AN: Aaaah, only one more chapter after this one, and I've finally completed this story! Thank you to the two people who are still reading. I love you guys! Anyway, onto the chapter. Expect the next and final chapter hopefully this weekend or the following one.
•~•
Back at the cemetery, Sonic helped assist a still groggy Mighty, through the battlefield of bodies that he had slain while the witch dabbled in the spirit realm. Mighty used one of his hands as a visor to block out the sun bothering his sensitive eyes. "Geez, did you do all this on your own?"
"Not entirely," a male voice announced. Mighty spotted Caleb leaning up against one of the stone memorial walls casually. "I helped out a bit."
"You're finally up." Mighty swallowed at the gruesome sight. There were guts, blood, and body parts littered throughout the graveyard. "But Chaos, you guys had your hands full while I was out…"
"Yeah, well, we did what I had to do. They were Infinite's followers anyway, so they got what they deserved," he justified.
"I hold the same sentiment," another familiar voice concurred.
The three looked over only to see both Shadow and Silver making their way towards them, thankfully with Infinite's book in hand. "Shadow, Silver," Sonic smiled. "You guys did it," he cheered.
"We did, but we can't be victorious yet," Silver forewarned his joy.
"He's right," Shadow agreed. "That monstrosity has its claws in my daughter. I said I'd get this book in exchange for your help, now it's your turn," he replied, handing it over to the armadillo.
Mighty accepted it and looked down at the coveted item in his hands. He exhaled a deep sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"—Wait," Caleb interjected. "There's something you guys need to know, and it's about Infinite."
Shadow crossed his arms over his chest as he gave the dingo his full attention. "Do tell."
"That thing took control of my body just as it's done to your daughter," he reminded. "While he had me, all I wanted to do was give up and drift into darkness and be gone for good. But I knew if I did, he would have my body for good. You guys can't let that happen to Faith. She may be strong, but she's still just a kid," he stressed. "You need to reach her, or all of this is fucked."
"Shadow, you need to connect with her before it's too late," Silver urged.
"I realize that, but how exactly am I supposed to reach my offspring?"
Mighty held up the book. "This thing is connected to his magic, and Faith is connected to him." He glanced over to Shadow. "And she's connected to you through your blood. If I can bring all those things together, then I should be able to craft a spell that can get you to her," he said with optimism.
Shadow could feel the determination coursing its way through his veins. His fists tightened at his sides. "Then let's do it," Shadow demanded.
"Great," he smiled, hopefully. "Now, we know Infinite is currently residing in Faith's body. We need to set up a game plan," he insisted.
"What's your idea?" Caleb probed.
"While I set up the linking spell to connect Shadow with his daughter, I'm going to need, Caleb, Sonic, and Silver's help to trap and extract him out of Faith's body. For all we know, things back at home could be chaotic as we speak…"
"We already sent a text to the girls earlier that they need to be on high alert. For all we know, they could be a few steps ahead of us and have everything figured out," Silver deduced.
"Let's hope," Mighty prayed.
•~•
Back at the house, Amy's bloody and battered body skidded across the living room floor. The room was an absolute mess. The furniture was broken and bloody. The shelves were split, and books and other cherished household items were shattered or scattered all over the floor. Blaze looked like she was out of the fight, covered by a fallen table. In another corner of the room, Sally sat on the floor, clutching her dislocated left shoulder she had managed to injure in the fight. She winced as she tried to stand up but slid in a puddle of her blood from a large cut on her abdomen.
Amy pushed herself up off the floor, blood streaking down her forehead and her clothes in tatters. "Faith will fight you," she panted, glaring down the jackal looking barely tired.
He chuckled lowly at her. "I can feel her love for you, but it's a shame; it's not enough."
Infinite glanced over at a broken leg from the table currently crushing Blaze. He motioned his hand out towards the piece of wood and guided it with his levitation to spear the pink hedgehog. "I've spent too long playing around with you three, its time to take you out for good this time." The wooden shard went sailing through the air at wicked speed and struck Amy in the chest and impaled her into the kitchen wall.
Amy gasped out a sharp wheeze feeling the wood penetrate her in the chest.
