My body had finally decided to awaken. I slowly opened my eyes... I still felt weak, but what really woke me up was the horrible smell that I sensed. I got up on my feet, and looked around.
...It looked horrible. I didn't sense any life, any soul near where I was standing. I walked back to the shrine of the Master Emerald... I felt lightheaded for a split second when I looked at the empty shrine. It was a sight I wasn't used to seeing... No, a sight I never wanted to see... I desperately started running around everywhere, trying to find the perpetrator who stole my Master Emerald. I looked inside the forest... All of the trees' leaves had fallen to the ground. I felt a slight discomfort in stepping over them. I looked near the waterfall... or rather, where there was a waterfall. All of the water had mysteriously vanished. This wasn't my home... None of this could be real... But I'm not the type to have such thoughts. It happened. I let it happen. I got too careless. All I could do now was look for the Emerald and the thief. Eventually, after hours of searching, I... gave up. I looked inside even the most hidden corners of the island, but I found nothing. The thief isn't on this island. They're gone. However, after a few minutes... I realized something... This island is floating high in the sky. There's no place this thief could've gone to, unless they could fly, somehow... Out of curiosity, I checked the borders of the island... and I had yet another surprise. I wasn't surrounded by clouds... I was surrounded by... water.
Water...? Isn't water supposed to be at the waterfall? Did it end up here somehow? But... everywhere around the island is filled with water...
K: "Water, water and more water! What's going on!?"
I was beginning to lose my temper. I couldn't make sense of any of it. I was completely lost... Where am I? Is this... my island? Is this really the place where I had spent my entire life on? This looked, smelled, felt nothing like home... And yet, deep down... No... Now's not the time for such things. I have to get to work. It's clear the perpetrator isn't here, so... The only answer is that they left the island. If they left... That means I have to leave too. Leaving this place... Just thinking about it made me shiver. I'm destined to spend my whole life here, so even the thought of leaving this place is unnatural...
If I'm gonna glide off this island, I need to climb up to its highest spot... Over there.
That volcano is the highest I can think of. I'd fear it might erupt, but... given the state of the island, it's hard to say whether or not it'll go off. It's my best shot. Here I go...!
I ran off towards the volcano. Eventually, I reached it, and began to climb it.
As I was climbing it, suddenly, part of it fell off. However, it's not gonna be a little crumbling volcano that'll throw me off. I quickly turned around and glided back onto it. Eventually... I reached the top. However... I was granted with a terrible sight. From here, I could see how lifeless everything was. The dead trees... The missing animals... The lack of clear water...
Looking at it all only made me more motivated. I need to find out who took my Master Emerald. Once I told myself this... I asked myself out of curiosity...
K: "...Could the disappearance of the Master Emerald... have something to do with how the island is now?"
I asked myself this, but I didn't dwell on it for long. I walked towards an edge of the volcano... and ran to the other side at full speed. Once I reached the edge, I jumped with all of my might, and started gliding. I was slowly drifiting away from my home... into the unknown.
K: "No matter what happens... I'm gonna take back my Emerald... and make that blue thief pay for ruining my home!"
And so, the adventure of Knuckles the Echidna began.