·· ─────── Silver's POV ─────── · ·
Upon landing gracefully onto his feet, Silver took in the surrounding area... The air was dry, but it was not overwhelmingly scorching like it was back in the future when lava coated the city... It was a beautiful mix of sandy desert and civilization nearby. The small ponds of water that allowed green life to bloom out of the sandy desert were breathtaking... Even though the sun was setting, Silver felt a sudden wave of peacefulness and calm rush over him... He found this place magnificent in all its glory.
"This place is beautiful..." Silver whispers, his eyes wide as he took in the surrounding area. He was completely speechless of what was around him... He could not help but envy Sonic and Shadow. For they were used to this type of environment with clear skies and beautiful scenery... but where he was from, it was a constant nightmare.
"...The dessert?" Sonic couldn't help but chuckle at the comment, he glances over at Silver, who blushes and looks away quickly in response.
Silver then places a hand onto his chest, clearing his throat a little. "Y-yeah... Back where I am from, I've never seen so much sand before..." He keeps his gaze averted, for he almost forgot that he might blow the fact he's from the future to these two.
"Are we ready?" Shadow asks, glancing around quickly... Silver could feel that the ebony hedgehog was on edge, but he did not want to irk him even further...
"More than ready," Sonic says with a smirk, balling his hand up as the three of them approach the nearest structure, a giant pyramid...
Within seconds, they stood in front of the giant pyramid... The trio stepped carefully over the threshold of the sacred temple and Silver felt the sudden change in the air... It was still dry but no longer arid... It was staler than anything... Torches were bolted into the sandstone walls from what Silver could assume was the doing of the people from the nearby city. Silver had never seen such a place like this before in his lifetime... He eyed the textures of the walls, noticing the strange carvings, and took in the rest of the room's details... Large pillars stood in even and neat rows on both sides of the entrance of the pyramid... It looked old but well kept. Silver could tell that this place was important. To both sides of the pyramid, however, Silver noticed several large but dark corridors awaited them.
"Should we split up?" The blue hedgehog asks suddenly. Silver felt his stomach drop at the thought of doing that.
"No. We need to keep an eye on Silver." Shadow responded, glancing over at the others over his shoulder.
"... I-I can hear you guys..." Silver felt a deadpan form on his face as he watched Shadow reach up and pluck a nearby torch from its place... He lifts it above their heads as he tries to illuminate the surrounding area around them.
Shadow remained silent as he kept an eye peeled, surveying the large open room for enemies or anything that seem out of place, he then opens his mouth. "Let's go to the right..." He urges, leading the way as they walked over to the right side of the pyramid's entrance lobby room... Sure enough, once they made it to the open archway, Shadow peered into the dark tunnel straight ahead of them and sighed quietly. "...It's odd that only the lobby area of the temple is lit."
"... It's kinda strange," Sonic adds gently, he then lifts a hand as he rubs his chin in thought... Silver listened to the two of them and he couldn't help but frown a little... For he did not have much input to add to the situation... He did not want to raise any red flags.
"...Maybe the other torches went out?" Sonic adds, looking over at Shadow who shook his head in response.
"Doubt it," Shadow replies, taking a step into the hallway. Without a second later her glances over his shoulder at the other two hedgehogs. "Stay close." He orders.
"Got it," Sonic says with a grin and chuckle, playfully elbowing Silver. Silver responded with a small and nervous laugh, shaking his head in response.
"Yeah... Wasn't planning on straying too far behind..." The trio step into the hallway and darkness swallows around them... It was hard to see, and Silver could barely see five inches away from his face... Thanks to Shadow carrying a torch, it was a lot easier to see... but every so often it'd flicker in response to a breeze, which would cause the three of them to pause in their tracks while Shadow shielded the flame from the gust of wind...
After what felt like several minutes of walking. Silver could feel the tunnel walls shrinking around them... So instead of walking shoulder to shoulder, Silver had to eventually take up the rear end of the line of hedgehogs... He grimaced at every step they took... Further, into the pyramid they kept going, the darker and eerier it got...
A sudden wave of anxiety hit him, and he paused his pace... The distance between him and the other two growing as he abruptly felt his boots become fastened to the sandstone floor... He glances down quickly and notices a dark tar-like substance on the ground, his boots unable to move and he felt glued down... He looks up with worry written across his face as he opened his mouth to call out to them, watching the light of Shadow's torch disappear out of sight. However, before a single word could come out, the tar-like substance suddenly gains the ability to move, and without any time to counter, it suddenly lifts and swallows the gray hedgehog whole, choking him and silencing his cry for help...
Silver's lungs filled with this substance and he felt the same sensation of drowning... He never once had felt it before in his life, but he connected this overwhelming feeling of dread and terror to drowning... The world around him becomes pitch black and he screams for help... He gasps loudly and suddenly lifts himself from the floor, tearing away from the slug around his arms and legs... When he scrambles up to his feet, he whips around in a panicked mess, trying to gulp up as much air as he possibly could... His lungs and throat stung like they were on fire.
