A stinging sensation of pain lingers on. The result of decades of betrayal, loss, and failure show their signs. Their notable scars are etched within the mind, leaving a permanent mark that not even the most soothing of words can heal. Not comfort, not love, not even death; not even the loss of consciousness can permanently rid of the pain. It may be transferred elsewhere, yet persists forevermore. It cannot be eradicated, it cannot be permanently removed. But, it never has been about removing the pain anyway. It is all about finding ways to deal with the pain.

It is all about moving on, not without the pain, but despite the pain.

A multitude of time has passed since his reawakening. How much time exactly, he doesn't know either. All these events fly by in a rush. Enemies to friends, friends to enemies; each time he has gotten close to anyone, it all fell apart eventually. His presence carries a curse, preventing him from forming a bond with any lasting value. A warm embrace, a loving touch, a comforting voice; all temporary moments of joy that wither away within a moment. While possessing immortality, his soul feels weaker than ever before. All those years have taken a toll on him. Out of all the extravagant, monumental creatures he has faced, it is time that has ultimately proven to be his greatest adversary.

Prince of Chaos. The Black Blur. The Ultimate Lifeform. The Fake Hedgehog. Project Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog. All names refer to one entity. An entity that has stood the test of time, and outlived all the rest. A lone soul, wandering about in a world so new yet so old all at once. Everything he has known, cherished, hated, and was indifferent about, is long gone. Everyone from the days of old, where individuality still existed, has withered away. All, aside from one soul. A soul correlating so deeply to something so pivotal and painful. A name that bears so much pain, but threatens to vanish too. But before it vanishes forever, a few words must be exchanged first.

The soul has no name. It is a man without a name. All it has are the memories connected to him. His face may have been covered during their one encounter, but Shadow remembers it clearly. Countless days have gone by since that fateful day, but every second of it remains in the hedgehog's mind. And when news spread that the man will soon pass away, Shadow couldn't ignore it. He needed to meet him once more, after all this time. The man who has taken his Maria away from him, the only other person who could have truly made him feel complete. All these sleepless nights, restless days, and endless years now culminate into this one moment, in which Shadow dares to finally meet the man who shot the one who still means the most to him. A reunion long in the making.

Standing before the ancient, run-down hospital, Shadow stares it up and down. His gaze becomes lost as he looks off into nothingness, as the past returns to curse him once again. The past is finite, memories are limited; there are only so many moments one can go back to. And yet, it's as if the opposite is true. It feels as if the past is endless, as if there are an infinite amount of memories lingering within one's mind, always emerging at specific points in one's time. It's those points where the past intertwines with the present, where one recalls the past and creates a new moment with it, often by interpreting it in different ways. The past returns to the present, which then also becomes part of the past, and so the cycle continues.

It was back in the fortress high above, where it all started. For the sake of emulating a day's cycle within the dark space, the station's lights were dimmed at a certain time. Any project that could potentially cause disturbing, loud noises were ended prior, thus allowing the simulated evening period to be a phase of soothing silence. Machines, guests, and others were either put to rest or escorted to the sleeping quarters until the next morning arrived. While the professor would restlessly tinker on various other projects, his granddaughter was always sent to sleep at a specific time. Only one was ever allowed to accompany the young girl.

That night felt special. Things were generally peaceful in the station, but that night had a sense of ethereal peace to it, for some reason or another. The two didn't speak on their way to her room, they rarely ever did during those moments. But once he was tucking her in, making sure that the soft blanket was wrapped around her properly, she immediately initiated their nightly talk. Her timid hand reached for his arm, for he was the only one she could feel truly comfortable with. Their gazes met, and it felt as if all worries were gone. With a somber smile, she broke the silence and inquired:

"You look so tired today… What's wrong?"

His crimson eyes shifted to the pale hand before turning back to her. Thinking about her question, he took a minute before finally answering:

"I'm… exhausted. I feel worn-out, useless mostly."

