Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this dark time… especially for the one whose personality makes a stark shift.

~保護者~

"Upgrade"

~保護者~

Shadow had only just fallen asleep (that he happened to have fallen asleep on the living room couch was a touch annoying) when his home security systems started blaring alarms. "Oh, what the fuck," he said aloud as he got up, already reaching for his gun… only to stop when his scanner located a familiar energy signature just outside. Sighing heavily, he disabled all the security and walked to the front door. Pulling it open, he saw Toru and Myriu standing there. That she was standing at all was some sort of miracle, one he chose not to question right this minute. "Asshole," he grumbled to Toru by way of greeting, already stepping aside to let them in.

Toru gave a half-salute, half-wave in greetings to Shadow, slipping inside with his sister in tow. "I could say the same to you," the chameleon joked.

Barely stifling a yawn, Shadow shut the door behind them. "I don't want to hear it," he responded, somehow managing to sound more awake than he actually was.

"You haven't slept, have you?" Toru questioned, raising an eyebrow at the hedgehog. "After making me eat and all that."

"Not for lack of trying," Shadow answered sullenly. "I told you, sleep is a problem for me."

Toru sighed. "Let's go to your room. I need to talk to you about something." Though tempted to argue, Shadow refrained for now. He just nodded and walked there without complaint, taking that extra moment to wake himself up more fully by rubbing at his eyes. Toru situated his sister in the living room before joining Shadow, slipping inside and closing the door behind him.

The chameleon leaned up against a wall and put his face in his hands. "All of that time, that tension and pain. Watching my terrified sister wonder if she'll ever move again was nullified in a grand total of nearly twenty seconds. That Cyril guy showed up and started saying he would help, and then all of a sudden he did. She's somehow perfectly fine now."

That made Shadow frown. "How did he manage such a thing?"

"Was talking about some sort of card or whatever. I haven't the damnedest clue with that weirdo," Toru muttered. "But… I appreciate what he did. He potentially saved her future, without even knowing us." Shadow nodded slowly, understanding what Toru was getting at. Toru then let his hands fall to the sides and raised an eyebrow. "So, let's talk about what's going on with you. You haven't been telling me the truth."

Internally, Shadow nearly groaned in frustration. He crossed the room to sit on the bed, being too tired to continue standing right now. "Not fully," he admitted begrudgingly.

Toru moved after him, sitting down beside the hedgehog and looking at him. "So, start telling me the full truth. I can't help you with what I don't know."

"I doubt this is something anyone can help with," was the unhappy reply. Then, almost jokingly, he added, "Not even you."

"Try me," Toru said easily, a small smile on his face. "You never know until you give it a shot."

Though Shadow rolled his eyes, he relented. "I've been having flashbacks. Things from… a very long time ago that I cannot typically remember at will. It has been keeping me up."

The chameleon nodded slowly, shifting a bit closer to Shadow. "What about them can you remember?"

"Little," Shadow shrugged. "They're vivid when they occur, but most of it fades away after each episode is over."

"I see." Toru frowned. "And you said you can't remember this stuff normally, right?"

"Not most of it," Shadow answered. "And rarely in this much detail."

"So, it's extremely unusual, right?" Toru questioned.

"Flashbacks are only usual when I am having a nightmare," Shadow admitted with a frown. "And even then, it is not this severe."

Toru frowned. "Did something weird happen before all of this started going on?"

"A flash of light," Shadow answered immediately. After a moment, he frowned again and added, "...I thought I'd imagined it. I'd nearly been asleep at the time."

"Probably didn't imagine it. Good chance that it was some sort of magic," Toru murmured. "It's probably what's causing all this."

Shadow scowled a little. "Wonderful."

"If Cyril could undo the paralysis that Myriu was suffering, maybe he could also undo what's affecting you," Toru suggested. "Might be good to see about that."

Though unhappy about the idea of making anyone else aware about this, Shadow had to begrudgingly admit that Toru had a point. "...Perhaps."

Toru shrugged. "It's up to you. You don't have to do that. You can keep dealing with the flashbacks and such if that's what you'd rather do."

"Neither option is preferable," Shadow muttered truthfully. "I do not like the idea of him knowing about this."

"Maybe just say that the magic is bothering you. We might be able to get by without telling him about the flashbacks," Toru explained.

Somehow, Shadow doubted it. From what little he'd seen of Cyril, the man struck him as the type who really, really enjoyed asking questions. He didn't like that at all. "Doubtful."

Toru huffed. "Don't make me drag your ass there. If I tell him to not ask questions, I'm damn sure he won't."

Shadow tossed Toru an (admittedly) weak glare. "Why do you insist on constantly dragging me places?"

"It's for your own good, usually," Toru stated matter-of-factly. Shadow just grumbled a little before unintentionally giving in to the urge to yawn. Toru set a hand on the hedgehog's shoulder. "Come on. It's worth a shot."

If only because he was too damn tired to argue anymore, Shadow gave in and agreed. "Let's get it over with, if you're going to be so damn insistent."

Toru nodded and teleported them both away after snatching Myriu from wherever she was. He'd kept track of Cyril after leaving Babylon before he quickly turned back and teleported a distance away. "Stand here and keep Myriu from wandering. I'll be right back." Though a little puzzled, Shadow gave a short nod. The chameleon disappeared to a house in the distance, then reappeared suddenly with a confused and frazzled Cyril in tow.

