He opened his eyes. He was lying on the cold, humped ground. It was dark and the only light coming from an unknown source in the corner of the room out of his sight.
He wanted to get up, but he didn't want to hurry as his consciousness returned, and he remembered everything that had happened to him. Suddenly, disorientated, he remembered Sonic, and in that moment it was as if he had been stung by a wasp. In no time he straightened up and frantically spun his head all around him.
So much time has already passed. He's been away for so long. Sonic will know something is wrong. And he will be angry. He will be so angry.
Tails became agitated. He didn't like the thought of his friend desperately searching the island for him, and right now, he had no idea where he was.
"Hey! So you're alive!" he heard a familiar voice coming from somewhere deep in the room, from the darkness, beyond the reach of the small table lamp lit in the corner.
Footsteps echoed.
She braced herself and stepped out into the dim light. Once again, it lit up her golden brown hair and flashed against her clear smart glasses. With one movement of her hand, she took them off and couldn't hold back a sigh.
"You scared me to death," she said, smiling nervously. "I thought even The Last one... was gone."
Tails sat still, mouth open now, spontaneously. He didn't understand anything about everything that happened recently.
All the crazy things he had experienced today danced in front of him.
Can he and Sonic ever go anywhere without something crazy happening?
From strange masked strangers with ancient weapons slingshotting him and calling him nogitsune, whatever that was, to this girl he didn't know until recently, nor did he ever think he would know, who appeared out of nowhere and blasted them with jets of water, and now she led him into a sort of lair of hers, and told him that she suspected for a moment that even The Last one was gone.
What the hell was that supposed to mean!?
Tails takes a deep breath, because all this has hit him too hard. He still expected to wake up in a moment and realize that he had a crazy dream, that was the feeling at the moment.
Like a dream, but not in a good way.
And yet, on the other hand, not in a bad way either.
"Are you sure you're okay?" the girl asked him.
Tails appreciated the kindness, but he wasn't in the mood to talk right now.
"I'll bring you water," she offered, and headed somewhere back into the darkness.
On leaving the room, she turned on a large, real ceiling light. In the blink of an eye, the room looked much less cold and threatening. It began, in fact, to exude some kind of warmth.
It was some sort of underwater cave—Tails almost lost it when he saw that he was only separated from the murky depths by a glass barrier. This was actually some kind of underwater base, located in a cave and overlooking the inner waters of the lake, it seemed, deep below the surface.
Except for the desk, all together there was very little furniture. On the left rocky wall was a shelf with a stack of thick books, next to it was a whiteboard, various shells hung from the ceiling, deliberately hung there. There were blueprints on the desk, and the room continued lengthwise through a corridor, where various tools and weapons were hung.
All the other walls were covered with various posters with the faces of all kinds of idols, including Dustin Highsky.
One poster caught Tails' eye.
He got up and only then felt the bandages on his back. In an instant, a rush of guilt hit him for ignoring the girl, because it was obvious she meant no harm when she brought him here and still bandaged the wound on his back. He didn't even say thank you for the rescue.
He still shook off his knees and deigned to approach the poster, already more secure on his feet. He lightly ran his hand over it to remove the dust.
It was a poster that featured Sonic.
Sonic, his friend Sonic, Sonic the hedgehog. And that in full size, clearly indicated.
Tails suddenly flinches. Who is this girl? What does she want from them? Why does she have a poster of Sonic with him in this lair?
Is she maybe a fangirl, like Amy used to be? And what if there is a poster of him somewhere nearby?
What if she had been studying and keeping an eye on them for years and was just waiting for the perfect opportunity once they were here to kidnap Tails and thus blackmail Sonic?
Come on, pull yourself together. You are exaggerating...
Since his childhood, unfortunately after all the horrors he experienced, Tails had a lot of problems with trusting other people.
He remembered that both Sonic and Amy had noticed this very early on - Tails was incapable of trusting anyone. He thought that everyone wanted to harm him. It took him over a year to fully trust Sonic, unconditionally.
He simply felt as if all eyes were always on him. It's as if everyone's goal is to make fun of him and corner him. Make him feel tiny. Poor.
He suddenly starts when he feels a hand on his shoulder after staring into space for a while. He turned in a flash to see behind him. The girl was looking at him, holding the glass of cold water between her hands.
She didn't comment, just handed him a glass. Tails thought it would be appropriate to say thank you now, but after all she had done for him on short notice it truly seemed silly to do so after a service with a glass of water brought.
However, one thing was certain: he was thirsty.
While you blinked, he poured it all out, then suddenly stopped to catch some air, and stared at the empty glass, visibly surprised, a little disappointed, you could say.
"Do you want me to get you some more?"
Tails shook his head. For some reason it suddenly seemed illegal to use any words while in her presence.
"I'm sorry I scared you," she suddenly said.
Tails cringed. Scared? She him? What is she thinking?
Tails felt deeply affected. He didn't like being a scaredy cat in anyone's eyes, even if it was someone completely new to him.
"You didn't scare me," he said, surprised by the roughness in his voice. He suddenly bows down and is ashamed. Ever since he got here, he's been so brash and inconsiderate. He had forgotten that whoever this girl was and whatever her intentions were, she still saved him.
