A/N: Welcome back. Hope my readers are doing well. Here goes the latest chapter. I named the chapter 'Rise' because it highlights on the rise of memory, power and feelings.

What happened in previous chapter:

In the 8th chapter (Falling into a black hole), Sierra was terribly upset because her mother Lilith was finally returning to their empire, leaving her in the care of four hedgehogs. After that, she had a conversation with them and she realized that the hedgehogs are indeed concerned for her. So, she agreed to get along with them. Silver informed them about an opera show which was free for the liminal or hybrids in the exchange program and five of them decided to hang out there. In last chapter, it turned out that the opera show was arranged by Rebel Riders and was actually a trap to catch Sierra, along with the main opera artist was revealed as Regina, a demonic half-human-half-spider woman who was the killer of Sierra's father, and was after Sierra's life for the phantom ruby.

Meanwhile, Bliss and Venice's captive Sanctum the hedgehog, known as anti-Shadow, finally woke up. But when he saw Venice, he attacked him thinking Silver. Bliss saved Venice by knocking out Sanctum. While at the fight, Sanctum accidentally dropped a green anarchy beryl, causing his form change and being revealed as Mephiles the Dark.

Rise

Bliss observed the mysterious dark hedgehog's real crystalline form before her azure eyes glimmered to sense much better potentials in Mephiles than that she expected from him as Sanctum or anti-Shadow. Apart from that, his unusual physique also attracted her for some reason. Bliss had known about Shadow, so she was not much fazed by Sanctum. But now, when Sanctum turned out as Mephiles whose real form was nowhere like a regular hedgehog, along with his possible connection with Solaris and Iblis, the little blonde girl was intrigued somehow by that.

Wow...having him, gonna be even more exciting now.

Bliss thought before she slowly crawled to Mephiles, who sat up. He looked up when he heard,

"Are you feeling okay, now?"

"Huh?" The crystalline hedgehog could not help but noticed that the girl was not freaked by with his real look, which was a new for him. "Yes...I'm okay."

By then, Bliss was really close to him. "Can I...touch you?"

Mephiles stared her without replying. Taking it as a permission, Bliss finally put her hand on him. She at first touched his quills, then slowly her hands roamed around to his muzzle. This was very first time, Mephiles was being caressed by someone...so he could not help but flushed.

"You...do have a mouth!" Bliss felt a pair of invisible lips on his flat muzzle. "But are you alright? Your face is getting purple."

"It's because his blood is purple." Venice announced from afar, clearly enraged by the sight. Yet, he calmly said, "You're embarrassing him, Bliss."

"But I'm curious, so I wanted to check how something alive could be made of crystals." She rubbed her hands on his dark fur, "Well, it's just the tips of his quills, fingers and feet are crystalline. Overall, he's just another fluffy boy like you. I guess, I'll pick a new pet-name for you. Now hon, what else have you remembered other than your name?"

Mephiles silently tried to think, but failed, "I don't remember anything else."

"Yes, you do!" Now it was Venice who spoke up, "You can remember Silver!"

The dark demon hog glared. "Silver...?"

"Someone who looks like me!" The albino hedgehog sternly pointed himself. "But with golden eyes and white chest fur."

"Yes...you look familiar." Mephiles stared him for a moment, "But I can't remember how I met Silver. Are you related to him?"

Venice went silent, looking away, "That's none of your business."

"But looks like he did something bad to you..." Bliss said, "Since you attacked Venice."

"Yes...when I first met Steel, I attacked him too." Mephiles truthfully said. For some reason, he believed that Bliss and Venice would not fight him unnecessarily. "I...apologize for that."

"It's alright, Dark Jewel. We're not going to hurt you if you're cool with us." The small blonde girl reassured by putting her hands on his shoulder. "In fact...I think, you should stay with us."

"I allied with Scourge because he helped me escaping from No Zone on first time and I used his anarchy beryl to hide my real form." Mephiles was yet to trust the blonde hog girl completely. "I better find him and Steel."

"Steel could not escape No Zone." Venice said, "As for Scourge, he is in this planet apparently."

"Are we at Moebius?"

"No hon...we're on the great planet earth." Bliss smugly said, but omitted that it was her own home planet.