"W-woah! What's happening?" Cyril asked quickly, gently pulling his arm away from Toru's grasp. "You didn't say anything, just barged in and snatched me."

"I need you to get rid of that magic thing like you did for Myriu and Eila," Toru said, motioning to Shadow. "He's been affected by it and it's causing problems."

Cyril blinked and looked to Shadow. "Is it anything physical? Broken bones or anything like that?"

Shadow looked away, arms crossing. "...No."

"Okay… so I don't need Death…" Cyril murmured, thinking over what he could do. It took him a moment, but he realized there was a good chance that he didn't have a card that could deal with it. So, he sighed. "It may take me a few minutes. I'm still getting used to this whole magic thing."

Everything about that statement made Shadow frown, feeling even more unhappy than before. Because that was apparently possible. Just fucking wonderful…

Cyril took a deep breath and stood there with his eyes closed for a moment. After a minute or so, magic of all colors began flowing around his hands, slowly disappearing until only a light violet remained. "Sorry about that. This is… weird to try. Do you want me to refrain from touching you?"

"Yes," Shadow answered immediately, already unintentionally tense at the thought.

The finch nodded. "Understood. Just hold still." Shadow didn't reply, but also didn't argue. He just wanted to get this over with. Cyril extended his hands near Shadow (avoiding touching the hedgehog) and let his magic flow freely, slowly working to undo the magic afflicting him. "It… was your mind, right?" Cyril asked softly. "That's what they messed with, yeah?" The only answer he got was a nod.

Toru frowned. "How did you figure that out?"

"My magic tells me… a lot when I use it. With my cards, I know exactly what I can do with it. With this… I know details about what I'm doing and what's happening as I do it," Cyril explained. The glow died away and Cyril smiled. "You should be good to go. If you have any more problems, just say the word and I'll do what I can to help."

Shadow glanced at him, vaguely grateful in spite of his demeanor. But mostly he was just ready to go back to bed and actually sleep. "...Fine."

Toru looked to Cyril. "Thanks a lot for your help. I appreciate it."

"Anytime," Cyril answered, a bright smile on his face. "I hope you two have a good rest of your day."

The chameleon picked up Myriu and set a hand on Shadow's shoulder before teleporting them all back home and setting his sister back down once more. "Hopefully that will get rid of the flashbacks, more or less."

"Hopefully," Shadow agreed with a vague shrug. Belatedly, he reactivated all of the security systems he had deactivated earlier when they had begun going off.

Toru leaned against a wall, frowning to himself. "I've got a bad feeling. Something is absolutely about to happen."

There was no denying that. "It grows worse all the time," Shadow agreed. "Something will happen very soon."

"Should we stay here? It was proven to us that the security systems won't stop an enemy hellbent on fucking us over," Toru murmured.

"They never could," Shadow answered with a shrug. "They are only meant to provide me with an early warning. The second or two it gives me is ample time for me to act in most scenarios." Not that any of the recent events had been in any way normal, but even so…

Toru raised an eyebrow. "So, what should we do in your opinion?"

"Where would we go?" Shadow shrugged. "Nowhere on or off of this planet is safe, Toru. That much has been proven."

"Should we remain near allies?" Toru questioned.

That earned a small frown. "This is near enough for my tastes." He so did not fancy the idea of surrounding himself with other people right now.

Toru shrugged. "That's fine by me," the chameleon murmured.

In that moment, Shadow almost couldn't help yawning again. He managed to refrain, but only barely. "I'm going back to bed," he mumbled, already turning away to head to his room now that the conversation was seemingly over.

"...Mind if I join you?" Toru questioned gently.

Shadow paused and tossed him an inquisitive glance. After a couple of seconds, he answered, "If you want," before heading down the hall toward his room.

Toru walked after him with a faint smile, wrapping an arm around the hedgehog. "Good." Shadow huffed a little, not really complaining in spite of the weak facade. Toru glanced over and smirked, teleporting them both into Shadow's room on the bed and wrapping his arms around the hedgehog. "So, just gonna say that you're resting for a little bit, and I'm sure as hell not letting you get out of it."

"Fuck you," Shadow grumbled, even as he pulled the blankets up with every intention of going to sleep.

"Go right ahead," Toru answered, his smirk only growing. "I won't stop you." Shadow punched him in the arm.

~保護者~

Looking back, Espio realized he had started wavering again some time ago. He didn't know how long it had been going on, exactly, but it had definitely begun very soon after he'd given Armaris that gift. Why had it happened then? He had no idea, but he didn't like it.

What bothered him even more was the situation he found himself in. Reading people outside of combat generally wasn't his strong suit. It was a handicap of his that he did his best to keep under wraps. However, doing that didn't stop it from affecting him. Armaris could be a… secretive person. She wasn't always very direct or clear about her intentions and thoughts. Yes, he'd been hearing her words loud and clear, but what had been her real intentions as of late? Why did she have any interest at all in him controlling his other side now? Sure, it could be argued that said control would make her safer in his presence (at least in theory), but it felt like there was something more.

