Well, what can I say? It's been one hell of a ride with this one and a ride that I won't ever forget!
Writing this has been so much fun! Playing Amnesia alongside it has also been fun, even when I'm hiding in a dark prison cell! I actually thought I had two more chapters to go, apparently not. It's kind of bitter-sweet actually. I know I'm going to miss this story, but I hope it was worth the read!
I want to thank everyone who read, reviewed and stuck around even when the first few chapters were being rewritten. I look at it now and I'm glad I did that.
You are all awesome!
I hope this chapter is a good send off! A lot happens and I'm excited to see how you react! :)
I really want to say more, but I'd just end up rambling. So, I'm going to stop and let you all enjoy this as much as I did writing it!
I will see you all soon!
Arby xx
How much time had passed? He couldn't tell as he awoke with a sharp pain and coldness to his chest. As he looked up from the ground, he saw one of the monsters watching over him from the other side of the cell bars. Once it saw that he was awake, it turned and left while Espio's voice filled his ears once more.
"Shadow, I do not know what to do with you, but I said I'd stop you and I did. Your actions were nothing short of a nuisance, but now you can sit here and think about what you've done. This is exactly what you deserve. Goodbye, hedgehog."
"No…" He groaned in pain as he struggled to stand. "Charmy… still needs me." Once on his feet, the mammal checked to see if he had some Laudanum. Surprisingly, he had all the items he had collected. One glance at his chest revealed why he was in so much pain.
Four slashes were clear and each of them stung horribly as he applied the Laudanum. He then looked around for any means of escape.
The door was obviously locked, so he scanned the wall for any weakness. He found nothing, but a pot of oil to begin with, but soon noticed a few bricks that were loose. The hammer and chipper proved to be handy yet again as he was able to make a gap in the wall. The gap however, wasn't big enough for him to fit through. He backed up and readied himself before charging and slamming through the wall. Thankfully, the bricks gave way and fell to the ground in the cell next to his. After coughing violently from his wound, Shadow got back up and left the cell as the door hadn't been locked, but unfortunately, the door leading out of the area had and the hedgehog now needed to find a key.
The Ultimate Lifeform searched all the cells as quickly as he could, but it wasn't until the third and final one where he found something useful. Apart from tinderboxes, Laudanum and oil, there was a note from a previous prisoner which commented about one of the guards dropping a key down the pipe. Without a second to waste, Shadow picked up a bucket, which he found in another cell, and filled it with water using the well in the centre of the room. Once filled, Shadow took the bucket to the pipe and poured the water down it which in turn, caused the key to flow out the other end for the hedgehog to use. Despite its rusted state, the key worked fine and he was able to escape.
As Shadow ran down the dark hallways, huge tremors erupted behind him. He looked to see a red mist heading in his direction. His first thought was that it was harmless and that he had nothing to worry about, but it soon dawned on him that he had that exact thought about the flesh when he first saw it. Shadow was quick to realise that this was the creature hunting him and he skated as fast as he could. Every door he flew through as if it wasn't there, until he came to one that was blocked by debris.
"Shit!" He yelled as he removed the beams and boulders before skating again. Next came two paths, one left and one right. He headed left only for a less-than-convenient rock slide to block the path, forcing him right. Then came water, which stopped his skates from working. This slowed the hedgehog significantly and the beast was soon on his tail. A few steps led him out of the water, but all he could do now was run. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him even with his now wet fur weighing him down. Suddenly, a huge staircase appeared before him with a heavy door at the top. Shadow ignored the aches in both his legs and the pain in his chest and charged through the door and into the Nave without looking back.
The door was slammed shut and Shadow relaxed a little upon not hearing the creature anymore. He slumped against the door and clutched his chest in pain. The Laudanum wasn't enough, but it was all he had as he applied another bottle. He could see a table and well in the room ahead of him, so he got to his feet and looked around. On the table lay a note and tinderbox. He picked them both up, but instantly felt light-headed. In seconds, he was unconscious again.
"What time is it?" Shadow asked as he got comfortable in the bed.