"The earth...?" The crystalline demon hog started to think. "Why does it feel like-...?

"...that you're connected to this planet of humans...?" She finished for him, "That's what we want to know from you. We have our own business on this planet. But...I guess, you do have some leftovers here, too. After all, you were sleep-talking about Solaris, Iblis, Silver, Shadow-...huh?!" With that Bliss gasped, as she was now pinned down...by Mephiles. Venice grimaced by the scene and instantly created a psychic fireball to save the blonde hog girl. But he stopped as he heard,

"You...! I never recalled any single thing from my past before I met you...!" Mephiles grumbled while being on top of Bliss, "Only except Zierra, I don't remember to see anyone like you ever...but I feel that you're connected with Solaris and Iblis...who seems to be strongly related to me. If you know anything about them...you have to tell me!"

Bliss was clearly shocked as she got suddenly pinned by the dark furred demonic hedgehog, whose face was less than an inch from hers, she felt his breath. For the very first time, the blonde haired half-human-half-hedgehog girl found her cheeks burn with a foreign feeling by being this close with an anthropoid, where she always treated furry Mobians nothing more than animals only, including her own sidekick Venice. She did not know, why she found those demonic green eyes enticing that she could not even look away. Her trance was broken by,

"Bliss, are you okay?!" Venice yelled with the fireball in his hand.

"Put it away, Venice. Mephiles just got excited...he won't hurt me."

"How can you be so sure?!" The albino hedgehog was clearly disturbed by the blonde girl's reluctance.

"Because the dark jewel here just admitted about his connection with Solaris and Iblis." Bliss did not turn to her sidekick, instead she calmly replied keeping her eyes on Mephiles, "That means, soon he is going to realize that...he will be needing me."

Mephiles loosened his grip on the small girl underneath him. "Are you saying that you would help me regaining my memories regarding Solaris and Iblis...along with Shadow and Silver?"

Bliss and Venice looked at each other, before the blonde girl smirked,

"Now you're talking something fruity. But the fruit is not free though." She was still beneath the crystalline hedgehog. She raised herself only to get her face closer to his muzzle, "You'll listen what I say, won't you?"

Mephiles lessened their distance, "Are you joking when you really are expecting a demon to serve you?"

"Trust me blackie hog, even if you're a demon, you're no match with me!" She sternly said, "You already witnessed that, didn't you?! You also sensed me being related to Iblis, and my fluffy boy has personal issue with that other fluffy boy Silver...both Iblis and Silver are connected to you. So, you wouldn't want to mess with me anymore if you're wise enough."

"But...you don't seem to be something usual either." Mephiles was still suspicious. "What're you exactly?"

"You're gonna get to know about me only when I'll know that about you. And you also spilled about a place in your sleep, where we'll be taking you that might help regain your memories." The blonde devil hog girl made sure that she had achieved the demonic hedgehog as her subordinate, when she gave him the puppy look with her beautiful blue eyes. "Are you refusing the girl who just helped you and is willing to join you...?"

"Join me?" Mephiles's mind triggered something suddenly.

Join me, Shadow...Let's rule over the world together...

"Ugh!" The demonic hedgehog groaned again as more and more flashes of scenes roamed in his brain. He then calmed himself down before finally saying, "Alright...Bliss. I'll follow you as long as you don't intend to do something that goes against me. But where will we head to?"

"That's a secret till we start our journey tomorrow. But after you find out everything about yourself...I bet, you're gonna be glad that you met me, Mephiles...just like Venice did." Bliss said winking at both hedgehogs.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me...!"

Scourge grimaced to see the group of insect-human hybrids, who undoubtedly belonged to Rebel Riders. "They really have gone this far for Sierra...!"

"I did have a bad feeling from the beginning, that's why I told you all not to come to this opera show!" Shadow glowered. "Now look what happened!"

"Strange, Shads! How come we would know this was gonna happen?!" Sonic groaned, "Besides, it's the princess herself who wanted to come here!"

"Would you two stop arguing?! We got some pests to squash here!" The green hedgehog said before he instantly got into action. The other two also started to fight the evil insect liminals. It was not difficult for the three powerful hedgehogs, so most of the liminals were knocked out...until they spotted a familiar figure.

