~Flashback: 2000 years ago~
A tribe of Jackals stood around a large bonfire in the dead of the night. With many teepees around the camp, the group of tribe members looked to one teepee in particular. An elder male shaman of the tribe walked out carrying a bundle in his arms. Wrapped up in cloth was a newborn baby boy. His fur was black and white and he wailed profusely as he was carried towards the awaiting crowd.
Many of the other tribe members bowed in respect as he walked past them. Eventually, the shaman stopped in front of a crib set up near the fire, but not too close. Huddled around the crib were assorted wildflowers the females of the tribe had collected as offerings for his birth. He lowered the infant into the woven crib and smiled down at him. "Today is a glorious day," the shaman announced. "The heir to our tribe has been born. Let us bless and praise our new future leader, Zero!"
In unison, the tribe bowed to their new future leader. Suddenly, the flames of the torches lit around camp extinguished with a sudden gush of wind along with the large bonfire, leaving the camp in complete darkness. Mumbles of uncertainty as surprise began to unwind. The elder looked around for a sign of explanation. "Do not fear, it is simply the wind!" he assured.
With another gush of wind, the torches and bonfire suddenly came roaring back to life, igniting around them. All eyes fell to the infant lying delicately in the crib innocently. "Look," one of the members pointed.
Everyone watched as the flowers around the infant suddenly began to rapidly decay, losing their vibrancy in color and withering away to a ghastly black. The shaman took a precautionary step back, unsettled by the omen unraveling before him.
•~•
At the motel, Faith looked out of their motel window longingly. Her ears twitched as she pulled her eyes away from looking outside, and instead to looking around their room. She could hear the faint murmurs of a female whispering to her. Just at that moment, Amy turned away from doing her makeup, noticing her daughter's poised expression. "Faith, what's going on?"
Faith walked over to her mother, laying her hands on her mother's thigh. "Mommy, can you hear them, too?"
Amy cocked her head to her side, lowering her makeup brush onto the table. "…Hear what?"
"The whispers," she replied unfazed. "You can't hear them?"
Amy lifted her daughter up and brought her into her lap, bringing her close. Having heard some of the conversations from the bathroom, Shadow entered the bedroom. "What's going on?" he questioned.
"Faith is hearing voices," Amy explained to her concerned husband. She turned to give her attention to Faith. "Tell us what you heard," Amy commanded softly.
"The voices said that I'm connected to this somehow," she stated.
Shadow knelt down to her level, so he could look at her eye to eye. "Who exactly is talking to you, sweetheart?"
"The ancestors," she specified. "They said they have a message for you and Aunt Sally—a warning."
Amy stroked the top of her head, growing uneasy. "What did they say?"
"They want them to go to the abandoned church downtown to talk to them. They said to do whatever they say," she informed.
Shadow and Amy exchanged a look—what exactly the ancestors had in store for them, they were sure they'd find out. "I'll give Sonic a call and let him know what's going on," Shadow mumbled before walking off.
•~•
Meanwhile, in the other room, Silver and Blaze were getting ready for the day. Silver sat on the edge of his pull out bed, buttoning up his white dress shirt. As he finished going down the row of buttons, he thought about what had conspired between he and Blaze last night. He hadn't expected her to act that way with him, and when he really thought about it, it had nearly broken his heart. Blaze had told him that she hated him, but did she really mean it?
Just then, Blaze came out of the bathroom dressed and ready for the day. Silver stood and walked towards her, eager to clear the air. "Blaze, can we talk?"
She looked at him, keeping her expression void of any type of emotion. "What is there to talk about?"
He tilted his head to the side curiously. "Why did you have sex with me if you're unwilling to forgive me?"
"Easy," she replied. "Because you're unwilling to stop acting like a ruthless monster," she countered. "You expected me to just forgive you last night, have passionate sex, all while you go continue doing unthinkable things because you think it'll keep us safe. You can't have it all!"
