Shadow skated across the never-ending savannah, following his "built in" energy tracker to the second world heart. His mind wandered to the conversation between Sonic and himself only a few minutes ago. The blue blur was getting suspicious, and Shadow knew that he would have to come out with the truth soon. He hadn't even noticed the changes in his own behaviour much, but Sonic was always quick to pick up on others' emotions.

The terrain changed from flat lands to jungle mountains, forcing him to slow down slightly. The pull of the continent's life force brought him to a strange temple surrounded by half-sunken ruins deep in a swamped portion of the jungle. Shadow could only guess that it was a civilization long lost to time from abandonment. He briefly wondered what had caused the city's collapse before skating towards the temple, which was arguably the only thing still standing properly, where the pull was strongest. He carefully avoided loose boards and stepping stones that would topple into the murky water below. The bog reeked, and he held a hand over his sensitive snout until he made it inside the temple. He wasn't very pleased with the gross environment and worried about his skates becoming ruined in the sludge.

Shadow's POV

I had to shake mud off my skates for the hundredth time, as I trudged into the dilapidated building. It seems that this world is littered with ruins of a time long past, much like Mobius. The only inhabitants of this temple were mice, lizards, and the occasional python or panther. They stared at me warily, obviously not sure why I was there. I could faintly hear their quiet voices whispering to each other, but I didn't have time to focus on what they were saying. I need to find the heart and get back to the group. Chaos knows what kind of danger Sonic could get into while I'm gone. He's practically a magnet for trouble. And this decaying smell wasn't doing my nose any favors.

I weaved through the labyrinth of halls and doorways until I came to a halt in front of a sealed stone gate. It almost looked like part of the wall itself. A giant gold snake was curved around it with its head raised high and staring down at where I was standing with emerald eyes and gold fangs bared. Most would have been intimidated by it, but I simply rolled my eyes. I walked up to the door and studied it. A faint map of the planet was carved into the center of it, showing off each of the seven continents. After a moment of thought, I pressed my hand against the Asian continent. It glowed a deep green before dimming again. Suddenly, the door slid to one side, allowing me to enter. The room was wider than I expected and had a tribal design to it. But in the center stood a yellow version of the Master Emerald on a pedestal. I felt no harsh pull, only a polite calling, unlike last time where I was half-dragged up the steps. I carefully climbed the staircase and stood before it with my arms crossed, awaiting the being inside to speak like last time.

Third Person POV

Instead of a voice in his head, a golden mist flew out of the gem in front of him. After a few seconds, it transformed into a human woman with dark skin, black hair, and brown slitted cat eyes, wearing a long gold tribal dress that had two slits on the sides a few inches above the knee. Her hair was pulled back and pinned on top of her head, adorned with a spiked gold crown studded with small diamonds. Flashy yellow paint streaked her cheeks and lips and was painted around her arms in a snake-like patterned. The dress was too long for him to tell if she was wearing shoes. She also held a long wooden staff that twisted at the top around a large yellow jewel. She held her head high, like a queen, and the air around her was regal and authoritative.

"I am Malkia, who dares enter my resting place?" she demanded. Shadow held his own head high, and his ruby eyes challenged her stare. It definitely wasn't in his nature to be intimidated.

"I am Shadow the Hedgehog. I was sent by Lakit of Asia to collect the hearts of the seven continents," he declared in an equally confident tone. She frowned at him, expecting her sister to have chosen a more worthy or perhaps taller vessel.

"How do I know this is true?"

"How else could I have gotten past the door?" he retorted, "You don't think I didn't sense your power guarding it?"

She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at him, "Did you now? How might I ask?"

Shadow waved his hand behind him, as he heard a faint hiss from the snake statue, "Your little pet stood guard and allowed me entry. I'm guessing he's there to make sure imposters or thieves don't make it past him."

A thin, approving smile graced her lips, "Very well, Lakit knows what she has done, and I am growing tired of this world. Good luck convincing my other sisters, you'll need it."

"I do have one question," Shadow interrupted, "Lakit mentioned something about me and the other hedgehog who came here, Sonic, being brothers. Is that true? And if so, how?"

