Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this fiery conversation… especially for the one who lays eyes upon malice itself for the first time.

~保護者~

REVIEW REPLIES:

Hello, MelGamingPlays! We did manage to stay safe, thank you. It was a scary time, though, that's for sure. And yeah, there was definitely a lot of dialogue about existence and stuff there, huh? Lol, glad that you seem to have enjoyed it.

Hello, Blazing Winds! Your review to Chapter 5: I bet. XD

Your review to Chapter 6: Nice, lol.

Your review to Chapter 7: Well... they do help. Promise. XD

~保護者~

"The Howling"

~保護者~

It was nearly deafening, the silence that followed.

Though Sonic strained for something to hear, all that his sensitive ears picked up was heartbeats and breathing and then slow and careful movement as Cream sat up to investigate the box she had been given. Tails gradually moved over to help her figure out how to open the strange thing. Sonic, meanwhile, frowned to himself. Just how much has Jet been hiding? Lips pursing together, he turned to Wave. "Where is he?" he demanded softly. "Where did he go?"

Ancient blue eyes shifted to look at him. "I don't know." When he grew more tense and upset, apparently visibly so, she sighed and repeated, "I don't know. But… I have a guess." Holding out her hand to him, she offered to take him along. He accepted without words, and soon the two of them disappeared together into the unknown.

When they reappeared, they were standing in darkness atop a rocky outcropping that stretched close to a mile wide in an unusual shape. The pure, suffocating blackness of the sky was among the first things Sonic noticed, right alongside the hellish glare of impossibly massive fires that surrounded this apparent island of stone. Approximately fifty feet in front of them sat Jet, his back to them and his cloak billowing in the wind. Sonic gritted his teeth a bit. "Hell of a place to brood," he muttered to himself.

"Ponder some things, maybe," Wave said slowly, "but he didn't come here to brood. You know him. He wouldn't surround himself with this," she made a meaningful gesture at the fires, "without some degree of necessity."

That much was true. There was no denying it. Still… of all the places he could have gone to, why this one?

Wave spoke as though she had read his mind. Who knew, maybe she actually had. "Some things aren't subject to much change, Sonic, even with passage of so much time. Much like the Jet you knew so long ago, the Jet of this day and age often drowns his problems in work of various kinds."

Unable to help it, Sonic let out an amused huff. Like all that paperwork Mister King over there used to loathe so much. "Right. So this is some sort of 'work', then… something he has to fight, I'm guessing?"

Apparently choosing to be enigmatic herself now, Wave gestured slowly at Jet. "Why not go and see? I doubt he'll tell you much about what just went on at A'latria, but you're bound to learn a thing or two about what's going on here if you ask him." She turned in preparation to leave. "But, then, you're you. Maybe you'll get lucky." Gathering her energies, glowing Hexan markings began to appear all over her body and she smirked. "You're good at that."

With no further warning than a golden flash, she was gone. Sonic, meanwhile, began walking over to his friend. Now, he didn't know anything about luck (he was inclined to think he had bad luck, if anything), but he still liked his chances here. It was true that he likely wasn't going to hear much about that tide of memories they had all just seen, but perhaps he would get useful information on other matters instead. That would be good enough for him. Here's hoping Jet's in a talking mood.

Upon reaching the hawk, Sonic went ahead and took a seat next to him. While Jet sat with his left leg dangling over the edge and his right foot braced on said edge, propping his knee up to give his right arm a resting place, Sonic simply chose to cross his legs as he sat. He didn't know what was up with this place, but he didn't trust the sea of fire that roiled and writhed as though it was alive beneath them… stretching out as far as the eye could see. He shook his head, hardly believing the sight before him. "Why come here, Jet?"

Jet, expression serious but somewhat distant, blinked slowly as though pulling free of his thoughts. He took time to answer, as was often the case, and when he finally did speak… his words threw Sonic for a loop. "...I had to come. There was no choice."

"Had to?" Sonic echoed, scowling at the warrior beside him. "Why would you have to come to a place like this? There's nothing here but fire."

This time, it was Jet who shook his head. "Wrong," he murmured.

Sonic stared. "Wrong?"

Hot wind blew, lifting the fabric of Jet's cloak and sending it billowing off to one side. His gaze focusing, completely freeing himself from his thoughts, he told Sonic in harsh yet simple terms, "This world is a drifter, a planet with no star to orbit. It was civilized, not unlike the Mobius you knew. Many people lived here. Peaceful people, with no means of defending themselves from the likes of the Tel'or. The armies set about doing what they always do, slaughtering the inhabitants of this place without refrain."

