Okay, as I said before, I'm really sorry about the chapter mixup. It won't happen with this story again, I promise. Okay? Good. Now, for the winner of the area contest, the winner was Stone Maze Area by BlueMageQuartet. Congrats, and I hope you all enjoy the chappie.

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A few hours after the incident at the Master Emerald, the gang was trying to decide what to do now. Shadow had been unusually silent the whole time. Finally, Rouge walked over to him.

"Hey Shadow, what's up?" Rouge asked. Shadow remained silent, staring off into space. "Come on Shaddie, I know something's up." The black hedgehog let out a sigh.

"Those hedgehogs..." Shadow's voice trailed off a bit. "Do you think they really know me?"

"I have no clue Shadow," Rouge replied truthfully, "but I think I know where we might find out. As soon as I can, I'm headed to the GUN base to see what I can find out."

"I'm coming too," Shadow declared. "I must find out about those two at all costs." Rouge chuckled a little.

"I thought you might say that," Rouge replied. "If you're coming, it'd be best if we had a Chaos Emerald first. That way, if we're discovered, we can just warp out. Sound good?"

"It would if I had an emerald," Shadow muttered.

"I can help there," The two looked at Knuckles, who had just spoke. "Blaze found two other Chaos Emeralds a while ago."

"Well then, where are they?" Shadow asked.

"I had a feeling that someone was after them," Blaze said. "I can't guard two emeralds and all the Sol Emeralds at the same time, so I hid the Chaos Emeralds at Jesire Ruins. Ever heard of them?" Shadow shook his head.

"I've been there once," Sonic quipped. "It's a ways from Mystic Ruins. It's like a really big maze. Even I almost got lost in there. False passages, dead ends, you name it. Seems like a real hard place to find one, not to mention two emeralds."

"It was built as a sort of prison, where the criminals would wander endlessly to their deaths," Knuckles added. "My ancestors sure had a way with architecture uses."

"I can sense the Chaos Emeralds when we're there, so they shouldn't be too hard to find," Shadow said. "Alright then, let's go."

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Whoever had built the Jesire Prison Maze had done their job well. Not only was it made out of only the most durable of stone, and adorned with elaborate runes and designs, but it was also confusing. There were only two exits, both at opposite ends of the giant maze. Once one door closed, an ancient mechanism built in the maze's design closed the one passage to the other end. The trapped person could never get out. In order to make sure this didn't happen to them, the gang had decided to stick together. Once the Chaos Emeralds were found, Shadow and Sonic would warp everyone out. Blaze went first, illuminating the dark passages with a small fireball. Shadow and Knuckles were behind her, followed by Rouge, Tails and Cream, Amy, and Sonic was forced to take up the rear "just in case."

"Sense any emeralds yet?" Sonic asked after about ten minutes of walking.

"If you can't sense them yet, they aren't here," Shadow replied.

"It's a while off to the emeralds," Blaze added. "I made sure that anyone after them would have to put up with way more than a ten minute's walk." Sonic sighed in irritation, but kept going.

Soon, the gang had been in there for almost an hour. Blaze said that she hadn't been in there as long, but then again, she had been running. Sonic had whined a bit on how it would be better if they just ran for it, but that would mean leaving the others behind. If anyone else was in there for the emerald, they would need backup to fend them off.

"Hey look, there's a clearing up ahead," Tails cried. Everyone looked ahead, for there was in fact a break in the maze. Instead, there was a large circular area, about the size of a basketball court. The ceiling was higher than the rest of the maze, and it was dome shaped. All along the walls and the ceilings were more intricate runes and pictures, carved by ancient hands centuries before.

"The Inner Sanctum," Knuckles muttered. "I heard of this place too. It's the middle of the maze, where quite a few people ended up. Some say that the gathered criminals formed their own cult, forming ways to get out and plotting revenge on their captors. Some say that they had all they needed to escape, but they died before they could get out." Knuckles little history lesson was probably true, for Blaze's light revealed skeletons scattered all across the floor.

"This is really scary," Cream whimpered. "Can we get out soon?" Shadow's ears pricked up.

"Shh, listen," Shadow whispered. "Voices. Blaze, extinguish your light." Without asking why, Blaze did so, and everyone fell silent. Voices indeed could be heard, headed toward the Inner Sanctum. A small purple light entered, followed by Ciel and Gemini.

"Would you look at this?" Gemini asked. "All these poor saps, dieing for mostly no real bad reason. I bet you that at least half of these guys were sent here for having some defect or freak ability. You know how scared most of society is of freaks."

