"{What are you?}" Silver demanded. "{Why are you here? What did you do to the Time Stones?}"

The strange lion just stared at him. Was it deliberately ignoring him, or— right. It was still frozen by his psychokinesis.

"{Don't try anything,}" Silver warned, then released the lion. It landed on its feet with easy grace and immediately straightened with a grin. And Silver had thought he was tall; this creature was practically a giant.

"{Thanks!}" It—he said cheerfully, like they hadn't just been fighting a moment ago.

Silver glared at him. "{You haven't answered my questions.}" The lion just cocked his head. Silver huffed. "{The Time Stones. What did you do to them?}"

"{Time Stones?}" The lion echoed. "{What are those?}"

"{The glowing Stones that were here? There were seven of them, about this big?}" Silver gestured with his hands to indicate the size of the Stones, feeling his patience quickly wearing thin as the lion just stared at him blankly. "{They disappeared just a moment ago because you did something to them?}"

The lion shook his head. "{I haven't seen anything like that. But hey, if you need rocks—}" He gestured to the cave around them, grinning.

Silver made himself take a breath, then let it out slowly. The lion must be either incredibly oblivious or a very good liar. Whichever it was, Silver wasn't going to get anything out of him this way. At least the lion wasn't trying to attack him, so he probably didn't have sun sickness. Maybe. Silver rubbed his forehead to try and ease the growing headache. Had the Time Stones just gone back to the Little Planet? Couldn't they have given him some warning? He wouldn't even be able to check that they were there until it reappeared in… it would be three months, wouldn't it? And what had they meant by "watch him"? The lion? He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the stranger, who blinked innocently back.

"{Who are you?}" Silver asked. Time Stones disappear, strange lion appears. There had to be a connection.

The lion hummed, thinking."{I… don't know,}" he admitted. He looked briefly distressed by this revelation, but then shook himself and grinned. "{But I'm sure I will eventually!}"

"{…right,}" Silver said, not sure what to make of that. The more he spoke to him, the more he was beginning to suspect the lion really was as clueless as he acted. "{Look, how about I take you to the city and we can see if anyone recognizes you—}"

"{They won't,}" a deep, smooth voice interrupted, and Silver jumped, spinning around. Behind him the lion yelped and leapt into the air, then came down in a crouch, growling.

"{Oh. Mephiles.}" Silver blinked at the crystalline hedgehog (?) who was standing behind him like he'd been there the entire time.

"{They won't recognize it,}" Mephiles said, red and green eyes unblinking as always as he stared at Silver like he could see into his soul.

"{How do you know? Surely someone would recognize him.}" Mephiles did not respond, instead engaging in some sort of staring contest with the lion, who was still crouched on the flour, fur puffed up and teeth bared. Silver sighed and tried another line of questioning. "{Mephiles, did you see what happened to the Time Stones?}"

Mephiles raised a finger to point dramatically at the lion, who somehow managed to puff his fur up even more. "{They disappeared… and that creature appeared in their place.}"

Silver looked between him and the lion. "{Why?}"

"{If you want answers…}" The lion screeched as, without moving his body, Mephiles rotated his head 180 degrees to look towards the sea. "{…Argus is waiting.}"

Silver sucked in a breath. Of course Argus would be involved in this. Mephiles was right; if anyone would know what was going on, it would be her.

"{I'll get supplies ready.}" He started out of the cave, then paused as the lion stayed where he was, still glaring at Mephiles like there was any way he'd win that stare off (Silver knew from experience there was not). "{Hey. Lion. Come on.}" The lion glanced at him, then returned his glare to Mephiles. Silver sighed. "{He's not going to do anything. We need to get going. It's better to leave while it's daylight.}"

The lion reluctantly moved to follow Silver, but he continued to glare at Mephiles until he was out of sight. Then the lion seemed to forget his wariness entirely, skipping merrily after Silver into the entry cavern and looking around with bright-eyed interest. Even with the clouded daylight coming from the entrance, the lion still seemed to glow like a campfire.

