Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during this sudden upset… especially for the one who has so much curiosity.

~保護者~

"Ripple in Time"

~保護者~

Even with the great walls of Hellfire gone for the first time in the living memory of virtually all demons, smoke still simultaneously billowed high into the sky and hung low to the ground. A large and intimidating-looking but ultimately low-ranking general in the God's legions walked into the area without any trepidation, barely taking notice of the occasional bolt of Darkness that crackled through the air around him. He stopped a safe distance behind the spot where his God knelt, back to the general with something small in hand that glinted in the faint reddish light. When the general wasn't acknowledged, he straightened his posture and dared to interrupt… if only because he was confident that his life would indeed be spared at the moment, considering the intel he was carrying. "My lord."

"Back off," Kaden snarled, his mood understandably far from ideal given the current situation. He closed his hand around whatever he was holding and stood. Then, voice lowering to a more dangerously quiet tone, he muttered, "I'm busy."

Perhaps Kaden was not prepared to be as lenient as the general had first believed. But, no matter. It was more than likely he would stay walk away from this in one piece… if he was careful in how he proceeded. "I come bearing news, sir. Good news, and on multiple fronts."

At this, Kaden finally turned to look at the other man, a scowl firmly in place on his face. "Explain," he demanded. "Now. I do not have time for you to stall."

Emboldened by the permission he had been granted, the general cast his gaze about their surroundings and frankly stated, "The woman you had trapped here… we can confirm her current whereabouts, and who is guarding her." Kaden's eyes narrowed. "The small world the God of Runes has claimed as his home near the edges of this reality is a place where all the Gods and Goddesses, as well as Jet, have been known to gather. Another general sent troops there while you were away, merely to see if any trace of the woman could be gathered. Predictably, they were all killed… but not by the hands of those I mentioned previously. They were purified into nonexistence by Light."

This was it. The moment the general had been waiting for. A faint spark of interest lit up in Kaden's eyes, evaporating at least some of his dour mood. "How long ago was this?"

"Mere hours," the general answered. Then, seeking to capitalize on the fact that he had his God's attention now, he added, "From what we have gathered, her retaliation cost her dearly and she collapsed immediately afterward. She is still very weak."

The general's words went briefly unanswered as Kaden slowly turned his head away to look around the area where he had for so long held Analia captive. He had dismantled the trap upon his return from his short-lived conflict with Nareish, only to find that there had been nothing wrong with it. It had been precisely as he had left it… in all but one way. The one prisoner it had held had inexplicably gone missing. How this was possible, the general had no idea. Whether or not his God did, he also didn't know. But Kaden seemed thoughtful now as he contemplated the matter and everything he had just been told. After a long pause, he lifted his right hand a bit and opened it to again look at whatever small item he'd been holding before. From this angle, the general could make out that it was definitely metal. "Not weak enough, it would seem," Kaden murmured, lowering his hand again.

Though puzzled, the general forged ahead. "It seems that the Cere, Finis, and the distinctly more minor 'God of Thieves' have been left in charge of her care. We have not detected any others on the planet, and we believe they intend to keep her where she is for the foreseeable future"

"Those two… are more than enough on their own, against the likes of you," Kaden remarked blandly. "You cannot even keep proper surveillance… despite it being such a simple task."

Now equal parts confused and concerned by the change in tone, the general took a slight step back. "I assure you, we-"

"Silence," Kaden ordered quietly. The general immediately shut his mouth. His God was not the sort to yell, to shout. When he got quieter… that was when all those around him knew it was wise to start fearing for their lives. "They have moved her," he revealed, "though only once. She was taken directly to Mobius and into the chameleon village of Hyale, where they remained for less than twenty minutes. You, general, failed to notice that."

Gone was the demon's prior confidence. He bowed his head in shame and genuine fear. Failure was met with severe punishment… and sometimes even death. "My… My apologies, my lord."

Kaden was silent for another long, distinctly more horrible moment before ordering, "Speak your other news."

The general quickly nodded. "Of course. We… have received reports of a different nature, unrelated to this matter. A spawn of Malevolence has made its presence known on Mobius a mere ten minutes ago. That it is active now can only mean that Malevolence itself has awakened as well. Being that it is far too early for Malevolence to have finished its so-called 'long sleep', it will by no means be at full strength at this time."

Slowly, Kaden's eyes narrowed again. "...I will look into this myself. Keep your nose out of it. I will not have you blundering about in this matter." He turned away again. "Leave before I decide your earlier mistake is worthy of death." The general took the threat to heart and immediately left. Once alone again, Kaden bared his teeth and growled softly at himself. It was pathetic, that he was so fucking preoccupied with her that he could even behave normally… like some sort of goddamn moron.

For a second time, he lifted his hand to regard the small metal object he had picked up from the ash-laden dirt earlier. It was a fairly simple silver-colored ring… one he remembered vividly. It was hers, after all, and he had been the one to give it to her. An act of love. That he had ever wanted to marry that woman, to be bonded with her in any way, was absolutely pathetic. He was fucking pathetic for even standing here thinking about it. All the more reason to follow through with the little idea he'd had earlier.

