SONIC HEROES: THE SERIES
Chapter Ninety-One: Last Wishes
The scene opens to the wreckage of the former Dark Ruler castle within their dimension. Though they no longer had any use for it, it was still the only place they had left to remain in hiding. Nazo remained seated in his fractured throne, gazing deeply into the eternal night sky through the hole in the wall. His peaceful thoughts were soon interrupted by the appearance of a black smoke cloud at his left-hand side. Erazor Djinn reformed from the dark smog and kneeled to his superior.
"My lord, why have you summoned me?" Erazor asked.
"Things are not looking well for the Dark Rulers." Nazo stated thoughtfully. "We have had three traitors – two of which were expected. Dark Sonic was consequently destroyed, Shira lacks in terms of strength, and Tomo and Nack are just useless to our cause. The only ones I can truly depend upon are you and Mephiles."
"My lord?" Erazor said confused.
"I have one last mission for you Erazor." Nazo stated seriously. "Your goal is now currently aligned with mine." Erazor tilted his head, obviously thinking of his meaning. "I have been watching Jet during this previous year. From the beginning, he seemed like an incompetent fool. But he has slowly grown physically and mentally. Jet has become a strong leader and an even stronger warrior. Defeating him would cripple the Heroes just enough to turn the tables."
"And what shall I do after he is defeated?" Erazor asked.
"That is for you to decide." Nazo said. "From this day forward, the Dark Rulers no longer exist. You are free to go, Erazor."
"M-my lord..." Erazor stammered gratefully. "Thank you."
"Try not to screw up." Nazo threatened.
The scene alternates to the wide open desert just outside Sand Oasis within the Arabian Nights. Residents and merchants were exchanging goods within the bazaar, unaware of what was occurring outside their peaceful home. A few moments of silence passed before one of the dunes exploded – Jet and King Shahryar were tossed into the air and thrown back into the sand. As the two warriors picked themselves up, Shahra floated down from the sky and kneeled to the emerald hawk.
"Master, are you hurt?" Shahra asked concerned.
"I'm just fine." Jet brushed her off.
"Where did the beast go?" Shahryar questioned, scanning the area.
Without warning the ground exploded behind the heroes, throwing them forward into the sand. Jet quickly turned around onto his back and stared towards the beast looming overhead. A thirty-foot, black cobra hissed angry with venom dripping down from its saber-long fang. Clenched around one of the fangs was the red World Ring – the ring of rage. What exactly the serpent was angry about was none of Jet's concern as he was forced to roll to the side to avoid its tail. As the Cobra jabbed its neck forward to devour the emerald hawk, Shahryar suddenly jumped between them and used his scimitar to rebound it.
"Jet, this isn't working." Shahryar stated, watching the cobra slither back and forth. "Perhaps you have something you've been keeping tucked away all this time?"
"Not that I know of." Jet answered.
"Oh, don't mind me." Shahra said bluntly, gliding overhead. "I'll just sit here and work on my tan."
For reasons unknown to Jet, the Arabian king smacked himself in the faced and glared at the emerald hawk. In the moment of distraction, the cobra coiled itself and lunged at the heroes. Jet barely spotted this in time and grasped Shahryar by his vest before throwing himself down – the cobra glided overhead. As the serpent's lengthy shadow passed, the Legendary Wind Hawk saw something glinting in his hand from the sun's rays. Once realizing it was Shahra's ring, Jet couldn't resist smacking himself for his own lack of attention. He needed to work fast as the cobra turned and made a charge for them.
"Shahra!" Jet screamed, raising his ringed hand. "I wish the World Ring was in my hands!"
"It's about time." Shahra said exasperatedly, tossing a book she was reading. "Your wish is my command, O master."
With a snap of her fingers, the Ring Genie's magic took effect. The giant cobra slowly came to a halt as the World Ring was dislodged from its fang and shot back into Jet's hand. The massive serpent hissed silently, glint at the three creatures before it, and turned back while digging into the sand.
"Well, that was easy compared to the others." Shahryar commented.
"And that makes number seven." Jet stated. He placed the ring of rage with the rest of its brethren in a rucksack that King Shahryar provided. "But something still bugs me. I thought creatures in this book couldn't touch that World Rings. So why did all those monsters have them to begin with?"
"That has me concerned as well." Shahryar nodded. "Seven beasts all under the possession of the World Rings. This is not a matter of coincidence."
"You think someone set them up?" Shahra asked horribly. "But how? No one knows where the rings were hidden except for you and Jet."
