Chapter 9- The Elders speak
About half an hour had passed. Sonic had waited for Lazer to regain consciousness before trying to move the battered warrior.
"Bloody hell," Lazer muttered, as he looked down at the scratches upon his chest. Sonic was helping him walk, with his shoulder supporting Lazer's arm.
"Man, she whipped you bad," Sonic commented.
"She is very powerful. That dark emerald is the only source of her power. Get rid of that, and she'd be helpless as a. kitten," he grumbled in a ragged voice.
"Whoa, hold on, you mean IF we get the emerald away."
"Hrm, whatever. Ugh, my body hurts like hell."
"I know, you knocked over two and a half trees when you landed."
"Oh, damn it."
"What?"
"My sword. I think I lost it."
"Dude, be glad that you didn't lose your life. If you didn't have the emeralds to heal you this quickly, you'd be extra sap for the forest."
"What a bundle of joy you are. I lost my sword, Sonic, it was given by my sensei."
"Sorry about that, but I can go look for it later if you want. Right now, you're going to Knothole's hospital."
"No!" Lazer protested, and refused to budge.
"What the heck?" He stopped to listen to his wounded companion.
"Sonic, I cannot be seen in Knothole like this."
"What's wrong with that? Hundreds of guys were injured yesterday; it won't make a difference if one more is added."
"You don't understand. I hate to admit it, but my Chaos Emerald power has earned me a reputation among folk in Knothole. They believe that I am one of the most powerful Freedom Fighters in existence. If they saw me busted up this badly, they'll get very scared."
"Geez, you're right!" Sonic realized. The very last thing the citizens of Knothole needed was another sign that the enemy was extraordinarily powerful. It would destroy morale and fighting spirit as quickly as he could eat a chilidog.
"I can go on my own. Thanks for following me back there."
"You knew I was following you?"
"Your body gives off unique energy readings."
"Nice to know," he smirked. He lifted Lazer off of his shoulder and the red hedgehog began to float by himself.
"Oh yeah, I have some unpleasant news... Have the Council of Action ready at the castle by eight P.M., but bring only the royal family and yourself. I'll be presentable by then."
"Okay, dude. Later then."
"Later."
They sped off, Sonic to Knothole, and Lazer to the waterfall.
Back at Knothole, Sonic sought out Sally among the huts. He found her in the third one he visited, and she was bandaging the legs of an injured raccoon.
"Sal, I have a message."
"Before you do, Mina told me that you were going on an errand. What errand?"
"Aren't you the pushy one!" he protested, but his mind desperately thought of something. He could not tell her that he had followed Lazer, and watched him be defeated by a single black cat with a mean emerald.
"Uh, um, reconnaissance around Robotropolis."
"Why?"
"Geez, to search for new angles of attack, what do you think? Anyway, Lazer requested that you and the rest of the family meet him at eight P.M. for a council of action at the castle."
"Lazer? Since when does he want to have a meeting?"
"Since he." but he caught himself. "Uh, since he found out Robotnik's secret for the black wave that floored half the army."
"Really?" she sounded interested. "Fine. I'll do that after putting on some extra bandages."
"You need help?"
"Well, no."
True to his character, Sonic acted before she could answer. She saw him bounce about the room in a blue shadow for several seconds, and the wind acted up quite a bit. He finished his rounds, and presented her with two empty rolls of bandages. Her hair was in disarray from the gusts of wind he had created.
"Here ya go, Sal. Now you can tell your family! I have to go see my Mom and Dad- Mina may be causing them some trouble."
He ran from the hut, a grin on his face, while Sally rolled her eyes, pushed back her hair, and went to check the patients' bandages. Each one of them was secured and sturdy.
"Sonic, you. wonderful man," she laughed to herself.
The brown, lupine nurse, still wearing her veil, was returning home. The day before, she had told her son, Jonathan that she would be sleeping in the hospital. So, she finally returned home on the second day after the retreat.
"I'm home at last," she announced as she entered the door.
"Hey, Mom, you're back," Jonathan said. He put aside the miniature CD player and went over to greet her.
"Stephen's by his friend. How was work?" he hugged her warmly.
"Tiring. I had to stay in the hospital last night because there were so many patients! I hope that never happens again."
She reached behind her neck and untied the veil. Jonathan knew that his Mom's face wasn't very attractive due to the scars she had. It is to say the least that he was shocked when she removed the veil.
