AN: I'm doing my best to finish this story before 2020. I feel it's long overdue. I only have a few chapters left! Thanks, everyone for the past reviews!
•~•
In the witch cemetery, Mighty spent the past few days desperate to determine a method of locking away Infinite for good again. He had many trials and errors with his research, but his focus and resolve were keeping him positive. The black and red armadillo sat on the floor in the middle of one of the open mausoleums continuing his search for answers. Sitting on the floor, he sat in a seven-point meditation position within a particular Himalayan salt circle with multiple different sized lit candles surrounding him. Sat in another small spell circle, this time created with different human bones, was Infinite's journal.
With a soft-spoken incantation, Mighty mumbled the spell under his breath while he kept his eyes closed and his mind cleared. "Huma gu za, huma gu za, huma gu za." Finally, after working at it for five minutes, Mighty's mind and spirit were whisked away to another realm.
•~•
In this otherworldly realm, Mighty walked through an unknown part of a dark forest. As he navigated through the winding and disorienting woods, his ears perked up when he heard a baby crying in the distance. Quickening his steps, Mighty rushed in the direction of the infant's wails. As he got near, he moved some shrubbery away only to notice some tribal looking tents a few yards away. Smiling in relief, it was here, and he knew he would get answers to defeating Infinite. However, his hopes were lost when suddenly, the world around him began to shudder uncontrollably. "No…not now."
•~•
In reality, Mighty's eyes fluttered open, and he released his connection to the other realm was lost. He lifted his head slowly, feeling defeated with his attempt. He had used quite a bit of energy to get himself there, and he'd have to wait to regain strength before he could try again. Mighty let out a shaky exhale, damning himself for being so close. Yet, his self-deprecating was cut short when he noticed two figures making their way around either side of him. He didn't bother to look up, knowing exactly what they were here for. "I was wondering when you guys were gonna come for me."
Finally, glancing up at one of them from his sitting position, he spotted a green canary in a long brown trench coat. It was evident this was one of Infinite's many followers. "We're here to take back what belongs to our master," he answered.
He eyed the infamous book just a few feet in front of him. Slowly rising to his feet, Mighty dusted off his hands. His eyes glared at the bird threatening him. "Well then, you're going to have to kill me first."
The canary smirked. "He was hoping you'd say that." The bird made a gestural nod towards his comrade standing on the other side of the circle, indicating to make a move, but Mighty was quick to notice. He spun around and lifted his right hand upward, making the other rogue witch slam up against the ceiling.
The witch slammed down on the cement floor with a thud, temporarily disabled for the time being. A third witch that had been waiting around the corner came running towards Mighty and grabbed him by the shoulders, tackling him to the ground. Mighty grunted as he was overpowered for a moment, but looked behind him and reached for one of the shards of bones he was using for the book's spell circle. The armadillo reached for the sharpest bone and plummeted it into the witch's neck. The witch staggered backward, gripping the bone protruding from his neck. "AAHH!" Blood spewed all over his chest and shoulder.
Huffing from his brawl, Mighty backed up only to be held in a freeze spell. The leader of this group, the canary, stood behind Mighty with an outstretched arm. He snapped his fingers, and Mighty crumbled like a stack of cards, knocked unconscious. Finding this to be his opportunity, the bird ran over, snatched the book out of the spell circle, and darted off.
•~•
Meanwhile, at Shadow's estate, Silver was brooding in Shadow's library after not being able to have a civilized discussion with his shaken wife. She had refused to speak with him after his awakening, and Silver was struggling with their silent treatment. Growing frustrated with his thoughts, Silver swung his arm along the side of the desk, he sat at, throwing off a stack of books and papers piled on top. The books and writing flung off the bottom of the office and nearly hit Shadow as he entered the study. Shadow stared at the debris with a deadpan expression. He sighed and shook his head with a tsk. "We should be celebrating your return, brother, not throwing a tantrum…"
Silver did not bother to look in his brother's direction and looked elsewhere, clearly in a mood. "Perhaps later."
Shadow crossed his arms over his chest. "Let me guess, Blaze is still not talking to you?" Silver gave a slight shake of the head, answering his question. Shadow sighed, empathizing with him. "Give her time, and she'll come around."
"Will she?" he challenged with doubt.
"Remember a few years ago when Amy refused to talk to me?" Shadow reminded.
Silver raised a brow as he thought back. "Yes, I suppose so," he replied.
