Chapter 1

The Shackles of the Past

"No!" Knuckles leapt to his feet ready to fight. His heart thundered in his chest and he was breathing hard. Adrenaline surged through his body and it took him several moments to orient himself. He was standing at the top step of the shrine of the Master Emerald. Dusk was setting over Angel Island. Knuckles took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It was just a dream.

It hadn't felt like a dream though. Knuckles flexed his hand and tried to dispel the feeling of blood dripping down his fingers. He sighed and gazed out towards the western horizon. The fading sun cut a slice of orange light across the landscape. With it, Knuckles could just make out the outline of the distant mountains. At the summit, he could just see the silhouette of the ancient ruins.

Had Knuckles finally seen the peoples who had once lived there? There were many such places on Angel Island and none of them left many clues as to who had once built the stone cities. Knuckles tried to remember more details of his dream but the particulars were fading. He was left only with the sensation of rage and the feeling of his own blood thumping in his ears.

Knuckles fled from the feeling and turned towards the Master Emerald. Its warmth steadied him. Knuckles gazed longingly at the gem. It was not a longing for its power, but for its wisdom. The gem did not speak, and showed nothing but his own reflection. Knuckles felt he understood what that meant. He was an Echidna, the seed of violence and the lust of domination would always be a part of him. It was that legacy of battle and conquest that imprisoned Knuckles to this island, destined to right the wrongs of his race. Had his long vigil not changed him? After all this time was he still no better than the Echidna's who had come before him?

Tried as he might, Knuckles could not put aside the dream. It bothered him all through the night. A bubbling agitation threatened beneath the surface of his mind mixed with a sense of trepidation. He could not escape the feeling that the dream had been a kind of warning. An omen gifted to him from his ancestors. Yet as to what, Knuckles could not say.

At first light, Knuckles decided he would travel to the ruins and see if he could confirm what he had seen in his dream. He raced across the flat plains anxious to not leave the Master Emerald unguarded for too long. Not that the gem was ever entirely vulnerable. Knuckles had discovered that as long as he was on the island he could sense whether anyone approached the emerald.

Knuckles spent the afternoon climbing the mountain. At its summit he found a ruined city. Dilapidated by time and exposure there was little detail left. He searched for any signs of the bird-like race he had seen in the dream, but he found nothing. At last he stood before the largest remaining temple. Knuckles wondered if there had truly been a battle between champions here. The two warriors had each wielded a Chaos Emerald. Knuckles wondered if that was common in ancient days. Had there been an emerald for each of the races who lived on the island? What had caused the Echidna's to engage in a war of conquest? Were they the reason why none of the other races existed anymore?

His questions only served to torment him. He would not find any answers. Knuckles had exhausted the island in search many times before, but had never found anything. All he knew about the past and of his own history had been revealed to him by Takal when her spirit had been released by the Master Emerald. It was because of her that he knew about the Echidna's abuse of the power of the Master Emerald and their ultimate destruction by Chaos.

However, she had not explained what had happened to the other races of Angel Island, nor why Knuckles had been tasked with guarding it. In the years following Takal's revelations Knuckles had come up with his own answer. It was his destiny to make up for the sins of the Echidna's. Their wars had destroyed the peoples of Angel Island including themselves. In penance, Knuckles had to spend his life ensuring the peace and safety of the island.

Frustrated, Knuckles left the ruins and glided over the island. As he soared closer to the surface he heard a call. Knuckles looked down and saw a group of Chao beckoning him. The infant-like inhabitants of Angel Island usually kept to themselves and had rarely made direct contact with Knuckles. Curious as to what they could need, Knuckles landed.

The Chao quickly cluster together as if intimidated by their own daring. After a rushed discussion, one was pushed to the front. It stood on its tip toes and waved its arms up and down. "Chao! Chao!"

Knuckles had never mastered the Chao language, but he knew enough to get the gist of the Chao's problem. Huffing in annoyance, Knuckles directed the Chaos to lead him to the source of the trouble.