He spun around several times to gather his bearings... He did not recognize the place he was in... He was not in the pyramid anymore... He was in this black world with undertones of glowing purples and royal blues... It was like he was in a whole different world. "...Wha..." He chokes out before he cups his mouth. "S-SONIC?!" He calls out... He waits for a response and does not hear anything. "SHADOW!?" He calls out the other one's name... Nothing.
"They can't hear you here."
Silver jumps from the sound of a new voice. Silver quickly turns around to face this stranger... He freezes upon seeing who stood behind him. Standing before Silver, a tall, slender being that looked like he did not belong in the realm that everyone else Silver met so far... He was unnaturally chilling to look at. He stood in a slumped manner, head tilted forward, so Silver could not get a good look at his face... His quills were a mess with some smaller spikes jetting out into awkward angles... They all curved upwards in some way, however. His ears were pointed and curved towards the ends. The skin inside of his ears were pale as if he never once stepped into the light in his lifetime... His fur was dark and ashy gray... With stripes and dashes of grayish blue on his quills, arms, and legs... Tufts of white chest fur poked out of the coat he was wearing. Silver could not get a good look at his face at this angle... However, Silver questioned if he even wanted to see it.
His attire was something that one would see on someone from the past... An old trench coat that was extremely long... It stopped at the bends of his legs and it looked worn, however it looked well kept at the same time... In one of his pockets, Silver caught a glimpse of a golden chain... A pocket watch of some kind? His shoes were simplistic compared to the trench coat... Black dress shoes looked to be freshly shined recently... He looked as if he was a character from an old fairy tale. Vampire-like in appearance.
"...W-who are you?" Silver manages to ask, his voice shaking as he balls his hands up in a defensive manner. "Friend or foe?" He asks sternly, lifting a hand.
Slowly lifting his head, the strange chuckles... The dim lighting that originated from an unknown place finally illuminated his face... However, upon seeing the final details of his appearance, Silver took several steps away, greatly disturbed with his image. His eyes were serpent-like, jade green that glowed brightly in this dark and lifeless place... His muzzle however is what frightened Silver the most... It was completely smooth. He was completely mouthless, and Silver's brain could hardly register that he was seeing this... Was this some weird dream?
"Neither." The stranger replies, his muzzle moving in a manner as if he had a mouth... It was not a dream.
Silver's expression remained the same, but his poster slowly relaxes. "...What do you want with me? Where are we?"
"..." The mouthless being just chuckles gently. "I merely want to warn you, Silver the Hedgehog."
"...How did you know my name?"
"We should skip over the smaller questions; my main concern is with you and what you're doing."
"...What I'm doing?" Silver asks quietly, unsure of how to respond to such an odd statement. "...What am I doing wrong?"
The stranger lifts a hand slowly, his movements were slow but precise as he turned his hand over, palm up... From the center of his palm, a purple glowing orb emits from it, and Silver tensed up upon seeing it, thinking it was some sort of attack... But he then saw images within the orb and his heart sank into the pit of his stomach. He recognized the scene, and he chokes up... A city on fire and amongst the flames innocent people dying due to the harshness of the circumstances given to them. He recognized several of the people within the visuals... Geronimo... Simon... His own twin brother, Venice... All of them were overwhelmed with monsters of darkness and fire swarming the three of them before Silver tears his gaze away from it, choking up upon seeing those he cared about suffering and dying before him.
"W-why are you showing me this?" Silver asks, angry as he glares up at the being before him.
"To show you the future." He bluntly states. "This is the current timeline... For nothing will change if you keep going down this path, you're set yourself on..."
"...But I'm here to FIX that." Silver growls, looking back down at the orb, the flames were bright and swallowed everything up within the sphere. "Are you telling me that I am not going to fix it now?"
"Not if you keep working with those two bumbling idiots." The stranger explains flat out. "The blue hero who calls himself Sonic... Will do nothing but drag you down... He will sacrifice those around him to uphold his image... He's done it countless times in the past all because he needed his ego to be satisfied." He continues. "He'll run you to the end of your mission, only to abandon you when he realizes that he won't get anything out of it."
Silver felt a grimace form onto his face, his eyebrows furrowing as he shakes his head slightly. "But then you have Shadow, who works for G.U-"
"G.U. N?" The stranger interrupts, a chuckle coming from the back of his throat. "It only makes sense that he's working for the same military and law enforcement organization that enslaved him over fifty years ago."
"...Enslaved?" Silver asks, in disbelief.
"Well, maybe more so captured and forced to serve out as their ultimate weapon... For that is what he is... The Ultimate Lifeform that can bring nothing but mass destruction and revenge."
"... He would do such a thing?" Silver asks, his heart sinking as he looked into the jade eyes that stared right through his soul.