"Sorry," he said quickly. "I just didn't want you to think I was timid. The first time I saw you, I passed out from the pain. Pretty stupid. And now I'm deep in thought. I still need a little more time to recover," he commented and scratched behind his ear in the act the need for some gesture that will show his true, modest nature.
"I'm sorry you went through so much trouble for me. You had to wrestle with those guys. And you bandaged my wound. I didn't even thank you..."
"Let it go now," she said cheerfully, "the main thing is to finally hear your voice, now I know you're talking and not voiceless!" and laughs.
Tails also laughed, spontaneously. For a moment, all worries and questions were banished.
"After all, beating those guys up was crazy fun. I'm sorry you couldn't participate," she stated.
"I must have looked really stupid, standing to the side like that…" Tails stammered.
"Nothing for that. We all sometimes know that we need to retreat for our own good. And hey, they deserved it. The fact that they shot you from a slingshot is extremely barbaric, but also a classic," she rolled her eyes. "They have no imagination. But whatever. Are you sure you're okay? Are you still in pain?" Tails shook his head.
The girl blinked. "I don't believe you," she said surely, but in a soft tone. "I carried you all the way here and you moaned with every step."
Tails became uncomfortable. He simply did not like to show himself in such a bad light in front of anyone. "Sorry about that," he said and turned his head away from her. Stupid. Who else is moaning about rocks in the back? She must think you're so weak.
"Sit down," she ordered him suddenly, catching him off guard, and gently pushed him to the ground and he knelt down, confused.
His entire body was filled with shivers when she suddenly grabbed him by the tip of one of his tails. "And that's where they also hit you," she said. "Let me see better - "
Tails jerked away reflexively, causing his tail to hurt, but he didn't care. He wrapped his tail around his body and curled up.
Embarrassed again, he turned away, trying to explain, only to realize there was no good explanation.
"You really don't have to," he said. And you can't, he thought.
Ever since he moved in with Sonic and Amy, he never let anyone touch his tails again. They understood that, because he made it clear that he didn't want that. He had his reasons, understandably, and kept to his manners. And the only other girl who had ever bandage any wound to him in any way... was Cosmo.
And that time when he saved her in the cave (ironically, because he was still in the cave right now), from the rocks falling from the top. Because of this, he himself got a stone in the head. Cosmo wrapped a bandage around his head even though he didn't have a big wound. He remembered that she was very bitter about it. Among other things, these were the main reasons why this now made him uncomfortable.
The girl blinked once more.
"Please," she said, "it's literally such an honor to have you here at my base! This, come to think of it, is probably the greatest honor I've ever had in my entire life! The least I can do for you is help you.. . In any case, the pleasure is mine."
This only confused Tails even more. What is she raving about? Maybe it's a misunderstanding. Did she mistake him for someone?
"Forgive my crazy behavior, it's just... It's not every day you get to meet the Last One!" she said, visibly delighted.
"You... You're a legend. You're the Last One. And now you're here, in my house! I'm just now realizing, The Last One is in my house!" the girl seemed to have gone mad.
She got in his face, then moved away a little, and indicated: "And it would be a great honor for me to relieve you of pain. But if you don't want it, who am I to contradict you? You're right, I'm grueling... I'll leave you alone now..."
All of Tails' interest in being left alone and in peace evaporated. Instead, it was replaced by an insatiable need. He needed answers. He needed an explanation. And he needed them NOW.
"Hold up," he said, "slow down... I don't understand anything. I think you..."
The girl quickly face-palmed herself. Tails looked at her with surprise.
"Of course", she said, "just according to the Legend. For the sake of Mobius, I've read that legend like a bedtime story, my whole life, quoted it like a prayer, memorized it, millions of times, and still I have no idea what I'm talking about. Of course you don't understand anything!"
She suddenly sighs, then squeals. "But that means it's up to me!" Tails looked at her questioningly, sinking even deeper into trying to figure out what was wrong with her.
"It's my… duty to explain to you." She said it in such a solemn and dramatic tone that it made Tails tingle, but nothing became any clearer.
"I can't believe it... The honor is getting bigger by the minute. Am I? Me, to be the one to convey to the Last One his destiny? But am I worthy of it? Am I even ready? (Little bit of sarcasm here.) Ouch" the girl said.
She laughed nervously again. Tails began to wonder if it would be a good time to escape after all.
"I'm really sorry," she said, as if sensing his thoughts. "I know that I'm acting crazy and that it's strange that I changed my record so suddenly. I'm really crazy... I'm sure you think I'm crazy too... I used to give off a serious vibe, now I'm embarrassing myself in front of the Last one..." she was laughing more and more nervously, and Tails was getting more and more confused.
"I don't know what to say..." she began. "I'm so stupid, I'm ruining my reputation... Sincere apologies, for this sudden... epiphany" she said and reached for Tails' hand.
Suddenly she backed away, as if hesitating. "M-may I shake your hand?"
Tails was completely freaked out. This girl carried him unconscious all the way here, and now she doesn't even dare to shake his hand. What is happening?
