Venice and Blaze stared at each other as a heavy silence fell between them. There were no emotions in the boys, rather the shock of having heard Blaze refer to who was currently in control.

"Come. Let's talk like we used to a long time ago, Venice." Blaze spoke as she began to walk away.

"Blaze, wait!" He called out to her as he ran to catch up. There was a worrying atmosphere though, his heart skipped a beat when she didn't reply or even look back to him. He may as well comply.

/How does… How does she know?/
[Did she know this whole time?]
/Blaze is very observant, but I never told her my name.../
[...or did you?]

The twins looked at one another in the space. One's expression was uneasy and the other's confused. The mental fog was now but a mist that danced around their ankles, creating a blurred image of the two beings as they both took on the role of being co-conscious.

Blaze looked back at the hedgehog, her face was unreadable as she jumped up to the top of a building in the city. Venice followed, lowering himself with the other's psychokinesis.

He saw Blaze sit on the edge of the building's rooftop trim. Her posture was relaxed.

[Just go sit with her, she wants to talk.]
/but she might be angry with me, she might dislike me.../
[Why? You haven't done anything wrong.]
/I…/

"Venice." Her voice was calm as she turned her head to her left, "come here."

Taking control, Silver helped push the body to move as he sat next to his friend. Venice's eyes were locked onto the cat as his hands shook with anxiety.

"How… How do you know my name?" He asked, his voice shaky and scared, unsure of what to expect.

"You told me a long time ago. Do you remember?" Blaze looked to him, an unexpected grin on her face. "When we were nine. You saved me from being attacked by an Iblis monster."

"Yes, I remember that, but not telling you my name!" He gave her a perplexed glare.

She took Venice's hand and began to stroke the scarlet marks on the dorsal side of it. Her amber eyes watching the faintly pulsating energy waves as they beat in tandem with his pulse. She reminisces, stroking her thumb idly over the marking.

The feeling makes Venice almost speechless as memory started coming back to him. Resurfacing from under an abyss of poison drenched memories. He and Silver hold onto the memory as it settles into their palms, projecting the memory in photographic detail.

"So… Blaze, where have you been living?" The 9-year-old kicked a stray pebble, smiling widely as he turned to face his new friend.

"Living?"
"Yeah, here in the city! Where have you been staying?"
"... You're too optimistic."

The hedgehog tilted his head as his smile faded. "Huh?"

"You have no idea who I am." The kitten muttered, walking away from him. "While I appreciate being saved, I would prefer to stay away from others."

"But being alone isn't a good idea, especially not here in the heart of the city."

"Perhaps not, but it is better than watching everyone your surviving group die and be burned alive." Blaze shot him a glare before turning her attention away from him again. "The last thing I need to see is another person I was supposed to keep safe bludgeoned to death by those monsters."

Silver's eyes widened and his ears flattened. He looked down as he felt a fisting feeling of uncertainty creep into his mind, speaking to him through the fog in his mind.

/Did… Did you kill the members of her group..?/
[No of course not! I don't even know her or her group.]
/Maybe you didn't know them, but.../

"It isn't personal." Blaze spoke up, her demeanor melting a little from the silence, "I just cannot bear the guilt of feeling like those deaths are my fault. I could've illuminated the shadows, bring light to that thick mist, but…" She shook her head from the memory, "I was too scared to do anything."

Then the slow realization hit him like one of those flaming rocks he had stopped many times. He took a step back as he stared at Blaze in disbelief.

[Those people that were monsters… The ones I killed by accident… They were…!]

"AAAUUGHH!"

Suddenly, he could hear a loud ear-splitting ringing in his head. He threw his hands to his ears, trying to block out the sound as if it was outside of his mind. The fog thickened, the feeling of being pulled back, as if he was floating above his body, watching in a separate reality; he felt like he didn't exist in his own body.

"Silver?!" Blaze turned to the hedgehog in distress and approached him carefully.

The hedgehog stumbled back before falling on his knees and crouched over onto the pavement. He groaned, growled, and wailed from the sound as he began to feel withdrawn as if he was a ghost inhabiting his body.

Blaze hesitated to do anything as she did not know this stranger or what he was going through. He didn't appear hurt when he saved her, but looking at him now, he did have some scruffs and bruises on his body…

As quickly as the screams of pain happened, they stopped and the boy's body fell limp and silent.