"Well, you told me to give her space, and eventually she came around, too. I know it's hard to wait, and it puts you on edge, but when she's ready to talk, she'll come and find you," he stated. The ebony hedgehog turned his head when he spotted his wife enter the room.
"There you are," Amy smiled. "I wanted to have a conversation with you."
"Well, there's plenty of people who want to have conversations today," he said, hinting towards a feline cat. Amy didn't pick up on the reference and instead blinked at him a few times. Seeing her confusion, he continued the discussion. "What about?" he probed.
"It's about Faith and her having a normal life now that this is all over?" she reminded.
"Oh, you mean about putting her back in school?" he inquired.
She nodded. "Yes, I wanted you and I to talk to her about it."
Before he could reply, another presence made themself known, and the three spotted Blaze standing in the doorway. "Uh, am I interrupting something?" she asked timidly. Silver stared at his wife, refraining from blinking as she stood there. He so badly wanted to reach out, hold her, and beg for forgiveness, but his body felt immobilized as he stared her down. In the meantime, Blaze refused to look in his direction, knowing full well he was sitting there gawking at her.
Shadow shook his head. "No, not at all. What do you need?"
"I wanted to speak to you," she replied, nodding towards Shadow.
"Of course," he retorted before looking over towards his wife. He placed a hand on the small of her back. "Do you think you can handle the conversation with Faith on your own, sweetheart?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess…" Amy turned on her heel and left the room leaving the two brothers and Blaze alone.
Blaze gestured that Shadow stepped out of the study for a moment so they could talk in private. He obliged and stepped into the hall so they could converse. He figured her discussion would be something Silver-related. "What's going on, then?" he probed politely.
"Something's going on regarding Infinite. Mighty just called to get ahold of you. He said it was urgent and wants you to meet him at the witch cemetery," she explained.
"Christ," Shadow grumbled, growing anxious at the thought. Were things still not settled with the elusive witch?
"He didn't give me many details over the phone, but he needs you there now," she made explicit.
"Alright, I'll head over." Shadow popped his head in the study and looked over at his brooding brother. "I've got an errand to run; you want to join me?"
Silver popped up from his seat. "If it'll keep my mind preoccupied, then ask no further."
•~•
In her bedroom, Faith sat on her bed with a sketchbook laid out and fresh crayons to color with. However, the young witch had a different type of feel to her today. Her expression remained dead of emotions like she was just an empty vessel. Walking into her bedroom, Amy smiled cheerfully at her daughter, not picking up instantaneously on the difference in her demeanor. "Hey, sweetie, you drawing something?"
Faith's eyes remained on the paper in front of her. "Yes," she replied.
Curious to see, Amy walked over but was startled to see a blank sheet of paper. She chuckled uncomfortably, not expecting to see nothing. She was usually always scribbling some work. "Um, what's that supposed to be? A snowstorm?" Faith didn't respond, and Amy crawled into bed behind her daughter. "So," she started, reaching for a nearby hairbrush. Amy began to brush out faith's quills. "Now that everything is sorted, I figured we should have a chat. I know that you want to have a normal life with friends, school, and art, …and," she paused, feeling uneasy about her daughter's silence. She raised a concerned brow. "Hey, are you okay?"
She nodded slowly. "I'm fine."
Moving back near the front. Amy craned her neck to look at her daughter's face. "Sweetheart, if you're worried about Infinite, you don't have to be. Everything is okay now, I promise."
Faith just stared blankly at her mother, dully and uninterested by her prolonging conversation. "Can I go back to my drawing now?"
There was something odd going on with Faith's mood, but Amy decided to respect her wishes. She moved off of the bed. "Uh, sure, yeah…" Faith watched as her mother walked out of her room and closed the door behind her.
•~•
At the werewolf camp, Sonic and Sally stood around Caleb as he began to stir. They had seen a considerable amount of progress in his health and knew it'd be any moment before he finally woke up. Out of nowhere, the red dingo shot upright, as he had just been reborn again. Panting uncontrollably, his head snapped from left to right, looking panicked.
Sonic placed his hands out defensively in front of his pack member. "Hey there," he smiled. "Welcome back, buddy!"
Sally clasped her hands together, looking relived by his revival. "Yes, welcome back, Cal!"
Caleb sat up slowly, feeling disoriented by the loss of time. He squinted, looking around the room, still feeling a bit dizzy. "Huh, what happened?" he asked slowly in a lagged voice.