"Muh- Mom!"
"What?"
He could only stutter.
"Y- your face! How did you do that?"
"Do what?" she asked again.
"Mom, the scar on your left cheek. It's gone!"
"WHAT!"
She rushed over to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Not only had the scar disappeared, but the fur had grown back! She kept rubbing her paw over the non-existent scar, refusing to believe it had vanished.
"Oh, my Goddess," she murmured, eyes wide with disbelief. Jonathan came in and also looked at her face.
"The other scar's still there. Mom, how'd the other scar disappear?"
She was also confused. When had this miracle occurred?
"You shouldn't hide those scars, lady."
The words of that red hedgehog came back to her.
"He did this?" she whispered to herself.
"What?" her son said.
"You should take pride in them, because they show experience."
Those words also came back to her. He had healed the scar! That was why he had run his finger along it!
"Someone healed it, Jon. I don't know why he got rid of one and let the other one stay."
"He?" Jonathan repeated.
Then she realized. He had told her not to be ashamed. He had given her some beauty back, but didn't heal the other indelible mark of past experience, not that she would be ashamed, but proud.
"Wherever you are, thanks," she said gratefully. Then, she went to tell her husband, who had come out of his study and was looking at her curiously from the main room.
"What's wrong with your face?"
"Nothing's wrong, but something is right," she replied, and pointed to her left cheek.
Jonathan noticed as she dropped the veil into the trash bin.
It was past seven thirty. Medics were still on duty in hospitals, and many families were still grieving by the graveyard or in their homes. The sky was devoid of clouds, and a crescent moon smiled down upon the forest.
The Council of Action room within Knothole castle contained a circular oak table, five meters in diameter, with padded chairs ringed about it. Several windows hewn out of the stony walls admitted moonlight into the room. The glass shutters were closed, though, as it was unbearably cold at eight o'clock that night. Many torches had been lit on the walls, and the large fireplace contained dancing flames.
The royal family and Sonic were seated on these chairs, waiting for Lazer to arrive. The royal family sat facing the doors, and Sonic had his place three chairs to the left of the King. King Acorn leaned over to Sonic.
"Do you know why Lazer has arranged this meeting?"
"He told me earlier that he needed to tell some 'unpleasant news'."
"Does he plan to give any pleasant news at all?"
"Not to my knowledge, Majesty."
The tall cedar doors parted and the guards admitted Lazer into the room. Sonic, whom this morning had carried a limping Lazer, worn out, soiled and bloody with several quills snapped, was taken aback at how perfectly normal Lazer appeared. He and his quills stood erect and undamaged, his skin and fur were clean, his eyes were in their habitual frown and his voice was strong and confident.
"Your majesties. Sonic. I bring news."
He strode toward the table and took a seat opposite to the royal family.
"You may continue, Lazer," said the King.
"Thank you. I will keep this message short. The course of action we take over the next four days will mean either victory or complete defeat for the Freedom Fighters as a whole. You were not informed, but I did battle with the person responsible for the wave of darkness that weakened the entire army."
"A person? Other than Robotnik?" inquired Elias.
"Yes. Robotnik has a new helper by the name of Hannah Nyress. She is a black feline who possesses a black Chaos Emerald. By using this black emerald, she created the dark wave and weakened our forces."
All except Sonic were surprised.
"Sonic, you should have told us yesterday," Sally said. Sonic shrugged.
"Everyone was so busy yesterday, with all the injured people, I couldn't find time to stop and explain what we saw that day."
"It does not matter now. Please continue," Queen Alicia prompted. Lazer explained where she had come from, what she had done and what she was doing now. The King sighed.
"So. She is also a murderer. She may be wanted for crimes on the island from which she came. Now she wants to wipe us out, the Freedom Fighters. I may never understand the way which some minds work."
"I share your sentiments, your Majesty," Lazer sucked in a breath and continued. "As I said, I battled with her. Her power surpassed mine by a great deal. Not even my most powerful attacks could break the magic barrier she created. Although, when I used my sword and gave it Chaos energy, the shield was broken. Then she used a spell to weaken me. in other words, she won."
Their faces fell. Lazer resumed his monologue.
"Before battle, Nyress told me that the dark wave that hit the army would, within the next four days, kill everyone and anyone who was affected by it."
Eyes widened in horror. Four days! Four days, and numerous thousands would perish! Lazer explained how they would be killed: when the pieces of souls were 'eaten' by the Emerald.
