Rage was sitting in the fountain plaza alone biding his time. The mission in Brazil was a bust. Turned out the information they got was either no good or outdated. He was silently beating himself up for not figuring it out as Nia walked up to him. "Rage!" She calls announcing her presence to the crimson hedgehog.
"Nia." He greets her "What's up?"
"I heard what happened between you and Magnus." She says looking upset.
"You're mad at me for thrashing him like I did aren't you?" Rage sighs "I don't blame you. I already got an earful from Mason..."
"I am not sure what to think." She sighs sitting next to him "I am more worried about you. Nobody's seen you for days. Not since we came back."
"I have been out." Rage answers "I am not very useful when I can't use my powers. After that bust if a mission in Brazil... Say...Nia can I ask you something?"
"Sure thing." She smiles
"These cultists...I get they summoned their deity
or whatever but why? No matter how much I ponder I can't figure out why." Rage asks her.
"Well..." She says resting her head in her hands "Most of the cultists are lycanthropes or those inflicted with vampirism. Supposedly Hephrostosis can create an 'Eternal Night' so that would be my guess." She explains.
"Okay but why wait so long to do it? He was summoned a long time ago right? Why hasn't he or it done it yet?" Rage asks. "I have fought a lot of different things and for different reasons but none of them would wait to apply anything that would help them unless there was something keeping them from doing it..."
"Perhaps they are missing something?" Nia suggests.
"What though? If Hephrostosis is such a big bad demon why can't he cause this 'Eternal Night'? He should know what he would have needed. Those devoted followers of his shouldn't take this long...I mean chances are he will start it then his cult will go to war to steal some land to build a country
of his own where they can prosper and more than likely continue to world domination at some point..." Rage wondered aloud.
"Now that you mention it...you have a very good point. It has been 60 years and they haven't even attempted to trigger this Eternal Night. Even if it would benefit them as it would remove their need to hide during the day." Nia says putting a finger to her chin.
"Exactly. I have never met an opponent like that. Every enemy I have faced would activate any advantage as soon as they could and destroy anything that would give them a disadvantage." Rage says.
"I wonder if Natalia might know something. She is in charge of overseeing the library and archives." Nia says
"In the meantime I can check the Chaos Archives it's possible we have something about it as well stowed away somewhere." Rage suggested.
"It is good to see some cooperation in a time like this." Mason's voice chuckles as the two look around before Mason materialized in front of them.
"Elder Mason." Nia says "What brings you out here?"
"Oh I was merely out for a stroll. Can't sit in my quarters all day...gets rather boring." He answers. "I can answer that for you though."
"Oh? Then by all means." Rage urges after a short silence.
"Hephrostosis cannot create the Eternal Night without blood belonging to a Knight or Paladin of Kira..." Mason says.
"But...they have had Liam for years." Nia says.
"True however he was never fully blessed by Kira so his blood won't work." Mason says.
"So say after they complete this. One, how do we reverse it. Two, what do they do after that?" Rage asks.
"Well demons, by nature are power hungry. I would guess they will try and make a claim of land." Mason says "Only way to end an Eternal Night is to defeat the demon responsible."
"So if he does we're screwed?" Nia asks and Mason nods.
"Not a single one of us could hope to stop him. Our predecessors could merely seal him away." Mason says.
"Uh...what about me?" Rage asks "I killed Vlagh...remember?"
"True but Vlagh is different from demons." Mason says "Hephrostosis' weakness is unknown."
"As long as he is seen as 'evil' my Chaos Finisher; Darkness' End will destroy him same as it did for Vlagh." Rage says.
"That so?" Mason asks. "If he isn't?"
"It'll hurt." Rage says "Regardless it will do a lot of damage." He yawns "I am going to go get some rest."
"Still tired?" Nia asks
"I am still recharging it takes a lot out of me. Which is why I don't go all out unless I absolutely have to." Rage answers "Give Magnus my regards."
"If we see him we will." Nia smiles waving as Rage walked into the residential district.