Sally placed a hand on the dingo's right hand as it rested in bed. "Infinite's magic put you in a coma," she answered. "With Shadow's blood, Mary and Mighty medicine, and a fantastic spell, we pulled you out of it," she explained.
Caleb placed a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. "Sounds tedious."
"How are you feeling, man?" Sonic questioned.
"…Out of it," he mumbled tiredly. He looked up at the two, looking emotionally drained. "Man, when Infinite grabbed me, it was like…I was shoved down into some dark corner of myself. I never felt so lost," he explained. "It felt like I was slipping away moment by moment. I didn't think I'd ever make it back," he reminisced solemnly.
Seeing him look shaken by the retelling, Sally reached out and embraced him. He froze in her warm embrace, feeling her warmth was comforting since he had felt cold for a long time. "But you did. You made it back to us," she smiled. In her embrace, she could feel him tremble slightly, making her heartache for him.
He pulled away from her hug and looked up at her. "Yeah, but that's because of y'all…"
"Well, the good news is, he's gone now—and for good, I might add!" Sonic exclaimed proudly.
Caleb looked down at his hands, resting in his lap as he absorbed those words. Something just didn't feel right. "You're wrong, man, I don't think he is."
Sally shook her head, trying to reassure the dingo. "No, no, trust me," she avowed. She placed a hand to her chest, swearing on her word. "I killed him last night myself."
The hair on the back of his neck rose ,and he felt a shiver run down his spine. Caleb reached out and gripped the chipmunk's hands in his. She looked taken aback by his forwardness. His eyes grew wide and panicked as he held her eye contact. "Sally, please," he begged. "Listen to me. I can feel him. He's still out there somewhere."
Sonic looked troubled at the thought. He looked to his wife, contemplating his friend's words. Was there a chance that the evil witch could still be out there? "You're just still a little out of it, man. We promise the guy is gone."
He looked over to the blue hedgehog. "You have to believe me, man. I know he is still alive."
•~•
Finally meeting him at the witch cemetery, Mighty now had all three people he needed to inform on what had gone down in the recent hours. Shadow, Silver, and Sonic looked frightened by the notion that there was a possibility that Infinite was not indeed dead.
"Impossible," Shadow shouted, exasperated in disbelief. He began to pace. "Whatever those thieving acolytes are up to, they function independently of Infinite. Sally killed him. I-I saw the corpse with my own eyes," he stressed.
"I understand, Shadow," Mighty added. "His body is dead, but that's not enough!" he exclaimed.
Sonic stepped forward, scratching the side of his head. "So, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that by now, the ancestors should've been able to imprison his spirit. That didn't happen. The spirit is still out there, which means he must've had a plan B."
Silver scoffed at the thought. "No doubt. Perhaps they had assistance. How do we know you weren't apart of it," he accused passively. "I heard you got ahold of some book of his. You sure you weren't inspired by him?" he pressed suspiciously.
"Silver," Shadow hissed, insulted by his brother's accusation.
"Hey," Sonic butted in. "Mighty is my friend, and I believe him. He's helping us not working against us," he defended with a pointed finger.
Mighty glared at the silver hedgehog in disgust. "You know what, Silver, screw you! I sure as hell didn't have to waste my time bringing your sorry excuse for a being back," he shouted in offense at the thought. He waved his hands around, getting flustered. "Come to think of it, I don't care if you believe me or not. I've been working my ass off on trying to find a solution," he pointed.
"And do you have any answers?" Shadow tried to segued organically.
"Yes and no," he replied. "I used the book to put myself in a trance, and while I was in that trance, I was met with the spirit of Infinite's mother. Now, from her, I was trying to get the same spell that she used 1500 years ago to put her son down for good. However, that's when those thugs showed up and stopped me."
"Okay, so what are you waiting for then?" Silver snapped. "Get back to work!"
Sonic groaned at the other hedgehog's obliviousness. "The acolytes took the book, you idiot!" he shouted in annoyance.
"We have loads of different grimoires at our house, take your pick," he bellowed.
"I'm sorry he's in such a vile mood, he's having marital issue," Shadow tried to apologize. "He'll knock it off, eventually," he alluded with glaring eyes in his direction. Silver scoffed and looked away, still reasonably heated.
"Silver, I don't need your library. That book is special—that book represents an extension of Infinite's power in this world. It is just as external as he is," he explained. "If I'm able to tweak that spell in the right way, I'll be able to put him down for good!"
