Violet Dreams

Part II

Chapter 52: Shadows

Location: Kingdom of Voxili – July 17th, 2008

From the heavens above torrents of rain cascaded down from every direction, like a flood washing the sins of the world away. Along the crashing coast, the Kingdom of Voxili stood proud and unwavering, despite the chaotic storm ensuing around its quiet walls.

"It's ironic how a night like this is the night I have to part ways with you all," a gentle, though strong voice lamented. "Listen, brother, you can't tell mom and dad but...I won't be coming back after this mission."

Two figures stood quietly on a marble balcony, their striking similarities showing their blood relation. Elegant, navy blue fur wavered in the mind of the storm, and the older brother sighed, knowing full well the words that'd be coming from his little brothers mouth.

"What do you mean you aren't coming back? You have to!" the younger one cried out angrily, his fists balling up almost instantly.

"Galaxy, you couldn't possibly understand it right now. You need to keep this a secret. They can't know I left like this."

Tears began to stream down the younger brothers face, his eyes displaying a wave of hurt and contempt. Suddenly Galaxy stepped forward, shoving his older brother back in a fit of rage.

"If I don't understand, then why won't you tell me what's happening!?" he shouted, fear and uncertainty clear in his voice now. Sure he was angry...but he didn't want to lose his brother.

The older sibling took a step back, and sighed once again then rested his hand on his siblings head. With a gentle tug, Galaxy found his forehead pressed against his brothers, their eyes locked onto one another. Violet orbs met crimson, and each ideal behind them seemed to clash as well.

"An event unlike any other is coming. We're going to witness the end of an age and the rebirth of the world as we know it. And I'll tell you this much...our family is destroying the odds of that happen. When I'm done...there won't be a hierarchy. We'll be equal with the power I'm going to get."

"You'll come back though...eventually...right?" Galaxy murmured.

Staring deep into his little brothers soul, the elder sibling grinned. Shocked by his brothers unusual display of happiness, Galaxy grew wide eyed.

"Don't worry," the older brother reassured smoothly. "You'll know when I'm back."

July 20th, 2008

The sun gleamed high above the kingdom in the sky, providing the brilliant city with a wonderful autumn day. However, the circumstances that surrounded such a beautiful day were less than spectacular. Weeping and heavy sobs were heard all throughout the household, causing the servants within the mansion who hadn't known the nights events to scurry to the foyer. The Queen of Voxili rushed through the estate, her tear stained make up and eyes another clear sign something was wrong. Galaxy peered out of his room after glancing at his clock tiredly. Noticing it was only a couple minutes past seven in the morning, he was curious what all the commotion was. It was a weekend after all!

"Mother...what's going on?" Galaxy called from the top of the golden staircase connecting the upper and lower level of the estate. "Why is everyone crying? What happened?"

"Don't you dare come down here!" She screamed through her sobs.

Of course, he wasn't going to just sit upstairs and wait while everyone seemed to be freaking out...Galaxy wasn't the type of person to sit around when he was curious. Annoyed, the young cat scurried down the stairs, and despite the resistance from their families security guards, Galaxy broke through into the main courtyard.

There he found his older brothers body hanging from the balcony, with his head skewered onto a spear held by the statue of their grandfather.

His heart lurched, and he fell to the ground in an instant.

He was numb.

"He said he wouldn't be coming back...but I never imagined this is what he meant..."

Behind him, his mother rushed and consumed him in a tight embrace weeping into his neck, doing her best to console her son. King Darius slowly walked up to his family, and kneeled down before them to hold them in his arms trying to keep his family from falling apart.

"Hex was killed last night Galaxy..." he whispered quietly.

"Who...who could've done something like..that..." came his strained his response.

"It was someone he was once affiliated with. They betrayed him.."

"But...how did you find out...?"

"That would be because of myself," a gruff voice replied, followed by a gloved hand extending into Galaxy's view.

Looking up, the young cat stared at the muscular and unusually tall koala bear in front of him. His ocean blue eyes saddened and broken from the events.

"Who are you?" he asked the man quietly.

"The name's Xanthos. I was your brothers partner when our mission went south...I just barely escaped thanks to the courage your big bro displayed. He wanted me to give you this."

Staring at the hand of the strange man, he found his brothers necklace resting in his palm. Slowly the young cat grasped it and slung it around his neck, tears dripping past his eyes. Never had his brother failed before. Yet this stunning realization was being forced upon him, when the dead man hanging in front of him had promised him not even two day ago that he'd return. He waited so long to see the fruits of his older brothers mission, yet this was his reward.

"How could you just sit and...watch him die..." Galaxy stammered through his sobs.

Setting a gentle hand on the young boy, Xanthos sighed. He was at a loss of words, and had no idea where to begin with an explanation satisfactory to a boy who just lost his hero.

"He and I...we were both GUN Black Ops agents. We worked under the order of a man named Cervantes, and he was the one pulling the strings behind our group. And as it turns out, his faction went rogue months ago, and somehow we had failed to notice until June. Your brother and I were in the process of bringing his entire plan to light. He's researching something big, something I won't get into detail about. We did manage to slow the production down...but he was one step ahead of us."

"...That's not fair. How can they get away with this?!" Galaxy screamed, breaking through his parents embrace to tackle the man. A blade of black energy quickly engulfed his wrist, and in the blink of an eye he had it pressed to Xanthos' throat. "How come you let them kill him!?"