Understanding dawned. "You came to stop them."

"I had no time. By the time I learned of what was happening here, nearly eighty percent of the population was dead." Blue eyes scanned the monstrous fires below. "Saving the remaining people would have been possible… initially."

This earned a fresh scowl. "Something else happened, didn't it?"

Another hot wind blew, howling through the dead air in a haunting cry of death and agony. "He came," Jet said slowly, voice very soft.

Teeth gritted, Sonic demanded, "Who came?"

Jet's gaze drifted into the sky. "This world… was doomed, with or without the Tel'or. With no star to orbit, this world drifts… and this time it drifted too far. It slipped straight into the outermost reaches of the territory the Demon God claims in this realm. He came here, and from that moment this world's fate was sealed."

Too stunned to think, Sonic found himself blurting out, "You couldn't have stopped him?" When Jet didn't answer, Sonic's tone grew a touch darker. "I know you fought him, there's no way in hell that you didn't, but couldn't you have stopped him?!"

"You look at things too simply, Sonic," Jet murmured, gaze growing more distant again, "ever still trying to see existence as black and white, good and evil… everything either existing one way or another and never in between. Years ago, it took you too long to accept even something as simple as a person being a thief and a good person at the same time… remember?"

Something in Sonic instantly softened. "...Yeah." He looked away, then sighed. "Yeah, I remember."

"A similar situation is at play here," Jet told him. "We can no longer trust everyone we should. Likewise, many whom we normally could never trust are now among our best allies. You can try all you like to look at these matters in simple terms, but there is nothing simple about this war and all those involved."

Including you. Gaining another frown, he turned back to face Jet. Eventually, he asked, "How does this apply to the God of Demons?"

Finally, shifted and braced his hand on his knee in order to stand up. "You know not the forces I contend with in facing that man." Jet stared deeply into the flames, catching glimpses here and there of melting buildings, massive demons, signs of his recently lost fight that were rapidly being obliterated… and amidst it all, he saw the one ultimately responsible for it all. A dark shape appeared and stood on a nearby rise in the ground entirely engulfed in fire, staring at them and not moving. Their visage was constantly distorted and shifting due to the flames. Sonic saw the figure soon after Jet did and all but leapt to his feet, eyes wide. No doubt he, too, could sense the nearly impossible levels of malice and power that were now flooding the area once more.

Eyes wide, Sonic muttered, "It… looks like… a person…" Jet inclined his head in answer. Emerald eyes swung around to face the hawk, pleading for an answer Jet could not give. "It looks like a person, Jet," Sonic said, voice strained. "I thought-"

"That demons cannot be anything other than monsters?" Jet looked at Sonic out of the corner of his eye. "Make no mistake. Aside from their eyes, a demon can look at ordinary as you, or Tails, or even Cream. Demons may be monsters in most regards, but many of them are also people. There is no black and white… even in regards to evil."

Shaken to his very core, Sonic snapped his gaze back to the not-so-distant form of the God of Demons… only to find that terrible stare now focused solely on him. The amount of fear this focus instilled in him was unlike anything Sonic had ever felt before, and it caused his knees to buckle beneath him. He fell into an awkward sitting position, unable to look away as the dark entity below took a slow and ominous step forward. Though he wanted to, Sonic couldn't stand up. He felt weak, breathless, paralyzed.

At his side, Jet snapped his sword out of its sheath and pointed it at the God he had already earlier faced. "That's enough!" His voice was powerful, carrying a deep and unquestionable authority that Sonic had almost never heard his friend actually exercise. It echoed across the space separating them from their enemy, and said enemy came to a stop. Looking up at them once more, they slowly grinned… and then vanished within the flames.

Just like that, the oppressive aura of terror and malice lifted. Jet let out a breath, almost a sort of sigh, and carefully sheathed his sword. He turned to Sonic and unexpectedly offered a hand. Still shaky, Sonic accepted it and let Jet haul him up. Swallowing thickly, the once-old hero mumbled, "I… think that's enough danger for me for one day."

Something in Jet's demeanor was understanding… perhaps even apologetic. With a soft hum of agreement, he simply gathered his energies and took them away.

