Chapter 3

The Last Eden

Rain fell lightly onto Angel Island. Black clouds moved on atop a hot western wind that clashed with the cold air drifting up from the sea below. The convergence caused the clouds to swirl and expand. Thunder rumbled in the sky, but Knuckles did not notice the signs. If he had not been so distracted he would have known that something was amiss. The air did not smell as it normally did before a storm. A strange heat and the scent of burning, like the emission of exhaust pipes, mingled with the rain.

Knuckles paced anxiously around the Master Emerald. He was wet and uncomfortable and the bad smell in the wind only made him more agitated. Every few seconds, his eyes would dart towards the great gem. He convinced himself he was concerned for its safety, but a part of him hoped he would catch Rouge attempting to steal it. Maybe she lied. That was the first thing Knuckles told himself as she flew away. Perhaps she made up the story so you would leave the emerald unguarded?

The alternative was too difficult to consider. If G.U.N fires the Eclipse Cannon then the whole island will be destroyed and it won't matter if you are here are not. His logical mind spoke reasonably, but it was shouted down by another part of Knuckles that accused it of being a coward. This is my place. I have to stay here. If something threatens Angel Island then it is your job to face it. Even if that threat was annihilation?

Knuckles thought of the ruins scattered all along the island, of the various races who had met their doom here. I am the last of Echidnas, there is no other place for me. Perhaps his doom would be a kind of justice. The cycle of violence and domination would finally come to an end as the last Echidna and the power of the Master Emerald both met their end together.

What kind of talk is that! That's crazy, you can't give up! Another voice shouted from within Knuckles. This one sounded different, more defiant, and reminded Knuckles sickeningly of Sonic. Of course, Knuckles knew what Sonic would do. He wouldn't even recognize the ultimatum, nor would he ever consider the prospect of a noble defeat. Sonic was not bound by oaths or to the legacy of his race.

Knuckles paused and gazed outward over the island. Sonic did not belong anywhere, no place or person held any authority over him. Consequently, he did not hold any debts and was free to live in the moment. Knuckles had his heart set in the past. That is where his home was and where his people lived. It was his responsibility to carry out their legacy, and right their wrongs, and, if fate called for it, to suffer their fate.

A sense of sentimental attachment flooded Knuckles's heart. He realized in an instant just how beautiful Angel Island was and how fortunate he was to have such a close attachment with it. It was the last Eden, the final preservation of nature and the mythical powers that governed the world before the rise of humans and the advent of technology. Knuckles had been its guardian and while his days had been spent in solitude, he had never truly been alone.

He smiled to himself and felt a rush of peace stem his anxiety. Come what may, he would stay here, this would be his home until the very end-

SMACK! Something struck Knuckles in the back of the head so hard he saw stars. He tumbled down the shrine steps and fell face first into the mud. The rain was falling harder now and lightning flashed in the sky. Knuckles propped himself up and tried to rise to his feet. His legs were wobbly and he struggled to see. A shadow was standing at the top of the shrine looking down at him. "YOU!"

Rouge grabbed the Master Emerald in both hands and soared into the night sky. The sight of the robbery drove the pain out of Knuckles. He leapt into the air and glided after her. Rouge's wings allowed her to fly faster and higher up but the wind was starting to pick up. It caught her wings and blew her off course, forcing her to fly lower to the ground. "THIEF! Come back here!" Knuckles shouted. His words were lost as thunder roared overhead. He was alert now to the strangeness of the weather. The air was far too hot and the wind was spiraling dangerously. This was not like any storm Knuckles ever remembered.

The wind was making flight too difficult for Rouge. He dived down and landed beside the edge of the island. She was a few inches away from a fall of many hundreds of feet into the cold waves below. Rouge was gasping for breath as Knuckles landed beside her. "It was a lie!" He snarled. "You were trying to trick me so you could take the emerald after all!"

Rouge sighed. "You're such a brilliant detective, I have no idea how Eggman has managed to trick you so many times."

