Chapter 9

Seeds of Anger

At last, Cosmo and Shadow reached the entrance to the tunnel system leading to the fragments and their friends. It appeared to be crudely built and the pillars holding the entrance open seemed worn despite clear signs of it having been built quite recently.

"This has to be intentional. Perhaps Void intends to trap us in there?" Shadow asked.

"Possibly, but that seems to simple for him. It doesn't matter, they're in there so that's where we're going"

Venturing forth, the two found the darkness overtaking them almost too quickly. Even though they could turn around and see the entrance the darkness seemed suffocating somehow.

The tunnel was straightforward with no branching paths, though Cosmo and Shadow continued to look for any just in case. As they got deeper and deeper in however the darkness began to obscure they're vision.

"Shadow? I can't see you…or anything for that matter. Can you make a light?"

"One moment"

Cosmo waited for the light to ignite.

But none came.

"Shadow? Is something wrong?"

No response.

"Shadow? Shadow!"

"lose someone again Cosmo?"

Cosmo went stiff, Void had found her.

"I know it's typical hero behaviour to rush foolishly into danger without any thought to your own well being, especially to save loved ones, but I thought you'd at least have hesitated a bit"

"where is he Void? And where are my friends?"

"And boyfriend? They are still alive little seed. Shaken but alive. Shadow is wandering around searching for them…and you as well by now I imagine"

Though Cosmo couldn't see Void she could hear him moving around.

"Wonderful thing darkness, it can be used to disorient, manipulate, hide and even guide. You honestly thought I'd have any branching paths where you could see them? You've been on a different path then Shadow since you ran out of light. I was walking alongside you wondering how long you'd go until you felt the need for light"

Cosmo felt another chill. She'd been in total darkness for about six minutes.

Once more she could feel the grin on Void's face as he spoke.

"Lumina holds you in such high regard Cosmo. And it seems you have a high opinion of her as well. I strongly suggest you reign in that trust, she might just be withholding information."

"Such as?"

"Ask her about the similarities between your species and her and I. also, ask her about this little girl that lives in her kingdom, I believe you've met"

"Celeste? She's born from someone's memories, the same as Gerald and Maria"

"You know that doesn't make sense, you've already put together a theory of your own. Care to share it?"

"She's….another seedrian. She's asleep and therefore she's here too, just like Shadow is"

"Good guess, but no. She's not a sprite, she's not a memory, and she's not a sleeping seedrian. My sister can tell you all about it when you see her again"

"You expect me to believe you? You're a deceiver!"

"And part of being a master of deception is knowing when to tell the truth in between the lies and half truths. And now is a perfect time to do so, because I know the truth and how you'll feel when you do too"

In an instant Cosmo could feel Void standing behind her, swiftly turning in the dark to face him.

"but there are other matters to attend to yes? And I didn't just separate you and Shadow to have a conversation. Shadow has had his own encounter, one that has left him quite…..unhinged. So full of rage and pain that one. He has no memory of his past yet it still haunts him. And his rage was focused somewhere…."

"What have you done?" Cosmo asked, dread beginning to affect her.

"As I said, darkness can be used to guide, I've simply guided our unhinged and rage filled friend towards something to..break. And if that something, or someone, should be restrained due to being held captive…"

"no…NO!"

Suddenly, Cosmo could hear screaming deep within the tunnel. The sounds of Shadow's name being screamed. By Tails.

The grin still in his voice, Void asked just before Cosmo rushed into the dark towards the screams with tears in her eyes: "did you ever wonder how Shadow intended to kill you?"

Void's mocking laughter could be heard echoing through the tunnels as Cosmo rushed to her love's aid. Though she couldn't see, she knew where to go for the screams guided her along.

By the time she reached them, her tears had nearly obscured her vision entirely. Fortunately, the area now seemed moderately well lit.

What was less fortunate was the sight that greeted her.

Sonic and Cream were still bound to the wall, though it appeared they were being pulled in. Just as their eyes met hers, the creature on the other side gave one more pull and they disappeared.

Even worse, they had been screaming to the individual before them.

Shadow stood in the center of the room, having apparently torn Tails from the creatures grasp, though now the fox was in his. And he was choking the life from him with a look of utter hatred in his eyes.

Before Cosmo could make a move Tails eyes met hers, a look of fear and…regret in his eyes.