"I'll have to check with Scheherazade." Shahryar suggested. "She is more in tune with the Arabian Nights than I am. In the meantime, try to find a more secure location for where to hide the World Rings."
"As you wish, your majesty." Shahra bowed respectfully.
"Whatever." Jet waved.
Shahra gave him a sharp rap over the head. The hedgehog king rolled his eyes at the pair as they were once again caught in their usual argument and left them to their own business. Unfortunately, as Jet and Shahra were caught up in the middle of their argument, they failed to see the rucksack slowly being dragged away by an invisible force. When the argument between the partners subsided, they turned their backs to one another with a loud huff.
"I'll never understand how you became the hero of legends." Shahra said angrily.
"Like I even care." Jet sneered. "The soon we put these rings away, the soon I can go home." He reached down and groped for the rucksack – he groaned inwardly. "Shahra?"
"What?!" Shahra snapped.
"Where are the rings?" Jet moaned.
All anger between them seemed to dissolve in that instant – it took much longer than normal. Jet and Shahra scrambled across the sand, suspecting that it may have gotten buried while they weren't looking. But as the emerald hawk cleaned out a scorpions nest, he noticed something moving distantly out of the corner of his eye. A faint cloud of sand was kicked into the air across the dunes, but Jet's eyes were focused elsewhere. Because of his sharp eye, he caught a thin blur shooting across the desert. Judging by its direction, it looked like the creatures was aiming for...
"Shahra! Watch out!" Jet forewarned.
"Huh?" Shahra grunted confused.
Because her eyes were as fast as Jet's, she was unable to see the signs of danger. The ring genie shrugged and resumed digging, which proved to be a greater mistake. A tall figure finally made a full appearance behind her, raised his weapon over his shoulder for the final strike. As the warrior swung around, Jet suddenly jumped into the picture and pushed them away from each other. But by an unfortunate miscalculation, the emerald hawk was forced to suffer as the blade ripped through his skin and deep into the muscle of his right leg. Jet instinctively held onto his injury as the blood smeared across his limb.
"Augh, Great Babylon!!" Jet screamed in agony.
"Jet!!" Shahra cried, kneeling to her master. "Master, are you ok?!"
"Do I look ok to you?!" Jet screeched, hissing heavily.
"J-just s-s-stay still, m-master." Shahra requested, sobbing lightly. "I-I can tr-try to heal y-you."
"That won't be necessary." A hand reached out and pulled Shahra backwards by her wrist. Looking up, she had the unfortunate pleasure of coming face-to-face with Erazor Djinn. "That filthy pigeon should be able to survive this with only a scar as proof."
"Please, you have to let me help him!" Shahra screamed, trying to force herself out of the man's grip.
"That bird has been a thorn in my side for too long." Erazor snarled. "He deserves to die slowly."
"Too bad that isn't happening any time soon." Jet grunted as he sat up, trying to ignore the pain. "The one thing a Rogue learns is how to be resourceful."
The evil djinn raised his brow to the hawk, wondering what he could possibly do in this situation. And to answer this question, the Babylon Rogue reached into his head feathers and revealed the Babylon Crystal Box to the group. Already suspecting his plan, the dark djinn unleashed his razor blade and dived ahead for his archenemy. However, a silver chain jumped from the sand and constricted itself around Erazor's body, forcing him back into the ground. He looked back to Shahra, who was holding the end of the chain. This moment gave Jet the opportunity to unlock the power of the Crystal Box, allowing him to transform into Shining Jet. But even as the crystal hawk hovered a few feet off the ground, the scar on his leg remained unhealed.
"Damn, I thought that would work." Jet hissed as his leg continued to throb.
"The powers of Babylon can only help so much." Erazor smirked. He jumped back to his feet and shattered the chain that restrained him. "My magic has left a permanent mark upon your life. No amount of magic will be able to eradicate it."
"Like that even matters." Jet growled. "I'm still strong enough to defeat you."
The threat sounded much more convincing before he knew what he was doing. Shining Jet flashed across the sands and delivered a powerful punch directly to Erazor's jawline. Unfortunately, the corrupted djinn merely slid backwards a few feet, rubbing the area where Jet hit. Erazor's attack had clearly done more damage than just give him a scar – it cut down his power dramatically. Taking advantage of this, Erazor whipped out his signature weapon and slashed it across the Babylon Rogue's chest. That would have occurred if Jet had not jumped away in time. But upon missing his intended target, Erazor shifted his weight into his upper body to spin around, allowing him to send a striking kick to the chest. Jet's body skipped across the dunes, which allowed him enough time to catch himself in midair.
