"The Iblis Trigger. That is the one responsible for your collapsing future." Is what Mephiles told Silver. Despite the annoying screaming at him from Venice, Silver agreed to help, determined to put an end to all the suffering and chaos of his world. Perhaps he can stop the flames from ravishing his future, or maybe he could prevent them from ever existing. What he wasn't counting on was the teleportation orb created by Mephiles, sending him through a strange tunnel fully powered by chaos energy.

He managed to just barely land on his feet, panting heavily from the vertigo that coursed through his body. He kept his eyes shut, not wanting to look at the spinning world around him. He heard the portal close and fell on his back. His world was tilted with new smells, different noises... it was all constricting his senses. He didn't know such an intense feeling of disorientation could exist. His stomach felt sick and his head ached from the portal's chaos energy. It would fade, it has to.

When he was certain that the world was no longer spinning uncontrollably around him, he tried opening his eyes. It took him a second to focus his vision, but when he did, his eyes widened. The sky wasn't black and warm with volcano ash, instead, it was blue. Bright cerulean!

/A blue sky./
[ It... It's beautiful... ]

Both he and Venice were speechless, laying in the lush verdant grass and staring at the clear blue sky. White strips of fluffy clouds drifted by as the faint sound of wind rustled the leaves on the trees. His fingers traced the blades of grass he was laying on, taking in all of this overstimulation.

This was grass. He muttered as he picked a blade of grass from the ground, staring at it curiously. The rich green hue of just one strand was mesmerizing! Such a sturdy piece of vegetation! It was so interesting! The hedgehog let it fly off into the breeze, eyes drifting back to the blue sky.

[ Did we really travel back in time?]
/We had to. Grass and blue skies don't exist where we're from./

Silver carefully stood up, balancing himself on a nearby tree and waiting for any remaining dizziness to fade. He continued to stare at the beauty of this world.

"This place is... unbelievable." He muttered. "Blaze, what do you-"

He turned back, his ears going back slightly before he took a few steps forward.

"Blaze?" He waited for a reply before taking a few more steps forward, calling out her name. "Blaze!"

No response.

/We got separated.../
[ Right, okay, get it together Silver! Remember what Mephiles said, "destroy the Iblis Trigger."]
 /You're so stupid... you'll really believe some stranger who approaches you and tells you to kill someone?/
[ He said if I do that, then he can save our future, Venice!]
 /Do you even know who that is?!/
/Aha, I forgot, you don't remember what he did to.../

Silver stumbled back from the disorientation as Venice yelled at him. He could feel it, the burning in his wrists and legs, the feeling of being pulled back, the exhaustion. It's burning again, the narcolepsy, wanting to sleep. His back hit a tree with a soft thud as he shut his eyes.

/No! You won't kill anyone! You don't know what you're doing by listening to him!/
[ Venice, stop... !]
/You know who he is too! Remember? It burned? Yeah, he was the cause of.../

"Um... excuse me?" A soft female voice spoke up from the dissociated haze.

As Silver opened his eyes, he moved his hand away from his face. He blinked a few times, noticing that the once cyan circular symbol engraved in his hands were now scarlet. He was asleep, that's right...

"Are you feeling alright? You look tired. Do you need help?"

Finally, Silver- no, Venice- looked in the direction of the voice. He saw a bright pink female hedgehog, close to his age with a red dress and matching boots and a hairband. Her eyes were a soft green hue and her hair was short, framing her face perfectly.

"Oh," Venice spoke before clearing his throat. He had to get used to speaking again, especially in front of strangers. "Yes, I am fine." His voice was less like Silver's, about a few pitches lower and with a stern tone. Thankfully, it didn't give him too heavy of a feeling of derealization.

"Are you sure? You look confused." The girl wondered, tapping her finger on her cheek. "Do you know where you are?"

Venice nodded, looking around. The place was the same before they switched, the same blue sky and green grass. The hedgehog felt the breeze against his own skin, not feeling it through Silver this time. He took a deep breath in, admiring how clean and crisp the air was. It wasn't heavy with smoke! This place was... wait, what was this place?