"Finally, the traitor made his entry." Scourge addressed the Mobian member of Rebel Riders.

"Rook the Wolf!" Sonic yelled, "You really had a nerve to show your face now! How about I smack that?! Actually, I'm about to do that!" With that, the cobalt furred hedgehog dashed to the brown Mobian wolf but he got smacked himself...not by Rook but someone else. Sonic's green eyes widened to see another pair of green eyes of another anthropomorphic blue hedgehog, but unlike Sonic's dark blue, this one's fur was pale pastel blue. His quills were upwardly bent.

"Nazo...!"

"You know him, Blue?"

"Yes...Nazo the Hedgehog is an old enemy of Shadow and mine. He was created from the dark energy of the Master Emerald." Sonic briefly explained to Scourge, "But we defeated him."

"I was not entirely gone." Nazo spoke up, "In fact, I came back with more power for you guys, I owe this half-human-half-spider woman for that though...but this time, you guys are gonna get your asses screwed for sure!"

"Let's see, who's the one to get his ass screwed!"

"I don't have time for this...!" Shadow completely ignored Nazo, as his mind was only focused to reach Silver and Sierra at the main hall-room. Suddenly, he saw lots of people coming out from somewhere. He followed their direction and eventually found the main hall. But what he saw there...was beyond his expectation.

Earlier:

Sierra's P.O.V:

"I'll go with you, Regina..." I spoke up, there was no other option to save Silver. "Let him go."

"Sierra I told you not to worry about me...!" The hedgehog yelled at me.

"But I will worry about you!" I groaned back, "I also clarified at the beginning that this is all 'my' problem, I told you all to stay away, didn't I?!" I gritted my teeth as angry tears fell from my eyes, "I'm a princess and a princess cannot let anyone else suffer! And it is my choice whether I'll go with Regina or not!"

"But...it's my choice if I'll spare him or not, Princess Sierra." Regina had a serious face now, which made me flinch, "You see, he along with that famous blue and black hedgehogs will always get in my way. I cannot risk myself by them. So..." My spine chilled as the spider woman said, "I'm sorry but I'll have to get rid off Silver the Hedgehog." With that, Regina was about to pull her silk strings, which would effortlessly rip off Silver's body parts.

"NO...YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" I yelled as loud as possible. But within seconds, I felt something in my body, specifically from my chest. I felt lighter and lighter...and was surrounded by red, purple and magenta glow. This feeling was a very first for me, yet I could realize that I was unleashing some kind of power, whose source was definitely...the ruby inside me.

I saw a huge pile of red pixels all around the room, I had no idea what they would do. Then a spinning hole appeared out of nowhere. I glanced to see Silver, fortunately Regina was in shock to see the sudden turn of events so I saw a room to reach him. But, suddenly the spider web that was wrapping the white hedgehog, started to remove themselves. Then I saw Silver floating up and he started to twirl...before being pulled and disappeared in the spinning hole.

Regina seemed to try resisting whatever was happening. I saw a purple glow around herself at first, but it went away few moments later and with that, she also disappeared like Silver. Then there was only me. I started to calm down, and the red pixels along with the hole, in the room disappeared in a while. Then I dropped on my knees in despair, I might had stopped Regina, but could not save Silver. Regina may or may not escape the impact, but there was a great chance that I had killed Silver using my power.

"Silver...no!"

"Star...!"

I did not hear that someone was calling...as I was sniffling for losing the albino hedgehog, who truly cared for me and got killed because of me.

"I'm so sorry...!" I covered my face while crying, but then gasped as someone pulled me...before I found myself in a warm embrace. I was too upset to care, I just hugged back whoever it was.

"I yelled at him because he did a mistake." I cried on that person's shoulder.

"Star...listen."

"But he tried to save me! He asked me to run away while he was caught in the spider web!"

"Stop..."

"...And what did I do?" I did not stop sobbing, "I had killed him...! Where I should be the one to die-...!"

"I SAID. STOP. NOW!" The person growled and harshly pulled back, before cupping my face by a pair of unusually large hands, bigger than a human's.

"Sha-Shadow!"

