Even the longest night had to end. Even the one where many people met for the first time, some truths were brought to the moonlight, and one major headache for a certain silver psychic.
Silver was laying in his bed, his eyes set on the ceiling. His body wasn't relaxed just like thoughts swirled inside of his mind. He managed to squeeze about two hours of sleep. Normally it was enough for him, but this time he remained tired.
He closed his amber eyes, held his breath for twenty throbbing seconds and let it silently escape. It hardly provided a clearer mind, but it allowed him not to think about anything.
'Now, how it could turn out like this?' he asked himself for the tenth time already.
It stank as he was called genius, but the recent events messed up his head. His plan looked so simple; lure the small demon and capture it. He rather didn't think about the holes it had.
All actually proceeded quite smoothly. He was able to lure the fake priest, but instead of acquiring quick victory, he encountered one obstacle after another. Shadow proved to be a tougher opponent than he expected even with his powers surpassed.
The appearance of that speedy kind was annoying yet manageable. The fight remained in his favor, thought everything shattered when he knocked the priest out.
'Was that kid really Agent Blue's son?' Not that he cared, but the boy could have some leads to Blue's disappearance.
Silver rubbed his eyes and pinched his nose at the same time. A headache was successfully killing his brain.
If it was just the boy, he would pacify him. However, when he had him by the collar, some screaming hellcat rushed towards him with Gold at pursuit. Before he could do anything, the boy, who seemed to be named Sonic, kicked him in the jaw and took a protective stance before the priest.
The hellcat turned out to be a small girl with sharp toe-cap as his shaft took note of. Gold did her best to calm everybody down and to explain what lead to such gathering to Silver.
He understood the gist of it, but the presence of tamed demon surprised him. He wanted to get rid of the bulky demon, but that hellcat, how he started to refer Amy, refused to shut up, so he agreed to take both demons. He could always get rid of them at a later time without the girl yelling in his ear or abusing his shafts.
The way she acted towards the demons was irritating him. Whoever asked a demon how it was feeling? Or if it was in pain? Or apologized for that matter! Just the mere thought made the grumpy exorcist angry and exhausted.
Silver squinted his eyes and rubbed them once more.
'So to sum it up,' he started in his mind, 'I have now three demons in my cellar and two kids.' His lips waved in a sore way. 'One is silent while the other talks too much.'
He let out an angry snort.
'The. Worst. Night. Ever!' he growled each word.
The exorcist slowly got up, ignoring the wrinkles on his clothes. He sluggishly reached the wardrobe in the corner and took out the same set of clothes. The previous attire was mercilessly thrown into the corner.
He looked over his shoulder to the mirror on the wall. He never understood what the fashion was about. Changing clothes every season like the previous set was a joke never appealed to him. Only fools wasted money on clothes. However, he never said this aloud in front of Gold. He knew, checking stores was her way to relax.
His frown deepened, and he took out a small key from the drawer of the toilet table. He put it in his pocket and headed down to the washroom to splash the sleepiness out of his face. Silver had to pass around Gold's room on the same floor, so he made sure to lift his body in the air to not make any sound. His partner needed to rest.
Once he landed below the stairs, his eyes narrowed, burying holes into the wood door next to the washroom. In that guest room was the hellcat he hated. He didn't stop staring until he was completely in the washroom.
Its pure interior mixed with beige calmed him down. Right now it was like entering a sanctuary; a place filled with stillness.
He let the water pour into his cupped hands, splashing it all over his face. The ice-cold drops spread all around him, soaking his fur and landing on the tiled floor. He repeated this process for a few times before he felt ready to face the day.
He dried his face and put the towel back at its place. His ears jerked as the washroom door squeaked slightly. His eyes darted to the left. The hellcat's door remained closed, ensuring him she was still sleeping.
'Good, I can have quiet and peace for my job.'
His eyes moved toward the door leading to the cellar; there was a note. He quickly grabbed it and read the short text.
'So she isn't sleeping, but she went to visit the local branch of The Order,' he thought.
He was sure she was sleeping since he didn't glance or hear her in any downstairs room. He threw the note into a bin in the corner and opened the door with the key. To be on the safe side, he locked them to make sure the pink fury wouldn't enter.
This was a place only he and Gold could enter, after all. The corridor was so dark, even nocturnal creatures could have a problem to navigate through. Silver snapped his fingers, and small flames lit the torches bordering the walls.
The balls of light were subtle, illuminating the ground but sparing eyes from the pain. The echoes of his steps on rock stairs silently returned, expanding the vastness beyond the darkness.
He counted forty-two steps each time he went down. It was a habit he developed during his school days to clear his mind of all unnecessary emotions. He already made a few snap judgments, and another one wasn't even on his Don't-Do-This list.
Silver didn't bother to check on the demons in the third room. They were chained, waiting for him to pick the best method how to kill them; at least the bulky one. He had no need for it anymore.
He entered the last room. A big, silver cross stood in the middle of a rectangular room. It wasn't built for prayers, but to suck energy from especially dangerous creatures. It was a shame as the carvings on it turned it into masterpiece any church or cathedral would love to possess.