"May the Goddess have mercy.Lazer, surely there must be a way to defeat her?" the King Maximillian asked.
"I have thought of one way. When I first joined you, years ago, I used fifty Golden Rings to enhance my power and destroy the flying battalion that attacked Knothole. I suggest that fifty rings be gathered, and that I face Nyress once more. With their power enhancing my own, I believe that I can overwhelm her sorcery and, possibly, destroy her as well."
Sonic sat forward and slapped his hands on the table, eyeing Lazer.
"What? That means your vow will be broken!"
Lazer turned his eyes toward Sonic, and his head drooped.
"Correct. Upon my father's grave, I vowed to never kill another person. But," and he raised his head with conviction, "for the sake of the Freedom Fighters, I will break my vow."
"You are an honorable Freedom Fighter, Lazer. Your promise will not be broken without just cause," King Acorn declared.
"This plan may be successful, but it leaves the black emerald to think about," Sally reminded them.
"True. We need to find an expert of Chaos Emeralds, who knows a thing or two about handling an evil one," Elias suggested. Lazer nodded.
"The Floating Island may have such a person. Since the Master Emerald resides there, there must be someone who can handle the Black Emerald."
"I would say that I'll go ask Knuckles, but he's sort of inconvenienced," Sonic said, thinking about his unfortunate friend. He wondered where Knuckles had disappeared to, a long time ago. Not even Julie Su or the Chaotix knew anything about his whereabouts.
"As you say. I have doubts, that no one but that feline can deal with this evil Chaos Emerald."
"You assume correctly, King Maximillian Acorn. No one of your land can control the Dark Jewel."
Everyone in the room jumped to their feet, Sonic knocking his chair over as he did so. The voice had spoken to them from the eastern end of the room, but no one, not even Lazer, detected any sort of presence.
Four figures began to form by the eastern wall, beneath a window. They materialized into semi-transparent images (semi-transparent, because the torchlight cast no shadow) of a large, gray-furred bear, a smaller, dark brown mole, a green iguana, and the fourth was a black cat. All were ancient men, seemingly older than the stones that had built the castle. Their great age could plainly be seen on each of their worn faces. They wore foreign clothing consisting of various coloured cloths draped about their bodies and tied to their waist. The image of the bear stepped forward and spoke. It was the same voice they had heard a few moments ago.
"Do not be afraid of us. We are visions that represent the elders of an island, the same island that Hannah Nyress fled. She is guilty of murder, and theft of what we consider to be the most potent source of evil in all of Mobius. We have decided to appear to you in this manner so that we can help you."
The bear bowed and stepped backward, as the mole stepped forward. King Acorn and his wife exchanged glances, but the four younger individuals had their eyes fixated upon the apparitions. The mole spoke in a thin but compelling voice:
"Hannah Nyress has cast a spell that will not only doom your Freedom Fighters but the rest of the world as we know it. She has called it "The Spirit Bond" but its proper name is "The Harbinger of Ageless Despair." When the Dark Jewel absorbs all the portions of souls, the thing, which the Dark Jewel has sealed for numerous millennia, shall be freed again! This enemy, once unleashed, will be utterly unstoppable. It will send the brave and courageous cowering in hopeless terror."
His warning completed, the mole bowed out as the illusion of the iguana went forth. His reptilian tongue over-pronounced the 's' sound in some words:
"I will try to keep the explanation ss-short, as we have little time. There was a period in his-sstory that has been erased from memory, except ours-ss. During that period, there came from the heavens-ss a creature of unimaginable power. We believe that an alien force unleashed it upon Mobius- ss. This creature fed upon the planet's-ss natural force of magic, along with the energy of Chaos-ss Emeralds-ss. It gained a power so vas-sst that some believed not even Destiny Hers-sself could defeat it. In their mercy, the Ancient Walkers-ss themselves appeared before two brothers-ss. They gave the brothers-ss a riddle, and disappeared. When the brothers-ss solved that riddle, they gained a cataclys-ssmic power, which they used to defeat the evil creature. In the creature's moment of weakness-ss, the Ancient Walkers-ss appeared once more and created a Black Chaos-ss emerald. They sealed the creature within the Emerald for all eternity. The Brothers-ss were then taken into the heavens by the Walkers-ss, and never returned to Mobius-ss. Many ages later, we found this new Chaos-ss Emerald and tapped its powerful magic, using it to create our island and rule its populus-ss. Now, we fear that the Emerald will shatter and release-ss the creature once more."