Glaring darkly at the ring and all the sentimentality and emotions it contained, he called Hellfire into the palm of his hand and watched the wretched thing melt away into nothing… taking yet another layer of his weakness with it.

~保護者~

Sonic cracked an eye open after his light nap to check on Steam. After a second, he sat up in the grass and quietly asked, "Hey… it's been a while, you up to heading back yet?"

Steam seemed to shake out of some sort of doze, turning his attention more fully over to Sonic after a moment when he realized that nothing dangerous had woken him. "Uh… what?"

"You ready to leave?" Sonic asked him, stifling a slight yawn.

"I guess," Steam murmured, pushing himself off the tree and slowly blinking to fully wake himself once more.

With a nod, Sonic sat up and then moved to stand. "We'd better get going, then. We've been gone a while."

Steam nodded and slowly began walking, slowly trying to stretch his muscles out. "Thanks a lot, for everything."

"Yeah… of course." Sonic started following after him. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Mostly… " Steam answered slowly. "Mind's still clearing up."

"Yeah. That's pretty common, from what I've gathered," Sonic answered him.

The green hedgehog nodded. "Yeah. It definitely is."

Sonic opened his mouth to say something, decided there was no point, and shut it again. They walked on in silence for a short bit before his right ear gave a small flick. He stopped walking, looking around warily. "...Did you feel that? Like, this weird crackle in the air or something?"

"Oh, hell no," Steam answered, unsheathing his blade and very quickly moving closer to Sonic.

"What?" Sonic demanded, already reaching for his sword. His words were nearly drowned out by a low and yet deafening thrum of energy that caused their immediate surroundings to rumble dangerously. "What the hell…" he muttered, turning in a slow circle while he scanned the trees. Then there was another crackle, this one visible. Energy arced through the air, black and crimson in color and gut-wrenchingly unmistakeable in how it felt to his senses. His eyes widened and his arm dropped limply to his side and abject horror. "Malevolence…?" he heard himself whisper.

"Get behind me," Steam demanded, gripping his sword tight and glancing around. "Fucking bastard, now of all times?"

Though it might have been wiser to do as he'd been told, Sonic instead held his ground and drew his sword. "What are you talking about?" he muttered, keeping his voice low in case they were being watched. He couldn't sense anyone or anything yet, but that was no reason to be careless.

Steam, despite how tired he still was from his ordeal, quickly allowed Light to flow through and out of his body. "A spawn of Malevolence. I don't know what it's here for, but I'm damn sure I know who it is."

"Who?" Sonic echoed in shock. "That thing is sentient enough to be a person?"

"Infinite," the green hedgehog growled, fur bristling. "Don't do anything rash."

Infinite? The hell does that even mean? Sonic started to open his mouth to ask, but shut it again with a snap of teeth when there was another pulse of energy. Another soon followed, this one so strong it launched them both into the air. They started to fall back down, of course, but yet another pulse somehow… interrupted their fall, leaving them suspended in the air as they were while the world around them turned grey and froze. They were left frozen, unable to do anything except move their eyes and, if they wished, speak. Slowly, Sonic's eyes widened and realization hit. "Time control…? That shouldn't even be possible!" Short time-freezes were certainly possible through use of the Chaos Emeralds, and ridiculously strong Immortals could probably do it whenever they wanted, but otherwise… otherwise this just wasn't a thing people could do.

"You, fucker! Stop hiding and face us, dammit!" Steam yelled, already attempting to move himself despite it not being possible at the moment.

Almost as if on cue, the spawn itself (himself? Sonic wasn't sure) appeared hovering in the air just beyond where Steam could have reached… had the hedgehog not been frozen. Their body was comprised of the unmistakable energy of Malevolence and its spawn, and the person's one visible eye was fixed on Steam. "And who says I was hiding…?" the person drawled, arms loosely crossed.

"Stop this," Steam muttered angrily, fixing his gaze on the spawn. "And tell us what the hell you're doing here."

"Who the fuck are you?" Sonic demanded.

The spawn's gaze shifted slowly to Sonic. "You may call me 'Infinite'… for the short moment in time it will matter to you."

"What, are you gonna try and kill us?" Steam growled. "Good fucking luck with that."

"I have my orders, but… I do not feel particularly inclined to follow them," was the casual reply.

Confused beyond nearly all words, Sonic blurted out (without actually intending to) the first thing that came to his mind. "Since when do your kind have the free will to fucking choose?"

At this, Infinite tilted his head very slightly to one side. "Since the Trokklar Army's queen stole many of us… and was forced to grant us such abilities in order for us to even be capable of obeying her." After a moment, he looked back over Steam, as though contemplating what to do. Eventually he spoke again. "We have enough free will to do what we please within a certain margin, but are largely still bound to our orders."

"Why are you telling us this?" Sonic found himself asking, strangely alarmed by how forthcoming this stranger was being.

Once more, that frightening gaze was fixated on him. "Frankly, I do not care what her orders are. I do not care about her or her goals. I exist for one purpose, and it does not involve her. I am bound to the command I was given, and I will carry it out… but if you return and act upon knowledge that works against her it will not be my problem." Energy began to gather around Sonic and Steam, pulsing rhythmically but never harming them enough to cause any actual injury. "I was ordered to get rid of two strong members of your little group, in order to sow fear and distress… but given no orders on how to do so. So I will be rid of you… and if you return, then so be it."

