Shadow's form was embedded into a twisted spire. Strands of bent metal and wire punctured what was left of his body. He only had access to his right arm, which he used to try pushing against the steel encasing him. It didn't budge.
His mind was much clearer now, but saving this part of himself was costly. Mephiles's soul, mind and body had taken over the rest of him. All Shadow had left was this last fragment. Mephiles couldn't do anything without it, so Shadow grew calm.
"Dying like this is better than being a monster,"
He sensed a change far off in the distance, outside of this desolate haven. Another soul had entered into his standoff with Mephiles. The dreary peace that Shadow had accumulated vanished, and was replaced entirely by fear.
"No, you'll die in here!"
Mephiles and Shadow's mindscape held some resemblance to the room where they usually met. The main difference now was that the room had expanded across a vast distance. There seemingly were no curtains or furniture, only black and white tiles that stretched outward indefinitely. All that could be heard at first was Sonic's determined footsteps that came while he searched.
It was all so cold, barren. Stretched thin by all the years Mephiles had spent phasing in and out of consciousness. Observing the outside world; lying in wait for his reawakening. Sonic noticed the weight of Mephiles's desire bearing down on this place. What he didn't notice was the black blood pooling up from the floor as he continued onward.
The fluid shimmered strangely, as if it were drawn to the hedgehog. Silently, it continued filling the spaces outside of the visitor's field of view, covering sections of the floor behind him until they were enveloped fully.
Conquering a significant distance made Sonic see that there really were curtains at the edge of this place, they had just been too far away to stand out until now. Sonic saw a colossal door breaking through the wall.
It appeared indestructible with how dense and wide its metal was. A circular mechanism protruded from its center. There was a chair next to the front of the vault. Sonic recognized it from visiting Shadow's mind before. The person sitting in it was familiar as well.
"Hello, Sonic,"
Speaking revealed the sharpened fangs inside his mouth. The person's voice resembled Shadow's but it was distorted. His appearance resembled Shadow's as well, but his fur held streaks of pale blue. That same color appeared in the thin lines that covered the person's suit. His eyes seemed burdened by sleeplessness, their green irises fixated completely on Sonic.
"What are you doing to Shadow?" Sonic asked.
Mephiles smiled as if Sonic's statement were quaint. "We're merging. My current body is limited, but it is good for helping me get into a better one," His smile faded into an artificial expression of hopelessness. "But Shadow gained the upper hand. I'm stuck. Both of us are. You can't go back the way you came in. The only way forward is through this door,"
Sonic glanced behind, and saw that there was now a sea of black blood behind him. The spot he was standing on was raised enough to form a small peninsula in the dark ocean.
"Why are you doing this? Why are you freaks always trying to ruin Shadow's life?"
"He's the one who wanted to be the ultimate death scythe. It's no surprise that other people's attention is drawn toward those who rise above," Mephiles's aloof demeanor became more serious. "I'm not like them, though. For me, it's fate,"
"Fate?"
"I was asleep beneath Kingdom Valley the day you fought Eclipse. I woke up when he first arrived and spoke with him briefly. He couldn't be my vessel, though. The poor thing already has another broken soul kicking around, and I have no interest in fighting for control of his blood,"
Although Sonic had come to terms with his lost battle at the cathedral that day, recalling it with this new context was burdensome. "So you chose Shadow?"
Mephiles tilted his head back and sighed. "God, he just seemed so flawless at first. It was like the world was showing me the next version of myself,"
Mephiles relaxed, seeming much less impressed. "Then he nearly died. Almost got you killed, too. Of course, no one could be that perfect. But there was no reason to be upset. He just needed a little…" Mephiles grinned, moving his fingers like he was playing a piano. "tuning,"
"You tormented him,"
"The black blood entered his body, and I could speak with him through his dreams. His mind grew burdened with anger and worry until I could speak with him at his most vulnerable moments. During those battles where you tapped into the darker powers of chaos,"
"But he didn't need your power to get his memories back. Or to become a death scythe,"
Mephiles laughed once. "Yes, it seems you both had an exciting adventure without me. I caught a quick look at his memoires. But you two discovered your true potential too late, didn't you? You wouldn't have made it that far without me, anyhow,"
Sonic didn't have a reply. He thought back without speaking, wondering if what Mephiles said was really true. The demon resumed speaking.
"It's your fault, you know? You never listened to his concerns. Just kept charging ahead without thinking. He tapped into the darkness to protect you, which only made it easier for me to take over this place," Mephiles waved a hand at the looming door behind him. "All he could do was lock away the last part of himself in there and wait to die,"
"So, he really is dying?"