"Of course..." he said and in the next moment she was shaking his hand, as if she was holding a mixer.
"I can't calm down…" she started to giggle, and when she released her grip, she composed herself enough to tell him,
"My name is Abel. Abel Ryder." And she smiled widely. It was a nice smile.
Tails brightened, as the conversation became normal for a change. "I am..."
"Oh, don't be ridiculous. I know very well who you are. Moreover, the whole world ought to know who you are. And it's truly a pity that it doesn't so... But that will change! With your will or without it, because such is your destiny."
And a normal conversation goes away.
"Miles Prower," she said meaningfully, "better known as Tails, and to us who keep the Legend within us after so many years since the Promise… as the Last One."
Tails was getting a little tired of all this. There were so many things he wanted to ask her.
Why did those guys target him? How come she knows about him, and apparently Sonic? What kind of Legend does she keep talking about? And most importantly...
"Where did you get all these legal water devices?" he asked with a smile.
He tried to look relaxed. Indeed, all around them were water-powered gadgets.
"Oh!" the question seemed to surprise Abel. Her hazel eyes glazed over and she blushed slightly. "Nobody's ever been interested in them before. Nobody's ever asked me anything about them. Then again, it's not like I bring anyone here very often... I don't have anyone." Abel shrugged, then proudly continued without hesitation,
"I made them myself! They're all mine and water-powered. Do you like them?" she asked, with some hope in her voice.
"Well... Yeah, sure! They look pretty cool, and besides, I've seen them in action! Not to be messed with!" Tails confirmed and giggled, Abel along with him.
"So..." she asked then. "you really like them... I can't believe you like my toys..."
"Let me guess. The Last one?"
Tails quipped and they both laughed at the joke, but Abel continued importantly: "Now none of what I'm saying makes sense to you, but you don't even realize how important it really is..."
And she thought for a few moments.
Tails watched her under his eye. She looked so fragile suddenly. Like someone who has just shed some armor or shell. She reminded him a bit of...
Tails quickly turned his head and stared into the depths of the lake on the other side of the barrier that separated them from the blue below the surface. He did it reflexively because Abel also looked in that direction.
"Are we under the surface of Eastern Lake now?" Tails asked.
"Yes," said Abel shortly.
They continued to stare into the blue. A small school of fish streamed past the glass.
"It's nice," Tails said.
"Truly," replied Abel. "There are days when I just want to stay here forever, under the surface, and spend the rest of my life staring into the blue. I wouldn't miss a thing."
Tails suddenly wondered if anyone had thought to water Cosmo. He gets down unnecessarily. Of course no one watered her. Sonic and Amy don't even know that he planted the seed.
"Of course," Abel glanced at him, "if I had stayed here forever, my life would never have been nearly as dynamic! And more importantly... I would never have met you." She gave him a meaningful look.
Tails didn't dare take the tone of those words too personally. For some reason, Abel's claim scared him. Emotionally.
"I lost my older sister a few years ago. She took care of me and my little brother. After that, I took care of Luke until he knew how to fend for himself. Then I retreated into solitude, because I mostly wanted to avoid society. I had a feeling that everyone would want to judge me."
I know that feeling, Tails thought.
"No other girl wanted to be my friend. They thought me making inventions and gadgets was too manly." She looked down.
Tails was surprised. He never thought too much about female inventors and their problems because he knew almost none, but he believed that anyone who has talent and who wants to be an inventor should follow their heart and passion and not be held back in any way.
"Boys didn't want to be my friends either. They all thought I was weird. Mostly because I started making up for everything I didn't get to do in my childhood while babysitting my brother, so I admit, I got all a bit wacky." she admitted.
"But inventions weren't my only passion. I'm also a very good swimmer. I love water in general, I guess you've already concluded that. I break up battle dancing, you've seen that too.
But most of all, I'd like to do something artistic, you know? I'd like to write my own songs and stories. I've been making up different stories for my brother for years, and he loved them... It gave me confidence, you know? I thought, if he likes my stories, maybe others will like them too... And I also like to draw. I know, it's pretty stupid. First look on me probably wouldn't give you an impression of an artistic soul."
Tails nodded. He was delighted with Abel's brutal honesty and openness.
He would never be able to confide in someone so quickly and easily about his past. After all, he sympathized with Abel.
"I had the impression that my inventions were all that made me interesting and that without them I was nothing. Just a lonely lunatic" she said and stepped towards the wall shelf of tools.
She seemed to ignore the rest of her story.
"Sorry, I'm boring you with something you're not interested in at all."
Tails wanted to tell her that it wasn't like that, but in the next moment he was stunned when he saw an impressive gadget in her hands.
"Holy moly" he gasped.
"Waterbeam 2.4" she said proudly, and put it back on the stand. It was the water Enerbeam with which she beat the attackers a few hours ago.
She took the second one. "Megadrown 5000" She showed a rifle with a large water tank. "Bolis water automatically and then uses it as a means."
"That's brilliant," Tails comments.
Abel blushed. "It's nothing. It has one of the simpler prototypes, actually."