•~•
In the meantime, Mighty worked on a spell to connect Shadow with his daughter. Shadow laid flat on his back in the same spell circle Mighty had used previously. Mighty mumbled an incantation, and Shadow felt his eyes grow heavy as he was brought into another realm. Finally whisked away, Shadow realized he was in his home in this other world. He rushed upstairs to her bedroom, figuring that'd be the first place he'd find her. He slammed open her bedroom door, looking frantically all over the room for her. "Faith?" he called out. He looked behind her dresser, in her closet, and spun around, feeling anxious.
Shadow walked over to her window and looked relieved when he spotted her sitting on the other side of her bed, huddled in the corner. She seemed rather weak and frail sitting there with her head slung downwards and her ears flat against her head. She held her knees up to her chest and shivered slightly from the cold temperature of the room. Shadow quickly knelt in front of her with a smile of relief. "I'm here, sweetheart." He tried to reach out and touch her but realized his hand went straight through her. It was if she was a ghost herself in this world.
"How are you here right now?" she asked quietly.
"Mighty helped me find you," he answered. "Sweetheart, I don't know how much time we have in here. Do you know what's going on right now?"
She nodded. "Infinite came, and I tried to fight him," Faith whispered weakly. "But everything got so dark and so cold, and I'm very tired."
"He's feeding off your energy…" He swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling the severity sink in. "Faith, I need to you to listen to me, okay?" he replied slowly.
Faith looked up at her father and blinked tiredly. The tone of his voice sounded serious. "What is it, daddy?"
He looked her in the eyes. "You need to stay awake, okay? You have to stay with me. Can you do that?"
"…I'll try," she mumbled weakly.
•~•
At the house, Silver, Caleb, Sonic, and Mighty walked into the estate and were met by a devastating sight. The house looked like a war zone had taken place. The room entry way was an absolute mess. Sonic cringed as he looked at the sight, fearing the worst. "Alright, we know he's here, and it looks like they others must've found out too."
"Clearly," Caleb commented.
"You guys know what to do, right?" Mighty replied, giving them a hinted look. He had informed them of the plan; now it was their job to make sure it went down flawlessly. The other three nodded in unison and scattered in different directions. Sonic headed upstairs, while Silver fled towards the living room. In the meantime, Mighty headed back outside, leaving Caleb stood in the grand entryway to the home.
Caleb slowly walked around and looked at one of the walls that used to hold many household family pictures. He noticed the significant claw mark dragged along the wall and the shattered images left on the ground. He looked up when he saw the light bulb above him flickering. The dingo felt a shiver run down his spine and turned around only to come face to face with Infinite in the flesh. His eyes widened, surprised to see him in his pure form. "Hello again," Infinite smirked.
The Jackal lifted up his right hand and crunched his fingertips inwards. Caleb felt a loud crack come from his chest and realized that he was crushing his ribcage internally. Blood gushed from his open mouth, and he collapsed onto the floor.
Meanwhile, with Silver, the grey hedgehog was shocked to stumble across his wife, being crushed by a heavy table. She looked like she was utterly unconscious as she lay there bruised and scratched up. "Blaze," he whispered in alarm and began to move towards her until he heard an all too familiar voice standing behind him. "How predictable!"
He glared at the sound of the voice and craned his neck over his shoulder to look at his enemy. "You will pay for this," he threatened. Silver mad a mad dash towards him but was halted just inches in front of him when Infinite used his magic to freeze him in place with an outstretched arm. "I've killed you once, Silver, I can do it again."
He twisted his wrist roughly to the side, and Silver's neck was broken in an instant. Silver's body crumpled to the floor, an Infinite smiled victoriously. This was all too incredibly easy.
"Oooh, Infinite?" a mocking voice called out.
The jackal turned around and followed where the voice was coming from. He walked back into the other room, where he spotted Sonic standing on the staircase. "What's the matter, you afraid to face me?" he mocked.
"I hide from no one," he shouted, glaring up at the hedgehog. He went to send out an attack with his right arm outstretched, but suddenly wind picked up around him, revealing a cloaked trap circle appearing around him. "What?"