"3:30am" Espio replied, who was lying next to him. He could see in this vision. The room was dark, but his eyes adjusted to see the chameleon smiling back at him. This was the first time, since losing his memory, that he had laid eyes on him. He was a fuchsia chameleon, with a yellow horn and tanned muzzle. His eyes were amber in colour and provided Shadow with warmth every time he looked into them.
"I take it we aren't sleeping?" Shadow asked. Espio chuckled.
"I don't think so. Not after that." Shadow chuckled in return.
"We should do something." The hedgehog suggested only causing the reptile to smirk further.
"We did."
"I mean something else." He said between fits of laughter. "Let's go out somewhere."
"Everywhere would be closed by now, Shads." Espio reminded him.
"Let's go to the park, or the beach, or on a road trip to see the world."
"You're crazy." Espio said bluntly as he moved and rested his head on Shadow's chest fur. "Besides, I'm too tired." The chameleon finished.
"Perhaps, but at least I have someone to be crazy with." He smiled and Espio did to. The reptile then looked into his eyes and kissed him gently.
"You know what, that road trip sounds like a good idea." He said before kissing him again.
"You're crazy." Shadow replied with a smug grin.
"Only with you."
His teeth were gritted and his eyes were tightly closed, trying to hold back the pain and despair that made his body shake. One, lonesome tear managed to push through his eyelids and the others soon followed. He missed the warmth, the security, everything about having someone care about you as much as you did for them. Where did it go? Did Charmy's tragic end shake the foundations too much? Shadow laid there for a little while allowing his sorrow to finally leave him.
An unknown amount of time passed before Shadow got up and dried his eyes. His chest still stung, but that didn't stop him from trudging onward. The cries of the creature closing in soon rattled the stone walls and Shadow was quick to flee through the next few doors. He soon recognised where he was and headed for the spiral staircase, which led to Charmy.
"I hope he's alright." He panted as he ran, still holding his chest. Flesh was everywhere in the corridors now and Shadow was hit twice while running through, re-opening the gash to his leg. For now though, he tried to ignore it as he limped down.
In the next hallway, he noticed that the door to the Laboratory had been knocked down and was now open. The hedgehog struggled inside and looked around. Various bits of equipment lay on tables, but Shadow checked the note first to see how the tonic should be made. It mentioned how the vitae needed to be distilled. Shadow caught sight of a burner and placed the glass jar of blood on top before turning it on. The blood bubbled away until it changed colour altogether. After turning the burner off, Shadow looked at the note again.
The note was vague about how to get the Tampter into the tonic, so he moved onto the poison gland.
It said that the gland's contents could be extracted. A strange, wooden tool was on the left of the room. At first, Shadow had no idea what it was for. It was made of two slabs with a handle on top that would lower the top slab until it met the lower one. An idea came to mind. He placed the gland between the two slabs and put the jar underneath. The gland was crushed by the slabs, causing the poisonous substance to ooze out and into the tonic. Now all that was left was the Tampter.
Shadow had to guess as the note didn't explain it. The only piece of equipment he hadn't used was the one on the central table. There was a pipe, with one end being the outlet and the other having a compartment attached to it, where the object in question would be placed; in this case, the bone from the meat. A lever was on the side, which the hedgehog assumed would activate it. The jar was placed underneath the outlet and the bone was put inside the hollow box. He then pulled the lever and was mesmerised by the bright, green liquid that poured into the tonic, in turn, changing its entire colour. Once the liquid stopped and Shadow saw that the bone had disappeared entirely, he retrieved the jar and brought it with him as he returned to Charmy.
"Shadow! I thought I'd lost you. The castle trembled and I could hear the Chancel collapse!" He said in a panic as he heard footsteps run into the room.
"We're in a castle?" The hedgehog questioned.
"Yeah, you didn't know that?"
"No one told me." Shadow replied. "But I'm fine Charms, are you ok?"
"Despite the panic of thinking you weren't coming back, yeah, I'm good." The bee told him. "The Laboratory might be accessible now."
"It is and I've already got the tonic." Shadow announced with a smile.
"You-you… really? You did it! Shadow, you have no idea how grateful I am!" He exclaimed with as much excitement as was physically possible.