That he was realizing his own continuing desire to open himself to his Darkness again was even more troubling. The desire had been briefly melted away the same instant his eye had been healed, but almost immediately it had come back. He just hadn't been paying attention to it. He hadn't noticed.

Her newfound wish for him to accept his other side had little bearing on his thoughts, he was realizing. If anything, they'd just been… motivating them, somehow? Almost… providing an additional excuse for them to continue, really. A thought which abruptly returned him to the matter of Armaris herself. Unskilled with people though he was, he did know how she usually behaved, what she usually thought about certain matters pertaining to him. There is no way she is suddenly alright with this. Not truly.

Opening his eyes, he glanced down toward the house. He was seated in one of the branches above the roof, enjoying the chill of the snow and wind as well as the relative quiet. More than likely, she was inside attempting to keep warm, he suspected. Only for a moment, he debated the merits of going back inside to speak with her about all of this. However, he reached a different conclusion soon after. If something really was the matter with her already, even if he couldn't fathom what it was just now, it would be best not to burden her further. He opted to leave her be.

Drawing his legs up onto the branch, he crossed them and closed his eyes. A small sphere of Darkness around him was enough to shield him from the senses of others. Combining it with his abilities for camouflage, removing himself from sight was child's play. Now he could experiment without anyone knowing. Mostly, he sought to avoid being noticed by his parents and Aku, all of whom he knew would disapprove. But he didn't care. What he cared about was sorting out his own desires… and testing out just how much control he could really maintain over his own energies.

~保護者~

Jet was still crying by the time word reached Wave on New Babylon. She stopped playing with Lucas (who had been in the care of a palace nanny) immediately and used her aura powers to teleport straight to Mobius. Appearing there in a flash, she immediately rushed to her friend. She opted to ignore everyone else for the time being, focusing entirely on her friend. He was hysterical, all the stress and anxiety and other emotions he'd been blocking out for so long fighting to escape their confinement all at once. She had to get his breathing under control before anything else could be done. If not, he was going to make himself pass out. That wouldn't help.

Working together, Sonic and Wave had a much better handle on this situation than either of them would have alone. Sonic focused on the physical problems. He prevented Jet from hitting his head, gently and repeatedly removed Jet's hands from the hawk's arms because he was digging his fingers in so hard he was drawing blood, and keeping him from hurting anyone else when he unintentionally lashed out via kicking to keep people away. Wave, meanwhile, talked Jet through everything Sonic was doing, everything that was happening around him, and everything that he was doing that he needed to keep doing - such as, of course, breathing.

It took close to an hour to calm him down enough that he mostly stopped hurting himself. His hands still needed to be monitored and he clearly still wanted to hit his head, but he was slowly regaining control over those behaviors. He was still trembling and crying at this point, but he was no longer lashing out. Wave was able to pull him into her arms, hugging him close and just letting him cry however much he needed in order to get everything out. One hand rested gently on his head while her other arm stayed wrapped firmly around him, an important and constant physical reminder that she was there and he was safe… no matter how devastated and overwhelmed he felt right now.

Sighing softly, Wave finally turned his attention to Sein. "He's okay," she murmured to him. "He'll be alright. He just needs a bit of time."

Sein nodded, letting out his own sigh. "Thank god…"

Wave took a second to think before saying, "Here… why don't you come sit with him? I'll go tell Alana he's alright, so you can focus on him."

The hawk nodded and stood, walking over to his son and sitting by the other male. "Thank you, Wave. I appreciate it."

"Of course." Wave gently dislodged herself from Jet and passed him over to Sein. He didn't protest or fight, just curled in on himself a little bit in a show of anxiety. She was able to soothe him easily before teleporting away, leaving Sein and Sonic in charge.

Sein wrapped an arm very softly around Jet, wanting to offer the best comfort he could manage. "Hey, Jet," he murmured. There wasn't any reply, but Jet did gradually relax in Sein's hold. Sein made sure to hold him close, a small smile on his face. "How are you feeling, bud?"

It took a little while before Jet was able to collect himself enough to answer to any extent. He gave a tiny shrug before mumbling a soft, "I don't know," as he wiped at his eyes.

"That's okay," Sein assured. "Just relax. I'm here for you."

Jet drew in a shaky breath and wiped at his eyes again. Just like before, it took him a few moments to be able to get any words out. "I'm sorry."

Sein shook his head. "There's nothing to be sorry for. Everyone's got emotions, and just because they got to you doesn't mean you did anything wrong. Besides, you're my kid. I'm gonna love you regardless on top of all that."

The younger hawk took time to consider that before answering with a quiet, "...I know."

"I love you, Jet," Sein murmured. "Always have, always will." Jet only nodded a little, leaning a bit more against Sein as he worked on continuing to calm down. Sein shifted a bit more to make sure that Jet could be more comfortable.

Letting them have their moment, Sonic closed his eyes and sat back against the barriers. I know this was inevitable... but I'm sorry we weren't able to do more to help you before it got to this point, Jet. He sighed to himself. Why can't things stop going to hell...?

~保護者~

Cyril stretched his muscles with a smile. "Glad to know I could help him, but I hope he's okay." The finch started walking back, idly flipping one of his metal cards around between his fingers. A voice entered his mind and he whipped around, pulling his next tarot card and activating it without thinking. The voice was unusual, peaceful and mellow. It sounded somewhat masculine, but somewhat not at the same time.