"All right, direct attacks aren't going to work." Jet muttered to himself, revealing his feathered fans. "Then we'll have to take this up a notch."
Given that his natural element was wind, a single swipe of his fans created a harsh gale that forced Erazor to go on the defensive. Two swings of his fans created a miniature dust tornado – the dark djinn was forced to stab his blade into the ground to keep himself steady.
"You think a simple little trick will save you, pigeon!" Erazor roared.
"For the last time!" Jet screeched. "I – AM – A – HAWK!!"
Collecting all his strength into his arms, Shining Jet swiped again and created a ferocious sandstorm. Unfortunately, the glowing hawk put so much force into his swing that the storm blinded everyone from view. Jet couldn't even see his own hand in front of his beak. Hoping to fix his folly, Jet swung his feathered fans again, this time in the opposite direction. The two forces cancelled each other out, allowing the storm to subside. But when the desert became clear again, Shining Jet jumped backwards once discovering Erazor floating directly in front of him. Aside from the djinn's sudden appearance, the glowing hawk became interested in the rucksack he was carrying.
"Got the ring back, huh?" Jet glared. "Why do I have the feeling tat you had something to do with those monsters."
"It was Lord Nazo who crafted those beasts." Erazor explained. "I just merely pointed them in the right direction. Of course, it wasn't easy to locate them. It took a great deal of time to deceive Sinbad into revealing their locations."
"How does that guy know everything?" Jet mumbled. "So, you gonna use those rings again?"
"On the contrary..." Erazor grinned. "You are!"
Before the glowing hawk realized what he was doing, Erazor threw open the rucksack and discarded its contents. The seven World Rings seemed drawn by Jet's power and zoomed ahead in separate directions. Four rings strained themselves around each of Jet's wrists and ankles, one snapped around his waist, another to his throat, and the last one to his forehead. The prince of Babylon was suddenly overcome by several emotions: hope, rage, hatred, sadness, joy, pleasure, and dreams. It felt as if he would his mind would collapse if the Shining Form wasn't protecting him. Feeling weakened, the glowing avian fell back into the sand, clutching his head.
"What's...happening?" Jet strained.
"This is the reason why the rings are too powerful for mere mortals." Erazor stated, gently landing next to him. "The powers of the emotions are too great for one to wear. You may have collected them before, but did not awaken their slumbering secrets."
"I...can't..." Jet hissed painfully. "Shahra...I..."
"How predictable." Erazor said spitefully, kicking Jet in the face. "Hiding behind the skirts of greater people. Lord Nazo was wrong about you becoming a stronger warrior." He unsheathed his razor blade. "It would be best if I destroy you now."
"No!" Shahra screamed jumped between them. "You can't do this, Erazor! This is not you!"
"Have you not been pay attention during my year with the Dark Rulers?" Erazor glared. "Compared to then, I am acting rather civilized."
"That's not what I mean." Shahra said mournfully, grasping the djinn's hand. "I can still remember the time before we were imprisoned within this book. All those precious memories of our days exploring the wilderness when we were children."
"Those days are long gone." Erazor said cruelly, taking his hand back.
"But you're not!" Shahra exclaimed. "You were never like this before! What happened to the kind-hearted man that I fell in love with?!"
"He's gone!" Erazor roared. The evil djinn vented his frustrations and backhanded the ring genie into the sand. "And as for you, pigeon. Your chances of escape have dwindled."
"Not...yet." Jet grunted, pushing himself to all fours. "I've...got...one trick...left."
"You lie." Erazor hissed, raising his blade to the hawk's beak. "You have nothing left to defend yourself with."
Despite being greatly weakened by the power of the rings, Jet reached into his head feathers and groped for a hidden object. When he pulled it out, Erazor nearly dropped his razor blade in shock. The red and gold lamp that served as the final containment for Erazor. The evil djinn didn't question how he had obtained his lamp and thrusted his blade into the glowing hawk's throat. In an unexpected shift, Shining Jet suddenly pushed out his hand and captured the razor between his fingers. Erazor tried to tug his weapon back, but the glowing hawk refused to release.
"Last time we met..." Jet panted, slowly regaining control. "I only used...two wishes. That means...I still have... one wish left."
"Take your best shot." Erazor challenged. "I am immortal, so you cannot kill me. And even if you imprison me within my lamp, it will only be a matter of time before I am released again."
"You're right...on both..." Jet coughed. "That's why...I'm going to save...you."
