Guardian

by yasha012

I used to want to save existence... I saw it as this beautiful place, capable of fostering life in all of its many forms. A place with the potential to nurture so much Light. But the closer I got to it... the more I fought for it… the better I could see the Darkness waiting within… the evil we would all rather forget. (Part 4 of the Hero series; sequel to "Eternal Shadow Falls".)

140. Memory Lane

Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this emotional time… especially for the ones who are a bit lost in time.

~保護者~

"Memory Lane"

~保護者~

By the time Toru returned to Shadow's home, Lia was fast asleep. Shadow had put her back in his bed and returned to the couch since then. At some point, Soren had gone to join him. The two of them were quietly talking with each other when Toru arrived. Seeing Toru, Soren grew quiet and quickly looked away. He looked ready to find an excuse to leave, too, but a quiet word from his father calmed the teen enough to convince him to stay.

Toru noticed the action from Soren, but ultimately decided it best to not question the boy on it. He didn't want to accidentally bring some serious topic up so suddenly after he was revived. So, he took a glance over to Shadow and raised an eyebrow. "When was the last time you went to see your mom?"

Shadow frowned at him briefly. It was the most open expression of confusion he'd ever show. "...Why?" he asked in return.

The man shrugged lightly. "You haven't seen her in a while. It would be good to keep in touch with her."

At this point, Soren spoke up. "Nana is still around?"

"Yes. She is. But she has been resting." Speaking to Toru again, Shadow added, "She needs to continue resting. Disturbing her repeatedly isn't desirable."

"Don't you think it would do you both good to sit down and talk?" Toru questioned in return. "She would probably also like to know about Lia and Soren."

Soren spoke up a second time, clearly not willing to let Shadow say no. "C'mon, I want to see her. Please? Lia and I will behave. If she starts getting bored or something, I'll play with her so she doesn't climb all over you guys. Please?"

It was at this moment that Shadow was firmly reminded of one thing. He is far too skilled at begging incessantly for things. Huffing, he waved a hand to silence his son… and promptly gave in. "Fine, Soren. I get it, already." The younger hedgehog grinned at him. Brat.

The chameleon chuckled softly. "It would be a good idea, regardless."

"I'll go get Lia," Soren volunteered, popping up off of the couch and hurrying off down the hall, giving Shadow no time to refuse. Not that he'd intended to at this point, but even so.

Crimson eyes shifted to look at Toru once more. "Any particular reason for the sudden insistence?" Shadow asked him.

Toru shrugged. "Randomly thought about it, honestly."

Though he huffed at him, Shadow ultimately just got up and grabbed his communicator from off of the armrest. "I assume you intend to stay behind this time."

"Yeah. I still have some stuff to handle, and I may need a new blade. I've had this thing for entirely too long, and I'm not sure how much longer it'll last," the chameleon answered.

Normally, Shadow's suspicious nature would have led to further questioning. That didn't happen this time. He merely shrugged and accepted Toru's answer as the truth without seeking any additional confirmation. "Fine. Just tell me if you leave so I can secure the house."

"I'll probably just head out whenever you do. As soon as you leave, you can go ahead and secure things," Toru explained. Shadow nodded his understanding.

Right about that moment, Soren returned with Lia asleep in his arms. Shadow took her from him just as Soren asked, "When are we leaving?"

"Now, apparently," Shadow shrugged. Then he warned sternly, "There is another person there. Do not bother him with rapid-fire questions. He has far more important matters to focus on."

Gray eyes blinked in surprise. "R-right. Understood." Satisfied, Shadow used his newfound Darkness (which he had been somewhat practicing with during Toru's occasional absences) to teleport away, taking both kids with him.

Toru waited a moment before quickly searching Shadow's room, specifically the nightstand for Shadow's handguns. They were both sitting there, sure enough. The one with the small bit of damage Espio had mentioned was actually sitting the closest to the bed, making it the easiest to reach in the event of a night attack or something. The chameleon didn't hesitate to snatch it and teleport away, returning to where he'd hidden his tools in the highlands to begin his work.

~保護者~

As the blinding Light and soothing warmth faded away, a man found himself resting on his hands and knees staring into the lush grass between his fingers. Blinking once, he refocused his vision, only to catch himself squinting at the bright glinting of something resting just within the corner of his vision. Turning his head, he caught himself frowning. My crown? ...Impossible. It was melted by that thing when-

There was another flash of light. Temporarily blinded, he sat back on his feels and fumbled for the ornate silvery metal he'd once symbolically worn on his head. Purely out of habit, he placed it back where it was meant to go and stood, the metal of his armor faintly clinking as he did so. His whole body was covered, aside from his head, neck, wrists, and hands. His heavy, two-handed sword rested at his hip, just like it always had. Somehow, he had been made whole again. And yet, something was still missing.

Her.

Able to see anew, he turned in the direction of the latest anomaly of the day. He saw nothing there. A dark-furred ear flicked faintly when he picked up on the sound of rustling in the bushes. It was his best bet at the moment. As such, he walked in that direction. A tangle of leaves and branches met him as soon as he arrived, but he pushed through it all undeterred. Once through, he found himself within the very edge of the dense woodlands he had awakened outside of mere minutes before. Still seeing no one, he cautiously rested a hand on his weapon and called out, "Seiko?"

A hedgehog only some couple of tints brighter in color emerged, brushing herself off along with her armored dress. She was by no means adorned with the same amount of covering as her partner, though. Her own thin silvery crown caught the dim light from above and gave a faint sparkle."I must say, this is an incredibly curious situation," Seiko murmured, emerald eyes scanning the area. "It seems we have both been returned."

Her partner nodded slowly. His own somewhat darker green eyes glanced about, equal parts curious and concerned. This may be enemy territory. But there is no way of identifying the ruling clan or kingdom from here. Returning his attention to Seiko, he said, "It appears so. We need to determine where we are."

Seiko set a hand on her blade, the mysterious weapon shrouded with an energy that kept it hidden. "I am not aware of this area at all," she murmured. "It is not somewhere that I believe we have been."

"It is unfamiliar," Satsuno agreed. "It would be wise to leave. Our mere presence here could spark yet another war if we are not careful. We do not know who rules these particular lands."

"Let us move," Seiko said, already beginning to lead the way.

Satsuno immediately followed after her, leaving the trees behind again in short order. Once they were back out in the open, it was immediately apparent just how much he did not recognize this region at all. I have never been here before. But how is that possible? We thought we had been everywhere…

Seiko was quick to wave a hand in the air before her, letting herself feel everything before finally coming to the same conclusion. "We are not where we once were. Are we able to return home directly?"

He tried to teleport. He really, truly did. But when that failed, he immediately came to a very grim conclusion. "We cannot… teleport somewhere that no longer exists. I do not know how, but it is gone. Try it for yourself and see."

The woman did so and her eyes widened a margin. "Oh, that is unpleasant. We may be required to speak to a local and gain insight as to where we are."

More than unpleasant. Improbable. Unless that beast razed everything to the ground, the castle should remain. What happened? Shaking his head slowly, Satsuno stretched his senses. "There is an extraordinarily dense population further south… but it is far from us."

Seiko frowned before heading south quietly. "We will get nothing done sitting still. Let us be on our way."

As impossible as it was to teleport somewhere one had never been, Satsuno resigned himself to walking. Running would be a touch cumbersome in his armor, after all. As satisfying as it would have been to simply stretch his legs and enjoy the wind for the first time in so long… But that train of thought ended when he saw a streak of bright blue in the distance. Not unlike the streaks he and Seiko would leave behind when travelling at speed. What in the…?

Seiko frowned and shifted, hand gripping her sword's hidden handle tightly. "I assume you saw."

"...Yes," Satsuno answered slowly. "There are others who can run the way we can? How is this possible?"

"Should we give chase?" Seiko asked. "Perhaps they have answers."

Satsuno gave that some thought. "Perhaps they do. However, giving chase will not work well. In the time it takes to shed my armor, that person will be gone. Drawing them to us may be a better plan."

"Understood." Seiko unsheathed her blade, the weapon suddenly emitting a bright beam of light into the air. "Surely they will notice."

Sure enough, the streak of light stopped moving. Then it vanished. Then a young man suddenly appeared before them, cautiously holding onto the handle of a large sword. His fur wasn't too much lighter than Seiko's, overall. His hair was very similar to Satsuno's, too. But what proved to be the most striking were the eyes. Emerald green. Just like hers.

The younger hedgehog looked back and forth between them, a mixture of emotions playing through his expression. "Who… Who are you guys?"

"My name is Seiko," the woman answered. "Who are you?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow. "You seem to be thinking of something. What is it?"

He glanced between the pair again, his eyes wide. "Seiko?" he demanded. "That's- You're her?"

Satsuno stepped forward, not liking the younger man's sudden excitability. Or, more accurately, his own inability to determine straight away whether it constituted a threat or not. "She is," he confirmed simply.

Swallowing hard, the stranger replied, "I'm… Sonic. It's, uh, Senzan in the old language. Uh, that is, your language. I think, anyway. It's been a long time since I've spoken it." Appearing to realize he was rambling, he promptly clamped his mouth shut.