"Give it back now, and I'll let you leave in peace." Knuckles took a step forward. He did not want to spook Rouge and cause her to drop the emerald.

"You know, I don't think I've ever met a bigger fool than you!" Rouge snapped.

"The only foolish thing I ever did was trust you." Knuckles took another step forward.

Rouge shook her head. "Is there a single man with an ounce of common sense? When faced with certain death, men can't be seen to care about things as trivial as their lives, instead they want to go on and on about finding the truth or honoring some oath. When will you all learn to get over yourselves?"

"I won't argue with you." Knuckles was only a few feet away. If he was quick he could snatch the emerald from her.

"Don't try. You'd never win." Without so much as a warning, Rouge tossed the Master Emerald off the island. Knuckles watched it spiral in midair before rocketing towards the sea.

"No!" Knuckles raced forward and dived into the open air. Wind and rain rushed into his face as he plummeted downward. He could just see the faint glint of the emerald's light a few dozen feet below.

"Leave it alone!" Rouge slammed into Knuckles, knocking him off course. They wrestled and Knuckles threw her off, but that only served to get her a lead over him. Rouge pinned in her wings and dived towards the emerald. She clung to it with arms and legs and tried to fly away.

However, the wind made it too difficult for her to spread her wings. Knuckles caught up to her and tried to pull the emerald out of her grip. She was surprisingly strong and the two of them fought over the emerald like a game of tug of war played while in free fall. "Let go!" Knuckles yelled through gritted teeth.

There was no answer. The Master Emerald started to shake violently and Knuckles had just a brief second of precognition. "No…" The Master Emerald shattered in half. This caused the two of them to break apart. His half slipped through his hands and the wind quickly broke it into a dozen more pieces. "No!" Enraged, Knuckles gilded forward. Rouge still had her half. Knuckles seized it and drew back his fist. At the last second, Rouge ducked down, using the master emerald shard as a shield. The blow broke through the emerald and sent Rouge flying.

Knuckles was left falling as a dozen more pieces scattered all around him, but he did not have time to dwell on that. Rouge was falling backward, but she seemed unable to catch herself. Her wings were pulled down by the wind and she was falling in earnest. Instinctively, Knuckles gilded towards her. She was plummeting towards the raging sea that was only fifty feet below them now. Knuckles dropped into a dive and ascended down like a torpedo. "Got ya!" He grabbed her hand with just enough time to slow both of their descents. Together, they hovered in midair for a moment before the howling wind brought them into the sea.

The water was icy cold and Knuckles felt his spine shiver. He gritted his teeth as he held Rouge above the waves and paddled. Her head slumped into his shoulder. The frenzy of the fall must have knocked her out somehow. Worried that they might freeze, Knuckles swam as fast as he could towards the distant cliffs of the mainland.

The water was churning as the wind continued to spiral. Knuckles tasted the hot air which was at complete variance with the cold waters. Something about the storm felt artificial, but Knuckles could not concern himself with that. At last he reached the cliffs. Knuckles held Rouge over his shoulder as he dug his fists into the wet rock. This would be a far more difficult climb than the one to save the Chao.

Within seconds, Knuckles's arms groaned with fatigue. The cliff face was vertical and the rocks made the cliff wet and slippery. Groaning with difficulty, Knuckles persevered. Inch by inch, foot by foot he ascended the vertical cliff. The storm above raged harder and harder and each gust of ferocious wind threatened to blow Knuckles back into the sea.

Halfway up, Knuckles pressed himself against the rock and gasped for air. His muscles were throbbing and he was shaking from the cold. Just give up. A nasty voice from within his mind whispered. Fall back into the sea. It will be quick and easy. You won't feel a thing. Knuckles shook his head and climbed up a few more feet before exhaustion made him stop again.