"Silver?!" The young cat bit her lip and ran to his side. He saved her life, it was only fair of her to help him if he needed it. She noticed the blue energy signatures that were glowing on his hands and his wrists. They were mesmerizing.

She reached out and began to touch the markings. They felt just like they looked, similar to the feeling of the skin, but lacking any heat or coolness. They were pulsating slowly, moving perfectly with his breathing. Her thumb traced over the marking, feeling his soft fur that lined his hand.

As she did so, the markings began to shift from bright aqua to a highly saturated crimson. She took notice, but didn't flinch, instead, she held his hand tighter. He groaned as the boy finally began to twitch his fingers and lift his head. When he looked at Blaze, she quoted a brow- his gold eyes were now sky blue.

"...Who are you?" The unknown kid asked, using his free hand to fix his sitting position and rub his temples.

Blaze gave a confused look but kept her comments to herself. Her face was stern, but not scary. "Blaze. And you are?"

The kid looked down at their hand that she continued to stroke with care. It confused him, the whole concept of staying with someone unworthy of anything other than pain like himself. He hesitated but finally replied without a problem, "Venice."

"Venice? That's your name?"
"That's what I said."
"Interesting."

Blaze thought for a second. This wasn't the kind and inviting kid she was just speaking to, no, this wasn't Silver. This was someone else. Someone who shared his body, but called himself Venice. This was utterly fascinating, to say the least, it wasn't every day you get saved by a kid with separate identities.

"Blaze," Venice started as he stood up, pulling his hand away from hers. He held his arms as he felt the derealization of fully fronting for the first time shake him to the core. "I'm sorry, but I need to get going."

Blaze tilted her head as she stood up, dusting her tights free of ash. "And where will you go?"

"Somewhere that isn't here." His reply was curt and short.

"And you know where you are now?"
"I'm in Crisis City. In the center of town, right where the first test was held."
"The first test?"

Venice shook his head, putting his hand to his eyes as the flashes of the corpses burned into the back of his eyes. He was still shaking slightly, trying to steady his breathing as he opened his eyes, forcing himself to focus on the environment.

The young cat sighed and walked over to him. "I don't know what happened to you or Silver, and despite what I previously stated, I believe that we should stick together." She mentally kicked herself for saying that. She knew what would happen if they got surrounded again and would have to grieve another friend. But there was no way she could leave such a fragile person alone in this state.

"N-No!" Venice turned to face her, fear in his eyes as he shook his head. "I-I can't… Not after… Not after…" He trembled as he began to hyperventilate, his gaze unfocused as he could feel the icy tendrils of darkness enrapturing his mind and body.

"Venice." Blaze's voice was stern and grounding, forcing him to look at her rather than a different direction. She took his hands, her thumb stroking the energy markings as she kept him stable and focused on her.

The hedgehog stared at this stranger. His heart was racing and his head was starting to kill him. He could feel the fog rolling in, the other one was trying to come back. But the comfort of being consoled… it was a kind gesture he wasn't used to. But it wouldn't last.

His breathing slowed to a steady rhythm before he collapsed into his friend's arms.

Caught off guard from the sudden weight in her arms, she took a step back but held him close. This encounter and stranger was beyond the word strange. It was foreign to her. Two different identities, one with clearly traumatic memories and one who seemed to be free from them… it made her pity her friend. That's no way to live.

"Mmgh… Blaze..?"

What were red glowing marks were now back to aqua, and his blue eyes were gold once more. He steadied himself and stepped back, slightly blushing when he realized he was being held by Blaze.

"S-Sorry!" He looked worried, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm to her, "I-I didn't mean to-"

"Don't… Don't apologize." Blaze lowered his hands for him, she stared deeply into his eyes while keeping a respectful distance. She studied him, wondering where that panicked other self had retreated into.

"Alright! Uh… So…"
"We should stick together."
"Wait what?"

Blaze nodded, "Let's team-up. We can become a force to be reckoned with."

"I'm sorry for what you went through in your previous one, but…" Silver looked away, then at her, a little confused. "I thought you didn't want to be a part of a group anymore?"

Blaze paused before taking a steady breath.

"I changed my mind. We both shouldn't be alone in this wasteland. We need to stop Iblis, and neither one of us can do it alone."