"Fuck you," Steam bit out, muscles tensing as he once more tried to move.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sonic demanded, growing ever more concerned as the energy continued to gradually engulf them.

"Making use of a little one-time gift I was given for… emergencies." Infinite casually waved a hand, sending them hurtling away through nothingness, but still his voice could be heard for just one second longer. "Enjoy your little trip through time."

Why do portals and crap always make me fall through the sky? Sonic groused, twisting around in the air so that his feet were underneath him in preparation for the inevitable landing. A quick glance around showed that he was well above the clouds at the moment… and that he wasn't alone up here. That gave him a vague feeling of satisfaction. At least I'm not the only one dropping like a rock. He tried to save himself from a painful impact, but found that he couldn't. ...Too bad we can't teleport. Guess whatever that guy did to block our powers is still in effect. That, or this is a no-power zone, which is unlikely. Those are rare as shit. Letting out a sigh that was lost to the wind, Sonic called out, "Where do you think we are? And when?"

"No telling yet… can't see shit," Steam called back, growling under his breath. This was all less than ideal, for sure, and the fact that he knew what was now on the loose irritated him to no end.

"Helpful," Sonic grumbled. They were starting to fall through the white, fluffy monstrosities that were today's clouds, and he grumbled even more in response to this. After all, it left his fur pretty damp… even if the wind rushing past did dry him off quickly once they broke free. He looked down again, squinting, and soon called out again, "Those are definitely mountains down there, and it looks like some have snow. We must be up north. Pretty much no mountain anywhere else is tall enough to have snow." And I think that was true on South Island… maybe. The fact that this clearly was South Island - a fact he knew only because he could spy a certain distinctive mountain peak (one he'd climbed twice as a child) that had been lost with the island - was something to be contemplated later, when he was actually ready to confront his last memories of the place. So, maybe never.

"Well, I propose we try and focus on a way to not die upon impact," Steam answered, looking around quickly for anything that might be of use to them. "It's not pleasant to die from falls."

"That's my point," Sonic replied. "This high up, and with our durability, I really don't think we're gonna die. It'll hurt like a bitch, though, depending on what we land on."

Steam shrugged. "Suppose I'm just used to situations being worse, then."

After a short time, Sonic's eyes widened and he pointed, "No way- Look! Is that a city? It's gotta be huge, look at the size of it!" It was definitely ancient (with this whole area being part of South Island, there was no way it was modern), and that made its sheer size a sight to behold, even from this distance. It was so far off in the distance though that he had no idea what city it might have been. Civilization had been reduced to villages and a few teeny towns here and there by the time I started terrorizing Gerald, so… this is definitely way before my time.

A faint frown appeared on Steam's face at this, trying to remember the various things he'd learned about what existed on South Island. Could this be during the lifetime of my mom and the others…?

Seconds later, Sonic groaned aloud. "Oh, great… there's a lake below us."

"Ah, fuck," Steam muttered. "This is gonna sting like hell."

"You're the one who didn't want to land on the ground."

"I said I didn't wanna die. In case you forgot, I have fire. I'm not gonna like it either," Steam huffed. "Don't make me find a way to throw your ass somewhere."

There was no time to reply. They hit the water full-force (and yes, it did hurt like a motherfucker), prompting Sonic to beat as hasty a retreat as possible from his liquid foe. He was on dry land and shaking himself off almost faster than he could even comprehend. "Must it always be fucking water?" he complained.

Steam emerged moments later, shivering and shaking as harshly as he could to dry off somewhat. "Fucking hell…" he muttered, brushing off what water he could.

With a quick glance around, Sonic took in their surroundings. They were clearly alone out here, without even any clear sign of nearby animals. The trees and other foliage were thickly packed, and from what Sonic had seen above, this forest stretched for freaking miles upon miles. And the number of mountains he had managed to see before they'd crashed into the lake seemed to imply… I need more proof. Thinking fast, he dashed up the nearest tall tree, shading his eyes with his hand while he scanned the surrounding area. Before long, he was absolutely grinning. Steam leapt up after him, glancing around before raising a curious eyebrow to the other hedgehog. Unsure if Steam would understand as quickly as Sonic had, he explained, "There's bamboo growing all around here. Know what that means?"

Steam seemed more than confused, motioning for Sonic to explain more. "I don't get what that means in the slightest."

"Aside from within the chameleon territories, which thank god we aren't in right now, there's only one region on Mobius that grows bamboo," Sonic explained, still happy as could be in spite of their current circumstances. "And that one region would be the massive fucking mountain range with countless peaks where none other than the city of Chun-nan was built."

"Oh, fuck," Steam murmured, focusing more on the area around them. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Sonic cheerily confirmed. He jumped out of the tree, heading uncannily in the direction of the city he had earlier spied. "C'mon, it's this way."

Steam vaulted off the branch, following after Sonic as quickly as he could. "Alright, I'll trust you for that much."

"You act like I'm gonna deliberately lead you astray," Sonic huffed at him.

The green hedgehog shrugged. "You could," Steam murmured. "I doubt you actually would, though."

