Author's Note:

The next three chapters contains content from the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

Chapter -36: Origin of Chaos

"It is time, Sarajin Stratos. Do you feel comfortable resuming your duties?"

One year, on the spot and not a second later, Yen Sid delivered this message to Sarajin.

He was in the comfort of his home and had enjoyed the quiet so much that he had lost track of time.

But he knew that he was ready, regardless of the restraint his wife put on his wrist as he prepared to leave.

Her cerulean eyes were damp with worry as she told him softly, "Whatever may come, don't push yourself too hard this time."

Sarajin turned around and sandwiched her hand between his and brought it before their faces, "You're not going to lose me again. Relax. I'll do everything in my power to male every future you see bright."

"And yet…" She pulled her head to the side and bit her lower lip. With a gentle coo she stroked the side of her while facing him once more, "You will stand beside the darkness."

Sarajin's brows slowly rose and he struggled to close the gap between their thoughts, "I guess…this will be his big chance to prove himself. Not just to Yen Sid, but to you as well."

"I can't bring myself to trust him." She urged him on with her doubt.

Sarajin nodded, hesitant but receptive to her feelings. Nevertheless, he put on a smiling face and wrapped a few strands of her hair around his finger, then mimicked the act of kissing.

She sighed following a fluorescent blush in her cheeks and then smiled back.

Sarajin told her "It will be alright" and her lovestruck heart chose to believe Hi against any doubt.

She then extended her fist into his chest and muttered, "Stay safe."

He was then free to leave, but his son had one thing to say as he came barreling down the stairs, "Dad, your sword!"

He has the weapon sheathed atop his arms and held it up. Sarajin held his hand towards it and shook his head, "I don't need it right now."

"But-!"

"Relax Zeno. It will always be by my side."

Auris widened her eyes silently and Sarajin flashed a wink off the side of his face.

He then looked up and shouted, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Yen Sid! I'm ready!"

And in an instant he was brought before the wise sage in the white void.

And adjacent to him stood Solomon, hovering there stiffly in his sitting posture.

The black clad man turned his head towards Sarajin, at first his eyes wide, then narrowing with ire.

"A little warning would have sufficed…" Solomon then rose to greet this strange, ethereal sage and immediately their met gazes were heated.

Sarajin kept this interaction professional and approached Yen Sid with an obvious question, "What's happening out in the universe today?"

Yen Sid closed his eyes and began to speak, "A Tribe of ancient Echidnas stands on the brink of annihilation."

"They are ruled under the oppressive thrall of a being born from the immense power that resides within their lands."

Sarajin wondered, "Is this because of a Blank?"

"It bears similarities to one, but is incapable of producing the 'Poison'. Futanji has observed this as a rare, but natural permutation in the timeline."

Sarajin waved his hand out and remarked, "You've never mentioned this before."

"It refers to events that are possible, but pose no threat to the order of the world if the proper measures are applied."

"In this instance, this being's presence has merely delayed the creation of an important power to the world's future."

"Your assignment is thus…Slay or seal away the threat, but only once the power has been created."

Yen Sid then opened his eyes and looked between both standing before him, "I will allow any questions. Make yourself comfortable going into this mission."

Solomon raised his hand abreast his chest and uttered firmly, "Yes. What have I done to merit your immediate and decisive repulsion, wizard?"

Sarajin grew tense and bit his teeth with a light hiss.

Yen Sid stood as tall as the heavens and uttered as quickly as a falling star, "It is a miracle that one of your ilk is even allowed to stand in this realm. Do not overstep your bounds, king of darkness."

Solomon's eyes narrowed, "'My' ilk?"

Yen Sid laid his arms within his sleeves and sounded off, "Enough. One who has long since parted from this world has granted you my grace, take it, or return to the ill-bred land from whence you came."

Solomon raised his other hand and his aura began to rise like the cold of night, laced with a hint of crimson, "I owe the past nothing. You will see I am worthy to stand on my own, and taste the bite of your own tongue, wizard."

"Words mean nothing. Prove through your actions, king of darkness." With a mere peek of his wrist, Solomon was sent away ahead of Sarajin.

Sarajin hung there with a puzzled look and the Sage withdrew his gaze behind his eyelids.

"Mmmrrr…"

Sarajin reached out and wondered, "Are you ok?"

Yen Sid spoke with a reductive tone of dread, "My world…was once plagued by beings of pure, detestable darkness."

