Sonic and Shadow's souls collided. Their minds overlapped, forming a connection that was stronger than ever before. The intensity of their emotions crashing into each other generated an immense power. Memories flowed between them, some that they shared, and some they didn't. Knowledge of a technique from Shadow's past became known to Sonic.

Infinite watched with consternation as soul waves bloomed from his enemies' resonance. An intense glow had formed around them that distorted the surrounding area. The energy left the air and convened inside the scythe, bestowing the light into the weapon.

Shadow's scythe blade expanded further outward, then bent down parallel to his form's handle. He had gained a shape reminiscent of a gigantic axe, whose blade was nearly as long as its handle. The head of this new weapon form held a potent radiance. Glimmers of red and black moved along the enhanced scythe blade that now appeared as if it were made of a most fine, delicate glass.

The black blood staining Sonic's body vaporized into a dark mist. Darkness clung on his cloak and flowed along the fabric like smoke. His wounded arm became shrouded in the haze. Strength filled his body before he glared through the crowd directly at the real Infinite.

Infinite's racing heart sunk deep inside his chest. He sent his doppelgangers forward. The sea of copies charged alongside the two giants. Infinite started generating more, just in case.

Sonic moved his new weapon through the air to ready a swing. A gust of wind released into the crowd. It carried blue soul waves that passed through each copy as if they weren't there.

Infinite saw each of his illusions break apart. He knew every single one of them was solid and brimming with his own magic, yet they shattered as if they were pathetically brittle. Even the two masked giants he'd created came down without fanfare. Their dust faded completely before reaching the ground.

Sonic ran straight down the middle of the cleared room. The only sounds that could be heard were his footsteps on the metal floor, and the hum of his weapon's power.

"Shadow!" Infinite screamed.

He fired a series of magical blasts, but they all faded before they could hit their target. The meister was so close now. He swung.

"Genie hunter!"

The gigantic weapon travelled across a fine horizontal line, unhindered by any of the obstacles in its path. Each of the pylons beside Infinite were cut in two alongside his body. The jackal's upper half was knocked backward. He was floating now, and the phantom ruby inside his chest glowed brightly in an attempt to heal him. The attack hadn't caused any pain. Infinite felt a stunned sort of relief, and thought he might recover.

Cracks soon formed on the phantom ruby's surface. A high-pitched screeching came from the energy rushing outward. The gem burst. Infinite clutched his head in his hands, then screamed in agony. His body was torn to shreds with excruciating thoroughness. Infinite faded, flickered, and broke apart into dark energy. His gray mask hit the ground uselessly.

A purple soul with a red blot at its core appeared. All of the power that had been released from the gem and body poured back into the soul. The orb hovered in place, and generated a considerable amount of light.

The Genie Hunter transformation faded. Shadow left his weapon form and stood next to Sonic. The dark mist cloaking Sonic's body flowed onto the ground, then dispersed. Both hedgehogs stared onward with awe.

"That's…" Shadow stammered.

Sonic wrapped his arms around Shadow and squeezed tightly.

"We did it!"

Shadow couldn't help but hug him back. A profound sense of cathartic relief spread between them. The calmness brought by their victory was made obvious when their hug went on a little too long. They both pulled back awkwardly.

Sonic glanced at Infinite's soul. "I guess you better eat that before it gets cold or something,"

"Right,"

When Shadow took the soul in his hand, he could immediately feel the substantial difference in power it had compared to any other soul he'd eaten. His entire arm was tingling as a result. The rest of his body was hit with chills while his heart raced, although he wasn't entirely sure if that was the soul, or the blissful feeling of victory. He felt just a bit hungry, too. The soul was gone in one bite.

"Good riddance,"

Shadow's whole body responded to the soul's power. It was the same sensation he'd felt while holding the soul, but much more intense. His soul reacted like it were a fire being kindled.

"You were gold!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Gold?"

"Your fur changed for just a second,"

Shadow frowned. "Are you messing with me?"

"Come on, Shadow. After everything that's happened today?"

Shadow could tell Sonic was serious. He moved his sleeve back, but his fur was normal. He watched the red streak on his arm for a moment.

"It'll be a while before I fully absorb that bastard's soul. I'm glad I'm a death scythe, but I'm not crazy about changing colors,"

"I dunno, being gold could be kinda cool; I think you could make it work. Besides, you might be overdue for a new look after fifty-two years," Sonic joked.

