AN: At 1,197 views, but we are still going on.
Thanks to The Sensational SpiderDom321 for reviewing this story!
Chapter 24 – The Darkness in Me
Ergh…do I REALLY need to start the chapter like THIS?!
OK, fine.
I'll do it.
If any of you try to make a joke or a meme about this, I will LITERALLY snap your neck!
…
OK. Fine…fine…
I won't do anything lethal…
Ugh…
As soon as that Fender lady teleported into that small office I was in, I ran off.
I don't think I ever screamed in HIGH-PITCH before, but I did that day.
I screamed all the way as I ran away from that Fender illusion. I didn't care to stop and fight back. All I wanted to do was to destroy that generator and get the hell away from the jackal.
I didn't want to be spooned by a crazy woman.
Especially if that Fender jackal was real or not.
Especially when there was still a mission for me to do.
"BrInG mE tHaT tAiL!" shouted Fender in that raspy male voice.
"How about you suck your own tail?!" I screamed.
We were running through the hallways for a long time. I didn't have the super speed like Sonic, but I was running faster. Maybe it was because I wanted to stay away from that jackal illusion. Maybe it was because I was scared.
I was NEVER been this afraid before.
Sure the war took its toll, but being chased by an unstable jackal was worse.
I quickly skidded around the corner, managing to be out from Fender's sight for a while.
That was when I spotted a nearby vent door.
It was opened.
"I'm CoMiNg FoR yOu!" shrieked the jackal.
I broke into a cold sweat.
I quickly ran towards the vent. It was my only way to hide. I dashed inside the vent and closed the door. Holding onto my breath, I watched through the gaps of the vent door as Fender ran past.
"SwIgGiTy SwOoTy…" chanted the jackal. "I'm CoMiNg FoR dA bOoTy!"
I remained quiet, trying not to make a single sound as Fender searched through the hallway. She looked around like a lion looking for a gazelle. And then, she gave up, running off in another direction. I waited until I could no longer hear her footsteps.
I sighed in relief and slowly got out of the vent
With that, I collapsed onto the floor, exhausted.
"I'm…not…going…to…be…chased…by…her…AGAIN!" I gasped.
I got up and checked my ear piece. It showed an image of the map. It appeared that…
"I'm near the generator!" I said.
I looked to the right to see a large metal door. It had a small monitor on the side. I came towards it and looked at the door.
"This one doesn't have any knobs," I said to myself. "That screen there…it requires a password. Smart one, Eggman."
I went up to the monitor and typed in the password that I knew from the Eggman Empire Computers. However, it didn't work.
"Oh…" I said face palming. "Right. He used the password for the computers, NOT for password-required doors."
Sighing, I looked at the door. I stood there wondering how I could get in. That was when I saw something in the centre. It was a key hole. I must have not notice it before. I looked at it and the shape of the hole was round.
That was when my Pink Wisp flew out from my Wispon and stared at the key hole, humming in thought.
"Any ideas?" I said.
She nodded and took something from my vest pocket.
A kazoo.
The kazoo I snatched from Emerald days ago.
Wait…did it look like…?
A thought came through my head and my eyes widened up dumbfounded.
The mouth shape was the shape for the key hole.
"You got to be kidding me," I grumbled.
Pink blinked, muttering something inaudible.
I went over and placed the kazoo into the key hole, turning it around.
CLICK!
It worked!
The door opened and revealed the Phantom Ruby generator room.
Along with many robots.
And oh…including Orbot and Cubot.
I quickly got into attack position.
"Hey!" said Orbot. "Who's that?"
Clay's POV
After taking a short break lying on that tower, I made my way down. I was making my way back to the Resistance when I saw Sonic running towards me.
"Oh," he said stopping. "How are ya doing?"
"Just came back after nearly been fried in a sun and stuck in a void," I said sarcastically. "Yep…good times."
Wow. I nearly sound like Bubblegum and Mecha.
Sonic smiled and chuckled. "Sounds like you had fun."
I gave him a look. "You know that I was…a bit sarcastic."
"Never gonna stop me."
"What are you doing?"
"I just came here, so that I can go and destroy that generator along with finding you and Bubblegum. Do you know where she is?"
"She's already inside, making her way to that generator. She must be there now."
Sonic grabbed onto my hand. "How about we meet her there?"
I was about to say something when Sonic picked me up and ran in high speed. I felt my feet lifting slightly up since I couldn't keep up. I didn't make a word knowing that despite charging forwards in high speed to danger, I would be still OK.
Eventually, Sonic stopped and I nearly fell down. We were on a metal road that led to the Imperial Tower.
We both looked up to see…Infinite.
Floating in front of us.
"Pathetic little hedgehog," said Infinite. "Even with the Phantom Ruby weakened, I still have enough power to smash you into blue jelly. I'll show you how outclassed you really are!"
He noticed me. It was minor, but he gasped before getting over his shock. "And I see that you brought a friend over. You must have controlled your power, Dark Wolf."
"I'm anything but the Dark Wolf," I said, shaking my head.
Sonic rolled his eyes. "You still want to destroy this world, right? Do you know what you are doing is wrong?"
Infinite just scoffed. "Why should it be considered wrong when that is how the strong wins?"
"Does anyone believe in your lies?" said Sonic. "Why can't you just stop all of this? Will you EVEN gain anything from that?"
"...it will reward me with a purpose that is considered superior to others. I…was treated like dirt before. I'm not going to be treated like that today. I want this power for my entire life. Now, I have the power to snap everyone out from existence."
"You're just hurting innocent people!"
"Oh REALLY?!" growled Infinite, his aura flaming in rage. "You're saying that the weak people should live? Why should they? The world doesn't want anyone who is weak. Their lives are meaningless to everyone. That is how the world works."
"B-But that's not true," I said. "Maybe in the past, but not now. Do you know how society works today?"
"He's right!" said Sonic. "The world isn't coldhearted! Not everyone has the same idea as you do. No matter how strong you are, you have no right to control people's lives!"
Infinite's aura started to expand…before slightly contracting. The masked jackal shook his head. "I thought of you and the Resistance as better…but I guess I'm wrong. I'm sorry, little pests…but with this power, I have the right to make what judgement or decision I want to have for everyone and myself. You are all naive. Maybe burning you all up will make you realize how it feels to be inferior. Now it's time for me to end you."
I gulped.
Sonic shrugged.
"At least I tried," said the blue hedgehog. "Time to put-up or shut up."
At this, Infinite rose high and blasted a laser at us. Sonic quickly grabbed my hand again and ran to the other side.
"What would you like your epitaph to read?" taunted Infinite as he fired many red pixel blocks at us. "How about 'Here lies the blue buffoon'?"
I quickly made a shield around us and the cubes bounced off it uselessly.
"Why not 'Here dozes the masked clown'?" teased Sonic. "Might as well make it for the person who needs one, right?"
Infinite formed many more cubes and threw them at us. Sonic quickly dodged and charged through them while I quickly ran to the side, forming a shield over me.
At this, Sonic did a homing attack onto Infinite two times.
The masked jackal yelped in pain before swiping his hand at Sonic, causing a large wave of red energy. It knocked both of us down.
We got back up.
Infinite made another wave of cubes and lasers at us, but we quickly dodged again. Sonic was able to use his homing attack to make blows onto Infinite several times. However, it wasn't enough to defeat the jackal.
Sonic and Infinite were trading punches, kicks and blows to each other. I just ran across the ground, dodging the illusions Infintie made and using my Wispon to shoot at him. Sadly, it seemed that Infinite was nearly winning.