I cringed even more to see the black hedgehog. I expected him to get rid off me right there, but instead his crimson red eyes showed concern. I silently let out hiccups.

"Now...would you listen to me for once?" He was clearly annoyed.

"I'm so sorry, Shadow." I could not meet his eyes, "Silver is...dead because of me!"

"Silver is not dead." Shadow replied within a second, which made me look up to him.

"Are-are you sure? Because of my power, he vanished in that hole-..."

"That's why I'm saying that he's not dead. Because, the hole you just saw was actually a portal."

"...what?!" I tried to comprehend what the black hedgehog was trying to say.

"One of the abilities of the phantom ruby is controlling space. You created a dimensional portal where Silver had been sent away, so is Regina. Chaos emeralds have the same ability and Silver has one. So, he can come back to us using his chaos emerald."

My eyes widened now to hear the explanation, "So that means..."

Shadow used his thumbs to wipe my tears, his muzzle got so close to my face that I could feel his breath.

"...You didn't kill Silver. You saved his life, Star."

General P.O.V:

Sierra was obviously shocked, but her down heart lightened up to hear Shadow, the black furred hedgehog from Mobius with serious persona. Not to mention, Silver is his friend. So, he would never make a sick lie about this. The small girl from the earth hugged him back, hiding her face into white patch of his chest fur, letting out more of her tears, but this time not in despair but in hope. Shadow also gently put his arms around her, realizing that Sierra Star possessed a warm soul under her cold personality, which was pretty similar to himself. The redhead hog girl and the black furred hedgehog silently stood there having each other's warmth, finally acknowledging the importance of each other.

Meanwhile: (This scene continues from the end of the 5th chapter: Brand New Life)

Place: Death Egg 2.0

Ivo Eggman Robotnik frowned while working in his lab with Orbot and Cubot. That damn jackal had to return in this crucial moment, when he was up for a new target. Turns out, Infinite returned to have a new prototype of phantom ruby, since the previous one on his chest was worn out...which endangered his life. However, the scientist decided to make multiple prototypes this time. For Infinite, for any backup usage...and for Metal Sonic.

No, Metal Sonic would not use the prototype himself. It was not even his requirement, the robot requested his boss something else...and for that thing, Eggman decided to keep some prototypes of the phantom ruby.

Few days later, the human scientist completed those artificial gems. This time, he upgraded the power of those rubies. When he implanted one in Infinite's chest,

"Give me a spare one. You made plenty of those, right?"

Eggman slightly narrowed his eyes at the jackal's demand.

"Yes, but why do you need that? I did make sure that the new prototypes are everlasting."

"In case of any..."

"Fine. But just one."

Then suddenly Infinite's heterochromatic eyes caught something. He spotted a picture attached on the glass where Eggman was working. He went closer to see a closeup shot of a human girl's pretty face. He wondered who it was, so he tried to take the photo to check properly. Before,

"What was that, dumbot?" The jackal annoyedly muttered as the photo was snatched away by someone.

"I'm not the dumbot, Scratch and Grounder are."

"That was a human in the photo, wasn't it?"

"That's none of your business, jackal." Metal Sonic's robotic voice was monotonous as ever, yet a hint of sharpness was there.

"Maybe not...or maybe." The jackal sneered, "And did your upgrading allow you to chase girls?"

"I'm not compelled to answer that." With that, Metal Sonic just left with the girl's photo. Infinite shrugged at the new attitude of the robot, but he remembered the face that he saw in the picture. There must be really something if Robotnik and Metal Sonic focus on someone else other than Sonic and his gang.

"What...?!" Eggman's groan made Infinite shift his attention. The scientist dropped something, not because he slipped, but being startled. A portal appeared out of nowhere inside the Death Egg Spacecraft. But the person who appeared from the portal...was even more surprising, as Cubot's jaw dropped and every robot there stopped their works.

"You can't be serious..." Crossing his arms, Infinite coolly expressed what Eggman and his bots' first thought was to see a certain albino hedgehog in their base.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed reading. You can guess where Silver was teleported to XD. And finally I was able to shorten a chapter because longer chapters are harder to focus. I will try to size future chapters like this one.

N/B: Nazo the Hedgehog is the main character of a fan series 'Sonic Nazo Unleashed'.