A/N: I couldn't resist. Maybe instead of once a week, I'll try updating like twice or thrice? Depends on my schedule? Hahah! Overall, I'm super pleased at the amount of hits this story is getting and the awesome people leaving reviews! Special thanks to the following:

CrimsonDestroyer - I'm ecstatic that you're loving this! Also, thank you so much; I'm really happy that you like my art hahah!

Schnitzelsahne - Your review just gave me life XD I knew you'd be hyped considering your best boi Metal was the star of the show last chapter lel~ Oh yes, Infinite will have a ton of depth in this fic don't you worry.

SilverDawn2010
- Thank you so much man hahah ^^ You're one of my favourite writer out there so it means so much to me, your compliments and everything :'D These chapters will get so much more difficult to read later on, kind of like a gauntlet challenge ;;


Infinite's Ruby
- Ohohoo it'll only get muuuuch darker~ Super glad you'll still tag along this journey!

NeckBreak - Thank you very much for your review ^^ Awesome supporters like you encourage me to keep on writing no matter what obstacle comes my way ahah!

WilsonsBeard
- Being evil is a satanic trait that you can always find pleasure in my dear~ ;D Love you too my homie!


Disclaimer - I still own my virginity :/


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The busy, energetic chattering and sounds of congestion rippled through the atmosphere, nonchalantly as possible to a pair of ears. The hedgehog that it belonged to was walking amongst the crowd in a daze. Inside, his heart was frantically clobbering his chest to the point where the boy swore he'll end up with bruises. Regardless, he kept on walking, blending in with the congregation.

'Run...I wanna run...'
Sonic mused to himself. He didn't seem to be heading to a specific place in particular. In fact, everyone else around him seems to be walking aimlessly too. A couple of people would come in and out of the shops or restaurants, only to be empty-handed. The cyan teen wasn't dumb nor in a zombie like state; his mind has registered the irregularity. Heck his heartbeat was starting to deafen him. His body just wouldn't cooperate with his flight or fight response. It's as if he was trapped in a body and witnessing the host's point of view.

The haziness of his vision began to clear as Sonic started to focus on the faces of the people around him. His friends are nowhere near that's for sure...but something about these people spark a familiarity. He just couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. He suddenly had control of his body and halted in his steps.

It wasn't just him.

The people halted too.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the slowest that Sonic the Hedgehog has ever witnessed...

The people turned their heads.

Facing him.

They were all human with poker faces.

A quiver ran down Sonic's body and his heart was practically a siren, alerting him to get the hell out of here now before something happens. As soon as possible! He lost control of his body again and was planted firmly upon the ground.

'What the fuck?' The most Sonic could do was blink and swallow down his spit. The entire city went dead quiet save for the sound of the hedgehog's rapid breathing. The tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Sonic wanted someone to say something, scream, anything! If Chaos had some sort of mercy on him then this is all just some weird dream-

Wait a minute.

A dream?

An overwhelming sense of déjà-vu rushed through the teen's body like a gulp of fresh air and it was then that realisation hit him!

'This has to be that new guy's doing...right now I'm dreaming. Right? There's no other explanation! It doesn't matter what he throws at me or what he does, I'll be able to handle it!' Sonic felt rather than did, grit his teeth in finality. The urge to smirk was too strong and like butter, his mouth stretched to one upon his muzzle, breaking him free of his frozen spell. His legs instinctively bent down ever so slightly and his hands bundled themselves into fists, daring anyone to try and stop him from escaping.

"Haha...look at this so called hero my darling," Nearby, a woman, beautiful and probably in her thirties, clutched a child next to her who was most likely her own. A sadistic smile swept upon her face which juxtaposed her soft features like a welt. Sonic whipped his eyes at her in confusion. "He doesn't even remember us! He was planning to abandon us, again!"

'Again? What nonsense is she spouting about? I've never seen her or that kid or...or...' Sonic's defence mechanism in his mind began to falter as his eyes roamed around, trying to identify the people that were staring at him like some sort of spawn of the devil. The same familiarity that he perceived earlier on began to expand to the point where he couldn't breathe. Sonic shook his head, almost slapped himself to try and wake himself up. He had no time for this! He had to get out of Eggman's clutches and help his friends win a war!

"What a shame. This was a great chance for him to redeem himself. Guess his heart isn't as gold as he claims to be. Just another selfish brat!" Sonic shot his head to the vile mouthed senior male on the other side, readying to counter back with a one liner or anything to prove him wrong. His mouth went dry and his heart began to recognise the crinkly features and empty eyes.

"No way..." Sonic finally uttered out for the first time.

