Chapter 13 – Black and White
Thanatos gathered all his energies, closing the gaps among six planets and Mobius. Space and time collapsed as he brought the totality of his power to bear, blotting out Mobius in starless night as the whole Thanatos prepared for battle.
Destiny and Fate met Thanatos halfway as he summoned his might.
"Please reconsider what you are doing!" they cried. Thanatos rounded on them.
"BEGONE! I will not heed your words any longer."
Outside Time and Space, he ran from their presence to Mobius. They cried after him, "Oh Thanatos, our son, it is your fate to fail, and your destiny to die."
Knuckles commanded his small army to bring the Servers to their Master. Seven hands held the Master, seven hands held the Servers, uniting them.
There was light.
Tails was the first from whom golden rays burst, transforming his body into Turbo Tails, followed by the awakening of Hyper Knuckles and Hyper Lazer, armour gleaming. All the energies of the Emeralds hit home in Sonic, who became Super, and then, at last, Hyper, with rivers of rainbow light flowing out of his body.
"It is time," said Hyper Knuckles, white fire burning within his eyes. Gaia awoke at his call, her sleeping energies now thrumming to life. Wind carried the message to the creatures of Mobius, who, out of fear, began praying for deliverance. Fire burned pure within their prayers, setting their spirits against all that was Thanatos. Water quickened the magic of Mobius. All that was wondrous and terrible on that planet brought their power against him, for he was an outsider. Emess prayed. Hannah was defiant. Then Sonic fulfilled his role as Life. As the highest expression of Chaos Emerald power, he took all the released power of the planet and made it his own.
From Sonic burst the brightest light of all. It spread, it shot upward and outward and bathed the galaxy around Mobius with ethereal luminescence.
Somewhere amongst that blast of brilliance, Thanatos was screaming. He had lost the battle before it started! He realized, the power he thought to be his on six worlds, and Mobius, was fading as glorious light laid his strength bare. The creatures he had oppressed for centuries, across those six worlds, were waking up from the slavery of mind and body, and were defying him, even across space and time!
He did not want to die. He could not die! Was he not a god? Thus he raged, but could not withstand, much less hold back, this holy power.
Above and beyond Mobius, in realms unseen, a wave of Death was rolling to the place where Thanatos was dying. Through the body of Hannah, Azell spoke to the mind of the dying god.
"Surrender."
Even in his greatest agony, Thanatos was unmoved.
"I will NEVER surrender to you, Death!
"You were not the first. You will not be the last. Know me, Thanatos - I AM Eternal Darkness!"
Out of the unseen realms, Azell approached! His awful might manifest in Time and Space, his vast wings extended from Mobius to Sol! Struggling as only a god could, Thanatos tore away from Mobius, fleeing its ultimate Light, but, alas, he was weak unto Death. For the first, and last time, Thanatos experienced fear as the hand of Azell froze around him and devoured him whole.
Mobius, for the first time in its history, quivered before the entirety of Eternal Darkness. Azell's eyes pierced the planet, viewing its existence on all planes of understanding. This was the planet that killed a god. It was dangerous, and might withstand even him. But the still, small voice within him decreed, he could not take action. Thus he declared: "For Mobius, it is not yet the fullness of time."
Azell's hand withdrew. Death departed from the physical plane. Mobius was free.
***
"It is finished."
Knuckles fell, asleep, to the ground. Six others lay around the eight Emeralds, physically and mentally exhausted. In the valley, there were no more clouds, no more darkness or sickening air. Sunlight revealed dead plants and a stagnant river, but even as the clouds dissipated, flowers bloomed, and water flowed crystal clear through the echoing green. The Living Mountains sighed relief, and all of Mobius with them. Kootan viewed all this with childlike wonder.
"Miracles never cease."
"And nightmares never last long," said Lazer.
"Excuse me, but I'm going to sleep," announced Emess, who did just that. Tails rolled over and sat on his knees beside Sonic.
"Is it really over, or is this a dream?"
"What does your stomach tell you?"
It growled dissatisfaction.
"Hah, then it's real."
He curled his tails around his body and, resting his head on Sonic's side, fell asleep at once.
Hannah was looking at a clear blue sky. It was over, she kept telling herself, but was still terrified at what had happened to her body. She had been the vessel of Death. She would be afraid of the dark forever and ever. But Sol shone warm upon her tired limbs and she forgot the horror. Hannah closed her eyes to sleep.
Kootan and Lazer kept watch, talking and laughing with the other, as Destiny, Fate and the Walkers watched over them.