"Unseen, unheard. The demon prowls. Infecting another-"

Interrupting that voice was the sound of a laugh that made itself known in the back of Cyril's mind. When the laughter stopped, a woman's voice almost purred. "That is enough of that. You are coming with me." There was no further warning. Within a fraction of a second, Cyril was teleported into a dark room and dropped onto the floor.

Cyril was quick to be on his feet and drawing a card, eyes wide. "What in the world is happening?" he demanded.

Out of the darkness, a woman emerged. She walked into view and, with a flick of her hand, sent his cards scattering around the room. "Do not try it, little bird. My abilities far outmatch yours."

The finch had activated one tarot before being pulled here and he backed away slowly, putting his hands up in a defensive motion. "What's going on here?" he questioned, despite seeing into the future thanks to The Moon. He could feel how bad this was about to get, what might happen. Cyril liked none of it.

Using an index finger to slowly point down toward the floor, the woman forced Cyril to kneel by exerting some sort of unseen pressure on him. "It's simple," she answered. "I intend to make an ally of you. Your abilities are quite interesting." She grinned a little. "You should be honored. Not many are capable of interesting me anymore."

"What? Are you a fan of my magic shows?" he quipped, though the fear in his voice was evident. He was terrified of this woman, and humor was the only coping mechanism he knew for something like this.

This earned a vague chuckle. "You are a strange little bird. Amusing as well. Your potential usefulness, coupled with these things… Why, I can see no reason not to take you under my wing. Especially when I imagine the looks on your friends' faces as you help me destroy them…"

Cyril trembled, shivering at the mere thought. "M-my magic is worthless if I'm not really their friend anymore…"

With a small hum, the woman bent down and picked up one of his cards. "These will be useless to you, yes… But you and I both know you possess far more magic than what you channel through these silly things." She carelessly dropped it back down onto the floor. "In fact, I intend to fully unlock that potential for you by the time we are done here. You will not struggle to access the rest of your abilities anymore. I will ensure that much."

"Wh-why me?" the finch questioned quickly. "I don't see how I'm of any use to you."

"Have you truly not realized what, or rather who, you truly are?" the woman answered with another small grin. "I am surprised you failed to work it out already… God of Magic."

Cyril blinked a few times. "A-are you okay? I don't… what? God? That's wild, even for me."

"Perhaps," was the amused reply. "But, as your small-minded race sometimes has said in the past… truth can often be stranger than fiction."

"I don't honestly believe you on this," Cyril said. "That just doesn't sound right. I mean, sure people tell me that I possess strong magic, but being a God? I'd sooner believe Wave was a Goddess of Magic than me."

In a truly unusual move, the woman knelt down so as to be eye-level with him. "Do you realize the extent of what you have recently done?" she murmured. "The magic you have been undoing belongs to none other than Calypso, perhaps one of the most famous and powerful magic-users in existence. And you reversed what I forced her powers to do with virtually no effort when even your dear friend could not help but be affected. Does that not strike you as unusual?"

Cyril blinked several times. "Why would Calypso do that? All the stories I've heard of her, she was… kinda nice? Not like, mean, but… You surely know what I mean. She's not an awful person."

"Trapping her and stealing her powers was pitifully easy to do," the woman answered with an idle shrug. "The Immortals I have spent my life hunting down provided me with far greater challenges than her."

"...You what now?" Cyril questioned, blinking several times. "Are… you that Nareish woman?"

Immediately, her grin returned. "Ah… so you know of me. That makes things a touch simpler."

The finch sighed. "That's… not good for me… is it?"

Ignoring the question, Nareish stood again. Using her own powers, she began forcibly drawing the full extent of Cyril's magic out so that it swirled wildly around him. She made no effort to steal it from him, only smiled. "Now to tackle that annoying thread of disbelief you are clinging to… You can see how much power is within you, little bird. I trust that you know when to trust your own senses."

The bird looked around, blinking several times. "...What in the world?"

Gradually, Nareish let the power calm and return within him. "Once I turn you to my side, tell me… who should I send you after first, hm? Your close friend, or your little girlfriend?"

"I don't want to work with you," Cyril said immediately. "I want nothing to do with this. I only joined in on this whole war because a friend asked for help." He stared her in the eyes, briefly able to ignore his fear. "I don't want anything to do with you."

"You misunderstand," Nareish answered with a sense of dark glee. "This has nothing to do with your involvement in the war. That you exist at all would have led you to me one way or another. I have been waiting for one such as yourself to enter existence for a very long time. I would not pass up the opportunity just because they weren't fighting already."

Cyril frowned deeply. "I don't care. I said I wanted nothing to do with you. Let me go back and leave me alone."

"I regret to inform you that you don't have a choice," Nareish smiled. "This is no mere corruption. It isn't something you will be able to resist. Once I take you to my side, there will be nothing you can do about it."

"I said let me go!" Cyril suddenly snapped. "You're ridiculous!" Anger like this wasn't like him, but he couldn't help but feel it in this heated moment. His friends' lives were at stake. He wasn't going to just accept this and move on.