"They moved without motive, shapeless black beasts of unquenchable hunger…"

"And in his eyes…I see that very same void."

Sarajin nodded, "I just think…he hasn't been trusted with an opportunity to do something good for others."

"And if I'm wrong, I'll take responsibility for whatever happens."

Yen Sid met his determination with reassurance towards himself, punctuated by a simple, poignant nod, "Very well."

"Any further questions?"

Sarajin shook his head, "I'll be able to figure it out once I'm there."

"Then I wish you luck, Sarajin Stratos. May your heart be your guiding key."

Yen Sid gestured and Sarajin found his eyes wrapped in the black of night, with only the dim light of stone torches to help him readjust.

Solomon stood beside him, his stance suggesting that for him, they had only been apart for a second.

And then came a last second realization, "I should have asked what an Echidna looks like."

Lying ahead of them were sprawling deserted stone structures atop winding green hills and high mountains. In the distance the mountains were capped with ice, and a couple active volcanoes were cushioned close to that area.

The path they stood on was broken up into pieces, showing signs of a recent struggle, on top of there being the fresh scent of burning wood next to charred black bodies.

Sarajin looked over at Solomon and whispered, "You ok?"

Solomon began to advance, trampling over the bodies in front of him with only a brief stop to look back and mutter, "Do you plan to waste time?"

Sarajin groaned and then approached him with a hint, "Let's not rush either. We need to find clues about our enemy."

Solomon scoffed then gestured at the ground, "Following their trail of corpses seems like a good start."

Sarajin winced at his morbid remark and the two started to scale the mountain path, "Ok, but please try to keep comments like that between us."

"Hrrmmm…"

The path eventually led into a valley and they started to see more frequent signs of battle.

Craters on the sides of the hills with legs limping off the edge.

Fires are still burning in fields of trees.

Oil leaked into their path from tipped over stone torches.

As they reached the crest of the hill they saw the first signs of civilization.

Towering pyramids of stone were lined with burning torches as hundreds of red beast men with furry dreads down the back of their heads were on their knees, waving their hands down in sync to pay tribute to a lone figure sitting atop the highest pyramid.

The fire made their appearance misty. They were some shade of blue.

Sarajin whispered, horrified by what he was seeing, "What are they doing…?"

Solomon had a scarily accurate view of the situation, "They revere this being as a god."

The air was thick with death, brimstone and fear. Sarajin bit his teeth down and mumbled, "Not willingly."

"Hmph." Solomon started to advance and Sarajin had to use all his might to hold him back by the arm.

Solomon glared dully over his shoulder, "We found our enemy. What else could you possibly require?"

"We don't know how strong they are. I've run into beings who can suppress their strength before."

Solomon looked utterly dumbfounded, "Why would anyone do something so…foolish?"

He swung his arm out of his grasp then stood as solid as a statue, "I have nothing to fear from this being, and neither should you."

Sarajin stood his ground and looked him dead in the eyes to command him, "Just give it a little more time."

Solomon's eyes deepened with red and then as it calmed he uttered, "Fine…We will do it your way."

Sarajin nodded in approval and then they made their way further down the Cliffside, sticking behind whatever could provide them the most shade.

"I still can't see them." Sarajin whispered.

"They are discolored from the other beast men." Solomon observed.

They went all the way down to ground level and started sliding along the wall behind the nearest pyramid.

Before they kept observing they heard a couple tense hisses from their left. They were coming from one of these Echidnas also in hiding.

They wore coiling white tribal marks over their arms and dreads, had orange eyes, and a slightly darker shade of red fur. Around their neck was a necklace of fangs.

The Echidna knocked twice on the side of the pyramid and then waved at himself. Behind him, a few others of his kind were walking towards a tunnel carved into the mountain.

Sarajin whispered, "I think he wants us to follow him."

"There is no point." Solomon uttered with a hint of impatience.

"We don't know that. He might know about the problem."

"Mmmm, we shall see." Solomon was the first to walk towards the Echidna, and the two were silently guided along until they were deep into the tunnel.

Once at the stone doors, a pair of Echidnas pried them open slowly and they kept moving towards somewhere beyond the mountain range.

Finally, the lead Echidna spoke, all worn down and gravelly, "Our affairs have now reached the ears of the tribes of men, ooooh…"

Sarajin asked, "We saw a lot of bodies on our way here."

