Alive. Never has he felt so alive. Each day is filled with purpose again. Every passing moment allows for new opportunities to arise, which then in turn allows for more opportunities to reveal themselves. It has been decades since he has felt this much enthusiasm for a goal, for a new day, or for anything at all. Tens of years have gone by, yet only now does he feel this involved with the passing of time again. Each second spent being miserable all over is a wasted opportunity, a second contributing nothing to the advancement of his goal. Feeling under pressure again, feeling this dedicated to something again, feeling so alive again. Alive. Never has Shadow felt so alive.
Sitting on a grassy hill in which one can see the endless horizon, Shadow rests his mind. Having just undergone his thorough, meticulous morning routine, he lets the forenoon sun shine on his stern face. It has become increasingly rare to spot a lone spot to rest undisturbed, with one big megacity stretching throughout the planet. Fortunately, his lengthy geographical knowledge continues to be a useful aid, as he will always pinpoint a location in which he can be alone with his thoughts. This serene time of peace and tranquility is particularly pivotal to this moment, as Shadow prepares for his new, absolute goal.
Following the loss of his final companion those many years ago, the Ultimate Lifeform has cut himself off from the mystic world of Chaos. Chaos Energy, Chaos Control, Chaos Emeralds, Chaos Blast; all terms that have faded into obscurity ever since, only being referenced by a few historical enthusiasts in this new age. That former sense of spirituality, belief in dreams, and longing to attain a higher form is a way of thinking that has become irrelevant to a world in which endless stimuli and restless consumption are the norms. Chaos, buried beneath artificial ground, yet not lost forever. Not as long as Shadow remains.
To tap into Chaos once more requires a heightened sense of awareness only the few can attain. While everyone has the potential to, only a few are truly capable of utilizing their spiritual minds to such an intense extent. And even though those few may attain that power for a brief moment, even fewer can maintain it and return to it on command. Even though Shadow has done so numerous times in the past with ease, it's an incredibly demanding task to perform the same after such a lengthy absence. But he must try. If he is to be truly reborn again, he requires power beyond the imaginable; to become more than the Ultimate Lifeform, he needs the tools to do so. Thus, with his knees planted firmly on the grassy ground and his hands on his lap, Shadow shuts his eyes and takes a long, deep breath.
Silence. There must be silence. Flickies chirping harmonious melodies to each other vanish, as if the sky has sucked them in. Silence. Waves of the ocean crash against the shore before something like a catastrophic drought dries out all the water. Silence. Soft howling from a warm breeze brushes against his quills before all air is sucked away by a celestial vacuum. Silence. Slow, steady rhythmic beating from the heart pumping energy into the body, before hypoxia shuts it all down. Silence. No air, no thought, no brain activity, just death. Silence. There is silence.
With reality fading away, the darkness is soon illuminated by a beaming green light as Shadow is elevated to a higher dimension. Shining from the far end of the cosmos, the ultralight beam shines upon the hedgehog's face. The world of Chaos is in reach, with the power itself calling out to him. Pushing his mind even further, Shadow transcends himself to infinity in this superlunary path. Each time he moves closer, Shadow can see faint images of all his hopes and dreams transfiguring before his eyes. What the green-lit scenes depict precisely he cannot properly recognize just yet, but there is a certain serenity that comes from merely thinking about what they might be. The beauty of it all is incomprehensible, for no living being could even attempt to grasp it. Hence, only a death-like state is capable of traversing within this elevated state.
However, just as all those faint images become clearer, as the beginning of the infinite light is close, as this journey is just about to conclude, an overlooked yet pivotal noise interrupts it all. As two blades of grass make brief contact with each other, the faintest sound is made. And just like that, despite all of Shadow's efforts, the celestial dimension vanishes within an instant, sending him immediately back to his reality. Breathing heavily from the harsh shock, he collapses to the ground, struggling to regain his composure. After a brief yet ruthless struggle to breathe again, Shadow remains there, defeated. All his enthusiasm, vigor, and energy from before dissipates, as he feels nothing but pain over this tremendous loss. So close, yet so far away.
As immense exhaustion overwhelms him, the hedgehog falls into a deep sleep. Hours fly by, with the day continuing despite his state of unconsciousness. However, while there is nothing but darkness for some time, it is interrupted by a sudden scene. Out of seemingly nowhere, a memory appears to him in a dream. Not a fictional, imaginative story, but a real past event replaying in his mind. Deep in his sleep, with nothing there to disturb him this time, Shadow lets his mind play out the entire reminiscence.