Instead of replying specifically to that, Sonic instead said, "I don't know about you, but I'm feeling better again, finally. Up for a run, or is that not your thing?"

"May as well get moving," Steam answered, motioning for Sonic to take off. "I'll keep up."

With a nod, Sonic tore off ahead, feeling undeniably great to finally be out of the house and finally moving somewhere. It was easy not to worry about any of this, about any of the others, so long as he could keep himself occupied like this. All the more reason to savor the wind, he supposed. It's been way too long.

A small burst of flames accentuated Steam's takeoff, and he quickly ran up beside Sonic with a questioning glance. "I've got a question, and it's more hypothetical than anything."

"Shoot," Sonic invited, deftly dodging around one of the smallest groves of bamboo he'd ever seen. It looked like much of the area had been chopped down not too long ago. Signs of life… So the city's not been abandoned yet. That's great news.

"Do you think we're in the time where our parents would've been alive?" Steam asked, turning his attention forward. "Because… that might be the key to us getting out of this mess, at least potentially."

"I was actually thinking about that," Sonic admitted. "Chun-nan obviously isn't abandoned yet, so depending on what year it is… Dad might actually be there. He mentioned once that he, Locke, and Mom had some experiences falling through time like we just did, so if we're able to find at least one of them we might be safe." Plus… I just want to see Dad be himself.

Steam nodded slowly. "In that case… we need to look for them, or someone they were associated with like Saran. Someone who might be able to help." I hope to god my mom isn't here. That'll be an entire mess.

By now, they were nearing the city, and Sonic wasn't at all surprised to see guards lining the city's massive outer defensive walls. "On another note… while this has been fun, we're gonna have to teleport in the rest of the way. I doubt we'll be able to convince them to let us in that gate." He gestured to a very heavy and very solid looking gate way off to the right.

"Definitely not looking to get into any fights, either," Steam muttered in annoyance. "I'd rather not grab more attention than we have to, honestly."

Either way, though… us even being here is already going to cause this whole thing to diverge into a brand new timeline, if it hasn't already. ...Hope that can't come back to bite us in the ass later. If it even can. Maybe I'm just paranoid. Shaking his thoughts aside, Sonic went ahead and followed his own advice, teleporting into the highly crowded streets beyond the wall and waiting for Steam to join him. Steam soon appeared beside Sonic, skidding to a complete stop.

Once together, Sonic looked around a bit to try to gather his bearings. "...Man, this place looks so different when it's not abandoned," he murmured under his breath. "Even when Mom restored it, it just… I don't know." He trailed off, shaking his head in awe. The streets around them were bustling with activity. Homes had their windows open as people cooked and cleaned and did laundry inside. Small shopping stalls lined the streets as the merchants sold their wares. Citizens moved about, going about their daily lives, none the wiser to their city's eventual fate. And while that was deeply sad… everything about this was also incredibly beautiful.

"I know what you mean," Steam murmured, crossing his arms. "There's a lot to it all." There was some quiet recognition of everything around him behind some slowly building anxiety at the sheer amount of people in the area. He hated crowds…

Though he shouldn't have, Sonic spent a small amount of time simply soaking it all in before finally forcing himself to move on. "We… should find a calendar. Any calendar. I need to see what date it is."

"Fine," Steam huffed. "Let's go, then." He hated the idea of venturing into this… whatever it was.

"I'd love to," Sonic answered him, "but I've got no idea where to look." He crossed his arms, foot tapping rapidly in thought. "...Maybe there's a shop or something selling them?"

Steam sighed, walking forward. "Follow me, and don't get lost," he answered.

"As if I would," Sonic huffed, following along. "Even if it wasn't the same, I have been here before. I know my way around a fair portion of this place."

"Good, you can guide us after we find a calendar," Steam answered, weaving his way into the part of the crowd heading in the direction he had been. Fuck, I definitely stand out here.

Sonic took note of Steam's plummeting mood and said, "Try to relax. Once we know the date, we can get to a quieter area with less people. There are gardens and things we'll need to check, anyway, since Dad always loved them. Specifically for the peace and quiet." He paused, smiled, then added, "Plus, you know, flowers."

Steam huffed. "I don't want any attention on me right now," the hedgehog muttered, keeping his gaze low for the time being. "There's too many people around, as well…"

"Maybe…" Sonic turned around in a slow circle, eyes searching, then pointed, "That's a pretty high rooftop. Want to wait for me there?"

Though some part of Steam certainly wanted to get out of this, he felt obligated to stay and find what they were looking for. "No…"

"You sure?" Sonic pressed.

"Yeah. Let's find a calendar and move on," Steam answered, speeding up his pace and sliding through the crowd carefully.

It took some time and a lot of grumbling, but eventually Sonic managed to spy a calendar hanging on the wall of some random building they were passing by. He signaled for Steam to come over as he studied the pad of paper (such as it essentially was) and translated it. "So based on the type of calendar they're currently using and the year it's listed here…" He trailed off, but soon regained his earlier smile. "We're definitely in the era when Dad, Mom, and Locke were around. I'm not sure how old they'll be during this time period, but they won't be kids. I can say that much, at least."