"Victims from other Echidna tribes, all trying to defeat the nightmare we have unleashed."

Solomon immediately pegged him for his comment, "You made them?"

The Echidna grunted in pain and then dragged his feet along the path, "...My name is Po'Clau, 'leader' of the Knuckles clan. Strangers, may I regale you with the tale of our struggle?"

Sarajin nodded, "We could use all the info we can get to face this threat?"

Po'Clau turned with horror in his eyes but then began to settle down in a calm, "...Maybe you could beat him."

He then faced forward and began to enlighten the two, "We Echidnas settled in these lands generations ago. The land was enriched by a…mystical force, creating the lushest of plants, the cleanest of air."

"Here, our most sacred jewel fit right at home, safe from prying eyes."

"Our Tribe was elected to guard the jewel. Others disagreed with this decision, and sought to steal it for themselves."

"During this time, a wanderer appeared, summoned by the wind itself."

"They were starving, dry skinned, and barely able to stand."

"In my…infinite benevolence, I took him in. Made him healthy, and then acclimated him into our ranks."

"The other Echidnas kept attacking, forming alliances, betraying them…All consumed by greed and lust towards our sacred jewel."

"Our stranger was fast, but not strong enough to fight alongside us."

"Until one day, that dreadful day…"

"Our men stumbled upon a cavern hidden near the altar of our sacred jewel. Inside it was a mine of jewels lining the walls."

"They bore a similar wavelength to our sacred jewel, only weaker."

"Still…we were desperate, fools rushing headlong towards a power we couldn't even comprehend."

"And our stranger offered himself up as the first subject to this power, claiming this would be his way of repaying my kindness."

"Thus, we cracked open a fissure in the wall and let him dip into the raw energies that cascaded out."

"His entire appearance transformed. His fur became bleached blue."

"He was reborn with power beyond our wildest dreams...and our worst nightmares."

"Yes, he followed his initial reasoning and fought back against our attackers."

"No, fighting implies a struggle...It was a slaughter. His power made every attack he performed equivalent to dropping a sun on an ant."

"To demonstrate the grand futility of fighting against him, he made an example of the Locke Clan, wiping them out completely."

"Our brothers...our people, reduced to ash in a smoldering crater."

"And ever since then he has sat atop a throne of his own design and demanded our absolute worship as his reward."

"All the while, he picks off every straggler one by one for sport."

"Hundreds of thousands of proud Echidnas, reduced to a mere cowering thousand. And of the dozens of clans, only two remain. Ours...and the Nocturnus."

Solomon's response was immediate and crude, "So you are to blame for this carnage? And we are expected to clean up YOUR mess...?"

He was indignant and Sarajin had to quickly turn around and confront him, "It's not his fault that he was kind to someone and it backfired."

Po'Clau sighed and shook his head, "No, your friend is right."

"Was I deceived? Was he corrupted by the allure of power? Perhaps. But I created him. Our hope...our doom."

Sarajin tried to remain hopeful in contrast to his despair by asking him, "But you obviously haven't given up, and that's what matters now."

Po'Clau nodded, "Thank you, stranger."

Sarajin then laid a hand on his chest and smiled, "My name is Sarajin Stratos."

He then pointed out to his side, "And this is Solomon."

"Sarajin...Solomon..." Po'Clau felt a smile creeping on the sides of his face, "We haven't lost hope. Not yet."

"Me and a small clan of rebels have been able to sneak back to the mines between his 'play time' and 'worship'. We've been slowly working on creating a countermeasure that will let us match his power, if not surpass it."

"Our mistake was breaking open the jewels, letting the energy run uncontained..."

"But if we were to forge smaller jewels out of the walls, the power could be controlled."

Solomon was quick to point out, "And what is preventing another nightmare from being created by this?"

"...I do not know. But if that is to be our fate, so be it. But I cannot let THIS one go unchecked any longer."

Sarajin then waved his hand out and asked, "How much time do you need?"

Po'Clau answered, "We have already crafted six jewels. Seven should be enough."

Solomon asked, "And if it's not?"

"Then at the very least, we can use them to seal the nightmare away within our sacred jewel. He carries a similar wavelength to it and the smaller jewels. It SHOULD work." The Echidna spoke this with confidence, as best as he could muster up at this juncture.

Sarajin and Solomon then hung back for a moment, with Sarajin commenting, "This must be the event Yen Sid was talking about."