Seiko clicked her tongue loudly, as if to draw his attention. "Sir, what clan or kingdom inhabits these lands? I sorely hate to admit it, but I believe we are lost."

Sonic shook his head slowly. "There aren't any," he revealed to her. "There haven't been any in ages."

A strong frown grew on her face. "What do you mean?"

"There haven't been any rulers or anything like that since before I was born," Sonic explained. "You guys… you were the last ones."

It only worsened and she practically glared. "How long has it been, in that case?"

When Sonic faltered, Satsuno spoke again. "You do not know?"

This earned a sigh. "...No. I don't. I'm sorry."

Seiko's expression and words softened, understanding that this wasn't something he could reasonably answer. "I see. It has been a long time in that case, correct?"

"A very long time," Sonic confirmed. "I only know how long it's been since I died, not you two. I was brought back the same way you guys were, but I died way after your time had come and gone. That's really… all I can tell you about that."

"Do you know of anyone that may know?" Seiko asked far more gently.

"Erm… well…" Sonic trailed off. After a moment, he seemed to steel his nerves and outright asked, "Are you the parents of Kaden? In the ancient language your people sometimes spoke, his name would have been Kathal." Satsuno promptly froze up, his mind unhelpfully choosing to run a blank for a moment.

Seiko immediately spoke, unwilling to allow herself to freeze up. "Kathal? You… He is alive. You know him?"

Sonic took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah… he is. And I do. He's… Well, I'm just gonna be blunt. He's my dad."

The woman blinked several times, now taking her turn to fall silent. You… What?

Satsuno finally forced himself to react. "The few times we spoke to him as spirits… times were dire. He could see us, but we could not clearly see him. And… there was no time for happy reunions. He could never have had the chance to tell us he fathered a son. This is… a lot to take in."

Seiko frowned. "Where is he?"

Once more, Sonic hesitated. "Erm… how long ago was it that you two were last able to contact him? What was he… like?"

His concerns were apparent. Satsuno suspected he knew why. "We lent our strength to him," he murmured, "to prevent Amnikaribah from fully taking him over. He reached out in desperation for our aid. We did what we could. We know what the result was."

With some of his fears eased, Sonic looked away. His ears were lowered. "He's still… No, he's gotten worse. But… some part of him is still him. We're trying to find a way to fully bring him back. Part of our efforts to do that was trapping him. He's still in that trap, far to the north. But… seeing him right now may not be the best of ideas. He's been pretty calm lately, and we want to keep it that way. Just in case."

Seiko didn't like that answer, not at all. However, it had some merit. "Fine, then. Instead, could you aid us in learning these lands? We are far removed from understanding."

"Yeah… I can do that. I got an updated map and all…" Sonic fiddled with the odd bracelet on his wrist, then asked, "Um… is it okay to approach you? I don't really… know what ancient etiquette is or anything."

With a wave of his hand, Satsuno invited him over. "Family need not ask permission… even if we have only just met."

The younger male nodded slightly and inched closer. "Okay, so… I know it's pretty small, but this map is of the whole region. It's not going to be anything you knew, though. Those floating lands you and your people used to live on is gone. It was blown to bits when I was a kid. Some bits and pieces of it are still around, but mostly… everything down here is just the stuff that was always underneath your homelands."

Seiko looked at this quietly in vague confusion, not sure what to make of what she was seeing. "I see."

"This is the Land of Darkness?" Satsuno asked, a touch incredulous. "Those lands were a barren wasteland. It is why no one expanded their territories down into them."

"It used to be, yeah," Sonic agreed. "It was mostly like that when I was a kid, too. There were some trees and plants by then, though. As for how it got to be like this… I don't fully understand it, either. My best guess is that the same energy that blew apart South Island while also sparing pieces of it… maybe it also gave this area life, somehow? But I'm not really sure about that." He lowered his arm, thinking rapidly, then said, "...I've got a brother. Erm, well, half-brother. His house is ridiculously safe, most of the time. If you want, we can go there for a little while until we come up with a better plan?"

The woman frowned, but ultimately nodded. "If that is what you believe to be the best course of action."

"It's the best thing I can think of." Sonic then seemed to think of something and he smiled a little. "Fair warning, there's a little girl there and a somewhat shy teenager. They're his kids. So… congrats on being great-grandparents?"

Seiko blinked a few times before letting out a soft sigh. "I see." She didn't seem to be upset or disappointed. It appeared to be more of her struggling to come to terms with it.

"Come on," Sonic invited. "We can teleport there. I'm guessing you guys know how to do that?" Satsuno nodded slowly. "Great. Let's go, then." He vanished.

Satsuno hesitated a moment. He glanced at Seiko. "What are your thoughts?"

"He is unlike us, so I believe we are well out of our league in that this is well beyond our time. It would be best for us to learn, especially because he will be able to lead us to our child," Seiko answered her partner gently.

"Hn." With this murmured agreement, Satsuno teleported after their apparent grandson. Seiko followed suit, her hand remaining on the handle of her blade.

They reappeared just as Sonic was climbing the few steps leading to the front door. He glanced back at them once, then turned back around and knocked. No response initially came. "'Ey, you alive in there?"

This strange question earned a reply, for some reason. And an insult Satsuno actually recognized from their language. "Tosho. Obviously I'm alive." The door swung open and crimson eyes glared. "Moron."

Seiko cast a vague glance to Satsuno (who returned it blankly), the faintest of smirks on her face. I like this one.

The other hedgehog peered over Sonic's shoulder, then muttered to him in undertone (not really caring whether or not he was heard, it seemed), "Who the hell did you drag here this time?"

"Would you believe it's family?" Sonic tried. All he got for that was a dry, unimpressed look. He sighed. "Alright, alright. We can explain more once we're inside, okay?"

"...Fine." The door was opened a touch wider. Sonic's brother walked out of their way and, also, out of sight for the moment. Sonic sighed again and went in.

"Your thoughts?" Seiko questioned Satsuno as she began to follow the two, her hand finally leaving the weapon at her waist.

"He does remind me of you and I, in some ways," Satsuno admitted after a slight pause. "Both of them do."

"I suppose so," Seiko added, dragging him along due to a sudden desire to learn more about them.

The door shut itself automatically behind them. Satsuno quickly turned to look at it, equal parts surprised and confused. He'd sensed no magic whatsoever. What-

A small voice in a nearby room interrupted his thoughts. "Can I go play now? It was so boring there! But seeing nana was lots of fun. I missed her. So can I go play?" The child got a quiet answer in response and, a second later, a faint crimson blur darted down the hall and into a different room.

Seiko, having ignored the door in favor of not allowing herself to be caught off guard, gave a small smile at the sound. Ah, a child. Adorable.

Once this commotion had calmed down, Sonic poked his head out of the room the child had run out of. "Hey, there are seats in here. It'll be more comfortable to talk sitting down." Satsuno huffed under his breath, but went ahead and walked in there.

"I have a question," Seiko stated, following them with little hesitation.

"Sure," Sonic invited, taking a seat. "What is it?"

Seiko herself took a seat, frowning. "You mentioned safety. What is occurring?"

"A war," Sonic sighed. "We've been dealing with… a lot, lately. Demons, a power-hungry Immortal-killer… that sort of thing. We're doing our best to fix things, but it's not been going especially well."

Ignoring the fact that he'd never known that Immortals were anything more than legends, Satsuno was quick to reply. "You have been fighting demons?"

Sonic winced. "Yeah. Like I said… Dad's gotten a lot worse from how he used to be. Amnikaribah is gone because of him. From what I've heard, he killed it in revenge for being forced into servitude and all that, since that's how demons behave and he was one of them. But it backfired, because doing that worsened the corruption and now he's the one in charge. So… we've been fighting against him, too. But only… only because we want to stop him and bring him back."

"I see," Seiko murmured. "I must say I did not fully expect or enjoy hearing this, but it certainly explains a lot."

"Yeah. It was hard for me to find out, too," Sonic said. "But we've managed to take a lot of important steps toward helping him. He's contained right now, which means he's not causing any harm anymore and we can go straight to him once we know how to purify him."

"Have you made any progress in learning how to do so?" Seiko questioned, not exactly intending for it to sound like an accusation.

"Thankfully… yeah," Sonic told her. "I visited with mom maybe a day or two ago, and she's potentially got our best hope in her possession." He paused, thinking, then asked, "Mostly, it was Tokarians with Darkness or no powers who populated your kingdom, right? But you did know of the tribes of Light-users to the north of your castle?"

Satsuno blinked once. "Yes. We were more than aware of them. We were close allies with the tribes, their leaders, and their healers. In some ways, we were more friends than mere allies."

That made Sonic smile. "That's really good to hear. See… my mom is a Light user. A powerful one, at that. Did you ever hear the stories about the Nocturne Clan, and the being of Light who gave his life to seal them away?" Satsuno inclined his head. "She's his direct descendant. That was her great-grandfather."

"Where are you going with this?" Satsuno asked him, frowning a degree.