Shadow's mind was drawn to the facility around them. He glanced around, then moved out of the room. "I need to check some things,"

Sonic went with him. They followed a path that Sonic recognized from seeing Shadow's memories, even though the facility had withered much since then.

The library wasn't in horrible condition, all things considered. However, most of the bookshelves and all the tables had been overturned. Shadow found the table that had been used most recently. He picked a book from amongst the debris on the ground, then led Sonic back through the halls.

They moved to a farther part of the facility, one that managed to get away from most of the destruction. Sonic was surprised to see a bedroom that was still intact.

"Your room?" Sonic asked.

Shadow nodded.

"It's about as plain as your room back home," Sonic observed.

"Almost,"

The black hedgehog approached a nightstand beside the bed, opening its drawer. He picked up a photo, admired it for a few moments, then handed it to his meister.

Sonic saw Maria in the foreground of the picture; she looked happy as could be. Shadow was behind her, staring out of the photo with disinterest. The scene suggested that Maria had set up the camera, and taken the picture without much warning. It made Sonic smile.

He knew that the bittersweet feeling the photo gave him was only a fraction of what his weapon felt. He passed the photo back, and Shadow tucked it into the book he'd recently obtained. They headed for the surface without a word.

Morning was finally beginning. Both hedgehogs stood on the beach, enjoying the sunrise. They were exhausted, but the rush of victory kept them from faltering. The lovely orange glow of the sky seemed to be encouraging them. Shadow's voice came eventually.

"How's your arm?"

Sonic took off his torn cloak, fidgeting with his damaged sleeve. There wasn't much visible blood left, although the cut was noticeable.

"I guess activating your power closed up the wound. Feels kinda sore now," He rubbed his arm. "You done absorbing Infinite's soul?"

Shadow looked down at his open palm. "Just about. He really had a lot of power. I'm glad he's gone," He closed his fist, and a blade emerged from his forearm.

"You used to always just turn your arm into a blade," Sonic recounted.

Shadow nodded. "My right arm naturally shifts into a blade as a kind of instinct. Weapons can train their ability to partially transform,"

Another blade came from Shadow's left arm to match the one on his right.

"You use your soul to manipulate the bounds of the regular transformation. It's similar to how we resonate to make a stronger weapon temporarily, but I'm just expending my own energy. I don't fully understand it, but I learned how to get some use out of it.

"From all your training when you grew up here?"

Shadow forgot that Sonic had seen some of his memories while they were resonating to produce the Genie Hunter. Realizing that made him feel strangely vulnerable. He withdrew the blades on his arms.

"Yeah, I was made to function mostly as an independent weapon. Gerald would have wielded me himself for specific missions after I became a death scythe,"

"But he didn't?"

"I'm not sure. I don't remember anything after…" Shadow kept himself from recalling too much detail. "...appearing outside of Death City. My next memory is waking up in the hospital. Hard to believe that fifty years passed between then,"

Sonic found himself staring at Shadow again. He looked the same as always, but the meister couldn't help wondering.

"Do you feel different having your old memories back?"

Shadow peered back into the portion of his mind that he'd been cut off from for so long.

"My older memories feel a bit different compared to the ones from after I woke up, but nothing feels too off," Remembering further made him let out a mild laugh. "Now that I think about it, I guess it's weird that I learned how to cook when we moved in together. I don't think my old self would have done anything like that,"

"What made you want to?"

"I was trying to impress you,"

"Oh, uh," Sonic was stunned by how casually his weapon made the admission. He fidgeted for a second. "It worked,"

Shadow exhaled amusedly. He seemed just a bit embarrassed as well. Things grew quiet again. Gentle waves crept near them while they lingered.

"Maybe you don't need me anymore?" Sonic speculated.

Shadow only replied with astonishment.

"You're finally a death scythe. Plus, you got your memories back, so you're even better at fighting on your own now," Sonic explained. "I don't think anyone could stop you from doing whatever you want,"

Shadow thought about all that had happened between him and Sonic. He considered everything going on in the world. Reaching a conclusion wasn't difficult for him.

"You're right. I have the power to do so much more now," Shadow began. "The kishin is still out there. I need to help Eclipse. Might be worth having a friendly chat with Eggman as well,"

The weapon started walking off the beach. Sonic felt stuck in place. He watched his weapon stop, then turned back expectantly. Sonic hadn't realized he was anxious until relief washed over him. He smiled, and the insecurity that had hit him so suddenly only made him chuckle now. Nothing more needed to be said. They left ARK behind without looking back.