"Save me?" Erazor repeated.
"My third and final wish..." Jet wheezed. "I wish...for you to be free...from the shadow...that controls you."
A red spark rocketed from the hole within the lamp and thrusted into Erazor's chest, sending the dark djinn flailing into the sand. Erazor twitched and fidgeted restlessly – his eyes rolled backwards into his head while screaming into the sky. The dark djinn's purple skin slowly began to fade away and gained a sandy-dark tone similar to Shahra's. Without warning, a thick stream of shadows ejected from Erazor's throat and became a shapeless mass in the clouds. And before it vanished, Jet could have sworn he heard its deathly whisper.
"This isn't over." The shadow hissed. "I will return for vengeance, Jet the Hawk!"
And with that, everything went black.
With an audible groan, Jet opened his eyes after what felt like an eternity. As he stared upwards, his few was blocked off by a smooth wall of grey – he was no longer in the desert. The Babylon prince pushed himself into a sitting position and discovered that he was in the guest room where Jet often spent his nights in Shahryar's palace. Jet happily took note that his Shining Form was depleted, but the World Rings were no longer choking the life out of him. But that hardly lasted before Shahra jumped out of nowhere and gave him a hug that would rival Amy's
"Master, I was so worried that you were dead!" Shahra cried.
"Give it two more minutes and I will be." Jet chocked.
"I'm sorry, but I am just so grateful." Shahra said, releasing her master. "You not only saved the Arabian Night from its greatest threat, you also saved the man I love from himself."
"Where is Erazor, anyway?" Jet questioned.
"He went back to the real world." Shahra said sadly. "He said he's not ready to return home until he has proven himself worthy of repenting for his deeds. I hope he comes back soon."
"Only time will tell." Jet said wisely. "Hey, Shahra, can I ask you for one more favor?"
"Anything, master." Shahra smiled.
"That's something you're going to have stop." Jet stated seriously. "Because I don't want you to grant me anymore wishes."
"What?!" Shahra exclaimed shockingly. "Why not?!"
"It's about what Erazor said." Jet proclaimed. "He said I always rely on other people to do my dirty work. And when I think about it, he's right. If I want to become a real leader like the rest of family, I need to learn how to deal with situations on my own." He stared at the ring Genie, who was wiping a tear from her eye. "But this isn't good bye. We can still each other from time to time."
"I...I guess you're right." Shahra said understandingly. "What is your wish, master?"
"Shahra..." Jet said hesitantly. "I wish...for your freedom."
Though she was obviously hesitant, Shahra snapped her finger and did the deed. The ring bracelets on each of Shahra's wrists detached themselves from their former owner, clattering loudly on the floor. Looking back to his own ring, Jet watched as the former glow suddenly died down and disappeared completely – the ring was useless.
"Master..." Shahra whispered.
"Hey, there's no need for that." Jet grinned. "We're still friends, after all."
"Thank you...Jet." Shahra giggled.
The scene alternates to an unknown land far from the Arabian Nights, possibly far from reality. A forest of deceased and corridor trees blew eerily in the wind beneath the sea of dark clouds. A small sliver of light managed to puncture through the impenetrable nimbuses, which allowed a thin stream of shadows to dive towards the ground. The enigmatic darkness slammed into the path between the trees, slowly reforming into a solid figure. The shadows had transformed to tall human woman with silky purple hair twisted down her back and ended at a golden ring. She wore a flowing violet robe and a golden tiara with a red droplet on her forehead. Despite the obvious differences, her face greatly resembled Shahra's. The unknown female growled in frustration, leaning against her scepter.
"I can't believe this." The woman sneered. "My one chance of freedom was stolen. And by that infuriating pigeon, no less. I swear, I will find a way to destroy him, even if I must use my own power."
The small fracture of light that entered the forest reflected off the jade orb of the woman's scepter and rebounded into the darkness. It shined through the trees and glimmered against something unseen. Staring curiously at the spot, the woman stepped forward and groped her hands into the darkness until she felt something cold. Pulling her hand back, she soon realized that she had suddenly obtained a sword. But unlike a normal sword, the body was made from pure black steel, the handle was made of silver wire, and the crest looked vaguely like a wyvern.
"Well, well, well..." The woman grinned menacingly. "Looks like my luck is about to change."
There are no shortcuts be becoming strong. How will Jet fair without Shahra's magic? Will he prove to be a valuable leader and a great warrior? And who is this enigmatic woman? Find out on the next Sonic Heroes!
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