"{Where are we going?}" he asked, poking at a nearby crystal."{And what's Argus? Is it a person? Are they going to be a creep like that guy?}"

Silver ignored him, opening the door to a side room long ago dug into the cave wall. It was furnished by a cot, a desk, a chair, and several chests. He knelt and opened one of the chests, sending up a puff of dust. "{You're going to need to stop glowing like that. It'll draw attention.}" And it was giving him a headache.

The lion looked down at himself. "{Glowing?}"

"{Just put this on.}"

Silver pulled out an old red and black poncho and handed it to the lion, then dug around in the chest until he found gloves, socks, and pants in decent condition. He had to help the lion get the poncho around his bushy mane, though the gloves and pants he seemed to figure out easily enough. To complete the outfit Silver found an old pair of sandals and a ragged felt hat. The hat's ear holes had to be widened, but at least it covered the mark on the lion's forehead. Silver stepped back to survey his handiwork. It wasn't perfect—the lion's glow still showed through the holes in the clothing—but it was better than nothing.

"{Whoa,}" the lion breathed, looking at the poncho like it was the most wondrous thing he'd seen in the world. He looked up at Silver and beamed. "{Thanks!}"

Silver shrugged. "{It'll keep you warm. It gets cold out on the sea.}"

The lion's ears flattened. "{And… Why are we going out on the sea?}"

Silver found his own poncho folded on the cot and pulled it over his quills. He knew firsthand how cold it got out in the ocean, especially when you were used to the heat of Crisis City. "{You really don't know who Argus is?}"

The lion shook his head.

"{She's an extremely powerful being who rules the sea and the night. Some would even say she's a deity, the god of the dark and the deep. She is powerful, extremely dangerous, cruel to her enemies and indifferent to her followers.}"

"{And we're going to her?}"

"{She'll know if you're a threat. Or a liar.}"

"{I am not!}" The lion bristled, glow brightening, and Silver grimaced at the sudden light. The lion winced and flattened his fur, the glow dying down. "{Sorry, sorry. But I'm not a liar!}"

"{We'll see.}"

"{When we visit the god of darkness. In a boat.}"

"{That's the plan, yes.}"

"{A boat, on the water.}"

"{I don't have a flying boat, if that's what you're asking.}" Silver finished stuffing blankets in a bag and eyed the lion curiously. "{Are you… afraid of the water?}"

"{Of course not!}" The lion said immediately, puffing up his chest. "{I'm not afraid of anything!}"

"{How do you know that?}" Silver asked, checking the food supply. There wasn't much there. Hopefully the lion didn't eat much. "{You said you don't remember anything.}"

"{I don't. But I feel like I shouldn't be afraid of anything.}"

"{Just because you shouldn't doesn't mean you aren't.}"

"{Oooh,}" the lion said appreciatively. "{Wise words. Can I carry something?}"

"{Uh… sure.}" Silver handed him the bag of food and started filling a container with fresh water. It rained often on the sea, but better safe than sorry. "{Don't eat any of it. We'll need it later.}"

"{What is it?}"

"{Cooked monster flesh.}"

"{Cool! Also gross! What kind of monsters? I bet I've fought monsters. I've fought a lot of monsters. I'm like a monster fighting pro, probably. Are we going to fight monsters?}"

The lion continued chattering as they left the cave. Silver tuned him out, focusing on navigating the rocky beach and keeping the water container from spilling. The waves tossed and crashed against his feet, casting an icy cold spray over his fur. He paused when the yammering stopped and turned to look back at the lion. His companion was staring out at the sea like he was seeing it for the first time—which, if the lion was telling the truth, he probably was.

"{Wow,}" the lion whispered, the quietest Silver had ever heard him. "{It's huge.}"

Silver followed his gaze to the vast expanse that stretched before them. The sea was great and dark, the waves tossing roughly against the shore. The sky overhead was covered in the same dark grey clouds it always was during the day.

