lapping of the waves and the smell of the salty sea. This one was perfect.

"I hope to see you soon...Scion." The female whispered.

But in the far reaches of Nothingness, a plan is set in motion by the ones Duskmon had sought to betray. A dark city nestled in the void between light and darkness continued to exist without knowing the true meaning of its own existence. And high above the towering walls stood the fortress of the enemy. The heart of the flying castle was crafted into a circular room with thirteen white-marble thrones carved at different levels. All was silent for a moment before multiple geysers of darkness erupted on a select number of seats. The six remaining members of the forgotten Order sat in their places, not wanting to irritate their Superior, who had been on edge lately. Speaking of whom, the leader of the Order stared down at the remainder of his followers.

"Anything to report?" The Superior questioned.

"Temwow and Kodoara have been eliminated by Sonic." No. VII said monotonously. "But Duskmon – or should I say, Moskdun – remains alive, but he is trapped in the Realm of Nothingness for all of eternity. He is useless to us now."

"And I have heard word from Oracle that Zorrae has been destroyed by Espio the Chameleon." No. III, Pein, said coolly. "This is becoming troublesome. A large number of our members have been eliminated in one critical blow."

"The fate of those traitors does not concern me." The Superior stated coldly. "But what of Scion? Has there been any change in his current condition."

"Nothing has changed." No. VII answered swiftly. "We expected that Scion's sudden collapse was possibly due to the stress of the growing number of missions that have been given. But I have another theory." He and the Superior locked eyes with one another – not a hint of emotion radiated from them. "Kumori was discovered in Castle Oblivion, correct?"

"That's where I found her." No. II added.

"Perhaps she might be the reason behind this sudden tragedy." No. VII said suspiciously. "From the number of reports given to me by Terro, Duskmon has been using Kumori to reconfigure Sonic's memory. I believe that very same effect has reached out to Scion and forced an unexpected relapse in the Chain of Memories that has remained hidden within."

"An interesting theory." The Superior nodded.

"But right now, we have other matters to worry about." No. X growled lowly. "Without Scion, who is going to destroy the Heartless for the pursuit of our goals?"

"Don't look at me!" No. IX shouted quickly.

"We have already prepared for this." The Superior proclaimed. "In the event that Sonic or Scion is unable to continue fulfilling their duties, we have devised a way to continue with our efforts." He turned his attention to No. VII. "Assign No. XIV to double duty."

"As you wish, my lord." No. VII nodded.

As if they were given the command, the five subordinates faded into the shadows of the darkness. The Superior remained on his throne – he sighed deeply into his palm and touched his forehead as if suffering from mental pain. Moving his fingers away from his eyes, the Superior stared down to the smallest throne within the round room. That single throne once contained the most vital point of the Order's plans. But instead of thing over the Order's situation, the Superior's mind dwelled upon other things.

"So, sleep has taken you again...old friend." The Superior murmured.

There is always sleep between part and meet.
With our usual words on the usual street.

So let us part like we always do.
And in a world without you.
I'll dream of you.

When I come to, let us meet.
with our usual words on the usual street.

THE END

Half of the adventure has been completed, but the remaining half has yet to be resolved. Stay tuned for the next chapter of Reverse/Rebirth: Espio's Tail.

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