Better not be close to when Dark Gaia appeared… Steam thought to himself before shaking his head to clear it. "We'll have to look. Hopefully we showed up before they started adventuring around."

"Or at least afterward," Sonic agreed. He quickly leapt onto the rooftops (mostly for Steam's sake) and began using their proximity to easily walk and jump through the city. He headed straight for the nearest area that he seemed to recall exploring once before. He was reasonably sure there was a large garden, complete with bamboo and a koi pond, that his father had mentioned spending a lot of time in once upon a time. Maybe we'll end up with some good luck for once.

Steam followed by Sonic, frowning. Sonic seems to have a destination in mind, but what are the chances we'll actually find any of them?

As they neared the garden and the buildings began to thin out along with the marketplace's crowds, Sonic decided it was time to drop back down to street-level. "Should be fine for you to come down," he called up to Steam. The green hedgehog dropped down after Sonic, landing gently and moving to follow. They resumed walking while Sonic said, "Keep an ear out for anything. Dad's always been the quiet, stay-in-the-background sort when not fighting, so we might never notice him if we don't look and listen."

"Got it," Steam answered as he began walking, glancing around carefully.

Ears perked and listening hard, Sonic made his way toward the garden. Just as they were finally truly leaving the noise of the market behind and the garden was coming into view, he started to hear a soft noise that made him stop and focus all his attention on his sense of hearing. Seconds later, he made a realization based on the sheer uniqueness of the sound. That flute… I know that flute. More listening, and he came to a second conclusion, one that made him start to smile. And I know that tune…!

Steam turned to Sonic and immediately moved over to the other hedgehog upon hearing this sound before motioning for Sonic to take the lead. "If it's him, you'll have a better time talking to him than me."

"It's absolutely him," Sonic reported with a smile, already walking forward. "That's his song." Sonic knew the tune well. It was light. Peaceful. Almost happy, even. He had heard songs like it in his lifetime that every time his Dad had performed one he'd committed it to memory.

"Then go," Steam answered, lightly pushing him to move along a bit faster.

"I'm walking," Sonic retorted easily. "Best not to run up on him. He hates being started more than Jet does, and Jet really hates being startled."

Steam briefly remembered the times he himself had accidentally startled the both of them, sighing. "Yeah, yeah. I know."

"And, for the record, you're still gonna have to talk to him," Sonic said. "He'll be more suspicious if you don't."

"I know, but it'll likely be better if you start first. In case you didn't realize, I have a bad track record of talking to people about anything."

Sonic shrugged, having no comment to make on that, and finally made his way into the garden. It was about as huge as he remembered, full of trees and clusters of bamboo and rather pretty lilies that all surrounded the koi pond in the middle. Unsurprisingly, the slow and steady music was coming from up above them in one of the tree's branches. Turning his face upward, Sonic laid eyes on exactly the person he had been hoping to see. By some incredible stroke of luck, they'd found him. Dad…

~保護者~

Tails was still busy working on Shadow's communicator while the hedgehog in question dozed in a tree above the house. That he was doing so right beside some random chameleon was equal parts surprising and confusing, but Tails had long since decided not to question it. Sometimes it was better to just let Shadow be about things and not pester him. He'd never liked feeling interrogated, and Tails knew that. So, for his friend's sake, the fox stifled his curiosity and remained where he was, nestled securely between some roots of the tree where Espio's house was built.

Nearby, Cream was busy conversing with Li. Their voices carried over easily, due in no small part to the natural quiet of the village. "If we provide you with example weapons, or at least pictures, do you believe you would be able to craft chameleon weapons?" Cream was asking the blacksmith. "As I said before, Mister Jet has a forge, and knowing him you will find no shortage of tools to work with."

Li scratched the back of his head softly. "Well… I don't know if they'll approve of another person making the blades, because I don't know their society, but I can certainly replicate the style and make of most weapons. It shouldn't be overly arduous."

"As it stands now, you have permission," Cream reported with a small smile. "If that makes you feel any better."

The wolf then rubbed at his chin. "If I'm working with Jet's forge of all things, I should be able to mass produce these weapons without too much difficulty. Though…" Li began rambling under his breath until Novei lightly smacked the back of his head, dragging his thoughts back to reality. "Right. I'll need help, and I can get that from Novei. As it stands, as long as I have the materials, I can definitely produce the weapons necessary and make some specialized weapons should anyone here need them."

Cream nodded once. "I will speak to Lady Aniko about acquiring example weapons for you and any detailed information on them that she can give. I will also request a full list of all materials required." She bowed her head politely but, before she turned to leave, she offered a genuine smile. "And also… thank you, Mister Li."

Li blinked several times at this, tilting his head. "Why? It's my job, so I may as well do it." He appreciated the thanks, but it always felt somewhat unnecessary since he always made weapons.

"Everyone deserves to be appreciated, nevertheless," Cream answered, still smiling as she nearly always was. Then, with a wave of farewell, she headed back up to the house.

At that point, Tails decided to stop listening and focused back on his work. Right… time to test some apps and see what's working. Camera seems good… map is on the fritz still… link to other communicators is wonky at best, but it's still picking up on the oth-... Wait. Sitting up, Tails leaned out from his little hidey-hole and called out to no one in particular, "Uh… have Sonic and Steam come back yet, guys?"