Sonic leaned against one of the walls. "So, where is the book now?"
"It's still with the acolytes," he sighed. Mighty reached down on the floor and picked up an old worn page. He held it in his hands as he approached the brothers. "I used this page to track them to the place where he was reborn," he stated and handed over the piece of paper. Silver accepted the page and looked down at it. "This is where you'll find them."
Silver turned away. "Shadow, let's go," he ordered, marching out of the mausoleum. Shadow quickly followed after his older brother.
Sonic began to try to catch up behind them. "Whoa, wait, I'm going with you!"
"—Sonic," Mighty interjected, causing him to halt in his tracks. "We've got something else that we need to deal with…"
•~•
Back at home, Blaze stood on one of the home's balconies and reflected quietly to herself about her situation with Silver. However, her reflection was interrupted when Amy approached the cat from behind. "Let me guess, husband problems?"
Blaze made an ungainly expression, uncertain on how to discuss the matter. "Yeah, uh, things are complicated between us," she fumbled awkwardly.
Amy stood next to her, leaning her arms against the railing. "Yes, I'm starting to notice that, but his feelings for you seem quite simple." She placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "He adores you, Blaze."
"I know that," she nodded in agreement. "And I know the sacrifices he's made for me, and this family."
Amy smiled and nodded. "He's saved us all at various times," she reminded.
"Yeah, but Amy…" her voice trailed off. "I-I saw things in his mind. Not just memories, I saw his impulse, his natural instincts, and I think that maybe that's who he really is at his core," she theorized.
"I see," Amy processed. "You're afraid of that side of him."
"I always knew he had a darker side of himself, but I never knew it had such an impact on who he is…I never wanted to believe him at first."
Amy's phone vibrated in her pocket, and she whipped her phone out. She opened up her messages to see a text sent from Shadow. The text read: "Infinite is still out there."
Seeing Amy scrunch her face up at her phone, Blaze tilted her head in curiosity. "Uh, what's wrong?"
"Nothing good, I'll tell you that," she dreaded. "Looks like we're not through with our enemy…"
•~•
Back at the witch cemetery, Mighty explained his reasons for needing Sonic with him. "So now, the only way for us to trap him is to get that spell from his mother," Mighty finished explaining.
"You want to find a way to see her without the book?" Sonic surmised.
"Correct," he nodded. "But the problem is…I'm not strong enough to do it on my own, so I'm going to need to channel your power," he gestured.
Sonic rubbed the back of his neck, uneasy. "Look, Might…I don't know if I can agree to this," he replied hesitantly.
"Sonic, you've known me for several years now. You can trust me," he emphasized.
"Yeah, but you're the same person who told me to kill you if you ever asked for that book again," he reminded.
Mighty held his hands up in surrender. "That's because I didn't think I could handle it," he defended. "But look at me, man. Do I look like one of these acolytes," he challenged, glancing over to the corpses of the witches that had tried to attack him.
Sonic looked around the room, contemplating on the matter. No, I guess not," he replied in defeat. With that said, Sonic approached Mighty standing within the salt circle. "Okay, what do you need me to do?"
"Give me your hands," he instructed.
Sonic placed his hands in his, and Mighty guided him inside the circle, and the two knelt onto the floor. Mighty held the hedgehog's right hand and muttered an incantation. As he worked his magic, Sonic felt the room around him shift and shudder. He closed his eyes, feeling vertigo start to come on. Everything began to spin and sway around him.
•~•
Suddenly, like earlier before, Mighty was whisked back to that dark forest he had entered earlier in his trance. He followed the same path he had walked amongst the fog until he heard a baby wailing in the distance. However, this time, before he could even get close, he was thrown back in reality again.
•~•
Mighty fell backward onto his butt and released Sonic's hand. Sonic tumbled onto his side, unexpectedly too. Feeling frustrated, Mighty pounded the floor with the sides of his fists. "Shit!"
"What happened?" Sonic questioned.
"I couldn't get to her. The living isn't meant to be there…"
Sonic sat upright. "Okay, well, let's just try again."
Mighty shook his head sadly. "No, there's no point. Even with your power, it's not enough," he explained. "The book was the only thing powerful enough to let me reach her."
"Sooo," Sonic exhaled. "Where does that leave us?"
"It leaves us one option," Mighty quickly rebutted, looking nervous. "I'm going to have to be dead..."