Malkia's smile grew wider, and she shook her head knowingly, "Two beings made of Chaos itself, brothers in blood and bond. And yet neither of you know who you truly are. Your quest for truth and certainty is admirable, Shadow the Hedgehog. Allow me to show you..."

Malkia raised her staff above her head, and gold mist swirled around it until an image appeared.

It was the real Master Emerald aboard Angel Island. There weren't any echidnas around that Shadow could see. Suddenly, the Emerald glowed and sent out a vibrant beacon into the sky.

"Tikal and Chaos of Mobius knew that someday the worlds would need guardians. Strong, fast, and true heroes. Ones that would give their lives for the planets and ones they would grow to care for. So with their power, two hedgehog brothers were born of the Emerald itself with the power to master the seven Chaos Emeralds and the hearts of any world in need. They would defend the universe for all of eternity itself. One, the eldest, was strong and wise-gifted by Chaos himself, while the younger was quick and kind and was blessed by Tikal. These were the Sons of Chaos. They could bring balance to the world and each other. But not long after they were awakened, tragedy struck."

The image changed to a stormy sky and a portal opening. A younger version of Sonic and himself were seen standing between a few dozen assailants and the Master Emerald. They were mere children then. Malkia's face saddened.

"At the time, they were too young to use their true power or fully understand what evil was. Neither of them were yet at their full strength, and were therefore, easily defeated."

One of the attackers lunged at young Sonic, but he dodged and kicked him. He looked up at young Shadow, who appeared a few years older, even though he was the eldest by only a couple minutes. The two stood side by side, protecting the Master Emerald from their attackers.

Shadow recognized that these were humans, and they had a symbol on their sleeves that he recognized immediately.

"Why are you trying to hurt us?" Young Sonic yelled at them naively. No one answered his question. Young Shadow pushed his brother the ground, as a man shot a dart at him. Instead of hitting its intended target, it hit him. He grunted and held his chest before pulling out the dart. His eyelids grew heavy, and he fell.

"Shadow!" Young Sonic called and rushed to his side. His childish eyes were on the verge of tears before a sleeping dart hit him too.

"Shadow...wake up...Please," he begged before collapsing beside him. The men grabbed them both and left the Master Emerald untouched, as they departed through the portal. Present Shadow watched everything with stunned, glossy eyes, and his body quaked. Malkia lowered her staff, and the image faded. She turned her noble head towards him with a mournful gaze.

"Their memories were erased and they were separated. One remained in the past, while the other was sent to the future. The eldest, who was left behind, was given the blood of a tyrant and trained to become the deadliest weapon the world had ever seen. But the younger taught himself and followed the wind, seeking out those in need and becoming a true hero. But one day, they reunited and have done what they were born to do without ever knowing what their purpose was. You are one of the Sons of Chaos, Shadow, and Sonic is your brother. Now, take what you have come here for. Place your hand on my jewel."

Shadow, who was still in shock, numbly laid his hand on the top of Malkia's staff. She gave him a reassuring smile and closed her eyes. A yellow mist enveloped around them for a few seconds before forcing itself into the ebony hedgehog. He gritted his teeth. It hurt, but not as badly as last time, and he didn't collapse afterwards. Malkia opened her eyes to gaze down at him, her form slowly becoming invisible.

"Good luck, Shadow of the Emerald. Now, go find that brother of yours. It would appear that he needs your help. Farewell..." she said at last, before fading completely. For a few long moments, he simply stood there, trying to wrap his head around everything that had taken place. He looked down at his rings to see a diamond appear on each one.

"Five more to go. But first, I better go rescue that reckless brother of mine. Chaos alone knows what he's gotten himself into this time," he told himself before skating out of the temple in search of Sonic-once his enemy, once his rival, once his ally, but now his brother. And brothers stick together, no matter what.

I know it's been forever since I updated, but rest assured I did not forget you, my faithful readers! I had serious writer's block for this story, so I took a short break. Hopefully it was worth the wait. Idk, y'all tell me! The next chapter will be Sonic's side of what happened when they split up. Coming soon!