His brows narrowed by her explanation. "So, you just decided to screw me for your own satisfaction?"
She shrugged nonchalantly, trying to hurt him back as he had hurt her. "I've been pretty stressed lately and I've needed a way to unwind. You helped me with that last night."
He frowned by her response. "Blaze, please," he begged. "I want you back in my life."
"One day you're going to lose yourself entirely to the darkness," she forewarned. "You act like you have control of how much of the monster you let out behind that red door, but do you truly know that?"
"I can control it, I promise," he assured her. "I never fully open the door to let that other side of me out. I merely crack the door a little, allowing some of its influence out."
"Clearly we can't come to some sort of compromise, so it's a no for me," she said walking past him.
He turned, watching her closely as she walked towards the door. "Where are you going?"
"To get something to eat because I'm starving," she answered before opening the door and closing it behind her.
•~•
Afterward, Silver met Shadow outside of his motel room. The two brothers discussed what the game plan would entail for the day. "You're going to meet with the ancestors? What do they want?"
"We're not sure yet," Shadow replied. "But it's a good thing you got that link back up. I called Sonic and Sally said she'd be willing to come down and find out how she's connected with this all. She and I will head down to the church to see what they have to say. Amy's gonna watch over Faith for the day."
"What about the house, it needs to be cleaned," Silver mentioned. "Want me to head down and work on that?"
"I've already got that under control. I have cleaning crew over there right now cleaning up all the blood and remains. I compelled them to complete the job earlier this morning, so we should be able to return there tonight," he informed.
"Psst," they both heard from behind them. The two brothers turned, only to spot Amy peeking out behind her cracked motel door.
They walked closer to see what was up. "Rose, what is it?" Shadow whispered.
"I just got an email from one of my old friends. He used to work with my dad and he happens to have one of Infinite's bones," she whispered lowly.
Shadow looked surprised but also happy with the news. "Brilliant," he smiled. "How did you manage to discover that?"
"The other day I was doing research trying to figure out who might be another guardian of the bones. I remembered my friend who happens to also be from a powerful lineage of hunters. He happens to be one of those guardians and told me he'd be willing to meet up since we're so deep in defeating Infinite."
"A hunter, huh?" Silver said rather suspiciously.
"Don't worry, he won't hurt you," she assured. "He said he could meet halfway, but I'm watching Faith. Could either of you meet up with him?"
Silver stepped forward and raised his hand. "I could always volunteer."
"Awesome," she smiled. "I texted Sonic to see if he'd be willing to join, too. He actually knows this guy personally like me. We went to high school together."
Shadow patted Silver on the back. "Looks like you've got an adventurous day ahead of you, brother."
•~•
Meanwhile, across the street, Blaze ate some breakfast at a small diner by herself. She cut into her sunnyside up eggs, allowing the yolk to run all over her plate. She took a few bites of her eggs along with some of her bacon, savoring the combined taste. However, her quiet breakfast halted when a familiar figure approached the booth she sat at. Glancing up with a mouth full of breakfast, she looked surprised to see Mighty standing before her.
Finishing chewing her food, she swallowed. "Mighty, what are you doing here?"
Mighty didn't look too happy, in fact, he looked quite troubled, almost as if he had a lot on his mind. "Mind if I sit?" he asked politely, glancing at the empty seat across from her. She nodded, accepting his suggestion. Casually, he slid into the booth and folded his arms over the tabletop, looking unsettled in his expression.
She put her silverware down, wanting to focus on his conversation. She could tell their conversation would not be light and would be more on the heavier side by his apparent mood. "So, what's up?"
"I came to talk to you about your husband," he began seriously. "Are you aware of how he's been acting lately?"
She leaned her own arms across the tabletop. "If you mean that he's been acting like a cold, detached machine, then yes."
