Oh my, I've updated! Forgot how much I liked writing this. Well, hope it's good, or it least a tiny bit. And thanks for the reviews everyone! Just to say, this chapter's 19 pages long, so sit down, relax, and read. Wouldn't hurt to have a sandwich. Why do I make things long? O.o
Chapter 14- Slaughters of the Dreams
"Shadow, are you all right?"
No, it couldn't be. She was dead. Maria was dead. It…no…what was going on?
The young girl, her golden hair draped over her shoulders, gave her kind smile that only existed in bittersweet memory. Her blue innocent eyes shot through, stabbing his heart. Her soft white hands stopped the burning fire that had plagued him only a moment ago, but brought on a flood of new ones. The shards of the Chaos Emerald stuck to his gloved hand, going through the flesh. Though blood flowed freely from his wounds, the only pain he felt was from the girl in front of him that he thought he had lost.
My friend…my only friend.
He shook his head, trying to get rid of the dizziness he felt take over. Nothing was making sense.
"Maria…how…how are you here?"
The girls' hands fell away from the hedgehogs' face but continued to kneel before him.
"What do you mean Shadow? I've always been here."
Shadow clutched his wounded hand to his chest, now noticing the blood gushing out. He stared at the girl in puzzlement.
"…I don't understand. What do you mean that you were always here?"
Maria laughed innocently, like chiming bells. "Shadow, you're being silly."
Her eyes roved to his hand, making her smile fade away. "Oh no, are you hurt?" She clasped the gloved hand in her own, looking thoroughly at the sharp glass that was deeply embedded in the palm. "How did this happen?"
Shadow looked to the forgotten jewel that lay beside him. The Chaos Emerald. It…broke.
Wait, was that possible? One of the most powerful objects in the world, a part of seven linked to the Master Emerald…was destroyed. The hedgehog thought this through. The Master Emerald had shattered as well, twice if he recalled correctly, in the past. Perhaps the jewels were just fragile, and like a puzzle, could be put back together again.
Either way, there were now only six.
"Shadow, what are you looking at?" Maria turned to the floor where the ruined emerald lay. Her eyes showed no surprise, just a calm patience.
Shadow sighed at his clumsiness. Perhaps some superglue could fix the damn jewel. "Damn, it's broken. The Chaos Emerald is-"
He stopped, seeing the confusion cloud her beautiful face. "Chaos Emerald? Where? How would you get one anyway?"
She was looking straight at the broken shards, yet her face showed nothing.
"Wait, don't you see it?" Shadow asked, the tone of his voice rising.
Now the girls' eyes were filled with pity. "Oh Shadow, you must not be feeling well. Perhaps that was why you were talking in your sleep."
"Sleep?"
"Well, of course. I heard your voice from the hall and I figured that you were having some kind of nightmare. Just when I came in, I saw you on the floor, tossing and turning. You had fallen off your bed, so I tried to wake you."
She gazed at his wounded hand. "But we should get this checked out first. Come, let's go find grandpa." Maria got up, pulling the hedgehog along.
"Professor Gerald?" Shadow gasped. "He's here too?"
"Of course he is. Wow, you must have had quite a dream," she said, her voice tinged with worried concern.
Shadow could not fathom the words she spoke. He could not understand how she could suddenly be here, talking as if nothing happened. As if she had never screamed when the lead hit her fragile chest and the red river flowed on and on and on…
His eyes gazed past Maria. The large blue chamber was gone, replaced by a small metal room instead, dark with four walls surrounding the place. Behind him was a bed, the covers tousled with disarray, and the white pillow on the floor, seeming to have fallen by accident. The bed was pushed against a wall that portrayed a small window in the center, circular in design which revealed an endless void of stars as that of the night sky. Shadow could just make out a tiny sliver of blue, a fraction of a large sphere.
Now he knew where this was. His heart cried out for it, for the memories that were only that, memories. He was back at the Space Colony ARK. His home.