"He's attempted in the past... I wouldn't put it past him." The hedgehog-like being lifts his other hand, palm up as he goes on to explain to Silver. "The moon is the way it is because he teamed up with Doctor Robotnik a couple of years ago... They used the Space Colony ARK to blow it up... Barely scraped the surface of planet Mobius... Do you think that those two will be able to help you save the future?" He asks quietly, unblinking as he stared through Silver.
Shivers ran down Silver's spine... He felt betrayed and sick to his stomach... He wanted to change the past to save the future he came from... He wanted to save his friends and family. So why was he allowing these two others to drag him down and fail his mission? Silver's blood ran cold, and he scowled angrily away, turning his head off to the side, his naive nature getting the best of him.
"...They're just stalling so I will fail my objective."
"Exactly..." The stranger gently coos, placing a hand on his chest, holding his free hand out towards Silver, offering it to the gray hedgehog. "Which is why I wanted to warn you... for I care deeply about this planet..." He explains gently. "I want to see this planet live on and prosper."
Silver slowly glances back towards the ashy gray and grayish blue hedgehog being in front of himself, he glances down at the hand that the stranger held out towards him. "...Alright..." Silver then firmly takes the outsider's hand, giving it a firm shake. "I'll handle those two deceivers and change this past so we can both keep the future aligned..."
"Glad to hear it... Be careful." With that, he lets Silver's hand go gently before he steps back a little, lowering his eyelids halfway. "You decide what happens next."
Silver gave a firm nod... But then it dawned on him. "W-wait what's your name?" He asks worriedly. "I never got your name."
"It doesn't matter... All that matters is that you now know the truth and that I am on your side." The trench coat sways as he takes a sudden step forward, throwing his hand forward towards Silver... He shoves Silver back, causing the gray hedgehog to lose his footing... He tumbles backward and falls into the tar-like substance that covered the entire room they were in... He feels the stinging sensation rush into his lungs once again and he was plunged into darkness...
┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈
Silver gasps loudly upon waking back up... His head felt light, and he felt dizzy... He blinked hard a couple of times and he slowly regained his sight... He recognized the room he was in... He was back inside of the pyramid and in the front entrance... The crackle of the torches bolted to the walls was the only sound he could hear as he slowly pushed himself off the ground, his boots scraping across the sandy sandstone floor... He groaned a little as he quickly placed a hand upon a nearby pillar, using it to support himself... Memories flooding back to him in an instant as he remembers speaking to a stranger in a void... The things they told him and warned him.
"I just don't understand... We searched this entire place up and down like three times... Where could have he gone to?" The voice of the blue speedster suddenly asked from the left... Out of the corridor, came out Sonic, following behind him quickly was Shadow.
Silver keeps his gaze away and scowls, his fingers curling against the pillar...
"Silver!" Sonic exclaimed happily, quickly trotting up to the gray hedgehog with concern. "Where the heck did you run off to, buddy?" He asked, a few feet away from Silver.
Shadow stood closer to the entrance of the dark corridor behind Sonic... He could feel the sudden tension in the room and scowls. "Sonic... Wait a second." He warns suddenly.
"What, Shad? I got it." Sonic rolls his eyes, thinking they would just talk it out, not recognizing the hostility in Silver's demeanor.
"How...Dare you." Silver hisses underneath his breath, finally looking up, but the expression he wore was one of anger and betrayal.
"...Excuse me?" Sonic asks, taking a step away.
"How... DARE... YOU!" Silver growls, his amber eyes suddenly flashing as he powers up suddenly, his palms glowing turquoise as he swings his hand towards Sonic... He misses striking him; however, he manages to lock onto the blue hedgehog and lift him straight off of the ground.
Shadow almost immediately gets into battle stance and scowls as Sonic struggles to regain control of his body midair. "Silver! Put him down!" Shadow orders sternly.
"Absolutely not!" Silver snaps quickly, glaring daggers over at Shadow who posed as a threat to him now. "You both lied to me and just lead me on this wild goose chase! You both will cause this world to die, and it'll be my fault because I put so much trust into both of you!"
Silver's outstretched hand balls up and Sonic wails suddenly, the pressure on his body suddenly intensifying.
"LET HIM GO, SILVER!" Shadow barks.
"Fine!" Silver scowls angrily as he rears back his hand, Sonic following the motion before he suddenly throws his hand forward, sending the blue hedgehog flying in the lobby of the pyramid... He strikes the back wall with a loud thud and he falls to the ground, landing clumsily on his hands and knees. Without a second to waste, Silver's entire body lights back up again, picking up anything and everything that was in his immediate area... This included the small stones that were scattered throughout the entrance of the pyramid, slabs, and one of the pillars that supported the roof... The floor rumbles underneath their feet as Silver yanks the aged pillar out from its place... Blacking out with anger...
"You're next Shadow the Hedgehog..." Silver's voice was low and dark, for he felt that he was doing the right thing and taking down the enemies that stood in his way to change the past and save the future...
To Be Continued...