Chapter 7: lost havens
The next morning, even before Shadow woke up, even before the sun itself, Knuckles was on his feet.
The alarm clock on Nadia's cell phone vibrated but she was already staring at the shadows on the wall, waiting for the signal.
Alexi and Tera were still sleeping, and Nadia doubted that the hedgehog would get up anytime soon. She decided not to wake her.
She got dressed, took an apple for breakfast and joined Knuckles at the door. The echidna watched the sun rise.
- Good morning. - Nadia greeted.
- Good morning.
They took the baskets of grapes and set off along the path, entering the woods.
- What should we do with these baskets? - only then did Nadia notice that besides the grapes there was other fruit.
- You'll see.
The path climbed uphill towards the mountain and skirted a stream where a group of rabbits watered. Nadia heard the rustling of the leaves in the light breeze and the birds singing in the branches.
In the woods near the cities you could hear the roar of engines in the distance or the passage of an airplane. On Angel Island however, there were no other noises in the background. Beyond what she heard around her, there was total and complete silence.
The hares followed them along the stream and only then Nadia realize that they were not afraid.
- Animals don't run away. - she comment.
- Why should they? They know me, and have never seen a human before.
- Usually animals run away if they see someone or hear a noise.
- Not here. And not with me. They know I protect them.
Nadia tilted her head. - But you hunt them too.
- I know. But if I didn't control their population, they would multiply and die of hunger and disease. - explained the echidna. - A guardian must do what is right, even if it seems cruel.
Nadia looked down and continued walking, enjoying that natural silence. It was the kind of silence that drove a good portion of the population crazy, but that many people found relaxing.
She was one of those.
Silver had said that before meeting Sonic and Tails, Knuckles had lived alone on the island indefinitely.
She wondered how it should be, living with that silence.
He saw a smaller path that led into the woods, among blue flowers with a good perfume and blackberry bushes.
She lingered.
- Stop.
Nadia turned to look at the echidna. A gust of wind moved the dreadlocks and formed a whirlwind of petals on the secondary path.
- Never leave this road. It is a safe way. The others are full of traps.
- Traps? Why?
- For intruders.
- But nobody knows about this place.
- Humans don't know it. But Mobians have always known about the island. Many tried to come here and steal the Master Emerald, long ago.
- So the traps have been there since the Eggman era?
- Yes. But I've always kept them with care. They are all active and operating.
Nadia looked once more at the path, and the two went on walking side by side.
Because of the perspective, it was impossible to notice the void that separated small flowers from the further blackberry bushes: a deep hole, bristling with spikes and full of bones.
- Why don't you want anyone on your island?
- It's not a place to live.
- It seems to me a paradise.
- And this must remain.
They walked the rest of the way in silence until they reached the top of a hill. There the trees were more distant from each other, fine and young, on a carpet of sparse grass and moss. The stream that Nadia had seen was born there, in a sapphire-colored lake, surrounded by a few collapsed marble columns. But what struck the human were the creatures intent on playing near the water. They were squat and plump like rag dolls, almost all blue, with a golden pom pom on their heads and small wings like fairies.
Knuckles placed the baskets on the grass and approached the creatures who, as they saw him, rose and surrounded him as if to greet him.
Nadia realized that she had heard the guardian laugh for the first time. A genuine and sincere laugh.
Then one of the creatures noticed it. It was like the others, but it had a red bow tie around its neck.
- Cha-chao! - He exclaimed, flying towards her.
Nadia took a step back. The little creature tilted her head - Cha-chao! - He repeated, fluttering around her.
Nadia smiled - Emh, hi?
- Cha-Cha! Cha-Chao Chao! - whatever he said, the little creature seemed enthusiastic, to the point that he clung to the human's head.
Having noticed their curious friend, the others followed him, leaving Knuckles perplexed to observe the scene.
- You seem to be nice to Cheese. - comment.
The little creature on Nadia's head leapt down and flew towards Knuckles, while the rest of them returned to scatter around the clearing.
- What are they? - Nadia asked.
- They're Chaos. And they usually don't come close to anyone. - He replied, looking her seriously, almost as if he suspected who knows what.
She smiled - I'm lucky then. - looked around, in the clearing full of little creatures - What is a Chao?
- A direct and sentient emanation of the ancestral energy of chaos.