"Her whole family is tied directly to the first being of Light," Sonic further explained. "That person is the most powerful source of Light there is, outside of the realm of Light itself. She left a few crystals of her power with someone we know. Most were used up, but my mom possibly has the last one. She had to use a small portion of it to heal herself, but the rest she's saving to try and use on dad. When I talked to her, she said she's planning to go to him in the next day or so."

Seiko let out a soft sigh, shaking her head lightly as she thought. "Do you believe it has a possibility of working?"

"I think so," Sonic murmured. "She's brought him back from the brink before in other situations where Darkness threatened to overwhelm him. I think she can do it."

"I will attempt to hold onto the same hope you have," the woman murmured in response. "It seems to be the best plan currently known."

Sonic did his best to offer a small smile. "Yeah. For now, it's the best we've got. In the meantime, though, if there are any other questions you have, Shadow and I can try to answer them."

Seiko knew she had been speaking quite a lot since they were both revived, so she shifted her attention to Satsuno. "Do you have any questions for our… grandchildren?" Satsuno waved a hand for her to go first as he tried to gather his thoughts. The woman let out another sigh before turning to Sonic. "I have sensed a number of things that defy what I understood in my life within this home. It does not operate on magic, nor does it seem to have a specific energy coursing through it. What is it?"

"Technology," Sonic shrugged. "You guys had some technology back then that was powered through magic, but these days it's powered by electricity. You know, the same power that the fox clans used to harness."

"To think that they might have advanced this far," Seiko commented gently. "I always had a fondness for their capabilities, though I did not always understand what they said."

"Dad really likes technology, too," Sonic said, his smile growing a bit. "He's always built and worked on machines for as long as we've known each other."

Satsuno picked up on the wording and frowned again, thinking about what that might mean. Before long, he found himself asking about it. "What did you mean by that?" Shadow, for his part, opted to continue being silent.

"Huh? ...Oh. I didn't mean to say it like… Okay, so very long story short, he and my mom died once before trying to save the planet from a giant monster named Dark Gaia. I was an infant at the time, and so didn't know them. They got revived when I was an adult, and got to know each other then." Sonic sighed to himself. "It was such a crazy mess at the time that I try not to think about it too much."

"So, for a portion of your life, you were also on your own without your parents?" Seiko questioned lightly.

"Basically, yeah," Sonic shrugged. "But not for all of it. Dad's childhood friend, Locke, met me when I was ten. He took care of me for a while. I met other people who played somewhat similar roles throughout the years, too, but no one ever did as much as he did."

Seiko murmured some sort of vague apology in their language. "I wish that would have not been the case. It is undesirable for you to have been separated from your parents."

Understanding full well where she was coming from, Sonic accepted her sympathies without argument. "Yeah, it wasn't the best thing. It did work out in the end, though. I'm grateful for that. They got to be in my life, even if not the whole time, you know?"

"That much is true," she agreed. "You were fortunate in that regard."

Sonic pursed his lips together. He thought deeply for a moment before murmuring, "You know… dad told me once that I found out who you guys were when he was a teenager. He wanted so badly to go and meet you, but… in the end he admitted he grew fearful and wound up leaving without ever following through. He also said that he kept looking back, though. Because, as nervous as he was… he always did want to know you two. I just wanted you to know that. When he's himself again… he won't be upset to see you. Not at all."

Seiko's eyes darkened a little, but she turned her gaze away and fell quiet. The thought that they had once been so close to meeting their son hurt. Perhaps if they hadn't been in their positions at the time, maybe it would have been easier. She unintentionally flinched and let out a long, deep sigh. "I see…" Her tone was strained as she attempted to keep herself calm. "I will remember that. Thank you."

He shook his head. "Don't blame yourself, though. For any of it. The people who 'raised' him… they're the ones to blame for all of it. Including the false stories he'd heard about you both. What's important is that you two never stopped caring about him, never stopped searching, and he eventually did learn the truth. And you guys established enough trust with him even after death for him to specifically reach out to you when he knew he needed help. You did nothing wrong at any point. He knows it, and so do we. So try not to beat yourself up too much."

Seiko stood, rubbing at her eyes quickly with a nod. She couldn't bring herself to speak, as the emotions suddenly overwhelmed her. Instead, she walked out of the room to collect herself, attempting to not cry at the first meeting between herself and her grandchildren. Satsuno watched her go, debating the merits of following after her. Ultimately, he decided to give her some space. He himself wanted space to think over everything they'd just been told, but he understood that this wasn't really ideal at the moment. He could have his own time to wrap his mind around all of this later on.

There was just so much to try and take in...

~保護者~

Shortly after the chaos of breakfast had calmed down and most everyone had gone about their day, there was a soft knocking at Tails's door. Normally, Tails himself would have answered it. With him still down in his workshop, Silver would ordinarily have gotten it for him. But with him, Blaze, Knuckles, and Rouge all in the woods nearby for some impromptu training, that really only left one person to hear and respond to whoever had come by. Namely, Kira.

Hesitantly, seeing that everyone around was missing for various reasons, the weasel shifted toward the door and very carefully opened it a crack. "I… uh… hello? Who's there?"

Standing at the door was a perfectly peaceful looking Babylonian woman. Her whole being exuded a sense of calm and ease that couldn't be ignored. Seeing Kira, her head canted to the side very slightly. "Are you Kira? I heard that I might find you here."

Kira blinked a few times, tilting her head as well. "Well- yeah. That's me." She frowned. "You didn't come all the way from my little gardening area, did you? I'm so sorry if you did. I came here to see a friend." She was genuinely a touch upset by this idea, opening the door a bit further.

The other woman smiled just a bit and shook her head. "Do not apologize. That is not why I came. I came to offer you my aid. It has come to my attention that you possess a power that, if utilized properly, can prove very useful in this war. Whether you intend to fight, however, or merely defend your own life at home… Either way, I wish to teach you what I can."

"O-oh! You don't have to do that," Kira said, shaking her head. "I'm just not great at fighting to begin with. I don't want to waste your time."

"You have potential," came the gentle insistence. "Everyone does. You are no exception to that. However, this is not a gift that I will force upon you. If you truly do not wish to accept it, I will understand."

Kira glanced back toward where the workshop was and frowned. "Wery joined in on this war and has been helping out. I… I want to be able to help too."

"Is this a decision you are comfortable with, then?" the woman asked her. "It is not one to be made lightly. It saddens me to say it, but lives have been lost throughout the course of this conflict. They will continue to be lost for some time. That is the risk you carry, if you choose to walk this path."

"I think so," the weasel answered lightly. "I want to do this. I've seen enough people around me die, and… well… I get that it won't stop until this is all over."

The woman inclined her head. "That is a very courageous answer, young one. Please, then. Accept my offering, and my apology. I cannot do more for you now. It is my hope that this will prove to be enough." She raised her palm toward Kira's forehead. Wispy, aura-like energy flowed from her hand and into Kira, bringing all of the desired knowledge with it. By the time it had finished mere seconds later, the woman was gone. Almost as if she had never existed to begin with.

...Am I crazy? Kira asked herself, shifting around quickly to try and find where the Babylonian had gone. The weasel very quickly hurried off toward the workshop and threw the door open. "Tails, Wery!"

The male fox was the first to jump, yelping a bit as he did so. The screwdriver he'd been holding was promptly dropped and skittered across the floor. "Oh, jeez!" he exclaimed. "Kira, you scared me! What's wrong?"

Kira gesticulated without coherent words before taking a second and speaking properly. "There was this woman here that was talking to me, she used energy by my head, and vanished. I don't know what's happening!"

At a loss, Tails just sort of stared. "...Huh?"

"I know!" Kira exclaimed, streams of water flowing off her body in response to the emotion.

"Uh… Wery? Assistance?" Tails tentatively asked, turning his head to the other fox in mild dismay. "I have no idea what's going on."

Wery seemed just as, if not more, dumbfounded by this whole situation and sat in utter silence. Kira groaned softly and her entire body shook for a moment so she could focus and prevent the water from flowing too much. "I have no idea either…"

Tails turned back to Kira. "Can you… try to explain a bit more?"

Kira let out a frustrated sigh, not understanding it herself. "I… she showed up and was talking to me about if I wanted to fight in this war. I said yeah, and all of a sudden I know how to do various stuff in combat with my water?"

Once more at a total loss, Tails just sort of gaped at her. "Uh… ...Yeah… I really have no idea."

"So… you just suddenly know how to fight with it?" Wery questioned.

"Yeah," Kira answered. "It's weird."

"That," Tails decreed, "makes no sense. But stuff like this rarely does, so…" He trailed off with a shrug.

Wery shrugged. "Seen weirder… but I guess that it's okay as long as nothing bad happened?" Tails nodded his agreement slowly, deciding to go with his usual cautious optimism for now.

Kira let out a soft sigh and leaned against a wall. "So weird stuff like this is normal for you guys?"

Tails blinked. "Uh… no. No, it is not."

"So, this is extra weird?" Kira dared to ask.

"Yup," Tails confirmed matter-of-factly.

