Chapter 15: The Maw
"They have entered Pandora's Gate..."
In the eternal lit world, two Echidnas witnessed five mortal beings enter a world of evil darkness, and watched as the gate closed behind them.
"Is there anything we can do?" the younger one asked, tears reaming her eyes.
The elder one closed his eyes in thought. "Yes, but in order to offer aid, we'll have to..."
The girl waited anxiously. "Have to what??"
The elder opened his eyes again, slowly and resignedly, as if they were shutters to an old soul now touched with apprehension and care. "We'll have to follow them; we'll have to go through the same gate, the Gate of Pandora."
The girl's eyes dilated in realization. Beyond the gate was a land that was diametrically opposite to the one they resided in; a land of evil and darkness.
"That place..." the elder continued. "...is also the residing place of their foes. The shadow...and the flame."
The girl was aghast. The worst enemies of that world were holed up in that place, and the people she was watching were wandering blindly in their lair. "I must help them!"
The elder looked at the younger. "Daughter, you realize what you ask?"
"Yes, I do," the girl said. "I know that I'll be treading on enemy grounds, but if there is anything I can do to help them...I must do it."
The elder heaved a sigh, one echoing with concern, but the etching of a smile were working on his old face. "Child, you always had the vigor and fearlessness of a lion. I too believe we should help them. You've helped them last time six years of their time ago. I believe the time has come to step in again."
"Thank you, master," the girl said. "I have to admit...I am frightened of that darkness."
"And one should. That reasons that the thing you fear is fear itself, and that is a wise course to take, my child. But take heart; the darkness cannot touch you; you are protected by the Divine One."
"I know, master..." the girl clasped her hands and looked down.
"And if it helps, sing that song I taught you when you felt afraid."
The girl looked up. "Yes, I still remember that song. Thank you, master. When shall I leave?"
The elder smiled. "Whenever you will, my child. The Divine One is ready to help you even when you are not ready. Be at peace and trust him."
"Yes, master..."
- - - - -
Darkness surrounded them, and there was no light beyond the questing five. If the wasn't for the feeling of solid ground underneath them, all of them would have felt like they were floating through nothingness. Time did not matter inside the gate, so anyone in the group could not tell the others on how much time had transpired after stepping into the black gate. With no light except from Shadow's Chaos Emerald and Sonic's Crystal Ring bracelet, there was also no telling how far they went. All huddled around the sources of light, wishing not to get separated. Getting separated here was a fate worst then death it seemed, for there was absolutely no escape. At least death would be welcome.
"Rouge," breathed Shadow. "Do you still have a reading on the Chaos Emerald."
"I would've thought we would have lost it in this place, but it's still there," Rouge said, looking at her tracker again. "I can't tell you how far it is though..."
"Which is another way to say we could be in here for a pretty long time...wherever that is..." Sonic said.
"I couldn't have said it any better myself," Knuckles said.
"We'll get there when we get there..." Shadow said matter-of-factly.
"Darkness never bothered you, huh Shads?" Sonic said, his mood not dampened by the darkness. "I guess you both do have lots in common."
Shadow didn't reply, although he knew he was just mildly insulted.
A hiss of breath shattered the dark silence, and Sonic suddenly felt something furry huddle against his side. His first impulse was to leap away, but something held him still. Using his Crystal Ring, he found the culprit. Tails had shrunk close to Sonic, and his eyes were dilated in his fright.
"Sonic," Tails hissed, his breathing sharp and shallow. "I saw something..."
"What?" Sonic was all ears, as was the rest of the crew.
"Two lights..." Tails gasped. "Green and red. The green ones were small and were surrounded by reddish ones. They looked like...eyes."
Everyone scanned the darkness for the tell-tale eyes, but none of the other four had seen them. Knuckles thought that Tails' fear of this darkness was making him see things, but he felt that he would get his head bitten off if he suggested that at all.
"Looks like it's gone," Sonic said.
Tails had the look that he wasn't so sure, but he stopped his huddling, but kept close proximity towards Sonic. Knuckles had to mentally shout at his facial muscles to not smile; Tails looked just like the 4-year-old he was when he and Sonic were on Angel Island for the first time, going through the Sandopolis pyramid, where Tails was convinced there were ghosts. Knuckles had espied the two in the pyramid as he stalked them through the pyramid and by accident herded them into Lava Reef.
The darkness was still and unbroken again, and thus the troupe continued on to wherever they were going. For some reason, none felt the urge to talk. It's as if the silence was forbidding them to speak. None of the five could understand this, but some strange prudence bade them not to speak.
No one knew how far they had traversed, nor how long, but it felt like they had been in here for hours. Nothing changed in the darkness that any of them could see; no landmark was visible. The cold darkness seemed to continue on for eternity.
What made matters worse was that Tails seemed to be continually haunted by those lights, ones that nobody else could detect. Each one's apprehension grew, each having their respective reason, but it did make them wish the same thing: they wished they could get out of here.
Rouge kept flicking her eyes back and forth from her tracker to the darkness around. She tried to keep her mind and attention on the Chaos Emerald somewhere in this place, but the silence and the cold darkness kept distracting her. It didn't help that she had the feeling that they were not alone, and with more reports of the lights that seem to vanish when you're looking for them, seemingly pouring from Tails' mouth was just more fuel for the fire. Several times she found herself looking back into the darkness.
The further all traveled, the quieter and eerier it became. Sonic had now taken up the lead with Rouge, and Shadow and Knuckles took up the rear. Tails stayed in the middle. Subconsciously, the five had begun preparing for a resistance of some sort. No one wanted a fight, especially here, but they would not be caught unprepared.
Knuckles grew more and more worried. With no way to see and absolutely no knowledge of what prowls in a place like this, they were sitting ducks to whatever was stalking them. What was worse was that they couldn't do a thing about it. He felt the skin underneath his fur prickle into goose bumps. Was it physically getting colder, or was it just his imagination? If it was the latter, why was his skin bumpier then a rocky road?
"Sonic..." Tails whispered, although he might as well has spoken out loud, for that whisper shattered the silence like an expensive vase, causing everyone to jump a bit.
"What is it, little buddy?"
"I feel funny..."
"Funny?"
"I feel...cold."
Sonic blinked in the darkness, while the others side-eyed each other, not sure how to respond.
"Well, duh, it is cold in here! I'm not exactly baking here, kid," Sonic replied flippantly.
"No, Sonic!" Tails squeaked, but not angrily, but fearfully. "I feel cold...inside!"
Sonic blanched, all humor gone. This was something else all together. Sonic looked at the others, and gave a hand gesture to keep close. The blue hedgehog knelt down beside Tails, who had sunken to his knees and was clutching his heart. Gasping shallowly, the fox kneeled in a frozen position, eyes dilated and fur standing up on end as if it was charged on electricity.
"We can't stay here," Shadow said. "The sooner we move, the sooner we will get out of this hell."
"IF we get out of it, you mean..." Knuckles said.
Shadow shot a poisonous glare at Knuckles.
"Calm down, everyone," Rouge said. "It won't if we lose our heads!"
"Easy for you to say," Knuckles growled.
Rouge sniffed audibly.