Mighty sighed and rubbed the underside of his nose in thought. "I always thought it'd be Shadow who I'd have difficulty working with, but little did I know it'd be Silver who I'd come to loathe and despise." He rubbed the skin between his eyes. "I don't know how much longer I can work with him, Blaze," he admitted solemnly.
"I-I understand," she replied sadly, knowing where this was headed. "I've tried to talk him down from acting this way, but he won't budge."
"I see," Mighty contemplated. "Are you aware of the atrocity that he committed last night?" he probed curiously.
"No," Blaze shook her head, suddenly feeling very anxious about the possibilities, "But to be honest, I didn't exactly push him to tell me what he'd been up to all day. You see, Silver and I have been quite a distance since the night of the party."
He frowned further, feeling saddened about what he was going to reveal. "You're not going to like to hear this then," he foreshadowed, "But last night, Silver kidnapped four female, teen witches, and murdered them. He slit each and every one of their throats," he explained, going into detail. "He then proceeded to force me into completing the Harvest Ritual, something I am not permitted to do, in order to reestablish the link to the ancestors his mother had damaged."
Blaze sunk back in her seat, devastated by the news. The Harvest Ritual had always been very controversial in their community and she knew what the rewards and consequences were for it. It felt like she had been punched to the gut by revelation. In fact, she had even lost her appetite at that point. "I-I…" she stammered, lost for words.
"I know it's hard to hear," he empathized. "I only came here to speak to you as a friend because I'm concerned with your welfare around him. I'm worried that he may go too far at some point and…really hurt you."
"Damn him," she muttered under her breath. Tears started seeping down her cheeks. "Damn him..."
•~•
At the church, Shadow and Sally met up together to meet with the ancestors and find out what their message entailed. The two pushed open the creaky wooden door and sauntered into the church, walking side by side. Shadow felt icky as he walked in, reminded of the tragedy and miracle that had occurred here several years ago. After all, this had been the place Amy had been taken against her will to give birth to their daughter, but it was also the place she had died and started her new life as an immortal vampire.
Sally felt a shiver down her spine by the eeriness of silence in the old building. "It's so quiet," she noted, breaking the silence.
"Of course it is," Shadow muttered. "It's probably a trap."
Sally shot the hybrid a look by his pessimistic outlook. "Now come on, we don't know that."
He continued to lead the way down the aisle, being careful to remain observant and take in his environment. "The witches in Station Square have hated my family for three centuries." His eyes shifted left and right, almost expecting someone to leap out at them, but eventually, he stopped when he reached the other end. "Of course it's a trap…"
Sally stopped a few feet behind him and crossed her arms over her chest, not as certain about the chicanery. "The coven protects their own and your daughter is part of their legacy. You even said over the phone they used her as a liaison, so they must come in peace," Sally reminded.
Shadow turned around on his heel and shot her a glare by her counter-argument. "Faith is a far cry from a Station Square fortune-teller, and while we're on the subject, she's seven. If anyone wants to talk to her, they should ask my permission first," he gestured.
Sally let out a chortle by his over-protectiveness, wrapping an arm around her stomach. "Oh boy," she cackled. "You're gonna be a lot of fun when she starts dating, huh?" she noted sardonically.
He scoffed at her comment. "I'm going to be a perfect gentleman. However, if any of her suitors fail to meet my expectations, I'll compel them to join the G.U.N overseas," he smirked arrogantly.
Before Sally could retort to his statement, footsteps approached them from the front of the church. The two looked and suddenly four young witches sauntered out and took place on the main altar. They stood in a horizontal line before their guests. "Who do we have here?" Shadow questioned.
"We're the Harvest girls," one of the female witches addressed. "You know, the ones your brother murdered last night in order to gain the link back to the ancestors," they reminded passively.
Shadow blinked in surprise, taken aback by the news. Silver had told him he had done something in order to re-establish the link, however, he hadn't gone into details on how he had succeeded it. "Hold on a second, did you say, murdered?" he repeated, hoping for correction.