Li glanced around with a frown. "I… haven't seen them. Last I remember, they weren't too far away…"

Tails pursed his lips together and got on his own communicator. Maybe it's just another glitch, since Shadow banged this thing up so bad. Except… when he pulled up the same screen on his own device, it showed the same thing. Sonic's communicator had inexplicably blipped away into nonexistence. But that didn't make sense. It wouldn't still showed up as existing, even if he'd teleported or been taken too far away to be accurately tracked. And there was no way he had been taken, surely. Someone would have noticed… right? "Something's weird," he mumbled, standing up. "It's like they just… disappeared." Or at least Sonic did.

The wolf quickly walked over and glanced at the communicator. "They weren't even that far from here. We should've noticed if something happened…"

"That's just it, though. None of us did." Tails quickly typed out a message to Silver. "Listen, I know you're out exploring with Cyril right now, but you really need to come back. Something's up." He got no reply, but assumed Silver would see it and return soon enough. So, with that matter taken care of, Tails rather reluctantly raised his voice and called up, "Hey, Shadow!"

Predictably, Shadow was there in a flash… and not too pleased about having been woken up. "What?"

"Look, don't… kill the messenger or anything, but there's a problem…" Tails started to say.

Already, Shadow's eyes were glowing as he scanned the surrounding area. Before Tails even fully finished speaking, the hedgehog demanded, "Where is Sonic?"

Tails's ears sank low on his head. "That's… just it," he mumbled. By now, Vector was walking over, concern plainly written all over his face. "We don't know. None of us can figure it out."

Toru dropped from the tree and landed lightly in a crouch. "What is the issue?" he asked curiously, moving a bit closer to the group.

Shadow actually spoke before Tails could, ceasing his scans for now and crossing his arms. "My brother," he muttered. "He has managed to vanish from under our noses… somehow."

"What does he look like?" Toru immediately asked, standing up straight.

"A lot like Shadow," Tails helpfully supplied, "but his hair is a more windswept style as opposed to spiky. He's got emerald eyes and blue fur. Oh, and he's carrying a big sword on his back."

"Understood," Toru murmured, vanishing from sight immediately, presumably to try and find the missing hedgehog. Shadow wasted no time in also taking off, no doubt heading for the area where his brother had last been.

Left behind as he often was, Tails sighed. "This… is a problem," he found himself saying. "I don't think they're here anymore. And with the way they vanished… I get the feeling we won't find much in the way of evidence, either."

Li tapped at his leg lightly before glancing to Calypso and Novei. "Look, I know you two probably don't give two shits, but is there any way you might be able to help us track where Steam and Sonic are?"

"T'ey not here," Calypso asserted firmly. "Fox boy right. T'ey gone." She settled back against the tree she had been sitting by and closed her eyes before adding, "They fall t'rough time, near as I tell. We no can help t'em. T'ey on their own."

Tails straightened sharply, eyes wide. "Are you sure?"

"Time stop leave distinct trace if you know how sense it," Calypso informed him. "Someone do t'at, t'ose two suffer consequence of it. T'ey beyond our reach now."

Novei glanced over. "So they have to find a way out of it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Unless one o' you Immortal friend find time to look for t'em," Calypso retorted simply.

This news caused Tails to just deflate. "...Oh. I see."

Shadow was by his side again suddenly, looking more than a little peeved about this whole situation. "Leave it to my brother," he muttered, crossing his arms unhappily again. It seemed he'd heard their little conversation. Or, at least, he'd heard enough of it.

Toru appeared as well, having sensed that Shadow returned all of a sudden. Li spoke up, frowning. "We kind of need them around… Sonic was brought back for a reason, and Steam is the Neutral Balancer of this timeline now."

"No kidding," Tails sighed.

"What do we do?" Vector asked, looking around at them all. "I mean… we've gotta do somethin' about this."

"None of us are Immortals," Novei muttered. "We can't do shit without them."

Li cut in before she could leave it on such an abrupt and potentially upsetting note. "We would also have to find time for an Immortal capable of time travel for them to even try and look. The chances are that enemies would strike, or something else would happen since there would be a lack of that power."

"Even ignoring that, I don't think Jet can time travel too much without exhausting himself," Tails sighed. "His parents seem to be roughly where he is in terms of ability, too, so they'd be in the same boat. And, without any of them or Wave around… I just don't know what to do. Or even what we should be doing."

"Wish we knew what the hell's takin' them so long," Vector grumbled. "They've been no-shows for a while now, and we've not heard anything, either."

"Jet's not likely to be gone for this long without reason," Li answered, frowning. "Sein as well, all things considered. And Alana left, presumably to go check on them, because she otherwise would've stayed to wait for Kath."

"Since she hasn't come back, we might have to assume something's wrong…" Tails said quietly.

Li bit his lip. "Can you message Jet's communicator to try and get their attention…?"

With a nod, Tails typed out a quick message. "Hey, where are you? We really need you here."

After about twenty or thirty seconds, a reply message came. "Hey, this is Sein. What's going on?"

Confused, Tails quickly responded, "Sein? Why do you have Jet's communicator?"