Its story ended, the iguana drew back and finally, the black cat addressed them.
"I am Hannah's great, great-uncle. She was my great-nephew's apprentice, but now he is dead, and she has the Dark Jewel in her possession. She used its power to escape our magic, and now dwells with your enemy, Robotnik. By using a certain spell, she masked her location all these years. Now, by casting the powerful spell that we fear, she revealed her presence and we were able to locate her. But now, she has learned too much arcane sorcery for us to stop her. We had hoped that the Chaos Emerald bearer, the one who sits among you, would have mastered the enormous power given to him, but she defeated him easily."
Lazer gave the ancient cat's illusion a look of disdain, but kept quiet.
"That event holds no further significance. Only the power of the Brothers can save you, and Mobius, at this time. I will say the riddle that the Walkers gave to the Brothers, millenniums ago."
Sally quickly pulled out her computer, Nicole, and placed her on Audio Record:
" 'Amidst the dew, with roaring before them, Brothers stand upon circles, one each. Then, the way shall be revealed, with the colours of light above them.'"
Sally pressed the 'pause' button as his voice faded. The he spoke once more:
"Remember this riddle, and may the guidance of Destiny and the Ancient Walkers follow you always!"
The phantoms faded from sight, and the room was silent. Sonic was the first who ventured to speak.
"That went well."
"To be sure," the King replied. Sally replayed the riddle.
"Strange words," muttered Elias, stroking his chin.
"Well, we need to find some brilliant people to figure that out," said Sonic.
"Right. I'm going to visit the library to find anything about this, even if the period was erased from history."
"I'll get Tails, Rotor, and those two guys they hang with. Should we meet now?"
"No, tomorrow. If you tell them now, they may not be able to sleep. We'll figure this out tomorrow."
Sally rose to leave.
"I'll go with you," her mother said, and Elias also offered to accompany her to the library. The three of them left the room, followed by Sonic. The King stared across the table at Lazer, whom had his arms folded.
"Were you truly willing to break your promise?"
"I'm unsure, because if I started to kill, I don't think I'd be able to stop."
Lazer raised himself, bowed to the King and took his leave.
About half an hour had passed. Sonic had waited for Lazer to regain consciousness before trying to move the battered warrior.
"Bloody hell," Lazer muttered, as he looked down at the scratches upon his chest. Sonic was helping him walk, with his shoulder supporting Lazer's arm.
"Man, she whipped you bad," Sonic commented.
"She is very powerful. That dark emerald is the only source of her power. Get rid of that, and she'd be helpless as a. kitten," he grumbled in a ragged voice.
"Whoa, hold on, you mean IF we get the emerald away."
"Hrm, whatever. Ugh, my body hurts like hell."
"I know, you knocked over two and a half trees when you landed."
"Oh, damn it."
"What?"
"My sword. I think I lost it."
"Dude, be glad that you didn't lose your life. If you didn't have the emeralds to heal you this quickly, you'd be extra sap for the forest."
"What a bundle of joy you are. I lost my sword, Sonic, it was given by my sensei."
"Sorry about that, but I can go look for it later if you want. Right now, you're going to Knothole's hospital."
"No!" Lazer protested, and refused to budge.
"What the heck?" He stopped to listen to his wounded companion.
"Sonic, I cannot be seen in Knothole like this."
"What's wrong with that? Hundreds of guys were injured yesterday; it won't make a difference if one more is added."
"You don't understand. I hate to admit it, but my Chaos Emerald power has earned me a reputation among folk in Knothole. They believe that I am one of the most powerful Freedom Fighters in existence. If they saw me busted up this badly, they'll get very scared."
"Geez, you're right!" Sonic realized. The very last thing the citizens of Knothole needed was another sign that the enemy was extraordinarily powerful. It would destroy morale and fighting spirit as quickly as he could eat a chilidog.
"I can go on my own. Thanks for following me back there."
"You knew I was following you?"
"Your body gives off unique energy readings."
"Nice to know," he smirked. He lifted Lazer off of his shoulder and the red hedgehog began to float by himself.
"Oh yeah, I have some unpleasant news... Have the Council of Action ready at the castle by eight P.M., but bring only the royal family and yourself. I'll be presentable by then."
"Okay, dude. Later then."
"Later."
They sped off, Sonic to Knothole, and Lazer to the waterfall.