Another girl, a purple hedgehog, nodded confirming his question. "Yes, he kidnapped all four of us and forced a friend of yours to conduct the ritual."
Sally looked over to Shadow, startled with the fact that Silver of all people would do something so brutal. "Jeez, are you sure it wasn't him?" Sally gestured, towards Shadow. "It seems like something more up your alley."
Another female, a yellow monkey, shook her head. "No, it was definitely his older brother."
Shadow's eyes fell to the floor sadly. Once he got finished with this, he was sure to have a very reprimanding discussion with his older brother. "I may be evil to some, but I don't harm children," he cleared. "I am sorry that my brother did something so unspeakable, but I happen to come in peace," he said raising his hands up.
The girls looked at one another, trying to identify if he truly came in peace as he said. After some quiet discussion, they came to their conclusion. "We will help you," the leader of their group announced. "So, we shall get started."
•~•
At the werewolf camp, Sonic started to pack some supplies for his road trip. Watching him from afar, Infinite, now inhabiting Caleb's body, sauntered over to the oblivious hedgehog. "Where are you headed off to?" he inquired while trying to remain in character.
Sonic looked over his shoulder at the dingo, before folding up the trunk to the bed of the truck. "I'm heading off to meet an old friend that has one of Infinite's bones," he replied.
Caleb's expression peaked with intrigue. "Oh, well, hey, do you need another hand for backup? I could always ride with yah," he smiled.
Sonic smiled with appreciation. "Nah, it's alright man, it's already covered. Silver is going to tag along for the ride. Do you mind keeping watch while I'm out? Sally's out with Shadow doing some other errand."
He seethed internally but kept on his pleasant façade on the outside. "Oh, of course, man. But, uh, where is this friend arriving from anyway?"
"He's driving in a few hours away from Mercia," he explained. "We're going to meet him at the local Robotnik's BBQ place a few miles south." A sleek BMW pulled into camp, and the two looked at their new visitor. "Oh, that should be Silver!"
Silver got out of his car and walked over towards the two.
"I wish you two the best of luck then," Caleb waved before turning on his heel.
"Thanks, man!" Sonic waved to his retreating figure.
Once his face was away from Sonic's line of view he scowled in annoyance. Without a doubt, he was sure he'd get to that bone before the other two. He could not let them get their hands on the rest of his remains.
•~•
Back at the church, everything seemed to be set up in order for the meeting with the ancestors to work. Shadow and Sally sat on the steps of the altar, waiting patiently for the girls to complete their work area with the herbs, candles, and spell designs.
The leader of the group, a green chameleon, sauntered towards Shadow with a wooden bowl in hand. "We need your blood for this to work," she ordered.
Shadow reached for the bowl, taking it in his hand. "Very well." Holding the bowl in one hand he used his other hand to bring up to his mouth. His fangs dug into the side of his wrist, drawing blood. He allowed the blood to drip down into the pull before passing it over to Sally.
Sally took the bowl in one hand and then offered her free arm out to Shadow. "Bite me, please."
Shadow grabbed her arm and dug his fangs into her wrist, making her wince from the sharp pain. She gasped and then he pulled his mouth away, allowing her to squeeze the blood dripping from her wrist into the bowl. Once they were done, Sally gave the bowl back to the witch, allowing her to continue with the process.
Shadow wiped some of the blood smeared around his lips away with one of his thumbs. He licked at his lips and then fingers. "Hm, you actually taste pretty good."
Sally gave him a forced smile, unsure of his compliment. "Uh, thanks?"
"Are you two ready," the leader asked.
Shadow looked to Sally, who nodded in response. "It appears so," he replied.
"Then step inside the spell circle," the leader instructed.
The two followed the instructions and stepped inside the large triangle spell design drawn in white chalk. "Anything we should know?" Sally inquired, suddenly growing nervous.
