Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during this awful ordeal… especially for the ones who are in so much danger.

~保護者~

"Crimson Flames"

~保護者~

Flames climbed high into a crimson sky in the distance as the God of Demons gazed out into the distance. A mother demoness and her spawn clambered around the rocky hillside where he had chosen to perch, threatening to disturb his thoughts. Fighting to ignore them any longer held no appeal, so he snarled at the nearest runt and kicked it away. This sent its siblings scampering downward, ultimately having the desired effect of convincing the mother to follow suit. Satisfied, he turned his head forward again and resumed contemplating the desolate landscape.

There were many matters that required his careful consideration at this time. He rested his chin on the folded fingers of his clasped hands while his elbows braced on his knees, glowing demonic eyes fixated on some wispy trails of smoke that rose up from the ground ahead of him. Taking in a slow, deep breath, he allowed his thoughts to become more focused. Decisions have to be made… one at a time. The key to this was, of course, to deal with one issue at a time. So, on a whim, he picked a problem and started there.

The Army is becoming bold… and their leaders are too presumptuous. To expect to be able to force his cooperation with them… for the lot of them to believe that he would want to work with them toward their cause… Ludicrous. Idiotic. Offensive. Something had to be done. While he certainly desired the opportunity to simply slaughter each and every member of the Army, he was above all else a rational individual. It was far from a wise notion to believe that he could get away with such a direct assault. Not now, at any rate. Not when their leader was sticking so close to her forces. He was forced to deal with them in another manner, and that was exactly what he would do. An increased militant presence of his own would be enough to keep them out of his territories for now, and that was fine. He would deal with any further issues as they arose, as he had other much bigger matters to give his attention to.

One such matter was one of his newest demons. He had corrupted Astra a very short time ago, but already he had high expectations for her usefulness. In spite of this, however, he also knew that she had the potential to be unreliable. She has almost irreparably damaged her own mind. That alone can prove troublesome. Was it worth the risk of keeping her around solely because it might mean that greater damage was done to the enemy than would normally be possible? In the end, he decided that it was… assuming she could prove her worth in smaller assaults first. If she could survive interactions of even comparably minor scale with Jet and his friends, then perhaps he had truly not underestimated her ability. She simply had to prove that to him, for he trusted no one. On that note, he decided to send her off on one such mission very, very soon.

The last of the major... dilemmas he was faced with at the present moment involved two very specific individuals. The boy… and his brother. A frown marred his once empty expression and he closed his eyes. Each poses a threat in their own way, yet each can also prove to be an invaluable asset. However, the threat that Sonic poses as he is now may outweigh any benefits he may offer. The reason for this was, of course, incredibly simply. Sonic possessed within an innate Light, and quite an extreme amount of it. This was equal and yet entirely opposite to the Darkness that the boy also possessed, Darkness which the God of Demons was itching to find a means of utilizing. However… He will not submit quietly. Nor will his friends put him in a position where it would be easy to try and force him to.

Another deep inhalation of smokey, fire-choked air. A hot breeze filtered across the rocks. His thoughts swirled much like that small funnel of air, growing in number before eventually dying down into nothingness. Only when he achieved this calmer state and cleared his mind did a basic course of action began to form. It would be painfully simple for now: find a way to force corruption or simply send the boy back to the grave. More specifics would be worked out later, but it would take a fool to think that there were any other options available to him than that. The boy may not have been on-par with some of his friends in terms of raw power anymore, but that did not translate into him not being a threat. His Light ensured as much. Ignoring and otherwise leaving him be simply was never an option. If he could not get the boy corrupted (be it purely due to who his mother was, or because of his friends, or whatever else), then the boy was to die with the rest. There was nothing else to do.

Sonic's half-brother, however, was a different matter entirely. Unlike the boy, Shadow had been born purely of Darkness. As such, the latent abilities he possessed from said Darkness were far greater than what Sonic could ever hope to achieve. And given the lack of conflicting light within the somewhat younger hedgehog, he would be vastly easier to corrupt. The God had determined as much some years ago, back before the Army had reared its head again and well before there had been any indication that circumstances would spur Ythene into action… prompting her to revive whoever she saw fit through the use of the once long-dormant Master Emerald.

But, while his decision had been made long ago, he had not acted upon it or even attempted to yet. Instead, he had bided his time, waiting to see what events would transpire that might necessitate such a direct attack against his Immortal enemy and said enemy's friends. It was a risky endeavor to consider, and at the time the various wars he had been conducting had demanded too much of his attention. Perhaps he had been too curious, as well, too eager to see how much stronger Shadow would grow when left to his own devices and not knowingly threatened by any outside forces. Certainly, he had not disappointed. The few times he had been able to access his Darkness throughout the years had spurred him to train with it so hard that the Demonic God was honestly puzzled as to how Shadow's friends and allies had not noticed a change. Add to that the sharp increase in his other abilities (such as physical strength and the like) and the many constant upgrades to his ever-improving mechanical parts, and it was clear that he was beginning to become a genuine force to be reckoned with in this realm.

Now was a prime opportunity to capitalize on that.

Opening his eyes, the God scrutinized a newcomer who kneeled cautiously in front of the slab of stone he had been sitting upon. "What do you want?" he muttered.