"So, you ready to drink this thing?" The mammal asked.
"Not just yet." Charmy was calmer now. "Do you have something to take my head off with?" He searched through everything he had, but nothing was good enough.
"Dammit… sorry, I don't." He could hear Charmy sigh until he noticed that the wall next to him, where the levers machinery was, had collapsed. "This wasn't open before. I'll be right back." Charmy didn't reply as Shadow climbed over the rubble.
There wasn't much, only two bookshelves and a locked door. Shadow searched high and low, only finding a bottle of Laudanum to begin with, but then by some miracle, he found what he was looking for.
"Holy shit…" He whispered. "Charmy! There's a bone saw in here!"
"Are you serious?" He yelled from where he was. "Get it over here!" Shadow grabbed the saw and vaulted over the rocks back to Charmy, forcing the pain of his injuries aside. A sudden worried expression came over the hedgehog's face knowing what was about to come.
"What if this doesn't work?"
"It will, I trust Maria and I know you do to." Charmy's words allowed a small smile, but it soon faded.
"Will we still be able to talk once I've…" He trailed off, not wanting to say it. Charmy looked down and seemed to sadden.
"No…"
"So… this is goodbye?" Shadow could feel himself welling up again, but this time forced it back for Charmy's sake.
"I guess, but it isn't truly over until I pass that gate." The bee told him.
"How do I get to it?"
"Through the Chancel. There is some machinery that you need to break first and then you can repair the emerald and get to the Inner Sanctum. Once there, you need to give some of your blood, kind of like an offering, and then stand in some strange symbol until the world shakes. Do that twice and the door to the Chaos Chamber will open."
"Seems simple enough. Then I just throw you in?"
"The gate might not be open yet. You need to be patient if it isn't." Charmy explained.
"How will I know when it's open?"
"Don't worry; you'll know it when you see it." Shadow nodded before glancing back at the jar in his hand. More loud cries startled the hedgehog. He knew that now was the time.
"Charmy…"
"I know. Everything will be fine, Dad. You have no idea how thankful I am." Hearing Charmy call him 'Dad' really hit Shadow hard. It was only now that he realised just how much he was going to miss his 'little fighter'.
"Say hi to Maria for me. I couldn't ask for a better son. I-I love you, Charmy." His voice now stuttered and Charmy's did to.
"I love you too, uncle Shadow. I'll be sure to tell her. Y-you're an awesome father." They stayed silent for a moment before the cries returned once more. "Come on, give me the tonic!" Shadow placed the jar on his lip and guided him so that he could drink it. "Now, off with my head!" Without thinking, Shadow picked up the saw and began slicing it through his neck. He cringed at the horrific sounds as his spinal cord snapped, but soon, his head was detached and lying on the floor.
"I won't lie…" The black mammal began. "…this is one of the strangest things I've ever done." Before long, Charmy's head was tucked under his arm. He then ran through the prison room and back into the Chancel, trying his best to ignore the unexplained cries that were screaming from the cells.
The Chancel still felt very unsafe, especially after Shadow's last encounter here. He eased the door open once he reached the top of the stairs and listened to screeching metal get quieter. There was something already there, but it was leaving. The hedgehog crept in to see nothing but the flesh of the monster, which had already begun to take over. Even the sight of blue fire upon the walkways seemed normal now. He moved quickly across the long walkway and went left before moving forward, remembering that he had to take care of some machinery first.
It led to two small rooms. The first, despite having more pulsating tissue, had a desk and some shelves with various machine parts piled in the corners. On the shelf was some tar, which Shadow thought could help him put the emerald pieces back together as well as a tinderbox. On the desk was a note.
'I thought those vents lasted forever, but only for a good reason.
They stopped and we jumped down to be face to face with a huge metal door. Espio wanted to take the stealth option, but we both knew a door this size needed more force. I told him to back up and I unleashed a Chaos Blast, knocking the door off its hinges and allowing us entrance.
On the inside lay a sight I though neither of us would ever have to see.
Before us was Eggman, commandeering a huge robot. Next to him was a beaten Charmy… inside an Egg Grape Chamber.'