At one point, Sonic landed beside me and grabbed my hand.
"Think you can punch?" he said.
"I think so," I said.
"Let's go!"
He used his super speed and we both ran towards Infinite. I held onto his hand for dear life. When we got close, Sonic launched both of us into the air. He curled up into a ball, ready to do a homing attack. I just raised my right fist into the air, charging in up in yellow energy.
Before Infinite could attack, Sonic shot himself into the jackal's face.
BANG!
I quickly swung my fist and it hit the Phantom Ruby.
It had an effect.
BOOM!
When the dark powers I had and the Phantom Ruby power came into contact, a large energy explosion blew from there and I was thrown backwards.
Infinite screamed in pain, nearly spinning in the air.
I collapsed onto the floor and Sonic went up to me.
"Are you OK, buddy?" he asked.
"I'm fine," I said as he helped me get up.
We both looked at Infinite. He quickly revived and his ruby started to glow.
It was…charging up.
Like a battery charging, the ruby was regaining its energy.
"I…have…ENOUGH OF THIS!" he roared. "You're done for, you two. The Phantom Ruby's recharged. Dark Wolf, you can still join me…and we can destroy the world."
I growled through my teeth. "I rather die!"
"Rookie is not like you!" said Sonic. "He is one of us. A goodhearted, kind and one of the noblest wolves I've ever met."
I felt my cheeks blushing a bit.
Infinite sighed and his hands charged up in power.
Sonic quickly got into attack position.
I raised my hands up, ready to make another shield.
"Fine then…" said Infinite. "Let's finish this off with a-!"
BANG!
That wasn't from Infinite.
Something flew by and hit Infinite on the head. This sent the jackal flying and crashed hit into a nearby building. His body bounced off the wall and hit the ground, his mask coming off.
I looked at the attacker.
It was flying in a yellow and black blur before landing onto the ground. It stopped and turned around, taking off the hood.
"Mecha!" Sonic said.
"Mecha?" I said.
He just looked at us before turning his face towards Infinite.
The jackal quickly put his mask back on. Too bad I didn't get to see how he looked like.
Mecha walked towards the jackal with a cold look while the latter floated up into the air to see the bird.
"YOU?!" said Infinite.
"Hello, old friend," said Mecha bitterly.
There was a tense pause for a full minute while the sounds of the battle outside played in the background.
"Zero…I mean Infinite…whatever," said Mecha. "Leave my friends alone."
"Why should I?" said Infinite. "You are no good to them."
"LISTEN. I know you hold a grudge towards me and the world, but this is only between you and me. So leave my friends out of this."
Infinite just shook his head. "Listen here, kid. Remember when you touched the Phantom Ruby? Do you remember the future I saw? Di you HONESTLY really think I decided to do all of this just because I was mad of the world? Sure yes, the world only wants the strong while the weak gets trampled. Shadow killed my squad, but I don't need them anymore with this power. You turned down the offer to rule the world. I really want to tear you to pieces when I had the chance to if it wasn't for Eggman who called me back. But no…I'm not only here for revenge. What do you think I am doing? You think I'm focusing on that?!"
His aura suddenly expanded.
"I'm doing this so I can make the world in my own image. How it's supposed to be. A world where NO ONE but I can exist. A world where the weak is gone. A world where I'M the one who is the strongest. A world that no one can look down on me. I want to carry on that true belief I have as it helped me to survive and be strong. It's about time that belief come true. But…erasing you is a nice bonus. You should have been grateful with all that riches you got and showing others that you are far superior to others."
Mecha's eyes narrowed. "Damare, Zero. Look, I didn't EVEN want to be a bully OR be rich."
Infinite was quiet for a while. "So…you're just letting yourself be weak? Hurt?"
There was a faraway look in Mecha's eyes. He then looked at me and smiled.
"As long as there is someone who can help me," he said sincerely. "At least I get to talk with someone for ONCE."
I smiled back.
"Please, Zero," said Mecha. " I don't know what's going on in you, but you are too dependent on that ruby of yours. You're just going to get so absorb into everything that you are just going to demolish yourself as well. I just wished that you would have changed your mind."
Infinite growled and energy started to form his palm. "Don't refer me to that inane name. I gave up my old weak self a long time ago. I am…Infinite."
Saying this, Infinite shot a laser at Mecha who quickly did a huge back-flip to avoid the laser.
"Pitiful," scoffed Infinite. "I wonder how that stupid Finn wolf would say about this. He would think that you are nothing but a weakling as well."
I inhaled sharply. After getting to know Mecha, I knew that this isn't what you want to say to Mecha.
When he heard that, he froze.
His eyes widened up in…fear.
But then…they were filled with something I thought I never seen before.
DARKNESS.
Mecha's eye twitched.
"Gloves off now…" he said. "…you want to bet on black in this roulette? LET'S DANCE!"
The bird let out the same bloodcurdling eagle screech he made before and ran to the masked monster. Using his Yellow Wispon, Mecha aimed the drill at the Phantom Ruby. Infinite quickly blocked the attack and attempted to kick him out of the way, only for Mecha to quickly dodge to the side. Forming a sword in his hand, Infinite clashed his sword at Mecha's Wispon. The two were trying to strike each other out with their weapons.
At one point, their weapons once again clashed each other before the two were trying to push each other.
That was when Infinite grabbed Mecha by the throat using his free hand.
"To be honest," said the jackal bluntly. "I was expecting more from you."
He slammed Mecha to the ground. The bird cried in pain and tried to get up only for Infinite to put his foot onto his chest.
"Let me tell you the difference between me and you," snarled Infinite. "I'm the second general of Eggman Empire, the ultimate weapon, the most powerful person in the world. And you – on the other hand – are a MISTAKE. So simple, even a blind man could see it."
Taking his chance, Sonic ran up and quickly did a homing attack at Infinite who was off guard. The two stumbled before trading blows with each other.
I quickly ran over to help Mecha get up.
"Mecha!" I said. "Are you OK?"
"My head feels not good," he said wearily.
Suddenly, Sonic was sent flying and knocked into Mecha, causing the two to fall down. When I turned my head, Infinite grabbed my chest fur. Lifting me from the ground, he floated upwards. At this angle, I could see the eyes from the mask. His devilish eyes and the yellow pupil that rested in one of them.
One eye black…one eye red.
Only one eye is seeing how the world is.
"I'll give you one last chance," he said. "Join me and you will be…infinite."
"You're wrong," I said despite feeling scared. "I will never be like you."
He hissed and placed his hand around my throat, squeezing hardly. I struggled to breathe as my neck was starting to hurt. I was afraid that I was going to die at that moment.
"You want just to be a nobody?" he said. "A weakling. Like the rest of the Resistance? Then SHARE their weakness! SUFFER their humiliation! FEEL their pain!"
He used his other hand and placed it over my forehead. Before I could say what he was going to do, something flashed over my eyes.
My brother being captured.
Infinite killing those people.
Being alone for six months.
Bubblegum yelling at me for screwing up our first mission.
Mecha mocking me.
The fight we all got into.
Infinite taunting me.
Having those nightmares.
Seeing Belt's broken glasses.
"STOP!" I screamed.
The memories were too much and I was sent back to the present.
Infinite laughed and threw me through the air like a rag doll.
I quickly braced myself as I crashed onto the ground. Pain shot through my body, but I was quick to cover my head so that I would black out.
With a shaky groan, I slowly looked up and saw Sonic trying to get up…only for Infinite to use his force power to capture Sonic and banged him onto a building wall.
SLAM!