"Cool it, everybody!" Sonic said. "We've got enough problems as it is, and it won't help us if you blockheads are getting anal about everything! Now can we--"
Sonic's voice was cut off when they heard something. It sounded like a deep breath.
"What was that!?" Knuckles exclaimed.
"Silence!" Shadow commanded.
"Where it's coming from?" Rouge couldn't help but breathe.
Sonic's eyes shot around like bullets, looking for the source of the noise. Another breath, deeper.
"Whatever it is...it is not friendly..." Sonic said.
"Wait! What was that over there!?" Knuckles exclaimed.
"What!?" Rouge exclaimed.
Knuckles couldn't find the words, but his eyes said everything.
In the darkness of the world, something was moving. No one could see it, but they could feel it. A fell wind descended on them like a blanket of evil, and everyone's hearts froze like stone. A scraping thump boomed through...then another...and another...followed by the deepest guttural growl that anybody had heard. It was followed by a sickening noise that sounded wet...slightly crackling. Another thump. Everyone looked around in the direction it came from. Another one, a different direction. There was more then one! A new noise, a wet slithering sounds...followed by hissing. A new noise. Wailing, as if it was the damned crying out for blood. The flapping of fabric in the wind flowed through the darkness, as if it was the darkness itself. The sheer din was enough to turn anyone's blood into ice.
Growls and wails erupted from everywhere. More were coming; it was if the gates of hell had opened up and was ready to devour them.
"Run!" Knuckles shouted at last.
All bolted, and in response came the most fell roar that any of them heard, surpassing Perfect Chaos and the Biolizard combined. No one knew where they were running, but if it was farther then the otherworldy roar then that was good enough. But the horde was after them, growling and roaring, footfalls drumming the earth like a timpani.
A roar to the left, the troupe veered hard right. A close growl to the right, and behind. The troupe veered hard left. The hounds were getting closer and more conniving.
A booming voice rumbled through the darkness. "You cannot hide…" The troupe didn't stop, but kept running. "…I see you…" Normally, Sonic would come back with a clever taunt, but the fear had clouded his head, so nothing he said would make sense. "There is no life…in the Void…only…DEATH!!"
A fresh wave of ice poured down everyone's spine, enough to petrify the strongest man, but their hearts were pumping pure adrenalin now.
"Tails! Knuckles! Grab a hold of my hands! I'm going to go supersonic!" Sonic cried out terrified. When he felt his two hands grabbed, he ran like he never ran. A drag then the ear-shattering boom told them he shattered the barrier. Chancing to look back, he saw the glow of two hoverskates gliding a short ways behind. Shadow and Rouge had done the same thing. Nothing could ever catch them! No demons could run THAT fast. Sonic felt a smile crack his face, partly from relief and from his ego.
A roar and a blast of hot air from in front brought all of them into a screeching halt. They were going too fast, so Sonic dug one foot down and pushed with the other, causing him to turn sharply one direction, and he began running again. Shadow and Rouge skidded and went the other way. That felt like they were about to run into a gargantuan mouth. Sonic's blood froze at the thought.
Shadow had doubled back and was twenty meters behind, but was closing the gap. Cold sweat was beading on Sonic's head and dripping into his eyes, causing him to blink. Were they ever going to get out of here!?
Sonic didn't see it coming, or even anticipate it, but something struck him squarely on the forehead, causing him to fall flat on his face. At his speed, his body skidded to a halt. Sonic lay senseless at the mercy of the horde.
"Sonic!" Tails cried out when he felt his hero sag. Picking himself up after the drag, he shook his fallen hero. "Sonic! Get up!" Knuckles stood erect, fist bared, but judging from the immense roaring and growling, me might as well have been bearing a single match. Sonic moaned; he wasn't unconscious, but he might as well have been. He was so dazed that he couldn't tell up from down.
Shadow skid to a halt, glanced at the fallen blue hedgehog, and around the crowd. Thinking quickly, he grasped the Green Chaos Emerald. "We need to buy more time!" He smashed the Emerald between his hands, and the growls and roars intensified. The Emerald began to glow hotly, until it was no longer green. Shadow's fur ignited in a yellow green fire, his spines waving from the rush of Chaos energy. Shadow glared at the darkness with all the malice that he bore in his heart, eyes burning like a forest ablaze. His hands slid off the Emerald, fingers pouring off like water, but the Chaos Emerald floated as if he was holding it with his mind, while tendrils of energy flowed over Shadow's body.
Many footfalls indicated that the horde drew closer for the kill, but Shadow was ready for them. His fingers curled into talons, rose into the air, and the Chaos Emerald followed, glowing white. It came to a stop just above his head, spinning like a vortex. Shadow's body shook as his body was forced to muster lethal amounts of Chaos energy, but his body could take it. He had died from overdose of Chaos energy, but he came back, a testament to his nature, and no demonic horde was going to scare him fron unleashing the ultimate power within him.
"Now, vermin," hissed Shadow. "behold the ultimate power!" Shadow's head snapped upwards. "Chaos…BLAST!!"
The Chaos Emerald detonated with a nuclear blast, shooting a devastating wave of energy that incinerated anything in its path. The roars and growls were replaced with screeches and cries so piercing that everyone clenched their heads from the pain. It felt like the scream came from inside from their own heads. The flash illuminated the area for only a heartbeat, showing fell clouds of darkness that hugged them like impending doom, but the horde was nowhere to be seen. The boom echoed with a roar through the fell landscape diminishing triumphantly.
Shadow collapsed on all fours, gasping like a drowning victim, and the Chaos Emerald, dimmed, dropped to the ground like an injured sparrow.
"Shadow!" Rouge cried out, and knelt beside him.
Sonic struggled to return to his feet, but only managed to get on his fours before the now throbbing knot on his head made him stop. "What the heck was that?"
Knuckles looked around, noticing that the fell din had ceased. "I think Shadow just exterminated hell."
Shadow's energy was returning in bursts, and he soon found the energy to stand. His head was buzzing from the intense amount of stress he had forced upon itself, but it was fading. He saw the Chaos Emerald, dimmed, but it too was re-gathering itself. It couldn't do anything for the meantime, however.
"Are they gone?" Rouge asked.
Shadow sniffed the air, glancing this way and that; Knuckles followed suit. Rouge glanced around herself, while Tails helped Sonic to his feet. Gingerly, Sonic rubbed the knot on his head. "Wow, whatever they were, they sure pack a wallop."
Tails, who still hadn't recovered from his adrenaline bath, hung close to Sonic. "Are they gone?" He said, repeating Rouge without thinking about it.
Before Sonic could answer, a breeze picked up and died, the kind of breeze that proceeds a huge storm. "I don't think so…" Shadow said.
The fell voice laughed, softly at first, but it increased into a deep mocking laugh. "You foolish mortals. You cannot hope to defeat pure evil, no matter how powerful you are!"
The growls and roars began to reemerge, growing in intensity, coming from all around. They were surrounded with no hope of escape. Sonic, Shadow and Knuckles dug their feet into the earth, ready for a fight, but in the deepest corner of their minds, this was a vain fight. They couldn't possibly fend off an entire demonic horde, not without all of the Chaos Emeralds, and they weren't even sure if that would help. Sonic wished dearly that his Super Emerald belt would work, but it hung lifeless around his waist. Shadow's Emerald was drained and wouldn't perform even a simple Chaos Control. They were on their own, and inevitably to them…for the last time.