"He kept you occupied long enough for me to set this trap spell," Mighty chuckled, revealing himself.
Infinite crossed his arms over his chest. "You really think you can defeat me, mortal?"
"I do," he smiled confidently.
"You're welcome to try then," he grinned. Mighty watched as he held out his left arm showing the same tattoo Faith had revealed to her mother, and it was now 80% completed. "But once Faith gives in, I will be more powerful than you can even imagine," he chuckled darkly.
Mighty let out a chuckle himself. "Funny, but that's not gonna happen."
"And why do you find it so humorous?"
Mighty held up Infinite's book, to show him. "Well, you see. I've been communicating with the ancestors—your mother among them," he noted. Infinite started to look a little nervous for once and scowled at the armadillo. "And she gave me the spell she used to kill you, and now I'm going to put you in your cage forever."
He narrowed his eyes at the young armadillo. "I don't believe you…"
Mighty held the book out in front of him and slowly encroached towards the trapped witch with a confident strut. "Arreter majik sa a, arreter majik sa a, arreter majik sa a," he grinned.
Infinite looked down at the trap circle and took a cautious step back.
•~•
Back in the other realm, Shadow grew worried as he watched his daughter's eyes grow heavier and heavier with sleep. "Faith, you cannot go to sleep," he emphasized. "Listen, I'm going to tell you a story, but you have to stay awake so you can hear it all, alright?"
Faith's interest peaked, and her determination to stay awake spurred a fire under her. Shadow plopped himself down next to her and rested his arms across his bent knees. "Once upon a time, before you were even born. I was a very different creature. I was cruel," he admitted. "I was mean, and I would revel in terror I inspired in others…"
Her ears twitched with intrigue. "I've always had a weird feeling about that," she revealed. "What made you change?"
"Partly, your mother," he began to reminisce. "She instilled the idea to change; however, the moment I saw you, I wanted nothing more than to be worthy of being your father," he answered.
Faith looked honored by the admittance and choked back tears of joy. She sniffled again snot. "Oh, daddy…"
•~•
At that same time, things were looking good on Mighty's end. A violent wind whipped around Infinite as he continued to be trapped in the spell circle. Infinite closed his eyes as the winds whipped around him, and he felt himself grow weaker. He growled in frustration at Mighty. "Screw you!"
"Arreter majik sa a, arreter majik sa a, arreter majik sa a," Mighty chanted.
Infinite looked down at his arm and saw that 50% of the tattoo was starting to retract itself. It was clear that Faith's determination to fight was weakening his possession over her. He growled, realizing he was losing. "Noooo!" he bellowed.
"That anger that you're feeling right now. That's called losing," Mighty smirked arrogantly. "After this, you're never going to be able to lock yourself inside Faith once I put you inside this book. Now, where was I? Oh yes, arreter majik sa a."
Infinite cried out as he was rendered to his knees and cried out in pain. He was losing this battle, and it was only a matter of time before they'd have him sealed away again. He'd have to do some quick thinking if he wanted to get out of this.
•~•
Back with Shadow and Faith, Shadow continued his motivation heartfelt plea to keep Faith's determination and strength up. He smiled weakly at his daughter, who had gotten emotional over his admittance. "There's more, though, sweetheart. I'm afraid that without you, I'll return to the darkness. So, I need you. I especially need you to fight for me."
Faith felt a few tears streak down her cheek. "I-I will. I will, daddy," she promised.
•~•
Back with Mighty, Infinite cursed to himself when his Infinite square tattoo had disappeared entirely from his arm. He had lost all progress of possession over the girl. "You think you've beaten me?" he challenged.
"Arreter majik sa a!" Mighty shouted, trying to ignore the jackal. "Arreter majik sa a, arreter majik sa a," he said a bit quicker.
Desperate to find a way to escape, Infinite mustered up any bit of magic and strength he had and shot his right hand out, sending out a powerful surge that swept away a portion of the spell circle and shoved Mighty backward. The armadillo screamed as he flew through the air and hit his head against the hard floor. The book flew from his hands as well and promptly landed a few feet away from him.