Rage made his way to the terrace reserved for Lord Paladins where he came to a good sized house with his name inscribed in a magical plaque. He opened the door and walked upstairs.
"A bit big for my liking but it's nice..." he says to himself opening the door to the bedroom. To his surprise inside was Kira. "Excuse me?" He asks "Who are you?"
"Oh!" She exclaims turning around "Greetings Chaos Guardian Ragis Chaotic."
"Well you must be pretty high on the Knights' food chain to know that. We've kept the fact that I am a Chaos Guardian a secret to most everyone." Rage says "Now who are you?"
"I am Kira." She says.
"As in the goddess Kira?" Rage asks walking in and sitting on the bed.
"Yes." She says "It's long overdue that I meet you."
"Well it's a pleasure." Rage says. "Tell me why you're really here. I know how you god and deity types work. If you're not speaking to your special chosen one or few you normally have a reason to speak to others."
"Hmph." She chuckles "Shoulda figured you'd find me out."
"You're just like Chaos." Rage smirks.
"Well anyway I am here because I fear we have a traitor among the Paladins." She says.
"You want to be sure it's not me because I am technically an outsider?" Rage asks as if he knew why.
"No actually." She says "I want you to be warned. I know it's not you and by confiding in you I can rise the least suspicion to the alleged traitor as long as our meetings are kept secret."
"Secret huh? It's like you know me too well." Rage sighs. "I will do my best to keep an eye open and ear to the ground so to speak. Though I have my doubts on a traitor."
"Thank you Guardian Rage." She says bowing.
"Again with the titles geeze. Just call me Rage." He sighs rubbing the back of his head. "Titles just make my skin crawl."
"Very well." She acknowledges "Rage. I trust that you will do your best to find this traitor?"
"I will do what I can." Rage sighs "I won't promise anything yet."
"Thank you." She says before she vanished into thin air.
"Hard to believe there would be a traitor here." Rage says to himself hopping onto the bed. "Though I guess it's not impossible...though she made it sound as if she suspects someone who is in a high place." He thinks aloud "Guess I can start by just energy sensing." He yawns closing his eyes.
Rage later was woken up by a banging sound on his door. He yawned and sat up looking out of the window to see Magnus outside. With a groan he got up and walked downstairs and opened his mfront door. "What is it Magnus?" He asks.
"About time you woke up." He says "I was afraid I'd need to come in. Anyway Mason wants us to go back to the Amazon and investigate the abandoned 'church' that the Cult was using. See if we can find some clues."
"Alright." He says. "Let's go."
Rage and Magnus both warp themselves back to Brazil and begin their trek to the Amazon. "Rage?" Magnus asks
"Yes?" He replies.
"I wanted to ask about back when I was first showing you around. You were able to conceal your power...how?" He asks
"Well..." Rage sighs "One of the first things I learned about is what is known as my Chaos Aura, the latent energy I give off. We use it for defense mainly. We also learn to manage and conceal it to avoid detection or to keep our enemies from reading us."
"Chaos Aura huh?" Magnus repeats as they reached their destination. "So that explains it. It seems so perfect."
"No." Rage denies "It is far from it. My emotions alter it. If I cannot keep my emotions in check
I lose my ability to conceal it as effectively. Defensively I have my natural state which doesn't take a lot to maintain. If I want to increase it though it slowly burns through my reserved energy. You've seen first hand what happens when I change forms" He says kneeling down looking in some rubble.
"Yeah, you're energy flares up like crazy." Magnus chuckles looking at a wall of the building that was still standing.
"Hey look at this!" Rage calls pulling a tuft of blue fur out of the rubble. "It's Sonic's"
"How can you tell?" Magnus asks "Looks like a normal tuft of fur. Anyone who is blue could own it."
"Well Sonic has a decently strong Chaos Aura for a layperson. He can't control it and it lingers on even the fur and quills he leaves behind." Rage answers. "I may be able to track him if the trail is still good."