"It's a really long story, somehow involving something that we don't know much about. He got a splitting migraine, to say the least, and we've been watching over him since then. We think he's recovering from it, though."

"Is he resting, at least?" Tails quickly typed back. "He's got an awful habit of not doing that. At all."

"We made sure of that. No way would we let him avoid it."

"Good. Do you have any idea when you guys might be back? Something happened and now Steam and Sonic are both missing. We're not really sure what to do and everyone's getting really worried."

"Damn. I'll figure something out as quickly as possible. What do you know, so we can go ahead and devise a plan?"

Tails glanced at the others and motioned for them to hang on before typing some more. "Calypso says they somehow fell through time. Unless one of you guys has the ability and time to go and find them, they're… on their own, she says. Other stuff is going on, too, like the chameleons starting to gather their forces and stuff, but it's all been peaceful otherwise. And that worries me a lot."

"Time? And Calypso said that?"

"Yeah… and I'm guessing that that's not supposed to be possible normally."

"Who the hell could send them through time? That should only be possible for highly skilled Immortals."

"I have no idea, Sein. We only even realized something had happened after they vanished. Calypso said something about a 'time stop', though. Guessing she meant that someone froze time, which is my best guess as to why none of us noticed anything as it happened."

"I'll figure out what to do, Tails. For now, stay put and trust that they'll be resourceful and keep themselves safe. Can you all do that for me?"

"Yeah. I mean… we'll at least try. And I'll do my best to keep you updated if anything else happens."

"Thank you. All of you stay safe and just do your best to keep your spirits up. We'll get them both back safely."

Tails let out a tiny sigh. Easier said than done… Lowering his wrist, he quickly relayed the conversation to the others.

Li lowered his gaze. He's unsure… That's why he tried so hard to keep us positive.

With nothing better to do, Tails set about formulating a plan to help soothe everyone's rattled nerves. They all needed to stay calm and focused... for their own sakes.

~保護者~

Cere turned to Kial, slowly looking over the current God of Mystical Creatures. "I knew that someone had taken his place, but I did not know who. Saethrim never spoke to many people, even when asked to do so."

"He was a man of few words, and those words he deigned to speak were often wise," Kial answered easily. "As little as it may have mattered the moment they were uttered, they came to be very useful for me."

The Hexan managed a smile. "You talk a lot like him, too. I presume he taught you a lot about your role before you took the position?"

Kial nodded. "He taught me much, especially in the ways of learning to understand what these creatures were without my sight."

Cere nodded as well, frowning gently. "So… onto more serious topics. He was killed, right?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been roaming?"

"Since his death."

A brief pang of pain made itself known within the Goddess of Judgement's heart. "You have been alone for a long time."

"I have," Kial admitted slowly. "I am glad to have returned, however."

"Good, we need more people in this war." The two fell silent before Cere's attention ultimately fell on Finis. "She's asleep, right?"

He responded mentally from the room where Analia was, as he was the one currently keeping direct watch over her. "Yes," was all he said.

"Saethrim spoke of you," Kial suddenly said. "Swift judgement with a righteous temper and undying authority. You live up to this very well."

Cere blinked a few times. "He spoke of me?"

"Of many of you, actually. Althea, like an immovable obstacle and the practically silent wielder of the sun. Sona, the furious fire-wielder who calls upon the stars. Finis, the mute but powerful shadow in the night. There was more, but I don't think it's necessary to state it all," Kial explained.

"I see," Cere answered. "You know that Althea is now dead, correct?"

Kial nodded. "I was made aware of her successor on Mobius before the attack from the sorceress and Kaden."

"I suppose that you'd be more or less aware of everyone else, except for Armaris. She is currently my student, training to be my successor."

This seemed to catch the bobcat off guard briefly, his full attention on Cere now. "Saethrim spoke as if you would never leave your position. Why now?"

Cere sighed, closing her eyes and leaning against a wall. "While it is true that I am hesitant to step down, I feel that, to some degree, I am not meant to hold my place forever. Part of me wishes to see a new generation, if you will, ushered into these ranks that may be able to guide existence in a better direction than I was ever capable of."

There was no immediate reaction from Kial, his choice to stay quiet remaining for some time before he smiled. "You wish to teach her to be better than yourself?"

"I try to teach all under my tutelage to be better than I am," Cere admitted slowly. "It is my job to make sure that those who rise to power are guided in the right way."

"Spoken like a respectable leader," Kial answered. "Thank you for your dedication.

Cere managed a small smile at this, shaking her head. "You truly are Saethrim's successor. Speech pattern and all." This seemed to please Kial plenty, and they both turned to resume watching for any threats to come.

They had both satisfied each other's curiosity.

~保護者~

"So," the voice came from behind Shadow, it's source being Toru. "I've got a new question for you."

Shadow resisted the urge to spin around in favor of turning more slowly to face the now familiar voice. Only his crossed arms and hardened expression gave away his agitation. "What?"

"The fact that you're so upset says a lot about your feelings toward your family," Toru examined, slowly raising an eyebrow. "You care a lot for your brother, I assume?"

"And what of it?" Shadow huffed, turning his head away to gaze out into the trees.

Toru managed the faintest of smirks, turning to face the trees as well. "One more question, and I'll explain. What of the rest of your family? Would you feel this way if any others related to you were to go missing?"