His breath came out in short gasps, in and out. The hedgehog stepped back to the wall, hitting the metal, feeling the coolness against his quills. It felt real, all of it. He put one hand over his crimson eyes, the other still hanging beside him, not able to look at anything anymore. His deepest desire had come true.
But he could not accept this.
"Shadow, why are you acting this way?"
Her voice chimed through his head. He could not look at her, because she was dead. He couldn't be here, she couldn't be here.
"You can't be here."
"What?"
"You can't be here. They…they shot you. You're dead…dead…and I wasn't able to…"
This was all a trick. It had to be. A cruel trick.
Warm arms encircled him, a life next to him. Overcame by everything, he laid his head on her shoulder, letting the tears he kept inside for so long fall unheeded.
"It's okay, Shadow. You just had a bad dream, that's all." She pulled back and coaxed her friend to look at her. "See? I'm here. I won't ever leave you."
His crimson eyes met her sapphire, living and breathing.
He wanted to believe this, more than anything. It would be so easy to just give in. His friend from long ago was standing here before him, alive. It must be real, it had to be. But why did he feel there was something wrong? Part of him thought that perhaps all that had happened before; fighting with Sonic, defeating the Biolizard, his trip through the red forest; perhaps that was the dream and this was reality. But then, he recalled walking into that place with the dragon and the fox. The weird mist that had surrounded him stabbed through him. It was undeniable pain. And the fox girl, Rika had been screaming as well. So loud, sorrowful, as if she was crying.
And Sonic, risking everything to save him.
Was it all just a concoction of his imagination? But no, how could it have been? That was real, he knew it!
Frantically, he looked to the spot where the shattered Chaos Emerald lay. All he found was a broken drinking glass, the water spilled from its descent.
Wait, where did it go! His mind was slowly ripping apart, trying to determine the world around him. None of this made sense. No, he was sleeping now. He was dreaming the ARK and Maria. Of course. But he couldn't wake up, even after pinching his cheeks and even squeezing his injured hand where the glass was still inside. Nothing.
All he felt was Maria's soft hand clasped his own, bringing him to the hall. The steel walls, the dark atmosphere, even the smells were all that he remembered. He could not wake from it. He was trapped, only her voice soothing him.
But it was killing him, in soft gentleness. Her voice was killing him.
So enraptured by her caressing tone, he failed to notice the crystal sphere, the one that he had found on that day, still hanging by the chain on his neck. Only it was now cold, dejected, lost. The luster was diminished to just a dark piece of gem.
But all he could think of was how? What was going on? What was real?
He turned to Maria, his eyes softening at the sight of her innocent face.
Don't let this be a dream. Please, don't let this be a dream.
"Wait! Stop!" she pleaded in anguish, seeing them running, always running.
Hurry up…You're getting slower…
Rika's legs ran in long strides as she followed the two children that eluded her with every passing second. Damn, they were never this fast before. Multicolored lights flew all around the fox like a dizzying rainbow as their innocent laughs echoed in her ears. She spurred her energy on faster through the lights, but her siblings were still too far away from her. Her lungs burned from the sprinting, the illuminations blinding her blue eyes.
Then all of a sudden, the lights around her began to shape shift. Walls appeared by her sides, drab and lifeless. Her shoes were now clicking against metal; shapes entered her line of vision.
Before she could comprehend it, her eyes widened. Her brother and sister were no longer in front of her.
"No! Where are-!"
BOOM!
The fox girl smashed against one of the walls, pushed violently by the unexpected explosion. Jarring pain invaded her body and she could hardly keep her eyes open, debris falling around her like metal snow accompanied by orange flames. The adamantine walls were ripped asunder, wires hung from the ceiling as sparks danced around the shredded ends.
Struggling to stand, a large metal sheet, seemingly a part of the ceiling fell to her, impacting directly on her crown. Rika buckled to the floor and could only see the running feet of others who paid the girl no thought.