The blue hedgehog hit the wall head-first.
He slumped onto the ground and lost conscious.
Mecha was trying to get up, only for Infinite to place his foot on Mecha's chest again.
"This time, I WILL kill you," growled Infinite, forming an energy ball in his hand.
"NO!" I cried.
I slowly got up, but stopped when I…felt something in my right arm.
It was the darkness.
I looked at it and saw that the blackness was spreading through my arm again. It reached to my shoulder part.
"W-what?!" I said. "I'm…I'm so-"
"What did I told you?" said the same shadow voice. "How about we just let the beast loose?"
"NO!"
I quickly got up and tried to run to save my friends, only to stop again.
I felt darkness.
Sadness.
Anger.
Pain.
Stress.
I looked down and to my horror, I saw black spreading across my body.
It was painful.
Every bit of it.
"No…no, no, no…" I said.
"Dark Wolf..."
"Please…don't…"
"Dark Wolf…"
My head started to hurt. I held onto it. I felt the darkness spreading through my body. My fur turned from turquoise to black. It started to cover my head. My vision was starting to darken. I felt the darkness rising from my chin to my ears slowly. I prayed for it to stop, but it continued. Voices continued to call me. I didn't know what was going to happen. Tears started to form in my eyes as I thought of the results of giving in the darkness.
"Please…"
Everything went black.
"Let's see if you are worthy for this power…"
Bubblegum's POV, Inside the Eggman Empire Fortress
"Please don't hurt me, desu!"
I just kicked Cubot and Orbot out from the generator room before slamming the door shut. I tied them up together so that they can't run off to tell Eggman about what I was doing. Even though they were working for Eggman, I felt that they were reluctant to do so.
"Sorry guys," I said.
I looked around to check out the damage I did. I was able to destroy every robot from the room without a sweat. Surprisingly, I actually quite enjoyed it.
I guess this is how Sonic felt after he finished kicking butt.
"Ah boy…" I said, prodding one of the disembodied robot arms. "Eggman should have thought of making industructive robots next time."
I looked up to see the reactor. There was a structure resembling a nucleic acid double helix, covered by metal plates. The circular platform had three tubes with a Phantom Ruby prototype in each of them.
"So…those rubies power up the generator, huh?" I said.
I went up to one of the tubes and got out my Wispon. I aimed at the tube and shot out a spiky energy ball, breaking the glass. With the tube glass out of the way, I grabbed the prototype and threw it to the ground, before stomping it with my right foot.
Just to note, my mother didn't appreciate the fact that I like to wear the sneakers I wore that moment, but my spiky shoe soles managed to break the ruby prototype into pieces. Pretty useful if you ask me.
I stared at the miserable-looking pile of the ruby shards. They were glowing for a while before they dimmed, shutting down.
I ran to the other tube. Again, I shot the tube and stomped on the prototype.
"Two done, one to go," I said.
I went to the last one when all of a sudden, pink streaks came out from my prototype. They changed into the ghost of Addison.
"Addison," I said, confused why she can appear in the real world AND decided to get out from the prototype. "What are you doing?"
"I sense that someone is here," the ghost fox said. "It must be…"
Her eyes widened up.
"WATCH OUT!" she said.
Quickly, Addison tackled me to the ground. Everything went into slow motion as I saw a FREAKING MISSILE flying over my head…just inches away from my nose. The missile flew past and harmlessly exploded on the wall.
The two of us fell onto the floor.
I yelped in pain while Addison didn't as she is a ghost – she can't feel physical pain.
We looked up…and I froze.
Fender.
"LoOk Uh…I dOn'T wAnT tO bE tOo DiReCt, BuT uH…" she said, pulling out a calculator. "tHiS cAlCuLaToR iS gOiNg Up YoUr AsS tOnIgHt."
I screamed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGGGHHHH!"
Fender pounced.
I quickly ran to the side as Fender slammed into the floor, going through Addison's ghost body.
The deranged jackal got up and ran towards me. She swung her claws, but I quickly got out of the way and did a roundhouse kick. Fender fell over, but she used her hands to stop her from hitting the floor before jumping back up.
She continued to try to scratch me with her claws, but I used my Wispon as a shield to block Fender's slashes. It worked – despite the paint of the Wispon being scratched off – but Fender teleported behind me.
Before I knew it, I was tackled to the ground.
I was about to get up when Fender fell on top of me and started to strangle my neck.
I gasped for the air as the jackal's grip on my throat tightened. I felt as if she was trying to squeeze the life out of me.
"A-Addison?!"
The fox quickly ran and tried to pull the jackal up, but her hands just went through the jackal's body.
"I can't!" said Addison as she tried to grab Fender. "Her body is now transparent for me!"
That was when my Pink Wisp flew out. She tried to shoot through Fender, but that failed since she couldn't harm her.
"YoU aRe MiNe!" said Fender creepily.
My neck was hurting. I couldn't breathe. My vision was starting to blur due to the lack of air.
I was about to pass out…
…when something crashed through the ceiling.
"WHAT'S UP, EVERYONE?!" yelled a voice.
That was when a foot kicked Fender in the face. Surprisingly, Fender was sent flying and off the bridge, falling down into the seemingly bottomless pit.
I gasped for air as I heard Fender's horrible screams faded deeper into that hole. When I regained my breath, I got up and saw who just saved me.
It was Minty.
With a broken right arm wrapped in a white bandage and a sling.
My jaw dropped.
"M-Minty?" I said shocked.
"Hi there, Beth," said Minty flatly.
"H-How can this be? Y-You died."
Minty smiled. "I didn't."
"But Mecha said that you fell off a building! A HIGH TOWER! No one can survive a fall like that!"
"True. I could have died back in Metropolis, BUT I saw one of Eggman's flying robots flying towards me. I quickly grabbed onto it, but I accidentally steered it to the building where Eggman was at. I blacked out when I smashed through the window and hit the ground. The next thing I know was waking up at a jail cell here at this fortress. Eggman wanted to keep me…as a test subject. I quickly escaped and made my way around to see what other plans he had."
"How come you broke your arm?"
Minty looked at her arm. "That…I don't know. Must be after I slammed into the ground. Eggman must have bandaged it for his own accord. Or maybe it's because the author of this story felt bad for me."
I nodded and sighed in relief. "Richard and Mic will be happy to see you again. Now I'll get rid of that last tube then we can get the hell out of here."
I turned around and blasted the last tube with my Wispon. The prototype exploded into pieces. As soon as it was terminated, the generator slowly came to a stop and nearly all the lights dimmed.
It was finally shut down.
"Done," I said. "The world's saved. Also, thank you for helping me."
Minty grinned before noticing Addison. "Who – and what – is she?"
I rolled my eyes. "And you've noticed that JUST NOW?"
Addison went up to the green hedgehog and shook Minty's hand. "My name is Addison."
"She is a friend of mine," I explained. "She died when the war started."
Minty's face turned pale. "Wait…so you're saying that…s-s-s-s-s-s-s-she's a GHOST?!"
Addison nodded.
"Yep," I said, expecting Minty to freak out.
But Minty didn't.
Instead, she squealed in excitement.
"Oh my gosh!" she said. "I knew it! I knew that ghosts are real! I can't wait to see the look on Mic's face when he sees you!"
"Huh…so you're a fan of spiritual creatures…huh?" I said sarcastically. "Anyway, did you find anything from Eggman? Any back-up plans?"
Minty's smile turned into a serious frown. "Oh. I used one of his computers, but I didn't have time to look through the whole thing since I had an army of robots coming after me. I found some videos in which…proves that Mecha isn't working for the Eggman Empire."