"Ah, so you do have a temper. I had begun to wonder if you were incapable." Nareish lifted a palm and called a sphere of energy into it. An image appeared, and she smiled. After a moment, she said, "I suppose I have good news. It seems killing your feline companion will be unnecessary. She has rejoined her old partners and taken a prisoner. I believe we can allow her to work uninterrupted for now."

Cyril looked immediately to the image and his heart sank. "No… Eila wouldn't do that. You're lying to me."

"You're correct. Eila wouldn't do such a thing. How fortunate is it, then, that she is no longer herself?" Nareish shook her head, amused to no end. "Tell me, have you met her other sides yet? Have you heard of them? They are quite amusing to me, I must admit."

"Wh-what…?" Cyril asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Astra and Petry… have you ever heard either of those names? They are both part of her, and yet separate. They are wicked in their own ways. I have always enjoyed watching them act."

"I know about Astra…" Cyril murmured. "But Eila isn't Astra anymore. I've seen that with my own eyes."

Nareish chuckled. "Correct again. But Petry remains, and that is more than enough."

"Who is Petry?" Cyril demanded, frowning. "You haven't explained anything about that."

"Perhaps you will understand better if I show you instead." Giving him no further warning, Nareish flooded his mind with memories of many of Petry's past actions, taken directly from Eila/Petry's own mind in real time for him to see. She forced him to endure memory after memory for a time before allowing it all to stop.

Tears streamed down from Cyril's eyes. "So that's why she hates herself so much… I never could've imagined how awful those memories were to her…"

Nareish knelt down in front of him again. "Although I do have to change it a little, I am still prepared to allow you one last free choice before you begin your service to me. Shall I allow you to aid your girlfriend in some manner with her work, or shall I send you after your little Hexan friend? It is your choice."

Wave… you better beat me half to death for this or I'll never forgive myself. I can't… I can't be remembered for torturing someone. "Send me… to Wave," Cyril muttered. "But remember this. I will find a way to make you pay for this. I won't forget it."

His threat fell upon deaf ears, and Nareish laughed. "I should like to see you try. Oh, and one last bit of… food for thought, let's say. Your friend… she may well die by your hand. With her magic gone, she stands little chance. Make your peace with that now."

"Wh-what?" Cyril demanded harshly. "What do you mean her magic is gone?"

"You ask so many questions… It is fortunate for you that you have use." With no further warning, Nareish forced her energies into him and forcibly "took" him (as she so often called it), not unlike how she had done with Infinite and the woman she had sent after Shadow and Toru. Once it was done, she retracted her energies and allowed Cyril a moment to recover. Only then did she finally release the pressure that had been forcing him to stay kneeling on the floor this whole time. At the same time, she stopped suppressing his powers, allowing him access to them once more.

The finch pushed himself into a standing position and waved a hand, recollecting his cards with the magic that had returned to him. "I… hate you," Cyril muttered. "I've never hated anyone, but I certainly hate you."

"You will learn to embrace your hatred soon enough," Nareish answered easily. She turned away and walked over to her seat, sitting down in it and getting comfortable. "Now… Do you believe you require anything at all to handle dear Wave in a fight? Anything that may shift the odds in your favor?"

Cyril glared at her, clenching his fists. "No. I'll be fine."

"Good. You will take her down through whatever means you deem necessary, then. And when you're finished…" Nareish leaned back in her seat. "The Soldier of Light remains in a vulnerable state. I wish to collect him for my forces as well. Bring him to me when she is finished."

Though he was absolutely seething by this point, Cyril simply looked away. "Fine."

Nareish waved her hand dismissively. "Go. Attack once Sein has departed. Kill anyone who gets in your way. I don't care who they are."

"Shut up already," Cyril muttered, teleporting away.

~保護者~

Fyrnir and Syra were back.

Their hairless skin as black as night, they blended into the shadows. With pupil-less off-white eyes, they observed the home before them. They traded a glance, then a nod, before standing. Not bothering with stealth any longer, the pair of formerly dead Syxans gained entry through a window and jumped inside. Spying the person they were after, Fyrnir approached. "Which one are you?" he demanded. "Petry, or another?"

"Get the fuck away from me," Eila muttered, backing away as her purple magic flowed through the home. "You bastards are not welcome here."

Syra tilted her head. "Not the one we want, then," she surmised quietly. "Listen, wench. We demand to speak to Petry. Let her free."

The communicator Eila wore was crushed immediately in response before she suddenly doubled over, crying out in pain. "Get away!" she screamed, surrounding herself in several barriers.

Unimpressed by the display, Fyrnir spoke again. "We have business with her. We will not leave until we have spoken to her without your interference."

"Get away," Eila snapped, attempting to blast them away with her magic only to fall on her side in pain. "F-fuck!" The pair watched with quiet disdain, waiting to see if the desired change would occur without any further effort on their parts. The cat kept fighting for a minute with the barriers slowly fading away. It all came to an end when she suddenly punched herself and fell to the floor. "Ah… shit. It's been quite some time since I've been in control."

This earned a small scoff from one of the siblings, but Syra was quick to move on. "I am pleased that you returned. Without your help, there is no Astra. We desire to have her back, as well."

Eila pushed herself up and groaned softly, rubbing her cheek and blinking a few times. "She's spent several days working to forcefully push her knowledge of Dark Magic away. She also passed along notes of how that magic works, so it'll take me a few minutes."