She continued the streak. "Tiny but dynamite - MizuLaserUltra." She handed it to Tails.
"Careful with that. It's a water laser, but it's more powerful than normal if used properly."
While Tails observed the MizuLaser, she provided him with several new devices.
"Aquasuck. Mega liquid vacuum cleaner. WizPack, my Jetpack that uses jets of water to fly. Super grippy tennis shoes for slippery surfaces, I call them Rainers. I know, I'm not quite good in making up names for these things.
My smart glasses, in a set, waterproof. A diving suit that I created and developed. Minigun, more no name, but probably not for long. A ring with a small built-in stainless steel dagger, comes in handy when you need to untangle something on some underwater adventure down there. Professional diving mask. My ultra-waterproof solid backpack."
She then reached behind her back. "My stick. A classic that I didn't invent, but it never gets old."
Take a bite. Tails was liking this more and more.
"These are bottles for various samples. For microorganisms, too. I also study the living world in the lake, somewhat ecologically, for the sake of preserving biodiversity and all that."
Tails nodded. She truly knew what she was talking about.
She's quite versatile.
"And these," she said, pulling out a small packet from one of the drawers, "are AquaChews. Delicious mint flavoured chews I designed to extend your ability to hold your breath underwater for up to three minutes, which is also considered the longest time that any living being has been able to hold its breath."
Tails glared at her.
"They WHAT?" (not to mention that Tails LOVES mints.)
"Yeah!"
"That's so dope! But how did you do that?"
"Well, I'm good at experimenting, too. It was just a little tinkering with the extra ingredients and...that's it! One small but mighty mint-flavored gum."
"Those are the best" Tails commented, because he really wanted to compliment her even though they were literally talking about gum. They both chuckled.
"But there is one invention" - Abel said - "bigger and more important than all here. It has been with me from the very beginning... Come and see."
She grabbed his arm before he could react. She dragged him to the left.
She touched the stone wall with her hand and pushed it forward. The part of the wall she placed her palm on caved in and the clear wall next to them began to gradually descend, revealing a hidden corridor filled with bluish light.
They went inside.
There was a long purple carpet on the floor. The corridor stretched endlessly, it seemed like it was kilometers long, but it wasn't. To the left and right of the carpet were regularly arranged capsules on stands filled with water, in which some other water-themed weapons floated.
These neatly and elegantly arranged specimens reminded Tails of exhibits in a museum, that's why he felt as if he found himself in some formal place dedicated to technology for a moment.
That feeling was good.
They walked in silence down the hall for a minute or two, slow as Abel let Tails take a breather looking at the machines.
Eventually they reached the end of the room, where there was a darkened glass door. A scanner device was standing next to them.
"Password?" came a mechanical voice.
"Seahorse," said Abel.
"Incorrect. Please try again."
"Pardon me!?" Abel was startled, but in an instant she changed her expression and blew out a lock of her hair in irritation.
"Luke." She turned to Tails with an apologetic look. "My little brother must have messed with the security door. Changed the password or something."
She turned back to the door. "Chicken medallions?"
"Incorrect. After three more failed attempts, the silent alarm will activate."
"Ooooooh, we don't want that" Abel flinched.
Tails was impressed. "You've developed a pretty strong security system considering this is a cave!"
He suddenly realized how offensive those words could sound, so he covered his mouth with his hand as soon as he said it.
"I - I didn't mean it like that... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you..."
However, Abel just turned and smiled at him. "It's fine. Any criticism is welcome if it comes from you."
"That wasn't a criticism, I just..."
"I know, silly! I should have moved a long time ago to a base more worthy of all these weapons, but I can't. It's not that I brag about my weapons, but I have a personal belief in which all weapons are sacred to me."
Tails couldn't help himself, he laughed heartily at the endearing statement.
He could tell her so much, about Tornado and Cyclone and his love for both. The adventures he had on these two.
Those would be some stories.
But now he was interested in something else.
"Why do you make and keep so many weapons here? I'm sure you don't randomly go around this island every day beating up masked foreigners."
"You're right about that. Although it really is the bomb." Then she looked directly at him again. She stared at him so that it seemed to Tails as if she was looking at his very insides.
"I have so many weapons because I've been preparing since the day I found out about the Promise." Nothing was clearer, but something in Abel's look told Tails that she would soon make it all clear to him.
"Okay, changing the password... No, that's a waste of time. I'll just use the scanner." She loaded the scanner next to the glass door and stared at the red dot that briefly scanned her pupil. In the next moment, the door began to rotate and swung aside, opening a panoramic view of a completely new room.
In the middle of that room, on a large glass podium below which the bottom of the lake could be seen, there was a SUBMARINE protected by a barrier.
"WOW! Well that's..."
"Vortex 5000. My baby!" confirmed Abel and pulled out a remote control from somewhere to lower the barrier and once again showed the Vortex in its full beauty, with visible pride.
She jumped like a kangaroo on the roof of the submarine to the place of the manhole cover, and stood up, spreading her arms. "My most loyal, biggest and best machine! I almost consider it a family member!"