I tilted my head. "What?"
"Well…I need to own him an apology for thinking that he is working for-"
"It's alright," I said shrugging. "We already know."
Minty looked shocked. "Really?"
"He told us about it because Shadow thought that he was a spy as well. Mecha said the WHOLE THING."
Minty nodded. "Still…I don't know why Mecha hung out with that Infinite guy before. The videos I watched didn't show how they met or if..."
"Actually, Mecha and Infinite – also known as Zero – had met each other during a trip and became quick close friends. Mecha is upset about this, knowing that Infinite was his friend the whole time. Apparently, Mecha is reluctant in fighting Infinite."
"He…he isn't mean anymore, is he?"
I nodded. "He changed. He still make stupid jokes, but he's nicer. It would be quite long if I told you why he was a bully, but he…he just did it because he was upset with family business and believed that no one would understand him despite having a lot of people like him. I think that Mecha became a good guy because…we were nice to him."
Minty smiled and sighed. "That's good. I'm glad that he kept my promise."
"Your what?" said Addison.
"Moving on."
There was banging coming from the door. Large bulges could be seen on the metal door.
"OK," I said nervously. "Whelp, that was fun."
"Looks like they found me," said Minty nervously.
At this, Addison flew back into my prototype.
I looked up to see an opened vent door on the ceiling.
Perfect.
I grabbed onto Minty's arm.
"What are you doing?" said Minty.
"Hold on," I said.
That was when the door came crashing down, revealing an army of robots.
I fired my grappling gun at the vent door. With the hook hanging onto the hatch, I quickly yanked Minty and myself upwards. The robots took fire, but their lasers missed us.
"Sayonara!" I called.
Minty whooped in victory as I pulled ourselves through the vent door to safety.
Clay's POV, ?
The next thing I know was that I was back in this dark world again.
There was nothing.
No light.
No building.
No color.
No cloud.
No sun.
No moon.
Just a dark world.
I looked around as a billion thoughts raced through my mind.
How come I am back in this again?
What happened?
Did I just…let myself go evil back in the real world?
Oh no…oh god, no…
Again, I didn't know why everything was completely…dark. Even thought there was no light, I was able to see my body in full light.
"Dark Wolf…"
I looked behind to see some kind of dark shadow flying towards me. Like last time, it grabbed me and pulled me up. A few shadow streaks flew together to form the same shadow monster I had encountered in Null Space.
"I see that you decided to let the darkness give in," said the shadow.
"W-What?" I said. "I-I-I didn't! I swear I wasn't feeling too upset or angry."
"Well, you were unable to calm down. And you remembered those painful memories."
My face went pale. "You…what happened to the others?"
"Oh…they are alright at the moment. We are in your subconscious now and for us, time has stopped. You will resume back into the present once we are done. Right before, the offer I tried to make to you is rudely interrupted by others around us and the stake of the mission you have to do. Right here, we can settle the score with no worries about time, condition or any external objects around us. I recommend that you…let me take control of you."
"No way! I told you already! I'm no monster!"
The shadows suddenly tightened on me.
"Oh really?! How many times do I have to tell you?! They already know who you really are and you're hoping that they will accept you?! Just admit it. Nobody will ever accept a monster like you!"
"How many times are you going to keep saying that? How many times are you reminding me that? I already told you a billion times! That's not true! No matter what people are supposed to be, it is important to care for each other."
"Do you think so? Those people out there…they care for you and try to give you the best support they can give…but…are you WORTH helping them? You're still a monster…you're destined to be a wolf made from pure darkness. All your personalities, skills and powers made them that. Soon, you will succumb into the darkness and become the Dark Wolf! You will be unstoppable! You will be powerful! You will get to burn the world like how your anger want to! You will be…infinite."
"No…" I said. "Not infinite…it isn't right to destroy the world and take control of people's lives."
"Heh. You know, you should submit to use your dark powers for the right reasons. Dark Wolf, you are a noble wolf and a smart one. Listen to me. There is no more goodness, happiness or peace out there in the world. You will always face the same lies…the same deceit…if you decide to live a normal life. If you become the Ultimate Dark Wolf, then everything will go your way. No more lies. No more worries. No more fear. I know you better than you know yourself."
I growled slightly. "You never had a voice in my head when I was a baby!"
"Well…well…well…you are soft. It's that same old stupid emotion you had that made you so weak in the first place…but hey. That's not your fault. You are influenced by such pathetic IDIOTS. You don't need them. They don't need you. You are better off without anyone."
Something snapped inside me.
Did he just called…?
I remembered.
Everything.
My friends.
Bubblegum.
Mecha.
Sonic.
Belt.
Emerald.
Sebastian.
The whole Resistance and all the people in the world.
"DON'T CALL THEM IDIOTS!" I barked.
I swore that I saw the shadow flinched.
I was done with hearing that monster's insults. I was done of being a doormat for it to stomp on. I wanted to shut it up and show my newly-founded perspective. I put on my brave face and spoke.
"They are my friends!" I said in a confident tone. "You see, ever since I was a little cub, I was all alone with no friends. Just my brother to look up on. I wanted to meet other people, but I was too shy to talk to others because I lived in an isolated place. When the war began, I felt…scared. Sad. I didn't know what to do. I isolated myself as my brother was gone and I was afraid of talking to other people. I was alone again, but this one was first-hand."
I gripped my hands into fists.
"When I joined the Resistance, I thought I could save my brother without anyone's help. However, during my missions, I felt worthless. Pathetic. Weak. A person who shouldn't exist. Every time I screwed up, I would be berated for that."
The next few words I blurted out nearly made me cry again.
"But then…I…made…f-friends. Sonic gave me a few pep talks that encouraged me to keep going no matter what. I can't believe that a great hero would become a great friend of mine. Bubblegum and Mecha were mean to me for a while, but after getting to know them, we started to calm down. Eventually, I feel like they become my first best friends. The rest of the Resistance…they welcomed me…no matter what I did wrong, they always helped me and each other. I know that there is something bad going on…as if…something horrible will happen next. But my bonds with people are too strong and I don't care! The feeling is too strong."
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath.
"No matter what situations I may fall into…no matter how much I argue with other people…I know that my friends will be with me. They are like my family to me and I will never give up on them. Just like how I never give up finding my brother. The truth is…not everything is great…but…if we all work together…at least we make it not half bad…which is actually great…because we are all in this together. I would be dead if they weren't around.
I was silent for a while. I thought that shadow would speak, but it just remained silent. I must have surprised it.
I leaned in closely and said the thing that only one can be brace enough to do.
"I'll never become like you."
There was a tense silent between me and the shadow. I didn't know what the shadow monster was thinking. Either I gave it an emotional breakdown or my words caused it to freeze on the spot.
Before I could say anything, the shadow released me.
I dropped to the floor on my feet.
"W…what?" I said. "I don't understand…"
At this, the shadow suddenly absorbed into my body. Pain shot right through my body and I let out a scream. I felt a large wave of energy coming out from my body as if I was exploding. Everything went white.
…
My vision came back to normal and I slowly opened my eyes.
I slightly growl in pain.
For some reason, I felt…different…
…strong…
…powerful…
…anger…
…sadness…
…hope.
I felt so energized.
I felt powerful.
It was as if I can never be tired.
I felt a lot of negativity, but…I felt confident.
I looked at my body.
My fur all black.
In the reflection of the floor, I saw my eyes changed to black with yellow pupils.
My scars on my left arm turned yellow as well.