"Gemini, this place is giving me the creeps," Ciel whimpered. "All these dead people here isn't good. Can we go now?"

"No, we still haven't found that other Chaos Emerald," Gemini said, holding up his own. "Let's see...we have one I got last week, the one I got from Sonic, one from that blasted Guardian, and one from this maze. Grab the other one, which makes five, and Dr. Robotnik has a sixth. I believe that GUN has the seventh locked up somewhere, so we'll go for that one last." For a while, no one spoke. Then, as the two black hedgehogs began to make their way out of the Sanctum, Amy accidentally sneezed from all the dust collected in the cave. All heads whipped around to face the pink hedgehog, as Gemini's light brightened to illuminate all of the gang's whereabouts.

"You again!" Gemini cried. "After the Chaos Emeralds, eh? Well, I'm afraid they're rightfully mine. None of you are getting these emeralds, especially not you, Shadow." He spat that last word out as if it were poisonous. Without thinking, Shadow rushed forward, tackling Gemini.

"Say that again?" Shadow asked. "Now who's going to get the emeralds?"

"Not you, damn fool," His blue-streaked counterpart said, throwing the emerald in his hand off to Ciel. "Ciel, get out with the emerald, and I'll meet up with you later." Ciel nodded, running off.

"Not if I have a say about it," Rouge called out. "You can't keep any gem from the World's Greatest Theif!" Rouge flew off after the winged hedgie, with Amy, Blaze, and Cream following after them.

"Don't worry Sonic, we'll get that emerald back for you," Amy said to Sonic before leaving. "Just leave it to us girls!'

"All right Amy, we trust ya'" Sonic agreed, as he, Knuckles, and Tails went to assist Shadow in taking the gems from Gemini. The latter, managing to wrench himself from Shadow's grasp, kicked the said hedgehog in the jaw before running to the other side of the room.

"I'd love to play with you," Gemini said to the boys, "but four-against-one's not fair. Let me even up the odds a little." The dark hedgehog pulled a dagger out of a pocket in his jacket, bringing the blade across his palm. Putting his now-bleeding hand on top of a pile of bones, he began to mutter something.

"What's he doing?" Sonic asked. "Weakening himself before the fight?"

"I don't think so Sonic," Shadow replied. "I don't know what it is, but I feel something...dark. Some unnatural energy that's not supposed to be here."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Gemini mumbled. "I'd say that they've been here longer than we all have."

"He's talking about the skeletons," Tails noted. "What's he doing?" As he asked this, all the bones in the Inner Sanctum turned a dark violet color as the hedgehog magician continued to chant. Almost without meaning to, everyone except Shadow backed away. Shadow just stood there, deciding not to show any signs of fear. He just kept his eyes on the bones as the words Gemini was saying suddenly stopped. He watched as his "brother's" blue eyes turned blacker than his fur for a brief minute, his ears pricking up as if recieving a message. Finally, Gemini lifted his head as his eyes returned to normal, a wicked smile across his face.

"I don't like the looks of this," Sonic muttered, as the pressence of dark magic was obvious to all in the room.

"It seems as if today's my lucky day," Gemini called out. "I found someone to join me. Rise, Bone Titan!" Suddenly, all the bones in the room began to glow bright violet. The room went pitch black for a brief second. The group of four watched as the darkness lifted, revealing a large, unidentifiable creature made of bone where the scattered skeletons once lay. It was gigantic, almost reaching the highest part of the ceiling. It was made only of bone, but seemed bounded together by something black. It also had some unusally sharp claws, and it's limbs were all probably quite capable of smashing some unfortunate guy to oblivion.

"Not so bad, if I do say so myself," Gemini complimented himself, lowering his sunglasses for a better look at his creation. His attention quickly turned to the others, who were suprised.

"I didn't know you could do that with magic," Shadow muttered, secretly impressed. Some of the others weren't so secretive with their view. Sonic just whistled under his breath, while Tails looked as if he had just watched an R-rated horror movie (which in fact might have been only a bit scarier). Knuckles also looked freaked.

"What the hell is that thing?" The echidna yelled in shock.

"Oh, just a little someone to help even up the odds," The blue-striped hedgehog let out a laugh. "So, ready to play now?"

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Well, this chapter was fun to write (maybe that's why it's so long). Yes, part of Gemini's Dark Magic ability does involve summons, but only if given a resonable sacrifice. In this case, loads of skeletons and a drop of blood. Be here next chapter to see how the heck the guys deal with this little beastie, and how the girls are holding up with their search for Ciel. Oh, and next chapter might be a little late. I'm busy most of Saturday, so this might be out Sunday instead. Anyway, until then, see ya'!