"Did you... build it yourself!?" Tails asked enthusiastically. The red submarine in full glory, with round windows and a large control panel and equipped with a periscope, looked like an underwater, submarine version of the Tornado. The only thing is that it didn't say Sonic on the side, but Vortex.
Sonic! How could Tails forget that!? So far, he could overturn the entire island. Perhaps he had already started threatening the locals under the suspicion that they had harmed Tails.
He had to come back. As nice as Abel seemed, she wasn't entirely bright. It was obvious that all those years of solitude in the cave might have taken a toll on her. She probably didn't even know what kind of Legend, Promise and Last one she kept talking about.
He had to return urgently, and he had to convince her to let him go. "Look, could that submarine of yours make it down the river back to the Eastern hills at any solid speed from the lake?"
Abel stared at him. "At solid speed?" and burst out laughing. "This baby runs up to eighty kilometers per hour and unofficially breaks the record for the fastest submarine in the world!"
"Yes, that's great. But in that case..."
"How do you think I found you? I heard rumors among the citizens, they thought there was a Nogitsune in the city. I didn't believe it, but they were partly right. I came to the Metro City area to look for this so-called Nogitsune, because even and such a thing could be the fulfillment of the Promise, as long as it's by the will of Tenko.
Although I was a little afraid, at first I didn't even believe that I would be lucky because citizens know how to lie just to tell interesting stories. Or it could be a false alarm, which surprisingly happened a couple of times during all these years.
But then... Then I saw you. And that's when I understood. I understood that the Promise really is finally coming true."
"Okay, but..."
"I took the Vortex to the riverbank, and when I saw you flying, I knew you were being followed and that there would be trouble. I scouted the situation with my periscope. I drove back to the lake and returned the Vortex to the base and then left to look for you. And it's good that I did, as you yourself already know."
"I know, but..."
"I was delighted with you! We all waited for you, for years, some lost hope forever, but I never dared. Waiting for you was practically my whole life. If I hadn't devoted my life to preparing for your arrival, today I wouldn't be me, I wouldn't be who I am. The hope that one day you would appear filled my whole being. Call it silly... But that's how I really feel."
Tails wasn't even aware that he was blushing. Because of this Abel's character, it was difficult to break her. He was slowly losing the will to try to interrupt her monologue, but he was getting more and more nervous.
And then Abel dropped the last straw.
"Until yesterday, it would never have occurred to me that everything would pay off and that a freaky twin-tailed fox would really appear on our island!
Not even in my wildest dreams would I have thought that you would come today and finally meet the Legend! You are kind of younger than I imagined, though, but still, you don't even realize how awesome and cool and powerful you are, and all because of those tails of yours, and how much more potential you have and can unleash... How I would love to be like you!
Imagine what it would be like if I were the Last?" she laughed to herself and wagged her tail. "I would give anything for an extra tail. To be unique like you would be a dream come true! I bet all the kids back at your place admired you and were jealous!"
Tails froze.
She called it the twin-tailed freaky fox.
And she said she would give anything to be like him.
And she said she bet the other kids admired him.
He was staring into space.
He felt his eye twitch.
He didn't even realize that he had clenched his hand. Why was this even bothering him so much?
Abel noticed that.
"Hey, what's up? Are you okay?"
Tails didn't answer. He clenched his hand into a fist, bit his tongue with his fang. "What happened? Did I say something wrong? Are you in pain?" Abel asked worriedly.
That was it.
"YES, YOU SAID SOMETHING WRONG!" Tails couldn't help himself, he yelled from his heels so that it echoed throughout the cave. He couldn't stop himself, an avalanche of anger just burst out of him, as if he had unleashed a monster, and he didn't like it.
"YOU CAN'T ADDRESS ME WHATEVER YOU WANT! YOU CAN'T BRING ME HERE AND GIVE ME NO CONTEXT! YOU CAN'T TALK TO ME LIKE A LUNATIC AND EXPECT ME TO BE FINE AND CALM!" Abel stared at him with her jaws open. Tails gasped for air with a loud grunt, only to let out more tantrums.
"AND YOU CAN'T TALK TO ME AS IF YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE!
NO, THE OTHER KIDS DIDN'T ADMIRATE ME! EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE! EVERYONE IN THE WORLD HATED ME AND I HAD NO ONE! I HAD NO HOME, NO FAMILY, I FED IN THE DUMP AND ATE SOMEONE ELSE'S LEFTOVERS. THE TAILS THAT YOU CALL A BLESSING AND SAY YOU WOULD GIVE ANYTHING TO HAVE THEM HAVE ONLY BRINGED ME A CURSE!
SOMETIMES I WONDER WHAT WOULD BE A BETTER SOLUTION, IF I WAS BORN NORMAL, IF THE BULLY'S CUT OFF MY STUPID TAIL WHILE I WAS A KID OR IF I NEVER EXISTED AT ALL!"
Tails couldn't control the tears that came violently from his eyes as he shook his head in frustration, a flood of tears just falling from his eyes one after another onto his fur and the floor.