My headphones, my cross necklace, my belt buckle and the purple parts of my shoes turned yellow along with my belt in black.
My vest had turned into a long black cape with a hood and yellow swirls decorated all over it.
I saw my body was surrounded by a flaming yellow aura.
"What the heck?" I said before covering my mouth. My voice sounded gruff, gritty and dark, even though I wasn't angry.
I…I must have turned into the Dark Wolf.
There is no way this is real.
I swear that I wouldn't be the Dark Wolf, but…
What?
How?
Why?
But more importantly, WHY?
Why am I like this?
More importantly, why do I still retain my sanity?
I resisted the urge to vomit.
I was nearly on the edge to panic again.
I looked at the shadow monster who was floating in front of me.
It…laughed.
In somewhat a goofy cheery voice.
I raised one of my eyes. "Um…OK…I-I-I-I'm a bit confused here."
The shadow monster winked before a dark aura surrounded it. When the shadows cleared, I saw that the monster had changed into a…human. It was male with glowing yellow pupils, black skin, a built chest and had his hair in a dreadlock ponytail. He was wearing a black cape with a hood, black shorts and yellow paint patterns on his entire body. I think he must be an Aboriginal Australia.
He landed onto the ground.
"You pass," the human said. However, it was in a normal voice.
With a VERY strong Australian accent.
I stuttered. "P-P-PASS?! What?!"
"You proved to me that you are worthy of this power."
"Worthy of this power? What the hell is this all about? What did you mean about this? You are just giving me questions instead of answers! I…I…I don't know what's going on."
The human sighed. "Listen. All these things I told…those words…nightmares…insults…were all a set-up."
"W-what?"
"I'm not lying. I…set…them…up…for you."
I looked at him shocked. "So…it was…all a TEST? A FREAKING test?!"
"Yes indeed. To see if you can handle the dark powers."
I was at lost. "So…all the fear…sadness…anger…stress…fights…they were just some part of your sick trial?!"
"Yeah…including that disorder you suffered through. I amplified it. Normally, you would be traumatized and get minor nightmares by it, but you would be able to slowly overcome it and look for support, but when I stepped in, you became more moody and get frequent nightmares. To put it simple; I made the state you were in worse."
I tried to find the right words to say. I was feeling angry. After what happened so far, I was angry at him for making me suffer through bad times. I wanted to scream at him, but I wanted answers.
For some reason, I felt myself floating upwards. I looked down to see my feet a few centimetres from the ground. It felt kind of weird of flying. I winced a little, feeling as if it was wrong to have this power.
"B-But why?" I said, feeling tears in my eyes. "Why did you do all those horrible things to me? I never did anything wrong."
"Sure yes, you didn't do anything wrong, but…the rings chose you to be their owner. I…was the last owner of the Dark Rings."
I gasped.
"As I had the dark powers, I used them wisely. Even though many people say that these belong to the demon, I used them for good purposes. I used them to protect my people and others. However, I knew that the darkness can be seen as bad. I was worried that whoever have these rings next will misuse them in many immoral ways."
He rubbed his wrists where the Dark Rings must have been before.
"So…when I died…I moved my conscious into those rings…waiting for someone to find them. And then came that red wolf. You see, the Light Rings saw good in your brother which is why he wears them today. I didn't let him choose the Dark Rings because he cared about a lot of people. The last owner of the Light Rings already moved on as he didn't need to worry about whoever will use the light powers as they will make a person pure."
He pointed a finger at me.
"When I learnt about you, I saw your future. Because you isolated yourself, you are too scared to pick yourself up without any help. Worse, becaue of how self-isolated you are, distancing from social groups, your future isn't a happy one. The only reason why I didn't decide to torture you at the beginning was that Belt locked your powers. Light is good and stronger than the dark. To be honest, I was pretty annoyed that someone got him to turn on your powers…but…I had to play my part."
"But why did you insult me?"
"I was giving you a push. I was trying to see if you could handle your negative emotions. I wanted to test you. I wanted to see if you could make sure that you could control the darkness. If you don't, then you will lose your mind and true will. I was waiting for you to say the word 'friends' because…that's the most important thing in life. To me."
He cleared his throat, gently knocking on his chest with his fist.
"I know this might upset you, but the world only wants the strongest of them all. The weak are left out to be trampled. People who fail to survive are lower than garbage. HOWEVER, those who do not care for or do not support their fellows are even LOWER than that! I think that some people have misunderstood this kind of belief. They are strong already so they don't need any more training or power to become strong, BUT it's more than physical strength that you have to deal with."
I nodded slowly. That was what Mecha said to me.
"A true warrior do not show off their anger, but instead use their anger in secure ways for a good balance of justice and peace. The mind is the most important part of every living being. It controls the body. If it keeps listening to any manipulation, it would only make the person feel bad or even worse…try to take revenge. Instead, the mind should ignore the offences or try to see them as improvements to become better."
He hovered closely to me. I floated backwards, but he didn't seem to be trying to appear intimidating. He patted me on the shoulder.
"I was only saying those awful things to you to test your anger. Your self-esteem. I want to see if you could manage them well, try to make your own decisions and seek advice from caring people. I want you to learn that no matter how broken or wrong you may think you are…or what people think of you…you are better than you think you are. I was hoping that you could make yourself stronger both inside and outside…learn from your mistakes…make new friends.
He smiled.
"And…you impress me. You finally show me that you can handle the darkness. A true warrior. A person who can make friends. A person who knows what best for not only you, but for every single thing in the universe. That is what the world can ever want. You are still struggling, but you succeeded several times."
He bowed his head down.
"I know that I can be a trickster, but my job is to make sure that Dark Rings fall into the right hands. And because I wasn't being nice to you in the beginning, I'm sorry. You are a good wolf and you don't really deserve all of this."
My jaw dropped as I stared at him in shock. I wasn't sure if he was telling the truth, but the look on his face said it all. So…he was trying to see if I could control my feelings and learn that I am better than I think I was before. He might have gave me a scar, but it didn't stop me from not giving up on myself and others.
"I…umm…I guess so…but…thanks for the push…" I said. "It…could have been fair if you did the same to others."
The human sighed. "Not everyone has the same idea. There are no other rings around the world that contain this power…or at least not on Earth. I…I can't really change everyone's heart…but the world can change its heart by itself when it looks at what is happening. You better head back into the real world. Your friends are in danger. There is still a world to save. This power…will help you and save everyone."
I nodded and stared at him for a moment. If I want to use this power, I have to learn how to control it. If I lose my temper, then I would lose my power for good.
"One more thing," I said. "Do you know…where those rings come from? From a God?"
The human shrugged. "I don't know. In fact, I don't know where they ACTUALLY came from. Not from the God I believed in. All I know was…they fell from the night sky. Must be from another planet."
I nodded. "And I haven't got to know your name."
"I rather not say it to you. It's kind of…strange. Besides, I'm used to being called the Dark Warrior."
"…and will I…be cured from my…?"
"Don't worry. Once you turn back to normal, your depression and PSTD won't affect you too much. I can't take away your pain, but it won't kill you. You will still feel depressed, but that's OK. I'm sure that you can handle this with the help of your friends."
He floated up into the air and looked down on me.
"I'll see you later," he said. "Not soon, but…whatever. Save the world for me…Dark Wolf."
He disappeared in shadows. I was all left alone in the dark world.
"And yet I thought he was an arse the whole time," I said bluntly.
I looked down to see my reflection. My eyes were still black and yellow. It made me look like a real demon.
I grunted in disgust.
