Abraham looked over his closed hands at the fidgeting bat bipedal across from him. "You did well, Rouge."

"Huh?" Rouge looked up, somewhat surprised. Abraham nodded.

"I'm not satisfied that you let him live, never mind get away." He replied. He lowered his hands with a sigh. "But if what you say is true, then killing him is no longer a viable option.

"Perhaps we need to see past his transgressions and recruit him again."

Rouge rubbed her arm. "I doubt he'll do that."

"As do I." Abraham peered down at the papers below him. "Head off for now and aid the squads in the city to rebuild and rescue those who need it. I'll call you back later for your next assignment."

Rouge nodded as Abraham picked up a piece of paper. It was old and yellow from age – a report about a colony in space under the codename ARK. He mused over the paper.

"I need more intel about Gerald." He muttered. "A spy would work wonders, indeed."

Julian huffed as he looked through camera feeds and data. Miles had curled his tails around him sadly, wincing as he prepared for an onslaught of negative feedback. Instead, Julian leaned back, taking his glasses off and massaging his nose. "The outcome could've been better." He finally spoke. "But I'm not disappointed in you."

"Y-you're not?"

Julian shook his head, placing his spectacles back where they belonged. "No. Chaos was a beast we couldn't quite control, but that's okay. It's just a step for our progress.

"But you won't be staying here while I prepare for the next step."

Miles looked up, slightly frightened. "Where will I go?"

Julian sat up. "I had a factory operating on Cocoa Island with a few robots and some security guards, but since the wave of energy which I've dubbed the Chaos Wave, some of those animals have come alive and started a revolution of sorts." Julian held Miles' hand. "You're going to sort it out."

Miles nodded. "Will Metal be coming with me?"

Julian shook his head. "Not quite. I'm going to be upgrading him for a little publicity stunt while I work out the kinks in my – our, new plan."

"O-okay." Miles shifted on the spot, making himself appear larger and more confident. "I'll go get ready, and I won't let you down!"

Julian chuckled and rested a hand on the fox's shoulder. "That's my boy."

Mammoth Mogul stared out at ruins of his empire, flooded and destroyed. Millions of dollars literally poured down the drain. A blue hawk patted his arm. "We'll rebuild."

"It's alright, Predator Hawk." Mogul replied. He pulled out a tablet, and typed in the passcode, unlocking it. Flying Frog, a lynx and an ape came close.

"Predator is right." The lynx replied. "You've got us, and we'll support you wherever we go. We are your Fearsome Foursome, after all."

Predator smiled. "See? Even Lighting has your back, and I'm sure Simian will come along."

The ape nodded, and Mogul sighed. "I admire your drive, gentlemen. But I have a new area I'd like to explore. Come close."

He shifted the tablet around to the four, who each gave him a smirk of confidence. The little planet shifted in the sky. "It'll land here soon. I'll chain it to the ground, and you'll secure the time stones. Then, we won't just rebuild the casino. We'll rebuild the world as we know it."

The group cheered, their new objective in mind.

Sonic stretched as he approached the altar, having finished his morning run. "Knuckles, are you okay?"

Knuckles was seated on the steps as the emerald glowed brightly behind him. A chao was nuzzling his leg, and wishing to restrain his grief from view, he gave a solemn smile as he petted it. Sonic sat down next to his friend. "You know she would've preferred you doing more."

"I know." Knuckles mumbled. He looked up at the altar and the area in front of him. "I've always wanted to explore the remains of my tribe and the area around it. I suppose I can do that, but…" He glanced at Sonic. "Your chaos abilities need work, and I can't leave you when you still don't know yourself."

"I'll be fine, Knux." Sonic replied, patting his red friend on the back. "Go make your adventures for a while. I'll still be around when you get back."

Knuckles gave the hedgehog a soft smile, then pulled him in for a hug. "I miss her. So much."

Sonic, caught off guard, hugged the echidna back after he'd processed the gesture. "It'll be hard, Knuckles. But you're a strong guy. You'll figure it out."

Knuckles sniffled, then nodded, pulling back from the hug and getting up. "I've gotta move about a bit. Do you want to come with?"

Sonic shook his head. "I'll be okay." He gently picked up a chao, hugging it to his chest. "Besides, someone's gotta look after these little guys."

Guilt surged through Knuckles, but he pushed it down and gave Sonic a smile. "I'll see you soon."

Sonic waved the echidna away, resting on the steps as the Chao excitedly climbed upon him. He looked up at the sunny sky, hearing the rustling of leaves and the cawing of birds, and closed his eyes, letting out a soft sigh.

It was calm, and it was nice.

And this brings Phase 1 to a close! I hope you enjoyed the finale, but don't worry, they're not gone yet. The next phase will have 5 books total, continuing on their adventures and bringing some familiar faces to the table. In addition, to minimise the waiting time in between stories of that phase, I'll be writing the entirety of Phase 2 first, and then releasing each book with the chapter-daily method.

But that's all from me. Let me know if you're enjoying this universe with your views and follows, and I hope you look forward to the future!