SONIC HEROES: THE SERIES
All characters © Respective owners
South Island Invasion Saga: 3 of 3
Chapter Eighty-Eight: Visions of Destiny, Part 3
The scene returns to the war on South Island, where the ultimate end was soon to take place. With the power of the Solar Eclipse and Sonic's own influence, the Ultimate Heartless, Armageddon, was released. The colossus shadow roared in fury in frustration, shaking the world below its feet. As the Heartless screeched to their master, the Nobodies and Heroes only watched in amazement – they had never seen such a creature before. The Armageddon roared once more, this time releasing a thick cloud of smog from its skin.
"What's it doing now?" Knuckles questioned bravely.
"I thought that part would be obvious." They looked over to find Kai standing near the shore with Nightshade at his side. "The final preparations for the world's end have been completed. Lord Naga's ambitions will be realized."
"What are you going on about?" Vanilla glared.
"There's a reason he's called Armageddon." Kai stated. "Even now, it is slowly eradicating all things that give life to the planet. It is absorbing the Earth's nutrients from its claws, sucking the water through its tail, and destroying the very air through its skin. I would say your world has exactly one hour of life left."
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Jet exclaimed, thrusting out his left arm. "Gravity Dive!!"
Despite the premature warnings from his friends, the emerald hawk jumped through the black hole that appeared before him and shot across the shore. Kai and Nightshade were fortunate enough to avoid the shot, but a majority of their servants were obliterated in the aftershock. The green blur flew over the water and slammed into one of the Armageddon's legs, only to be thrown back onto the shore – the Ultimate Heartless didn't feel a thing. The Babylon leader struggled to return to his feet, he felt something cold press against his neck.
"You were a fool to challenge the Armageddon." Kai whispered. "Such idiocy would cost you your life."
"But touch my son..." Without notice, Accel appeared and removed the Blue-Haired Nobody from his child. "Would be an even more foolish choice. Especially when I am around."
"Do you seek to challenge me?" Kai questioned.
"It's amazing you needed to ask." Accel said coldly.
Meanwhile, Nightshade was plowing through the army of shadows and stopping before his former teacher. Lucario was putting up a valiant fight, but the malevolent hound was merciless while the blue jackal was fighting with restraints. As Lucario pressed his paws together for an Aura Sphere, Nightshade suddenly stepped forward, grabbed the jackal's head, and headbutted him. The Aura Warrior staggered backwards with a dazed expression, allowing the black hound to slash his claws across his chest. With a pained cry, Lucario dropped backwards to the ground. As Nightshade approached for the final strike, Stream the Hedgehog suddenly jumped between them.
"Stream, stay away from him!" Aleena shouted from a distance.
"Damien..." Stream said innocently, ignoring his mother. "I know you're not a bad guy. Please, stop hurting Mr. Lucario."
Nightshade looked towards the ground in deep thought. Slowly, he lowered himself to kneel to Stream's level – the young child thought he had broken through to him. His hopes were abruptly shattered once the purple-nailed claw wrapped around his tiny throat.
"So sorry..." Nightshade cackled lightly. "Better luck next time."
And with that, the dark hound kicked Stream in his chest and set him flying into the ocean.
"Stream!!" Aleena screamed.
"You..." Lucario grunted weakly as he pushed himself up. "Shouldn't have done that...Damien."
"You are a persistent old man." Nightshade snarled.
The scene returns to the snake pit within the forest. Naga, now in possession of Sonic's body, gazed joyously as the Armageddon released a thick wave of toxic smog from its skin. Gale, on the other hand, was more concerned for his own son's sake. Though Naga proclaimed that he had absorbed Sonic's soul, there was something in his mind that kept telling him the serpent was lying.
"Isn't beautiful, Gale." Naga chuckled through Sonic. "Such power was unjustly locked away. But with the help of your son, I was able to liberate him from his prison and return him to his true nature."
"You said that thing was created to destroy worlds." Gale responded, glaring. "But you forgot one small problem: you're going to be destroyed along with the rest of the planet."