"This place, what is it called?" He looked to the young girl who still watched him carefully.

"Soleanna. Well, we're in the forest just outside of the city."
"The forest..?"
"Yes, the forest. Soleanna Forest. Do you remember how you got here?"

Venice thought before smiling and snapping his fingers. "Right! A forest! That's what it's called!" He turned away from the hedgehog, about to run off towards the large bout of trees in another direction. If Mephiles brought him here, then he must be in this 'Soleanna', right? He might be able to put an end to him!

"Hey! Wait a second!" The girl exclaimed, grabbing his arm and holding him back. "You aren't going anywhere until I make sure you're okay!"

Venice glared at the girl. Why was she getting in the way? Why did it matter what he did? The only person who ever cared was Blaze, and chaos knows where she is! Maybe he could find her, too..? Before he could get more into his thoughts, the stranger spoke up again.

"Now, are you okay? Does your head hurt?" She asked with a genuine tone. "When I saw you, you were clutching the sides of your head like you were in pain. Did you hit it on anything?"

Venice turned to face the girl, rubbing the sides of his head as she mentioned. "No? I'm fine."

"Well yeah, now you seem to be! But you didn't look like you were." She insisted. "...How did you get here? I don't think I've ever seen a white hedgehog before."

He didn't make eye contact this time, looking at his arms in order to confirm that, yes, that was Silver's fur color, albeit a tad light gray. Venice's fur was warmer in tone, a very pale white orange. He could feel that separated feeling again, that dissociation.

"What's your name? Have you been here before?"

"Sil-" he stopped the other one from answering, shaking his head before pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Venice. And no." He had grown far too used to pretending to be Silver for Blaze. But here, he was with people he didn't know. He could be honest, and maybe keep Silver from following that betrayer's words.

"Venice? That's a nice name. I am Amy." She smiled, tilting her head at his actions. "Maybe you should come with me, I can show you around."

She took his hand, gently guiding him as they began to walk off.

The city of Soleanna was gorgeous, to say the least. Besides the blue sky, there were numerous buildings that lined the roadsides, all decorated and expertly crafted. There were nautical vessels surrounding the edges of the sidewalks, a marina of sorts, most likely used for trading and fishing. Many people were walking around with smiles on their faces as they held the hands of their loved ones. Things neither Venice nor his host had seen before. It took all of his willpower to keep from jumping into the ocean or running around with wide-eyed childish wonder, amazed at all the new scenery.

"Does this place seem familiar?" Amy asked, spinning to face him, her eyes bright and smiling. She watched as the hedgehog stood a few steps away from her, eyes fixed on the sky before he looked at the marina.

"Wow..." He finally spoke, nearly breathless. "This place is absolutely stunning." A smile spread across his face, sky blue eyes shining with amazement as he ran up to Amy like an excited child. "This architecture is like something I'd read in old fantasy books! The air is crisp, the sound of water is so captivating! How did you find such a wondrous place like this? Do you live here?"

"I see that you certainly aren't from Soleanna!" Amy could only giggle at how excited he seemed to get at such small things. She looked at him and shook her head, responding with, "Oh no! I don't live here. I'm visiting with my friends for the Festival of the Sun!"

Venice nodded before tilting his head to the side and screwing his brows together. Despite his confusion, he still had a smile. "What's the Festival of the Sun?"

"It is a local festival where the whole city pays respect and worship to Solaris, some sort of sun god!" She laughed at his expression.

"A sun god?" Venice scratched his cheek, his smile fading as he tried to think.

"Hmm... I can explain it to you later. What do you say we visit the marina?"

"Oh! Yes! Can we please?" His grin reappeared, as perky as ever.

Something about this odd fellow piqued Amy's interest. She hasn't been this curious about someone since she met Shadow! Someone who didn't seem to understand such a simplistic city? Or small things like changes in air or seeing the seas? Maybe this Venice guy was new or a tourist! If that was the case, then she should show him the best spots in town!