"If you have need of it, we have information that may give you the emotional edge you need," Syra told her. "From what we've seen, her recent love interest is no longer on her side. That might be a bit… devastating to her. It may just bring the Dark Magic back all on its own."

"Hm." Eila's hand caressed her chin briefly. "That's interesting. It should be enough to get her to stop fighting me." Her eyes glowed for a moment and she leaned up against a bookshelf for a moment, growling. "That… should be it. I am in full control with full access."

Fyrnir nodded his approval, arms crossing. "We came with a proposition. Our old partnership with you served us all well. We would like to pick up where we left off. He slew our race and our leader. We seek vengeance for that. You may do as you will, as ever."

"As long as you will protect my body, seeing as it was just recovered from being broken down. Of course… you know how frail I am." She pushed herself to stand and summoned her cloak in hand and clasped it around her neck. "So, we're going after Jet once more?"

"Yes," Syra nodded. "That is what my brother and I want."

"How should we handle his parents? They are both likely to show if they are not already present," Petry murmured.

"We scouted the area," Fyrnir answered, "and only the father is present. From what we were told by the one who resurrected us, they are required to focus the vast majority of their energy on some trap. If we are swift enough, we may be able to take our prey before his parents can gather the required energy to react."

Petry growled. "Don't do anything serious to his father. That trap must stay in place. Kaden is within and if he escapes, I am at extreme risk. I'll collect Jet and remove anyone else that shows. If a chameleon arrives, we withdraw."

"Understood," he nodded. As this partnership had always relied on her being in charge, neither sibling argued with her. "Do you still possess the spell that restrains his powers?"

"Do you still hate Jet?" Petry asked in response. "Of fucking course I do. I wouldn't simply forget such an important thing."

Syra shoved her brother with a hand, but her voice remained level. "What do you need us to do while you retrieve him?"

"Keep a watch on the area, keep his father off me long enough, and alert me if anything unplanned happens," Petry murmured. "That alone should be enough to protect our interests."

"We will do so," Syra promised.

Petry's grin was unmistakable, turning and snatching something off a bookshelf and beginning to write within a book. "I need to leave a message for Eila's dear sister. She's currently recovering emotionally and this will prevent her from stopping me." She quickly wrote a note before collapsing the house around them and dropping the book. "She'll find it." The siblings brushed some small fragments of debris off of themselves but were otherwise unbothered by what had just happened. "Ready?" Petry questioned gently. They nodded.

The cat teleported them all to Hyale with her magic masking their presence, a smile on her face. She stared at Jet with intent in her eyes before waving a hand and forcefully separating Jet from Sonic and Sein and restraining his powers. "It's been quite some time," she murmured.

Icy terror shot through Jet and he immediately felt himself tremble. No… She's supposed to be gone! Despite his intense fear, he reached for his sword, desperate to defend himself.

"No, no. Put the sword away," Petry said, waving a hand and pressing the hawk against the ground with her magic. "You're coming with me while I attempt to force Eila out of my mind." Already nearly lost in the throes of panic, Jet didn't reply. He struggled as hard as he could, but without access to his powers he couldn't do anything and he knew it. The cat raised a hand and glance to Fyrnir and Syra. "We're leaving. Come with me if you want to go." With this said, she teleported herself away with Jet in tow. The two Syxans immediately teleported after her.

Sein was mid-swing with his blade, the metal striking the earth powerfully as he gripped it tighter. "Damn it!" he yelled, ripping the sword free and launching it into the distance. "Fuck!"

Letting out similar curses, Sonic immediately tried wracking his mind for anything they could do to get his friend back. This is bad… This is so bad…!

The hawk was fast to call Alana, his muscles tensing so much that he found it hard to move much more than that. Alana answered the call quickly, obvious confusion in her tone. "Sein?" she asked.

"Astra is back," Sein snapped quickly, hardly realizing how he was acting. "She took Jet!"

Alana let out an audible gasp as Wave in the background exclaimed a sharp, "What?!"

"She showed up with two Syxans and took off with him!" Sein explained quickly.

"Do you have any idea where?" Wave demanded. Alana had gone silent, too overwhelmed with emotion to speak.

"No. I can't track them. She's probably blocking us from being able to," Sein said. "I don't know what to do." His attention shifted back to the trap and he groaned. "Not that I can do much right now."

Suddenly, a new voice spoke, making itself heard to all of them. The voice was genderless for the most part, but with vague hints of feminity to it. "We will manage this in your stead, Sein. We can maintain it from where we are."

Sein stood up straight, eyes wide. "Who the hell are you?" he questioned quickly, summoning his sword back into his hand.

"I am called Aethra, in this era," the voice murmured. "I and my kin were born from the Dawn. We are here to aid you."

When he wasn't fully convinced, another voice arose, this one with the vaguest hint of masculinity to it. "We understand your desire to protect your child. Please take this chance to find and save him, as well as do what you believe must be done. Before I forget… you may call me Rusen."

Right about then, Wave spoke up. "You… You're them, aren't you?" she mumbled in shock.