"AND YES IT HURTS ME! YOUR WEIRD, STUPID, DESOLATED STORIES MAKE MY BRAIN HURT! IT LITERALLY HURT MY SOUL THAT YOU THINK I'M SO COOL AND MY LIFE WAS AWESOME FOR SOME REASON!
I'M NOT COOL AT ALL! I HAVEN'T BEEN COOL FOR YEARS! I DON'T KNOW WHAT LEGEND YOU KEEP BLABBERING ON ABOUT, BUT YOU'RE WRONG OR YOU MISSED ME WITH SOMEONE! I'M NOT A LEGEND NOR WAS I EVER! I'M JUST A FAIL, A DOUBLE ONE!"
Tails shakes his tails furiously. Abel didn't take her eyes off him.
"YOU THINK I WANTED THEM!? I DIDN'T! THAT'S THE LAST THING I... I..." He fell to his knees, buried his face between them and began to cry.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" he sniffled.
"I don't know what came over me... You didn't want any of this... I didn't either... I don't know... Sometimes I can be so stupid. I guess everything you said a little... It reminded me too much of some stupid things... It's not up to you."
Stillness. He continued to cry, not looking up.
Abel jumped from the Vortex back to solid ground.
More silence. And then, Tails feels something he hasn't felt in almost seven years.
Hug.
Abel hugged him.
He stopped crying.
There were times when Sonic and Amy would put an arm over his shoulder, friendly, but it was never a real hug.
Tails has never been hugged by anyone. Actually, that wasn't true. He received his first hug from his mother, just before the decisive flash of lightning.
He got a second hug the day Sonic first found him, and even though he didn't see the moment he received that hug, he felt it.
And he received the third one just now.
From a stranger in an underwater cave full of weapons.
On an unknown island.
Alone, but not alone.
"It's okay…" Abel said. "I mean, it's not okay. No one should ever have to experience something like that. And that's why... It's not okay."
She sniffs. "But please, don't ever say such a thing about yourself again. That it would be better if you never existed. Or if you weren't born like this. You'll regret it. Trust me."
She leaned closer to him, just to whisper in his ear, "You're worth a lot more than you think. And your tails are part of that. They build your whole being, just like waiting for you built mine. They shaped you as a person. Yes without them, you would never meet Sonic. You would never learn to fly. You would never join Sonic on adventures."
Tails looked at her in shock. They stop hugging and she pulls away from him.
"That's right Tails. I know about Sonic."
"But how?" Tails asked standing up, his voice still a bit hoarse. Abel looked at him again with her hazel eyes in that way so that she was looking into his interior.
"Tails, Sonic was born on this island."
Now they were walking down a narrower and darker corridor. Nothing anywhere, just the emptiness of a narrow cave.
This made Tails anxious, even though Abel was carrying a flashlight in her hand and creating a beam of bluish light in front of her, just enough so that they could see where and how they were walking.
"I call this the Hall of Legends," Abel said almost in a whisper.
"Believe me or not, this cave used to be on dry land, many years ago. At that time, a Legend was written here, presented to the Mobian people in ancient days. There are theories that they were written down by Owls, who with their wisdom and long life preserved traces of the Promise."
The corridor began to widen and Tails noticed strange drawings appearing on the walls. Abel pointed her flashlight at them. They shone with a silver glow. "It's time for someone to tell you everything."
She put her smart glasses back on her nose and was absorbed in staring at the drawings, as if she needed time to interpret them.
She finally pointed his finger at the first drawing, to the right of Tails. Mobius was clumsily drawn on it. The drawing seemingly began to move. Tails blinked and quickly rubbed his eyes to convince himself of what he saw.
"Once upon a time, all species lived in somewhat balanced peace on Mobius - Owls, Echidnas, Bears, Hedgehogs, Cats, Foxes, you name it. However, there was one species, a species that gave rise to a SUB-SPECIES of foxes - foxes by themselves did not represent one people. They are the somewhat degraded descendants of a species that is now considered completely extinct...
That species in the distant past caused discomfort and awe in the Mobians. That species carried with them great power. That species... were the Kitsune ." Tails caught his breath. Gilded drawings seemed to dance in front of him. Owls, bears, echidnas and hedgehogs - all directly gathered around the great fox with nine tails.
"The Kitsune were the Mobian people of hidden powers of great scale, enormous amount of knowledge, experience and wisdom, and they usually reached the age of up to 300 years, with the fact that they grew new tails through life and various life experiences. Kitsune was considered to be any fox that has two or more tails, and when it earned its ninth tail, the kitsune would turn gold or white...or dark, depending on its species and origin.
After the ninth tail, the kitsune attained a kind of immortality, and was considered reaching its full potential. There were two types of kitsunes. Zenko, benevolent and celestial foxes, and their Creator and the One from whom they originated and received their gifts is considered to be Inari, the ruler of light.
These foxes were benevolent in nature, and were the dominant species of kitsune on Mobius, once in large numbers. They had the power to ward off evil and were a source of wisdom, protection and support in the Mobian villages where they usually lived and hid.
Images of white foxes with an aura of light flashed on the rocky walls.
"However" Abel continued gravely "there was another type of fox. They weren't so malicious, just mean. But they gave the kitsunes a bad reputation, even though they were few in number.
