"...Unfit to raise a child with the ancient bloodline."
His vision was black as he listened, falling in a perpetual sleep that he couldn't wake up from.
"Iblis."
Bloodcurdling screams and waits of familiar voices.
"Come, prey awaits you."
He opens his eyes.
The ethereal apparition of the hedgehog stood in front of a house. Burning, smoldering embers dancing wildly into the crimson sky. The scent of burning flesh, the smell of pine boards alit as the flames engulfed them.
This was it, this was when everything burned.
There was a flash of bright orange, and he found himself now looking from a… smaller perspective. A child, reaching out and screaming in anguish, his smoke-filled lungs making his choker cries echo onto the night. Haunting and chilling. Something he never wanted to remember.
He could feel it.
The burning in his hands up to his wrists, his legs trapped under burning rubble, his tears evaporating before they could hit the ground.
The child, the 4-year-old, stared at his parents.
"MAMA! PAPA!"
Their corpses were desecrated, burnt beyond recognition, mouths agape and eyes melted out of their sockets. Embers still hot on their ashen skin as pieces of the epidermis seemed to fall away with the harsh wind.
Silver could feel the pain, the anguish…
This was when he realized just how decimated his world was by the flames. The Flames of Disaster, as he so aptly named it. The heated rock around him was now coals, hearing the flames as they seemed to cease their liveliness.
"I finally found you."
The child weakly looked to the unknown voice, a shadow with a faint silhouette in the middle of his burnt sienna environment. Stifling his cries and desperately struggling to stay conscious, Silver tried to push himself up to get a look at the strange vision.
Footsteps echoed the crackling of flames as another being- a mobian? A survivor?- stepped into his view, kneeling down to the child. The shadowy hedgehog used his dark mist to cease the flames around Silver, wielding it expertly as if without even trying. He formed the energy into a beam, firing it at the burnt pillar and disintegrating it.
"Yes… I feel it hibernating within you." The voice was oddly calm despite the destruction that surrounded them. It brought a chill to Silver's spine. "The ancient powerline, it lies in waiting, until the mind is prepared to wield such power."
"M… My mama… My papa…" The child sniffled, not listening to a word the shadow said to him.
"It is exactly what I need. And I will teach you how to use it properly so that you can bring about the greatest event of all time- the Day of Disaster."
The child looked up into the eyes of this being. Verdant and harsh toxic-like green with a slim pupil. It bore into the child's mind and filled him with fear and terror. He watched as he held a white and gray glove out to him, open-handed and a sign of offering help.
"Yes… It is quite difficult to understand why the world is this way, especially to your infantile mindset, but come. I will bring you to safety and ensure that you grow up… Properly."
The child cried, his broken voice straining as he clenched the ashes under him, tears falling. He could no longer see the corpses of his mother and father, instead, what once were flames were now covered in a sea of black. Pure melancholic energy that chilled his pained bones.
Desperate for safety, the child reached out and tightly gripped the shadow-being's hand. His fingers wrapped around the young hedgehog's wrist, forcefully pulling him up as the being's form began to lift and dissipate, giving way to a crystallized unidentifiable species- a demon.
The child whimpered at the terrifying image before him, feeling faint at the mere sight of the demon.
"...My puppet."
Silver gasped at the sudden pain that nailed into his head, making him shut his eyes. The feeling of the energy, Iblis's energy, beating through his veins.
He remembered…
He remembered.
"Mephiles is what you may call me."
His vision went black as he felt the feeling of falling endlessly once more. Chaotic, painful, indescribable torment of what he just witnessed and recalled played on a loop in his head. He felt sick with anger and grief, wanting to cry and get revenge for what he has forgotten so long ago.
"I knew it… All along, it was you…" he softly whispered as anger began to settle uncomfortably in his chest.
When his vision came to, he wasn't back in the lab. He was still reliving these memories. These awful, corrupt, and traumatic memories that he held locked away.
Mephiles stared at the bloodied and lacerated child on the floor. The hedgehog, the 9-year-old child lay there motionless, battered, and broken in spirits. The grayscale hedgehog knelt by him, waving a hand over him as black mist engulfed the child. So many years of the same torture, and yet, not a single ounce of chaos energy dared to show.
Oh, but he knew this child, his weapon, held it. He could feel it. That unstable energy in his power points, the fact that he was overattentive and hyper-focused on the small things, lastly, the fact that items seemed to move around him as he slept. His power was dormant. But how? Mephiles has exhausted every technique to try and kick start his powers into his awareness, yet nothing was working.
It was... very annoying.
Irritating.
Infuriating.
So what other option did he have than to resort to physical measures? With some mental gymnastics as well.
He didn't care if it broke him.
He only cared about his potential power.
Because that was all he needed in the end.
The black mist swirled around the child, healing him somewhat before dissipating. Silver lay there, willpower completely shattered, trying to find a way to escape this endless cycle of torture. It was the same every day: psychological abuse, mind games, emotional manipulation, illusionary survivors, tricking him to kill, and now, endless physical torture until Mephiles deemed it was enough for the day.