"Gale, Gale, Gale...." Naga shook. "You should know me better than that. I always have a means of escape. Being a Heartless, I have the power to open a special transport called the Corridors of Darkness. It is a chain that binds all worlds together. And once Armageddon finishes with this world, I will use your son to summon him to other worlds. Until that single glorious moment when all planet have perished and only darkness will exist."
"We beat you before and we'll do it again." Gale said determined. "And before I kill you, I intend to save my son."
"You're son has gone where you can never reach him." Naga hissed. "But if it makes you feel better, I'll gladly let you join him!"
The Heartless Master took advantage of his new body and zipped behind Gale before the latter knew what happened. Naga swung his leg around to strike, but Gale had much more experience and turned to block it with his shin. However, Naga seemed to have been prepared for that pushed Gale's leg down for a backwards strike. Fortunately, Gale raised his forearm to block and hastily shoved it away. The battle went on in a similar fashion for the next eight minutes, not noticing what the Armageddon was doing to the environment. The forest was slowly wilting away, the moisture in the area was drying up, and the air was becoming more difficult to breathe. Overall, it was becoming worse than Hell. But as the battle between the hedgehogs went, Gale noticed that as he became tired, Naga became more aggressive. Then came the final outcome as Gale raised his arms to block Naga's attack, but was too weak to withstand it. The Pirate King fell backwards into the dirt and tried to sit up, but Naga's foot pressed against his chest.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen." Naga cackled darkly. "When I imagined this day, I always thought it would be in my own body. But this just makes it even sweeter." He bended down and grasped Gale's head. "And last words, rat?"
"Sonic...." Gale groaned. "You're stronger than this. You can break free from his control."
"You think this is a fairy tale!" Naga cackled wildly. "You are just as pathetic as I remember!"
As Naga brought back his fist for the decisive blow, he was suddenly knocked over head and slammed into the dirt wall. Gale watched amazingly as the Heartless serpent forced himself back up and turned to his rescuer. Imagine his surprise when Naga's original body gained a will of its own and stood against its former owner. But as Gale looked closer, he noticed something different about him. His eyes – emerald green with a flare of confidence that was exactly like...
"Sonic?" Gale asked amazingly.
"Yo, dad, what's up?" Sonic grinned; it was frightening to see Naga smile.
"That's impossible." Naga hissed angrily. "How could you still be alive?! I stole your body! I absorbed your soul! So how do you once again deny me the satisfaction of your death?!"
"I guess I could tell you a little." Sonic smirked. "When you tried to take over, a part of me said to get out of there right away. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to leave my own body just as you took over."
"So how did you get in his body?" Gale asked.
"That's the weirdest thing." Sonic said curiously. "I was watching you get your tail handed to you and I knew I needed to help somehow. But I couldn't help unless I had a body of my own. That's when I remember that slither face left his original body unoccupied. So I decided to take it out for a spin."
"You may possess my old body, but I still have your strength!" Naga exclaimed.
Without warning, the Heartless leader raced forward curled into his ball form for a devastating strike. But to everyone's surprise, Sonic used his new body and extended his arms to an unbelievable length. The serpentine arms slithered around the blue sphere and constricted the evil possessor, forcing him out of his ball form. Naga struggled to break free as Sonic retracted his limbs, but his old body was proven to be the stronger of the two. Sonic finally pulled back his old form until they were face-to-face.
"That also means I have your strength, too." Sonic smiled. "And if that's true, I think I'll take my handsome body back."
Gale thought he should look away, but something about the ritual seemed to intrigue him. As Sonic opened his serpentine mouth, his hands forced open the mouth of his old body. All of a sudden, a sapphire serpent jumped from the Sonic's throat and into his former body – Gale resisted the urge to vomit. Sonic's body seemed to twitch and shiver at the presence of the intruder before shooting a white serpent back into Naga's body. The two warriors released each other. As the body of Naga stagger backwards in fright, Gale happily noticed that his eyes were piercing yellow – Naga was back.
"This can't be happening." Naga shivered. "This was supposed to be my victory!"