Panting from weakness, Infinite felt a delightful smile of victory emerge on his face. It wasn't over yet.
•~•
Suddenly, with Shadow and Faith, Shadow's link with Faith broke, and he disappeared before her. Faith blinked in surprise as her father vanished into thin air. "Dad?" she called out. "Daddy?" she screamed in panic. She was all alone again. She began to hyperventilate, seeing how alone she was still.
•~•
Back in reality, Shadow shot upright as his soul was brought back to the real world. "Faith!" He sat up in the dusty old mausoleum now all alone himself and saw Mighty nowhere in sight. If he had lost his connection, it must have meant something bad had happened to the spell maker. Getting to his feet, he knew he needed to get home ASAP.
•~•
With Infinite, the jackal laughed manically as he turned himself into a black cloud and headed back upstairs to where Faith's unconscious body laid. The black cloud reabsorbed into her body, and within a moment, Faith sat upright with a blank expression, and her eyes glowed a faint red. She got off her bed and walked down the hall and towards the staircase. As she walked down the stairs, she spotted Mighty's knocked out the body and the book lying a few feet away from him.
Faith stretched out her hands and sent a magic spell its way. The book combusted into flames, and she smiled darkly as she watched it burn. With that, she walked out the front door of the home and left.
•~•
Ten minutes later, Amy gasped and woke up and looked down only to see the wooden leg protruding out of her chest. The piece of wood had just nearly missed from impaling her heart, which would have killed her permanently. She gripped the piece of wood and managed to free herself from its hold. Staggering to her feet, she stumbled out of the room and spotted Silver, helping lift the heavy table off of Blaze's body. Chucking it off to the side, Amy rushed over and helped pull Blaze out from any other debris. The feline started to come to and looked around the room in a disoriented state. "Huh, where am I?" she asked weakly.
Silver crouched down and embraced her. "Blaze, are you okay?"
She winced and made a sharp cry in pain from his hug. "Aahh! Please, ow, it hurts!" Silver retracted his embrace and grazed his hand down her left side. He made slight pressure with his palm near her left ribcage and warranted another gasp from his wife. "You've fractured or possibly broken a rib," he deduced calmly. "It could have been so much worse."
She looked up at him uncomfortably, still feeling mixed feelings by being so close in proximity to him. "Yeah, I guess..."
"There you are," a relieved voice said, entering their way. The three glanced over only to spot Sonic, assisting Sally into the room with a makeshift sling holding her injured arm.
Mighty walked in behind them, holding a cold pack against his forehead. "I thought you guys were dead…"
"We should've been if I'm honest," Amy admitted. "Thankfully, you guys must've come just in time before he finished us off. Speaking of which," she segued with panic. "Where is Faith?"
The armadillo frowned solemnly. "I'm so sorry, but Faith is gone," Mighty announced. "Infinite has her now."
"No, no…" Amy shook her head in denial. This couldn't be the end. "We have to find her," she pleaded in desperation, looking to her comrades.
"Surely, you can still pull him out of her," Silver surmised.
"Silver, if it were easy enough for me to pull him out, then I would not be standing here talking to you now. I don't have anywhere to put Infinite," he explained desperately. "The book is destroyed, okay? That book was the only thing strong enough to house his spirit."
"There has to be some other way," Blaze theorized.
"There always is," another unannounced voice proclaimed. Everyone looked only to spot Shadow enter the room calmly. "Even if it's in a way that isn't pleasant, I will do whatever it takes to save my daughter."
"Well, there is one thing we could do," Mighty considered, tapping his chin. "But this will be the end to your family…"
•~•
Later on, in an undisclosed area, Faith entered a large gathering hall. There, she witnessed dozens upon dozens of Infinite's followers. The mixed group of loyal females and male witches hushed as they saw the presence of their leader emerge. The little girl marched through a split the followers had made, allowing her to the front of the room. As she stood before them, the group of witches bowed in unison, ready to hear their glorious master and leader give them their next orders. Faith, now under Infinite's possession, looked out among her followers pleased by the outcome. She smirked wickedly, feeling a surge of power and influence over these easily manipulated bunch.
It was time to start wreaking havoc on this world.