He was so. tired.
Even breathing was difficult. He didn't want to breathe anymore. He didn't want to be alive if this was going to be the rest of his life. Ever since his parent's death by the hands of Mephiles and Iblis, he's been broken. Lost. Living without a purpose other than to be of use to this vague entity that gave him crude attention and immense pain.
He couldn't take it anymore.
He just... wanted to disappear. After all, what was the point of existing if every day was a struggle? Some sort of vague idea of an absolution that will never come true. He had no one, no one other than an entity whose concept of companionship was immense torture.
He closes his eyes, not wanting to wake up...
"Mephiles."
The shadow remains unmoving, vague as the broken child finally stands, unsteady on his feet. His curiosity is piqued when Silver, the child who refused to even look in his direction, shot his eyes open at the shadow, gold meeting verdant green. His voice, despite how young he was, sounded gruff and hardened.
"Do your worst."
Mephiles was interested now. This was certainly a turn of events! His weapon was acting so much different than before... did it have to do with the chaos energy? Perhaps it was starting to activate. He knew the gold inhibitors were infused with energy restraining power, and maybe, just maybe, it was starting to react to the child's inborn chaos energy.
"What is this now? Have you finally started to realize your potential?"
Instead of an obedient and terrified reply, a cold locked on glare was the answer. This was truly intriguing! The shadow crossed his arms, his eyes observing this new attitude that came from his weapon.
The bright gold eyes seemed to glow against the deep violet haze of his lair. Icy, void of any emotion other than what seemed to be a silent rage. His energy- chaos energy- felt… otherworldly. The strength within this child was so much, so... chaotic. Coursing through his veins as his body emanated a slightly red aura.
These hints of scarlet that seemed to hug the outline of his body… perhaps this was his energy signature.
Strange…
Still no visible power-points on the child.
"... What is it that you plan to do, my puppet?"
The other side of the child only turned away before thrusting his hands out, focusing as much as he could to do… something. Something that he knew he could do. He squinted his eyes in concentration, invisible hands reaching into the thick crystal and attempting to tear apart the molecules.
Chunks of rock fell, crystalline surfaces cracking as sweat began to form on the child's brow.
Yet, it failed.
"Using a power that you do not know about, is That how you plan to awaken it?" Mephiles pondered aloud, moving his finger as crystal tendrils burst from the ground.
The child stifled a cry as said tendrils crushed his body, knocking his concentration… as if it would be any good to even try to use it. Thorns poked into his flesh, the crimson blood spilling onto the crystal as his head hung low.
"Amusing, little one." The effigy of darkness took a step towards the child. His fingers gently lifting his chin to look into those off-putting eyes. "You never stop intriguing me."
The child didn't move, the original began to weep, mumbling pathetically to be free as the blood spilled down his legs. He was so alone. So afraid…
"Close. Very close." Mephiles' form shifted from the mobian hedgehog to the crystalline demon. He approached the child, lifting his chin and locking eyes with the kid. "Yet, you fail to realize that you, the way you are," a crystal tendril struck the child in the stomach, making him cough and retch in pain as the demon backed away. "Right now, you are powerless."
The tendrils dug tighter into the child's limbs, thick mist closing in around the hedgehog and the demon, the view around them shifting from the crystal hideout that was Mephiles' to the sky of Crisis City. An illusion, a projection.
More images. More screams of terror, more audible torture of children crying out for their families, the sound of Iblis and its beings screech into the night, and then.. the sight. The memory. The illusionary vision created the memory, the view of what started this all- the death of Silver's parents.
The vision was through Mephiles' eyes,
the final moments as Iblis' minions tore the child's parents to shreds. He didn't control Iblis nor his minions, but he could influence where they would attack next.
He merely watched, his eyes glued to the child and ready to see if the ancient chaos energy would awaken. The cries of the child, the grotesque noises from the deceased mobians that lay strewn across the ground, the heat of the minions as they rip and tear, causing havoc all around them.
[I can't… momma… papa…]
/.../
/I want this… to go away…/
[Away?]
[Go. Away.]
/Go… Away.../
[Go Away!]
[/"GO AWAY!"/]
Within a split second, what was one had become two. Like a ripple in a pond, the crystal limbs around the child had shattered into dust, his body glowing with blinding scarlet energy as he levitated. Throwing his hands out, he created a large hole in the roof of the lair, resulting in the entire cavern exploding into gem dust.
"You keep impressing me, Silver." He reformed from the shards of crystal. "The orphan of a dystopian world wrecked with misery. Despite your tragic life, you continue to persist."
The child levitated past him. Staring into his reflection, he noticed the bruises and lacerations were healed and he had newfound energy and strength. Regardless, he turned to the crystal figure.
"...Yes, I see. I see the beginning of a story- your story, Silver." Mephiles approached the child but was flung back from a shockwave of cyan telekinesis. He caught himself with his dark mist and approached him once more. "The ancient blood that courses through your veins… it will be exactly what I need."