Tails clenched his eyes tight, his soul crying out to anyone that would drive these monsters away and save them. Was there such a person? He hoped there was for all of their sakes. And in there was, he was going to cry out for help. If you can hear me, Tails thought in pure fear. Help us, please! Help us!
Suddenly, the air changed; everyone felt it, including the fell beasts, for their roars and growls disintegrated into snarls and hard-breathing, the kind of sounds of a frightened animal. The creatures, although invisible in the darkness, shifted and shuffled as if they were about to be spotted.
"What's going on?" Knuckles asked.
"Hell if I know," Shadow said.
Tails' and Rouge's ears perked. "Listen!" Both exclaimed in unison. "Do you hear that?" Rouge said.
The other three perked their ears to listen. They couldn't hear it at first over the new din from the horde, but whatever Tails and Rouge heard…it was getting louder. It sounded…like singing; indistinctly at first, but it soon captured a tongue.
Listen to my voice calling you
Calling you out of darkness
Hear the devils cry of sin
Always turn your back on him
The demons shifted, snarling at the disembodied voice, as if it was the force that purged the world of evil. Several shrieks erupted, trying to scare the voice off. The voice merely intensified.
With the wind you go and still
I dream of your spirit leading you back home
I will give my gifts to you
While you're gone and watching on
A piercing white light erupted above, stronger and harsher then the Chaos Emerald before. The five sheltered the eyes from the brilliance; it was like a star, and the fell creatures all shrieked in fear. Sonic shielded his eyes and cracked them open just a hair, morbidly curious to catch a glimpse of the fell fiends, but despite the light, he could still see the clouds of darkness blocking everything. The demons could feel it though, so it must be piercing it though. He thought he would never be this grateful to see light ever again.
The song continued on like the tolling bells of a church.
The light in your eyes
An angel of dark
Lighting to ease the shadows' sight
Hearts will grow, the heavens will play
Leaving behind the things in the end
The star shot out tendrils of its own energy into the darkness, and everyone could hear the shrieks of the damned as they were banished from the light that now battled the darkness. The din of the battle was over as quickly as it began, and while the star still sung, silence returned to the world.
Listen to my voice calling you
Calling you out of darkness
Hear the devils cry of sin
Always turn your back on him
On him
On him
On one final note, the song ended. The star dimmed, but was not extinguished. It fluttered down towards the fatigued troupe like a firefly. It slowed to a steady hovering at eye level. It spoke, with a most beautiful and soothing feminine voice.
"Brave travelers, peace to you," The light pulsed at each syllable, as if it spoke through the light as well as through sound. "I am Aurora, the Lightbearer. My task give to me by my Master, the Divine One, is to guide those lost in darkness to what they seek, for none enter the Land of the Shadow of Death pass through by their own power."
For everyone, they felt that this being was talking way over their heads. "What?" Sonic cut in, inquisitively. "What are you talking about?"
"It's quite simple, Sonic the Hedgehog." The being said, sounding as if it was smiling, then as an afterthought as he saw Sonic's blanched look, "Yes, I do know all of your names." It continued without missing a beat. "For those who ask for light in darkness, it is given to them as declared by my Master."
Tails perked up. Was his silent soul cry heard after all?
"Indeed, young one. The Divine One hears all things, even the silent cries of the frailest child without a voice. But we must not tarry; we must continue through this land in order for you to obtain what you seek. Come."
"What about those things out there?" Tails said, voicing what everyone was thinking.
"The Spectres cannot hurt you while you are in the presence of light; do not be afraid Tails, for He is with you. Now, come…"
Everyone looked at each other, confused beyond all reason. Who is this being, and what did he want, and why was he so eager to help them? Nothing ever would help them out like that without some ulterior motive…would they? It didn't make a lick of sense.
Tails looked after it at first, and then started following it. Sonic watched his little bro wander off after the light, and scratched his head. Shrugging, he followed as well. Knuckles' jaw was clenched from emotional conflict; he had learned not to trust anybody from the first impression (he had learned that from when Dr. Robotnik had lied to him about Sonic and Tails being after the Master Emerald nearly ten years before. But he was curious as well. Giving in, he followed Sonic and Tails. At least he wasn't alone in this, so he wouldn't feel nearly as foolish as he would if he acted on his own accord. Rouge watched as the three followed the light being, then glanced at Shadow, then followed herself. The quicker they could get out of this darkness, the better.
Shadow however was not convinced. The last time something flew out of nowhere, he was fooled into nearly overrunning Mobiüs with the Black Arms, and he wasn't about to let himself get suckered into something like that again. He was no longer an emotional amnesiac hedgehog; he was Shadow the Hedgehog. His logical side started pricking his pride. The others had already taken up the being's offer, and Sonic and Knuckles weren't fools, even though he found the former annoying. If the being betrayed them, they would fight, but it would be better if he went along to increase the odds of success. Exhaling in the darkness sharply, he strode to catch up with the troupe. This had better be worth it.
- - - - -
Silver had a fitful rest, for his brain was punishing him for any minute wasted not finding the Iblis Trigger. His entire night was broken by nightmares of his time and other places. He saw facing the Iblis Trigger, laughing maliciously as he unleashed Iblis, flames pouring up all around him. He saw himself wondering a land of utter darkness. He saw himself and Blaze fighting a human with a paranatural power, and whose sword seemed to split stones like paper. He saw himself carrying a sleeping human child through tunnels of water. He saw himself standing at the edge of an abyss, looking down at the flaming swirls of Iblis. Each dream seemed to pour one after the other, and his soul screamed that it would stop, when one dream came, he stood in a field of white, with nothing around. It wasn't until he walked some distance further when he came upon a pool, surrounded by amaranths. He had been here before in another dream…
"This just keeps getting freakier and freakier…" Silver said to himself aloud. He suddenly felt like something was placed in his hand. Looking, he saw the Talisman of Light was once again in his hand. He didn't remember holding it after dropping it while Blaze helped him to bed, and she had picked it up. So how did it get in his hand? Looking around to see who placed it in his hand, he saw no one standing around him. There was only him and the pond.
Something clicked in his mind; maybe it was curiosity, but he thought he should look closer at the pond. He wasn't sure why, for the pond was rather unremarkable, save for the fact where he was and it was surrounded by amaranth and was crystal clear, but it didn't look special…but…there was something about it…
He stepped closer, soon wading through the amaranths. There was no distinct shore for the pond, for the amaranth grew right into the water, so before Silver knew it, his feet had touched the water…and that's as far as his foot went. Silver was astonished; he was walking on the water. He dared to take a few more steps. The water rippled from each step, but he stood on top of the water as if it was glass instead of water.
"Weird…" Silver said. He could walk on water if he put his mind to it, literally, but he didn't have to use his psychokinesis to do this. It was doing it by itself. He had to know why. Fascinated, he reached down to touch the water.
Something changed. The water lit up like the sun, blinding Silver temporarily, but it soon faded into black. Silver was astonished and frightened, so much that he nearly darted out of the water, but something changed. The ripples from his footsteps became more pronounced. Not knowing what to do, he just stood there, awe-inspired at this turn of events.