Back at Knothole, Sonic sought out Sally among the huts. He found her in the third one he visited, and she was bandaging the legs of an injured raccoon.
"Sal, I have a message."
"Before you do, Mina told me that you were going on an errand. What errand?"
"Aren't you the pushy one!" he protested, but his mind desperately thought of something. He could not tell her that he had followed Lazer, and watched him be defeated by a single black cat with a mean emerald.
"Uh, um, reconnaissance around Robotropolis."
"Why?"
"Geez, to search for new angles of attack, what do you think? Anyway, Lazer requested that you and the rest of the family meet him at eight P.M. for a council of action at the castle."
"Lazer? Since when does he want to have a meeting?"
"Since he." but he caught himself. "Uh, since he found out Robotnik's secret for the black wave that floored half the army."
"Really?" she sounded interested. "Fine. I'll do that after putting on some extra bandages."
"You need help?"
"Well, no."
True to his character, Sonic acted before she could answer. She saw him bounce about the room in a blue shadow for several seconds, and the wind acted up quite a bit. He finished his rounds, and presented her with two empty rolls of bandages. Her hair was in disarray from the gusts of wind he had created.
"Here ya go, Sal. Now you can tell your family! I have to go see my Mom and Dad- Mina may be causing them some trouble."
He ran from the hut, a grin on his face, while Sally rolled her eyes, pushed back her hair, and went to check the patients' bandages. Each one of them was secured and sturdy.
"Sonic, you. wonderful man," she laughed to herself.
The brown, lupine nurse, still wearing her veil, was returning home. The day before, she had told her son, Jonathan that she would be sleeping in the hospital. So, she finally returned home on the second day after the retreat.
"I'm home at last," she announced as she entered the door.
"Hey, Mom, you're back," Jonathan said. He put aside the miniature CD player and went over to greet her.
"Stephen's by his friend. How was work?" he hugged her warmly.
"Tiring. I had to stay in the hospital last night because there were so many patients! I hope that never happens again."
She reached behind her neck and untied the veil. Jonathan knew that his Mom's face wasn't very attractive due to the scars she had. It is to say the least that he was shocked when she removed the veil.
"Muh- Mom!"
"What?"
He could only stutter.
"Y- your face! How did you do that?"
"Do what?" she asked again.
"Mom, the scar on your left cheek. It's gone!"
"WHAT!"
She rushed over to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Not only had the scar disappeared, but the fur had grown back! She kept rubbing her paw over the non-existent scar, refusing to believe it had vanished.
"Oh, my Goddess," she murmured, eyes wide with disbelief. Jonathan came in and also looked at her face.
"The other scar's still there. Mom, how'd the other scar disappear?"
She was also confused. When had this miracle occurred?
"You shouldn't hide those scars, lady."
The words of that red hedgehog came back to her.
"He did this?" she whispered to herself.
"What?" her son said.
"You should take pride in them, because they show experience."
Those words also came back to her. He had healed the scar! That was why he had run his finger along it!
"Someone healed it, Jon. I don't know why he got rid of one and let the other one stay."
"He?" Jonathan repeated.
Then she realized. He had told her not to be ashamed. He had given her some beauty back, but didn't heal the other indelible mark of past experience, not that she would be ashamed, but proud.
"Wherever you are, thanks," she said gratefully. Then, she went to tell her husband, who had come out of his study and was looking at her curiously from the main room.
"What's wrong with your face?"
"Nothing's wrong, but something is right," she replied, and pointed to her left cheek.
Jonathan noticed as she dropped the veil into the trash bin.
It was past seven thirty. Medics were still on duty in hospitals, and many families were still grieving by the graveyard or in their homes. The sky was devoid of clouds, and a crescent moon smiled down upon the forest.
The Council of Action room within Knothole castle contained a circular oak table, five meters in diameter, with padded chairs ringed about it. Several windows hewn out of the stony walls admitted moonlight into the room. The glass shutters were closed, though, as it was unbearably cold at eight o'clock that night. Many torches had been lit on the walls, and the large fireplace contained dancing flames.
The royal family and Sonic were seated on these chairs, waiting for Lazer to arrive. The royal family sat facing the doors, and Sonic had his place three chairs to the left of the King. King Acorn leaned over to Sonic.
"Do you know why Lazer has arranged this meeting?"
"He told me earlier that he needed to tell some 'unpleasant news'."