With care and glee, she took his hand and lead him to one of the many docks at the end of the city. The large water vessels were moving up and down gently from the waves, the splashing of the ocean hitting the legs of the dock, the gentle hues of sea-green and cobalt blue were mixed so delicately in the water, not to mention how clear it was for an ocean.

"From what I heard, Soleanna is called the City of Water because of all of the ships and docks that surround it."

Venice leaned over the railing at the side of the dock, staring with disbelief at the water below. It was so alive, so animated! Ocean spray was cold and wet, a stark contrast from the heat and ash of his world. This was... beyond breathtaking. He could hardly believe he was in reality right now- this was like a dream!
The only thing he disliked was his reflection. It wasn't his own. The body was Silver's, and yet, despite the change in eye and energy colors, this body felt and looked nothing like his own. He touched his chest fur a handful of times as if to confirm that, yes, this was Silver's body and not his own. It made him feel dizzy for a moment from derealization. He reminded himself that Silver was asleep, that their bodies were different, and so were their motives. His train of thought seemed to have been cut off by a discomfort in his stomach as it grumbled.

"Oh? Are you hungry?" Amy asked with a slight snicker.

"Uh..." Obviously embarrassed, Venice rubbed his arm as a slight blush tinted his cheeks. "Um, I, well..."

"We can go get some lunch! I'm feeling kinda hungry too!" Amy gave him a kind grin, taking his hand and leading him away from the docks.

The niche outdoor-style restaurant was slightly speckled with customers here and there. Many were humans, so Amy and Venice definitely stood out from the crowd. This place was a pretty popular lunch spot for Soleanna, it had a great view of the ocean as well, which made it a very elegant spot to be in. Soleanna was, in and of itself, just that: elegant.
Amy watched as Venice finished his second plate of salad and readied to dig into his third. She was taken aback by how ravenous he was, almost as if he hadn't eaten in a while. It made her wonder if he was homeless or poor? It would make sense, he was in the forest and looked pretty lost…

"This is amazing! I know I keep saying that, but who knew you could throw these round chewy things-"
"Berries."
"These weirdly shaped hard things-"
"Almonds."
"Some circular red slices of… some weird looking rings-"
"Tomato. It's a fruit."
"On top of some green crunchy water plates and make it into food?!"
"Lettuce." Amy corrected, taking a bit of her own salad, "Have you really never had a salad before?"

"Oh! Is that what this is called?" He put all four things he listed onto his fork and took a bite, happily muttering something about how delicious it was. He finally looked at Amy who was giving him a slightly demeaning look. "What?"

"No offense, but do you have no manners?"

Venice tilted his head, giving her a questionable look to which she sighed and shook her head. Something about her demeanor made him feel slightly embarrassed.

"You boys…" She took a sip of her water before looking at his hands and bracelets. It made her curious, it seemed quite interesting like a piece of new technology… if it even was a technological set of jewelry. "So, where did you get those bracelets? And please swallow your food before you say anything."

Venice swallowed his food and paused for a second, looking down at his wrists. The crimson chaos energy seemed to glow and dim with his heartbeat. It was easy to miss if you weren't paying close attention to it; but it always reminded Venice of something- Mephiles made them. He locked them into place, he infused them with some sort of power that limited overuse of his powers. But how? How did he know this body, Silver's body, had powers? Or himself? How could Mephiles know that? Let alone know the exact location where his psychokinetic power points were in order to cast that unique color?

Amy hummed, thinking to herself, "Hmm, I wonder if it was from a secret jeweler! They're so pretty, I'm sure with them being the same color as rings, then they would certainly get Sonic's attention!"

[ Venice, give me control back !]
/I can't, not yet. Not until I make sure he isn't here./
[ Who? Mephiles ?]

The hedgehog looked around at the restaurant in mounting anxiety, seeing the dark shadows in the corners made him incredibly afraid… and antsy. He clenched his fists, scarlet energy beginning to wisp around his hands slightly. His stare was distant, glaring at the darkened corners of the room. He felt so enclosed, just like back then, in his prison. Those crystalline walls, the darkness, the cold air. Just those memories made him feel sick... sick and terrified.

