Chapter Thirteen:

The Fortune Teller's Ominous Warning

"Brave mortal travelers, do you seek answers?"

Puzzled, Tails and the girls looked around, wondering who the ghostly voice was that just spoke to them. It sounded mystic; very mystic, as if the speaker was one of a mysterious ancient order of people with the power to see the unknown.

Sticks' feral instincts kicked in and she knelt down, briefly drawing her boomerang despite having a Ghost Vacuum on her back.

An apparition took shape; a white wolf girl with brown-hair and wearing a purple turban, a light necklace and dark-orange robes surrounded by a pale aura slowly materialized near the door.

"Who are you?" Amy asked.

"Friends, I am the all-knowing Knoal Seir." The ghost answered, "Long ago, I traveled the land, offering my services as a wise and all-knowing mystic counselor to those who wished to know the path ahead of them.

"One day, I became lost in the woods and was felled by a dark power. Now, at the most urgent of times, I have returned from the Realm Between Realms to guide those on their path one last time."

Tails approached Knoal's ghost.

"If that's so, then do you know what is happening here, the enemy we're facing and what's become of Sonic and Knuckles?" The twin-tailed fox asked, "Y'know, what's happened to Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna? They came here for a 'party', then they encountered someone?"

Knoal looked around, then she looked at Tails, Amy and Sticks. "Come, follow." The ghost beckoned, "Join me in the Study, we shall gaze into my Crystal Ball and the spirits of the beyond shall show us the answers you need."

Behind the fortune teller's spirit, the door opened. Then, the ghost floated inside the mansion. Tails, Amy and Sticks looked at each other, feeling uncertain about their latest supernatural encounter.

"I think we should trust her on this." Amy eventually said.

"Unless she's luring us into a trap and is one of the instigators of the robo-apocalypse or an agent of the Illuminati or this is all a ploy by the Pod People." Sticks quipped.

"Not now, Sticks." Tails told the badger, "Let's just go inside."

The trio powered down their Ghost Vaccs and headed back inside the house, finding Knoal floating in the hallway as she waited for them. She gestured to them again and floated down the hall, the trio followed and Knoal passed through a door on the left, just next to the previously-explored sitting room.

During their exploration of the mansion, both heroes had overlooked Knoal's chamber.

Lightly shrugging it off, Tails tried the knob and it turned; the door was unlocked. The twin-tailed pushed the door open, revealing a dimly-lit room filled with candles and curtains.

Knoal sat in the middle of the room at a round table with a dark blanket covering it and a crystal ball filled with mist sitting in the middle. Almost in a trance, the trio entered the room and the door closed behind them, leaving Tails and the girls alone with Knoal and her crystal ball.

The trio approached the ghostly fortune teller, who waited patiently for them; her eyes were clear as crystal with a smile as warm as the sea breeze. Knoal waved her hand and a few candles in the room extinguished, the only light in the room emitted from the crystal ball and the two remaining candles that were still lit.

"Brave heroes of justice." Knoal intoned and held her hand over the gleaming orb, "You seek the answers to everything, to the fate of your friends, to the identity of the enemy. I commune with the souls of the beyond, bringing forth the strength I have left, to peer beyond the veil of mystery for us to see all that is happening."

"Yes, let's get to the bottom of this spooky mystery here." Amy said, "You're the fortune teller."

"Too bad you can't do fortune telling." Tails told the pink hedgehog dryly.

"HEY!" The pink hedgehog yelled.

Knoal put a finger up to her lips firmly, calling for silence. Then, she waved her hand over the crystal ball and closed her eyes, chanting in a mysterious ancient dialect. Mist filled the room and dark shapes formed in the ball; shadowy figures appeared and then vanished after a time.

Candles puttered out and then lit up again, the curtains rustled and a ghostly howl cut through the air. Knoal continued chanting and gestured with another hand for the heroes to look into the crystal ball, Tails, Amy and Sticks peered closer.

A shadowy figure took shape, coming into view through the mist and a staff-like object appeared in the figure's hand the more visible they became by the second.

Seconds later, the figure became clearer, taking the shape of a tall robed human woman with menacing yellow eyes and light-brown hair. The woman looked at the trio and snarled with sinister malice, holding her staff as it gleamed with ominous energy.