There it was when the world still felt free and the lands bright and green. Where the faces around weren't just familiar, but still friendly, remarkable. However, while the contemporary situation then was still serene, what was to come next loomed over civilization like a nasty cloud, ready to pour out its vile anger and wash away the old land, the old ways. Fearing what might be and what might be lost, Shadow went to the one he believed would provide him insight. The insight hid within the majestic, floating island, held intact by the most powerful stone imaginable, and guarded by its righteous warrior. Its environment felt peaceful, sacred, and removed from the rest of the world. It was a world of its own, open to all, but known by only a few. Treading along, the hedgehog was soon welcomed by the island's last true inhabitant. Sharing a simple look with each other, the red guardian finally spoke:
"It has been a while, Ultimate Lifeform. So many moons have passed since our last encounter that they could replace the night's stars. You are here for a reason. There is something of great importance to you. There is something you seek, and you believe to find it here. You appear distraught, as well. What is on your mind, Immortal One?"
Saving the formalities, Shadow takes a step closer, his gaze never diverting. In a genuine, honest tone, he reveals:
"Long time no see, indeed. No one has seen you for a while, but I know you have seen us. I have felt it, the way you use the Emerald's power to peer into the world's affairs. You still care, after all. And I am certain you have followed the most recent developments too, and I am even more certain that you have come to your own conclusions already. Hence, I am both confused and surprised why you don't appear distraught yourself. Whatever is going on, it is going to affect you and everything here inevitably. I had hoped to find you already working on measures to prevent it, yet your seemingly lack of worry could offend me. How can you be so calm?"
Silence. A moment of silence ensues, as their stares remain interlocked. The tension can be felt, but only coming from Shadow. It's only the hedgehog who feels agitated, worried, whilst the other continuously remains at ease, unbothered. In the same, soothing tone as before, the wise warrior argues:
"What would my anxiety contribute? What would fear give me? Nightmares? Restless nights? Clouded judgment? I have had so much time to think about matters, Shadow. My immaturity has only led me to even worse situations. I used to let my fear control me, but now I finally control my fear. I could finally realize my potential with my contribution to the Resistance's victory. We won then, and we will again. What victory will look like this time, however, is unclear. How we will win, I am not sure. But I am certain that we will succeed. That certainty is what gives me peace of mind. It is why I can look to the future with hope. It is why I do not fear for what is most important to me."
Easing up, Shadow looked off to the side for a moment, allowing for the words to settle in. While he still retained a troubled expression on his face, his tone displayed the somewhat ease he started to feel.
"How I wish to have but an ounce of your faith. I cannot possibly imagine an outcome in which we win. The threat is far different than anything we have ever faced before. It's as if we are being replaced, as if our histories are being rewritten and our legacies deformed into something most hideous. I cannot bear to be replaced and have that what we truly stood for forgotten by something that cannot die. And, to be more specific, I fear that Chaos will be lost and replaced. It is what is most important to us, and I fear for it."
Bearing a smug expression, the long-quilled survivor steadily walks up to Shadow. Closing off the distance between them, he utters:
"Then that is precisely how we will win. We cannot fight this threat with our fists. But we can with our memories. For how much they may try to replace us and how close they may come, they cannot replace our thoughts. Our thoughts are free, keeping everything alive by storing them in our minds. All my people are dead, Shadow. I am the only one alive. And though I cannot resurrect my tribe, the idea of my tribe is not yet dead. The very essence of my culture, the beliefs of my culture, the culture itself; it survives nonetheless. And for when I finally perish, there will be others to remember me. And when they finally perish too, the culture will remain etched on stone, until discovered by someone else. It has survived so much and will continue to survive, with no end in sight. So, then, if I do not fear for my culture, how less should I fear for a power far greater than any culture combined? If, then, they are to declare victory over us, let them be. For Chaos will remain alive, one way or another. I may not witness its victory in my lifetime, and perhaps you won't either. But either way, I can live and finally die in peace knowing that what we have fought for will not be defeated. This I say with full certainty."
Finally, filled with a newfound sense of hope and serenity, a rare smile stretches across the hedgehog's face. As if a great burden has been lifted from his shoulders, Shadow finally bows politely, giving the lone echidna the respect he has earned. Having one more thing in his mind, however, Shadow inquires:
"...I appreciate that. I think I understand now. Thank you. There is one more thing, however. If I am the last one to remain, I need to know this. I beg of you to reveal it to me and help me find it. I need to know how to find it myself in the future, and I need to know how to do so. When I am in the state of meditation, where everything is silenced, and I am elevated to the higher dimension, I always aim for the light. And thus far, I have always reached it. But it never felt quite… complete. It's strange, honestly. I reach the point of infinity, I reach that which cannot be reached… yet I feel as if there is more. I know there is more. There is something even greater, a goal even more substantial. Infinity isn't enough. There is something above it. I am certain you may have reached that point too. I plead that you show it to me. I plead that you do, for only by doing so is our victory secure."