Just let go. His hands were aching terribly from the effort of keeping him attached to the rock. Let go and it will all be over. Instead, Knuckles clung tighter and raised himself up a few more inches. You couldn't protect the emerald. You can't protect your island. Just let go. "No!" Knuckles adjusted himself and the movement caused him to jostle Rouge. He looked back at her. Her eyes were closed and she clung lifelessly to his back. "You gonna help?" He asked sarcastically. Ordinarily, Rouge would have fired back with some witty insult. The fact that she was too hurt to do so, seemed to unlock an extra storehouse of reserve energy within Knuckles.

He looked up and spotted the top of the cliff. It seemed impossibly far away, but he knew he would have to try. Come on! He resumed his climb and for ten steady minutes he ascended the rock. Knuckles refused to listen to the complaints of his body or the nagging voice of doubt inside his mind.

At last, Knuckles pulled himself over the ledge. He laid Rouge in the grass and collapsed beside her. His chest heaved up and down as he gasped for breath. Knuckles waited for Rouge to revive, but she remained motionless. He rolled over to his side and stared down at her. What if she has water in her lungs? His cheeks burned with a rush of nervous energy. Knuckles knelt beside her and slowly lowered his head.

Rouge's eyes snapped open. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Knuckles jumped back in shock. His surprise soon gave way to rage as Rouge leapt up to her feet looking completely healthy. "It was a trick!"

"Always so quick on the uptake."

"Enough!" Knuckles rushed forward and seized Rouge by the shoulder. She wilted beneath the pressure. "Don't you know what you've done. The Master Emerald is shattered. Angel Island is going to come crashing into the sea!"

"It doesn't matter!" Rouge protested. "I told you G.U.N is about to-"

Knuckles pushed her to the ground. "No more lies!" He growled. "What are you trying to do!"

Rouge's eyes flashed dangerously. "Save your life."

"I don't need your help. I'm going back to my island."

Rouge rose unsteadily to her feet. "I won't let you. I don't care if I have to knock you out and drag you out of here."

"Bring it on!"

Rouge dashed forward and slid on the wet grass. She kicked her feet under Knuckles and pulled him to the ground. He responded by lunging forward but she leapt over him. He caught her feet and tried to slam her into the ground, but Rouge rolled away at the last moment. A second later and they were locked hand to hand. Knuckles pressed his weight down on her and Rouge fell back. Before she collapsed she stopped pressing and kicked. A boot smacked Knuckles in the face knocking him backward.

"WAIT!" Before Knuckles could attack, Rouge jumped back and held up her hands. "Look!" She pointed into the sky. The purple storm clouds were illuminated by sparks of flashing lighting. However, that was not what Rouge was pointing at. Beyond the clouds, in the far distant horizon there was a light. It was a faint red like the coming of the dawn but it was still the middle of the night.

Together, they watched as the light became stronger and stronger. It changed from red to pink. The quills on the back on Knuckles's spine stood one end. All at once, the storm became silent. It was as if nature herself was holding her breath.

The clouds burst and the sky opened like the drawing of a curtain. Knuckles had a momentary glance of a perfectly black canvas of white stars. Then the scene was punctured by a beam of pulsing pink flame. The beam struck the heart of Angel Island causing a flash of light so strong it nearly blinded Knuckles. He felt the ground beneath him shake and the sky itself seemed to explode. Hot air whooshed with a force of a hurricane knocking him and Rouge backward.

Knuckles fell through the grass, and seemed to drop straight through the earth itself. He watched as if from very far away as the entire countryside turned red. Angel Island shattered and broke into pieces just like the Master Emerald. Knuckles saw all this as he continued to descend. He fell through the sea, through the rocks beneath, through the core of the earth and out the other side.

He was only dimly aware of someone pulling him to his feet and dragging him. That was happening to something else, that was only his body. Everything else had been shattered with the island, left in pieces.

AN: Don't forget to follow Shadow's story in Sonic: The Realm Lord, Elysium

(Separating the uploads makes it easier for me to manage the story structure , but I don't know if that makes things overly confusing and cumbersome for readers. Please let me know if uploading as one story would make things better.)