Not daring to raise their own gaze from the ground, the bulky demon answered, "The planet we were informed of has been located. My troops are razing the cities to the ground as we speak in search of the shard."

The God's demeanor, initially tense with irritation over the interruption, shifted to one of dark delight. "Oh?" he inquired smoothly. "And what of the people?"

"Simple-minded creatures with no knowledge of what we seek," the demon reported. "Their king, it would seem, does not think them capable of handling his secrets."

"A coward's response," the God responded. After a slight pause, he added, "I assume he is unwilling to aid you in your search."

The demon, clearly afraid of repercussions, quickly but reluctantly admitted, "We were unable to make him talk, my lord. He will admit to nothing."

That was something the God had expected to be told. It was par for the course, merely business as usual with this sort of thing. "Bring him here," he ordered. "If he feels he can be brave in his domain, then I will introduce him to mine." And he will soon discover that lack of cooperation will do little more than add to his suffering.

Head bowing further, the demon informed him, "I anticipated your orders and already transported him here. He awaits you in the catacombs."

This show of basic competence was enough to spare this enough to spare him from any consequences for failing to get any answers himself before now. And, besides that, he had given the God a prime opportunity to alleviate himself of some of the usual boredom he suffered. That was a more than desirable outcome. So, satisfied with what he had been told, he stood up. "Return to your troops and continue your search. Do not approach me again until you have the shard."

Sensing the unspoken threat, the demon did not dare argue. "I understand," he said instead. He also stood to leave, but the God briefly stopped him.

"Word will be sent regarding the shard's location," the God told him simply. "If you find that the king was lying, I am to be informed immediately… so that I may prove to him that cooperation is in his very best interest." With a quick nod, the demon disappeared.

Turning away, the God nimbly jumped down to the foot of the hill. A second leap forward he disappeared down one of many hellish openings in the ground that could be found across this world's landscape. This was but one of countless entrances into the catacombs. The fall was long and rapid, but he landed lightly and without injury. Once on the ground again, he began walking. As per usual, many of the demons that populated this underground world shrank away from him or outright fled… especially when they detected his powerful desire to maim and kill. Even the bolder individuals who often desired to seem strong in his presence wisely backed down. Now was not the time for them to risk testing their mettle against him, and they knew it.

The lack of interruptions pleased him as he passed through chamber after chamber, following maze-like corridors from one location to the next until he reached one of his very favorite places. In this particular cavernous space, there was a sizeable pool of lava fed by a constant leaking stream from the ceiling. Fires burned and smoke churned and covering nearly every inch of stone and dirt… blood. Here, many a prisoner had been tortured and killed for the sole purpose of retrieving the information they hid away in their minds. It was true that any demon with half a brain and any degree of psychic ability could simply steal away what was needed but, as it was… the God distinctly preferred employing his own methods. Their blood, their suffering, their agony, their screams and their pleas for mercy… it all served to fuel the wicked fires within him, and this was not a pleasure he was willing to relinquish unless forced.

As he entered the line of sight of his newest captive, the distinctly younger creature (whose hands and ankles were bound with painful tightness) paled. A shiver worked its way through this supposed "king" and his voice quavered when he spoke. "I fear no form of death, you vile beast!" he declared. Yet his eyes were wide and his pulse breaths were much too fast and his aura… there was no hiding the amount of sheer terror clouding it.

A coward indeed. Walking over, the God knelt down and placed a hand on that small, child-sized head. "Little creature…" he whispered with a vicious smirk, "you have far worse things to fear from me than just your death."

Trembling anew, the child-man demanded, "W-w-what do you want?"

The God's smirk never faltered as he slowly gave his answered. "Fool though you are, I believe you know as well as I that every world will one day see its end. Your world, as it happens… appears to be seeing it now, thanks to you."

Immediately, there were protests. Those wide eyes managed to grow even wider. "B-but," the little king demanded, "I n-n-never d-did anything t-to you! I-I don't even know wh-who you are!"

Removing his hand, the God tilted his head and regarded the pitiful soul before him. "No," he agreed easily enough. "However, that has little bearing on your current circumstances. You see…" He summoned a small blade into his right hand. "I have learned something of rather large importance over the years. The greater the treasure, it would seem, the deeper it is buried." Reaching forward again, he slowly ran the tip of his blade against the skin of the smaller man's throat, leaving a trickle of blood along the way. "Likewise," he continued, "when left with such a great treasure, people will fight hard to protect it… And the longer you resist me, the more savagely my demons will slaughter your planet's residents in their search. Eventually, there will be no one left for us to harm but you." Bringing the blade upward, the God used it to force the other man's chin up so that they were eye-to-eye. "The question has now become… how prepared you are to suffer for your secrets."

Not waiting for a reply, he swung the knife down and plunged it into his prisoner's knee. This man was terrified enough already that he would likely speak without necessitating any torture, but that would kill any potential for getting enjoyment out of this. So, determined to draw things out as long as possible, the God relished in the horrified squeal of pain that was let out… and prepared another blade.

~保護者~

2,362 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed this darker installment to the story! Posted (at about 9:50 a.m.) 08-14-19.