Kira nodded slowly, chuckling nervously. "Great… just… great."

"Hey, don't panic." Tails tossed her a comforting smile. "I've got people I can talk to about this. One of them is bound to know what happened."

"I hope so," Kira answered, chuckling again. "This is… well, confusing."

"Oh, absolutely," Tails agreed. "But I don't think it's worth stressing over. Your experience doesn't sound bad in any way."

Kira had to think about this for a moment before ultimately shrugging. "Fair enough I suppose…"

Tails turned to her with a grin. "So, come on, spill the beans. I'm dying to know. What can you do with your water now?"

"Well…" Kira took a moment and gathered the water that had begun flowing off her body earlier into a large ball. "I suppose it's mostly just the same stuff I could already do, but more focused on hitting things?"

That earned her a small laugh. "That's one way to put it, sure."

"Do you know anything specific?" Wery dared to ask.

Rather than answer with words this time, Kira took a moment and carefully moved a hand, turning the mass of water into a lengthy blade of sorts that hovered in the air. "I… think I could cut things with this? I'm not sure though. It's water, after all."

Without warning, Tails pointed to a tall mech sitting off a ways to their left. "Try cutting through that. I've been meaning to scrap it, anyway. It won't matter how much you do or don't damage it."

Kira moved a touch closer and looked at it for a moment before shifting forward and bringing the blade of water down onto the mech, cutting a remarkable distance through some of the metal before the blade was stopped and broke apart to reform on the other side. "Holy… I can… do that?"

"The joys of powers," Tails smiled. "Never underestimate 'em."

"Anything else?" Wery asked.

"Mostly basic things," Kira said. "Just being able to blast against things with it, gathering it into a large mass and making like, waves similar to those on the beach." She thought for a moment before adding, "but a bit bigger."

"Sounds like you were taught all the fundamental basics," Tails mused. "Well, we can improve upon those one of these days. That friend I have, the one with the nature powers? One of those powers is water. He can teach you some more about your abilities sometime."

Kira smiled a little. "I'd really appreciate it, if he's willing."

"I can ask him," Tails promised. "He's busy a lot, though. It might take him a while to get around to it."

The weasel smiled further. "In any case, I might go find the others and see if I can train with them. I'm sure talking to people who know about fighting could be really useful."

"Sounds like a plan," Tails said. "They didn't wander off too far, since that can be dangerous out here, so you should be able to catch up with them easily."

Wery nodded with a smile. "Be safe, Kira. We'll see you guys when you get back."

"I will," Kira answered, turning to head back out of the workshop and seek out the others she had just recently met. She had work to do.

~保護者~

Sein needed rest. He knew it. Alana knew it. Kath knew it. No one had disturbed him since he'd gone to bed the night before. Kath had made very, very certain of that. None were permitted to wake the younger hawk for any reason right now. There was no emergency, Lucas was easily cared for by both the nanny and (when necessary) Kath, things were generally calm… so there was no reason for it at all. But, unluckily for Sein, a certain distant being didn't appear to have gotten the memo.

"I apologize for the disturbance, young one," the voice of Eona murmured in his head, "but I ask that you wake. Someone is returning to life who you simply must go see."

The man's sleep had been light at best, due to his inability to properly rest due to so much being on his mind. "Someone else is being revived…? Who-" The hawk pushed himself to stand from the bed and rubbed at his eyes. Damn. They were right. I'm tired.

"Please, go to the location I have shared with you," Eona replied softly. "All will be revealed there."

"You guys have to be so cryptic," he grumbled lightly before teleporting away where Eona wished for him to be.

The location turned out to quite some distance away. Out here was a vast wilderness, but a very unique kind. The mountain he was now on was covered with pillars of crystal as large as trees. Each was a different fantastic color, ranging from red to purple to clear to green and everything in between. Light refracted brightly through this dense forest of gemstone, heralding the return of someone's life nearby. Sein walked for a moment, taking a look around quietly before focusing on where the Light was coming from.

Just beyond where he had been standing, a woman appeared mid-air. She caught herself and gently floated down to land on her feet on the stone ground. Somehow, he outfit was the very same as it had been the day she had died. She wore a white tank top-esque shirt with very thin shoulder straps that didn't cover her stomach. The capris she wore were white as well, but with shimmering green flame adornments to match the flame markings each Rogue bore on their arms. Despite being thin and delicate in their design, her sandals showed no signs of wear. Her hair reached to the middle of her back, with bangs swept to the side to cover her left eye. Those eyes were a perfect shade of blue, and her feathers… emerald green.

It took some long couple of moments for Sein to really take this in, blurting out, "What the hell?" He then suddenly took a moment and really thought about it, his eyes widening. "Laralei!" he shouted, tackle-hugging the woman with an extreme burst of happiness.

Just as it had taken him a second to fully register what had happened, it took her the same amount of time. Maybe even a few seconds more. But when everything clicked back into place for the most part, she slowly hugged him back. "Sein," she said slowly, looking around, "what is going on? Where are we?"

"Don't ask a ton of questions, I need to show you something," Sein said, grabbing Laralei by the wrists. "Please come with me."

Though still extremely confused, Laralei gradually gave in. "...Alright," she agreed. "Lead the way, then, my son."

Sein didn't hesitate, teleporting away with Laralei and appearing in the palace before dragging her to the observatory. "Hey! Come out here!" he yelled through the door.

A gruff howl from Azerel was the only answer. The wolf promptly phased through one of the doors, a clear indication that no one else was in there to open the door for him. Spying Laralei, he froze midstep, one paw still upraised. Laralei gaped at him, her eyes wide. Azerel… He's… He's alive… We thought him lost the same day we lost Kath…!

"Where is he?" Sein immediately asked Azerel. "Do you know?" Azerel blinked once and slowly started to move again. He tossed multiple glances back at Laralei before striding with some renewed confidence down the hall toward Kath's room. Once outside the door, he sat down and patiently waited. Sein had no such patience, rapidly knocking on the door before saying, "Oi! Come out here! You have to see this!"

After a couple seconds, the door opened. A clearly sleepy Kath rubbed at his eyes and grumbled irritably, "What the hell, Sein?"

"Open your eyes and look!" Sein replied excitedly with a wide grin. "Please. I promise it's not something stupid or a prank this time!"

"I fucking doubt-" The words died before they could even finish being spoken. Kath and Laralei stared at one another in utter shock, neither quite knowing what to say or do.

Sein's feet couldn't stay on the ground as he grinned. He then rushed off and returned suddenly, with no evident change visible. "I'm just as surprised as you guys!"

With no further warning, Laralei all but tackled Kath in a hug with so much force that he stumbled back a couple of steps as a result. She said something rapidly in a truly ancient dialect of Babylonian. Whatever she said to him, combined with the sudden hug, startled him out of his shock enough for him to hug her back and give a small reply. Laralei then mumbled into his shoulder, "How is this possible?"

"A lot of revivals," Sein answered, chuckling. "We've all been brought back at different times for various reasons."

Laralei gave Kath a small squeeze before reluctantly releasing him. She still knew full well how little he enjoyed physical contact most times. She spoke more to him this time when she asked her next question. "Where are we?"

After a small pause, Kath answered, "The people named it New Babylon. It is where we found ourselves after the disaster on the old world." That stunned her into renewed silence as this newfound knowledge clashed with everything she'd once thought she'd known about the results of that tragic day.

The pair wound up quietly conversing for a moment, trading facts and details with one another in an effort to get the full story pieced together once and for all. Laralei stopped in the middle of it quite suddenly, however, to whip around and face her son-in-law. "Sein, my daughter- The child…! Are they alright? Where are they?"

Sein's hand very gently gripped one of Laralei's. "Yeah. They're both okay. Alana is doing some research at the moment."

Laralei heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Thank goodness…

Sein looked between Kath and Laralei for a moment with a bright smile. "I… never expected for us all to see each other again like this."

"I don't think any of us did," Laralei agreed quietly. "This is… incredible."

anyone did," Laralei agreed with another sigh. "This is… incredible.""It is," Sein agreed wholly.

Closing her eyes and trying to relax, Laralei leaned against Kath a bit. Though still in shock and not usually one for hugs, Kath gently held her with one arm. She eventually spoke again, murmuring a soft question. Sein had told her once already, but she wanted the reassurance. "The child… He… lived?"

Sein nodded in response. "Yeah… His name is Jet. He's a powerful, intelligent, and kind Immortal. He's made a lot of good friends."

Laralei managed a small smile. "He is everything we ever hoped for, then…"

"And more, if you ask me," Sein added with a somehow growing smile.

"Is he elsewhere?" she asked him, a tinge of cautious hopefulness in her tone.

"Currently, yes." Sein let out a soft sigh. "It would probably be best for us to leave him alone for right now."

"I understand," was the reply. "I have waited this long. I can wait a while longer."

Sein offered her a smile. "I'll make sure you get to see him soon. He'd love to meet you."

Laralei nodded a little, a very small joyful tear sliding down her cheek. Kath decided to speak up again at that point, rather reluctantly letting go of her as he did so. "You should rest. Both of you. We can all speak more at a later time."