[ Mephiles isn't a bad guy, Venice. He just wants some help .]
/You're stupid if you actually think that./
[ How would you know? You weren't even there !]
/Yes I was!/

"Venice?" Amy waved her hand in front of him, getting his attention. "You alright?"

"Yes, I am." His voice was distant and not at all there.

"Venice?"

"I'm just making sure that-"

"Venice!"

His eyes finally left the dark corners as awareness finally smacked him back into reality. He looked to Amy who was staring in shock at what she saw. The plates, silverware, and cups were covered in a psychic crimson energy, levitating them off of the table. Upon realization, he quickly dropped his power, causing the objects to fall on the table with a clatter.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"
"Y… You did that?"
"You're not hurt, right? I don't even remember doing anything, I-"

Venice's attention was then brought to the customers and staff who stared at him in confusion and astonishment, which only heightened the embarrassment. His ears flattened as he fidgeted with his fingers in nervousness.

"That was so cool!" Amy spoke up, staring at him with a wide grin. "I didn't know you had powers!"

"Yeah, I…" He stopped himself. He was starting to become hyper-aware of this timeline. This was the past. Things like telekinesis couldn't be heard of back in here, right? There was no one else with powers like his. He couldn't just sell himself out in front of total strangers in the past, it could cause some sort of anomaly, right? It was beginning to seem that there were so many questions and not enough answers.

Amy looked at the crowd that was beginning to grow around them. Customers and staff asking about his powers and wondering if he could move things again, followed by the manager demanding what the issue was. Sensing her friend's anxiety, the pink hedgehog kindly apologized and pardoned herself and her awkward friend as they left the restaurant.

It was harder and harder to keep conscious now for Venice. He felt like he was fading from being awake, most likely due to the slight discomfort in his stomach from having eaten so much food in one sitting. He wasn't used to meals, let alone an entire plate of food to himself. It made him miss Blaze, making his mind wander as he stared at the ocean from the marina. He wondered if she was hungry or if she was safe.

Amy enjoyed the cool sea breeze in the air as she sat next to Venice, their legs hanging off the dock's side swinging idly.

"Aside from having mind powers," the hedgehog spoke up, "what else haven't you told me?"

Venice kept his gaze on the ocean below as waves elegantly splashed against the pier. He was finding it much harder to focus, feeling like he would fall asleep at any given moment. No, he didn't want Silver to kill anyone! He couldn't risk it, now wasn't the time to fall asleep.

He groaned, putting his hand to his head as dizziness washed over him.

"Oh dear, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired."

Amy thought for a moment before smiling and standing up, helping Venice to his feet.

"C'mon, you can rest at my camp. I have someone I need to go talk to anyway."

Venice shook his head nervously, "Oh no no! You don't need to do that! I-I'll be alright!"

"And just where will you go then? Do you have a safe place to rest at?" She gave him a teasing yet knowing smile.

Venice looked down, defeated as he rubbed his arm. "No…"

"Thought so! Now, as long as you don't lift my tent into the air while you're asleep, then you're welcome to rest there!" She stated, taking his hand and guiding him back near the forest.

Once they were back, Amy fixed up her tent and made him a niche little bed made of spare blankets.

"There! Take as long of a nap as you want, okay?" She smiled, then laughed as Venice stared at the sky again.

"Oh uh, right, thanks." He returned her smile, crawling inside of her tent.

Amy gave him one last giggle before zipping up the front panel and running off.

/This is amazing. Who knew that a piece of long cloth held up by sticks and weighed down by rocks can make a shelter?/

He felt the softness of the blankets, smiling to himself and he curled up within them and wrapping them around himself. This was so different from Crisis City. Everyone is happy, there's no fire, no pain… not to mention how nice complete strangers like Amy are. Never before has he met someone so warm and kind other than Blaze.

/Blaze.../
[Go to sleep .]
/Silver… don't hurt these people./
[ Hurt .]
/Don't… Please don't./
[ Let me wake up .]