Tenderly caressing her arm, their interchange of words would finally ensue, starting with her next question:

"Is it because of that project?"

"Mhm…I keep trying to escape it, but it feels like I'm always surrounded by it. I see… I see those creations… I don't know how to best describe them. All living, breathing mirrors of me, confined within glass chambers. They supposedly share all my memories, as if they are all connected to me somehow. Yet, neither has lived a proper day. All they know are the few years from my perspective. If so many 'Me-s' exist, I wonder if they are all imitations of me, or if we all are imitations of one another. Copies upon copies."

"Do you know why they exist?"

"They are… back-ups. In case something bad should happen to me, there would be another me to take my place. Nothing would change, nothing would be different."

"Does that mean you can't die?"

"I don't… know the answer. I can't grow old and die. But I can still be killed. If that were to happen to me, another me would wake up with the same memories, personality, behavior; everything. But they would make new memories. New experiences. I don't know if only the other me would experience that, or if I would be part of it too. I don't think the project is that advanced yet. I don't even know how far the professor wants to go with this. I know so little, but fear so much."

"Why are you scared?"

"Because… I don't know… It's just… Well… If I can be replaced so easily, am I really worth anything? Am I truly unique, or just like a machine that can be replaced, rebirthed, so easily? How can I form and do anything meaningful, if my existence is so soulless? I'm scared of being replaced. It's one of the things I fear the most."

His gaze diverted from hers as he stared at the blank, cold floor, staring at nothingness. As his head sank, she moved up from her bed to get closer to him. Wrapping her small arms around his hunched-over, dark body, she tenderly whispered to him:

"Hey, to me, there can only be one Shadow. You will always be the original, and you will always be my best friend… Whatever happens to you, whatever happens to the project; there can only be one you. And the others… Well, I can be friends with them too! But they will never replace you. Not to me."

A faint, yet sincere smile stretched across his face. Her warm, heartfelt words always managed to soothe him, giving him an insight into what it could mean to be human. It's something he hadn't experienced yet but longed to experience alongside her. As they held each other close, they shared a quiet moment. Despite the silence, they could hear others' thoughts, for their dreams and hopes were the same. Whatever was to come next, they would always remain together. A bond unbreakable.

Death.

The impending death of the one who's taken it all away is soon. Standing beside his white, sterile bed, Shadow towers over the exhausted body. They share an intense stare during a brutal moment of violent silence. In this decaying, feeble state, the veteran's traces of humanity are barely present. Whatever is left of him is deeply tucked away behind a sad, pathetic expression. Too many emotions are riling up within the hedgehog for him to emote properly. He cannot discern whether it's anger, sadness, joy, or something else preventing him from opening his mouth and speaking his distraught mind. All the preparation he has undergone is for naught, as not a single clear thought comes to be. Rescuing them from this harsh silence and Shadow's clouded mind, the man speaks:

"...thank you… for coming… I needed to see you again… I believe you needed to see me too…"

In a pained, snappy tone, Shadow curtly answers him, his mind now overtaken by pure anger.

"Why? Why now? After all these years, why are you just now reaching out to me? Do you understand how much I've hurt? Why did you even do it in the first place? How could you? How could you do something so vile, so evil? You're filth. That's what you are. Filth. A lone pile of filth, with only one person left alive to remember you. And I hate you. I hate that you are still alive. I hate that you outlived all the others. How could you? How dare you? Why did you do it? Why?"