The leader smirked. "Only that this is going to hurt." With that, she looked to the other girls, who in unison lifted their arms into the air. They all broke out in a foreign language incantation chant.
Shadow and Sally screamed out in agony, feeling an insurmountable pain radiate through their bodies. Their screams were ear piercing and within a few seconds, they fell to the floor, unconscious.
•~•
In an otherworldly universe, Shadow's eyes fluttered open. He was lying on the floor of the church, in the same spell circle, but it appeared he was in some sort of another realm. Everything had a strange dark green hue to it. It was quite creepy if you asked him. He sat upright, looking over to Sally who was also starting to stir. "Hey, you okay?"
Sally groaned as she pushed herself off the floor. "That hurt like hell," she mumbled.
Shadow chuckled lowly and hopped to his feet. "They weren't lying when they said it would," he said holding out his hand for her to take.
Sally accepted his kind gesture as he pulled her up to her feet, but the two froze when they heard another voice. "I wasn't sure you were going to show up," a mature female voice spoke from around the corner.
Their eyes flew to where the voice was coming from and Shadow felt his stomach sink, recognizing the voice immediately. "No, it can't be…"
A cloaked figure came out from behind the cracked wooden doors of the church, and walked towards them, keeping their face hidden with the large hood, shadowing their face. Sally picked up that Shadow seemed shaken as he stared at the strange hooded figure. She looked up at him, confused by his grave expression. "What, do you know who this is?"
He blinked in befuddlement. "…Mother?"
The figure lowered their hood, revealing themselves to be in fact Shadow's mother, but in her original form. She was no longer in Gala-Na's echidna body, but instead in her white hedgehog form. "That's right, and you will listen to every single word I have to say because right now, I'm the only thing standing between you and Infinite," she made explicit.
His brows furrowed. "How the hell did you wind up here?" Shadow snapped. "Because last I checked, I had turned you into a vampire," he pointed.
She smirked, amused by his determination to figure out every last detail. "Yes, you may have turned me into a vampire, but I had a failsafe set in place in case anything like this happened."
"What ended up happening to you all those years ago, anyway?" he probed.
"Oh, you didn't know?" she asked in feigned surprise. "Your dear friend Mighty ended up killing me out of spite for all I had done to him and his little girlfriend," she huffed.
Shadow growled from her response. "Mighty," he seethed. "I wanted to be the one to take you out when I felt like it. I'll give him a nice smackdown once I return to the living…"
Standing there awkwardly as a third wheel, Sally exchanged strained looks between the mother and son. "Uh, so I'm Sally, nice to meet you, Shadow's mom…" she waved timidly.
Ivy smiled warmly towards the chipmunk, ignoring her brooding son in the background. "Hello Sally, it's lovely to meet you. As you are aware, I am Shadow's mother, but you can call me Ivy."
Shadow rolled his eyes at her faulty sweet greeting and huffed. "Alright, let's get on with this. Let's hear the message," Shadow urged.
"First, I need to tell you the origin story of Infinite," she corrected. "It begins a two thousand years before the city was founded…"
~Flashback 2000 Years Ago~
"Two rival tribes decided to combine their power. They thought that by uniting in peace, they would enter a new age of harmony. A marriage was arranged and two powerful witches joined together to create a unified coven."
A beautiful brown and white, female Jackal, stood in front of a tall, muscular, and handsome, male grey Jackal. Behind them were both of their tribes, watching as one of the elders, a red jackal, read some verses for a ritual in a foreign language. The couple held each other's hands as they looked into each other's eyes. A green vine with flowers wrapped around each other's wrists, linking them together to symbolize their eternal love.
~End Flashback: Back to Present Time~
Sally placed a hand to her chin, deep in thought. "A ceremonial wedding," she noted, picking up on the familiarity. "Like the one Sonic and I had to unite our pack?"
"That is correct," Ivy concurred. "They were the originators of that ceremony."
