The Truth in His Voice

Chapter II

The waves broke along the coast, and the sound reached the ears of the sleeping hedgehog under his usual palm tree, waking him up. The rays of light passed through the leaves of the palm tree that danced in the wind. Shadow was scratching his tired eyes, watching the skies in a vivid shade of blue. Few clouds traveled before him. Something very interesting, he thought, considering the heavy rains of the previous day. The sea breeze blew his face, refreshing his mood, bringing an outline of a smile to his lips.

Closing his eyes, he crosses his arms and returns to his carefree nap. Before he could relax, however, he felt someone nudge his foot. Peering through his eyelids, he watches the shell boy.

"Good morning!"

Shadow opened his eyes widely, surprised by the white hedgehog's sudden approach.

"Did I scare you? Sorry, sorry, it wasn't my intention!" He put his hands together and bowed, asking for forgiveness.

The drowsy hedgehog then shook his head, denying the boy's displays of grief.

"There is no reason to apologize. I… I was just being too lazy for my own good." Shadow shrugged, crossing his arms as he forced himself not to roll his eyes at his own behavior.

"If you say so, then I will not apologize!" A big smile opened on the energetic hedgehog's face, clasping his hands behind his back as he rocked back and forth.

The confused hedgehog raised his eyebrow, unable to understand how he should react to that situation or even how that boy was already excited so early in the morning.

Before Silver continues to speak, Shadow remembers something, turning around. Between his back and the trunk of the palm, there was what he had escorted.

"You're after this, aren't you?" In his hands was the lost bucket of shells.

Silver's mouth fell open and his eyes shone vividly. Unable to contain his enthusiasm, he snatched the object from Shadow's hands, checking if the stoic hedgehog had not lost the shells he worked so hard to get. One, two, three, four, five, six... they were all there!

"Thank you! I thought I had lost this. Man, it's good to know that you can always count on friends, whoever they might be."

Hearing those words, Shadow let a brief smile escape his lips. He couldn't understand how just handing over a lost object could make him someone's friend, but he wasn't against the idea either. Silver was kind of funny.

The white hedgehog widens his eyes, remembering something. Running his hands over his head, he looks embarrassed.

"Ah, I think I ended up forgetting to tell you who I am. My name is Silver!"

The black hedgehog nodded, soon presenting himself in a much less enthusiastic tone than the boy's tone.

"My name is Shadow."

He then grabbed the dark hedgehog's hand, shaking it, baffling him.

"Well, nice to meet you." With a radiant look, Silver sat beside him. "I have been here for a long time and you are always here too, but only now I came to tell you something. It is somewhat ironic. You look intimidating, but you're actually really nice, giving me back my shells and everything!"

Shadow let out a funny sigh, thinking to himself. "Intimidating"? It would not be the first time anyone had thought that about him. Perhaps that ringed true to his old self, when he was a teenager distressed by the circumstances in which he found himself, doing everything he could to avenge the death of his best friend. However, that was a long time ago. Everything was different now, or at least he thought it was.

"Shadow, are you okay?"

That voice woke him from his reverie, startling him. Looking to the side, he sees that Silver has disappeared and, in his place, was a girl with blond hair. His heart beat faster and his hands shook when he saw her. Choking on his own saliva, Shadow coughs vigorously, trying to reach her. The words stuck in his throat.

"Maria!"

Shadow screams, standing up startled. His eyes swing from side to side, bewilderedly absorbing the place around him. Raindrops crashed against the window. His clothes were lying on the bed. Beside him was his bookcase. Taking a deep breath, he tries to calm down. He was inside his room, it was all a dream, he thought to himself.

The white shell that was on his chest had fallen to the floor, cracking it right in the middle. Looking at it, he whispers to himself, putting it in his pocket:

"Damn it…"

The memory of his dream comes to mind, disturbing him. The wind blew his face and the long blond locks of Maria Robotnik, his late best friend. She had been the victim of an attack on the Space Colony ARK more than fifty long years ago. The time might have passed slowly, but the memories of it had still burned fervently inside his mind.