•~•
Meanwhile, Shadow and Silver were rapidly approaching the area where the acolytes were holding Infinite's book. The two arrived to Angel Island and spotted the cottage where Silver had been taken against his will and sacrificed.
Shadow placed an arm out in front of his older brother, and Silver stared oddly at his brother's outstretched arm, blocking his path. "Perhaps you should wait here," Shadow stated. "You did die here only a couple of days ago. I wouldn't blame you."
Silver gave his brother a deadpan expression by his excuse. "If I thought I couldn't do this, I wouldn't have come, brother…"
"Are you quite sure?" Shadow challenged suspiciously.
"Yes," he replied, moving him aside. "And Shadow, when this is finally over. I want you to get the hell out of the city and take both Amy, Blaze, and Faith away from this place," he ordered.
Shadow cocked a brow. "You've pointedly left yourself out of that equation." Silver looked away with a grim expression. Shadow picked up on the look, figuring the worst. "Look, like I said, whatever Blaze saw in you, she will come to accept it."
He closed his eyes. "No, she won't."
Shadow crossed his arms over his chest, growing irked by his pessimistic outlook. "Why not?"
He bowed his head dejectedly. "I can't explain to her what she saw or who I am…"
Shadow shook his head. "You can."
"Then what are we, Shadow?!" he snapped quietly. "A thousand years of pain and emptiness—and an endless parade of slaughter? That is until your daughter came to us. She is worth every fight, every sacrifice, and she must not suffer the same fate," he made stern with wide eyes.
"Wiping out Infinite from this planet will ensure her safety," Shadow stated. "Everything else can wait."
•~•
At that same time, back at the house, the doorbell rang, and Amy flocked to the door to greet their newest visitor. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Sally standing there. "Oh, hey. Did you get Shadow's text, too?" She nodded, allowing herself into her home. Amy watched the chipmunk as she fumbled with her hands anxiously. Feeling that she had something weighing heavily on her mind just based on her nervous looking body language, she closed the door and approached her friend. "What's up?"
Blaze entered from the kitchen after hearing the door. She stared at the shaken chipmunk with concern. "Amy…I've been stuck in my thoughts all morning," she started. "Infinite had me, and he had you. He could have killed us both easily that night, but he didn't. So, why?" she questioned.
Amy contemplated the thought, not have even considering it previously. "You don't remember anything prior before he placed you under that illusionary spell?"
Sally shook her head. "I don't remember a thing, do you?"
Amy mimicked her actions. "Nothing at all." Amy noticed something on Sally's right arm and squinted her eyes to get a better look. She grabbed a hold of it and examined it closely. Sally blinked in befuddlement at her actions. "Uh, hey, what are you looking at?" Blaze made her way over closer as she observed the conversation.
Amy's thumb brushed across the delicate flesh, noticing a small dot with some discoloration around it. "This bruising," she pointed. "How long have you had it? What was it from?"
Sally looked down at the small mark, shocked to even see it there. "I have no idea. I don't remember hurting myself there."
"It looks like a needle incision," Blaze noted.
Amy released ahold of Sally's arm, suddenly having an epiphany. "…I think he took our blood—but why?"
"The only things I can think of is for some sort of spell. Like a locator spell, healing spell, a linking spell-" Blaze listed.
"—Well, we know the guy is still out there," Sally stated. "What if he was using a linking spell? Linking spells are used to link souls to others, right?"
"That's right," Blaze confirmed. "But both of you have been acting normal."
Amy felt a knot form in her stomach, her face visually showed like she was about to be sick. Sally grew concerned for her friend's wellbeing. "Amy, what's wrong?"
Amy placed a hand to her stomach. "He didn't link himself to either of us…but I have a bad feeling I know who he did link himself to," she dreaded.
Sally picked up on whom she was alluding towards and looked up at the ceiling above them. "Faith?" she whispered.
"She's been acting weird since this morning, I thought she was just in some sort of funk," Amy explained. "Oh god…please tell me this isn't true," she whispered with panic.
"He must've used Sally's blood to whip up some sort of immunity spell for himself and used Amy's blood to link himself to Faith because he knows there's no way in hell you'd harm Faith to kill him," Blaze theorized quietly.
Amy swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "What do we do?"
•~•
Back with Sonic and Mighty, the two were preparing for a very dangerous method of meeting Infinite's mother in the spirit world. Mighty set up a large sand timer on the table preparing for the next step. He reached for a vial of blue liquid and held it up for Sonic to see. "This is a neurotoxin. It's enough to stop my heart and it's gonna give me plenty of time to finish my business meeting with his mother," he explained carefully.