"You know how Shadow is. Cutting himself off from others comes naturally to him. He'd rather die stubbornly so he can save you from me. The last part of his soul is completely locked away. I doubt anyone could reach him,"
Mephiles slowly looked over the vault door. He smirked. Then his gaze crept back toward Sonic.
"Although, there might just be one person that this door will open for. Someone Shadow simply can't resist, regardless of how badly he might try keeping them out,"
Sonic knew what Mephiles was suggesting. He could also tell that the demon wasn't lying, either. Sonic felt that Shadow was trapped there.
"I better save him from you, then,"
"Or…" Mephiles stood. He reached forward and delicately held Sonic's hand. He caressed the meister's palm with his fingers. The demon's claws pressed into the fabric of Sonic's gloves. "You can have me instead,"
Sonic ripped his hand from Mephiles's grasp. "You think I'll just let Shadow die?"
"He won't be dead, he'll just be a part of me. Shadow and I aren't just weapons: we're beings that absorb the essence of others. This is just what we do,"
Mephiles held an arm out to his side. The black blood stirred. Horrific figures with pale, lifeless skin rose out of the ooze as much as they could. Parts of their skeletons were easily visible through the many wounds on their bodies. Sonic grimaced at the sight of them. They were still bound to the blood, and couldn't emerge fully. Each of them clawed at the edge of land where Sonic and Mephiles stood, groans or hisses being their only form of protest.
"You've walked a path of destruction to get here. You've helped Shadow consume the souls of one hundred other people, yet you're angry at me for doing the same,"
"They were corrupted souls who killed innocent people. Shadow and I aren't evil for stopping them," Sonic countered.
"You aren't evil, but neither were they. They simply died because they were weaker. Everything you did was for the pursuit of a greater weapon. I can be that weapon,"
Sonic still wrestled with disbelief. "What about Negative? You were willing to help him end the world, but now you'll help me instead?"
Mephiles gave a disinterested hand wave. "I was never helping him because I cared about the state of this world. We were able to communicate after he awoke. He offered me a body, so I became his weapon. But I only tolerate him because he's the strongest meister. Soon I'll have all of Shadow's power; I'll be the ultimate death scythe. Negative is currently unarmed. He won't stand a chance against you. No one in the world will,"
The notion filled Sonic with hatred. His will emanated onto the mindscape. The hollow ghouls stirring in the blood melted. Everything was calm again.
"No,"
Confusion hit Mephiles. "You can feel all of my power, can't you? Shadow's almost gone now. You'll die pointlessly if you try saving him,"
"Maybe I will," Sonic gave the endless ocean of blackness around them one last look.
"I don't know if I'll ever need a crazy-strong weapon after today. But I do know that I need Shadow, or at least, I want him there with me in the real world. I don't think that's something you could ever understand. That's why I'd rather die trying to save him than have you as my weapon,"
Mephiles's eyes filled with hatred. His body melted away, with his voice reverberating from the surrounding world instead. "Go ahead. It won't make any difference,"
"We'll see,"
Sonic held his hand in front of the vault. Deep groans generated from the mechanisms within. The massive, wheel shaped handle spun until the door was ready to open. Once it did, a bright light emerged.
Sonic found himself in a new place now. He was inside a hallway of pure light. The whiteness seemed to go endlessly beyond the bounds of the floor he walked on. Part of him wondered if he'd already failed, and ended up in the afterlife. Once he sensed Shadow's soul in the distance, he knew that wasn't the case. Turning his head downward made him flinch; he was completely naked now.
"Can I at least get some pants?" Sonic yelled at no one in particular.
The next time the hedgehog looked down, he saw that he was wearing a pair of black pants.
"Thanks,"
Black blood engulfed the hallways behind Sonic, filling the space with the thundering sound of rushing liquid. He felt his own blood grow cold as ice in response. He sprinted away from the dark tides that pursued him, keeping his attention on finding Shadow. Memories started appearing beyond the boundaries of the ethereal hallway Sonic moved through. He quickly understood that he was linking with Shadow's mind. Focusing on the memories they shared made the connection stronger. Sonic felt his path changing.
The end of the hallway was approaching. Beyond it was an incomprehensible darkness. Sonic could feel his weapon out there. He jumped, then found himself hurtling through the dark unusually fast, like he'd suddenly gained the ability to fly. He focused on Shadow's soul and he was pulled toward his weapon. The spire appeared. Sonic threw his arms around Shadow's body, clinging tightly.
The place filled with black blood.
Uploading chapters two days in a row? What is this madness? Sure, I uploaded three chapters a week for months, but I was never this brash. Maybe something similar happened at the very start when I uploaded the beginning of the story to either of the sites I've been using. The point is: making this story has been crazy. I'm busy this weekend, so I won't type much more until next week. When that time comes, we'll see what happens. No promises, though. ;) Thanks for reading!
