*This story takes place after Episode Chaotix

Prologue

Conqueror

The sky was on fire. A red haze hung over the city. Previously white marble temples were blackened by a hungry maelstrom of flame. The waters within the pools and fountains boiled, spewing steam that dissolved with a cry like a serpent's hiss. Smoke rose and formed a dome over the mountain peak on which the city stood.

Within the city, the people scattered in a great panic. Their cries were drowned by the roaring of the fire and the drumming of marching boots. In the midst of the smoke and chaos, a blue light shone. It glowed like a beacon and for a moment the fire stayed as if it were a great beast suddenly weary of its prey. A ring of safety formed in the center of the city at the base of the greatest of the temples.

In the center of the ring, a warrior held aloft a great spear. Encased in the head of the weapon was a jewel the color of sapphire. His fellows gathered about him and soon the rest of the citizenry followed suit. The power of the gem created a gale of icy wind that swept in a great circle, preventing the fire from penetrating the ring.

The fire's roar dimmed but that only made the sound of marching grow ever louder. The warrior and his flock peered into the darkness of the smoke and waited. Dum. Dum. Dum. Dum. As if recalled by its master, the fire drew back. The center of the city was left clear and the smoke dissipated. An army appeared in its absence. Rank upon rank of red soldiers flooded every row and street of the city.

At their head marched a column of Echidna's dressed head to toe in steel armor. Their helms were carved to appear as living flames. In one hand they carried heavy round shields and, in the other, spears topped with curved blades. Two chieftains led the main column. One was an elder with a white beard. He wore no armor and bore a crown of twisted iron. The second hid their face behind a steel helm and carried no weapons. His hands were gloved with spiked gauntlets, one of which was adorned with a red jewel that burned with an inner flame.

The two Echidna chieftains halted before entering the ring of blue light. There was no need for words or diplomacy. All knew what would come next. The blue warrior accepted his fate without hesitation. He strode forward and all his people turned to him with mixed expressions of awe and trepidation. The warrior accepted their combined spirit and felt the will of his race flare inside him. His blue jewel flashed vibrantly.

On the other side, the helmed Echidna turned to his elder. No words were exchanged, merely a simple nod. Smacking his gloved hands together, the helmed warrior strode forward to meet his opponent.

The two combatants stood face to face. The blue warrior was a falcon, tall and narrow as a reed armed with a long spear. The Echidna was short, stout and only had the claws on his gloves for attack. Each paused to consider his foe, but did not speak. They had nothing to say to one another.

Their duel erupted without signal. The falcon moved with a speed and grace beyond mortal limitations. Every time he struck with his spear the gem within flashed and there was a crack in the sky like a rumble of thunder. The Echidna was slower but no less impressive. He narrowly avoided being gorged with the spear and attempted to close the distance between himself and his foe. Whatever his fists made contact with exploded. His strikes broke the ground and caused tremors throughout the city.

However, the falcon was too fast and long. The Echidna started to tire and he lost ground. He only just managed to avoid his foe's blade when the falcon whipped the butt end of the spear around and struck him in the head. His helmet absorbed most of the blow but the impact removed the helmet and sent the Echidna crashing to the floor. Unmasked, the young Echina looked far less impressive and his fear was evident. He rose unsteadily and looked to his elder for support. The elder chieftain's eyes were narrowed in disgust and rage. He turned away from the battle and started walking away.

The citizens took this as a sign of retreat and started to cheer. However, the falcon warrior remained cautious. The young Echidna watched the elder leave and his expression hardened. Rage burned inside him and the jewel in his glove flashed. With a roar of fury he charged his opponent. Taken off guard, the falcon lost ground. He attempted to leap away but the Echidna charged forward and tackled him to the ground. The two wrestled before the Echidna managed to force himself on top of his foe.

His fists rained down with blows so powerful they made the ground shake. The falcon's beak snapped and the fight left him at once. Victory did not relieve the Echidna's anger. The red jewel burned brighter and brighter as he continued to rain down a flurry of punches. Cries of shock and dismay split the night but they were silenced in an instant. The echidna chieftain had returned with a stone cart. Upon it was a great green jewel.

The light emitting from the emerald caused the Echidna warrior to look back. His fist froze in mid air. Blood dripped from his gauntlets. The sight of the emerald seemed to have woken the Echidna from a kind of daze. He shook his head. "No.." He whispered. Fear replaced the rage from the moment before. The Echidna felt paralyzed. "No…" The chieftain raised his arm. The emerald shone with a white light that seemed to envelop the entire world. "No….no…No!"

Knuckles could just see the outline of the chieftain and the silhouette of the Master Emerald. "Destroy!" There was a blast and everything turned white as the ground itself seemed to split in two.

AN: Sonic Frontiers tomorrow! That prologue short they released was so great 2022 really is the year of Knuckles. Hope y'all enjoy the game