She growled at this injustice done to her. Determined she stood up, though somewhat shakily. One foot in front of the other, she ran ahead, seeing tiny forms through the smoke that emerged from the destruction.
This was already happening again. Everything was déjà vu, just like the metal place here.
All just like before.
"Shadow! What was that?"
Maria's eyes broadened at the calamitous sound that reverberated around the man-made home.
Shadow looked around frantically, recognizing the horrid resonance. He still had no clue to what was going on. It was as if all things were against him, slowly restricting his vision of right and wrong.
Someone was watching him now. Someone wanted him to relive this memory again.
His crimson eyes hardened in resolve. Real or not, he was not going to let that happen to her again. Not again.
This was real.
He grabbed Maria's hand fiercely, strength born out of will and fear combined.
"Come on! Follow me!" he shouted as he pulled her forward.
"Wait! What's going on?"
He did not deign to answer her plea, too focused on changing the past. He would make certain not to lose her again. They would both hide somewhere far away from the GUN troops; evade the massacre that would befall the metal home. They would both be safe this time.
Because he will not lose her again.
"Hey! They're over there!" a voice erupted from behind to two escapees.
"Damn it!" Shadow cursed. He clenched Maria's hand tighter as he increased his speed. The hard, red eyes looked back. It was definitely the soldiers, encased in black leather vests, hefting their large weapons in their arms.
The hedgehog tried to focus ahead, searching for a safe haven. It took him a while to realize the light that formed around them. The crystal sphere radiated in intense brightness, causing Shadow to stop in the hall from his momentary blindness. As it penetrated his eyes, he saw once more the troops running towards him.
A coldness spread through his limbs.
What? They're not…
The outer coverings of leather melted away, replaced by rough scales, sharp fangs, and demented wings. Instead of guns they carried large machetes that were wet with scarlet. The mad eyes glowed hungrily, fixated on the hedgehog. Their claws clinked on the metal floors, shouting terrible inhuman screams. Tongues flicked through their teeth, ready to tear him, taste him and what lived beneath the exterior.
How? This is not possible!
The white light diminished drastically and the GUN troops reappeared in the demons place once more.
Shadow finally perceived the crystal sphere around his neck.
He still had that…then the events before this place were not a dream.
But then…what was here?
He looked at Maria's eyes, seeing the innocence of the blue irises. She was staring at the hedgehog with deep faith, as well as fear.
Something…wasn't right about them. A flash of light moved across the pupils, increasing his doubt.
"Come back here!"
The shout brought him back to reality, or illusion, or whatever this place was. He only followed his instincts. He grabbed Maria's hand once again, escaping their pursuers.
"Hold it! Stop where you are!" The voice was deep and throaty, like metal scratching against metal.
Shadow felt lost. Almost as if he was just being pushed around, all his decisions and thoughts written out for him. Created by someone's hand, looking to see that he had done exactly what they wanted, felt what they wanted, and run when they wanted. No choices were offered, and it was excruciating. Running through the halls right now, it seemed too clear, too hazy, nothing made sense, conflicting his beliefs. His mind was slowly breaking…
"I would stop if I were you."
Shadow looked ahead, seeing someone standing in his path, calm and still. He could not tell whether it was a GUN troop or just an inhabitant of the colony. The face stayed hidden in the dark, blurring the characteristics.
"Move!" he shouted. The figure did not respond, erect as a statue. Shadow knew he had seen the mouth curve in smile.
"Aaahh! Help!"
Her hand slipped from him.
"No! Maria!"
The hedgehog turned back, and saw Maria wrapped up in what seemed to be like black vines that shot out of the floor. Only her face was visible.
"Help me, Shadow!"
"No!"
Seeing his friend in trouble, he did not hesitate to run to her, putting out his right foot in her direction…
Stabbing, torturous pain erupted on his back, setting it on fire for one long moment. He collapsed to the floor, seeing the same figure that had been standing, loom over him, a pistol in its hand. Walking towards Shadow, it laughed at the pain he felt spreading. The hedgehog still could not see the face, hidden away in obscurity.