The echidna's smile vanished instantly, his face far more serious. That, what was asked of him to do, was something most extraordinary. And that, what occurred next, even more so.
A new day. Nearly 24 entire hours have passed since Shadow's failed attempt to regain control. The spiritual journey has cost him immense strength, knocking him out almost instantly. But, perhaps that is just what he needed. As if Chaos itself had appeared to guide him, he had dreamt just the right dream, remembered just the right memory. He got too close to give up now. And with a proper recollection of the past, he knows how to do it again; he must do it again. Thus, with renewed strength and vigor, Shadow returns to the same seating position as before. Without wasting even a moment, the Ultimate Lifeform shuts his eyes and commences the ritual once more. Silence there must be silence. Again, away with the crashing waves of the ocean, away with the wind, away with the beating heart, and this time, away with the grass, away with the insects, away with the rocks, the pebbles, the bones, the throat, the mouth, away with every last atom, away with every last molecule; away with everything. This time, truly everything. Silence. Finally, there is real silence.
Once again, the eternal darkness. Only the infinite light can outshine the eternal gloom. He feels drawn to it once, approaching it at a continuous, steady pace. The path is etched out before him, all he must do is transcend. And his transcendence is truly remarkable. Not a hint of a thought arises, nor the faintest of sound heard. Finally, he gets a proper glimpse at all his hopes and dreams transfiguring before him. And while all those scenes depicted are designed to give him nothing but peace, such as having more time to spend with Maria, sharing one more banter with the blue hedgehog, exchanging more knowledge with the red echidna, feeling the sultry bat's tender touch once more, and, finally, being able to die in peace leaving a better world behind, Shadow is swift to dismiss them. He has enjoyed them before in his previous journeys to this space, but this time is different. This time, he seeks more. More than what infinity can offer him. Thus, ascending even further to the light, his mind is ultimately heightened into a new space, a space beyond infinity's beginning. What once was believed to be an impossible concept is a reality unfolding before him. A new, higher reality, higher than the idea of reality itself. A slew of colors rushes by before new colors appear. Sights truly unimaginable dash by in this cosmic journey, accompanied by new senses, tastes, emotions, thoughts, sounds; things no lifeform, not even the Ultimate one, could possibly comprehend. But it is not about understanding these things. The mere attempt to make sense of anything would end this journey immediately, possibly even leaving one fatally wounded. No, there is no need to comprehend things that are not meant to be understood. It is about something greater, something more than just that.
It is about experiencing that which cannot be understood.
For however long this could possibly go on is uncertain. Perhaps one could transcend until the end of time, undergoing a never-ending journey of ascension. But, Shadow doesn't have the time for that. He has come for one purpose, and one purpose alone. To regain control of Chaos, more than he has ever before. And after finally understanding how to properly navigate this, understanding what not to understand, the revelation finally reaches him. Chaos has been used before to attain higher forms, but it can be pushed to attain permanent powers. Once more, something new occurs. Something different. It all turns to white. All is engulfed by a bright, white light. He feels his body again. There still is no sound, but there is his body. It is an odd state, as if his reality is now merged with this higher reality. As if he has discovered something in between. Whatever Chaos is wishing to show him, Shadow surrenders to.
There is a rush. A rush of adrenaline. He cannot hear it, but he can most definitely feel his pulse beating at an exponentially increasing state. Pure, unbridled energy courses throughout his veins, replacing his blood with a mystical power. Discomfort. It feels odd, discomforting, as if his body is being taken over by a stinging disease. Grunts escape his mouth, which he still cannot hear. The stinging sensation is particularly notable on his spine as if a million needles are hurled at his exposed skeleton. But that is a mere taste of what is to occur next, as if a brutal pain sharpens in that area, feeling as if a gross tumor is emerging from his spinal cord. As it latches on to the other bones before festering on the meat, Shadow lets out a violent roar. Finally feeling it reaching his back, he shouts uncontrollably as he can sense something indescribable growing from his body. But as if that weren't enough, the unfathomable pain is felt throughout his entire body, with no part left unharmed. His shouts of dismay and horror are elevated beyond that which is possible, his senses overwhelmed by ethereal rage. Until then, it all suddenly concludes, until Shadow tumbles to the ground, fully returning to his reality.
A test of faith.