Soon, another light, greenish in color erupted from the middle, deep beneath the surface. The ripples were affecting the light making Silver feel like he was looking at a light from beneath the surface of the water.
"Will you look into the mirror?" said a voice, causing Silver to jump nearly a foot in the air. Silver spun to meet his new company, but found it wasn't so now.
"You again?" Silver said. It was the she-Echidna, the peach-colored one with the tribal attire.
"Yes, it's me."
"Who are you?" Silver asked.
"You will know in time…" the girl said, and her answer slightly annoyed Silver. "Will you look?"
"Huh?"
"The ponds in the Promised Land. They enable us dwellers to see some places that we want to see, and sometimes even different times." The girl strode slowly towards the pond, and stop just short of it.
Silver looked at the now-darkened water with the shimmering light, then back to the girl. "Why can I stand on this water?"
"You're an outsider," she said. "Those not from the Promised Land cannot enter the waters because of impurities of their hearts, for everyone since the beginning of the worlds have tainted hearts. Only the Divine One can cleanse our hearts so we can enter the pools, for they are His pools. Like anything His, we must be purified before we can even touch it."
Silver looked at the water again, the ripples spreading from his feet. He stared intensely at it. Look into it? What did she mean? All he saw was the swaying light in the pool. "What am I looking for?" Silver asked the girl.
The girl smiled, but her eyes were serious. "Only you know that."
Another enigmatic answer. It was about to drive him nuts.
"Put your hand to the surface and open your mind," said the girl. "It will show you what you want to know."
Silver couldn't help but cock his head. Nothing is ever simple nowadays, is it? He looked back at the surface of the waters, and continued to stare. Touch the waters, huh? Well, he guessed it couldn't hurt. So he placed his hand on the surface.
As he had expected, he couldn't break the surface, but what he didn't expect was what he saw in the waters. The light changed; it expanded until he was seeing different images. Faces, places, times, all poured through his vision passing by his eyes like the pages of a book. Eventually, the images slowed and became more recognizable to Silver, and what he saw was shocking. First, he saw himself. His other self was turned away from him some, holding two glowing gems but surrounded by others. He seemed to be standing on a barren cliff-side on a bright sunny day. Silver watched as his other self turned his face towards the former, and Silver was shocked to see tears streaming down his face. The image quickly faded to show Blaze, pale and ghostly, drifting away into darkness. More faces, faces of those who took refuge with him from Iblis' wrath, but instead of scared and tired, they were energetic and happy, seeing the sun for the first time in their lives.
The images kept coming, and they began to burn into Silver's mind. Soon, he saw the Iblis Trigger, the one called Sonic, sprawled on the ground dead…no…murdered. Silver gasped. Would he be like that? Another face, human, dressed in black and armed to the teeth and while looking young, he seemed aged and tired, for his face was the picture of one who has seen too many battles. He saw the faces of Amy, Cream, Cheese and Tails, friends he has meet. They looked lost and scared. There was another human, a princess who looked like she was dying from heartbreak and sorrow. Silver could scarcely breathe. What was he seeing? Was a different future, one that he himself would write?
Without realizing it, his other hand had touched the surface, and instantly the images changed again…and grew darker. Darkness enveloped the world, both the past and present. Not like Iblis' darkness, but one far more sinister. Dark clouds billowed overhead and Silver could hear harsh breathing sounds. The image not only poured into his vision; it had poured into his mind. The darkness was consuming everything! Silver's heart pumped harder and his breathing grew into gasps. This was terrible! Make it stop! His mind pleaded to whoever could hear! Make it stop! Silver saw a fell clawed hand, not like Iblis' but of some other demon. He heard fell speech but could not understand it, but it sounded evil, very evil. The strings of Silver's soul were being plucked to play the song of fear, and he couldn't do anything. Soon, the voice called his name over and over. Silver wanted to hide! He couldn't face down that kind of evil! No one could! He heard himself crying "Stop it!" over and over, but they were drowned by the evil of the darkness.
Somehow, he managed to break eye contact with the images, and the sheer shock of it sent him flying back, and he landed on solid ground. He lay there, hyperventilating for any breath he could, wishing he could forget what he has bore witness to, but the images were still there, like a nightmare that would scar a child's innocence forever.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the room where Blaze had left him. Blaze herself was shaking Silver's shoulder in an attempt to wake Silver up.
"Silver!" Blaze cried out, slightly frightened by Silver's sudden change in behavior. "What happened?"
Silver lay there without answering. His experience was still fresh in his mind, but it didn't make a lick of sense to him, and so it wouldn't make any more sense to Blaze. Shaking his head, he heaved a heavy sigh. "Nothing, bad dream."
"It must've been a really bad one," said Blaze. "You were crying out in your sleep. You kept saying 'stop it.'"
Silver sat on the edge of the bed and heaved another sigh. "It was, but I don't to talk about it." Silver said, although it was a lie. He DID want to talk to Blaze about it, but it didn't even make sense.
"We need to get moving, Silver," continued Blaze. "You were out for nearly seven hours. It's almost daybreak."
Silver looked at Blaze. He was still physically exhausted, and the dream was no help, but the Iblis Trigger must be found and quickly. Wincing at stiffness in his limbs, he rose to a standing position. "Let's go."
Blaze nodded. "There are transports here. We can take one and we'll be back in the city sometime after dawn."
"Then let's go!" Silver said, mustering up his weakened enthusiasm.
Silver and Blaze left the cushy cell behind. Neither said anything as they made their way through the base and into a transport, but Silver's mind was full of images. One that continued to pop up was one of Sonic lying dead from being murdered. Silver hadn't thought about how he could handle a killing. Murder was one the worst crimes that anyone could commit, and normally, people were locked up for life or even killed themselves for murder. That didn't talk about the emotional trauma of taking a life. Silver has killed before, but those were soulless demons so those didn't count, but Sonic, the Iblis Trigger, had a soul. He wasn't that much different from anyone. Could Silver kill him? He wasn't sure he could handle the emotions and trauma. Maybe he should let Blaze do it, since she seems the most astute.
Murder was wrong, but don't the ends justify the means? Silver blinked in the darkness of the transport. He was back to where he was when Amy had confronted him about Sonic, and that was troubling enough. Now he was haunted by what he saw, and it was threatening to goad him into madness.
- - - - -
"Are you in yet, Espio?"
"No, no different than last time, and the answer will be the same when you ask the next dozen times."
Vector and Espio were hunched over a computer, recently purloined from one of Dr. Kintobor's freights. Earlier that day, the Chaotix (plus Cream since the Chaotix were "babysitting" her) had encountered Dr. Kintobor's freights and since their detective natures has a high-demanding curiosity, they broke into the crates to see what they could find. They found a bunch of custom-built computers, so they took a pair, thinking that Kintobor likely won't miss them. Now they were holed up in an abandoned warehouse and trying to do more research, and couldn't help but wonder at the power of these computers and how much they would go for on the markets.
With those computers, the Chaotix had carried on their investigations of Project Solaris and Dr. Kintobor after splitting up with Knuckles earlier the previous day. It was almost daybreak of the next morning, and the Chaotix were no closer to their goal as they were when they got here. The only compliant avenue was Dr. Kintobor, but even they the Chaotix could only milk so much out of his profiles and associations there with. What they really want to know about was Project Solaris. For a top-secret project, its name sure was broadcasted a lot. There HAD to be an explanation about what Project Solaris was.