"How come he has one?" Magnus scoffs
"Everyone on Mobius does..." Rage sighs "Chaos occurs naturally. Some people like Sonic who have been exposed more to it have more notable ones when compared to someone like say, you who hasn't."
"So everyone has a Chaos Aura but unless you come in contact with the Chaos Emeralds it's basically non existent?" Magnus asks.
"Correct. I probably wouldn't be able to track yours unless you were to increase it by using the Chaos Emeralds." Rage affirms.
"I see now back to the task at hand...why did they pack up and leave so quickly?" Magnus asks changing subjects "The mess shows they were in a hurry."
"Yeah, it doesn't make sense unless they were tipped off before we arrived the first time." Rage thinks aloud.
"Hmmm the only ones who would have known were us, Mason and the guy who gave us the information but he's dead now..." Magnus says "I guess they could have followed him and knew we wouldn't have been far behind so they booked it."
"Or perhaps it was a trap." A voice chuckles as a wall of strange energy surrounds them.
"What?!" Both Rage and Magnus exclaimed in surprise. From the shadows a tall figure stepped out. It had little definitive features that were visible as a black cloak was covering it. Two beedy red eyes glared at the two.
"You..." Magnus says. "I remember you!"
"Mmm yes it has been a while Magnus...60 years I believe? You know if your son hadn't have betrayed you that plan of yours, to ambush us, would have worked." The figure chuckles "Now you just waltzed into our trap. We figured you'd be coming here after we learned who your informant was so we cleared out knowing you'd come back to search for clues."
"Shut up Ignus!" Magnus spits. "You may have managed to revive your little deity but that doesn't mean you have won!"
"Oh but it has." The figure apparently name Ignus chuckles. "There is nothing you can hope to do to stop us! All you had was some stupid predictions of a Chaos Guardian stopping us! However they are all dead..."
"You know part of me liked it more when there were more Chaos users around." Rage sighs
"What?" Ignus asks "What are you talking about?"
"Well it's just if you were able to sense Chaos Auras you would know..." Rage chuckles "I AM a Chaos Guardian..."
Ignus looks at Rage and breaks out laughing. "Oh you're funny!" He pants pulling himself back together and regaining his composure. "Vlagh and Dex kill all of the Chaos Guardians years ago."
"Why don't you let me go and I'll prove it?" Rage smirks. "I'll take my Blade of Chaos and shove it clean up your ass!"
"Oh please I am no fool." Ignus says "If I let you out no doubt Magnus will take advantage of it."
"Very well." Rage sighs summoning his sword "You leave me no choice."
"What?" Ignus exclaims baffled at the appearance of the weapon "That weapon...it can't be! That means you're-"
"Ragis Chaotic the Hedgehog." Rage finishes with a sly smile "The Last Chaos Guardian."
"Impossible..." Ignus says as Rage strikes the barrier that he had erected as a trap and it cracks. With another strike it shatters. Swiftly Ignus summons a small group of familiars and warps away.
The weak familiars stood no chance against Magnus or Rage who dispatched of them with little effort. "Coward!" Magnus spits. "Again we let that happen..."
"They'll do this every time we try going after them." Rage says "Unless we can find their main headquarters or church or whatever they call their places of worship chances are we'll just wind up chasing a ghost."
"Yeah...but he was lying..." Magnus says.
"What about?" Rage asks
"How they got their information." He answers "It wasn't some defector of theirs or random informant. We found that out on our own..."
"Your point?" Rage asks even though he had a thought as to where this was going.
"The Order has a traitor amongst us..." he says giving Rage a glare.
"You think it's me don't you?" Rage scoffs but Magnus shakes his head.
"No in fact you maybe the only one I can trust now." He replied "I know you'd never betray the Light...but who would betray hs?"
"Could have been anyone with access to that information about the camp here." Rage advises.
"That leaves Grand Knights and Paladins..." he answers "But who!?"