Silver smiled, giving his friend a determined look, "yeah! I've been waiting to hear that! I want Iblis to leave and never come back!"

Blaze smiled, "and Venice?"

Silver's expression fell as she spoke an unknown name. One that felt familiar but foreign to him.

"Will he help us stop Iblis?"
"Don't… I don't…"
"But he is in you, Silver. He can help us."

Silver shook his head, trying to push the dissociated feeling away. "I'm Silver. Not Venice. Don't call me that anymore please." He looked at Blaze with a smile, "He's… He's not me. I'm me."

Blaze gave him a strange look before eventually nodding. "Alright Silver. When you're ready, I will ask again."

The teen's eyes drifted from their hands to his friend's eyes. She gave him an expectant look.

"So what's the answer?" Blaze traced the circular red outline of his energy marking, her amber eyes meeting his sky blue ones. "Will you help Silver and I defeat Iblis?"

Venice felt his heart pound from the memory, his eyes stuck on the grounding motion of her hand on his. The feeling of guilt of a realization he forgot about a long time ago now fresh in his mind. Does Blaze even know about that? Does she remember?

"Blaze…" Venice's voice trembled, a bothered expression present. "I… Why do you need me here? You and Silver can handle it." He tries to move his hand away, but Blaze held it in place.

"You're half of Silver. If he and I did this alone, he wouldn't be using his full power. You need to be here and fight Iblis with us."

"But I… I can't, I…"

"You have no problem destroying those minions it shoots out." Her stare was now hardened, trying to weave past his refusal.

Venice finally pulled his hand away from hers as if protecting it from her comfort. He shook his head as he shut his eyes tight.

He hated how fresh the corpses looked in his mind. The blood that stained the ashen asphalt, their facial features heavily deformed, the black mist that coiled around his body… The monsters they appeared to be.

/I have to tell her, Silver./
[But… She'll hate us forever if she finds out.]
/I can't live with this guilt anymore. Seeing her here, asking for my help, and not even knowing what we did.../
[Don't, please! We can just-]
/I have to. You need to understand that we've been living a lie for so many years. I'm tired of it. We… We deserve to be free of this./

He began to breathe heavily, not hyperventilating, but breaths that were full of weight and anxiety. His blue eyes shot open to Blaze who seemed worried at his sudden movements.

"Blaze," He began, lowering his head as he faced away from her, "back then when we first met, I… Refused to join you and call ourselves a team. Against Silver's wishes." His voice became more steady as he spoke as if he already accepted the outcome of it all.

Blaze nodded, the memory of their first encounter still fresh in her mind. She looked out to the skyline as he continued.

With a deep breath, he spoke his next words carefully, "Mephiles killed our birth parents."

The princess's eyes widened and she looked at him. His expression was stone cold and eyes were focused on the sky as if he had accepted this fact a long time ago.

"For years we lived in a constant state of fear by his hands. He would create illusions for us to battle in an attempt to awaken our chaos powers." He held his hand up at the sky, peering at the red energy marks. "I never understood what exactly he wanted from us. All I knew was he was determined to force them out no matter the cost."

Venice lowered his hand before looking at his friend. He took a deep breath and gave a serious expression. "That first test? He made ordinary survivors appear as Iblis's minions."

Blaze's heart sank as she listened, turning her gaze away from her friend.

"...And… Those survivors?"

Venice hesitated before continuing, "they looked like monsters in my eyes. I… We had to fight for our survival."

Slowly, she met his face as she realized the weight of what he said and did. She could remember hearing a child scream in the mist, the wet splattering of blood she couldn't see, the sound of a heavy rock crushing bones.

"You murdered the group I was with…"

"It wasn't…" He stopped himself from trying to save what he said. He did murder them, innocent people but wearing the skin of Iblis's monsters. "I couldn't… I couldn't tell you at the time. And I'm… I'm so so sorry." He shook his head, shutting his eyes. "Sorry won't bring them back. Sorry isn't good enough. Sorry is… insufficient compared to the guilt you must've carried for years."

The feline didn't say anything for a while. She sat there, understanding and carefully listening to everything he said, piecing it together with the memory.