Shadow sniffed and wiped away a single tear before heading down the stairs where the main machinery was located. Several large cog wheels were turning on the wall. The mammal tried to punch them out of place, but instead was greeted to more open cuts on his knuckles and hand.
"Dammit!" He growled as he applied more Laudanum.
Looking around, he found a variety of items, which he thought might stop the wheels. First a hammer, which did no good, then a wooden crate, which again did nothing, and a steel crate, which seemed to cause an earthquake as the machine grinded to a halt. Shadow was nearly knocked off his feet, but held onto the wall for support.
Once things had calmed, Shadow made his way to the only room he hadn't been in yet. Not a single monster was around and the hedgehog was anxious thinking that one would show up at any moment. Nothing did and Shadow opened the door to what looked like an electrical barrier. He was fascinated, yet confused by it at the same time, knowing that electricity had not been discovered yet, but was quick to shrug it off as he was carrying his son's head after all.
He carefully put Charmy down next to a small pedestal, which was shaped exactly like the base of a Chaos Emerald.
Once he placed the first piece, he noticed that it wouldn't stay still, meaning that he couldn't easily fit the others. This was why he had the tar. He lined the inside with the thick, black substance which in turn kept the emerald pieces still, allowing him to completely repair it. Once done, he picked Charmy back up and watched as a beam of energy slowly reached for the emerald from the barrier. An enormous boom echoed throughout the Chancel as the barrier fell and, with more cries sounding behind him, Shadow ran into the Inner Sanctum.
Shadow bolted down the stairs and into a room with four pillars. On his left, he noticed a lever. The mammal pulled it down and watched as the door behind him closed, stopping the creature from following him and granting him some time to figure out what to do.
There was a room on his left and right, which were both open and a huge heavy door in front that was sealed. Shadow went left and was drawn towards another note resting on the table. He somehow knew this would be the last one he would read and took his time with it.
'I sit here now, not knowing what to say. I want to say that we did it, that everything turned out okay and that we are happily heading home… but that would be a lie.
After a few taunts, Eggman began attacking with bullets flying all around us. I distracted him, so that Espio could get Charmy out of the chamber before it was activated. He did so without fail, now all we had to do was deal with Eggman. He wouldn't stop firing at me; I had no idea if he had noticed that Charmy had been freed. In return, I fired Chaos Spears to at least disable him, but he then turned to the other two. I panicked and tried to get his attention by firing faster, this however, was a fatal error.
In the heat of it all, Charmy flew up to the head of the robot where Eggman was… and where I was firing. I didn't see him at all… until it was too late. One of my spears stabbed him straight through the chest. I've never seen anyone fall like he did.
I ran to try and catch him, but couldn't and he crashed upon the metal with blood pouring from him. I can remember holding him in my arms as he tried to comprehend what had happened to him. I cried his name and begged for his life to be spared, but a wound that serious only meant one thing.
He passed after a few minutes of struggled breathing… I looked up to see Espio, just stood there. He was staring at Charmy, not moving at all. I called for him, hoping he would come over and cry alongside me… but he wouldn't. Instead, he pulled out the first weapon he could find, a kunai, and charged at me. I was forced to let go of Charmy and back away in a panic. He then began to scream. I had never known him so angry and upset. I cried as he yelled and so did he. It was hatred in its purest form and I deserved every bit of it.
I sit here now watching him as he weeps endlessly over Charmy's body. I want to go over and comfort him, but I know he would only kill me.
He hates me and for a good reason. I killed our son and in doing so, I tore us apart.'
"No no no no no… no." Shadow mumbled repeatedly as he stared at the note in his hands. "Chaos… please tell me this is a lie. Please…" He fell to his knees and screamed in agony. Not physical agony, but sheer despair, shame and guilt that it wasn't Eggman that had done it. It was him.
None other than a fatal accident. He continued to yell in grief until his lungs were begging for air. It then went quiet with the only noise being his desperate gasping. His fist made heavy contact with the floor until it was bleeding heavily, but no Laudanum was placed on it this time. Crimson eyes met with the blind golden ones of his son's head. There was one more purpose he still had to fulfil and he was not going to let him down now. Still with tears falling, Shadow got up and approached another table to allow several drops from his red-stained fist to drip into the centre. His vision went red, but he was no longer afraid. Afterwards, he stood in the 'strange symbol' until the world shook. His vision was now heavily blurred, but he stumbled into the other room, which had the same table and symbol.