Stopping in front of the hedgehog, it raised its foot and kicked him in the face. Again and again and again, Shadow could taste the coppery flavor of his blood. The throbbing in his back prevented him from defending himself. He kept his lips closed, denying his attacker the pleasure of hearing his sounds of agony. As each kick connected with his flesh, the hedgehog felt helplessness wrap its cold arms around his body.
I need…to move!
"Now boy, roll over."
Another hard kick sent Shadow heaving towards the wall. He could not hold back his cry from the collision. The assaulter moved calmly towards Maria, that same sickening smile still plastered on its face. GUN troops surrounded the group, cold and still as statues. Shadow heard the soldiers laugh raucously, waiting for what was about to unfold.
The attacker was their leader. Of that he was sure of.
"You're scared, aren't you?" said the aggressor, the voice a dark tone. Though it looked at Maria, Shadow knew it was addressing him. The intonation of its speech reached out to his body, probing deep to his heart.
He felt it skip a beat.
"Good. I like to see my prey tremble. It's oddly…satisfying."
It raised its weapon, shape shifting from a pistol to something else. It lunged toward Maria's face, her mouth open in a terrible cry.
"Shadow!"
A rising of the latch, a flick of the switch, making way for the rage to flow in the crossways of the veins. Thickening, flooding, moving toward the heart, wrenching it away from his chest, and the eyes moved. Flashed through the dim of the manifestation before him.
NOOO!
The blinding white emerged, exultant to be free from its small prison. Whispering promises in his ears, it reached eagerly to the enemies of its age-long hate. Striking directly on to the dark leader, a horrid wail of anguish issued from its unseen mouth as it was jostled back violently away from Maria.
Shadow now stood perfectly on his feet, the light covering his body, surreal in its display. The pain in his back was now gone. He felt rejuvenated now, almost invincible. Turning his flaring eyes toward the soldiers, the masks fell away. Demonic creatures stared at the hedgehog in fury, the long claws on their bony hands clacking against each other, warty tails swishing in impatience. High shrieks resonating from their throats, they rushed headlong to their leaders' aggressor.
His lips curved upwards in a sneer. Pathetic…
Shadow dodged the attacked the knife-like nails and sent a shower of white at their backs like a rain of arrows. Screeching, half collapsed to the metal floor, steam rising from their burnt flesh. Others escaped unharmed and tried their pursuit again. To the hedgehog, they moved at a slow pace. It was just too easy. He grabbed one creatures' arm and with great strength, hurled him toward its brethren, crashing together in a heap. He fired a white beam at the group immediately, sending them bursting into flames until nothing but charred skeletons remained.
Assured that no one else was left alive, he grabbed a handful of the black vines that surrounded Maria. The plant shriveled into black ash, releasing his cherished friend. About to ask if she was all right, he looked into her sapphire eyes.
Surprised, scared, happy; none of these were apparent in those blue orbs. Nothing. Almost bare. She might as well be dead.
The euphoria that flooded him before began to fade. Fear wrapped its cold arms around him again…
"Show more."
Shadow's head swiveled behind him. The dark leader who he had just brought down to defeat was standing, seemingly unharmed. The features were still hidden except for its smile, derisive and amused by the hedgehog cloaked in the light. It was trying to goad him on.
"Show more."
Shade of a murky, purplish tint painted the walls, ceiling, and floor. It tried to reach Shadow through the white protective barrier. But the hedgehog remained strong, standing his ground. Maria stood rigid, staring blankly ahead, as if nothing of what was happening was worth her attention.
"You cannot hold," its voice said, resounding in his head like a throbbing bell. The figure came closer. "Pathetic little creation. You finally have the greatness in you, and yet you are too much of a coward to even use it."
Shadow gritted his teeth and forced himself to look at the face of his foe.
"I am…no coward."