"Those who abandon their friends and allies are scum," Shadow muttered. "Those who would do so to their family are worse than scum."

"Doing so without reason only adds to such," Toru murmured briefly, a small smile on his face. "I am glad to hear you care for your family in such a way, even if you will not openly admit it." Shadow answered with a vague grumble, but otherwise didn't truly comment. Toru decided to continue from this point, simply sighing. "I appreciate that. Friends are important, but family is irreplaceable."

"...I suppose," Shadow eventually said. It was the only admission he'd make.

Toru glanced over the others quietly, a small frown on his face. "They're upset, a few a bit panicked," he pointed out.

"It is not my place to guide them," Shadow answered. "It is unlikely my words would make anything better."

"Who do you believe should, then?" Toru decided to question, crossing his arms. "The wolf and Therian are not leaders, and I somewhat doubt that many among them are much better."

"Our leader is meant to be Jet, currently," Shadow told him. "He is an Immortal. However, he's been away for a time and we are unsure why."

Toru frowned lightly, not commenting for a moment. "Is there anyone among us who could temporarily lead them before more problems are sewn?"

"Perhaps Espio or his parents," Shadow shrugged. He paused, considering, then sighed. "...Perhaps only his parents."

"I see." Toru instinctively tensed as Rose approached them both, an unintentional reaction to her abounding Light. "What do you want?" he asked, an edge to his voice that he didn't exactly want present. Shadow turned again to look at her, expression now carefully guarded.

Rose glanced between them temporarily before offering a nod of greetings. "I simply wished to speak to you both for a moment."

Toru motioned for her to proceed, cautious confusion on his face. "Then speak."

She nodded once more. "Firstly, I wished to ask what Espio and the others are planning. I was investigating something, and was not present for the discussions."

Toru glanced to Shadow for a moment as if to check if she was trustworthy, then decided that Espio or Aniko likely would have killed her had she not been trustworthy enough. "They are gaining the aid of other villages to continue fighting the war. Many appear ready to become involved after the demons' attack."

Supposing that what Toru said was all that she needed to hear, her gaze flicked to Shadow primarily out of concern. "I have overheard that Steam and Sonic are missing. Do we have any information regarding such?"

"Calypso said they were transported through time. There is nothing we can do." Shadow resisted the urge to grit his teeth in irritation.

Depending on when they are sent, there were powerful beings of Light present that may be able to help, but even then such a thing is not guaranteed. "I see. I am very sorry to hear that. If I can be of any help, I would ask that you let me know."

Toru cut in, a faint frown on his face. "For now, I think it would be best if you speak to others. They could use your support more than we can. Shadow and I can handle ourselves." Shadow glanced at him and, naturally, made no move to disagree.

Rose took the hint and gently smiled. "It was a pleasure speaking to you both. I hope you find peace in each other's company." Toru was caught off guard by how purely gentle she was, only blinking as she turned to walk away.

Shadow blinked once. Then twice. Then he muttered under his breath, "The hell?"

"Who fuckin' knows?" Toru huffed, an even less formal tone than he usually would have making itself known. "She's weird. Beings of Light have that tendency, as far as I've ever been made aware."

"Hn," Shadow responded sullenly.

Toru turned slightly to him. "Something wrong?"

"No." Despite initially seeing no need to, Shadow soon elaborated, "You were correct, and I had no comment. That is all."

A small pause answered him, then Toru changed the subject. "What experience do you have with beings of Light?"

Shadow took time to consider that before answering. "My brother… he is my half brother. His mother is a being of Light. It is why his son possesses so much of it."

Toru seemed to understand that this might be a sensitive subject and approached it carefully. "You do not share a mother?"

Shadow shook his head. "No. We share a father, nothing more."

"I won't press. It already sounds complicated, and potentially upsetting. If you want to speak of any of it, however, I will listen," Toru murmured softly, closing his eyes. "It's perfectly fine either way, however."

Shadow looked at him briefly. "Why bother with it?" he found himself asking. "It is not your burden."

Toru place a hand on his chin for a moment, thinking of how exactly to word this. "Burden isn't the cause. Outsiders… no, you are interesting. I see you as an ally, at least a potential one, and in viewing you as such, want to understand you. I did the same with Espio, as well as many others. It helps me to know how to approach different situations." Whether there was more to this matter, it wasn't plainly obvious. The chameleon kept his eyes closed for now, almost as if in continuous deep thought.

In all honesty, Shadow wasn't sure what to make of the idea that someone would be so interested in him. It was… odd, to say the very least. Why even care so much about a stranger?

"Well…" Toru uncrossed his arms and opened his eyes. "Like I said. I won't press it. If you find yourself wanting to talk, find me. It should never be hard for you, since I stand out." Toru turned to climb the tree calmly, glancing back. "And for what it's worth, I hope those two come back. Especially your brother." He vanished up the tree, sitting in the spot he was in earlier when speaking to Shadow for the first time. Shadow simply nodded a little and walked away.

~保護者~

8,989 words this time. Sorry this was posted so late, everyone. I've been on a sort of vacation, so to speak. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed! Many thanks to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 1:50 p.m.) 05-17-20.