"You never seem to learn, do you?" Sonic said seriously, clutching a blue sphere in his hand. "Naga, no matter how many times you try, the bond between my family will always be stronger than your darkness."
"This isn't over, hedgehog." Naga declared.
"Oh, yes it is." Sonic stated. "Sonic Wind!!"
Before the Heartless serpent had a chance to move, the cobalt hedgehog was already standing in front of him with his palm pressed forward. The Sonic Wind made contact with its target, ripping away through Naga's chest and exploding in a typhoon of blue winds through his back. When the attack came to an end, Naga's body twitched for a few minor moments before falling backwards without a trace of life left in him. The impossible had been accomplished – Naga was dead. With a smile on his face, Sonic allowed his aching body to drop and was thankfully captured by his father.
"Sonic, you did great." Gale said proudly.
"Thanks, dad." Sonic moaned, attempting to sit up. "But we're not done yet. We still need to take out Armageddon and the Heartless. And to do that, we need to break that Solar Eclipse."
"But that thing is a monster made by a God." Gale said worried. "Even the Super Form and the Master Emerald are not strong enough to take it on."
"Don't you remember that when you faced the God of Babylon?" Sonic panted. "You and Accel defeated it because you believed in each other and drew the strength to win. If you can do that, why can't I?"
Back at the battlefield, Amy and Wave were doing the best they could to fend off the Heartless. They were obviously attracted to the smell of Rector's deceased body and began swarming around him. However, Amy was not going to allow them near her brother and Wave was there for assistance.
"This is getting us nowhere." Wave proclaimed, throwing a heat bomb into a swarm of Bandits. "Maybe we should just give them what they want and save our own skin."
"No!" Amy shouted defiantly, smashing a nearby Bolt Tower. "My brother gave his life to protect me! I'm not gonna let these monsters go anywhere near him!"
"We're just gonna..."
However, the purple swallow was cut off as a Large Body Heartless forced her down to the ground. With Wave helpless on the ground, she was doomed as the Large Body jumped over for a body slam. But much to her amazement, a hand flew out of nowhere and jabbed the Large Body back into the flock. She looked up to her protector and nearly passed out. Rector Rose was standing, though still bleeding, with an enraged expression. Amy looked back at Wave in concern and had the same reaction as her companion.
"Rector!" The girls screamed.
"It's not nice to hit a lady." Rector said lowly.
Meanwhile, back to the fight between Lucario and Nightshade. The two hounds were caught into the sand, battling tooth and claw for survival. Nightshade had managed to catch his former master off guard with a quick jab to the forehead, leaving the blue jackal disoriented. Not wanting to miss an opportunity like this, the demonic hound slashed both claws across Lucario's chest, leaving a new addition of purple scratches. But despite all the pain and injury, the aura warrior had managed to remain standing, which really annoyed Nightshade.
"Aren't you gonna call it quits, old man?" Nightshade sneered. "You're about to drop and I barely have a scratch on me."
"That was the point." Lucario smirked.
"Say wha?" Nightshade questioned confusion.
"I have taught you many things." Lucario informed, pressing his paws together. "But the one thing I never taught you was my special ability. Besides being able to see aura, my strength grows depending on how much damage I take. And with all the beatings you gave me, I easily overpower you."
Nightshade was far from believing him. But actions speak louder than words. When the demonic hound was least expecting it, Lucario raised his paws to form an aura sphere twice his size. By the time Nightshade had realized his mistake; the blue Jackal released his powers and slammed the black hound into the Earth, shattering the ground. After the attack had done its damage, Lucario released the aura from the field. He looked into the crater he created and was pleased to learn that Damien had return to his normal state – the jackal allowed himself to drop.
"At least I did one thing right." Lucario murmured. "That's good enough."
Meanwhile, back to the fight between Kai and Accel. But in all reality, it wasn't much of a fight. Accel tried fighting back against the Blue-Haired Nobody with his feathered fan, which was unfortunately shredded after the first two minutes. And every time he tried to attack, Kai would disappeared and reappear in a matter of seconds, creating another wound on the hawk. And as the battle raged on, Jet was forced to watch his father take a merciless beating. He may have hated the man, but he was the only family he had left. Accel weakly tried to raise his arm, but failed and was kicked to the beak by Kai's foot, forcing him close to his son. Jet forget all his anger and instantly kneeled to his father, assisting him in sitting up.