While Espio and Vector were hovering around one computer, Mighty was hunched over another. He was trying a different approach to find out what Project Solaris was. Vector and Espio were trying a direct approach to find out what the project was, by breaking into the Kingdom Archives through the computer to find out what it is, while Might was just doing more research by looking up anything about it. It was slow and unrewarding, but one never knows what one might find in these past archives. Charmy wasn't doing anything except dozing with Cream and Cheese, snoozing quietly in a close corner of the warehouse, nonexistent to the rest of the hard-working Chaotix.
Mighty sipped another sip from his coffee; before cracking down on this machine, he had gone out to find some late-night coffee to keep the crew awake for the night, and it was great stuff. It kept them awake enough to do things as if it was daytime. Vector and Espio were arguing just like they would in the day too, Mighty thought with amusement.
Tapping a few more keys on his keyboard, Mighty lazily scrolled through any search result that came up with Project Solaris. Nothing interesting came up, although he noticed that it was mentioned in the paper several times by name, but there weren't any real details about what it was. The articles were from around fifteen years old. An idea came to him. Maybe if he kept looking at progressively more recent articles, he'd find something. Readjusting his search, he went from article to article from older to newer that mentioned Project Solaris in any fashion, hoping he'll find something.
Vector and Espio continue to quibble quietly about their own failed attempts to gather information on the Project, and Mighty tuned it out. They could argue up to Doomsday and they still wouldn't get into the protected site. Mighty had to sigh with exasperation at the two; sometimes Mighty wanted to club them in the head just the shut them up. If there wasn't a risk for severe skull fractures on their part from his blows, he would have done it a long time ago.
Mighty glanced at the screen again, and his violent fantasies flickered out. This article was from ten years ago, and it mentioned Project Solaris regularly. Mighty restarted from the beginning of the article, and the information was definitely fascinating…and revealing.
"Vector! Espio!" Mighty called out. "Shut up for a second and look at this!"
Vector and Espio looked up from their own work and at Mighty. A heartbeat later, they were crowding around Mighty's computer. Charmy, blinking in the light after being woken up from his sleep, had fluttered over as well. Yawning, he said, "What's up, fellas? Find something? You guys are making so much noise that I can't get a z in Edgewise."
No one answered, for their minds and eyes were locked on the computer screen, showing a ten-year-old article with the following headlines: The King is Dead, Heiress Injured in Accident.
That alone spurred the four to read on:
"His Royal Highness, King Argus I was killed in a tragic accident in the Royal Labs deep within the subterranean base underneath Soleanna, and his heiress and daughter, Princess Elise (6), was discovered outside the base against a tree unconscious. Argus was thirty-four at the time of his death. The King, the chief scientist of the Royal Science Guild, along with many other Guild Scientists was discovered dead after a colossal explosion erupted within the base. It has been reported that the explosion was called with a prototype of the esteemed Project Solaris had gone into overload and exploded. Further reports will be available as more information is made available by the House of Commons and the Office of the Prime Minister.
"Meanwhile, funeral preparations are being made to honor the prestigious reign of King Argus I. He will be laid to rest in the Hall of the Honored Dead where his wife and queen, Queen Elizabeth V whom had preceded him in death, lays. Princess Elise, heiress to the crown is in the Royal Hospital under close guard and observation. She has not yet regained consciousness but her recovery is promising. The House of Commons does not plan to hold elections to elect a noble family to the throne at this time. We will continue to report any progress in the Princess' recovery. The Royal Steward, Edgar Prius, will act as caretaker of the throne until Elise has matured to a level where she can sit as our monarch.
"That's sad," sighed Charmy. "The Princess lost her parents before she was even 7."
The Chaotix didn't say anything else, for there was no real need to. This happened ten years ago, but it was still a sad time to recollect through the archives of a newspaper. Mighty followed a link to a later article; it was a follow-up on the fate of Project Solaris and the continuing reports on Elise. taking place a few days later after the first article.
"Princess Elise has regained consciousness yesterday and is expected to make a full recovery. Steward Prius has broken the sad news of Her Grace's father's death. Our reporters caught up to Prius after he delivered the news. 'She's been very strong,' replied Prius to our question about Elise's reaction to the news. 'She keeps saying that she will be strong and won't cry, for her father himself said to never cry, no matter what happens. She will be a strong Queen for us when she is older, I am sure of it. It will be an honor to our king in life and in death.' Prius would not answer any questions regarding Elise or anything else.
"Meanwhile, the House of Commons has issued an interesting order to the Science Guild: cease and desist Project Solaris immediately, and rid of any knowledge of its existence. Doubtless stirred because of the tragedy of the king, the House of Commons has declared the Project as dangerous and cannot be continued in the risk that it will endanger the public. Coincidentally, the Science Guild had been discussing discontinuing the Project completely after losing their chief scientist and their king. Dr. Albus Kintobor, the chief curator of the project and one of the late King Argus' closest aides, has said to reporters, 'All traces of the Project had been destroyed by the same catastrophe that has taken our king and my friend from us. Nevertheless, I will see to it that any remaining remnants of the Project will be purged. The Guild will now seek new projects and will dedicate our first project to the memory of our King, Argus I.'
"The funeral procession for King Argus I was held today, despite rainy weather. King Argus was laid in the Hall of the Honored Dead with his queen, Elizabeth V. Steward Prius and Princess Elise headed the procession with heavy hearts but strong fervor. The citizens of Soleanna feel comforted at the Princess' strength. She will indeed be a strong Queen."
"So, Dr. Kintobor not only helped with the Project, but was tasked to destroy it." Vector said, absorbing the information.
"I don't buy it," Espio said bluntly. "Dr. Kintobor obviously lied about destroying it. He actually took the plans and eliminated the copies within the Archives so to all that look, Project Solaris never existed."
"I'm sure you're right, Espio," Mighty agreed.
"A subterranean base…" Vector thought aloud, scratching his chin. "Sounds like something to check out." The crocodile walked to the other computer, the others following, and redirected a search for the base. It didn't take long.
"Aha!" Vector exclaimed. "I found it! The Royal White Eagle Laboratory, located underneath the city!"
Espio looked over the search, and read the readouts. "Closed off to the public, now abandoned. The main passageway through the labs has collapsed and inaccessible."
"A laboratory like that wouldn't have just one passageway," Mighty said. "There must be alternate or a secret entrance or something."
Vector snapped his fingers. "I got it! Call it a hunch, but I doubt the king would go through the main passageway to get to the labs. What if…there was a passageway from inside the castle?"
"That's a long shot, Vector," Charmy said, feeling more awake at the prospect of a new discovery.
"But one worth checking out," said Mighty. He sat down at the computer and began to type. "I'm going to see if I can find any blueprints of this base."
Several minutes later and some hacking involved, they found both a cartograph and a blueprint of the base. Indeed there were several other entrance ways next to the main passageway, but they were looking just for one.
"Look! That one passageway in the back goes toward the castle!" Charmy exclaimed, pointing to the screen. "None of the other tunnels come even close!"