Repeating the process, Shadow then fell to the ground with a high-pitched ringing in his ears. Flesh began to form around him.
"Over… my dead body." As he forced himself onto his feet, his balance was unsteady, but he limped out of the room to see the third door had now opened. There was no chance that he could avoid the tissue in his current state, not that he wanted to. His beaten body was nearly torn apart as he tripped over and dragged himself across the floor, leaving nothing but a blood trail behind him. Once clear, he carefully got to his knees and then his feet before finally making it into the Chaos Chamber.
"I was wondering if you were going to show up and wondering if you had the nerve." A familiar deep, yet cold voice spat at him. The room was something that wasn't of this world. There were three tall pylons, each of them holding a Chaos Emerald. In the centre was where the gate was supposed to be, but it wasn't open. He had to be patient, just as Charmy had wanted him to.
"Espio…" He coughed up blood as he spoke, but ignored it. "It was an accident. I would never intentionally hurt him."
"You were careless! Eggman was your priority and because of that you killed him! You!"
"I know what I did! It haunts me even now and I regret it with every waking moment, but do you really think that I didn't care for him? That it was just murder?! You are wrong!" His yelling was causing him immense pain and he was certain that it was going to be the end for him, but he kept going, no matter what happened he had to get through to Espio. He had to save him even if it meant sacrificing himself. "You and Charmy are my only family. He was my only son! Our only son! Without him, I only have you and I'll be damned if I'm going to just let you suffer like this! What would Charmy have wanted? Would he have wanted to see us like this? On the verge of killing each other?" Espio stayed quiet. His face could've been made of ice with the amount of hatred in his eyes, yet he still listened, an opportunity which Shadow took full advantage of despite the agony it was causing him. "Espio, he's not in pain. He is going to be at peace and he would want us to be the same."
"How do you know that?! What gives you the right to say any of this?!" The chameleon demanded.
"I have him here." He fought the pain so that he could show him what was left of Charmy. "Once that gate opens, he will finally be able to rest. He has been trapped here, Espio. Did you know that? For centuries he has been stuck in his body, but now, he can sleep." The reptile stared at the bee, just as he did when he was killed. His expression didn't change, but Shadow could make out tears running down his scales.
"He didn't deserve this… none of it. He should be alive, living freely just like he always did."
"We can't do that." Shadow told him. "But we can give him a damn good afterlife." Their eyes locked for a moment until their attention was caught by the gate opening. The hedgehog fell to the ground and fought to get back up, but couldn't. His wounds were too painful to the point where he could barely move. "Espio!" He begged. "You have to help me… to help him!" The chameleon froze; he had no idea what to do. His emotions were all over the place as were his thoughts. "Take his head… and throw it into the gate!" He could see his vision fading. "I've… failed." He whispered, but his eyes shot open when he saw a purple and black shoe standing next to him.
"No, you haven't." Espio knelt down and picked up the head. He stared at it with watery eyes before turning to the gate. "G-goodbye Charmy." Shadow watched as the chameleon threw his head into the gate, which then closed soon after.
"Es…" The hedgehog struggled as tissue appeared behind him. Shadow could no longer move and Espio began to panic as he saw the flesh causing horrific wounds.
"Shadow!" He yelled, but the hedgehog's hearing was quickly failing him and soon, his entire world faded to darkness.
His eyelids revealed blackness. The crimsons of his irises looked around. He knew he was awake, but it felt as if he wasn't. Specs of light and a gentle mist caught his attention and he began to walk towards it. Glancing down, he could see that he still had his wounds, but they didn't hurt at all.
"There he is. Do you see him, Maria? He deserves so much more." A familiar voice filled his ears.
"Charmy?" Shadow whispered in disbelief.
"Please, help him. I know you can." Charmy continued.
"What-what's going on?"
"Don't worry, Shadow. It will be alright."