As the delicate face of the girl hovered in his spirit, he felt a sudden dizziness and started to sweat. His stomach churns and a bad taste comes to his throat. Hurrying, he runs towards the apartment bathroom, launching himself over the toilet. He tries to throw up something in a futile attempt, his stomach was enjoy since he had deprived himself of eating any food all day. His poor lungs tried to fill themselves with air, although they could barely manage to do it.

Shaking, he restores his strength, resting his body on the marble sink. Through the mirror, his vision meets his swollen face. His features were pale. His eyes were red. In addition, saliva dripped from his lip. The poor breathless hedgehog coughs vigorously. Frowning, he shakes his head heavily.

Between suffering sighs, he whispers to his image reflected in the mirror:

"This is pathetic…"

Why did he still feel that way even after so long after the incident, even after he kept his promise? It didn't make any sense, but somehow he couldn't move on.

The door to the apartment then sounded, being opened and then locked. The sound of the keys being thrown into the bowl woke him from his thoughts. Shadow grabs a towel, wiping it vigorously over his face, trying to make him blush to restore his face and clean up all that mess.

A voice spoke beside him, asking him:

"Are you still awake, sweetheart? It's too late, even for you."

It was Rouge, Shadow recognized. She approached her friend, leaning against the bathroom's doorjamb. Receiving no response, she notices his trembling and, suspicious of the hedgehog's behavior, pulled the towel from his hands, revealing a pair of red, trembling eyes, as well as his corpse-white face. Rouge is startled and tries to calm him down, holding his restless hands.

"Are you okay?"

Hearing his words, he covers his ears and closes his eyes, shaking his head vigorously.

Bursting into anger, he screams:

"Not that damn question again!"

Shadow then loosens himself from the surrounding hands, pushing them so he can get through. He went towards the living room door, knocking it hard after leaving. The girl was only able to observe the scene, not really understanding what had just happened.

Descending the stairs, he leaves the building and looks at the gray weather before him. As if angels wept from the heavens, the clouds shed their dark tears on his cheeks, as if they made their cry his own. Shadow pulled a jewel out of his coat pocket – a Chaos Emerald in a vivid green. A gem of ultimate power. The light on the jewel reflected Shadow's face, showing him what he thought was his stupid face. At that moment, the only thing he wanted to do was to go far away and just disappear.

Gritting his teeth, he squeezes the Emerald, and, feeling the power emanating through his fingers, announces with an imposing tone:

"Chaos Control!"

A green aura radiates from the gem, engulfing his body in a strong flash. The light that surrounded him soon disappeared, giving way to a stinging darkness. For a split second, Shadow floats out of nowhere and emerges over the sky, falling on a hard floor. Faltering, he sees the place around him. Below him, a wooden floor, shaking with the crashing waves. Around him, an ocean of water as dark as night.

His breathing begins to accelerate when he realizes that he has ended up in the middle of the sea, inside a small boat. It couldn't be real, he thought. Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath to try to keep himself under control before exploding again.

Holding his Chaos Emerald, he cried out for power once more with all his breath. This time, however, not even its simple aura appeared. Perhaps it was his negative energy or even his malaise, but Chaos Control was failing him miserably.

"Perfect…"

One option would be to row to the shore, but the oars were probably lost since they were not on the boat. He could try to swim, but it would be useless, the current was agitated by the rain and the wind that accompanied it. He could try to call Rouge, but besides feeling guilty for having treated her so badly, there was no signal in the middle of the ocean.

The dim lights of Emerald Town shone against the darkness of the night, giving him a signal that he was approaching the coast. Slowly, but certainly. He still couldn't really observe the sand on the beach, so it would be very unlikely that anyone would be able to see him back at the edge of the world.

His face closes and his head is downcast as he sits on the hard wooden seat. The rain persisted heavily, spilling streaks of water constantly between the quills on his head and over his eyebrows. Water begins to accumulate at the bottom of the vessel, wetting his shoes.

His rotten luck was really surprising, he thought to himself in a brief sigh. Without anything else that could direct his attention, he takes the shell out of his pocket. A crack ran through the entire object, almost breaking it into two halves. In a funny sigh, Shadow smiles. Everything he touches ends up being destroyed. He really couldn't take care of anything, he couldn't take care of Maria while she was alive, he couldn't take care of Rouge and Omega's affection, and he couldn't even take care of himself or even that stupid shell.