"Right, so how the heck do I bring you back?"
Mighty reached across the table of his work area and held up a large syringe filled with a white looking fluid. "Jam this right into my heart," he said with a mock demonstration. "However, you have to do it before the last grain of sand falls in this thing," he elaborated, pointing to the sand timer. "If you don't, I'm dead for real."
"I've got you," Sonic avowed, looking determined. Hearing the confidence in his voice, Mighty walked back over to his salt spell circle and lied down inside of it with the neurotoxin in hand. In the meantime, Sonic stood by the workstation, displaying the sand timer and waited for Mighty's cue. Mighty sat up and popped the cork to the vial and downed the liquid.
Throwing the vial off to the side and hearing it shatter. He lied flat on his back and rested his hands on his stomach. He looked up at the ceiling one last time as the poison coursed through his system. Mighty closed his eyes. "When you hear my heart beat stop, flip the timer," he commanded.
Sonic heightened his hearing and listened closely as Mighty's heartbeat grew fainter and fainter. Once he could no longer hear it, he flipped the sand timer over, starting their time.
•~•
Similarly, Shadow and Silver were in the process of infiltrating the acolytes' hideout where they held Infinite's grimoire. The group of witches were in the process of honoring the book in a prayer circle. The green bird that had attacked Mighty held the book over his head, leading the charge. "Dimitre con ugu vas, Dimitre con ugu vas, Dimitre con ugu vas."
Shadow and Silver walked into the room where they all had their backs facing them. Shadow smirked at the sight. "Sorry to interrupt your little prayer circle, boys." The group stayed still, refusing to show fear to their intruders. The green bird lowered his arms with the book, not bothering to turn around. Shadow and Silver continued to walk towards them. "We've come for that book and to kill the lot of you," he announced.
The group of seven witches turned around to face the brothers, and the leader turned around and walked towards them. He stopped just in front of Shadow and Silver, staring them down. "Even if you succeed at taking the book, you will stop nothing," the green canary smirked arrogantly. "The spell has already begun."
Silver kept a neutral expression and cocked his head to the side. "How unfortunate." With quick precision, he used his speed to rush over and rip out the heart of one of the witches in the background and then whisk back over to his original position.
The leader looked back in awe at his brutality. He glared at the two. "You have no idea of the gravity of your situation, do you?"
"Well, by all means spend the last few moments of your life illuminating things for us," Shadow proposed condescendingly.
"Infinite has shed his flesh and taken on that of another," he announced.
Shadow groaned in boredom. How predictable. "Yes, yes, we'll kill that body as well and on and on until he gets the hint," he droned.
The bird chuckled darkly at his naivety. "Oh, you won't kill the body he's currently in." Shadow's confident demeanor dropped momentarily as he analyzed the situation. "Even now he's in the process of completing the spell to bind himself in the greatest witch this world may ever know. Oh, and in a lovely touch of irony, it's someone you would rather die for than allow to be harmed..."
Growing angered by the second and knowing exactly who he was taking about, Shadow's eyes glowed bright yellow as he tapped into his werewolf form. He opened his mouth and barred his fangs before lashing out and driving them into the side of the bird's neck. The canary cried out as Shadow devoured his blood.
•~•
Back at Shadow's estate, Amy walked upstairs on her own and looked for Faith. It didn't take long before she found her daughter sat in her bedroom staring at a newly set up chess game. "Oh, hey sweetie," she said, feigning a smile. "Why don't you bring that set downstairs so we can play together." Faith stared up at her mother standing in her doorway with a neutralized expression. Once again, she was void of any emotion or energy. She looked like an empty vessel harboring something sinister. Faith did not utter a response and Amy took a cautious step forward. Her forced smile turned into a scowl. "I want my daughter back."
Faith got up from sitting Indian style and stepped backwards. Amy walked towards her slowly, making sure to keep her eyes on her. "I don't care what it takes, I will do whatever I need to get my daughter back."
Faith simply looked down at her right arm and lifted up her sleeve, showing her mother a red Infinite Square starting to take place. Only half of it was there, but it was working on completing itself slowly. "You won't," she finally spoke. "Faith is still fighting, but she'll give in soon enough. Once this tattoo is complete, I'll be in her body permanently." Faith outstretched her arm and sent her mother flying into her dresser. Amy's back slammed against it violently, toppling over any knick-knacks resting on its surface.