When I blinked, my eyes were back to white.
"W…what?" I said.
I concentrated a bit as I stared at the reflective floor. The sclera of my eyes gradually turned from white to black before turning back to white. I guessed that I could change my eyes a bit.
Deciding to put on a show, I changed my scelera to black and my pupils to yellow.
"OK," I said. "Time to end this."
Mecha's POV
During the whole fight, I realized that I – for once – felt this towards Infinite.
HATRED.
ANGER.
I decided to lose my own sanity as an advantage. I gave him a taste of my fiery, but it wasn't enough. Eventually, I snapped out from my rage and immediately became scared again.
"This time, I WILL kill you," said Infinite, forming an energy ball in his hand.
I gulped. Sonic was passed out, Rookie was far away and I was about to be gunned down. I wondered if this is how it felt to be burned to death.
Not like I cared about dying.
"Any last words?" snarled Infinite.
A stupid thought came to mind.
"Now I thought about it," I choked, smiling nervously. "Can I get a minute to think about it? You got a pen?"
"Goodbye, Mecha Nism."
I chuckled nervously as Infinite lifted the ball up, getting ready to throw it into my face.
But that never happened.
BOOM!
An explosion suddenly set off nearby.
The shockwaves blew away Infinite, throwing his body to the side.
I sighed in relief.
I looked up to see the source of the explosion…and gasped.
It was Rookie.
All in black.
Had glowing yellow and black eyes.
With a dark aura.
Seething in anger.
I couldn't believe it.
That time, I thought that Rookie…gave into the darkness. He was such a good wolf with a good heart, but it seemed that those rings mixed up his mind. He…he became a demon at that moment.
I felt utterly upset. After all I had done, my efforts weren't enough. After me redeeming myself. Worse, I blamed myself because I was one of the people who discouraged him. In a similar way, I was put down by my own mother and I lost my mind while Rookie was tortured by A LOT OF PEOPLE.
I noticed Sonic slowly waking up and he saw Rookie. He was as shocked as I was.
Infinite slowly stood up and saw Rookie. "I see that you're complete and ready."
In a flash, he teleported in front of him.
"You want to show them who you are? Finish them off."
Rookie didn't move.
"Well…?"
Rookie just glared at Infinite.
He slowly looked at me.
I couldn't mask my fear.
He looked at Infinite and just gave him an annoyed look, crossing his arms.
A lump formed in my throat.
Either he joined or not, I knew that the Dark Wolf would still hurt everyone…
Infinite looked confused. "You're just going to stand there or-?"
Rookie immediately raised his hand and blasted Infinite.
BOOM!
Infinite flew backwards and hit a building before slumping onto the ground. He cursed and groaned in pain as he struggled to get up again.
Rookie looked at me.
I gulped.
But then…the black wolf's eyes turned back to white.
He held onto his right arm nervously.
Wait…what?
I didn't know that his eyes can change to a normal individual's eyes. And sure no possessed demon would hold their arms in that way. It would make them look like they are shy.
…shy…
I came to the realization that Rookie is able to control his powers.
I felt…relieved. I saw that in his yellow eyes, he…he still holds his moral and good will. Even in that form, he…he is still the kind person I knew.
I couldn't help but clap and Sonic joined along.
Rookie shyly chuckled and scratched the back of his head.
Good old Rookie.
Meanwhile, Infinite finally got up to his feet – his mask slightly bent.
"Oh…" grumbled Infinite, sounding slightly defeated. "I get it. You won't give in. Funny joke. Ha, ha, ha. But you know that you will still be weak and pathetic. Haven't you learnt enough about how it feels like to be weak?"
Rookie rolled his eyes. "Why do I need to be stronger when I know that there are still some people who will stick with me?"
"Yeah!" said Sonic, running to his side. "Our friendship got us this far and together we're gonna win!"
Infinite scoffed. "Friends are nothing, but a fleeting illusion. You can count on nobody, but yourself!"
"Your mask can't really hide how sad and lonely you are!"
Infinite growled. "Really? I'll beat you all to the ground!"
"You can try!"
At this, Infinite charged towards them. Sonic quickly dodged to the side while Rookie teleported away to me.
I couldn't help but smirk – in a good way. "I guess you are able to control more than physical strength, Rookie!"
Rookie smiled and took off his ponytail, letting his slightly long hair fly. "Guess so."
He helped me get up.
"You need help with this?" I asked.
"Won't turn down the offer from a friend," said Rookie.
I smiled hearing that. I was happy to hear him considering me as a friend. The two of us ran towards Infinite along with Sonic's help.
However, something punched me in the face.
"MECHA!" yelled Rookie.
I quickly jumped back on my feet…and froze.
It was Chaos.
That god made from water.
Or so I thought. It was an illusion as it was glitching.
Rookie looked concerned.
I narrowed my eyes.
"DON'T WORRY!" I said to Rookie. "YOU DEAL WITH INFINITE AND I'LL DEAL WITH THE OCEAN!"
At this, Chaos swung his fist at me, but I quickly reared back. I saw that his arm stretched out at that moment.
"Whoa!" I said, pressing the trigger of my Wispon. "So, that is how Sonic attacks when in his werehog form!"
I stood back before charging in. I was fighting against Chaos. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was fighting a 'god' I thought that only existed in myths. He…it…whatever…whatever that thing was…it was swinging its fists at me and turned into waves to crash down on me. I was able to dodge, not to mention drill through the water with my Wispon.
However, I was caught.
Chaos turned into a huge sphere and trapped me inside.
I found myself in WATER!
That wasn't a good thing.
Drowning in water was one thing, but SUFFOCATING?
I tried to swim out, but I couldn't move. I tried to scream, but the water muffled my cries and my lungs were filling with water. I couldn't breathe. I feared that I was going to die when I had an idea.
I took out one of my smoke bombs, a black one.
Setting it off, the entire sphere exploded.
Water splashed everywhere before disappearing. I landed onto the floor hardly. It was a surprise that I wasn't wet.
Meanwhile, Rookie and Sonic were fighting Infinite. Using the former's newly-found dark powers, they were able to attack him easily. To my amazement, Rookie was flying, teleporting, using dark energy laser beams and transforming into a shadow. He seemed to be enjoying it. Just like how I became an expert in Wispons.
Despite having the Phantom Ruby's power, Infinite was losing. But with every blow, he didn't give up.
Finally, Infinite had enough.
His entire body started to glitch and let out a bright red shockwave, blowing us to the ground. As I was behind Infinite, I was sent flying away from the battle. Sonic – who was in front of Infinite – was blown away in the other direction, but Rookie quickly caught him.
Infinite formed energy in his hands and shot out a laser made from red pixel cubes. The Dark Wolf quickly made a shield around him and Sonic. The cubes pressed hard on the shield, making a loud screech. For some reason, they were pushing harder into the shield.
The shield was…starting to break.
"Oh boy," said Sonic.
Rookie looked behind Infinite to see me.
He looked…worried. I could tell why.
If Infinite managed to break through that shield, it would be game over soon.
There was one thing I could do.
I got up and slowly took out my Wispon.
I aimed it forward…at Infinite.
"…I don't want to do this," I thought. "But…I'm sorry…for everything…"
I pressed the trigger.
The drill of my Wispon started to spin.
I closed my eyes and dashed forward.
ZOOM!
I charged towards Infinite.
I was going faster than how I was before.
I don't know how, but I could hear what Infinite was saying.
"Any…last…words?!" hissed Infinite. "FOR THE LAST TIME?!"