Then there was a sickening snap and he saw no more, Shadow coldly throwing him to the floor.

Time stopped for Cosmo, she hadn't even been able to so much as move towards them before Shadow….

She had trained so hard to be stronger, both for herself and for Tails….

She'd only been back for five months, five months with Tails….

She knew how much losing her had hurt him and how she too had suffered during their time apart…but she came back.

He couldn't.

He was gone.

She would never see him again.

She failed him.

She wasn't fast enough or strong enough to save him.

She couldn't save Sonic or Cream either.

With tears pouring down her face and a scream of anguish and rage, Cosmo summoned thorns from the ground large enough to impale.

Shadow silently jumped away as she summoned more and more rows of them attempting to both block him from escaping as well as harm. Periodically, she would summon a vine from beneath them to swing at him, further forcing him back though he destroyed them with well aimed chaos spears. Cosmo then went a step further, sprouting short purple buds that opened up and fired spear-like poison barbs towards the hedgehog.

At this point Shadow was nearly driven into a corner. The rows of thorns shooting up from the ground were rapidly pushing him further towards the edge of the room. Worse, they did not recede once they were out, effectively rendering much of the floor unusable. His focus was taken up heavily by destroying the vines Cosmo swung at him as well as dodging the barbs fired at him. His scattered focus prevented him from using chaos control to counter or escape, a fact he could tell Cosmo was aware of. His situation was made worse when one of the barbs grazed his arm, the pain throwing him off balance and allowing a vine to slam into him, slamming him into the wall as the rows of thorns reached just in front of him before stopping.

The barbs stopped coming as well, though Cosmo sprouted several more, almost like a firing squad, to face him. Shadow still said nothing, glaring at the seedrian.

Cosmo returned his glare tenfold, pure hate in her eyes.

"You killed him. After everything you killed him. Maybe your not seeing things as they are or perhaps Void has messed with your mind I don't know. And I don't care. You…you could have saved him….."

"He made his choice, as did you. Why should I have saved him? He brought about his own end."

Cosmo's eyes widened as Shadow expressed his lack of remorse, before her glare returned, the rage burning even hotter.

"So did you" she seethed.

Shadow attempted to leap over the thorns at her, though two vines emerged on both sides of him and simultaneously slammed him back down before wrapping around him and pinning him down.

Crying out in anger, Cosmo flung her arms downward which caused the purple buds to recede back into the ground before the ground shook and in their place emerged a vine with a green and purple color which was covered in the barbs in place of thorns.

Pulling her arm back, Cosmo prepared to throw it forward. Her anger burned hotter and hotter as she saw Shadow glare back defiantly. How dare he not care!? How dare he feel no guilt for killing Tails!? Why should she hesitate to do the same to him!? why shouldn't she end him as he had Tails!?

Why, when she could still hear Tails' voice calling out to her, shouldn't she make Shadow pay. Tails' cries still haunt her, torment her, and echo in her head.

Wait. Those don't seem like echoes. They're too faint.

No, now they're getting louder.

"-smo!" "-osmo, -n't!" "ere!" "COSMO DON'T! I'M HERE! I'M OKAY!"

Cosmo's eyes snapped over to the wall. First she made out the tendrils of the creature along the wall. Then she noticed more on either side of them. Then she noticed Tails still bound by them. Then Sonic and Cream within those tendrils. Then she glanced down to the floor and noticed Tails wasn't lying there any more.

Her blood ran cold as she glanced between the spot where Tails had been and where he was now and then to where Shadow was pinned down, barely conscious.

She then heard the cries of Sonic and Cream attempting to stop her along with Tails' own.

Then she heard Voids laughter and her heart sank with shock and shame.

"Good Cosmo! A marvelous display! I knew you were powerful but this is even better than I'd hoped" the twisted nightmare applauded as he stepped forward.

"and to think: this is only a small taste of what you are capable of! The so-called "ultimate lifeform" was so easily bested! Ha! You even had him at your mercy! Perhaps next time I actually will mess with his head so he puts up a better fight!"

Cosmo's eyes watered as she fell to her knees in shame and horror as the truth of the matter became clear. Void had deceived her twice. Shadow hadn't killed Tails, that much had been clear the moment he had let the illusion stop. But now she knew he had lied about his actions before, it had not been Shadow whose fear and anger he had guided to do as he wanted.