Raindrops touched that shadow of a shell, freeing it from its sand. He looks up, looking at the closed sky in front of him and his honorary boat.

The days passed under sunny suns that became more opaque at every moment, under clear skies that with each new thought turned gray. By wasting his time under a palm tree, brooding over the past and forgetting the present, his heart began to weigh, soaking up in its internal storms. He knew. He knew that was why such an innocuous question had become so hostile to him.

Are you okay?

At first, the answer was clear, he thought. It was always possible to answer it with a mild statement. He even thought that question was unnecessary. Why wouldn't he be okay?

Although he experienced the loss of someone special, he had fulfilled his mission – his promise to Maria. Over time, he had managed to start a new family, create his own home and surround himself with friends who loved him. Shadow loved them too, of course. Still, the anxiety never left his chest, and it destroyed him inside, little by little, but certainly. Was he really okay? He didn't like to think about the answer, to admit it, but he knew what it was.

Maria had been the most important person in his life, despite the short time they spent together. Her playful demeanor always cheered him up. Her perspicacity, though somewhat shrouded in naivety, was a point of admiration for the young hedgehog. He missed his friend, but wasn't sure if he should. He had done everything that could be done and, in the end, managed to honor his promise to her. For all the people on the planet, he managed to give them a chance to be happy.

Looking at his soaked shoes, he realizes that the rain had stopped and the water level in the vessel had stagnated. He casts his vision into the skies. Although they were timid, the stars sailed slowly before him while the clouds were swept by the wind.

One star shone brighter than all the others. Shadow felt – he knew – that Maria was watching him from above.

A lonely tear ran from his eye. A silly smile formed on his lips as he watched that star hopefully. As if talking to his sister, he murmured:

"Here I am disrespecting your will. That was what you wanted, wasn't it? That we all could have the chance to be happy. I shouldn't just throw this gift away, not after everything we've been through…"

Lowering his head, he runs his hand under his eyes, wiping them from the tear. Clenching his fist, he takes a deep breath, trying to compose himself.

The current starts to push the boat towards the coast. Ferociously, but certainly. The waters crashed sharply against the vessel, making it unbalanced.

The winds got stronger, sweeping the clouds and increasing the current towards the coast. It was getting dangerously fast, he thought. The Chaos Emerald glowed faintly, failing to claim its power. Shadow should come up with a quick plan. The boat was approaching the beach, ready to hit the pier.

Noises of hasty footsteps weighed on the wood of the walkway. A voice soon came over him:

"Hold on!"

Silver ran over the pier against the moonlight. His white clothes shone in the moonlight. Looking at the abandoned hedgehog, he throws his hands forward, lighting them in a strong cyan. His eyes shone ghostly. At least, that was what Shadow thought.

The boat soon brakes. Shadow would almost be thrown forward, if he weren't holding on tight as he was told, that is. Leaving the boat a couple of meters away, Silver floats in the air, landing on the sand. Dressed in pure white, his clothes warped with the breath of the wind, making him look like a mirage.

"Throw the deck rope!" Announced, approaching the water.

Without hesitation, the dark hedgehog did as he was told. Wrapping the rope around his arm, Silver ties it to one of the pier's columns, securing the boat to the shore. With the vessel now motionless, Shadow prepared to leave, finding that white hedgehog stretching out his hand to help him.

Closing his eyelids, he gave a shy smile, then politely brushing aside Silver's invitation.

"I appreciate it, but I think I can get out by myself."

He shrugged, allowing that stubborn hedgehog to do as his heart pleased. Shadow crouches lightly, tapping his shoes against the sand, hoping to try to get rid of the excessive water. Silver could be inconvenient as he thought, appearing in places at the same time as he, but his head could not help but be amused by the fact that his "inconvenience" had been able to save him before taking some ugly injuries.

"Thanks for helping me. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't be in just one piece."

Silver exhaled air through his nostrils, as if he was amused by Shadow's bluntness. He raises an eyebrow, wondering what exactly he could be getting so funny about. Shaking his head, Silver denies it, looking at him with a pleasant smile on his face.

"You don't have to thank me."

He stretched out his arms joyfully. With a pure look on his face, Silver nodded. His golden eyes shone in the moonlight. Putting his arms behind his back, he said:

"I was curious to meet you in person, Shadow."