The voice laughed. "Trying to be tough? Such a desperate act."
"I have no need to prove myself. Whatever you are trying to accomplish, you might as well go ahead."
"Rushing to death already?" it replied, amused.
"Do not test my patience," Shadow grunted. His crimson eyes were the only pinpoints of actual color in the white shield.
The opponent shot out one of the black vines from its hand, whipping toward Maria. Shadow sent out the light which shriveled the plant to dust.
"Touch her and I promise you will die!"
The enemy's smirk was the only shape in the darkness.
"Good, release that hatred."
"What?" Shadow eyes widened in confusion.
"I need this as much as you do." Then the dark shades coating the metal surroundings dashed toward the hedgehog.
The illumination from the crystal sphere came in swinging tendrils, exterminating the darkness that threatened to engulf him.
Shadow felt the grip inside him again, almost as if he was about to explode yet feeling that nothing could harm him. That he could control anything, everything, and that he had the right to. The one before him was just a maggot that had nothing. Just empty threats.
Controlling the light, he sent it raining onto the dark form, wanting to see it fall on its knees, wanting to hear it scream, wanting to hear it beg for mercy.
But instead, with that smile, it vanished into black mist, flying down the hallway. But its words left imprinted in Shadow's memory.
Hope is only an illusion. Remember that!
Seeing his hated foe escaping, his rage increased vastly.
"Come back here! You freaking coward!" He began to rush down the passageway.
"You mustn't let it take you."
Turning around, he gazed at Maria, her eyes blank. She had spoken to him.
"What do you-?" Then he looked closer at the façade, fading, transparent. "No, you're not her."
The girl of his memories vanished, substituted by a tall woman covered in a white robe. She stared at Shadow calmly. "Good, you're improving."
The hedgehog's blood pounded in his brain, hot and boiling. It was all a lie. "How dare you do that! What are you trying to do?"
"Please control yourself. Or he will take you," she said in her monotonous voice.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Shadow demanded.
The woman bowed her head covered by a hood, the soft rustle of her clothing making a gentle sound. "You are experiencing memories now of what has been. There is much more to tell, but that must come later."
"No, you will tell me now!" The white light reached towards the woman, but went through her as if she was air. The light collided instead with the metal wall. Masses of debris scattered in all directions, ripping through the wires and pipes, a cataclysmic force that left the entire section of the colony decimated and in ruins.
Shadow paid no thought to his destructive attack, keeping his eyes on the woman.
"Tell me," he said quietly, the white energy floating in his right hand.
The woman shook her head sadly. "You are falling quickly, Shadow. You must be the careful."
The hedgehog's mouth stretched in a smile that was not his own. "If I were you that would be the least of my worries."
The light shot out again, and came out with the same result of ripping metal. Impatient and furious, he marched toward her, the light's radiance growing almost unbearable.
"I'll make sure I kill you this time."
Fire licked the walls, perilously crawling toward both.
"Stop," said the woman. "Look at yourself, Shadow. You're falling again."
Annoyed, he gave her a defiant glare. Water dripped from one of the broken pipes above. The liquid formed a small pool on the floor. As he walked, the hedgehog caught his reflection in the gentle ripples.
He only stared at the visage who gazed back at him.
He was bent forward, his back forming a hump. The quills were ragged, falling out, the eyes a dark blood red, pupils absent. The same image from that mirror.
He tried to move his mouth to speak, but the throat closed, not letting any passage.
But that was not all.
From his back, sprouted wings. On his right side, one was almost angelic; pure white feathers lined together in beautiful patterns, soft and gentle to the touch, the wing span thrice his height. But on his left side, it was a monstrosity. Black leather and fur made up its substance, a three-pronged claw at the tip. Shadow could see the veins in the dark skin.
They were like two opposite sides of a spectrum. Angel and demon. Good and evil. Love and hate. Right and wrong.
He could feel them now; he could actually move them as if he could fly away into the skies if he wished it.