The silence weighed heavily between them, almost choking the air out of him. He continued his story, "When we were nine, we managed to break free of Mephiles' torture. That was when our powers 'activated'. Since then, we've been trying to save what little of our world we have left." His blue eyes stared at the skyline, finally feeling that heavyweight on his heart be lifted.

Blaze finally looked back at the sky, her thoughts now clear as she replied, "I cannot forgive you for what you did to my group. I cannot forgive you for keeping it from me for so long."

Venice looked down at the decrepit city below them, fidgeting with his fingers in worry.

"But," she looked to him, "I… understand that you believed that they were monsters. You… aren't my enemy. Especially now that I know who is the cause behind it all." Her eyes were cold as she clenched her fists. "We need to end Iblis, then Mephiles. He is the reason I lost my group. And you? You were just his plaything. And… I'm sorry that he did that to you. That he… broke you so frequently that you both split."

Venice faced her, his expression full of melancholy as she spoke. Her eyes were sad, but not tearful. She wanted revenge, just like him. She wanted to avenge the lives he took alongside Iblis.

"If you want to make amends for having done what you did," she looked out to the skyline before standing. "Defeat Iblis with me. Both of you, prove to me that you want the same as I." She held her hand out to her friend as she asked, "Will you team up with me and defeat Iblis... and Mephiles?"

The hedgehog gazed at her open hand before taking it and standing by her side. His expression was serious and intense, a hint of Silver's determination in his eyes.

"Yes. We will put an end to both of them, that way no one else has to suffer. No matter the cost."

"Good. Then let's waste no more time."

Trekking through Crisis City was the same song and dance they were too used to. Climbing over debris, moving large objects out of their way, and destroying the occasional flame beast here and there. Before they knew it, they were face to face with the Flames of Disaster itself: Iblis. It rose from the lava heart of the city, forming a pillar of fire before rising from the heat and embers.

"It's time to end this, Iblis!" Venice and Silver shouted in unison, half of his body glowing with red energy and the other half engulfed in bright aqua. His eye colors were split quite the same- light blue on one side and gold on the other. The two of them looked to Blaze, who nodded in agreement with a determined grin.

The monster roared as sparks of magma shot into the sky. Without any hesitation, the beast summoned multiple minions that encircled the duo.

"I'll weaken Iblis, you focus on the minions!" Silver/Venice shouted to their partner as they levitated.

"Understood!" Blaze replied as she jumped back from one of the phoenix's attacks.

They sprung into action. Blaze twirling into a flame tornado, and Silver lifting multiple cars and rocks. With a timed battle cry, they both attacked their targets with force and ease.

Blaze performed her pirouettes with perfect precision as she overheated the monsters, causing them to combust into ash.

Silver and Venice threw the heavy objects into Iblis, tearing off one of its horns as it bellowed in pain. With a chuckle, they dodged the flaming tendrils that reached for them. For once they were in unison, focusing together with well-timed and deadly attacks. Working side by side to put an end to this demon (well, one of them) was proving to be successful, smart, and... Something they both admitted they should've done a lot sooner.

As another broken car collided with one of the monster's jaws, severing it from its body, the hedgehog looked to Blaze. They watched her perfect movements and smiled. They both were thankful that she still wanted to fight by their side.

They may have thought too much about it as they were hit by one of Iblis's tendrils, sending them colliding into the shattered road. Ignoring the pain the best they could, they looked to Blaze and swiftly got to their feet.

"Blaze!" They shouted as their aura flared to life and they flew towards their partner.

Throwing their arms around her, they summoned a protective forcefield around both of them. Just in time as one of Iblis's flaming rocks crashed into them. The protective field wasn't their signature colors, instead, it was a pastel sea green, no doubt from the emeralds they had tucked away in their quills.

"Silver! Are you ok?" Blaze pushed herself away from him slightly, getting a good look at his face for any sign of pain, but she found none.

"We're fine." Both boys gave her a reassuring smile. They've never felt so full of energy and powered up. These emeralds were beyond words, so full of power!

With a grunt, the hedgehog let go of his friend and threw his arms out. The large rock that had crashed into them went flying back, perforating Iblis's molten skull. His form began to disintegrate into ash as magma bubbled and burst. The once-massive demon was reduced to a single unstable flame. Embers danced around the hedgehog and cat as they ran to the edge of the broken road.