"Let's see if it actually does go to the castle," Espio cut in.
A few minutes later, they found that it indeed does go to the castle, but they couldn't see where in the castle it lies.
"What do you think, Vector?" Charmy asked.
"I want to see what is in that base," Vector said after a brief pause. "The remains of Project Solaris lie in that place, and I want to find out what it is, and what Kintobor wants with it."
"We only know where the one passageway goes to, but only one of us can go," Espio said matter-of-factly. "All four of us coming will draw too much attention. One of us can get into the palace, find the secret entrance and infiltrate the base…and I'm that one."
"Good thinking, Espio!" Vector said. "We'll use the comm-links, but we'll need to get that map for you."
"I have an idea!" Charmy said. "Remember that poker-chip card thing that Kintobor tossed to Knuckles?"
"Yeah," Espio said. "Your point?"
"Couldn't we like, you know, reprogram it to show the map?"
The other members of the Chaotix looked at Charmy, but none said anything right away. Then, Mighty spoke up. "It's a good idea, Charmy, but we don't even know how Kintobor's hologram disk works..."
"We can try though," Espio said. "but if that doesn't work, we'll have to try to make a hard copy."
"Ok, I'll try to get started on it," Mighty said, sighing not because of resignation but with determination. "but no guarantees."
"Let's get started," Vector said. "We got to hurry and find out what Dr. Kintobor is up to. I don't think we have a lot of time."
The Chaotix didn't respond, but there was a mutual agreement between them.
- - - - -
Sonic had to breathe, and that surprised him. How had he run the perimeters of the world that he had lived in for nearly two decades and not drawn nor craved the smallest lick of wind, but here in this evil realm of darkness, he sweats and breathes as if his life depended on it. He had to see if everyone else was feeling the same way, and a quick glance around verified that he wasn't the only one. In fact, his own weariness was mirrored in everyone's faces.
A voice from his side snapped him from his thoughts. "Sonic," said Tails. "I feel so tired."
Sonic couldn't blame him, and he could definitely tell by hearing Tails' voice, for it had the edge of fatigue. Before he could console his sidekick-slash-best-friend, the light guiding them through the darkness spoke in, "It is the nature of this world. Strangers who attempt to traverse this fell land experience the oppression of their very souls, so much that it can shatter ones mind and spirit, and that's just from the atmosphere of this land. Many have been lost simply trying to cross it because they become so drained that they cannot go on...only a guide can bring them out."
"Who would want to try to cross this crappy place?" Sonic said, hands outstretched to encompass the darkness.
"Most do it unwillingly," the light said matter-of-factly. "Very few descend into despair on their own will. Only those who want to traverse this land come down on their own will."
"Why the heck would they do that?" Sonic said.
"Only the Divine One knows."
It was Tails' turn. "The Divine One?"
"The Divine One is the creator of all things," the light said, and no one could miss the enthusiasm in her voice. "He created everything and takes care of even the smallest thing, even if everyone else deems it useless."
"Really?" Tails said, and he was inwardly surprised that the mention of the Divine One actually lifted his spirits.
"Indeed. He enjoys being with his people, those who admit that they cannot save themselves from evil, and plead to him for help and companionship."
"Wow..." Tails couldn't help but be amazed.
"You feel lighter, don't you?"
"What?" This question surprised Tails. "Lighter?"
"You feel that knowing about the Divine One relieves the oppression of this land from your heart and soul."
Tails blinked in the darkness; how did she know?
"It's a universal feeling of those who first know him. They feel like something was lifted off from their soul."
"So," Sonic cut in. "What exactly is this place?" He wasn't entirely comfortable of religious dogma. He had heard of some huge crackpots who do the religious deal.
Tails looked surprised at Sonic. He didn't expect him to interrupt a encouraging conversation like this.
"Oh!" For once, the light showed signs of humanity, for it acted surprised at Sonic as well. "Well...it's a physical representation of despair. Despair in our hearts is just like being wrapped in complete darkness. Eventually, it drains your very soul."
Sonic couldn't help but smirk, not in scorn but in agreement. He had been depressed before, and he did feel echoes of it when he was in here. Despair, huh? Despair was not something to laugh at, for it kills.
"Is there any hope for those who come here?" Tails had to ask, since they had come here on their own free will, although not knowing what was here.
"Very little. Unless someone intervenes, there is no hope for anyone who gets lost in their own despair. Very few enter despair...," the light paused, and when she spoke again, she sounded sorrowful. "...ever escape it."
Tails looked down, letting the answer sink in. He wasn't sure if he felt down because he pitied those who would never get out of here, or that there might not be hope for him.
"Aw, cheer up, T2," Sonic said, noticing Tails rainy expression. "We'll get out of here, as sure as my name is Sonic!"
"He is right," the light said. "I was sent to guide you out of here, so I will. As light vanquishes the darkness, the light of hope vanquishes the darkness of despair."
Now wasn't THAT the sappiest thing to say ever? Sonic thought with a smirk.
Shadow, Knuckles and Rouge couldn't help but overhear the previous conversation, but all three each had mutually decided to keep their own thoughts to their own respective selves.
Several more silent minutes past, each one of the troupe thinking about different things, when the light finally said, "We have arrived."
Almost on cue, the darkness retreated and light bathed the area, causing all the blink from the sudden increase of light. The light in fact wasn't all that bright, but compared to the darkness they were in for countless hours, it might as well have been the sun itself. When the five could finally opened their eyes again, they saw through their squinting eyes a huge lava cavern. The source of the light was a humungous lava lake right in front of them. The glow of the molten rock was enough to illuminate the cave, including the dark fog-like clouds that had hugged them mere moments before.
Something twinkled in the midst of the hot orange glow, something a cold blue. There it was: sitting on an outcrop of land into the magma lake, and it took only a few seconds of squinting at it to see what it is.
"Oh my..." Rouge said, her eyes lighting up brighter then the stars.
"Finally!" Knuckles said. "We found another Chaos Emerald!"
"This is where I leave you, my friends," the light said. "but be warned. Nothing is what it seems; tread with caution. Adieu..." And with that, the light left quickly, darting away like a shooting star.
"What the heck was she talking about?"Sonic said, his head slightly cocked to its side.
"Isn't it obvious?" Shadow said, a hint of disgust in his voice. "Approach the Chaos Emerald with caution."
"Where'd you get that?" Sonic said.
"The Chaos Emerald is sitting on that rocky outcrop, and on a rock that has an uncanny resemblance of a pedestal," Shadow said intellectually."That Chaos Emerald did not just happen to be there. It was placed there!"
"You mean that..." Knuckles started, but Shadow finished. "Yes, the Chaos Emerald was placed there as bait!"
"And we would have walked right into it too..." Sonic said. "Man, that was close..."
"Oh hell..." Knuckles suddenly said.
"What?" Sonic had to ask.
"Apparently, someone else didn't get the hint. Look!" Knuckles pointed towards the Chaos Emerald...and everyone looked. Sure enough, Rouge had not stuck around to hear the word of warning and was making a beeline for the Chaos Emerald.
Rouge chuckled lustfully, her visage basking in the cold blue light of the Emerald. "Ahaha, I found you my precious Chaos Emerald. You're mine now..." Unsuspecting of any trap, she reached out for the Emerald, her eyes shimmering in her greed.