"I can't answer that but I was told by Kira herself she feared we had a traitor." Rage admits "I had my doubts it was you and I am glad to see that was the case but that also means we have no idea who it could be."
"We need to inform Elder Mason." Magnus says.
"Agreed." Rage nods. The two returned to where they had originally arrived and teleported back to the headquarters where they were stopped at Mason's door by the Knight standing guard.
"Halt state your business Lord Paladin Magnus." He says.
"Stand down Knight Elton." Magnus says "Rage and I have urgent business to discuss with Mason." He says
"I am sorry sir but Elder Mason wishes to not be disturbed right now." Elton answers. Magnus looks a little surprised. "Apologies Lord Paladins Rage and Magnus."
"Oh? Did he say why?" Magnus asks.
"No sir." Elton answers "Not long after you guys left he said he didn't want to be bothered unless it was important."
"This is important." Rage urges. "Something happened in Brazil."
"Very well." He says stepping aside.
Rage and Magnus entered and Mason was sitting at the chair by the window overlooking the fountain plaza. He looks at them seeming a bit agitated. "I told Elton I didn't want to be bothered." He says sternly.
"Sorry Elder but we have some bad news." Magnus says.
"It had better be good." He spits. This made Rage and Magnus look at each other. Something was wrong. This was well out of character for him.
"Well the mission in Brazil was a trap." Magnus says "Ignus knew everything...which leads Rage and I to believe we may have a traitor."
Mason looks at the two. "Rage do you concur?" He asks.
"I do." Rage agrees "The man...no the creature called Ignus sounded way too sure of himself as if he knew we would be there. It doesn't sit well. Magnus said all that information was confidential. The evidence points and in fact highly suggests that possibility."
"I see then if that is the case..." Mason sighs "I have no choice but destroy the Paladins and our city."
"What?!" Magnus and Rage both exclaim in shock.
"I had hoped it wouldn't have to be this way but...you know far too much." Mason says forming a large axe out of dark energy.
"You...you're the traitor?!" Magnus exclaims
"Yes. For years, there has been no hope for this world ever since Hephrostosis was reborn. Some shoe in Chaos Guardian wannabe won't change that." Mason says.
"Magnus go gather the others." Rage says summoning his sword.
"But-" Magnus says as Rage throws him a small shard of stone.
"Go!" Rage says "There is no way anyone would believe us if they don't hear this for themselves!" He shouts and Magnus runs.
"What good would that do?" Mason chuckles as his eyes glowed a blood red. "They follow me blindlessly. They are but sheep, blind lemmings walking none the wiser to the cliff of doom in front of them!"
"Why bring me on board then Mason? Surely you should know what my power means." Rage asks.
"Please, I never truly believed you were a Chaos Guardian!" Mason laughs "You are just some powerful Chaos user Magnus and Nia mistook for a Guardian. I played along. Gave them hope. Thing is...everyone knows Vlagh killed all of them."
"Shut up!" Rage shouts cutting him off. "You talk like you know what happened! Well you're wrong! I survived! I wasn't there! The guilt of not having been there eats away at me everyday! You disgust me more than Vlagh! More than Dex! Not only did you lie and betray that which you held sacred but you led those under you knowingly to their deaths! I am going to put an end to this!" He grunts getting into his battle stance.
"You will die trying!" Mason shouts charging and swinging the axe at Rage who blocks the attack with his sword. Mason began swinging again, and again repeatedly keeping Rage on the defense.
As he kept striking Rage continued to block until he was fed up. "Chaos Pulse!" He shouts as Mason's axe meets his sword again. This caused Mason to fly back into the wall making an indent and loud "BANG".
Mason fell to the ground but quickly began standing back up as Rage rushed over and kicked him. He wasn't going to leave Mason any time to retaliate or defend. The kick launched Mason up to about mid chest level for Rage he then quickly slices Mason with his sword in the back.
Mason leaps back causing his back to smash into Rage knocking him off balance. Rage staggered backwards to regain his balance. Mason took advantage of this and tried to cut Rage in half.