The Chaos led Knuckles to the cliffs at the far end of the mountain's base. Hidden in a cleft in the rock face, Knuckles saw that the Chao had a small village with little houses carved into the stone. At his approach, the Chaos fled into their homes. One remained who appeared to be the elder of the tribe. The leader had ashy gray skin and lined eyes. He raised a small twig which he used as a staff and quickly explained the situation to Knuckles.

One of the younger Chao had decided to fly over the cliff, something strictly forbidden. Once in the open air, the child had gotten scared and latched onto the cliff face. Now they were stuck, too terrified to attempt to fly back.

Sighing, Knuckles walked to the edge. Wind rushed up into his face and he felt a familiar tingle trace down his back. Knuckles could remember how the island's borders used to terrify him. A rush of sympathy went through his heart as he considered the stuck little Chao. Knuckles leapt and glided out into the open air before circling backward. The Chao village was protected from the edge of the island by a short range of rocks. Above these was open air and the mountain face.

Knuckles found the lost Chao quickly. It was easy to see its pink skin against the gray rock face. The Chao was standing on a narrow piece of extended rock. Its whole body trembling in the cold wind. Knuckles landed nearby. The wind and the force of the air made it difficult for Knuckles to keep himself steady with one hand as he reached out with the other. However, the Chao did not move. It shook its head and pointed upward. Knuckles followed its finger and saw a small branch extending over a narrow cleft. A bright orange fruit hung precariously from the furthest stem.

Huffing with frustration, Knuckles climbed upward. Powerful gusts swirled around him forcing Knuckles to press his body against the rock. This fruit had better be something special. Knuckles reached the edge of the cleft but it was too narrow for him to pull up. Somehow a small fruit tree had managed to grow in the confined space but Knuckles could not imagine how its roots were finding moisture.

Conceding it as a mystery of nature, Knuckles reached up to grab the fruit. As he snatched it from the branch, his foot slipped. Knuckles's heart leapt into his throat as he fell. Instinct allowed him to push closer to the rock and stop his descent by digging his spikes into the rock. With only one arm connected the furious gusts of air threatened to rip him free of the mountain. It took a stupendous effort for Knuckles to steady himself.

He gasped in relief and felt something tug at his hand. Knuckles checked and saw that the pink Chao was trying to help him by grabbing his hand. He smiled softly and opened up his palm. The Chao accepted this time and Knuckles managed to make it back to the ground without further incident.

The other Chao gathered around and cheered as Knuckles returned the pink Chao safely to the ground. He then knelt down and handed over the orange fruit. The Chao teetered backward as the fruit was nearly the same size that it was. "You shouldn't put yourself in harm's way just for some fruit," Knuckles said firmly.

The Chao retreated back to its village, and only the village elder remained to thank Knuckles. The entire fly back to the Master Emerald, Knuckles wondered what the Chao of Angel Island thought of him. Did they know that it had been his tribe that had caused the ruin of all the other species? Was the rumor and legend of the Echidna's and their desire for power passed down in the stories of the Chao?

Again, Knuckles was brought back to his dream. It had been so similar to the vision gifted to him by Takal except for one monumental difference. In Takal's vision, Knuckles had simply been an observer, a watcher of the greed and warlust of his ancestors. In the dream, he had been a participant. He felt the rush of battle and the all consuming ecstasy of victory. But more than that he felt the savage instinct to hurt, and kill.

It was near dusk when Knuckles arrived back at the shrine. The Master Emerald glowed softly in the dimming light. Knuckles approached it with reverence. What did the Master Emerald think of its guardian? Was it by the will of the Emerald that those who had so lusted for its power would be forever destined to ensure its protection? Knuckles stretched out his hand and felt the warmth radiating from the gem. Something stirred deep inside him. A longing that had seen a gap between the bars that had so long engaged it.

Knuckles recoiled and stepped backward. The feeling shifted to that of alert. He spun around his fists raised for battle. What he saw surprised him so much he was temporarily frozen. Rouge the Bat lounged on the top step of the shrine checking on her fingernails. "O, have you finally noticed? I would think the famous guardian of the Master Emerald was supposed to be more aware?" She flashed a set of razor sharp teeth as she smirked and batted her eyes. Knuckles felt an unwelcome flush burn his face and a cold tingle run down his spine.