~保護者~

In silence, the God of Demons walked through a tunnel in the catacombs deep under the ground in one of the worlds he had long since taken as his own. This world existed within his realm, safe from intruders and onlookers alike. He only permitted his strongest and most intelligent warriors and archmages anywhere near this place, but even they dared not get in his way as he walked toward the center of the catacombs with a new shard in hand. It was splashed with crimson, a grim sign of the carnage that had resulted in his acquiring of it. Astra had been following him for the past couple of minutes, keeping herself hidden from the senses of any demons (other than the God of Demons) they may happen across. She had a sneaking suspicion that he knew she was there, but was ignoring her. Not that it mattered. If they got much further, she would have the information she sought from him.

The two walked in continued quiet for nearly two miles before a smooth voice finally severed that silence. "You would do well to not stalk a demon." His was calm, deceptively uncaring about her presence.

"I understand that much," Astra replied with a faint shrug, unveiling herself. "I'm truthfully not here for you."

"I know it." With that simple reply, he stopped walking and turned to her. "You wish to lay eyes on the portal."

She chuckled faintly. "What can I say? It has long been a topic of interest for many, not excluding myself." Astra regarded him with a faint carelessness, unbothered by the fact of who he was or what he was capable of. Dark eyes roved over her, as though assessing her in some manner, then he simply pivoted on his heel and continued walking. It seemed he had chosen for now to not kill her… for some reason. Instead, he merely continued on to his destination.

With time, they reached the central cluster of wide caverns, most full of fires and crawling with demons. He ignored them all, and they wisely gave him a wide berth, as he walked into the center-most room of them all. In this room were many various ancient demonic artifacts, as well as many bones of the deceased, but they seemed of little overall importance. Especially when compared to the nearly half-finished Twilight Portal hovering in the center of the room. "Satisfied, girl?" he inquired blandly as he relinquished his hold on the shard, watching as it flew into place on the portal of its own accord. It, like the rest, became ethereal, wispy energy once connected again.

"This is quite the work you have done." Astra remarked. "I am almost satisfied. However, tell me. What is intended purpose of the portal for you? Could you not use your natural power to open a portal such as this?" She asked, faintly raising an eyebrow to him.

"No one is able to enter that realm," he told her slowly, his back to her, "save for the Immortals, through such basic means. Surely even you know that."

Astra found herself amused at this, watching the demonic god. "Affirmation is important in the business of information. I am sure even you know that. Especially when it comes to identities and portals to nigh powerful beings of true and utter evil." The corrupted woman shrugged, smiling. "I hope to see you accomplish your goals. The end results will be… interesting."

Suddenly and without warning, the man pinned her forcefully against the nearest wall with a hand comprised of dark energy and magic that summarily quashed her own for the time being. "I would watch what you tell others… lest I tear out your tongue."

"Tearing out my tongue would only quell my physical speech." Astra smirked faintly, despite the position she was in. "You see, I don't want them to know. The longer their fight is with you, a vain battle as it is now in my eyes, the less of a chance for failure in my plans. Further, if my plans succeed, then you would essentially be more or less unrestrained in your ability to continue as you wish yourself."

He spun around and stalked over to her, eyes ablaze. "You think you possess the means to carry out your little scheme?" he muttered darkly. "He has shattered realities far greater than you can even comprehend, and yet you think you are enough to interfere?"

She closed her eyes and shrugged. "Perhaps. I am of the ones who broke his mind all those years ago. It has not repaired. There are vulnerabilities." Astra opened her eyes and gazed directly into his. "I shattered his mind, the mind of an Immortal. One last push could be all it takes from me to end this long journey and complete my lifelong plan."

His voice now dripping with disdain, he told her simply, "You will fail, girl."

"And if I do fail? Does that have an effect on what you do? If I even halfway succeed, he will be out of your picture for a while. You will be unimpeded, unbothered. Your conquest can continue. You can slay the longest-reigning evil to exist."

Once more, his eyes flashed, this time as though with knowledge of some kind. However, he didn't deign to share it. Instead, he stalked closer to her, less than a foot away now. There was clear bloodlust forming in his eyes now as he muttered, "Your heart… its incessant beating is… vexing."

"I would imagine so. Another being in your midst… of course. I will go now, if you would so allow it." Astra raised an eyebrow lightly in question. Instead of releasing her, he allowed some darkness from that hand to slide up and start pressing on her throat. He did so love torture, after all. Her chin lifted a little and she gained a noticeable scowl on her face. "How does this benefit you? Satiation of further bloodlust, I presume?"