"I was trying, but this happened and I don't know if I can sleep anymore," Sein answered in a chuckle.

"Try," Kath instructed simply. "Alana will not forgive you if you do not." Apparently deciding to be helpful for once, Azerel crept up behind Sein and nipped the back of his knee sharply in some form of reprimand. Laralei nearly laughed.

"Hey! No teaming up on me!" Sein huffed, pulling himself a few steps away from Azerel in response.

Azerel nipped him again, and Kath smirked. "He is directing quite colorful language at you at the moment. Supposedly, you nearly stepped on his paw."

Laralei's eyes rolled. "Big baby."

"That's definitely not on me," Sein countered easily. "Tell him he needs to watch himself." He tossed a knowing glance at Azerel, a still bright grin on his face. Azerel bared his teeth, plainly annoyed.

That was the moment that Laralei chose to shoo Sein out of the room. "Alright, that is enough for now. Go sleep. Or at least try to."

Sein let out a soft sigh. "Alright, alright. I'll go." With his promise made, he teleported back to his room, presumably to do as she'd asked of him.

~保護者~

Utavi grumbled under her breath as she seamlessly appeared on the uninhabited world Ynder and Pyrun had chosen to remain on. Having to go anywhere at all while alone was vaguely annoying, but now she had to explain what was going on. The two noticed her quickly enough, luckily, and both stood to greet her. "Save your words. You're going to Mobius. Pyrun, you'll be working with the heroes to teach them to fight properly. Ynder, you have a few people you want to talk to. Get that done. Understood?"

The moment they both nodded, Utavi opted to simply teleport them to Mobius, following them shortly after as they all appeared directly in front of Sonic. The hedgehog in question was taking a bit of time to himself outside somewhere near Shadow's home. Needless to say, their abrupt arrival startled him quite badly and he jumped. Rather than let him speak, Utavi chose to speak up in his place. "Don't question a thing. I am here to give you something, and these two are here for their own purposes. Training, among other things, for you all. Listen to them well, understood?"

"Umm… I mean… okay?" Sonic stared at her incredulously, but not with any hint of suspicion or distrust. The energy she's giving off… it kind of reminds me of what it feels like every time Jet uses powerful Immortal abilities near me. So, is she…?

"Yes," Utavi confirmed, walking toward him. "Stop questioning things any further than that." The Erukti (she had disguised herself as Rusen and Aethra did, unbeknownst to him) grabbed his arm with a surprisingly careful grip and frowned. "I am going to give you something. Do not waste it. Is that understood?"

"...Yeah," Sonic replied, deciding it was best not to say anything further.

Utavi didn't waste any time in giving her gift of power to Sonic, pulling away once she was done. "You should be far more capable than you were. Try sparring with someone soon and figure out what you can do."

"Um… okay. I'll do what I can, I guess," Sonic agreed slowly.

"I expected you to question me further," Utavi murmured. "I suppose that you decided to listen as opposed to ignoring me. Somewhat against the odds." She then suddenly began walking away, attention focused on something else.

"I got the feeling you might be tempted to smack me if I didn't," Sonic grumbled. He thought about questioning her now, just in case she was focused on something that was amiss, but once more decided against it. She's one of them, after all… She'd be fine no matter what happened.

Utavi shrugged. "I might have. A friend of mine should be here soon. When you see her, listen to what she has to say. You may enjoy her presence more due to her being 'nicer'."

"You do yourself a disservice when you speak in such a manner, dear friend," another voice murmured. Sonic turned his head to see a Babylonian walking into view. "You are kind when you wish to be as well, and we both know it."

Sonic cautiously piped up again. "What's going on, exactly?"

The Babylonian made a small sound. "Utavi, did you not tell him?"

"I figured it would be best coming from you," Utavi answered. "You tend to explain things more clearly."

With a small shake of her head, the other woman told Sonic, "My name is Aethra. My friend came here to aid you in one way while I came to aid you in another. Her talents lie in strength, mine in knowledge. What she gave you was a gift, but it is not what you are thinking. She did not give you her strength. That is not something we are willing to do. However, you have always had incredible potential. What she has done… is fully unlock all of that for you."

"I'm doing this because you have been lagging behind some of your more powerful allies," Utavi murmured. "Having done this, it should increase the potential you possess and allow you to actually make use of the power you were inherently born with."

Stunned, Sonic could only stare for a moment. When he finally found his voice again, all he got out was a small, "R-right. Thanks… for that."

"There is one more gift," Aethra told him. "My gift. Once more, the knowledge I am imparting is not strictly my own. It is yours as well. However, it is knowledge you seldom have access to when you are in a state where you are not overflowing with Chaos. You figured out, once and all on your own, how to wipe an entity from existence when circumstances demanded it. You learned how to mend wounds. You were taught how to summon your personal ultimate weapon. But you cannot remember as you are now. Correct?" Sonic slowly shook his head, still in shock over all of this. "Then I will remind you. Our only request is that you use these gifts wisely. So much rests on the shoulders of you and your friends."

There was no further warning. A burst of memories hit Sonic with the force of a nuke (as far as he was concerned, anyway), robbing him of his sight as a brief migraine attacked him. But it was bearable, if only because it was all over in an instant. And by the time it was done and he'd opened his eyes back up, Aethra was gone. Jeez… she coulda warned me it'd hurt.

Further inspection revealed that Utavi was still present. She raised an eyebrow at him briefly before asking, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sonic sighed. "I'm sorta prone to headaches from stuff like that, though. But I'm guessing she didn't say anything since I probably would've tensed up. That might've made it worse, if I had."

Utavi let out a sigh. "It is possible." Her gaze shifted to the sky and she frowned. They have moved… I wish I could be awake to see hell rained down by them. "I will say this. My gift is not something to take lightly. You would not have gotten it had my kin not mentioned you." Her eyes focused on Sonic. "Use it well. Take down what stands in your way and reclaim what is yours."

Hearing that, Sonic's ears twitched downward slightly and he looked away. "Not that you wouldn't already know this, but… you didn't have to pick me. There are better people to give this kind of thing to."

She focused her attention on him fully and let out a sigh. "Sit. Let me explain something to you." Though he suspected he was about to get some form of lecture (although, did the creators of everything bother with such things?), Sonic obliged without complaints. Utavi walked in front of him and took a seat as well. "Who exactly do you think was a better pick? If you must, go ahead and list everyone. I will systematically tear your argument apart and explain the precise reason you truly were the best pick."

Sonic winced. "No, it's… it's fine. I don't want to argue or anything. And I'm not trying to question your judgement. That's not what I meant."

Utavi let out a faint sigh. "Forgive me. I am not as soft spoken as my kin." She extended a hand in his direction. He was so focused on listening to her that he mostly didn't notice. "You alone carry a great power that has not been realized and are one of the few capable of reaching through to one of your current adversaries. This power was given to you because you needed it, and because I wanted to give it to you. Understand that I would have not done so had I not wanted to." She then addressed what he said, pulling her hand away. "I understand that you are not arguing or questioning me. I simply did not approach you in the way that best suited your needs. Had I been Rusen…" She shrugged. "He would have explained it all like he has done for some of your allies."

After a pause, Sonic nodded slowly. "I think I understand. Not just about the whole strength thing. Your approach, I guess, too. It kind of reminds me of how my brother used to be. So… I'll keep that in mind next time, if there is a next time." He met her gaze again. "Sorry for reacting how I did. Just been kinda stressed and all that lately. Guess it's made me a bit sensitive like I used to be."

"Sensitivity is not a flaw," Utavi countered. "You are how you are for a specific reason. The very being that comprises you is a mixture of every emotion you have felt and every circumstance you have lived. Do not apologize for who you are unless you're doing something about it." The Erukti gave a sigh at her own vagueness. "I mean for you to speak to someone. If you wish, I will sit here and listen. I would be willing."

This pulled another sigh from him. "I don't want to keep you here too long," he said, "but I appreciate the gesture. Though, I do have one question, if that's alright with you."

"Speak," Utavi invited. "My words when first we met were in an attempt to speed things along. Ignore my warnings from then."

Sonic nodded a little before asking, "If we go through with this crazy scheme to use Eona's Light on my dad… I just… He isn't going to die, right? He'll survive it?"

Utavi stood and pulled him to a standing position as well. "Help him be more receptive to the idea. Remind him who he was." She fell silent for a moment, before adding a clear warning, "Too much influence from the wrong side of this war, the wrong side of himself… and he may well perish. The purification requires him to resist as little as possible."

Feeling a touch grim, Sonic looked away. Zareil, then? "I kind of… thought it would be like that. We'll keep it in mind."

"Follow the Balancer's plans. He will have plenty laid out, but do not be afraid to also take ideas from everyone else. Her influence may be strong, but you can remove her long enough if you act correctly," Utavi answered. She thought for a moment about whether it would be improper to do this, but ultimately she turned the hedgehog's attention to her and held out her closed hand. "Take this. If you use it correctly… it will help. Remind him of who he is."