"Yes," Aethra answered. "Now is not the time to focus on that, young one. There is not much time to find him before his suffering of old is resumed. Sein, go find him. We will support you when you most need it, if it comes to that. When your partner is recovered, we will send her to aid you further."

"Before you speak, go to Babylon for a moment, Sein. I have left you a gift." The hawk swore he could feel this voice… smiling for just a moment. "May you find it and use it well."

Sein nodded slowly to this and turned his gaze to Sonic. "I'll be back. There's no way in hell I'm letting them take him this easily. Do you need me to take you somewhere?"

Slowly, tensely, Sonic shook his head. "No. I'm staying here. Just… bring him back, Sein. You have to."

"I'll teach those fuckers to mess with my family," Sein muttered before teleporting away.

~保護者~

Nareish smirked to herself, her left index finger twirling lazily in the air. Her other arm was braced on the armrest of her seat, providing a place for her cheek to rest. Faint magic swirled around her finger, just a hint of the vast power she had been borrowing as of late. The residual energy that filled the space in front of her faded away until nothing remained, and she severed the ties of control immediately. Her smirk grew just a touch wider. "Welcome back, Gerald Robotnik… You have been dearly missed."

The man shifted for a moment, not used to the sensation of being… alive again. It had been so long, yet it all felt so right. "You speak as if you know my work, but I know nothing of you. Would you care to elaborate so that we are on the same page?"

Her smirk grew into a grin, and Nareish inclined her head. "Oh, I am very familiar with your work, Gerald. But before we get into that, tell me something. I have taken pains to cure you of your once lethal insanity without damaging the rest of your mind. Would you say that you feel normal?"

Gerald stroked his chin briefly, as if scanning over the vastness of his mind. "It would seem so. I suppose I must thank you for that."

"Indeed. But, instead, allow me to share with you some good news. You see… your little pet lives on." Nareish smiled darkly at him. "If anything, I would say that your weapon has improved immensely since you departed. But it does still require perfecting. It is not unstoppable yet, I regret to say."

"That is… troubling," Gerald murmured before returning his attention to Nareish. "Once more, may I ask for some information on who you are. You were capable of restoring life and repairing a mind. That is beyond what I knew to be possible at my time of death."

"My name is Nareish," she answered easily. "Like you, I have a rather… annoying thorn in my side. Multiple, in fact. One of them happens to be your weapon. Another is your old nemesis. Only… he is not so little and helpless anymore. In fact, no threat I have sent after his group has managed to kill him, specifically. It is a touch… vexing."

Gerald frowned, but he didn't react harshly. "Sonic lives on… That is agitating, not that it cannot be… remedied. You seem to wish for me to deal with him, but what else? You are playing a long game, one that I wish to be partially clued in on."

Nareish's grin returned. "Do not trouble yourself with the secrets of… scary people," she murmured. "But… if you must know, removing Sonic will aid me in, shall we say… affecting the mental state of many of his allies. One in particular holds my continued interest. But that is not for you to worry over. I will handle that thorn on my own." She regarded him for a moment before continuing, "I have reformed your ARK for you within this realm. I took the liberty of improving it, as well. The greatest technology of the era will be at your disposal. Can't have your weapon be old-fashioned, now can we?"

The man frowned more, watching Nareish for a moment before a sinister grin appeared. "I believe that we could become great… allies? I don't believe that's the right word, but surely someone as intelligent as you understands the complex relationship that I am speaking of."

"Indeed, I do. It pleases me that we see eye-to-eye." Nareish waved an idle finger and conjured up a magic screen in front of him, showing a live feed of Shadow asleep in his bed with Toru. "Now, onto business… As you can see, your weapon has taken to feeling quite a useless level of positive emotions throughout the course of his life. In particular, he has recently grown attached to that man there. The only good thing to come of it is that the chameleon you see is powerful. In fact, if all has gone well, he will be providing your weapon with its first spawn through the means you yourself researched."

Gerald's eyes closed as he thought. He didn't like the thought of it bearing children without him overseeing the whole process. Something that he did not inherently control, but that could be fixed as well. His main concern was with Shadow for the moment, as the weapon would need to be upgraded. "I presume the materials I require will also be at my disposal, or will I need to acquire them myself?"

"Everything and anything you require will be provided for you so that you may focus on your work," Nareish smiled. "Technology, tools, protection… everything."

"I see," Gerald answered, smiling as his eyes opened. "I will rid you of that pest, Sonic, and return Shadow to being the ultimate weapon."

"Good." Still smiling, Nareish conjured up a tiny fragment of energy and forcibly teleported Shadow away from Toru and straight onto the ARK. "He has been restrained. I have taken the liberty of suppressing his powers long enough for you to get your weapon under control. I trust that he knows to obey you."

"If it does not, it will soon," Gerald agreed easily. "And thank you for this particular… partnership. I will make good use of it."

Nareish idly waved him off, then said, "One last thing… the two sources of blood from which you collected the necessary DNA to create him are alive anew in this era. If you require further data on either of them at any point, simply say so. I will aid you."

Gerald nodded slowly. "I appreciate this. May I go, then?"

"Feel free. In fact… a parting gift. Do you feel your mind expanding, doctor? So much potential, locked away… But no more." Nareish chuckled to herself. "Go, then. Get to work." She teleported him off to the Space Colony ARK immediately.