Amy sat up and glared at her daughter. Faith only smirked as she stared at her mother. "You won't hurt me. I'm your daughter, remember?"
"—Oooh, Infinite?" another voice called.
Faith turned around only to spot Blaze standing behind her. She chucked a black powdery looking ball down onto the floor and an explosion of dust formed around the small girl. Faith inhaled the substance and grew dizzy and tired from the scent. She began to faint but Amy was quick to catch her.
Sally entered the room after being in her hiding position as reinforcement with Blaze out in the hall. Amy carried Faith over to her bed and laid her down. The three girls huddled around Faith. "How long do we have?" Sally questioned.
"He's not going to be happy when he breaks through that sleep spell," Blaze mumbled. "Which means we need to work fast."
•~•
Things were looking like they were going smoothly with Sonic and Mighty. Sonic paced around Mighty's spell circle as time ticked away in the sand glass. Mighty had been in there for awhile now and he could only assume things were going alright for the guy. However, Sonic stopped in his tracks when his sensitive ears picked up on voices nearing the mausoleum. He made his way outside the building, only to be greeted by a large group of black wearing, witches. "Let me guess—you're here on behalf of Infinite?" he surmised dryly.
"Indeed," one of them concurred.
Sonic cracked his knuckles as he kept his eyes on all of them. "Fine, but the only way you're getting to Mighty is over my dead body, which will be real rare," he boasted. The group of witches merely glanced to their right, where another large group made their way over. Now outnumbering him thirty to one, things weren't looking quite easy.
Sonic outstretched his arms above his head, giving one good stretch. "I tried to warn you, alright?"
•~•
Back at the house, Amy rushed downstairs to see how Blaze and Sally were coming along in aiding with her daughter. "Faith is still out. Do you think it'll work?"
"The pendant was built to hold a person of strength like Shadow and Silver's bloodline so it should hold her," Blaze assured. She held out the old pendant that once held Silver's spirit. "I did my best to prepare it."
Suddenly the jewel shattered into a thousand tiny pieces before their eyes. "Valiant effort," a male voice commended. The three looked only to see Infinite standing before them in apparition form. "…But Faith belongs to me now." Infinite set his sights on Blaze and beckoned his right index finger. Blaze lifted off the floor and went sailing towards him and straight into his grasp. He held Blaze up by the throat, staring her dead in the eyes.
"Blaze!" Sally called out.
Amy's brows furrowed at his actions. "Over my dead body," she shouted as she made a running start towards him.
Blaze was suddenly released and dropped to the floor just as Amy barreled through his body, making her realize he was only a ghost. Sally made a mad dash for the jackal and came into contact with him as he undid his spell, solidifying himself momentarily and went flying against a nearby wall.
Blaze lifted herself slightly off the floor glaring at the witch. Amy made a defensive stance and Sally mimicked her actions. It was clear the girls were up for a fight.
Infinite growled lowly at the female surrounding him. "You three want to dance? Then let's dance."
•~•
Sonic was quite busy on his end. He was flinging bodies left and right, sending out left and right hooks. The witches did everything they could to stop him, but Sonic was just too fast for them. He was taking them down left and right and even though he was gaining on victory, he couldn't help but worry about the time in the back of his mind.
A rogue witch snuck up behind him with a jagged piece of wood ready to strike. He aimed from behind but suddenly felt a crack. He looked down only to notice a piece of metal rod stuck through his gut. He looked behind him with blood oozing from the corner of his lip, only to spot a red dingo.
Sonic spun around, stunned to see Caleb coming to his aid. "Bud, what are you doing here?"
"You look like you're in a rush. Get back to whatever you were doing and I'll take it from here."
"But-"
"—I've got it," he insisted abruptly.
Nodding, Sonic punched a hole through the last witch and looked down at his blood-splattered body. He was out of breath and chaos knows out of time. Using his agility he rushed back into the building only to spot that the sand timer had only a tiny bit of granules left. Sonic rushed over, swiped the syringe in hand and slid onto his knees and slammed the needle into Mighty's heart just as the last grain fell through. He pushed the liquid into his heart and then retracted the needle. "Come on, come on, come on!"
Mighty gasped and sat upright clutching his heart and Sonic smiled in relief. He shot him a smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome back, pal. Did you get what you needed?"
Mighty panted as he collected himself. "Yeah, yeah I did…but its got some very bad news with it…"
•~•