Sonic smirked. "Yes. Can you…uh…turn around and scream like a girl?"
"Huh?"
Confused, Infinite turned around.
That was a BIG MISTAKE.
I clenched my teeth nervously as the sharp tip of my Wispon hit the ruby on Infinite's chest. When that happened, a bright light suddenly flashed over the ruby.
The masked jackal screamed in pain.
I still held onto my Wispon as it drilled on the Phantom Ruby which started to crack.
At this, the fear of hurting my closed one came back to me.
I WAS GOING TO KILL ZERO.
As Infinite's scream reached a crescendo, a big burst of energy came out of the ruby.
BOOM!
A big explosion came out from Infinite.
Everything flashed white again.
I was sent flying into the air and land on the ground.
Sonic and Rookie fell onto the floor as a result of the explosion and the shield breaking.
When the wave was gone, things came to a silence.
"Now what?" groaned Sonic as we got up.
Even though I wasn't by my friends' side, I could see Infinite from behind.
He was…in a glitch-like state.
He was struggling to get up.
"I-Impossible!" he said. "I cannot be defeated!"
"Wrong, loser!" said Sonic. "The things that can't be defeated are heart, soul and the bonds of friendship. Three things you and your counterfeit cronies lack!"
Infinite pounded his fist on the ground in frustration and slowly got up.
"I…I can…can still fight!" he roared.
"It's over," said Rookie bitterly. "Your war, your lies, all of it. All wars must come to an end. A good ending. And nobody isn't going to be like you. Not today."
Infinite snarled.
"BUT…" said Sonic, holding out his hand as a gesture for support. "…you can become one of us. We are not weak or strong, but at least everyone is strong enough to live a good life! We can help you."
"Really?! I don't need anyone's help!" barked Infinite.
"Well…" said Rookie, pointing to his ruby. "How do you explain that?"
He looked at his Phantom Ruby.
It was glitching…turning dull…and cracking.
"Infinite," said Sonic. "Even though what you did isn't right, something is wrong with you. Unlike Eggman, you weren't really born a madman. Just come back with us and maybe we can help you. Maybe we can give you another chance."
Infinite growled and tried to attack us, but he fell onto his knees. "I can't. Why would I trust someone like you?"
Rookie rolled his eyes.
His Cyan Wisp came out from his Wispon and glared at Infinite.
I saw my Yellow Wisp flying beside me. He gave me a worried look.
I winched.
I felt…guilty.
I felt pity for Infinite.
I was…shaking.
Infinite…Zero…I don't care what he is called…he is still a friend to me. Even though he became an EX-friend, I still care about him. Ever since when I started to bond with the Jackal Squad, I looked up to him as a role model. As a great warrior. As a great teacher. As a…friend. He is the first person I ever considered to be a friend.
Hell, he decided to join Eggman leading to most of his squad killed and me nearly be the next victim. He scarred me for life and even beat me up after his humiliation of being defeated by Shadow. He killed one of my teammates – who saw me as my brother – and caused all of this. He hurt my teammates, my friends and the entire world.
Everyone hates Infinite, but I don't. Even if I did, I don't want to anymore. At that moment, I destroyed his ruby. If the entire Resistance saw this, I bet that they would be cheering me for taking that 'monster' down.
But is that something to celebrate about?
Celebrating something for TAKING A LIFE?
Even though Infinite was beyond redemption, he knew that somewhere, he…must feel guilty about what he did. It was just that…he was left scared and furious. Manipulated and controlled as a weapon to that reprobate doctor who is the mastermind behind the war. And Eggman led Infinite to death. Led ME to become a killer. First Bubblegum's dad and now…
I…I couldn't help it. I felt very overwhelmed. I would never blindly turn away from the first friend I made. I was just standing there, not sure what to do. I felt like crying, but the tears refused to go down, possibly because I was emotionally drained after my two uncontrollable breakdowns before.
I could still talk.
"Z-Zero…" I said nervously.
Infinite slowly turned around. "Don't call me that pathetic name!"
"Please listen…I want to say…I'm sorry for all of this…if I didn't think twice, you wouldn't end up like this. Please…accept my apology."
To my surprise, there was a faraway look on the eye of Infinite's mask. He looked like he was lost for words…but then suddenly…became…
"I'M NOT WEAK!"
SHRRRK!
I let out a small gasp.
A sharp pain went through my chest.
It came out so unexpectedly that I didn't notice that Infinite had ran up to me.
My eyes widened and my mouth opened.
I nearly choked, but I was too shocked to cough out a sound.
I slowly looked down…
…to see an illusionary sword RIGHT THROUGH MY STOMACH.
Turned out, Infinite quickly made that sword, rushed towards me and stabbed it through my chest.
To my surprise, there was no blood coming out.
It was as if the sword…is just a ghost.
However, I felt the stinging pain going through my chest. I
felt as if…the flesh inside was hurting, my blood coming out and my organs bursting apart. I felt as if…I was cut opened like a turkey. All my nerves were shot and my ENTIRE BODY was stinging in pain.
Everything went silent.
Sonic was shocked.
The two Wisps were shocked.
I was shocked.
Rookie…was TRAUMATIZED.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed.
As soon as Rookie screamed, his Cyan Wisp suddenly let out an unearthly screech of rage.
She charged towards Infinite, electricity spewing out from its body.
That was…until Infinite quickly grabbed her with his free hand.
"Oh no…" I said quietly
The masked jackal squeezed onto Cyan hardly. The poor Wisp looked like she was going to blow.
"NO!" screamed Rookie. "CYAN!"
I looked back at the Cyan Wisp one last time. She was trying to say something as if saying…
…'help me'.
CRUNCH!
Infinite immediately closed his hand so hard that Cyan – for some reason – crumbled into red and purple shards.
Those remains fell to the floor, glitched and disappeared.
Rookie's jaw was hanging opened. "No…no…"
I swore that I saw tears in Sonic's eyes.
"W-Why?" whispered Sonic, greatly shaken and angered. "Why…do you have to…?"
Infinite turned his attention back at me.
"You…big…mistake!" he yelled, ripping the sword out.
The sword was pulled out of my chest.
I let out another gasp for air.
Trembling, I looked down.
For some reason, there wasn't a wound on my chest…or any blood spilling out.
Although, on the part where I was stabbed, it was glowing red and purple…glitching out of shape.
And it still hurt.
I just stared at Infinite.
I couldn't believe he did that to me.
I felt betrayed.
"W-Why?" I whispered, my voice was shaky since I focused on the pain. "W…why did you do this? I thought I could make you feel better…"
I could hear myself echoing my sister's voice.
Infinite gasped.
The jackal dropped the sword.
He…he was shaking?
"M-Mecha?" said Infinite. "I…I-I…I'm s-!"
Before he could finish what he said, Infinite suddenly floated into the air. His body started to glitch dangerously. He screamed in pain before he shot through upwards and into the tower, disappearing like a ghost.
Ceased to exist.
The three of us just stood there, confused and shocked.
Rookie and Sonic looked at me.
"M-Mecha?" said Sonic.
I slowly looked at the glowing part on my chest before looking at the two.
"I…I think I'm fine…" I said, trying to smile. "Maybe it was just a-"
My body suddenly flared up in pain.
I gasped and fell onto my knees.
I held onto my chest.
I looked at my hands.
They…were…twitching.
My body was…glitching.
Becoming transparent.
"Oh no, no, no, no, NO!" screamed Rookie.
Rookie and Sonic ran over to me.
Rookie grabbed my arms and helped me up…but I fell down.