Solomon narrowed his eyes and groaned internally, his impatience growing even louder, "These formalities are ludicrous. We ARE the means necessary to crush this threat."

Sarajin met him halfway by remarking, "I get your frustration, but maybe these jewels will be helpful beyond this point?"

He then softly told him, "We have to consider the lives of others while we're on these worlds."

Solomon glared at him for a bit and then faced forward, following the Echidnas across the bridge over a river.

Sarajin's shoulder sank with a sigh and he joined back up with him a few moments later. At the end of the bridge was a large, circular altar with a giant emerald colored jewel hovering over the center.

Beyond that was a cavern carved into the wall.

Sarajin could sense power within this jewel, near-infinite power at that. But it's exertion over the world seemed more passive than anything. Maybe...it was even alive.

Sarajin and Solomon finished following Po'Clau and the other rebels to the edge of the cave when suddenly, Po'Clau turned around with a worrying hum.

Sarajin sensed rapid movement through the air, but no aggression following made it difficult to tell if their enemy had pursued them or not.

No, as it turned out, three figures made of metal were speeding through the air towards the valley, followed by an albino furred beast man sitting atop a mechanical throne.

"Pir'Oth, that capricious fool...!" Uttered Po'Clau with teeth grit in a panic.

"Who?" Asked Sarajin.

"Leader of the Nocturnus Clan...This is NOT good. If he attacks him now it may alert him of our disappearance."

Sarajin tightened his muscles and looked at him with confidence, "I'll head over and see what I can do, you just worry about finishing the last jewel."

He then turned to Solomon and asked, "Can you watch over them in the meantime?"

Solomon gestured his hand out, slightly amused, "If you somehow perish to this enemy, I will be too busy laughing to fight back."

Po'Clau exhaled a deep sigh of relief, "You're too kind, Sarajin Stratos."

The last Echidna started to make his way inside and Po'Clau nudged him along from behind, "Come Pachacamac, my son! We must make haste to the depths!"

Once they had disappeared into darkness Sarajin turned to face the mountain and then took off along the wind to avoid being sensed.

He landed near the cliffside that he first started off at and bent down as the three metal figures crash landed between the bowing Echidnas, making them scatter.

The white furred Echidna descended atop his throne, a staff in hand. They had pure white eyes and dreads running down the front of their face like a beard, a couple of them gray. The rest of his body was protected by a black robe.

From here, Sarajin could finally get a better look at the nightmare plaguing this Tribe.

Like the Echidnas he was a beast man standing on two legs, but had five spines pointing up in an arc atop their head. Two larger quills extended out their back. They also wore red and blue shoes and white gloves.

Their demeanor flaunted the arrogance they felt against everyone beneath them. They sat atop a stone couch in a lean and smirked at the metal men standing motionless on the ground.

The metal men were orange and yellow with a vague humanoid skeleton shape, and two lightness blue glass eyes.

The nightmare chuckled and began to sit upright.

"Brought more of your toys to entertain me, Pir'Oth Ix?" Spoke the pale being with subtle mockery.

The white Echidna stamped his staff against the ground and then pointed it at his enemy, "Arrogant hedgehog…! You face the greatest power the technology of the Nocturnus Clan can muster…the Gizoids!"

"Perfect beings, capable of evolving even further by analyzing and copying everything they see!"

"They have observed countless Echidnas fight, and are now more than a match for the likes of you!"

The Gizoids stanced up and raised their fists at the nightmare, who merely rolled his wrist around and chuckled.

"THIS is the best you could muster? Ooooh Pir'Oth, I'm disappointed…I let your clan live because I assumed you could provide me with a decent challenge."

In the blink of an eye the hedgehog was standing in front of the three machines with his hands raised and knuckles cracking, "And all you could scrounge up is scrap."

"Conceited beast, drunk on power…! Witness the might of Nocturnus!"

The Gizoids charged the hedgehog simultaneously and with a mere flex of his aura, they were all pushed back, and all the Echidnas were blown over.

The hedgehog then defiled the Echidna's pride with a haughty chuckle and smirk, "I see you need another lesson…From the Ultimate Life Form, Nazo…!"

He disappeared from the Echidna's sight, but Sarajin could see him move at hypersonic speeds to sweep the Gizoids right off the ground.

Nazo floated in front of one and crossed his arms, giving the machine a chance to land a punch.

