Chapter Seventeen – Beginnings – Epilogue
Sukko leaving got to Sonic more then he dared to admit. Being alone, and not having his brother in his head, was taking some getting used to. But he wasn't alone. The Restoration at gotten word that their Psychic Link had been severed and when out of their way again to take care of him. Sonic smiled. That was all Jewel's doing. She'd been very close to Sukko, and felt it was her duty to take care of him. He let her. But there wasn't really time to think about it. The wars may have been over, but the rebuilding was going to take years, especially in places like Metropolis, which had been basically left as wastelands.
Some villages too had been decimated, and even though a good chunk of the clean up had been done, there was still a long way to go. Sonic was kept extremely busy because one, he liked it and two, it kept his mind off his brother. He often wondered where he was, as the weeks, turned into months, turned into years since his departure, and began to think if he ever see him again. Sonic sighed.
If he ever needed Sukko, he's be there. That he could guarantee. He could always guarantee that. That was what made Sukko so special. He'd always put Sonic first. For years, he let Sonic be the Hero while remaining in the background, the Intelligence guy. Sonic had wondered if revealing Sukko to the world was a good idea. Almost regretting it, considering the enormous fight Sukko had to do just to gain acceptance. Was it fair? Sonic had had enough of seeing Sukko potentially waste that incredible talent of his as a simple Intelligence guy when he could do much more. Seeing his Ascension, broke Sonic's heart, but also made him the proudest Hedgehog in the world.
As for what became of Sukko's favourite place. His balcony at the Restoration. It quickly filled full of flowers and dedications. From the many people whose lives Sukko had impacted for the better or worse. With peace and time, the Restoration had largely been abandoned, but remained open to access the Sorcerer's Balcony. Sonic found himself spending a lot of time there, especially in the early days after he left.
Remembering Sukko with his Magic made Sonic smile, as he caught several of his friends off their guards by Teleporting via Chaos Sorcery after his brother had left. He'd had mentioned it in the past, but with everything that had happened. People had just simply forgotten. Winning the war against the Mobian Authorities, and getting the law changed, wasn't just for Sukko's benefit, but Sonic's as well. It meant that he could keep his freedom now that the world knew that there was Chaos Sorcery in his family. Whenever Sonic had ever Teleported in public it had coincidentally always been with his brother, therefore the assumption had that Sukko was casting the Magic. No. It was Sonic, and finally able to train his one and only cast, he was eager to get good at it. Only now did Sonic realise how much mental training Sukko had to do to get as good as he did. It was hard work. His one cast did not make Sonic a Sorcerer, something he was very keen to point out to everyone. But when he combined the Teleportation with the Super-Speed, Sonic was absolutely lethal.
Sonic ability to Teleport without a Chaos Emerald, via Chaos Sorcery had caught the attention of the Master. Shadow the Hedgehog, to who it intrigued greatly. The whole process fascinated him, and he kept challenging Sonic to Teleportation races. This pushed Sonic to the limited and he really struggled with the drain. Again, understanding why Sukko spent such a good chunk of his life asleep. It was as though the Black Hedgehog was determined to get Sonic good, but it took years of dedication. By the time Sonic was able to Teleport anywhere in the world via Chaos Sorcery alone, he knew Sukko would be incredibly proud of him.
As for the Replicas, those who weren't killed, getting acceptance into society had been difficult. Tails, with Sukko's help just before his left, reprogrammed the remaining ones to be more productive in society. But many faced prejudice, as they were treated as second class citizens. It would take decades before true acceptance of these unusual robots was reached. Thankfully, Tails had also programmed another fail-safe into them so a rebellion was never on the cards. It was going to be difficult for them, but they did fit in eventually.
All of the Chaos Emeralds had finally been located and returned to Angel Island. They each sat upon columns surrounding the alter of the Master Emerald. Knuckles was left in charge of both. He looked at them, and at the price that was paid to get the home, and to finally have peace. His thoughts went to Sonic, who'd arguable paid the highest price with a loss of a brother. Knuckles didn't know Sukko that well, but suspected he'd return home at some point, maybe when he was a very old Echidna, as they were extremely long lived. He looked forward to that day, and promised to look after Sonic until then.
As the world around them changed for the better, Sonic was still kept very busy. With the rebuild complete, petty crime was still a problem, and was tasked with the job of stamping it out. A Police Officer. This made him giggle. Mobius' one and only Police Officer, but he was proud to do the job. It showed the people of Mobius still appreciated him, despite the fact there wasn't any fighting. Actually he wasn't completely alone in the job. Whisper and her remaining Wisps had joined him, looking for something to do. This was extremely helpful, because she would often cover for him as there was another thing that kept him really busy. Sonic was now a father.
Hell, everyone had had kids now. There had been a massive baby boom that happened just after the clean up and rebuild was finally completed, and there were children everywhere. This even included the great Blue Blur himself. He sighed, as he'd Super-sped chased his son back home for the fourth time today, what Sukko would make of it all. His wife had had twins. Not that surprising. He was famously one a set himself, but they were fraternal. The more normal kind. His son was a miniature version of himself, right down to the Super-Speed and the attitude, to Sonic's total and utter annoyance.
His daughter on the other hand, was something different, and Sonic swore he saw Sukko in her. Quiet and reserved, and yet very brave and intelligent, when the time was needed. She had powers and Sonic feared she had Chaos Sorcery, and the pain and suffering Sukko went through because of it. They may have been legal, but the powers were still heavily feared.
But when the Mobian Authorities tested her, as they do for all people with Chaos Powers. For registration, to find out exactly what they can do. Sonic was relieved it wasn't Chaos Sorcery. Sukko had pulled the power from the family bloodline during his Ascension. To make sure nobody else suffered again. Sonic still had his singular cast but it meant that no one else would be born with the power. He was extremely grateful to him. It must have been a huge sacrifice. As to the mystery that remained as to what exactly were his daughter's gifts, Sonic had no clue.
She had a form of Telekinesis, that moved objects around, but it more subtle then Chaos Sorcery, and more familiar. The ability created a cyan aura rather then the luminescent vapour-like blue hue. She was also beginning to develop marking in her hands. Then it hit him. Psychokinesis. Sonic was jumping up and down in pure excitement because, one, his daughter's gifts were find a perfectly legal and she would never have any trouble with them and two, a very good friend of his, from the future, was actually a descendant. So it looked like Psychokinesis had involved to fill the void left by Chaos Sorcery. Chaos Powers do tend to run in families. Sonic's bloodline had just involved the Psychokinesis, which meant it would now be passed on from one generation to the next. Sonic giggled. He'd genuinely hadn't seen that on coming.
Sonic also debated as to whether to ever tell Silver this if he was to ever show up again. Though he now deemed that, highly unlikely. He never came back just to visit, it was always because of a catastrophe in the future, and without Sukko's Telepathy, he couldn't call him again either. Silver being a descendant of the twins did explain why he was able to hear them, even across time. In was in the blood. With peace now reigning in both now and in the future, it meant there was a good chance that he'd never see Silver again. This saddened him but it also meant that he knew what do to do. Years of friendship with Silver meant he'd well observed his powers and reckoned he could teach his daughter the ropes. This made him a very proud father.
Also a proud brother, as he told the stories of the adventures of the amazing Sorcerer to his children. His twins, wondering if they will ever get to meet their incredible Uncle. He sighed. Now was the time to watch the children grow. To let the peace reign he'd fought so hard for, become their world, and for it to be finally enjoyed rather then warred over.