"Don't touch it!" shouted the others in unison.
Rouge balked, but disaster struck regardless. A monstrous maw crashed in from underneath Rouge, threatening to swallow the Chaos Emerald and Rouge whole! And it would have too, if it wasn't for Shadow. Thinking fast, Shadow teleported and froze time with Chaos Control and snatched her out from what would have been a terrible way to die. When time restarted, Shadow and Rouge were back on solid ground and the maw closed on nothing but rock, magma and air. Rouge's eyes were dilated till they were almost all irises, and her blood was practically pure adrenaline from her near-death experience.
"Damn!" exclaimed Knuckles. "That thing ate the Chaos Emerald!"
The lava rose up in one place, the something burst through it, causing lava to rain from above. It was a serpentine beast, but it's head was the head of a dragon. Surrounding its head was an armored frill with six large spikes facing towards the maw.
Sonic blanched in recognition of the creature, and his eyes dilated plus his heart began to race at record speeds. "Holy crap! It's Iblis!"
"What?" said everyone.
"That's the demon I saw back in Soleanna...but it's...changed!"
The demon roared ferociously, making everyone brace themselves from the shockwave. The roar was so intense that stalactites broke off the cave ceiling and splashed into the lava. Now they floated around Iblis as if they were his attendants.
"We need to get the Emerald back," Shadow said authoritatively. "no matter what the cost!" Then Shadow charged straight for the demon. Sonic and Knuckles locked eyes, and either one could see each other's apprehension in the other's eyes, but both knew that Shadow was right. They followed Shadow onto the floating stalactites and attacked.
Shadow was estimating the distance between him and Iblis, and found it to be two-hundred feet. Two-hundred feet of lava. A straight forward attack was an exercise in futility. They had to draw him in somehow.
Iblis on the other hand was not waiting for an attack. Once again, his great maw opened up and he spewed out hundreds of fireballs, launching them at breakneck speeds at his assailants. Shadow barely had enough time to retaliate with Chaos Spear bolts to deflect the attack, but some still got through! All three scattered from the fiery attack, and each fireball burst like artillery shells as they smashed into the floating stalactites.
"Damn," Knuckles swore again. "How are we going to get close?"
"We draw him in!" Shadow said. "We need to draw him in closer so we can attack."
"How?" Sonic said.
"I'm working on it!" Shadow said, his frustration not veiled.
Iblis roared again, causing all three to brace themselves. When they recovered, they saw Iblis dive backwards into the lava, completely disappearing from sight.
"So much for that idea," Knuckles said dryly.
Sonic stared at the point where Iblis had vanished, and wondering what was he up to. Shadow on the other hand was on alert. In battle, his senses sharpened gloriously to the point he could detect the slightest change of the air. It saved his hide countless times. And this was no exception. Something was wrong. His instincts were screaming at him to move. Suddenly, he heard a change in the lava flow deep beneath the surface, and his eyes widened a fraction. Iblis was attacking from beneath! "Scatter!" Shadow cried out.
It was more rare then a blue moon to hear Shadow cry out, and it thus startled Sonic and Knuckles so much that they obeyed the order without hesitation. It saved their lives. One half-second later, Iblis came crashing up from below like a sea monster biting a ship in half. Iblis dove forward again into the lava ad disappeared again!
"Whoa!" Sonic said, eyes dilated. They were almost hamburger!
Iblis resurfaced again hundreds of feet away, and glowered down at them, obviously disappointed for not scoring a meal. Roaring again, he threw out hundreds of fireballs at the three.
"We can't keep doing this!" Knuckles exclaimed. He can pound us until Doomsday right now and we still won't be able to hurt him!"
"Tell me something I don't know!" Sonic said.
Shadow was thinking furiously. Iblis could move like lightning in the lava. In order any attack to be fruitful, they had to slow him down somehow. There was Chaos Control, but it wouldn't do much good that far away.
To a degree, Sonic was thinking the same thing, except with a Power Ring. Ever since he was separated from Uncle Chuck when Dr. Robotnik, he kept that ring with him, as both for fighting and to remember whom he was fighting for. That ring sat in his glove, and Sonic knew he needed it to fight this thing, but how?
Iblis did a strange squat, and leaped forward, maw opened, intending to crush them with his own mass. Sonic and Knuckles scattered, but Shadow stayed. This is it!
"Chaos Control!"
Shadow slowed time to a crawl, and with it, he could study Iblis with bought time. Up close now, he could see in detail the three eyes on Iblis' face. Shadow mildly kicked at the armor, and found it harder then stone. There was no way they could break that. But the eyes...
Time restarted before Shadow could have a chance at the eyes. Iblis dove into the rocks and lava not even realizing that someone had probed him.
Shadow barely had escaped but he felt that close save. He was on his hands and knees. The air from Iblis' dive was in turmoil, creating a pillow of air that buffeted anyone that came close.
"Shadow, are you all right!?" Sonic said, rushing to Shadow.
"I'm fine," Shadow growled. "His armor is too thick for any of our attacks," he continued. "We need to go for the eyes...or the inside of his mouth."
Sonic grimaced. "Count me out of the boca. We'll hit the eyes."
"The feeling is mutual," Knuckles said.
Iblis resurfaced somewhat closer this time. Apparently, the failure to land a blow from his attackers made him cocky. He was now only fifty feet away.
Sonic took a chance. Hopping from rock to rock, faster and faster, he charged at Iblis with a cry. Iblis turned to face him mouth open wide. Sonic, thinking fast, grabbed one of the sharp teeth, swung himself around and off onto the frill. Leaping off of it and upwards, he curled into a ball and cannoned into Iblis' left eye.
Iblis roared furiously, and Sonic leaped away. Iblis dived backwards into the lava again. The blue hedgehog landed back onto a stalactite, and shuffled his feet. The brief landing on Iblis' frill heated up his shoes and he was sure the leather had melted a bit. Plus he patted out his spines, because he felt singed from Iblis' fiery hot breath.
"Geez, that's something I don't want to repeat," Sonic said, shaking out his quills. "but he can't take blows to his eyes."
"Perfect," Shadow said. "Now we can clean up this mess..." With that, Shadow teleported away. Iblis resurfaced farther away, but it didn't do him much good. Shadow reappeared one hundred feet above Iblis' head and he dropped like a stone into Iblis' face and into his right eye. Iblis roared ferociously again, and Shadow teleported away. He reappeared back on a stalactite.
"Showoff," Sonic jeered. Hurting Iblis brought back some of his sunny attitude, and his outlook was brighter.
Iblis was furious now. His attackers have managed to inflict damage, even from farther out! It was like with those pestilent creatures on the surface. They always found a way to defeat him over and over! Why!?
Sonic stood stock still, tossing his Power Ring up and down in his hand. If Iblis charged again, he had a plan to knock him silly. He didn't have to wait long, for Iblis charged. He skimmed along the surface at such speeds that lava was sent high up in the air.
Sonic chuckled. "So, he wants a close-up, huh? I got one for him!" Sonic slammed the Power Ring around his finger. His fur lit up, becoming a pale blue and his spines perked up slightly. The soles of his shoes lit up like floodlights (for if you recall, the shoes Sonic bought during the Perfect Chaos event had a special touch with Power Rings), and grinned. He jumped into a spindash and charged at breakneck speeds at the bulldozing Iblis.