The amber eyes laid on halfway hanging Shadow on his knees.
The priest's body was limp, held only by chains around limbs and chest. The slight glint on them showed they weren't ordinary, but created to transfer the demonic energy into the cross. Each breath turned into vapor as it escaped Shadow's mouth.
Silver picked a bucket of water and poured the liquid on the unconscious priest.
It took only a second before Shadow's brain reacted on the sudden coldness. His body sprang up and forward, held back by the chains without realization. The wide, black eyes almost burst out of their sockets as they frantically looked around without seeing anything in particular.
"Done with your beauty sleep?" the psychic ridiculed him, putting the bucket down with a loud bang.
The priest's head jerked up, his stare set on the other hedgehog. Regardless of Shadow's intellect, he couldn't think what to say or do for the next few seconds.
"W-Where?" the raspy voice Shadow produced asked.
His throat was sore and dry. A numbness spread from his fingers and piercing pain shot from his knees. Shadow made an attempt to straighten his posture, but his stiffed back refused to listen.
Shadow's eyes blankly stared at the psychic, and at the moment Silver was about to talk, the priest barked: "Where's Sonic? And Amy? Are they alright?"
His rattling voice started a fit of dry coughing. The recent memories hit him hard, turning his brain upside-down. Cold sweat covered him, and a shiver ran through his whole spine. The bit of saliva his mouth managed to produce were swallowed to water the burning neck from inside. It had no effect, but it was better than nothing.
"Carrying more for the others than for yourself?" asked Silver, placing his index finger next to his muzzle once Shadow stopped coughing. "How curious."
"Please, tell me, are they alright?" The black hedgehog chugged and gnawed on his poor lip, letting the anxiety escape his system. "And the demons? What happened to them?" he silently panted when no answer came.
Silver's face wrinkled. His brain whispered to slash the prisoner until a nice poodle of blood was under him, but the psychic knew better than to listen to sudden impulses. It already brought him enough trouble.
"Hmm," Silver started, enjoying the growing despair in Shadow's face. "The children are unharmed, and the demons..." He made a pause to make the priest hang on his voice. "… let's say, they are still breathing."
A long and thick vapor left Shadow's muzzle. Its silent sound reaching psychic's ears.
The exorcist had no intention in keeping them alive for too long, but so far it seemed they could be used as bargain chips. It made him interested how could one demon care for another, and he wished to test to what extent it could go.
Despite this, they were still trash in his cold, amber eyes. If one impressed him, he was willing to prolong its life until he was bored with it.
Shadow hung his head low in relief, but his body tensed and bristled as Silver moved closer. The exorcist walked slowly with a small smirk settled on his muzzle. The small twitch in Shadow's fingers was more than enough to tell him, the priest was nervous and scared.
That was all he needed. He steadily circled him, and Shadow's eyes followed him with the minimal movements of his body possible.
"Now tell me…" The exorcist's voice lacked any emotions. "Who are you? A hedgehog? A demon? Or something else?"
Every question slowly sunk into Shadow's brain, coating it like poisonous snow. Shivers ran down his spine, and his teeth chattered before he tightly clenched them. He only dared to slightly look over his right shoulder to partly see the silver hedgehog behind him.
He couldn't muster an answer, but it seemed Silver wasn't in a hurry to get it. Instead, he kept watching Shadow's back. The exorcist slightly caught his chin, thinking for a brief moment, before the same hand moved forward.
"It seems demons are really proud of their wings. So, will it grow back if I pluck it?" His fingers moved down to the joint.
A hoarse sound escaped from the priest's throat that barely passed as a word much less syllable. His mind was filled with memories of his encounter with Eclipse. Each of them blurred in fast motion, calling huge headache to help them torture Shadow.
"I wanna see it," Silver said softly, but his cold eyes gave him away.
He already de-winged a few demons, and neither grew them back. However, it might be because he never let them live long enough to see it.
Silver's fingers pressed the bone and pulled back.
"No! Stop!" barked the priest hurting his throat as he arched his back.
His head moved back, hitting the cross behind. Sparks danced before his eyes, but Silver kept increasing the pull. The priest swung his body forward in order to get away, but he only helped Silver to torture him.
A fire spread through Shadow's body, but his teeth chattered like crazy. He had no idea how to describe it, but the mere thought of losing his wing terrified him to no bounds. Only at the edge of his mind, he realized what he made Eclipse went through no matter how uncontrollable he was at that time.
Silver snickered and let go of the wing. Shadow hung down like rag-doll, his saliva escaping down from his gasping mouth. The burning sensation was replaced with ice filling his veins.
"I kind of still need you to talk so it would be troublesome if you would scream your lungs out," the exorcist chuckled.
Good torture always lifted his mood. He returned to his original post in no hurry, letting Shadow sink deeper into despair he was about to unleash.
"Now tell me everything!" He sharply turned back.
Shadow's ears pricked before flattening as a wave of fear washed over him that tugged his head between his shoulders.
"How did you become a priest? What are your intentions? How did you get that silver gun? What's the cross around your neck? Who sealed your true form? Who-!"