All the pain has vanished, leaving Shadow to feel suddenly revitalized. On his knees, he takes a proper moment to breathe in, before feeling a far more stunning sensation. Staring down at his hands, the results of the divine pain are finally revealed to him. Where once his gloves were are now sharp, extended claws emitting a bright, white glow. The glow halts right at the palms, the inhibitor rings still attached to them. However, fine white garments are attached to each ring, moving to his back. While his fur remains black, the crimson stripes have taken a new color, now radiating an ethereal gold, matching the shine of his refined rings. Seeing the world around him in a different light, the colors brighter than ever before, Shadow can sense his eyes having shifted into the same gold. But the greatest discovery is about to be made. Struggling to stand up, it's as if a literal burden has been placed on his back. Though, the burden soon disappears, before feeling his entire back gaining miraculous strength. It is then when all the surroundings clouds vanish, the morning sun's entire might shining upon the revitalized hedgehog. Gazing upon the heavenly sight, Shadow dismisses these odd new senses, feeling as if they've always been part of him. Moving one leg up, the Ultimate Lifeform senses a most indescribable peace, as if he has been reborn into something far greater. Now, back on both feet, the greatest addition is revealed to him. He can feel it.
With two angelic, mighty wings out on full display, Shadow feels himself rising from the ground. The left wing a featureless matte black, and the right wing a bright, glorious gold with several rows of sharp feathers. Transcending in his reality, the Ultimate Lifeform has finally attained that higher form he has sought out for so long. It is a gift that has been given to him, a gift to guide him in his journey. His journey of rising above, becoming more than just the Ultimate Lifeform. Time, to return.
He has passed the test, and his faith has rewarded him.
…
A hellish fire devastates the wide, busy facility. Shouts of fear are drowned by the ruthless destruction, laying everything within its proximity to waste. Silhouettes of the horrified people rush by, lost in the blinding smog. Following a freak accident, this school tucked away downtown has been set ablaze, spreading too fast for the first responders to react properly. All hope seems lost, as the fire now possesses various other chemical components, making it practically inextinguishable. Relatives, friends, and random bystanders watch from afar, watch in horror as nothing they could do could possibly rescue all the doomed souls stuck inside. Helpless, through and through.
Until, a beaming light. All the chemical smog that has reached the sky and covered the clouds is parted, allowing the sun to shine through. A distinct golden ray of light illuminates the burning building. As if by a miracle, the cosmic shine prevents the inferno from causing any more smog, whilst also dissolving every remaining trace of the potent smoke. Confusion, bewilderment replace the shrieks of pain and fear, as now those who are cornered by the flames no longer feel its heat. In fact, those set afire themselves feel no pain either, as if the inferno has become nothing more but a spectacle of colors. Those watching from outside become speechless by the most stunning sight. From where the clouds are parted, an ethereal being gracefully descends, its shimmering appearance and outstretched wings truly awe-inspiring. While its face is at first covered by a glorious halo, it soon becomes visible, thus displaying the being's peaceful expression. Descending to the building, the creature dissolves all the flames by merely moving his hand, as if the elemental forces bow down to his might.
Bursting through the ceiling without hesitation, the cosmic savior rushes to each room, seeking out those trapped beneath rubble or otherwise heavily injured. And though the ones inside are utterly speechless as well, their survival instinct takes over, thus allowing them to cooperate with the silent entity. His soothing face and his careful, considerate touches allow those greatly in pain to feel at ease, as if his kind nature can distract them from the trauma. Furthermore, with the unnatural fire all gone, the first responders finally enter inside too, assisting the survivors and helping out each and everyone inside to exit safely.
Finding a lone, timid child quivering beneath a half-destroyed desk, the angel gets on his knees, gently reaching out to her with his peculiar claws. Allowing the young fox girl to take her time examining the hand before her, she finally reaches out to it, steadily crawling out from her hiding spot. Unfazed by the being's presence, she moves up close to him, hugging him after finally sensing relief, and regaining hope.
Giving the fox a reassuring smile, he carries her in his arms, wrapping her around the soft garments, before slowly flying from the building. Descending from the building, the survivors and bystanders pause from whatever they were doing before, now gazing upon the angelic hedgehog's glory. Merely observing their ecstatic reaction, the entity detects the parents within the dense crowd. Delivering the child over to them, they share a heartfelt hug with their daughter. Now on the ground, the people gather around the savior, watching him in awe. As the girl turns around to face him, however, approaching him with a hug, those around stretch out their hands, hoping to get a mere touch of his sacred wings. As he lifts once more, he holds on to the girl as long as possible until he is no longer within reach. The people's hands are still stretched out to him throughout his ascension.
The world is still as harsh as before, chaos and injustice still rampant throughout. But he's starting to realize it now. It's as if it has been revealed to him. Glancing at all the smiles and hopeful expressions of those he has saved and reunited, he can finally see now. There's still so much more for him to do, so much more to leave behind. His once harsh, grim nature cannot change the past, not his or anyone else's. But he can finally become more. For the angry, scarred, hurt people need him more than ever, for he now represents something far greater. He can finally become something far greater, something they all need.
Shadow can become hope.