He took a step back and desperately looked around, begging internally that whatever he's witnessing is all one big lie. His eyes watered yet his pride forced them to stay put and not dare to drip down his face. He kept shaking his head in denial and guilt swarmed through him like a plague. It suffocated him to the point where he gasped for precious oxygen and dropped to his knees.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble.

Sonic brought his head up yet the people around him fixated their stares on his broken mind.

His pupils constricted in horror and a strangled gasp was all that escaped his throat.

Just behind them, behind the city, behind the tallest building Station Square had to offer, a wall of water rose, getting higher and higher till it blocked out the sunlight. The final piece of the puzzle was clicked in and Sonic swore that his heart stopped.

"That's right Mr. Sonic, we're the people you failed to save during the Perfect Chaos incident."

The little boy's sentence was ended with the barricade of water crashing down upon them all. The people were immediately knocked out and killed upon contact. The last thing Sonic saw before he was swept away in the aggressive wave of liquid hell was the way the boy's eyes rolled to the back of his head and his neck being twisted fatally by the force of the water.

The current had Sonic being shoved against buildings at high speeds, plunged under vehicles that got caught up and slide against the rough roads deep down. That's not what broke Sonic's heart though. The amount of people that his knife like quills stabbed as he was rammed into them opened a wound that he tried his damn best to cover.

The painful screams...the sound of flesh tearing...the sound of bones breaking upon contact...the sight of red being diluted by the treacherous liquid of mother nature. Forever imprinted in his heart.

It was tempting, absolutely tempting to just stop fighting the brutal water and let it kill him in one fell swoop. Sonic's heart almost refused to beat under the amount of deaths that was placed on his shoulders. He could have saved them all. He was the fastest thing alive! If he can't save a little child then what good is he!?

The sound of a predator like roar reverberated above the water, causing Sonic's eyes to snap open in recognition. Though, he couldn't do as much scream; not because he's underwater...

A jelly like tentacle wrapped itself around Sonic's midriff with a vice grip and then brought him out of the water at super speed! By the time he felt the fresh air touch him, Sonic coughed and gagged out every bit of water that was still in his lungs, embracing the sweet oxygen back in. Finally, his eyes opened.

Low and behold, there was the almighty God himself: Perfect Chaos. The mutant being roared once more, tightening its grip around Sonic so painfully that the hedgehog could feel his ribs shatter, no matter how much he tried to escape. Sonic swore violently and looked up to glare at the monster only to feel his blood freeze in place.

He was merely millimetres away from Chaos. When was he brought this close?

Instant fear drove Sonic's heart to the point where he felt like he was having a cardiac arrest! The God seemed to have sensed it because its monstrous mouth transformed into a vile, petrifying sneer.

"Sayounara..."

Chaos' voice was like a dozen of demonic whispers ringing in your ears, to the point where you'd think they'd burst. That was the last thing Sonic heard before he was swallowed whole and plunged into the creature's waterlogged body.

What ever breath Sonic was holding was long gone in his scream and the boy found himself trapped. There was no air bubble. There was no escape. He's running out of breath!

Sonic tried his best to swim to the edge of Chaos' body and try to punch a way out but the God had other plans. Chaos trashed around, wriggling underwater like a dangerous sea creature. Consequently, Sonic was tossed like a ball and slammed against the invisible barrier Chaos had inside its supposed stomach.

This was pure torture for Sonic. He was stuck in his most feared element of all time. He just witnessed the people he's failed to save before, die once again. Now what?

'This is all just a dream...all one massive shitty nightmare-' Sonic's thoughts were disturbed as his time ran out. His eyes widened as his throat and lungs began to burn, begging him to take one breath. One teeny tiny breath. With the little energy he had, Sonic shook his head, begging mentally for the chaos emeralds to come to his aid or have any form of miracle!

One last cough.

That did it. Accidentally, Sonic took a deep breath and it was too late. The water came forcing itself down his throat, nose, ears, eyes, everywhere it can get in. His chest burned and burned so achingly as Sonic tried to scream. All that was heard was his garbled voice and the sound of Chaos' victorious screech.

His lungs became heavier and more painful by the second and his throat was clogging up faster than his mind could comprehend. Sonic felt tears burst out of its ducts once again, throwing all pride out of the window. His body wriggled faster at the agony it was enduring.

Soon, Sonic's vision began to fade. His body began to stop moving and then...his eyes closed for the last time...as his body sunk deeper and deeper, never to be found again...

SMACK!

A perfectly delivered slap awoke the hedgehog that was screaming in his sleep. Sonic began coughing and hacking out whatever there was in his body. For some reason he couldn't move his arms or legs but he didn't care; he could finally breathe! By the time his mind came to its senses, Sonic's eyes shot open and jumped at the sight of his metallic doppelganger standing over him. He wasn't scared. He was just taken off guard. The weapon had an arm and hand poised, indicating that it was indeed him that delivered the slap.