"Dad, you've gotta stop." Jet warned. "He's gonna kill ya?"
"Not until I make a point." Accel panted.
"What point?!" Jet exclaimed. "That you have a death wish?!"
"That I still care about you, son." Accel said shamefully. "I know I haven't been the best father. I didn't teach you how to ride Extreme Gear, I was always away when I made a promise, and I left you alone when you were only seven." Jet looked away in equal sadness. "But that doesn't mean I never cherished you. I left you because I thought you were old enough to take care of yourself, just as my father did. But then I remembered why I hated my father so much – I ended up becoming him."
"Dad..." Jet murmured.
"I know I can't ask you to forgive me." Accel stated. "I wouldn't expect it."
"If I had a heart," Kai interjected. "I would be pretending that I cared. But I don't and you have sealed your fate."
The Blue-Haired Nobody dashed forward with his dagger held tightly in his fist and stopped close to the hawks. As Kai brought back his hand, Accel was caught by surprise when Jet suddenly jumped between them. All anger that surged through the emerald hawk was now directed to the human – he was not letting Kai near his father. Kai swung around for the final deliverance. But his hand stopped only centimeters from the hawk's heart and Jet knew why. And black-steeled blade had pierced through Kai's back and burst through where his heart should have been. Kai looked down for a moment and, painfully, looked back at his undoing. Xenot stood silently, releasing the grip of her blade.
"Damn...you." Kai muttered.
The Blue-Haired Nobody faded into a cloud of darkness.
"Are you two all right?" Xenot asked.
"Yeah..." Jet said happily, falling back next to is father. "Never been better."
Most of the minor threats had been disposed of, but one major situation still remained. Those who were closest to the shore slowly began to realize that the water was getting lower with every minute. Armageddon roared once more, shaking the planet with its powers. No matter what happened, the heroes' powers were ineffective against it. It seemed that the world had truly met its end. But just as the Ultimate Heartless raised its foot to crush the island, a tendril of water lashed over its back and caught the foot, stopping it in its place. The same occurrence happened with the remaining five feet and its three tails. When the Armageddon struggled to break free, a dragon head of water jumped up and clenched its teeth through its throat. But when the Heroes were most amazed by was the familiarity of the head.
"Is that Chaos?" Knuckles asked surprisingly.
"But that can't be Chaos." Thorn proclaimed, equally astounded. "How would he know where to find us?"
"Look in there, mates?!" Marine shouted.
The heroes followed Marine's vision into the forehead of the mighty beast, where they found a small figure floating in the water. And just imagine how amazed they were when they learned it was Stream who created the beast.
"Is that Stream?" Cream asked. "What's he doing in there?"
"I don't know, but I have never been more proud!" Aleena squealed excitedly.
The scene alternates to within the depths of the forest. As Gale was carrying his son through the trees on his shoulder, both cobalt hedgehogs had seen what had occurred from a distance.
"See, dad." Sonic grinned. "I told you they would fight back."
"I'm sorry, I ever doubted you, son."
"Sonic the Hedgehog..." An eerie voice called from within Sonic's mind. "The time has come to awaken your power..."
"Who are you?" Sonic responded.
"I am Mythril, The Highest One." Mythril answered. "It was my fault for not stopping my brother from creating that monstrosity in the first place. But to counteract it, I created a power that would ultimately destroy it in the right hands."
"What does this have to do with me?" Sonic asked.
"You are an unusual entity." Mythril said. "As your creator, I was supposed to know your destiny. But you have defied my own predication; you have defied your own fate. You have taken destiny into your own hands. That only proves that you are worthy of possessing the Light of Miracles. Protect the world with your power...Sonic the Hedgehog."