Now sitting on one of the benches in the church, Shadow groaned. This story was too predictable for him. "Let me guess, something went wrong?" he droned. Ivy shook her head at her son's passiveness. She allowed it to roll off her shoulders before continuing her tale.
~Continuation Flashback 2000 Years Ago~
"That marriage bore a child, and for nine months, the tribe elders visited the mother, using magic to grant the child great power in hopes that the newborn would become a symbol of prosperity."
Inside a small tepee, the elder of the now unified tribe wafted some sage around the now pregnant female jackal as she lay on a slate of rock. Her bare belly was exposed towards the ceiling of the tent, showing a slight baby bump. She kept her eyes closed, listening to the elder shaman pray and bless her child in their foreign language.
~End Flashback: Back to Present Time~
Back in reality, Shadow was continuing to grow bored of this long story. "Can we pick up the pace here," he interrupted.
Ivy shot him an irate glare. "Be patient, Shadow!" she bellowed.
Sally marched over and punched him in the shoulder, making him growl at her. He reached for his tender shoulder, rubbing it to ease the pain. "Hey, what was that for?"
"I happen to be interested in the story, so shut up and stop complaining!"
Ivy cleared her throat, trying to recall where she left off. "At any rate, they had no idea what they were bringing into the world."
~Continuation Flashback 2000 Years Ago~
"The baby, a little boy, was named Zero, but soon it was clear he was stronger than anyone could ever imagine. He had a terrible hunger for even more power still."
The mother of the child held her infant after having given a stressful birth. She and her husband smiled at each other as they relished in the birth of their healthy offspring. The baby wailed loudly as it remained bundled up in some animal skin to stay warm.
~End Flashback: Back to Present Time~
Shadow stretched his arms over his head, growing antsy. "Well, this is all frightening fodder for campfire tales, but how do we kill him?"
Ivy looked at him long and hard, baffled that he seemed so arrogant on defeating this thing. "You don't understand, Shadow. You can't."
Sally's face turned to dread by the admittance. They couldn't stop this thing?
•~•
Meanwhile, driving down a lonely road in the back roads, a staunch red echidna in his early 30s drove his pickup truck to meet with Sonic. Listening to some classic rock on the radio, the echidna looked on mysteriously at his radio station screen when it suddenly became static. Perhaps he was just losing signal now that he was so out from civilization and the big city?
His engine started to make strange noises and he felt the car begin to stall. "Shit…" he muttered under his breath. He watched as his meter on his dash began to spazz out as he came to a slow halt on the road. When he looked back up through his windshield, he spotted a male dingo standing menacingly in the road, giving him a death glare. His car came to a dead halt just a foot away from the stranger in the road.
"Car trouble?" Caleb questioned, watching the echidna like a hawk.
The red echidna got out of the car, unfazed by the spooky appearance of the dingo. He closed the driver's door shut as he kept his own eyes on the male. "Yeah, it's the damndest thing," he laughed, pounding the side of his fist against the hood of his trunk. "It just died on me."
Caleb watched as he walked over to the back part of his car and reached into the bed of his truck. "Unless you want to follow suit. Give me the bone," he demanded without flinching.
"Yeah, about that…" he stalled, revealing a crossbow aimed directly at him. "Someone else called dibs first," he smirked, taking a shot at the stranger.
Caleb caught the arrow just mere inches from inflicting damage on his chest, not ever taking his eyes off of him. "That was foolish."
The echidna watched as Caleb flicked his other wrist, causing his weapon to be flung from his hands and into the woods off the side of the road. Suddenly, he felt himself being slammed from the front by an unseen force, making him fly back into the air. He came down hard onto the road, several yards away, rolling along the hard and uneven gravel. Caleb walked over to the back of the truck and spotted an old trunk. He smiled victoriously to himself, believing he had found the spot where this imbecile had hidden his bone.