For some reason, my arms went through him.
I fell onto the floor on all fours.
I felt pain everywhere on my body. My body was glitching dangerously. I was becoming transparent and…about to fade away.
I was SO tired.
I was panting hardly.
So…this…this is how I am going to die?
Is that where my life ended?
I tried to stand up, but I failed to do so. Anyhow, I managed to stand on my knees without my hands supporting my weight. I wrapped them around my chest.
"Mecha…" said Sonic, his voice breaking.
Rookie was crying. "Please…please don't go."
I slowly opened my eyes, regaining the last amount of my energy.
At that moment, I knew that I was going to die.
But am I afraid?
NO.
I couldn't help but crack a smile.
I always wished that I died a long time ago.
I remembered back when at home. How my siblings cared for me. How I became successful and got my own house. How I formed the Death Shockers. How I joined the Resistance. How I became a better person.
How I made FRIENDS.
After all that happened, I felt proud of myself. At one point I was a bully who was abused by his mother and abandoned by his father, but…became a kinder person who started to learn to love and forgive. I saw myself in a new light as I learnt to let go of my problems by talking them out.
But sadly, sometimes…things have to come to an end.
Tears FINALLY formed in my eyes.
"R-Rookie…" I struggled to say. "S…Sonic…"
Rookie sniffed.
Sonic was trembling.
"P-Please…end the war for me," I said weakly. "T-Thank you, guys…for supporting me…
I felt something nuzzling in my face.
It was my Yellow Wisp.
He was crying and shaking in emotion…telling me that he wanted me to stay.
"I-I'm so sorry, Yellow," I said to him. "I'm sorry to you all."
My Yellow Wisp just shook his head and kept crying.
"M-Make sure not to mech any mistakes…" I said shakily. "O-OK…Rookie?"
I closed my eyes and gave one last smile.
And with that, I lost all my energy.
I collapsed on the ground, face-first as I felt my entire body stung in pain and glitched out of control.
And before I knew it…everything went dark.
AN: ...well...I-iBhbHJlYWR5IHRlbGwgdGhhdCBJJ20gYmVpbmcgcHVzaGVkIG92ZXIgdGhlIGVkZ2UuIEkgY2FuJ3QuLi5JIGNhbid0IHN0b3AgbXlzZWxmLg==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ylglsdfalifgkdsfgsdfluggdfauilsdfglisGhpbmcgaW5jcmVkaWJseSBmYWludCwgasdjhkweniq23$:$12334wefrqwdcfc32!#$#$CFEDDFSDFGDFT34143122xefSDE3v2c124CegDFVFRVcF#vtRvC$#c#C#$rgr4#cFGDVBJHNBBUb*&^i8&N^7676i5776i77857b7ytrnUB^tyVRGDrgdfgrgsdfgVgvsdfgsdfgdgvfasdfdasFDS#4$##fsdVDFGgSDV%$%#$JYBRT&U^$##$634yVGgFVdsfFthvRtrtrhhgjsvdfnhkluhcbagjkrgnkrv8956vvrfvdgF%^H%^HJTTRDGHFGgvfgtyVdGVuZGVybmVzcyBvZiBoZXIgc2tpbiB0aHJvdWdoIHRoZSBrbmlmZSwgYXMgaWYgaXQgd2VyZSBhbiBleHRlbnNpb24gb2YgbXkgc2Vuc2UgbiBhbHJlYWR5IHRlbGwgdGhhdCBJJ20gYmVpbmcgcHVzaGVkIG92ZXIgdGhlIGVkZ2UuIEkgY2FuJ3QuFSDFGDFT34143122xefSDE3v2c124CegDFVFRVcF#vtRvC$#c#C#$rgr4#cFGDVBJHNBBUb*&^i8&N^7676i5776i7niq23$:$12^7676i5776i77857b7ytrnUB^tyVRGDrgdfgrgsdfgVgvsdfgsdfgdgvfasdfdasFDS#4$##fsdVDFGgSDV%$%#$JYBRT&U^$##$634yVGgFVdsfFthvRtrtrhhgjsvdfnhkluhcbagjkrgnkrv8956vvrfvdgasdjhkweniq23$:$12334wefrqwdcfc32!#$#$CFEDDFSDFGDFT34143122xefSDE3v2c124CegDFVFRVcF#vtRvC$fgilsdafgilsdfguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuulweqbtycxznF%^H%^HJTTRDGHFGgvfgtyVdGVuZGVybmVzcyBvZiBoZXIgc2tpbiB0aHJvdWdoIHRoZSBrbmlmZSwgYXMgaWYgaXQgd2VyZSBhbiBleHRlbnNpb24gb2YgbXkgc2Vuc2UgbiBhbHJlYWR5IHRlbGwgdGhhdCBJJ20gYmVpbmcgcHVzaGVkIG92ZXIgdGhlIGVkZ2UuIEkgY2FuJ3QuFSDFGDFT34143122xefSDE3v2c124CegDFVFRVcF#vtRvC$#c#C#$rgr4bGwgdGhhdCBJJ20gYmVpbmcgc2ZXIgdGhlIGVkZ2UuIEkgY2FuJ3rqwdcfc32!#$#$CFEDDFSDFGDFT34143122xefSDE3v2c124CegDFVFRVcF#vtRvC$fgilsdafgilsdfguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuulweqbtycxznF%^H%^HJTTRDGHFGgvfgtyV!#$#$CFEDDFSDFGDFT34143122xefSDE3v2c124CegDFVFRVcF#vtRvC$#c#C#$rgr4#cFGDVBJHNBBUb*&^i8&N^7676i5776i77857b7ytrnUB^tyVRGDrgdfgrgsdfgVg$rgr4bGwgdGhhdCBJJ20gYmVpbmcgc2ZXIgdGhlIGVkZ2UuIEkgY2FuJ3rqwdcfc32!#$#$CFEDDFSDFGDFT34143122xefSDE3v2c124CegDFVFRVcF#vtRvC$fgilsdafgilsdfguuuuuuuJlYWR5IHRlbGwgdGhhdCBJJ20gYmVpbmcgcHVzaGVkIG92ZXIgdGhlIGVkZ2UuIEkgY2FuJ3QuLi5JIGNhbid0IHN0b3AgbXlzZWxmLg==afdshiodsfhan8ygsdnfllasfgiusluidfgylglsdfalifgkdsfgsdfluggdfauasdjhkweniq23$:$12334wefrqwdcfc3IG92ZXIgdGhlIGVkZ2UuIEkgY2FuJ3QuLi5JIGNhbid0IHN0b3AgbXlzZWxmLg==ylglsdfalifgkdsfgIG92ZXIgdGhlIGVkZ2UuIEkgY2FuJ3QuLi5JIGNhbid0IHN0b3AgbXlzZWxmLg==ylglsdfalifgkdsfghhdCBJJ20gYmVpbmcgcHVzaGVkIG92ZXIgdGhlIGVkZ2UuIEkgY2FuJ3QuLi5JIGNhbid0IHN0b3AgbXlzZWxmLg==afdshiodsfhan8ygsdnfllasfgiusluidfgylglsdfalifgkdsfgsdfluggdfauilsdfglisdfgilsdafgilsdfguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuul4#cFGDVBJHNBBUb*&^i8&N^7676i5776i77857b7ytrnUB^tyVRGDrgdfgrgsdfgV4#cFGDVBJHNBBUb*&^i8&N^7676i5776i77857b7ytrnUB^tyVRGDrgdfgrgsdfgV
An error has occurred. Please refresh this page to continue.