And the connection broke between them – Sonic was utterly bewildered. Did he just speak to an actual god? Before the cobalt hedgehog could contemplate this, he was suddenly forced into his Super Form, causing Gale to jump back in shock. But it didn't end there. Sonic could feel a power coursing through him that even five Super Forms couldn't compare. As his powers grew, so did his quills until they were formed into a tangled mess and reached to the bottom of his back. When the process had ended, Sonic could easily pass of as a golden version of Nazo's Perfect Form.
"Sonic...is that you?" Gale asked slowly.
"Who else would it be, pops?" Sonic grinned.
"Well, I don't know what happened." Gale scratched his head. "But once this is over, we need to talk about getting a haircut."
"I think I should leave before you make any more corny jokes." Sonic laughed.
And with that, the golden hero thrusted into the sky. This was unlike anything Sonic could compare to the Super Form. It was beyond the Super Form – it was a Mega Form. The empowered heroes flashed across the forest, creating a hurricane of wind in his wake and made a beeline towards the Armageddon. As he made his approach, Stream released his bind over the Ultimate Heartless and allowed his brother to connect with the colossus. The whole island gasped in surprise when Sonic punched the Armageddon and sent it sliding backwards for several miles.
"Is that Sonic?" Tails asked amazed.
"That has to be." Amy said excitedly. "Only my Sonic could find a way to be that ugly monster."
"I think I actually afraid of him." Rector chuckled.
"Yo, Stream!" Sonic called to his brother. But when the monster turned its head, he noticed that Stream was fast asleep. "I've heard of sleepwalking, but sleep fighting? There something new every day."
The Chaos head snorted. Knowing it was given a powerful threat, the Armageddon flapped its eight massive wings to create a multitude of tornadoes in the air. Sonic effortlessly counteracted this forming a barrier made from over a million Sonic Winds in midair and defended against the tornado flock. With its first attempt failed, the Armageddon raised itself on its hind legs and slammed the other four to create a tsunami the size of China. Fortunately, Stream pushed himself into the wave and absorbed it to expand up the dragon's size. Slowly, the Armageddon backed away – it feet created a deafening thud.
"For the Ultimate Heartless, it doesn't do very much." Mech commented.
"Orphius only took in account for its size." Nyrox stated weakly. "With beast like that, it would be impossible to even scratch the surface of it's skin. That thing is entirely defenseless."
"Orphius wasn't very smart." Kyira sniggered.
"This is getting boring." Sonic said, gliding next to his brother. "What do you say we end this, bro?"
The water dragon roared in response. Stream dived head first into the water and vanished from sight. The Armageddon waved its unseen face in search for the enemy, but that proved to be its final mistake. Without warning, a geyser of water exploded below its stomach and sent the Ultimate Heartless flying into the air. This was Sonic's once shot. And he flashed through the sky; he compressed a sphere of blue wind into his hand while aimed for its stomach. But before releasing the power, the wind turned gold with a white swirl mixed in the center. Mega Sonic reached his designated target and slammed the sphere directly inside.
"Shining Miracles!!!!" Sonic screamed.
The compressed wind exploded and shot the Armageddon out of the atmosphere and into the depths of space. And to add insult to injury, the Armageddon was flung between the ARK and the remainder of the moon, shattering the chain that bound them. With nothing left to block its path, the Armageddon disappeared into the intense heat of the sun, never to be seen again. And with the return of the sun, the Heartless were powerless to remain on the world and vanished before they were ultimately destroyed. Without their leaders and comrades, the Nobodies followed shortly. The whole island was deafened by the cheers of celebration. The battle was over – the light had won. Nyrox was especially happy as he embraced his lover with his children standing at his side. Unfortunately, he breathing became heavier with each passing moment.
"Alaster Nyrox..." Mythril echoed once more. "When I had chosen you to change the fate of the world, I knew I had made the right choice. You have prepared for this moment for the last twenty-three years. You have suffered many hardships and now it is time for you to rest in peace. Before you and I fall into eternal slumber, I have one final gift."
"Xenot..." Nyrox whispered suddenly. "Please, remove you helmet."
"My what?!" Xenot exclaimed.
"Your helmet, please?" Nyrox repeated.