Puzzled, Sonic outstretched his own hand to accept whatever small thing she was offering. "What is…?" He trailed off as a small silvery object was dropped into his palm. For a second, he just sort of looked at it. Then it clicked, and his eyes widened. "Mom's wedding ring…"

"This is more Rusen's area, but I do not care to trample his feet this time," Utavi muttered. "In his demonic state, he melted this into nothing, once. I did not make it indestructible, so see to it that he does not do so again."

He… destroyed it? However saddened he was to hear this news, Sonic couldn't honestly say he was surprised. "Okay. I'll keep it safe." He closed his hand around it and ducked his head respectfully for a moment. "Also… thank you. For all of this. For all you and your friends are doing for us. It's… It's appreciated more than I know how to say."

Utavi shrugged. "I am irate with Nareish. She no longer deserves a chance to win this war, but you all do. We are simply ensuring she cannot snuff that chance out." The woman turned away, seeming intent on leaving. "Do you have any further questions?"

"No. It's okay. I know you have things to do. It's fine." Sonic tucked the ring away carefully. "I'm good for now."

"We sit still and watch existence much of the time." Utavi gave Sonic a sidelong glance. "And we will be returning to sleep shortly. I would not be against spending time among the beings we created."

Sleep? ...Oh, duh. They made everything. That must have been exhausting. "Well… I mean, it's not like you won't be welcome." He offered a small smile. "You guys can come by whenever, impending catastrophe or not."

Utavi nearly chuckled. Nearly. "As if there was a chance you could disagree with me asserting my presence." She still managed to sound amused before adding far more seriously, "Be on your guard. Trouble will come your way." The Erukti then finally vanished to rejoin her kin, leaving Sonic with Pyrun (who had stood there quietly through the whole conversation).

The male Erukti decided to speak up first, walking over. "Name's Pyrun. I can explain a lot more about who I am specifically once we're around more of your allies. The reason I'm here is to help you guys train and be better prepared for some of the upcoming dangers. I hope that's acceptable for you."

Sonic blinked. He looked back in the direction of Shadow's house and internally sighed. Guess I'll just head back later. Have fun playing host for a while, Shadow. He turned his attention to Pyrun again. "That's fine. Nearly everyone is at my friend Tails's house. We can go there whenever you want to."

"Good to hear," Pyrun said with a small smile. "Lead the way?"

"Can you teleport?" Sonic asked in turn. "He's real far away from here."

"In my own way, yeah."

"Okay. Let's go, then." The hedgehog vanished immediately. A flash of fire accentuated Pyrun following suit, teleporting after him.

~保護者~

Toru was still hard at work when a voice reached out to him within his mind. "Toru, I have a request for you," a vaguely feminine voice said. "I am a friend of Rusen's, and one of his kin. We have foreseen potential coming troubles for Shadow. I wish to include you in the solution if you are willing."

The chameleon blinked a few times and frowned. "What the hell is happening?"

"You are aware that many of his memories have been blocked through various means, yes?" she asked him in reply.

"Yeah, I'm aware," Toru responded without hesitation.

"With the primary control chip removed from him," Aethra continued, "those memories can and will return at the slightest provocation. Some more poise more readily than others right now. It will not do to continue blocking them, as that will only make matters worse when they later return again. My aim is to bring them up manually, so to speak, one at a time. This way it will not be a swarm of memories that cause nothing but pain. There will be time to process and understand and, more importantly, recover. And, if you also see them, should he have a particularly negative reaction… It is my hope you will be able to help him from there."

"I don't like the ideas of you being around in his mind and memories," Toru murmured, standing up. "But if you're truly trying to help him, I guess it's… okay this time. Just don't make it a habit."

"It will not be," she assured gently. "I will not be personally viewing them, at any rate. You do not need to worry, although I understand your concerns."

Toru nodded vaguely, assuming Aethra could see. "Alright. I assume you're doing this now?"

"Yes. He is asleep currently, which makes this the ideal time," she told him. "He will have time to subconsciously process all of this before he wakes."

"Good," Toru said. "Should I stay here, or go there?"

"Whichever you would prefer," was the calm reply. "I will not proceed until you are ready."

"I don't want to wake him, so it may be best if I stay here," Toru answered.

"I understand. Are you ready, then?"

Toru shrugged. "Suppose so. Gotta get it done."

"I will do my best to ease the least harmful ones to the surface first." Giving no further warning, Aethra set to work. Soon enough, a memory was revealed.

Infant Shadow awoke to the sound of a shrill shriek. As it wasn't an uncommon sound in the hive, he wasn't upset by it and didn't cry. Tiny baby arms and legs stretched and he yawned. He was warm and comfortable in the crook of his father's arm, but the sounds around him kept him from returning to sleep. In particular, his Black Doom's booming command ensured he remained awake for the moment. "Let any others who would dare stretch a claw toward my spawn come forth!" he seethed.

Growling voices snarled and jeered as various bodies were shoved through the apparent crowds toward the hive's sole God-like leader. Metal scraped when his sword unsheathed. "Let their blood feed him and make him stronger. They are unworthy to remain." Blood splattered. Creatures died faster than they could scream. And soon enough, Shadow was fed. Once full and in a quiet space again, he gave in to another yawn and returned to sleep.

Toru frowned briefly in response to this, crossing his arms. Black Doom was protective of him? That's a bit… unexpected. The next memory started up soon afterward.

Equal parts bored and in pain from the tiny fangs that had been growing in, baby Shadow sat on the rocky floor with a strong yet thin metal pole. Puncture marks covered it all over in locations where he'd already chewed it. He busied himself with making some new ones, tiny legs idly kicking all the while. Soon, he'd managed to somehow tear a hole in it with one tooth.

The sound of metal shredding caught his father's attention. The man floated over to him and pulled the pole away to inspect it, much to Shadow's great upset. His fussing and crying and desperate reaching was briefly ignored, then the bar was returned. All was well again. Shadow happily resumed his chewing. Black Doom watched him, then turned away. He spoke to another Black Arms, a great hulking creature. "Search the wreckages you located, T'chalik. He will be needing another."

"I see," Toru murmured. "Is there a reason this one was important?" he asked, attempting to gain the attention of Aethra.

Aethra took that as permission and peered into the memory. "I was uncertain initially, as there were multiple potential reasons, but I understand now. He was well taken care of in that place, against all the odds. His needs and desires were met and fulfilled. That is important for the development of any baby, and for the development of their bonds with their parents."

Toru shrugged. "Sounds reasonable enough. Black Doom at least seemed half decent compared to the others I met of their race."

"Indeed." She eased the next memory to the surface after saying this.

"Shadow? Are you awake?"

Stifling a yawn, Shadow pushed himself up off the hard metal floor of his cell on the ARK. He was maybe six or so at the time, and his reflection on the polished flooring and walls showed as much. "Maria?" he asked in a small, tired voice.

The girl smiled at him, golden hair slipping over one shoulder as she knelt by him. She was at least double his age, but probably even a bit more than that."Yes, come on. He's gone again. You can sleep in my bed tonight." Before he could reply, she stooped a touch further and picked him up. He finally yawned at that point, laying his head on her shoulder. "Are you hungry?"

"No," he mumbled. "I just want to sleep. He wouldn't let me."

Maria started walking with him in her arms, gently rubbing his back as she went. "Can you tell me why?"

"He was mad at me. He's always mad at me."

"Why was he mad this time?"

"Because I didn't do everything perfectly. I was s'posed to."

Her sigh was barely audible, even to his sensitive ears. He drowsily blinked open his eyes to look at her. Seeing this, she offered a smile. "Try not to worry about it right now. Okay? It's late. We both need sleep." The thick metal door to her room, which was barely any better than a jail cell, slid open. She stepped in with him and, by the time the door had shut, had crossed the room to her bed.

"But we can't both fit in your bed," Shadow protested as she laid him down. He rubbed at his eyes, only to stop and feebly try to fend off her hands when she began working on tucking him in. "Stop it! I don't want to!"

She was audibly smiling when she replied. "Yes, you do. I know you're worried, but I can still sleep. The chair isn't too uncomfortable. I'll sleep there for the night, right by you. Okay?"

Almost pouting at her, he opened his eyes to look at her again. "You promise? You'll stay right here? I don't like it when you leave."

"I know. And I promise." Using one finger, she made an 'X' over her chest, still wearing a warm smile. "I'll always be right here with you. Cross my heart."

Finally, he settled down and let his eyes drift shut. "...Okay." He tugged the blankets up with her help and snuggled into their warmth. His ears tracked her as she sat in the large padded chair, curled up, and relaxed. Her breathing was comforting. He gradually began drifting to sleep, but one final thought passed through his mind before it fully claimed him.

'Cross your heart…'

Toru was silent for a long moment, tapping his foot slowly against the ground as he tried to comprehend the emotions he felt at seeing this. Gerald… You've already done so many unspeakable things, and yet you manage to make it worse. He found himself able to stay calm if only because there had been some reprieve for Shadow at times in the form of Maria. But there was little time to dwell on it before the next memory began.