"Stop! Slow down!" the ebony hedgehog cut him with a hoarse voice, unable to take the barrage of the questions for another second.
Shadow's head widely shook, the rest of saliva scattered around. If only a simple shook could settle the mess in his head, he would do it for hours.
Silver slightly growled with his left corner of mouth lifted, but he let the prisoner talk.
"A priest…?" Shadow gasped, before coughing shortly on his own saliva. "I was told, I'm one."
"What?" Silver barked, ready to slash him, but his next words interrupted him.
"I was hurt… people found me collapsed… I had that gun and the cross with me," he spat with a husky groan as his throat desperately needed water.
"Nonsense!" Silver barked with a wave of his hand.
He expected a lie, but something so blatant and fake was beyond his expectation. He bared his teeth as he loudly growled.
"That gun belonged to our A-class agent! There is no way you could get it by any legal means!" Silver spat, and a psionic whip appeared in his hand.
"But that's how it happened!" Shadow kept shouting in half-whisper, trying to keep his sanity above the rising water.
For days he strove to not question his identity, pushing it deep in his mind. Right now those thoughts kept pounding him from all angles. His body jerked as the chains tightened and burned him, reacting on the demonic energy that started to pour out through the skin.
"Liar!" The silver exorcist lifted his hand, and the whip landed across Shadow's face.
His yelp replaced the sharp sound the whizzing weapon generated.
"I'll tell you what you have done!" the exorcist hissed, and a new strike landed on Shadow's body with each sentence.
"The cross can seal your true hideous form! You used it to hunt with ease. But our agent Blue saw right through your ruse!" Silver barked the last word. The slash of his whip rammed Shadow against the cross. A deep red mark appeared across his chest.
"You have killed him, his partner, and took the gun while getting rid of the bodies! Their remains were never found!"
The psychic panted for a few seconds, surprised by his own outburst. Something on this priest was driving him crazy. It disappeared at the edge of his consciousness when he attempted to spot it. He let out the last breath and folded his weapon.
Shadow's body shook like crazy, small balls of vapor leaving his mouth. He couldn't think. It couldn't be real. Flashes of happy memories danced in front of his eyes. But they were twisted. Smiles turned into smirks, and eyes glowed with hatred.
The voice returned, gently whispering soothing words. It would be sweat to rip the exorcist's throat and drink the hot blood throbbing with life. Eclipse would provide a nice pet to torture, and his sister would be a worthy opponent to kill some time.
The priest shivered, unable to stop the saliva gathered behind his growing fangs. He tightly shut his eyes, digging sharp claws into his palms.
However, the voice continued to whisper. The kids would be perfect appetizers or desserts. And that woman would be his personal toy.
Shadow howled, startling Silver who stepped back with coldness running down his spine.
"What?"
The priest jerked with his body, the chains screeched as they stretched. It seemed he could break them any second.
Silver whipped him, but not even dozen of hits was able to subdue him. The cross shook and pulsated, draining Shadow's demonic energy at tremendous speed, but was still unable to surpass the flow. It was gradually getting out of hand.
The whip wrapped around Shadow's neck, robbing him off the air. The priest yapped and coughed, but was unable to breathe. His movements slowly died down with the overflowing energy completely drained. Only then Silver set his neck free.
Shadow's body once more turned into a rag doll, lifelessly hanging down. His lungs hungrily gulped air, stopping for short whimpers as the body screamed with the smallest movements.
The exorcist tried to control his breathing too. For a moment he felt dread tried to control his mind. Their first meeting replayed in his head, strengthening the feeling of complete helplessness.
Silver gulped the anxiety with the saliva and continued, "But since you were discovered, you decided to play it safe and kept a low profile for a few years. How clever. You have even taken a child as a meat shield!"
Shadow abruptly lifted his head, his face twisted with spasm and drenched by sweat.
"No! I swear-!"
Another slash landed on his body.
"There is no need to lie, demon! You can't conceal your hideous form in front of me!"
Silver balled his free fist, surpassing the shiver. His teeth dug into his cheek from inside, chewing the anger filling him.
Tears started to flow down from ebony hedgehog's eyes.
"Oh, crying? Trying to look pitiful? To gain mercy?" The exorcist was made fun of him as he stepped closer. His head bent down, whispering right into the flapped ear, "There will be no mercy from me."
Shivers ran down Shadow's body, his teeth refusing to silent down.
A small smirk appeared across Silver's muzzle. He stepped back, ready to continue with the torture. Everybody had their limits, and Shadow was no exception. The exorcist just needed to find the threshold and destroy it utterly.
"Silver!"
The silver hedgehog's body jerked.
"Gold?" he called her back with his mind.
"I'm back, and I found more about the boy named Sonic!" Her voice was tired, but also excited.
"Good, I'll be right there."
He pivoted, his eyes stabbing the ebony priest.
"I'll give you time to think."
Shadow lifted his head, his eyes tired and squinted as the sweat mixed with flowing tears.
The exorcist turned around. "Think well about how much painful death you want to experience," with those cold words, he exited the room, leaving Shadow to his own nightmares.