But the angelic wings, the radiance beaming from its soft yet strong feathers, slowly turned darker, staining the white. The features molded into tight flesh, a claw emerging at the peak. Shadow felt tyrannical thoughts course through his mind, taking, conquering. Steal, kill, control. Superiority, ruler, ravager. Strong survives, the weak die. Take all…
I have the right.
"No, no, no." He clutched his head, feeling the thoughts about to overrun and trample what was left of his free will.
"This is what you must overcome." The woman's voice reached out a helping hand to his inner demons. "A struggle that each life must overcome. The Chaos infects you now, it is testing you."
Shadow raised his eyes toward her, trying to blot out the image of the wings. Chaos? Did she mean the emerald? But it was broken, nothing now. Then he noticed the sphere hanging by his neck. He held it in is palm, gazing at its milky depths.
Was this-?
"Chaos…" he whispered.
"Pure Chaos," the woman corrected. "All confined in an object. You hold it because you can withstand its power and are one of the few who can bend it to your will. This is not the first time for you, is it?"
Shadow thought back to the Biolizard, recalling how both he and Sonic had transformed with the power of Chaos. A golden and silver intoxication that gave hope for victory. He was feeling the same rush now, except it was much harder to control.
In the waters reflection, the bent old hedgehog altered into a silver being, shining with unbound radiance. The black wing on his left sprouted white feathers.
Before he could speak, the colony began to shake terribly, lurching about space. The image in the pool disappeared and when Shadow looked at himself, he saw that he was back to his normal appearance. He fell to the floor from the unpredictable movement of the space home. Getting up, the woman no longer stood in front of him.
"What the hell is going on?"
The colony shook even worse, and he could hear the faint sounds of gunshots and muffled screams. Flames decorated the demolished walls and clouds of smoke polluted the air. The ash jumped into his lungs, making his body give rasping coughs to get the dusty invaders out.
He had no idea what to do now. This was just too confusing. Where was the real Maria? And who was that thing that attacked him?
The monsters, disguised as GUN soldiers, he recognized. The same ones that had pursued him as he traveled to the forest.
Memories of what has been. The soldiers had been here, but that incident with the monsters and their leader had never occurred, not like what really happened fifty years ago. This was just some tricks from that woman. That had never happened before.
Right?
He had seen…that leader…he had seen it before! He remembered it talking to him once, and that smile. Here, at the ARK. But what did that mean? Were his other memories false? Was the colony attacked by someone else? Not by GUN?
The shaking came again, accompanied by a symphony of explosions down the hall.
"Damn it! What am I suppose to do?"
A shadow moved swiftly at the end of the passageway, unaffected by the smoke that covered the area. After a few moments, Shadow followed the figure, seeing the face lit up by blue light.
Whatever the hell was going on, she was not going to let them get away with it. They may have taken them away, but she will not make the same mistake.
Rika's head still ached from the metal sheet that had hit her. She had barely escaped from the explosions that had nearly taken her. Trying to ignore her surroundings, she concentrated ahead. In the smoke and flames, she could just make out the forms of her young siblings. But she knew they were not running away from her, someone had them and was dragging them away. Not this time. She was not losing them this time. Her cloak billowed out like wings in the dark passageway that was lit by the orange fires.
So determined on her mission, she pushed away any living being that came in her way. Sometimes just straight into the flames. Their death cries never reached her ears.
Soon she came to a dead end, a wall of metal blocking her path. No one was there.
"What? No! This can't be!" Her cry was a wail of sorrow.
Her ears flicked, hearing a strange sound, a whoosh sound. She leaped to the side, narrowly dodging the beam of black energy that went through the wall in front of her. Once she landed on her feet, she looked closer.
No, it was a….tree root.
…What?
As it pulled back she turned to see a giant tree standing in front of her, its branches waving around like snakes, the roots slithering on the floor. She would have thought it as one of the plants from the Scarlet Forest if it wasn't for the fact it was bare of any leaves. Instead its branches were like skeleton arms, the tips shaped like claws. The fox was too confused to comprehend this, where did this tree suddenly come from?