'I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.' This thought echoed through Shadow's mind over and over and over again as he was subjected to yet another painful procedure. He was maybe eight at the time, if that. Focusing on his own powerful resentment was the only method of coping he possessed. Scalpels scraped and cut. Muscles burned and ached and screamed. Pain wracked and seized. And all Shadow could think was, 'I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.'

In that moment, he could scarcely remember how to feel anything else.

The chameleon felt his Darkness flare in response to this, his own hatred burning as a result of simply hearing this thought from Shadow's memories. It took him a moment of effort to press it back down. "It was that bad, then..."

Rather than specifically replying to that, Aethra said, "There is only one other that is immediately threatening to force itself to the forefront of his mind. Though, more than any of the others, is it difficult to say precisely why this one is trying to come back. I will reveal it, but after that we will be finished for now. The rest have a high likelihood of remaining buried for a while longer."

Toru motioned idly with a hand. "Go for it." She did so without further delay.

At roughly age fifteen, Shadow found himself in a dire situation. The pale white creature (one possessing the worst, most malicious eyes he'd ever seen) that had attacked him rammed him violently with jagged horns. Coughing up blood, Shadow tried yet again to shoot it down, but the handgun he'd been relying so heavily on for so long had taken too much damage well before this point. He knew this, logically. But desperation made him react in illogical ways, apparently.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath, stubbornly maintaining a grip on the weapon despite how useless it was at present. He struggled to his feet, spitting more blood out of his mouth as he did so. The creature snorted loudly. He glared at it. "Shut the fuck up, you fucking cunt. You're irritating."

It did what he'd expected it would do. What he'd wanted it to do. In an apparent rage (it was almost as though it understood him, somehow), it charged again. Its head rammed into his abdomen at full speed, horns slicing through yet more skin. The attack launched him backward. He tumbled headlong off the edge of the cliff and toward the dense wilderness far below. This was bad. The impact would cause massive damage. But the beast, a creature he knew he couldn't fight at his current level of strength, would most likely assume him dead. It was hardly capable of following regardless, but at least this way it wouldn't be tempted to try it.

'A cunt and a fucking idiot…' He braced himself for impact. Despite his efforts to right himself, he hit the ground back-first. His momentum caused him to bounce and roll, which only injured him further. When he finally stopped, he bit out a few crass swears, ending with a decidedly mild, "Piece of shit…"

Forcing his eyes open, he shifted his right hand to look over the gun it was still clutching. Much to his chagrin, a fresh ding now marred its once perfect surface. In the end, he decided it was just as well. His first loss in a real fight outside of the ARK… It may as well have left a reminder. A reason for him to continue caring about getting stronger. But first he needed to deal with his injuries.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position, then to a standing one. He staggered at first, but soon had himself limping along at a somewhat steady pace. There was only one place he could think to go, only one machine he knew of that possessed the ability to heal him in any capacity. As much as he hated the idea of relying on something he had made, as much as he loathed the thought of being sealed back in and being put to sleep, there was no choice.

If he wanted to live, he had to return to the pod.

Toru's fingers idly tapped against the side of the handgun he'd been working on, a deep frown on his face. "The only reason I can assume it is important is because of the loss, and having to return to the pod. I'm not sure beyond that," he said rather calmly.

"It is difficult to say for certain without looking deeper," Aethra agreed. "But I will not subject him to that. This is more than enough for now."

The chameleon held the gun tightly and glanced over it for a moment. "Something big is about to happen. What do I need to do to protect him?" he asked. Normally he wouldn't look for advice from strangers, but this time he decided to allow it. They seemed to be trying to help, at the least.

This earned a soft sigh. It was almost apologetic. "We will be returning to sleep soon. It cannot be helped. We have pushed ourselves as far as we can, because we needed far more time to recover from our activities at the dawn of existence. Our exhaustion will force us to rest again before long. Once that occurs, we will no longer be able to contain Kaden or Nareish. Your child will remain fully protected, however."

Toru raised an eyebrow in response, staying quiet for a few seconds before nodding. "Once they're free, they'll be able to start raising hell all over again."

"Our aim is to hold out long enough for the purification process to begin on Kaden," she told him. "That will somewhat mitigate the threat he poses. However, his right-hand and all of those she commands will remain at large. There are also the multitude of enemies Nareish has revived to be mindful of as well."

Toru frowned deeply before deciding to ignore the new information. "How can I kill Gerald? He needs to be removed as a threat, because he will not stop until he has Shadow in his possession."

"At present, you cannot," Aethra murmured. "Much in the same manner that your child is under Rusen's protection, Gerald is under Nareish's. So long as that remains true, the only ones who have a chance of getting to him would be our Immortal kin. But even they will struggle."

"Then I'll make sure and rip apart any enemies Nareish dares to send our way," he muttered hatefully. Toru shook his head, clearing his mind of the sudden bursts of hate he was experiencing. "I'll make for damn certain that she gets the message."

"That would be good, in its own way. For now, however, I will leave you to return to your project. It is important, after all." She started to gently cease their mental connection. "Thank you for your time, Toru."

"One more thing," Toru muttered. "Did she revive anyone or anything else that posess a direct threat to Shadow or the people I'm watching over?"

Aethra was quiet for a moment. "The threats she revived threaten everyone, Toru. None of them very directly threaten Shadow or the others more than anyone else. Although… one entity she revived has a small chance of posing a different sort of problem. However, he more than likely will not. I believe she expected him to be violent toward you all, but… in the interest of his son, I foresee Black Doom causing little trouble for you overall."

"Then perhaps I should speak to him soon. I have a family to protect, and I'll be damned if anyone will threaten them when I can do something about it," Toru murmured, already beginning to return to work on the gun.

"He will not threaten them," Aethra soothed. "I do not foresee him thinking much of anything about them in the beginning, much less anything threatening. He will largely be focused on his own direct family for the time being. Approaching him without too much anger will aid in ensuring that he remains wholly calm himself."

"Then maybe he'd be willing to help me because Nareish is putting his son in danger," Toru answered without the slightest hesitation. "You all have set into motion all these revivals, I'm sure. I'm gonna pull my own weight and see what allies, or truces, I can get."

"Please do. The more of you stand together, the stronger you all will be. It is one of your best chances." Aethra withdrew further. "I must go now. Once we awaken again, one of us will contact you. For now, farewell. And the very best of luck to you all."

"See ya," Toru answered, turning his attention more fully to the gun. With Aethra's presence gone, he could finally turn his thoughts to properly focusing on the details of what he'd been shown. Black Doom was protective and actually seemed to act as a decent father. He cared for Shadow, to some degree, and made sure he was able to grow stronger while offering protection.

Adding onto this, he was willing to provide Shadow with the things he needed… apparently as he needed them. If that memory with the metal pipe means what I think it does. It's also interesting that Shadow could chew into something like that… Toru turned his thoughts to the memory with Maria. That girl, Maria, seemed to be the only good thing he had in that place with Gerald. While he treated Shadow badly, Maria was kind enough to offer her bed when he wasn't around. Not only that, but they appeared to be extremely close.

Toru held up the gun in his hand, letting the light fall over it as the detailing shone. He couldn't smile, despite knowing this was done because of how much he was thinking. What was that creature in the last memory? Those eyes were incredibly malicious, demonic. Creature was pale white… jagged horns. Not something I've come across, but it seemed tough if it was able to take Shadow down, even at that age. I don't doubt that he was still strong then. Toru began packing his tools away with a deepening frown. And he was forced to fall off a cliff to escape to something his 'creator' made, the man he hated. That couldn't have done good things for his mental health. Maybe that's really the only incredible significance it has…

Ultimately, the chameleon let out a sigh. "This is a lot to process," he muttered under his breath before teleporting his tools away. I hope nothing more serious than what I saw comes up soon, because he doesn't need more emotional stress. He twirled the gun on a finger for a moment before finally managing a soft smile. "He'd better like this, or I will cover his home in paintings." With this said, Toru teleported back to Shadow's home and into the living room.

Shadow happened to be using this room to sleep for the time being. Lia and Soren were both napping again, only this time they were both in his room. Satsuno and Seiko had (reluctantly) gone to rest in the room Soren had previously used. Caer and Myriu had gone outside, presumably to spend time together (or maybe Myriu had dragged him outside for something). That left Shadow to try and get some rest in the living room for the time being.

However, as tended to happen, he awoke the moment he sensed Toru's return. Blinking open his eyes, he sat up and looked over to where the chameleon was standing. "Where the hell did you go?" he asked immediately. He wasn't annoyed or anything though, for once. Mostly just confused as to why Toru had left for as long as he had.

"Couldn't find a replacement for my Tachi, sadly," Toru said. "Might have to get someone to special make it, but I did get my main objective done while I was out. Wanna see?" he questioned, a faint smile on his face.

More than a little suspicious, Shadow dryly asked, "Do I have a choice?"

"Not exactly, no. Besides, I have a feeling you'd wanna see," Toru said, holding out the gun for Shadow to grab. "Might be yours."