Nadia blinked - What?
The guardian shrugged - What I said.
- Oh - she said, stroking the head of one of the little creatures - Why don't they come near anyone?
- They are pure creatures, born from the energy that gave birth to the Emeralds, which still pervades the planet and binds every living thing. They can't stand places or creatures contaminated by waste or wickedness. - the echidna turned, taking a few steps towards the lake - Once they occupied the still uncontaminated places of the planet, near sources of pure water. People called those places Chao Garden. - he observed his reflection in the water, with Cheese sticking out from behind his shoulder - With the development of the metropolises, those places disappeared one by one. This is the only place where they still manage to survive.
Knuckles distributed the fruit to the Chaos and then sat on a fallen column, wetting his feet in the pond.
Nadia observed the ruins and only then noticed the statue.
- Who is she?
- Her name was Tikal. She was a guardian like me, and she was my ancestor too. His conscience now rests within the Master Emerald, with the other guardians.
- Do guardians end up in the Emerald Master after death?
- So said the elders. They become part of the energy they protected in life and their spirits roam the island along with it, guiding the new guardians.
Nadia thought about those words - And can you hear them?
The guardian shook his head. - No. But I know They're always with me.
Nadia was saddened. Despite those words, he could almost feel the deep solitude of the echidna.
Being the last of your kind had to suck.
She changed the subject.
- Why does that chao have a bow tie?
Knuckles seemed to revive himself, abandoning the sad and thoughtful expression. - You mean Cheese? Well he once had a Mobian friend named Cream. It was she who put it. Cheese lived with her until - he broke off, leaving the sentence incomplete, and stood up. Cheese felt his sadness and landed on his shoulder, trilling "Chao Chao" and managing to snatch a smile from him.
Nadia smiled in turn. - She must have been a good person if a Chao lived with her.
- Yes, Cream was. - Knuckles said, stroking Cheese. - Her soul was wonderful.
Nadia didn't know what to say. She watched Knuckles caress Cheese's head, with those hands wrapped in fabric and leather laces, which lead uncovered the fearsome spikes capable of crushing the stone. - I'm sorry - she said.
- Don't be sorry. This is how it works when you are immortal. Now come ba- he stopped and Cheese stiffened in his grasp. He escaped the guardian and went to Nadia.
Knuckles had his teeth bared in a snarl. The red fur was straight on his back and arms.
- What's up?
- Something wrong.
Nadia looked around, but it seemed all right. Chaos also played quietly.
- Go back home. - Knuckles said. - You know the path.
- And you're not coming?
- I have to check something. - he said, then turned to the ruins, growling low. - Come on, go!
Nadia took the empty baskets and hurried. As soon as she turned the corner, Knuckles hurriedly disappeared into the greenery.
Nadia emerged from behind a tree, looking in the direction Knuckles had taken.
Not this time, master. If you don't want to teach me, I will learn from myself.
She left the baskets and ran on the path taken by Knuckles.
With the longer stride and the echidna's speed, lower than Sonic and Shadow's, Nadia managed to keep up with him and emerged shortly after him in a large clearing occupied by a step pyramid.
At the top of the pyramid, there was the largest emerald Nadia had ever seen, surrounded by seven columns with smaller gems on top.
One of the columns was empty.
- That must be the Master Emerald. It's huge. - Nadia murmured. In human society, that gem had to have an incalculable value.
- You followed me! - the echidna cried, giving her back. How had he noticed it? She was well hidden.
- Get out of those bushes. I know you are there. I feel it.
How had he done it? Nadia came out and looked at him - How did you see me?
The echidna didn't reply. He was furious.
He didn't see me. I'm sure. And he couldn't hear the rustling, because he was running too. So how did he do it?
- Disobeying me isn't wise, little girl. Not in times like this. - he proceeded to the ziggurat and pressed one of the stones, pushing it back.
A trap door in the ground opened and a pillar emerged with an iron structure over it that enclosed a purple sphere.
- Since you're here now, watch the emerald. I'll be back soon. - he touched the sphere and disappeared within a ray of light. Here's what it was: a strange teleportation model.
I'm not staying here!
She was there to learn, to improve herself. Not to stand guard and left behind.
She touched the sphere and disappeared within the ray of light.