It had been hers. Shadow had reached the others when she did. Shadow had put up a poor fight because he wasn't trying. He hadn't been speaking coldly of Tails or her, he'd likely been trying to get through to her as well. Void's influence twisted his words in her head.

She'd nearly killed an innocent.

Void continued on, not missing a beat.

"And the vine and buds both being purple? Why Cosmo, were you attempting to emulate your late father? Or is that just the color of hatred and death among your species?"

Cosmo covered her face with her hands as she wept.

"Though the vine being covered in poisonous barbs rather than thorns may have had something to do with it. Very creative by the way, don't just crush him, stab and poison him while your at it! Splendid! Spectacular work "Seed of Dreams"!"

The vines and thorns receded back into the ground.

Looking over to the three bound heroes, Void smiled.

"You've done so well as captives. I've learned so much from picking your brains. And Cosmo has provided me with yet another step towards victory and some entertainment as a bonus!"

Void gestured his hand outward towards them.

"You've served your purpose so well I feel inclined to reward you"

At that moment, they heard the creature behind them emit a sound akin to a roar and a moan. The tendrils holding them suddenly dissolved thus freeing them, from the wall emerged seven Precious stone fragments which flew to Void.

"Allow me to reward you by bringing you one step closer to your goal."

Tossing the fragments at their feet, Void laughed at their glares.

"y-you monster….you used her. You'll pay!" Tails screamed, running to attack Void.

Void simply caught the foxes fist before throwing him back to his friends. Swinging his tails behind him as he was thrown back, the fox managed to graze the prince of nightmares.

Irate fury flashed in Voids eyes before he was eerily calm and he increased the distance between him and the heroes, noticing Sonic preparing to join the fight as Cream attempted to comfort Cosmo.

"You have no chance of defeating me here. You cannot defeat me without the complete precious stone. Moreover, you don't have time to try. Shadow is poisoned. If you don't help him soon…."

The fox and the hedgehog reluctantly backed off.

"Tend to the two fallen heroes. And be ready for more, because there will be more."

"You will pay for this Void. We will stop you and you'll pay for what you've done. I promise." Tails spoke coldly.

"No you won't fox boy. But I have the satisfaction of seeing the light leave your eyes" Void glanced over to Cosmo "as she ends your life. I promise you that"

With that Void dissipated, leaving the Sonic, Tails, and Cream to tend to a beaten and poisoned hedgehog and a broken and guilt-ridden seedrian.

Lumina was flying as quickly as she could. She had only minutes ago been allowed to get this close to where the tunnel entrance was. Now she it was finally withing her line of sight. She had to hurry, there was no telling what Void was putting them through. She had to hurry to their aid before-

As she drew near, she caught sight of movement from the tunnel entrance. It was them!

"Everyone! I'm here!"

"Lumina?" called Sonic as she reached them "Where were you?"

"Void cut me off from reaching you via a series of barriers. They only just now allowed me through" Lumina could see Shadow draped over Sonic's arm unconscious. "What happened to Shadow?"

Looking to the side, Sonic replied "He's been poisoned"

"Poisoned? Let me see if I can help him"

Nodding, Sonic carefully lied Shadow down on the ground while Lumina examined him before she put a hand over the wound and a pink light emanated from her hand.

Glancing over, Lumina notice Cosmo looking at the ground with dried tears down her cheeks and Tails holding her close as she clung to him.

"Cosmo? What happened? What did he do?"

Her eyes caught Tails' as he shook his head, indicating it wasn't the best time to ask.

Though perplexed and concerned, Lumina nodded as the light faded from her hand.

"Shadow will be fine, I've managed to neutralize the poison. But it may take several minutes before he comes too"

"Okay, while we wait: we've managed to get seven more fragments"

"Good, that leaves us with eighteen to go. As soon as Shadow wakes up we should move to the next area"

"Lumina"

The princess of dreams looked to Cosmo, who had now left Tails' embrace and now stood before her with a look of anger and…distrust?

"It's time you told me the whole truth. No more lies, no more secrets"

Intense wasn't it? Short too I imagine. We're nearing the end of act 1 folks, in fact the next chapter ends act 1 and begins act 2. With shocking revelations! The best revelations! What is the truth about the "Seed of Dreams? Why do the seedrians resemble Void and Lumina and vice-versa? Who is Celeste really? Will I be able to give satisfactory answers? Probably not, but I'll try! In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, until next time.

See ya!