It was obvious that she was hesitant. The suit was the only thing keeping her bound to this world. But she knew her father was dying and needed to fulfill this last wish. Tails, Kyira, and Nyrox watched anxiously as the black-suited warrior unlatched her helmet and slowly lifted it from her shoulders. Instead of pure darkness, they saw a beautiful light-orange vixen with innocent blue eyes. When she noticed that she wasn't fade, Xenot could resist a gasp.
"My body..." Xenot stammered. "It's still here....father....did you do this?"
"I wish I could say so, but I can't." Nyrox shook, looking around at his family. "But that doesn't matter. All that matters is that I was able to see my family together one last time. Kyuta....you will grow to be a powerful warrior. And for my daughter, I can only offer you my best wishes. Grow strong with every moment...my darling Aura."
He died with a smile on his face.
A week had passed by and the island was slowly returning to its former self. Damien and Stream had no memory of the battle that had occurred, but Gale did show interest in using his son's power. Jet and Accel's relationship was still a little rough, but Jet learned to appreciate his father more. Thorn had done a thorough scan of Rector and made an unusual discovery. Though they were not magical, they had inherited a trace of his magical abilities through his genetics. This became the source of Amy's speed and Rector was incapable of dying except by age. Nyrox was given a special burial and was placed in the castle graveyard among the royal family. At the moment, the heroes and relatives were standing at the harbor before the Heroes, joined by Aura, had to set sail.
"Take this." Thorn said to Marine, handing her a small black book. "These are instructions for spells. I labeled them depending on their difficulty. I want you to practice everyday for at least an hour."
"I'll practice for twenty-four, mate – I mean, master." Marine saluted.
"Oh no." Rector groaned.
"What are you guys going to do?" Aura asked.
"We've all decided to stay here for a little while." Kyira answered. "With Naga finally out of the picture, we decided that we all need a well needed vacation."
"You will show up for the wedding, right?" Knuckles asked. "Rouge wants it to happen in a month and she hunt you down if you don't show up."
"We'll be there, my boy." Wrist assured, patting his son's shoulder.
"See ya later, dad." Sonic said.
"Till next time, boy." Gale smirked. "And remember: take what you can..."
"Give nothing back." Sonic finished.
With their final farewells, the Sonic Heroes boarded the ship that would take them back to their place in the mainland. But something of a darker nature was stirring within the castle walls. In the basement floor, within a small morgue, the deceased body of Naga the Snake was placed on the table for the upcoming examination. The dead serpent stared blankly at the ceiling, never knowing that a familiar character had appeared from the shadows. Kai Robotnik had somehow escaped death with Naga's faithful serpent, Nagini, and approach his former master. But, surprisingly, he reached out and ripped the skin of Naga's face to reveal...Corrupt Darkness.
"Corrupt has met his end." Kai stated. "The Armageddon was obliterated and the heroes had end your plan. It is unfortunate to say that this expedition ended in failure."
"But did it now?" Naga's voice echoed coldly. "We able to draw valuable information from this failure. The Armageddon was a useless piece shadows. I will not be so limited when I create the true Ultimate Heartless. However, there is a slight setback due to the appearance of Sonic's unexplained power boost."
"And what of your servants." Kai asked.
"I had warned them what would happen if they became useless." Naga said indifferently. "Corrupt played his part and tested the Soul Transfer Technique. There are still a few bugs to work out. Rodrigo made the perfect imitation of you and performed a successful job of making your death believable. Though they were no longer of use to me, they played their parts well – everyone thinks we are dead."
"What now, my lord?" Kai questioned.
"Now...we find me a ture vessel."
Kai remained silent and removed his jacket before slowly slipping off his shirt. Nagini rested on the examination table, watching the blue-haired Nobody with interest. There was a patch of sickly-green scales on his chest with a pair of piercing-yellow eyes.
The darkest days have yet to begin. When Will Naga and his faithful servant strike again? What new changes has this adventure brought upon the heroes? And will Mythril return again? Find out on the next Sonic Heroes!
Please, read and review.
Time to decide the subject of the next chapter:
A) Erazor
B) Ix
C) Dark Sonic
VOTE NOW!!