The original, the one named Silver stared into the eyes of the demon, frozen in fear. The second, the one without a name, metaphorically stepped in front of him. Protecting him.
He said nothing as the child's eyes shifted from the rich gold to a harsh light blue. The aura around the child had also changed from cyan to scarlet. Focusing on the newfound power the other had, the one without a name clenched his fingers and shut his eyes. Pieces of broken crystal and rocks lifted around Mephiles before hammering into him with such force and velocity, it rocked the ground beneath him.
When the child reopened his eyes, he saw nothing. Nothing but a large boulder held together with force and crashing into the target. There was no doubt- Mephiles was defeated. He was free.
/Free./
/We- I. I am free./
The child landed atop one of the stones above the pair as he overlooked the city. He looked into the scarlet pulsing energy symbols on his arms as well as the bracelets that were given to him. This power, with this power, he can save the remaining people of his world. The ruined city. He levitated once more and flew into the unknown of the city.
As he flew over the lava-filled streets, he could hear the yelp of someone. He looked in the direction of the cry and dashed to it. He saw a girl, about a year younger than him, cowering as an Iblis monster raised a flaming boulder, ready to slam it into the girl.
The cat, facing her death and exhausted from overuse of her powers, cowered with her eyes shut.
…
But the impact never came.
As the young cat opened her eyes, she saw the silhouette of a boy standing over her. His arms were extended, holding the boulder with an unknown energy. She watched as he strained, lifting his arms and sending it back in the face of the monster. The boy panted, his consciousness wearing thin as he struggled to stay standing.
"Are… Are you alright?" The hedgehog straightened up, his gold eyes and cyan symbols on his hands were bright, as was his expression. One of naivety and kindness. He held his hand out to the cat.
The cat hesitated, more amazed at the soft energy emanating from his hands and bracelets. She finally took his hand, standing and looking in shock at the Iblis minion on the ground, dead and turning into ash and embers.
"I'm Silver." He spoke softly, observing her body language and stance.
"...Blaze…"
"That's a really pretty name!"
"...Thank you…"
Mephiles had vanished long before he could be caught in the eye of the storm, yet he lurked, watching in the shadows. He could not care about his lair, rather he cared that now, finally, after many years, the ancient energy had surfaced. As it was all that he needed… to become Solaris.
He gasped as he suddenly found himself back on the real world, the present-past he was in. His hold on the flames of Iblis above an altar, the godly energy transferring out of his body and back into the fire.
Footsteps caught his attention, swiftly whipping his head around.
The Duke, mortally wounded and holding his unconscious daughter in his arms, approached the middle of the room.
Venice stepped in, taking over to talk since he knew Silver couldn't.
"What are you doing here?! You gotta get out!"
The old man simply shook his head, looking down at his unconscious child. Regret was heavy in his eyes as he looked up to the restrained Iblis.
"I have my duty. This Living Flame has been entrusted to the royal family." "The Flames of Disaster will awaken if nothing is done! That must not happen."
He really approaches the altar, gently putting his beloved daughter on it. He takes a step back and pulls out a white Chaos Emerald. He takes a desperate look at the emerald, then the flames. He didn't want to do this to his daughter, but… he didn't have a choice.
"Eternal Sun! The Living Flame that has been entrusted to the royal family! Fall into slumber with a royal soul!"
He held his hand open, allowing the emerald to hover above the childlike princess and absorb Iblis. The flames began to shrink as they were absorbed into the chaos emerald, then transferred to the young princess.
Silver stopped his psychokinesis, panting silently as he stared at the actions of the dying monarch. He was exhausted, drained of energy, drained of every emotion besides grief and regret, and still in shock over the memories.
Yet Venice watched, taking control to give Silver a break from the front.
The Duke collapsed at the altar, coughing harshly and gasping for breath. No doubt dying from internal injuries. His shaky arms cuddled his daughter as he wheezed, "I-I am sorry, but… can you take her to a safe place?"
Venice, understanding the feeling of having lost a family member, nodded, and took the girl knowing his arms. She was a lot lighter than she appeared.
The Duke weakly brushed her red hair back from her unconscious face as he spoke, "That's a good girl, Elise. Remember, be brave. Don't cry, no matter what happens." He placed the girl's dangling hand back on her chest, his eyes narrowing as he felt his life draining. "Otherwise your tears will call forth the flames inside you... Become a strong queen who doesn't cry no matter what happens. And... live... happily…"
Venice watched as the Duke collapsed, leaving him alone in the lab room with another chaos emerald and now an unconscious princess. He took a deep breath, giving a moment of silence for the passed on monarch before he looked at the chaos emerald that gently set itself down on the altar.
/Another Chaos Emerald./
[...]
/… We should hold onto it./
[...]
Venice went to the table, picking up the gem and tucking it into his back quills. He began to walk out of the Aquatic Base, his footsteps echoing the empty and destroyed facility.
[You were right. This whole time… You were right, Venice. And I didn't listen.]