"Beware, beware the sorceress Ghouleena!" Knoal cried, her eyes wide with fear, "She is the one who sent that Dark Phantom to attack you.

"The Dark Mistress Ghouleena is someone you do not want to underestimate, she sought to bewitch and conquer your world centuries ago until she was slain, but her dark magic brought her back from the dead.

"She has resided in the mansion for years, regaining her strength, Ghouleena is the Phantom Sorceress and... oh no… Your friends, your friends are not safe."

A blue hedgehog and a red echidna appeared in the ball, standing before Ghouleena. The trio's eyes widened, recognizing the duo; it was Sonic and Knuckles!

The sorceress let out a haunting laugh that sounded so real, it sounded like it was coming from nearby, sending chills down Tails, Amy and Sticks' backs. As they watched, the sinister sorceress raised her staff and dark energy surrounded Sonic and Knuckles as they screamed.

In a great flash of light, two portraits appeared in their place, each showing Sonic and Knuckles respectively. However, they were no ordinary portraits, the subjects in the pictures started moving with Sonic banging on the frame and yelling for release. Even Knuckles was doing the same thing!

Tails gulped with horror, knowing what had become of his best friend right now.

"Do not fear..." Knoal assured, "They are still alive. But once Ghouleena's powers have peaked unless she is stopped, they will be frozen for all eternity, helplessly watching as they world they protected becomes overrun by her forces.

"She awaits on the upper floor, in the attic, where she has made her domain and has been watching and waiting for you with her prized paintings... Wait, what is this?"

The images of Sonic and Knuckles in their painting prisons vanished and the image of Ghouleena cackled, shadows began filling the room and the candles faltered again, another image began taking shape right behind the sinister sorceress.

"It cannot be." Knoal breathed, "She isn't alone, he is involved, how could we not foresee this?"

"What? Who?" Amy asked.

"Oh, how we never saw this coming, how we underestimated fate." Knoal proclaimed, the tall figure came closer in the crystal ball and red eyes gleamed menacingly through the mist of mystery with horns beginning to take shape.

"She serves him, serves the forces of the Underworld and it's ruler." The fortune teller went on fearfully, her ghostly hands trembling, "He is the Bringer of the Great Apocalypse, the one who toils in his plans to bring destruction to the mortals. It is Shahl'tor'ohk; the Great Demon Underlord of Doom, the Emperor of H'el."

A massive demonic humanoid with dark-crimson skin appeared, baring a mouth lined with menacing teeth as his eyes flashed ominously. Ghouleena laughed again and the beast behind her roared, Tails, Amy and Sticks looked at each other with uncertainty and shock in their eyes.

Unbelievable, this was beyond this world and completely shocking to take in, especially in regard to how much danger that everyone was in.

The images in the crystal ball faded away and the light darkened, Knoal looked up at the three heroes with urgency in her eyes.

"You must head up to the attic, save your friends and stop her, stop them." The fortune teller warned, "There isn't much time left. Once Ghouleena's powers peak, she will conquer the world for her master and any chance you have will be lost. I wish you, good luck."

'Guess that's it.' Tails thought.

He looked at the girls and they prepared to activate their Ghost Vaccs, but Knoal held up a firm hand. "There is no need." She said, "My powers have waned and my time in this world is already over, you need not absorb my soul into your vacuums like you have with the others you've met.

"Ghouleena's power may anchor the others to this realm, but I can pass into the next world freely. I have passed on the vital knowledge and now, my duty is complete..." As Tails, Amy and Sticks watched, the table with the crystal ball disappeared and Knoal began to fade away, speaking her final words, her final farewell.

"Farewell, Miles Tails Prower, Amy Rose and Sticks the Badger." She said, "Go, save your friends and save your world, prevent the apocalyptic events that are coming. And meanwhile, it is time I am reunited with my family after all these years.

"I can hear them, the sound of wolves howling, beckoning me to the gates of the Land of Eternal Lights. Throughout my life, I have shown kindness to those in distress and used my fortunes to guide them on their path and now, my time has come. Farewell, friends, and never give up, no matter the odds..."

With one last glow, Knoal faded from the mortal plane, leaving Tails, Amy and Sticks alone in what was the fortune teller's last room, ready for the battle to come.

And that battle was upstairs...