"Does he plan to give any pleasant news at all?"
"Not to my knowledge, Majesty."
The tall cedar doors parted and the guards admitted Lazer into the room. Sonic, whom this morning had carried a limping Lazer, worn out, soiled and bloody with several quills snapped, was taken aback at how perfectly normal Lazer appeared. He and his quills stood erect and undamaged, his skin and fur were clean, his eyes were in their habitual frown and his voice was strong and confident.
"Your majesties. Sonic. I bring news."
He strode toward the table and took a seat opposite to the royal family.
"You may continue, Lazer," said the King.
"Thank you. I will keep this message short. The course of action we take over the next four days will mean either victory or complete defeat for the Freedom Fighters as a whole. You were not informed, but I did battle with the person responsible for the wave of darkness that weakened the entire army."
"A person? Other than Robotnik?" inquired Elias.
"Yes. Robotnik has a new helper by the name of Hannah Nyress. She is a black feline who possesses a black Chaos Emerald. By using this black emerald, she created the dark wave and weakened our forces."
All except Sonic were surprised.
"Sonic, you should have told us yesterday," Sally said. Sonic shrugged.
"Everyone was so busy yesterday, with all the injured people, I couldn't find time to stop and explain what we saw that day."
"It does not matter now. Please continue," Queen Alicia prompted. Lazer explained where she had come from, what she had done and what she was doing now. The King sighed.
"So. She is also a murderer. She may be wanted for crimes on the island from which she came. Now she wants to wipe us out, the Freedom Fighters. I may never understand the way which some minds work."
"I share your sentiments, your Majesty," Lazer sucked in a breath and continued. "As I said, I battled with her. Her power surpassed mine by a great deal. Not even my most powerful attacks could break the magic barrier she created. Although, when I used my sword and gave it Chaos energy, the shield was broken. Then she used a spell to weaken me. in other words, she won."
Their faces fell. Lazer resumed his monologue.
"Before battle, Nyress told me that the dark wave that hit the army would, within the next four days, kill everyone and anyone who was affected by it."
Eyes widened in horror. Four days! Four days, and numerous thousands would perish! Lazer explained how they would be killed: when the pieces of souls were 'eaten' by the Emerald.
"May the Goddess have mercy.Lazer, surely there must be a way to defeat her?" the King Maximillian asked.
"I have thought of one way. When I first joined you, years ago, I used fifty Golden Rings to enhance my power and destroy the flying battalion that attacked Knothole. I suggest that fifty rings be gathered, and that I face Nyress once more. With their power enhancing my own, I believe that I can overwhelm her sorcery and, possibly, destroy her as well."
Sonic sat forward and slapped his hands on the table, eyeing Lazer.
"What? That means your vow will be broken!"
Lazer turned his eyes toward Sonic, and his head drooped.
"Correct. Upon my father's grave, I vowed to never kill another person. But," and he raised his head with conviction, "for the sake of the Freedom Fighters, I will break my vow."
"You are an honorable Freedom Fighter, Lazer. Your promise will not be broken without just cause," King Acorn declared.
"This plan may be successful, but it leaves the black emerald to think about," Sally reminded them.
"True. We need to find an expert of Chaos Emeralds, who knows a thing or two about handling an evil one," Elias suggested. Lazer nodded.
"The Floating Island may have such a person. Since the Master Emerald resides there, there must be someone who can handle the Black Emerald."
"I would say that I'll go ask Knuckles, but he's sort of inconvenienced," Sonic said, thinking about his unfortunate friend. He wondered where Knuckles had disappeared to, a long time ago. Not even Julie Su or the Chaotix knew anything about his whereabouts.
"As you say. I have doubts, that no one but that feline can deal with this evil Chaos Emerald."
"You assume correctly, King Maximillian Acorn. No one of your land can control the Dark Jewel."
Everyone in the room jumped to their feet, Sonic knocking his chair over as he did so. The voice had spoken to them from the eastern end of the room, but no one, not even Lazer, detected any sort of presence.
Four figures began to form by the eastern wall, beneath a window. They materialized into semi-transparent images (semi-transparent, because the torchlight cast no shadow) of a large, gray-furred bear, a smaller, dark brown mole, a green iguana, and the fourth was a black cat. All were ancient men, seemingly older than the stones that had built the castle. Their great age could plainly be seen on each of their worn faces. They wore foreign clothing consisting of various coloured cloths draped about their bodies and tied to their waist. The image of the bear stepped forward and spoke. It was the same voice they had heard a few moments ago.