"{Come on,}" Silver said after letting him look at it for a minute. "{The boat's this way.}"

The lion followed him down the beach, though he moved slower than he had in the cave, flinching every time a wave splashed him. They soon reached the cove where Silver kept his boat anchored. It wasn't a very impressive vessel, just a small metal rowboat, but it served him well enough and even had a compartment where he could keep their supplies dry. Well, as dry as anything got on the sea. The boat was rocking up and down on the waves, held to the shore by a sturdy rope tied to a rock. Silver set down the water jug and reached out with his telekinesis to pull the boat closer.

"{Hop on,}" he said.

The lion hesitated, eyeing the sea with obvious trepidation, then took a deep breath and leapt into the boat. He landed safely with the bag he was carrying and immediately crouched low as the boat rocked from the impact, his eyes wide and ears flat with fear.

"{I'm going to let go of the boat now,}" Silver called over the crashing of the waves. "{Don't panic, it won't go far.}"

"{Don't let go!}" the lion screeched, eyes going even wider.

"{I thought you said you weren't afraid of water?}"

"{I was wrong!}" The lion wailed, pressing himself even lower in the boat.

Well, at least he was honest. "{It'll be fine! If the boat starts to flip over I'll catch it, okay?}" Silver called, trying his best to sound reassuring.

The lion's eyes went even wider at "flip over", but to Silver's relief he didn't argue further, just squeezed his eyes closed and dug his claws into the bottom of the boat. Silver slowly released the boat from his mind's grip, then, before it drifted away again, he jumped aboard, the bag of blankets in hand. He landed with a thunk, making the boat rock and the lion whimper in fear. Silver leaned out to untie the rope from the dock (he'd found untying knots too delicate a task for his telekinesis), then gave the boat a telekinetic push, propelling it out of the cove and into the wider sea. He only released his psychic hold once they were out in the opean ocean, safely past the crashing waves and dangerous reefs that lined Crisis City's shores.

The boat drifted peacefully across the dark water, the only sound the soft lapping of the waves against its sides and the breathing of its passengers. The air here was fresh and cool, free of Crisis City's smog and smoke. Overhead the sky was still dark; without the flames to illuminate them, the clouds looked smooth and black, like a night sky void of stars or moon. A soft white glow emanated from the bottom of the boat, where the lion was curled up, arms around his knees, ears flat to his head, and eyes squeezed shut. He looked miserable.

"{Hey, uh… lion,}" Silver said awkwardly. "{Are you alright?}"

"{I hate boats,}" the lion declared with feeling.

Silver laughed.

Soon enough the lion, encouraged by the stillness of the water, uncurled and looked around curiously. "{Do you come out here often?}"

"{I usually go out once a week to fish. Though I try to stay close to Crisis City, in case anyone needs me.}"

"{Crisis City?}" The lion echoed, wrinkling his nose. "{Who named it that?}"

"{One of the early survivors, I think, and then it caught on. It's a fitting name.}" He eyed the lion. "{Speaking of which, I never got your name.}"

The lion shrugged. "{I don't have one. Or not one that I remember.}"

"{I'll need to call you something.}" Silver squinted at the glow emanating from the lion's white fur. It seemed to have grown brighter as he got more comfortable. "{How about White?}"

"{How creative,}" the lion joked.

"{Do you have any better suggestions?}"

The lion considered, then shook his head, grinning. "{No. I like it. It feels right.}" He looked at Silver curiously. "{What's your name, then? Grey?}"

"{Silver, actually.}"

"{You don't look very silvery.}"

Silver just huffed and crossed his arms. This only seemed to encourage White to fill the silence, his earlier energy (and earlier bright glow) returning in full force.

"{What were your other ideas for my name, then? Ivory? Hey, are there any white metals? I could be, like, Platinum or something. Then we'd match! Or maybe we should change your name to Grey. Silver? Silver, are you listening?}"

They continued on for what felt like an eternity of White's ceaseless chatter and restless bouncing. Silver was just glad he didn't get seasick easily. It was a relief when they finally passed the first marker and Silver spotted the water's edge over White's shoulder.

"{Hold on,}" Silver said, interrupting whatever tangent White was on now.

"{Why?}" White asked, twisting to look behind him. "{Is something coming?}"

Silver grinned. "{You could say that.}"

And they plunged off the edge of the world.