With a sharp clash, they collided. The mass and speed of Iblis counteracted Sonic's Mach 2 speed almost exactly, so that they were now locked in "head-to-head" war. Neither could budge from their spots. Sonic was grinding at Iblis's frill, holding him back, and because of the rock-hard armor, sparks flew around like a hot hammer striking an anvil.
Knuckles and Shadow saw their opportunity, and thanks to Shadow's Chaos Control, they both came to the aid of Sonic and smashed into the green eyes of Iblis, Shadow spindashing, and Knuckles diving in fists first. There was a burst of aqueous humor on either side, and all three kicked away from Iblis.
Iblis was furious and in hideous pain, for now he was blinded in two of his eyes. He could only see in his center eye now, but it was pupil-less and he could only see somewhat with it. All he could see now was light, but not shapes. Those pests blinded him! He will devour their corpses for that!
Iblis roared again, and showered out more fireballs, but because of his blindness, they were very scattered, and Sonic, Knuckles and Shadow had no problems dodging them.
Shadow was a fast learner, and his experience in combat blessed him with quick analyzation of enemies' tactics and weakness. The scatter shot plus Iblis' swaying told Shadow that he was blinded, and that he was weak enough to finally be destroyed.
But they still haven't discovered his mortal weakness. He was armored from head to tail and Sonic demonstrated that even energized with energy, it wouldn't break. That left inside him, but that was suicidal, since Iblis' core had to be well over four-hundred degrees Centigrade due to its species. Chaos Spear might do it, but it might not get close enough.
Still, Shadow decided to risk it. Time to draw him in. His central eye was still intact; maybe he could still see light.
Shadow set his plan into motion immediately. He teleported back to solid ground, and looked at Iblis. The Chaos Emerald wasn't bright enough, but igniting it would be more then enough.
"Chaos Light!" Shadow said, and at one the the Chaos Emerald began to shine brightly, so brightly that the Chaos Emerald shown white instead of green. Green light bathed the cavern as if it was a green sun. The others couldn't help but blink from the sudden burst of light.
"What the heck is he doing!?" Knuckles said.
"No idea," Sonic said, then thought, but it must be a good idea.
Iblis winced from the light at first, but soon determined that it was showing where one of his attackers was. Time to die, wee one! Iblis dived straight for where the light was most intense. It completely blinded him, but if it meant destroying one of those pests, then so be it.
Shadow stayed put, waiting for Iblis. He was great at instantaneous calculations and therefore a simple game of chicken was nothing. He was waiting for Iblis to get just close enough. If he went too early, Iblis might check himself and therefore land on his side then on his head. Too late, and Shadow would obviously be crushed.
When Iblis came within fifty feet, Shadow teleported away. One half-second later, there was a bone-crushing crunch and a resounding crash as Iblis smacked head-first into the solid ground at the edge of the lake. Parts of his head armor cracked and flew off from the sheer impact.
Sonic and Knuckles saw the entire thing, and thinking quickly advanced. Shadow was already on the attack, hurling Chaos Spear after Chaos Spear at Iblis' partially revealed mouth and face, but although each round struck home, it didn't seem to do much damage. Even now with Sonic and Knuckles lending their own blows, nothing was piercing through!
Something white fluttered in, and spun feet first right into Iblis' third eye. Iblis roared with pain, and then all three saw something tossed into its maw. All had to look to see who it was who attacked. It was Rouge!
"Hi, boys," she said in her usual tone. "You boys might want to step back." She held up something in her hands, that looked like a detonator. All three obliged at once.
Iblis was beginning to come out of his stupor, and roared intensely. He could not be killed! They would see! They would see!
"Now now, big boy," Rouge said, "that's no way to talk to a lady." Rouge pressed a button on the detonator.
There was a dull whomp deep within Iblis, and the demon screeched, causing all to wince from the noise, for it seemed to rip the air apart. Iblis thrashed around like a chicken with its head cut off. All retreated a safe distance from the dying demon, for it was going through violent death throws. Finally, with one last screech, it slammed back down into the earth and lay still, its eyes dimmed into black balls.
All panted from their intense battle, and continued to watch mystified as Iblis had one final act in his death. His body melted into ashed and blew away in the wind. As the ashes blew away, the Light Blue Chaos Emerald is revealed in the ashes, glowing coldly in the hot ashes.
"Way past cool!" Sonic cried out. "Nice work, team! Now we can get back in the past!" Sonic scooped up the Chaos Emerald and held it up as if it was a war trophy.
"Yes," Shadow said. "but I will need your help, Sonic, for this takes two people and two Chaos Controls to create the portal." Shadow continued to explain. "We need to initiate a simultaneous Chaos Control in the same area. The sudden flux of time-altering energy might be enough to create a tear in the time-space continuum."
Sonic blinked incomprehensibly. "Ok...what do we do in English?"
Tails translated. "Do a Chaos Control the same time Shadow does when you stand next to each other."
"Oh," Sonic said, the light going on in his brain. "Why didn't he say so?"
Shadow sighed exasperatingly, but continued. "Sonic, in order to do this, we must concentrate on the same place and the same time. We must synchronize our thoughts or this will not work."
"Gotcha," Sonic said with a wink. "How 'bout..." Sonic stroked his chin in thought. "...the clock tower in New Town? 8:00 AM? The second day after the Festival?" That puts us the morning after we disappeared, he thought.
Shadow nodded. "Now concentrate on that place, time and day."
Sonic nodded, and held his Emerald tightly. The rest watched as Sonic and Shadow seemed to have a stare-down, but they were really concentrating on one place, one time, one day. That had to take serious concentration.
Shadow made a slight nod. It was time.
"Chaos Control!" both Shadow and Sonic said in unison, lifting their Emeralds up high, almost touching. The Emeralds shown brightly, and all could hear a high ring coming from them, clear and concise. Suddenly, the light dimmed, and all felt a breeze pick up. All looked to see where the wind was going, and saw that a blue and white portal was now opened, spinning inwardly.
"Wow," Tails said, admiring the wormhole.
"Sure is a pretty gem," Rouge said. "Sad that it not a gem."
"It won't last," Shadow said. "The continuum will close soon."
"Point taken, Shads," Sonic said and leapt into the vortex. "Tally-ho!"
Tails was quick to follow, as well as Knuckles. Rouge fluttered up to it, turned to Shadow, winked then backed into the portal, smiling like a movie star at the Academy Awards.
Shadow took a step towards the portal, when something caught his eye. To his right a fair distance was a single burning flame, hardly bigger then a torch's flame, and fluttering around it was a dark purplish cloud, much like the clouds of darkness that traversed some time before.
Suddenly, the cloud rested near the flame, and out of it grew a dark shape. Quickly taking form, Shadow recognized it.
Mephiles.
Mephiles looked at the flame, almost consolingly as if he was a mother of a little child that got a little scratch. Shortly, he turned and locked eyes with Shadow. After a brief stare-down, Mephiles floated away. Shadow did not hesitate; he sped after him, intent on finding answers, unaware that the portal had shut fast behind him.