The hedgehog was on his feet and taking the gun back immediately, even more confused now than before. When did he-? That thought stopped in its tracks when he noticed what had been done to his weapon. A clean and precisely engraved serpentine dragon stretched across all of the metal pieces on the gun, coming to an end at the barrel as if it was the dragon's own mouth. After a long moment of examining this, he looked at Toru again. "Did you do this?"

Toru gave a faint shrug. "Perhaps. I certainly didn't let anyone else touch it," he answered, smile growing a touch more. "I might also have tools specifically for engraving things into metal, so that probably helped."

After huffing and rolling his eyes, Shadow admitted - with a bit of effort, since he wasn't used to vocalizing such things- some of what he thought. "It was well done." Then, in an effort to quickly move past that (why was trying to say that he appreciated and maybe even liked it so hard, anyway?), he decided to ask an important question. After all, he knew nothing about chameleon thoughts on and motivations behind gift-giving. It provided a good distraction, too. "Why did you do this?"

The explanation was something Toru suddenly choked up over, feeling awkward for no reason (in his own mind, at least). "Well… in chameleon culture, it has a specific meaning. Kind of a thing like… when two people get together and all." Shadow waited a moment, wanting to see if Toru would offer a more concrete explanation. Toru coughed lightly, glancing away before crossing his arms. "I like you, Shadow. I did it cause… I want to be able to go further with you."

Shadow nodded slowly. After taking this in, he inquired, "...This symbolizes that desire, then?"

Toru gave a vague motion with his hand before nodding. "Yeah. It does." The chameleon was quiet for a few seconds before hesitantly asking, "Do… you want the same thing?"

If only because of the fact that all of this was far more difficult than it ought to be, Shadow found himself stifling a sigh. But, ultimately, he inclined his head and replied with a quiet, "Yes."

The chameleon felt his breath hitch at hearing this, but for a good reason. This made him happier than he knew how to express properly, so he just resigned to pulling Shadow into a gentle hug. Shadow huffed, but for once didn't find himself tensing up in response to this happening. He didn't exactly return the hug still, though. Toru took this as a cue to pull away a little and give a soft smile. "You were asleep when I came back, right? Think you can go back to doing that?"

So long as those memories... or dreams... don't come back again. Rather than saying that, Shadow shrugged and offered a noncommittal, "Perhaps."

"Why don't we both go lay down for a bit? I should rest my eyes a bit, especially after focusing on such small details for a while," Toru said. "Sound alright?"

"Considering you already established that I have no choice…" Shadow set his gun on the coffee table and sat back down.

"You do, this time," Toru answered as he too sat down. "Just not when I want to do something for you. Then you have to let me do it."

"And if I ever choose to refuse?" Shadow questioned, even as he laid back down. Like before, he didn't bother getting an actual pillow off the other couch, choosing instead to just lay his head on his arm.

"I won't let you," Toru answered, laying down with Shadow. Something about this all helped him relax, even after seeing all of those memories earlier. He felt happy around the hedgehog. Perfect. Like this was all meant to be. Like they were meant to be.

Who knew... maybe they were.

~保護者~

A low sound escaped Tempest as she flew through space, searching for a perfect spot away from prying eyes. This was incredibly irritating to her, but part of her believed this was going to become necessary. She waved her hands in a circle and aggressively tore open a portal before stepping inside. "I demand to speak with you!" the Therian yelled.

"Lower your voice," came the exceedingly calm reply. "You have no reason to shout at me."

"I have every reason to yell in general," Tempest muttered, slamming the portal shut behind her. "This war has overstepped its bounds. My sister was in critical condition."

Eirza, Goddess of Storms, rose to her feet and strode over to her. "Tempest. I grant you strength. You are one of few who can wield my storms. Your magic is teeming with my energy. If you believe so strongly in this cause, then fight. Why else would you have accepted this gift if not to fight?"

"I came to see if I could get you to fight alongside me," Tempest answered, her anger abating for a moment. "I wish to bring swift deaths to many of the enemies being faced."

Electric blue eyes blinked. "I will come," she said slowly, "but not solely for you. My own family has long been endangered. I will aid you and them both."

"Will you remain like the others alongside you after aiding once? Away?"

"A few are largely uninvolved for their own reasons. However… I do not follow the lead of others. I leave my own trails." Determination crackled like lightning in Eirza's eyes. "I intend to fight to the fullest extent, Tempest. Be assured of that."

Tempest's eyes glowed purple in response, her own show of determination. "Good. I might have renounced our friendship had you disagreed. I grow tired of this shit drawing on."

"Indeed." Eirza summoned her weapon into her hand and gave it an experimental twirl. "These enemies will not die easily. They will end many more lives before they themselves fall. Sort your affairs before you truly join the battle. If you die, leave no regrets behind."

The next words out of her mouth were resolute. "I will leave no regrets," Tempest muttered. "I expect you to arrive on time, and not whenever you feel free as others might."

Eirza met her gaze steadily. What she said next was essentially a question, but said more like a statement. "When."

"The time is near," Tempest muttered. "The moment the demons begin moving is when all will need to be prepared. There will be no other warning."

"Understood." Eirza closed her eyes, thinking. "My kin require attention. I will return to you when the time comes. Until such time, you can find me wherever they are."

Tempest nodded, turning away to leave before asking, "What do you know of that black cat with the magic? Anything useful?"

"He operates within the realms of death as the second in charge. He is very powerful. His magic is among the strongest you will ever encounter find." Eirza opened her eyes again. "He fought near to you recently. I was keeping an eye on you, ensuring you were safe. He is partly to thank for why you were not overwhelmed, though your own strength certainly lent itself to that outcome."

The Therian scoffed lightly. "As if I required his aid," she muttered, ripping open another portal. "I will be going now. See you next on the battlefield."

"Tempest," Eirza called quietly. "One final thing. One of the Immortals has stabilized your sister. Their life forces are tied together. She will live."

"Good. I would have had more people to dislike otherwise," Tempest answered, turning her gaze back to Eirza. "The list is long enough already."

For whatever reason, that finally caused Eirza to crack a slight smile. "I suppose it is. Now, go. Finish your business while there is time."

The Therian woman wasted no more time, simply snapping the portal shut again and leaving. No regrets… Tch. Novei. Damn you, Eirza.

~保護者~

"There's probably some way of counteracting it, right?"

"There must be. Everything has a counterbalance. Darkness and Light being the primary examples."

Wave crossed her arms, one foot tapping. "But not one thing we know of exists that can handle this. I mean… this energy is like nothing we've ever encountered before. It has the potential to rewrite everything by doing whatever it wants."

"Which is why there has to be something meant to stand up against it when need be," Jet insisted. The Void's continued influence on him had him tense and irritable, but he was keeping it under wraps for the most part. More so now than he had been earlier, certainly.

It was then that she caught on to his train of thought. "You think it doesn't exist yet." He nodded once. The foot-tapping continued. "That's… problematic. You said its influence on you is a lot like what people like Sonic experience in a Dark form, right? They're not corrupted or being controlled, but thinking and acting differently - but they're ultimately still themselves."

Jet let out a breath. "It's the best way I can think to describe it," he admitted slowly. "Or, at least, it's the most accurate description that's come to mind so far."

"Is it fair to assume that you've quieted it down for the moment?"

"...More or less."

"Good. Because I have something important to ask you before I leave." Wave crossed the room and gently tugged an open book from his hand before setting it aside. Her hand then returned to his. It lingered there, causing any and all protests he might have made to fall by the wayside. "Your research into what this other energy might be can wait just a moment longer."

Glancing down at their hands, he asked, "What do you need?"

"It isn't so much about what I need. It's more about… us, I suppose." Wave sighed and leaned her forehead against his. Such sudden and open affection out of the blue startled him, but he didn't pull away. "No matter what happens… even if we die forever or the Void assumes control or whatever… I want to be sure of what we are. What we're doing. What we mean to each other." Her head shifted to the side of his, gently nuzzling. "I love you. You know that, don't you?"

Emotions and bird-like instincts had him returning her affection immediately and without thinking. "Yes," he murmured. "I know. I love you, too, Wave"

He could hear the smile in her voice when she replied to him. "Hearing you say that… That makes me happier than I can even tell you. Guess one of these days, I'll have to try and do it, anyhow." In spite of it all, Jet cracked his own smile. "If we make it out of this alive, I have one request."

There was no need to think over how to reply to this. He already knew what his answer was. "Anything."

"Come back to me." She leaned back to look him in the eye, earnest and determined. "No matter what happens, come back. I don't care how long it takes. Do you promise me, Jet?"

There were so many reasons why he almost couldn't do what she was asking of him. But because of his feelings toward this woman… because of how much it would hurt her if he didn't… because it was her of all people asking this of him… he accepted without any hesitation. "I promise."

Arms wrapped around him. The kiss ended almost as soon as it had begun, leaving him a touch breathless and weak at the knees. Her smile dazzled him, bringing great beams of light to his recently darkened life. Somehow, that alone made all of his turmoil lately so, so worth it. He was left feeling happier than he had in some time, and even sharing in her hope to some degree. Maybe they would find a way…

Somehow.

~保護者~

16,043 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 8:40 p.m.) 03-21-21.