"Do not be afraid of us. We are visions that represent the elders of an island, the same island that Hannah Nyress fled. She is guilty of murder, and theft of what we consider to be the most potent source of evil in all of Mobius. We have decided to appear to you in this manner so that we can help you."
The bear bowed and stepped backward, as the mole stepped forward. King Acorn and his wife exchanged glances, but the four younger individuals had their eyes fixated upon the apparitions. The mole spoke in a thin but compelling voice:
"Hannah Nyress has cast a spell that will not only doom your Freedom Fighters but the rest of the world as we know it. She has called it "The Spirit Bond" but its proper name is "The Harbinger of Ageless Despair." When the Dark Jewel absorbs all the portions of souls, the thing, which the Dark Jewel has sealed for numerous millennia, shall be freed again! This enemy, once unleashed, will be utterly unstoppable. It will send the brave and courageous cowering in hopeless terror."
His warning completed, the mole bowed out as the illusion of the iguana went forth. His reptilian tongue over-pronounced the 's' sound in some words:
"I will try to keep the explanation ss-short, as we have little time. There was a period in his-sstory that has been erased from memory, except ours-ss. During that period, there came from the heavens-ss a creature of unimaginable power. We believe that an alien force unleashed it upon Mobius- ss. This creature fed upon the planet's-ss natural force of magic, along with the energy of Chaos-ss Emeralds-ss. It gained a power so vas-sst that some believed not even Destiny Hers-sself could defeat it. In their mercy, the Ancient Walkers-ss themselves appeared before two brothers-ss. They gave the brothers-ss a riddle, and disappeared. When the brothers-ss solved that riddle, they gained a cataclys-ssmic power, which they used to defeat the evil creature. In the creature's moment of weakness-ss, the Ancient Walkers-ss appeared once more and created a Black Chaos-ss emerald. They sealed the creature within the Emerald for all eternity. The Brothers-ss were then taken into the heavens by the Walkers-ss, and never returned to Mobius-ss. Many ages later, we found this new Chaos-ss Emerald and tapped its powerful magic, using it to create our island and rule its populus-ss. Now, we fear that the Emerald will shatter and release-ss the creature once more."
Its story ended, the iguana drew back and finally, the black cat addressed them.
"I am Hannah's great, great-uncle. She was my great-nephew's apprentice, but now he is dead, and she has the Dark Jewel in her possession. She used its power to escape our magic, and now dwells with your enemy, Robotnik. By using a certain spell, she masked her location all these years. Now, by casting the powerful spell that we fear, she revealed her presence and we were able to locate her. But now, she has learned too much arcane sorcery for us to stop her. We had hoped that the Chaos Emerald bearer, the one who sits among you, would have mastered the enormous power given to him, but she defeated him easily."
Lazer gave the ancient cat's illusion a look of disdain, but kept quiet.
"That event holds no further significance. Only the power of the Brothers can save you, and Mobius, at this time. I will say the riddle that the Walkers gave to the Brothers, millenniums ago."
Sally quickly pulled out her computer, Nicole, and placed her on Audio Record:
" 'Amidst the dew, with roaring before them, Brothers stand upon circles, one each. Then, the way shall be revealed, with the colours of light above them.'"
Sally pressed the 'pause' button as his voice faded. The he spoke once more:
"Remember this riddle, and may the guidance of Destiny and the Ancient Walkers follow you always!"
The phantoms faded from sight, and the room was silent. Sonic was the first who ventured to speak.
"That went well."
"To be sure," the King replied. Sally replayed the riddle.
"Strange words," muttered Elias, stroking his chin.
"Well, we need to find some brilliant people to figure that out," said Sonic.
"Right. I'm going to visit the library to find anything about this, even if the period was erased from history."
"I'll get Tails, Rotor, and those two guys they hang with. Should we meet now?"
"No, tomorrow. If you tell them now, they may not be able to sleep. We'll figure this out tomorrow."
Sally rose to leave.
"I'll go with you," her mother said, and Elias also offered to accompany her to the library. The three of them left the room, followed by Sonic. The King stared across the table at Lazer, whom had his arms folded.
"Were you truly willing to break your promise?"
"I'm unsure, because if I started to kill, I don't think I'd be able to stop."
Lazer raised himself, bowed to the King and took his leave.