The roots reached out to Rika and all she could do was dodge them, though somewhat clumsily. She had to find a way to take this down. Another root struck out, after she sidestepped the appendage lodged itself into the wall. Immediately she acted.
Summoning a spell, the blue crystal sphere glowed, creating a holy radiance. A gigantic ice shard materialized in the air and the girl aimed it at the plant. Striking its target perfectly in the center of the trunk, it froze the malicious plant solid, now just an ice sculpture.
Rika smiled at her handiwork, but then saw cracks forming on the surface. She was not commanding it to shatter! It was resisting the spell. She felt panic seize her.
As the cracks fully spread out, an explosion of ice followed, but what came out was not a fully intact tree, but flying creatures, shrieking horribly. The tree had been a container for them, and Rika let them out.
Though they were only half her height, they swarmed the air with raining claws raking through her fur. She could hardly escape without getting a vicious mark. The locust creatures never went directly toward the fox, yet they still did considerable damage. Her attacks could hardly reach them to do a significant blow.
Enraged, she sent out ice daggers at random, never locking onto a target, but hoping it would take some down. A couple were pierced and expired, but many more still remained. Their claws sliced through her, letting the blood seep from her wounds. All she could do was hold her ground.
She heard a voice then, but the words were unintelligible. Raising her head, she saw another creature ahead, taller than the rest, crimson eyes watching. It did not seem to care for the rest of its kind for it attacked them, leaving them for dead. This one looked more powerful than the others, and it was coming straight for her.
No damn way…
Without thinking, she came after it with unbounded fury. Rika tried to connect her punches but the beast kept coming, saying words she could not understand. It then grabbed her arm with its ugly hand.
"No! Let me go!" she screamed, furious that it dared touch her. The repulsive face came closer and she knew it was getting ready to feast on her. She tried desperately to pull away, kicking and screaming.
"Rika! What the heck is wrong with you? Wake up!"
That voice…
The crimson eyes looked on with worry. The demon countenance melted away, revealing Shadow staring at her with shock and concern.
How she had mistaken Shadow for the creatures she could not know, but she was so relieved that she almost threw her arms around the hedgehog in an embrace, grateful for a familiar face being so near her. Almost.
But then she saw her reflection in his eyes that were mesmerizing. Her face she could see was scarred all over, a revolting horrid mask. Hollow and empty. Marks from the claws of the demons.
Just like in that mirror.
She thought she saw her own face smile.
Mortified, Rika backed away but Shadow held a firm grip.
"Hey, what happened?"
She felt irrational fear close her throat. Closing her eyes, she tried to block out the sight of her face.
To Shadow, the matter was baffling. He did not see the valley of scars on her face. Just the same as always, although her eyes were a tad paler. "Rika?"
The fox girl clenched her fists. "My God, what is happening to me?" she said in a whisper.
But the shrieking demons came once again, swarming around the two like fireflies. Shadow aimed his Chaos Spear attack, but it proved useless, there were still so many left. Rika stood still, helpless to fight. The vision was stuck in her mind. Shadow created around them a shield as they had before in the forest.
"Hey! Snap out of it and help me!" He chastised.
Finally composing herself, Rika was able to create a shield as well. Though not before she gave Shadow a warning glance for yelling at her.
The creatures seemed immune to the light shields. In fact, it looked as if they were feeding on it. Their size began to increase, reaching beyond the hedgehog and fox's height. The strain to keep the barrier was torture, the muscles slowly ripping apart. Their efforts were going to waste.
"Shadow, there's no way we can hold up for much longer now!" Rika stated, the struggle apparent in her voice.
"We have to keep trying! It's our only chance!" Shadow protested.
"But it feels like we're only prolonging our deaths!"
"Do you have any other ideas?"