Xanthos' eyes slammed shut with regret, and quickly shoved the kid off of him. "It wasn't in my control kid. I know it hurts...But he won't go unavenged. I promise."

"No...he won't..." Galaxy murmured. "And I'll be the one to see through that vengeance. That military will fall...and I'l crush the skull of every soldier who went against my brother."

Location: Ruined Station Square, January 2016

Rubble and loose debris from the battle that had ensued for nearly a day fell and clattered into a massive hole in the earth. Steam rose up across the entire city, and the apocalyptic storm clouds from before dissipated into nothingness, leaving behind a gentle mist of rain in its wake. However, the sun had begun to set into the horizon, its light beaming across the land in a gentle glow. Within a deep crater formed from the hellish battle, two bodies lay battered and broken within. Their chests rose up, and fell in an almost poetic way. Their exhales complimenting each others inhales, and their heart beats drumming against their chests.

"So...do you give up yet..?" Sonic remarked quietly, his voice hoarse and strained.

Awestruck and bewildered, Galaxy painfully craned his neck over to look at his opponent. The one man who managed to stand in his way and destroy everything he worked for. How was he able to do it with such ease?

"...You..." the pain present in his body suddenly sparked to life. His nerves became consumed with a white hot agony that he had never experienced, yet he stared blankly at the hedgehog beginning to stand up before his paralyzed body. "How did you ... who are you?" Galaxy muttered.

Sonic grunted in pain, blood spilling from the countless wounds across his body and then slumped over beside his former enemy.

"I get that a lot, and I never quite know what to tell the person who asks," Sonic explained with an oddly quiet voice. "Maybe it's because I've never quite seen myself as this amazing person, or hero, that everyone seems to label me as. Because...I'll level with ya'...I feel like I do more bad than good some days. I am what I am, I suppose. We all have our demons...don't we? I'm just ...Sonic. Nothing abnormal about me."

Lifeless violet eyes scanned over the weakened speedster, trying to find any fallacy in Sonic's words. Any sign of deception in his explanation...but Galaxy just couldn't find the evil he so expected to see in everyone. Where he expected to find darkness, there was a beacon of light shining through from Sonic.

"There's something about you I can't place. I wonder if maybe I would have chosen a different path of retribution for my brother...things would have ended in a different way. It's too late to ponder in the unknown now, though...kill me. You've won, Sonic."

With his eyes shut, Galaxy suddenly felt his body being lifted up, and then noticed rather than dealing the finishing blow, Sonic had helped him to his feet. Looking over at the blue hero, he noticed an irreplaceable smile.

"You never did come back brother, but I'm starting to wonder if maybe our family wasn't meant to lead the new age...I thought maybe no one was fit to save this world...but maybe I was wrong?"

"What good would killing you do? As angry as I was with you...ending a life won't make a change. I've done that already." Sonic commented, his conviction shining through his words like a ray of light.

"You don't understand though. If you don't kill me, it won't be long before I'm killed by my...comrades. I want to die by your hands," Galaxy murmured, tugging free from Sonic's grasp. The battered cat grunted and fell to his knees, coughing up a mouthful of black sludge and blood. "I'm already dead, hedgehog. I've disobeyed my orders...he's already sent someone to come finish me off and retrieve my body. If you don't kill me...they will."

"That's crazy...you can choose to li-"

A howl of wind screamed through the barren wasteland that had become Station Square. What remained of the buildings had now been destroyed in a single burst of wind, turning the offices and skyscrapers still standing into mountains of rubble. Blood splashed across the cracked cement, and washed Sonic's blue fur in a sick crimson. The blue hero stared into the eyes of his former enemy, watching as the light seeped out of them. Suddenly Galaxy's body jerked forward, his throat split open, and his head fell from his shoulders.

With the chirp of electricity, and the thump of Galaxy's body on the ground into his own blood, Sonic turned to look up at what had dealt the final blow with disgusted and horrified eyes.

Standing with blood on his face, was the jackal he had met with Knuckles. With the lighting available, and nothing to obscure his view of the man...the shadows of Sonic's past came rushing back. He knew this man, and he knew that his mind was about to snap with rage.

"My...that battle sure took a toll on this little city..." Havoc stated with a brief whistle. "Hard to believe you were the one who caused half this damage! Don't get me wrong, I knew you had potential...but you definitely surprised me with that one. Good job."

"Who are you?"

Quirking a brow at the blue hero, the jackal smirked playfully and walked towards Sonic with his arms folded behind his head.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to remember me. Clearly you've put two and two together now...right? I mean you wouldn't have asked if you didn't have a hunch as to where you know me from. Do you remember Xanthos, our mentor, as well I wonder?" Havoc taunted sinisterly, now standing in front of Sonic. "And tell me...how's Uncle Charles?"

"...It can't be. GUN told Uncle Chuck n' I you two died...you're messing with my head..." Sonic muttered, holding his head in confusion.

"I have no reason to lie, now do I? Anyway...it'll be interesting how things piece together now...since you know who I am. But for now, I'm here to take Galaxy's body back to the Leader. Don't worry, though, we'll meet again when the time is right. This is just the beginning you know, so don't count your winnings just yet, alright?"

With a quick salute, Havoc grappled the dead body of his former associate, and walked past Sonic towards a vortex that had spun to life. The blue hero turned to watch as the two Dusk agents disappeared through, catching only the parting words of his long lost friend.

"Ciao!"

To Be Continued