His shouts of anger, his roars of despair escape his mouth as Shadow finally spills all his emotions. All that time of hurt can finally come out, as the man is unable to do anything else besides listen. And listen he does. Once Shadow concludes his passionate venting, the former soldier looks up to him, his gaze remaining fixated. While it's apparent that he musters every last bit of his strength to utter a mere word, he still does his utmost in his response:

"...I'm sorry, Shadow… I'm sorry… I shouldn't have done that… It was in the heat of the moment… I was… following orders, and I wanted to be a good soldier… I did what was expected of me to do… But not what I was supposed to do… And that was to stand down… But I was new, I was young, everything happened so fast… It haunted me, Shadow… I could never forget… How could I? I heard her scream, I saw her die every single night… I still do… And just when I thought I had gotten over it… Years later… You returned… And so did the nightmares… I feared you… I couldn't bring myself to speak to you, since I feared you… But with you returning and saving the planet, I was inspired… I decided to right my wrongs, or, at least, try to… Once my service was done, I chose to support the local orphanages with everything I could offer… I worked tirelessly for the lives of those children, giving up all my resources to give them a chance for a better life… I'm not asking for your forgiveness, Shadow… I just want to let you know I tried my best to help those in need, and give what I could… I did it all for Maria… I did it for Maria…"

Concluding his confession, the bedridden man struggles to stretch out his frail hand but ultimately succeeds in touching Shadow's arm. Feelings of grief and regret overwhelm him, as a single tear forms below his eye before running down his wrinkled cheek. Whatever is to occur next, he openly accepts his fate, for everything has finally come out to the light. And though the hedgehog's heated anger is still there, he could calm himself down just enough to pay attention. With another moment of silence finally setting in, Shadow reflects once more on the man's words. His pulse returns to a normal state, and after taking a deep breath, he steps closer to the man. Examining his face, he recognizes what has been in front of him all along; a reflection. Now, with a far clearer head, Shadow takes a seat on the edge of the bed, and speaks in a lower tone:

"...I have saved this planet countless times. Defending it from alien invaders, eradicating robotic threats, rebuilding communities… All these things have contributed to this image, of people viewing me as some kind of deity. As a god. Wherever I go, the people worship me. Wherever I look, I see them imitating me, trying their utmost to become like me. But neither will ever manage to do so. There is only one me. The true me. And honestly, after all these decades, I'm still trying to figure it out myself. Who really is the true me. Perhaps I'll never know the answer to that. But I'll keep searching. At least, I know this… I finally feel comfortable letting the past go. All those years I have been atoning for my sins too. Hadn't those greater than me shown me the right way, I would have doomed this planet. I've made severe mistakes too, ones that have also haunted me for nights on end. But I'm done letting them haunt me. I'm done atoning for what is no longer there. All those who guided me to the right path are long gone, and they have taken the old world with them. This is the new world now. It is time to move on now."

Reaching for the man's hand on his arm, Shadow finally properly acknowledges his gesture. A faint yet rare smile forms on the hedgehog's face, as he continues in a mellow voice:

"To properly understand yourself, you must free yourself of the past. We have suffered enough for the past, and have learned enough from it. I still have plenty of time to find out more about yourself. To embrace a… new, truer me. But your time is now. In your final moments, I want you to be free. I… I forgive you. And Maria… Maria would've done the same."

Following that, not a single word is exchanged anymore. Their hands squeeze each other tight, their smiles and tears speaking for themselves. And as the freed man weeps with joy, his gaze still remains fixated on Shadow's warm face, feelings of love and peace guiding him on the path of eternal rest. There are no more nightmares from the past or worries for the future, just enjoyment of the present. As his eyes become heavy and everything around him blurry, he holds on to Shadow's hand until his eager soul becomes too much for his body to bear. A final smile, a final tear, a final breath, and his path of redemption finally concludes.

The sun sets behind a bright, stunning hill. Orange clouds cover the sky, steadily darkening in the transition to the nightly hours. But this phase now, the phase in which the day ends, provides a true ethereal calmness and a peace of mind no other time could possibly offer. And as the day's sun sets to make way for the night's moon, an older self dies and is reborn. Too long has Shadow remained dismissive of this new world. Too long has he rejected what is ahead, and let himself be tormented by what is past. His suffering in Maria's name, and in the names of all those who have fallen can no longer hold him back. There is so much more he can give, so much more he can take. He can only rise above once he no longer sinks below. For Shadow cannot turn back, not anymore.

He will never turn back again.