Sonic looked past him and then settled with a glare at the two intruders on the other side of the bars. As usual, the masked villain was there but instead of Eggman, Chaos was standing idly by him, at his base form.

"My carbon copy has re-shattered his ribs and has some blood clogging his lungs." Metal growled out and then pointed at the blood on the floor. It was then Sonic realised that it wasn't water he spat out when he was roughly woken up. The bitter taste of the blood began to settle on his tongue causing him to suck his teeth inwards in disgust.

"Nice try ya little pet." Sonic hissed out. He rolled his shoulders casually and leaned back in his seat. It took a great deal of pain to move but right now he didn't care. "Don't you know it's a lil' rude to snoop around people's history? Or do you admire me so much to the point where ya gotta know everything about me?" He ended with a sly smirk. Sonic was rewarded with a 'tsk' from the Jackal himself whilst Metal and Chaos remained motionless.

"You could say I was doing my research," To Sonic's surprise, the masked villain zoomed towards him at a jaw-dropping speed. He phased through the electrocuted bars like they were nothing and his arms were folded smugly. The scowl that Sonic sent him gave the villain great pleasure. "Metal! Chaos! Go report to the Doctor now." The two lackeys obeyed without a beat and went away. Even Metal phased through the bars, making Sonic arch a brow questionably. Just more puzzle pieces for him to collect.

"You've disappointed me, hedgehog...I thought you were much stronger than that." Said hedgehog deepened his scowl at the opposition and twisted his lips with hatred.

"So you saw everything?"
"Indeed. Whenever you're in those...'Shitty Nightmares', I can see what you're doing, hear what you're saying, know what you're thinking..." Sonic gaped at him. He could sense that vile smirk under the mask a mile away and this fuelled his need to bash the newbie up. He felt so exposed, so naked and he could feel his pride that he spent years, sweat, blood and tears creating, begin to crack.

"So how many people was it that died no thanks to your reckless actions during the Perfect Chaos event?" The Jackal turned around, mockingly humming in thought.

"Shut up..."

"Ah." The villain turned around, his visible eye glinting malevolently. He savoured every bit of hate and anger that the blue hedgehog directed at him with his piercing lime orbs.

"I wouldn't piss me off if I were you..." Sonic admonished once again.

"Five hundred and forty-one men..." Infinite began. His grin widened maniacally as Sonic gnashed his teeth like an animal and struggled against the blue bindings.

"Five hundred and twenty-seven women..." The bindings were starting to crack and Sonic's quills were riling up.

"Last but not least, seven hundred and ninety-nine children."

Not even a nanosecond went past.

The villain was attacked by a razor sharp spin-dash to the face and the mask was instantly turned to smithereens! The villain's eyes widened at the sudden air against his face and without wasting a moment, he punched Sonic out of his destructive structure. The deadly quills annihilated his glove and the jackal almost screamed at the pain of the cuts and gashes he received. The jackal then proceeded to high kick the hedgehog upwards, making Sonic crash against the ceiling and as soon as he began to fall, he was kicked again against his broken ribs and was slammed against the wall.

Sonic's exhaustion took over much to his dismay and unconsciousness started to creep up on him once more. His vision was blurred and all that he could see was the Jackal's figure, the villain covering his face with one hand.

"Pathetic..." The evil one of the two snickered out. "You couldn't save even one person from the thousand that died from that pathetic God, what made you think you can save yourself from me?"

"...I'm a hero...N-Not a God...I'm not perfect...b-but...I know I will...will...kick your ass..." With a small grin Sonic fell victim to the darkness that embraced him and succumbed to slumber.

Infinite, after confirming that Sonic was indeed unconscious and that no one was around, fell onto his knees and gasped. He gripped his chest where his heart was beating erratically and gulped at the sight of his opponent's pathetic state.

'My mask...that was made out of alloys that are almost as strong as diamond...yet he cut through it with ease! If I have been a second slower...' Infinite subconsciously touched his face with his good arm, stroking the scar that Shadow left. Shadow merely took him out the way, Sonic looked like he was ready to maul his face off.

"So this is a hedgehog's anger...?" The worried expression was instantly replaced with a look of glee. Infinite got up immediately and his sneer grew bigger and bigger.

"How...fun..."

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~(x)~


A/N: It's almost 4am ;A; If there's any mistakes, I'll fix it tomorrow ;; I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Personally, this was quite difficult to write because I've had many, many drowning experiences and that's fucked me up big time hahaha. But anyways, fave? Follow? Review~ Jaa ne~