The moment he felt his feet hit the floor of the ARK, Gerald Robotnik felt… at home. He walked calmly to his weapon with a slowly growing smile. "It has been… a long time, has it not? You have not forgotten the face of your creator, correct?"

Shadow, who had been muttering curses under his breath and struggling against his restraints, froze for half a second before whipping his head around to stare at Gerald. Immediately, he felt himself go cold. Oh, fucking hell…

"Good, you have not forgotten." The man turned and walked to a nearby computer, fiddling with something for a moment before nodding to himself. "You have obviously strayed far from my programming for you. That simply will not do. I will have to remedy this before it becomes a problem."

Suddenly seething, Shadow temporarily forgot his age-old fears and spat a hateful and emphatic, "Fuck you," in Gerald's direction.

"Oh, you have strayed." Gerald turned around slowly and narrowed his eyes. "You will obey me or suffer for your insolence. I may have created you to endure pain with little to no reaction, but I know what makes you tic."

"I don't care," Shadow snarled. "I'm not fucking obeying you."

Gerald simply shook his head in a display of mock dismay as he turned back to the computer and hit the enter key, uploading a slightly revised copy of the code currently allowing Shadow to function. He'd been fortunate enough to have remembered fully what needed to be changed, so pacifying Shadow and forcing him to submit was easy. Shadow briefly lost focus as his mind adjusted to the new programming. The man behind it stood up once more and walked to where Shadow was restrained, looking him over quietly. "You… have been modified. I hardly believe your components would have lasted long enough for technology like this to exist." Shadow gritted his teeth, unwillingly holding his tongue no matter how badly he wanted to continue lashing out.

The man grabbed a tool from where he'd once remembered it to be and ran it over the hedgehog's body, scanning his internal structure before returning to the computer. "Oh, that's unpleasant. While the one who performed these repairs is obviously… competent, at best, they hardly made them fully compatible. I will have to replace nearly everything. Such a pain."

Hearing this had Shadow growing even more tense, because he knew full well that Gerald didn't give a damn about administering painkillers and the like. Whatever the man did to him, he was going to feel everything. He gritted his teeth tightly together. Don't focus, he told himself, almost instinctively falling back on his old childhood tactics for coping with experiments and upgrades. Take your thoughts elsewhere. Anywhere else.

Gerald began typing away at his computer, shaking his head. "Some of your chips no longer function how they were intended as well. So much work," he murmured. "No matter, it will be… nothing more than time consuming. It is simple enough." Shadow focused on his breathing for now, refusing to let on in any capacity that he was fucking afraid. That had often resulted in pain in the past, and he knew he was going to be hurting more than enough already before too long. Gerald soon stood up once again, pulling a rolling table over to where Shadow was restrained. "I will begin by replacing your pathetically replaced skeletal structure. It is hardly sufficient at this point. Are you ready?" His smile was unmistakable as he picked up a scalpel.

Shadow knew better than to answer, even if it wasn't really his choice to refrain. Keeping his teeth gritted, he continued to try and force his mind to focus on anything else as he braced himself for what was to come. Gerald slowly and methodically sliced into Shadow's arm as various programs ran on the computer behind him, cutting down to the metallic bones within. He was careful to avoid any of the veins that contained the black blood as he went on, leaving an open wound from the wrist to the shoulder. He used another tool to remove the bones and inspect them curiously before discarding them. Worthless to me. Using the now vastly expanded knowledge he'd been gifted, Gerald directed his thoughts to the woman who had revived him, for he knew now that it would allow her to hear him. "Nareish, are you capable of making a replica of what I removed but in a far stronger material? It would greatly accelerate my work if you can."

Nareish didn't answer with words. In an instant, a full replica skeleton appeared hovering in the air near where he was working, within reach but out of his way. Gerald's grin only grew at this sight, immediately moving another table to hold it for him as he carefully pulled the right arm and began working to insert it where it belonged. "This is the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship."

It didn't take him that long to do the same with the rest of the skeletal structure, repeating this process while the wounds from previous replacements were healing. Soon, he was able to sigh in relief, knowing that Shadow was no longer operating off of pitiful hardware. However… software was another thing. He was grateful that this new technology was incredibly useful. It had already edited much of the code, but that wasn't enough to replace faulty chips. He supposed that would need to happen first, so he grabbed boards and began his work once more, soldering and carefully installing the necessary components. Careful focus and work were enough to get the process going at full speed.

Once they were done, Gerald began the careful extraction and replacement of these various chips as well as some of the ones that were still working fine. "Thankfully you were always capable of withstanding great amounts of pain, all thanks to my brilliance." Gerald soon finished this, moving back to the computer and beginning to upload his newly revised versions of the code Shadow's chips had run off of. A few more adjustments would need to be made, but… that could wait a short amount of time. He sent the command to Shadow to force him to be fully awake. "Are you prepared for combat training, Shadow?"

Fuck you. Unable to voice this thought and knowing he was expected to answer how Gerald wanted him to (not that he would have had a choice even if he somehow didn't know), Shadow unwillingly nodded.

"Good to hear." Gerald removed Shadow's restraints and sighed. "I'm glad to see you're so willing. Let's go."

~保護者~

9,067 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 12:00 a.m.) 12-28-20.