"It would rid me of an annoying pest," he offered mildly, as though this was an amusing little game to him and nothing more. As he spoke, he slowly but steadily increased the pressure he was placing on her throat and the rest of her body.

Astra bit her upper lip and watched him, trying not to display any large amount of fear. "That is true, I suppose…"

All of a sudden, as though appeased by her slight show of fear, he simply dropped her onto the hard rocky floor. In doing so, he released her entirely. "You try so hard to be brave…" he murmured, almost chuckling. "You are not brave, dove. Lying will get you nowhere."

"Leave the 'dove' talk to my sister. I am no dove. It would get a much better response from her," she answered, landing and rubbing her throat softly. That was unpleasant. "In the life I live, displaying fear would be a sentence to immediate death. It is nature for me to not let it be easily known."

In a flash, he had completely stabbed her through the stomach with a thick barb of energy. It dissipated just as quickly as it had appeared while he turned away to contemplate his portal. "Leave before I decide you are indeed worth hunting down…"

Astra made no sound, using her magic to prevent herself from spilling blood and giving him that satisfaction. A final act of defiance. "So be it. I will continue as if we do not exist to one another." There was a flash of grey that signaled her leaving of the catacombs. Satisfied for now with her departure, he returned to his thoughts.

~保護者~

Pain flared in Jet's body when he landed in the snow outside of his home. Though he gave no sign of it, didn't even so much as blink, Sonic's gaze zeroed in on him regardless. "You're hurt," he stated in sudden realization, eyes widening.

He seemed stunned that he hadn't noticed the gaping slashes covering Jet's torso, probably was in fact, but Jet barely reacted. "I'll manage," he murmured distractedly, already walking to the doors to pull them open.

"The hell you will!" Sonic protested even as they went inside.

Jet decided to ignore his concern for now. Not that it wasn't… appreciated. "I will," he assured in calm tones, "and you will remain here."

That surprised Sonic enough to stop his arguing before it could truly begin. "Wait- what?"

"When we communicated just prior to Cream's revival, I said I could not be here to monitor things." Jet glanced briefly in the direction of the others. "I meant my words."

Sonic's face went deadly serious. Jet marveled anew at the speed with which his friend's emotions could switch. "What is it you're trying to do out there, Jet?"

Though he didn't particularly want to answer, Jet did so… eventually. Though, that isn't to say that he told Sonic anything much. "Both Tein and the God of Demons still require my attention." He looked Sonic in the eye for once and held his gaze there. "I'm trusting you all to keep each other safe while I settle things. Can you manage?"

Looking torn, Sonic slowly inclined his head. "...Yeah… of course we can."

"Good." Turning away, he repeated more softly, "Very good." He teleported away without another word, ready to confront the God of Demons about the carnage that he and then later Sonic had been made to face earlier. Dealing with Tein could come later. First, he and an old enemy needed to have a little chat.

Wherever it was that he next appeared, he didn't much care. He'd been to so many demonic hell-holes in his life that they all started to look the same to him in many ways. This one was hardly different. It was obviously hellish, lacking in any plant life, coated in fire and lava and darkness in every conceivable place, soaked from the blood of past victims… Hardly a place he wanted to visit. However, the events of today had forced his hand. He couldn't take out his opponent, not now and certainly not here, but he could try to slow the man down. He had to buy time, give Wave a chance to do her part and figure out where the next target would be. She would signal him when it was time, but for now… for now, he was on his own.

~保護者~

3,415 words this time. So, I know... I know I've had a terribly long hiatus, and you guys all deserve an explanation. Allow me to summarize as briefly as possible so as not to bore you all. There was the fire (I thankfully didn't have to evacuate, in the end), there was getting ready for the holidays (I work as a nanny for five kids, so that was hell by itself), there was getting through the holidays, then I got sick (I had a fever for six days straight and even now I still have a cough), plus I had more writer's block, and that's about it. I know it doesn't sound like much overall, but please believe me when I tell you how mad everything was around here up until now. I hope you all can forgive me, and I promise to update again as quickly as possible. Hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 8:10 p.m.) 01-03-19.

Edit: I forgot to mention it before, but as always thank you very much to Blazing Winds for his help! He brainstormed parts of the second scene, as well as wrote all of Astra's parts.