Nogitsunes.
They had dark fur and descended from the unknown god Yoru. They didn't never used their powers to compete for peace, but were very malicious and only used the worst qualities in others to trick and outwit them, to satisfy their own needs. They distracted others from all that was important in life, for their own amusement . Malice. Which could develop into something bigger and more serious at any moment."
Tails stared in disbelief at the dark silhouette on the wall, hovering among the people drawn.
"Both types of kitsune were yokai, spirit animals and guides, but not for humans with the same goal. Both types had similar powers, such as shapeshifting and releasing and creating the inner kitsune-bi flame.
They were ruling all kinds of elements. Their tails symbolized their power. According to the lore, you can only exterminate or kill a kitsune by cutting off all its tails."
As images of flaming tongues, zenko, and nogitsune appeared on the wall facing each other in bluish auras, Tails unconsciously winced at the mention of "cutting off tails."
He remembered the moment he had almost done something terrible in an act of desperation.
It was about two weeks after Sonic had taken him to his home from Westside Island. He was alone at home. Amy, who went on a reconnaissance, assumed that he would not leave the house and locked him.
He was left alone. He remembered as if it was yesterday when he fell asleep and had a very bad dream.
The yellow vixen, right next to the red fox. They were blurred. But despite that, Tails knew very well who they were.
Rain. A terribly heavy downpour. "We have to go" the words spoken by the red fox echoed. They walked through the grove. The landscape is unfamiliar, but at the same time reminds of deja vu.
The sound of sowing in the distance. Vixen who turns to him, and speaks to him with a sour smile, while drops of rain (or tears?) flowed down her face: "Everything will be fine..."
It wasn't fine.
He knew who they were.
But he didn't want to know.
He wanted to forget. Or at least pretend he forgot. But the brain, the weaver of dreams, did not cooperate. Altitude. Climbing.
A hug.
A push. A flash of powerful lightning.
Scream. Two bodies fall to the ground.
Death.
Stillness.
With the pouring rain, that is.
And him. Alone and muddy in the dark, crying.
Yelling. "MOM DAD! NOOOOOOO!"
He broke down.
He was broken.
And they were dead.
And it was all his fault.
Because if he hadn't been the way he was, he knew, they would never have had to go anywhere so quickly. To run away like that, because they had no choice.
He never had the right to complain, because he was responsible for the death of his parents. It was screaming inside him, covered in his subconscious all this time.
The only people who ever truly loved him and were his real family are no longer there and it's his fault. It was a guilt he cursed himself with and decided to carry for the rest of his life.
He himself, as he is, was the sole source of every misfortune that ever befell him in his life.
That was his burden that he had to carry and the only true truth that he lived with.
He woke up screaming and fell off the bed. But he was still alone.
He was sobbing. Still half asleep, he ran into the kitchen.
He took a knife from the drawer and placed it under his tail.
He stared at his knife hand and his tail, choking on his own tears. He closed his eyes and thought that it would be best to do everything imperceptibly and quickly, without looking while doing it.
Just one short, quick cut.
He could solve all his problems.
Or?
He hesitated.
He knew this was what he wanted. But in pursuit of doing what he wanted, he risked failing to do good.
Was this truly worth it? He screamed in despair. He threw the knife on the floor and fell to his knees. He buried his face in his hands and cried.
Bravo. That's your solution for everything. Just cry. Whispers. Like a girl. And what you should have, you were not able to do.
"TAILS!" he heard shouting from the kitchen door. He looked up. Sonic was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, and he was stunned.
His gaze shifted from Tails to the knife. Tails got up and looked at him with his watery eyes.
He symbolically grabbed one of the tails. Sonic stared at him and stammered hesitant to say anything. He didn't know what.
Tails ran towards him and hugged him. He buried his face in his chest and began to cry.
Sonic didn't hug back, confused and shocked, but let him cry it out. Finally he put his hand on his shoulder.
"Don't ever try that again...
Alright?"
An uncomfortable silence. Tails looked up from his chest, his face wet, his lips quivering, he cringed.
But he opened his mouth, and very, very softly and tearfully stammered:
"Alright."
Sonic looked at him in shock. It was the first time Tails had spoken since they met.
"Are you okay? Are you still listening?" a blue light flashes into Tails' eyes and he quickly covers them.
"Sorry" Abel said. "You got a little lost..."
"Yeah, I know… I'm sorry about that. Please go on."
Abel nodded. She waits a few more seconds, as if he wants to make sure that Tails has regained his composure.
Then she shines the light on the drawings again and they magically flash again.
"For all these reasons, despite their deserved awe and even admiration, both types of kitsune lived mostly in secret. They were shunned and slandered by the Mobians anyway. They neither liked nor trusted anyone with such powers. And the kitsune seemed to be suited to such a somewhat solitary life.
But one day, under unknown circumstances and even less known reasons, all the kitsune completely disappeared from the face of Mobius. It is not known who the perpetrator was. It was as if they simply disappeared, exterminated.
No one ever saw anything about them again nor heard of. There is no reason, and no interpretation. But the truth is that they were no more, and from that day they are considered an extinct Mobian species.