The shield slowly, painfully decreased in size. Shadow's eyes showed resolve. "Besides, I am not about to lose to some demented little-"
His voice halted.
"Shadow," Rika gasped at his silence.
The hedgehog looked forward at the demons, his eyes unusually focused. Whether his mind was playing tricks on him or not, he knew he saw it. For one brief second, he was able to see through the deception.
Hope is only an illusion.
Illusion…dreams…this was a dream.
"Shadow, will you say something already?" Rika asked impatiently.
Shadow heaved a sigh, a sad smile on his face.
"Damn, I already knew this. I guess I really wanted her to be real."
"Do you mind filling me in!"
Shadow lowered his arms, almost reverently. His shield dissipated, allowing the creatures access to him.
Rika was irate at his actions. "Are you crazy? What do you think you're doing?"
The flapping wings signaled the menacing massacre. Shadow watched in eerie calmness. Rika was ready to summon a spell when the hedgehog held up a hand to her.
"No! Trust me, this will work."
Stunned more by the resolution of his tone of voice than in the words themselves, she halted. The demons fangs came down, ready to rip him; taste him, until he was safe inside their stomachs.
Transparent, fog, tricks of light and shadow. The incisors never got to munch on soft flesh or relish in agonizing screams that signaled their triumph. The demon went through the hedgehog, such as how a sunlight's rays go through a window. The imagery of the monster wailed in anger, realizing it had only feasted on air.
Shadow stood erect, staring back at the monsters in defiance.
Rika blinked. "What…just happened?"
Shadow finally rested his eyes on her. "This place, these monsters, none of them are real. It's an illusion."
"An…illusion?"
"Yes, I thought about this place for so long that it finally became a reality, or at least I thought it was."
The demons tried to maul him to shreds, but they only managed to slice through nothing, as if he was an ethereal being.
"Rika, let down your shield."
"What?" she cried.
"Let down your shield. It's the only way."
The fox still held out her arms, torn whether these so real creatures were only imagination. "No, I don't know what they are to you, but I felt them! My face is scarred now, how could that not be real?"
"They are real because you will them to be!" Shadow shot back. "I see nothing on your face, there are no marks. You just think they are."
"But I felt pain!"
"Because you think you feel pain!"
Her eyes widened at his shouting voice.
"This may be the only way out of this nightmare. Just trust me."
The fox turned back to the demons screaming for her blood. Her thoughts conflicted in bitter screams.
Trust me…
She knew she was an idiot.
Reluctantly, she lowered her arms, letting the creatures inside her last sanctuary. This was against all of her instincts, she needed to fight back. She got into a defensive stance.
"No, stand still," the voice of Shadow rose. "Just look."
The demons opened their revolting mouths. She can't just let them! But Shadow's voice held her protectively, and she knew there was truth in his statement.
She couldn't do anything else anyway.
The fangs came; ready to spill her blood, but her body remained intact. They went through her like caressing air, phantasms that could do nothing but moan and wail.
"It…worked."
"See? You shouldn't doubt me."
The fox turned her head to the hedgehog who had a smug smile on his face. She could not help but give one of her own grins.
"Yeah, guess you were right…for a rodent."
"Hmph, nice."
Standing their ground, the monsters tried in vain to tear them open, but the same result of only going through each repeated. It was even getting repetitive.
Then the walls began to crack. But not just the walls; the ceiling, floor, wires, pipes, even the fires as well. Both Shadow and Rika looked on, realizing that the illusion was finally starting to break apart. With a sound of shattering glass, their surroundings, including the demons, fell apart, their remains glistening diamonds.
Now, only nothingness enclosed them, and then they fell through it once their support vanished. Neither screamed as the black night closed in. Only an echo that reverberated in their souls.
Learn from the past, the ever turning wheel of time.
There would have been more, but it was already too long. So I divided it up. Please review, and constructive criticism is always welcome. If I don't get better, I am nothing! I need to learn!….I can't wait for summer.