Silver and Venice held the turquoise and white Chaos Emeralds out as they began to shout towards the flame, "Chaos Emeralds, lend me your power! Eternal Sun! The Living Flame that has been entrusted to the royal family! Fall into slumber with my soul, Iblis! You cursed Flames of Disaster!"

The emeralds lit with a chaotic light as the unstable energy rushed towards the source. The flames circled the emeralds as a bright beam of pure concentrated energy pierced Silver and Venice's chest, making them cry out in pain. Wisps of light and flames danced around his body as the energy held within the chaos emeralds began to suck all the life and energy out of the hedgehog.

They didn't understand! This was the same change they heard from the Duke when he sealed Iblis the first time! What was the problem?

"No! Why won't it accept us as the vessel?!" They choked out, stumbling back but remaining standing as the chaos energy practically burned their chest.

Blaze took a breath before approaching her partner. She put a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look at her. "Let me take Iblis."

"But-but Blaze! That would- Aah!" They struggled to say, their hands shaking as they backed into Blaze from the force.

"Don't worry. My soul is already alit with flames. I will be accepted." Blaze gave him a look as if her mind was already made up. She put her hand on the emerald, the energy transferring from Silver/Venice directly into her.

As she picked up the emeralds, she stepped ahead of Silver and held the emeralds out near her chest. As the energy began to shoot into her chest, she grunted but remained stable. Her soul and body were accepted.

The hedgehog clutched their burning chest, trying to stay conscious despite being completely drained of energy. They watched with wide eyes as Blaze stood in front of him, energy gracing her form as it centered around her torso.

She turned to face her partner, "Come on, make it quick. Use your Chaos Control... to stop time. Then... seal us into a different dimension." She could feel the power taking over her soul. There was very little time to waste.

Silver/Venice's eyes widened as they forced the body to stand, shaking their head, "No! We can't do that!"

The lilac cat shot him a harsh glare, "Didn't we already go through this? We agreed to save the world at any price!"

Recoiling from the harshness in her voice, they looked at both of their hands then at her. They shut their eyes as they focused their energy. Faint trails of energy formed around their fingers, but soon fizzled as tears stung their eyes. They tried again, but couldn't focus.

"We can't! We wouldn't know what to do without you! You've fought alongside us to save the world…" They looked at her as tears slid down their face, their voice breaking as they struggled to speak, "You're our friend... Right?"

All that was heard in response was a sigh before she turned to face her partner. She had a smile on her face as she approached him. Her steps were silent as if her body weighed nothing. "You're so naive. But…"

Silver/Venice stared at her as they choked back tears. They reached out to her, grabbing her face as he saw tears glisten in her amber eyes.

"Ever since we were little, Venice, Silver," she closed her eyes, resting her face in their caring hands. She gave a smile when she saw the gold and light blue eyes staring back at her, "I've always loved that about you."

She leaned in, pressing her lips against the hedgehogs. This would be their last embrace, their last conversation, the last time they would see each other. Silver and Venice didn't hesitate, kissing her back and trying to hold onto her for dear life. They didn't want to lose her, they couldn't.

"Thank you… for proving your true intentions to me." She pulled herself away, taking cautious steps back as she closed her eyes, focusing her thoughts.

With a gust of wind, the emeralds began to shine with a blinding light, forming a violet shield around the cat as she opened her eyes. Having induced Chaos Control herself, she drops both emeralds as she and Iblis began to fade into the void, her body floating upward as her very being had started to disintegrate.

"BLAZE!" Both of them shouted, reaching their hand out as they tried to reach her, but it was futile.

She was still smiling as her physical being faded. "Good luck, Silver." her body floats up to the clouds and explodes in light. Rays of sunlight descend upon Silver/Venice, and Crisis City brightens up, quenching the lava and the flames altogether.

/[A blue sky…]/

The hedgehog gazed up as the sky cleared, the light fading into the darkness of the clouds and spreading them out. The heat they were used to had been snuffed out, replaced with a cool breeze that stung their eyes as tears continued to fall.

There was no more loud churning of fire, only the silence of a broken city and the stifled cries of Silver and Venice. They fell to their knees, their eyes looking at the emeralds she was once holding. With care, they picked them up and held them to their chest as they cried.

"Please... Please don't... don't leave us..."