Although everyone was confused by their sudden and mysterious disappearance, on the one hand they also felt a great wave of relief because everyday life with the kitsune was a constant tension for the Mobians. Over time, they forgot about them and their legacy, as if they were never part of this world.
That is... Until the Chaos Emeralds, better known at the time as The Miracle Gems, were found. They were found by the Echidna, in the former kitsune base, as well as proof that it was the kitsunes who created them."
"WHAT?!" Tails squeals with incredulous delight. "Didn't the Chaos Emeralds create the Echidna!?"
"Actually, no. The echidnas only found the emeralds, interpreted their significance as a legacy of the powers of the missing kitsune, and fused them into the Master Emerald. But they never created the Chaos Emeralds.
It is believed that the kitsunes created these elements just before their mysterious extermination. As if... They almost knew.
Actually it wouldn't be that surprising. Their wisdom is great, they may have foreseen what fate was approaching them. Then they created the Emeralds as a legacy of their power, which they intended for a very special descendant... They channeled the elements they controlled into the potential of emeralds.
Purple, for the element of emotion and fire.
White, for the element of time and desire.
Green, for the element of earth and nature.
Cyan, for the element of spirit and air.
Blue, for the element of Cosmos and water.
Red, for the element of power and darkness.
And yellow, pure source of energy zenko, for the element of hope and light.
Seven tenko - the most powerful living kitsunes - participated in the creation of these emeralds. They created them and gave them their powers. All these tenko - six zenko and one nogitsune - were over a thousand years old and had reached their full potential.
The trace of them was lost after the Extermination, but they channeled their powers into those Emeralds. Which means that the power of the Emerald comes from the power of the most powerful kitsunes that ever lived, and those kitsunes controlled the elements the Emeralds were based on.
Echidnas, as you already know, used this power to defeat their enemies. Ever since word got out about the powerful elements they claimed credit for, unrest has grown, and Mobius' entire balance has been upset. Then the Owls managed to alienate the Emeralds from Echidna and hide them, believing that no one should have such power.
They would have already completely fallen into oblivion and become just a popular bedtime story if Knuckles, known to you, the last echidna and the searcher for those Emeralds, and Doctor Ivo Robotnik, who also wanted to use this power to defeat his main arch nemesis, Sonic the Hedgehog, had not appeared... Also well known to you.
Thus, even after their era, the Emeralds were in constant danger of falling into the wrong hands. However, throughout history there have been numerous alleged... Apparitions.
Foxes all over the world have sworn that one or more tenkos have appeared to them at some point. They would all appear to them and recite the same testimony, and they all appeared to them on the same day... November 21st."
Tails gaped. His birthday.
"Also, in their testimonies, they made known to them something called the Promise. All of these foxes were promised, according to the words spoken during the summoning by the tenko, that they would end the vicious cycle of unrest for Mobius and the Emeralds of kitsunes' legacy would fall into the right hands that would forever protect them from abuse and unleash their full potential by forming them into one and responsibly assuming all their power - for eternity. That power will be able to be shared according to the will of its Guardian, the Chosen One, the Last One.
In this way, the Chosen One will bestow the power of the Emeralds of Kitsunes only on those who he himself believes and who deserve it. That chosen one will be born into an ordinary fox family, which he will lose very early on, but once he lays his hands on the united Chaos Emeralds, that Last Kitsune, born of ordinary foxes, but marked as a chosen one with another tail to distinguish himself from others, he will become Tenko.
A new balance will be born for Mobius and the truth will be revealed about the fate of the kitsune people, whose Legacy He received through the power of the emeralds. He will become a true kitsune, with all nine tails, and stop all fights for the emeralds once and for all.
He will be in great danger, therefore for most of his life the Chosen One will be in great secrecy despite the fact that the Promise is little known outside of this island.
The Chosen One will not know about his fate until a certain random messenger interprets the entire Legend to him. And then his task will be to fuse all the Chaos Emeralds to undergo a complete transformation and fulfill his purpose."
The drawings on the wall moved in a myriad of colors, compatible with the story she had just told him.
Colorful jewels that levitated around seven shiny tenko in the matching colors.
They turn to dust and are replaced by echidnas, which defeat an entire army with a single gem. Mobius in disintegration, Mobians in turmoil.
Owls carrying jewels and fades in their claws.
The foxes are frightened by the glow among the clouds, from which the head of Tenko with an aura sticks out.
It looks like it's singing.
The foxes that convey the message to the world, and eventually to those who write down this legend.
The birth of the Last One, flanked by two figures, which then turn to dust.
Distorted lightning-like lines.
It was as if he has been shown…
…the story of his life.
The last image was a fusion image of a nine-tailed figure with a golden aura with Chaos Emeralds hovering around him in a regular circle.
Abel turned significantly to Tais, pointing his drawing lamp directly at Tails again. This time Tails didn't cringe, didn't cover his eyes, didn't even blink under the blast of light. He was way too under impression.
"I am the so-called "random messenger, honored with this opportunity to announce to you, Miles... That you are The Last Kitsune."