It was then a crimson translucent tail wrapped around his Axe and held it. "What the hell?!" Mason exclaims as he looks to see a large translucent dragon holding the Axe that appeared to be coming from Rage. "What is this?!" He shouts as a feeling of dread washed over his body.
"Really?" Rage sighs looking up at the dragon "I was going to counter it Blade..." he sighs looking at Mason "Bitch and half Mason meet Bureijingukaosu. The spirit of my weapon..."
"I-impossible!" Mason exclaims "You're not!"
"You know I say it so many times yet none of you damn demons, Dark Dwellers, and whatever just never seem to get it." Rage sighs "You put up a good fight for a normal mobian...granted your training and powers that is."
"You think taking me out will save these fools! Hephrostosis is already reborn and soon he will complete his world take over! All I have to do is turn you and the world's sate is sealed!" Mason hisses lunging at Rage
"I don't think so." Blade says throwing Mason's own axe back at him knocking him down. Rage then walks up to him as his wounds began to close.
"I don't know who I hate more right now to be honest." Rage says "You or Dex. Traitors are one of my biggest pet peeves. How can you turn your back on those who support, believe and trust you? Turn your back on what you yourself believed in?!"
"It's easy all you have to do is know which side is the winning side! Which even now Hephrostosis will win! After hearing you offed me everyone here will want you dead!" Mason laughs. Rage merely smirked at this. "What are you smiling about?" He asks.
"You remember that stone I gave Magnus?" Rage asks
"What about it?" Mason asks a hint of worry in his voice.
"I altered it with a little magic and Chaos it has been recording everything you have said." Rage chuckles "Now 'Elder' Mason everyone knows your true colors!"
"You...you..." Mason grunts unable to say anything past that. He was astonished he let himself be fooled so easily. "Whatever I am one of Kira's chosen! You can't win!"
"Wrong." Rage says "I already have!"
"Hmph..." was a Mason said before Rage ended it with a Holy Chaos Blade Strike.
Rage pants then looks up to meet Blade's gaze "I had him you know..."
"You weren't taking the fight serious enough Rage! That axe could have killed you!" Blade scolds.
"I knew that." Rage sighs as Kira appeared before them looking upset. "Kira." Rage says as he dismisses his sword. "Are you...?" He asks
"I am alright." She answers. "Just...trying to take it all in. To think the one I chose would be the traitor." She looks at Masons body as it vanished into darkness. She then returned her eyes to Rage. "As for you Rage, thank you." She sighs.
"Now what?" Rage asks.
"I will return here soon in a mortal body. There is yet work to be done Lord Paladin Rage Chaotic." She smirks "Until Hephrostosis and his little cult are stopped we aren't done. Before that we must ensure the infrastructure of the Knights and Paladins are firm and good to continue. Magnus, you, Nia and all of the others have a lot of work ahead of you." She says departing for now.
"Yes we do Kira, we will keep you posted." Rage says as Nia, Magnus, Credo, Julia, Natalia. A yellow fox with green eyes dressed in a light Paladin armor, Leah, and a tall car with vivid purple hair and yellow eyes, Regina all came running in.
"We hear what happened and-" Leah began to speak but then saw Rage was the only one there "aaaaand it's all over..."
"So it was true." Credo says crossing his arms "Mason was working for Hephrostosis this whole time."
"Now what?" Julia asks.
"We finish what we started." Rage says. "Hephrostosis is still a threat and plans to take over the world and plunge it into a never ending night so his followers may roam freely."
"But we have no leader!" Magnus exclaims
"Kira is on her way." Rage says.
"Seriously?!" Nia asks
"Yes, she appeared not long after I defeated Mason and said she would be here shortly in a mortal form." Rage confirms.
"In the meantime we should work on making sure everyone knows what happened exactly. As well as continue that rescue operation for Sonic." Ragina suggests.
"That would be a good start." Magnus agrees.
"Let's get to work." Magnus says as they split up.