Raw strength shook the air but Nazo only received a bruise on his forehead that healed right up.

He then held his hand out and glowing red energy collapsed into a sphere, pressing against the Gizoid and sending him hurtling into the mountainside, where the energy cascaded up like a geyser.

The other two Gizoids tore up building sized rocks from the ground and hurled them.

Nazo sped out of their path, keeping his cocky posture, slowly moving closer until he suddenly chose to appear behind the Gizoids.

The machines spun around and Nazo thrust his fist into one's face.

They locked their feet down hard and tore up the ground on the way up to the halfway point of a pyramid.

And Nazo was right there, pummeling the machine with a lightspeed flurry of punches. Each punch hit like an explosion going off and cratered the wall behind the pyramid.

Until one final punch rendered the machine's arms unusable, and combined all the craters into a mass one that brought the wall down.

"You won't need these anymore…" Nazo casually ripped the arms off and in the same motion flung small spheres to blow them up.

The Gizoid short circuited, and Nazo delivered the final blow by crushing its chest underfoot, twisting the heel and smiling as the light faded from its body.

Another Gizoid jumped him from behind but wound up ramming its fist into its brethren.

Nazo illuminated the machine with his energy sphere, and it added to his own air of malice.

He waited right until the Gizoid sprang at him before firing, killing its momentum entirely. He then bombarded it with more energy blasts, growing the first larger and larger until even he was consumed by it.

He then held his palms against the front and raised the orb over his head, launching it high into the night sky.

When it exploded the energy split off into multiple trails to destroy the individual parts.

Nazo smiled and stretched his hands as he turned to face the albino echidna, " I stand corrected…they made lovely fireworks."

Pir'Oth remained calm, eerily so, as he pointed his staff at Nazo.

The forgotten Gizoid sprang forward covered in deep red energy and slammed the hedgehog with a punch containing the maximum heat it could output.

Nazo curled against the fist and grunted loud as the heat warped against his body and sent him crashing against the ground.

"Fool…" Uttered Pir'Oth.

Nazo latched onto the sides of the fissure and dragged himself back up, the steaming wound on his chest taking a long time to heal.

He was shaking, gritting his teeth and moaning in pain and rage, "That…hurt…!"

The Gizoid charged in for another punch but Nazo caught it and canceled the power behind it entirely.

He then began slowly crunching the fist into scrap, "Congratulations, lesser being…You have invited yourself to an agonizing demise!"

Once he crushed the fist he shoved it down the arm and blew apart the shoulder.

He then took one step forward and caught the other fist, tugging it out to the side while he crushed the feet down with enough pressure to glue the machine into place.

He then ripped the arm out from the socket and swiped it through the neck.

It took a second for the head to start rolling off, where it fell into the path of Nazo's kick.

The head was launched through the air and used to decapitate a mountaintop.

Nazo then warped below it, held it over his palms, and warped back down, crushing the Gizoid beneath it.

The whole valley shook and the Echidnas I'm hiding started to emerge, programmed to bow at the feet of their triumphant God.

And Nazo graced their heaping praise looking bored, an expression he aimed towards the lone albino Echidna.

The man sat on his throne and was only mildly perturbed, "It matters little…I will return, with stronger models! Because I know you refuse to let this end."

Nazo smirked, then warped a few feet before Pir'Oth with his hand raised and energy forming.

"And what if I've changed my mind?" He said coldly.

Pir'Oth shivered, "N-No…wait…!"

"I did. And you disappointed me," Nazo twisted his head back and grinned, "If you wish to curse anyone, curse yourself for being born feeble and weak."

Before the energy could fire Sarajin leapt into the fray and sandwiched himself between them. He caught the sphere in his hand and though it made his skin singe and pushed him back, he held out long enough to squeeze the energy down.

He then looked at Nazo with his body enveloped in a deep calm, "That's enough. I won't let you terrorize these people any longer."

Nazo was shivering, his fists locking up tightly against his sides as he muttered, "A human…?"

He then closed his eyes and rose with a dire, grim chuckle, "Fascinating…so there are still fools who dare to challenge my might."

Sarajin held his ground as he told him, "There will always be someone who can stand up to people like you."

"Like me…?" Nazo opened his eyes and laughed, "There are none like me."

His aura exploded in bright white light as he shouted with utter certainty, "I stand alone…as the Ultimate Life Form!"

Next Time: Surpassing Oneself