At that same time, cut up and bruised, the echidna groaned, rolling over onto his side before starting to chuckle lowly to himself. Confused, Caleb looked in his direction. "Why are you laughing?"
Painfully, he sat upright. "Just 'cause I know something that you don't," he grinned mischievously.
Caleb's brows furrowed. "And what's that?"
The echidna whipped out a small handgun from the inside of his sports jacket and aimed it towards his truck that Caleb stood next to. "I packed that trunk full of C-4." He shot one bullet, aiming for the trunk in the back of his car and successfully hit it.
Instantly, the truck exploded and combusted into a gulf of orange flames. The fire enveloped his entire vehicle along with taking out Caleb.
•~•
Back in the witch purgatory, Sally was still wrapping her head around the fact that they may not be able to defeat Infinite. "If this thing is so powerful and it can't be destroyed, then why bring us here in the first place?" Sally interrogated. "Why tell us all of this?"
Ivy sighed. "The ancestors needed you to know-"
Shadow stood up from his seat, approaching the two. "Please inform the ancestors that they're a colossal waste of my time," he commented in disappointment. "I've been alive a thousand years and I've never met anything I couldn't kill," he reminded. "Therefore, we will defeat this pathetic phantom, as well."
"I mean, I don't even understand why this guy is coming to take out his anger on us," Sally reasoned. It was his tribe that turned him into this thing. They should have tried to stop him."
"Dear child, you don't think they tried?" Ivy countered. "All they wanted was to undo what their magic did." Her eyes drifted over to her son. "Sound familiar Shadow?" Shadow locked eyes with her momentarily, remaining quiet before looking away. The story was awfully similar to how Ivy had basically created Shadow as an unstoppable, reckoning force of nature. By turning her family into vampires, she had also tried to find the means to put her own children down when she saw their destructiveness.
~Continuation Flashback 2000 Years Ago~
Now ten years old, Zero, stood in the middle of a large field, watching the devastation he had brought on. In the distance, he smiled darkly as he watched his old village burn down to the ground. His tribemates screamed and frantically ran around camp, trying to put out the large flames. He watched as some of his family members ran around fully engulfed in flames, writing in the painful death.
"He loved the fear he inspired in others. His people knew him as ruthless, unfeeling, and empty. Until that became his defining quality."
Zero smiled wickedly, relishing in the destruction he had caused. He felt a warmth in the pit of his stomach by his evil undoings.
~End Flashback: Back to Present Time~
"…He killed them," Sally whispered, horrified by the outcome.
Ivy nodded solemnly. "Not because they hurt him or were unkind. He did it for fun."
"Well, to be fair, we all have our bad days," Shadow piped in dryly.
Ivy marched towards her son, growing tired of his sanctimonious attitude. "You think this is some sort of joke?"
He smirked, unfazed by her annoyance. "No, but it is a trifle tedious. Perhaps you could get to the bit of the story that might be of some use to us," he suggested.
She stood inches away from him, looking him dead in the eye with fearlessness. "You want to defeat Infinite?" she asked slowly. "Well, he only has one weakness."
He smirked even more; amused that he had managed to push her buttons. "You have my undivided attention, mother. Now, what is it?"
Ivy pried her eyes away from looking at Shadow, and looked over her shoulder at Sally, who was also eager to hear about their Hail Mary. "You…"
Sally blinked in surprise. "Me?" she pointed towards her chest.
Ivy turned away from Shadow and walked towards her with hopefulness. "You're the one chance we have."
Shadow furrowed his brows by her comment. "What the hell does that mean?"
Ivy whipped back around to face her son. "I'm done talking to you," she spoke with venom. With that, she grabbed Sally by the wrist, suddenly vanishing into thin air.
Shadow looked around the purgatory he was stuck in, trying to determine their new location. "Mother?" He marched down the aisle with urgency, looking towards the second floor. "Mother!" he screamed, hearing his own voice echo around him. It was too late. They were gone.
•~•