And now, at last, the finale of The Shining Seventh! It's been fun writing this story, I won't lie. Hard, but fun. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as well, and stick around for what I hope will be many more stories to come.

The Shining Seventh

Chapter Four: Eternal Blood and Regret

I returned to consciousness slowly, feeling myself swimming up from the pitch-black depths to return to the world of light. At first I could see nothing, but eventually a miniscule sparkle blinked into existence, and as I traversed toward that it slowly but surely began to intensify, more and more until finally it engulfed me entirely...

And then I could feel the hot sand on my back. The sun, bright as ever, seared my eyes when I opened them, and the pain was enough to jolt me from a semi-awake state to being fully awake. Pain really is a great way to get someone up fast. I pulled myself into a sitting position, and then from there I was able to stand back up.

Or at least I tried to stand up, but as I was rising to my feet I suddenly lost my balance and fell forward onto my hands and knees. After recovering from the surprise I tried once more to get up, but then fell over once more. It took two more tries after that to stand successfully, and even then I felt as though one wrong shifting of my weight would send me sprawling once again.

Of course, I knew why this was the case. Just as I had changed from Altheuman to Zeti one long century ago, I had just recently changed once more to something else, the shape of which I was not aware of at present. I wasn't sure how long I had been out. Judging by the sun it was sometime in the morning, and it had previously been midday, so I had been out for at least a little less than a day... maybe even longer.

But there would be more time to investigate that in a while. First I had to see what new shape my body had taken on, as much as the thought terrified me. The ocean's waters would provide a convenient mirror for that purpose. I already knew that my body felt much thicker than it was as a Zeti; my legs, arms, and torso had all widened considerably, and yet my head had not changed, granting my body a more naturally proportioned structure. My hands, which had previously borne sharp talons, were now free of them; my fingers were now rounded and less threatening. My feet were smaller but wider and no longer possessed the two spurs, and rather than being two-toed they now each resembled a paw. My bare body was lightly sinewy with muscle, and covered head to toe with short, white fur.

I couldn't help but feel as though it was all too familiar...

I tried to take a step toward the ocean, but being unaccustomed to my new body, I fell back down onto the ground. Unsure of my ability to stand again, I instead crawled over to the edge of the crystal waters. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths to calm myself, even a little.

One.

Two.

Three.

My eyes snapped open, and I lowered my face to the water.

And I stared at what I saw.

…

Tears started to well up in my eyes. The face I saw was mine. Not the face of Zenta, but my face.

Mine.

Alken.

I had been reborn once again, into my true body, the one I had been stripped of a century ago. It hadn't changed one bit. It was still the same body, with the same hazel eyes, the same unkempt mop of cyan hair, the same face. Not one thing was different than it was one hundred years ago. My curse had been broken at last.

For the first time in one hundred years, I began to cry. But these were not broken tears or sorrowful tears, the ones that I used to cry. These were tears of mirth. I cried for the body I had once called mine, and that I had at last reclaimed. For the hate that had plagued me for a century, and that I was finally freed from. But mostly, I cried for the hope I that had relit within me. If I had been saved, then it meant that the others could be saved as well.

Demio could be saved.

Wiping my tears with my arm, I turned and began to run, all the way back to the home I had shared with all of the others. Demio had to know about this. More than anything I had ever wanted before, I wanted to help him now. At last I could help him. We could start again.

…

The scenery sped by me in a blur as I raced across the landscape. I slid through the frozen mountains with ease, as I had done countless times prior, and weaved through the thick foliage of the forest without effort; I daresay I could have done it all with my eyes closed. In what felt like moments I was in the midst of the midair ruins, even though that place was easily over an hour from the beach.

My mind was moving at light-speed. What would Demio say when he saw me? What would he do? Would he be happy? I can't imagine he wouldn't be. How would the others react? Should they be told about it? Of course they'd probably find out eventually, but would it matter? One hundred years of living with these people had shown me that they were not good people – even if they knew they could become what they had once been, they may not have the capability... or the desire.

But it didn't matter. Neither did any of them. Only Demio mattered. Until I got to him, until I showed him my reborn body and reignited his hope, nothing else mattered. Not even myself.

And funny I should say that about that moment, because considering what happened next I really, really shouldn't.

WHIZZZ-BAM!

I whirled about in alarm to find the source of the explosion, but doing so caused me to stumble and I fell down hard on my left shoulder. Wincing in pain, I stood up clenching my arm and turned in all directions but could find nothing. Hesitantly, I began to walk once again, but within seconds:

WHIZZZZZ-

That time I caught it out of the corner of my eye; a large golden cannonball shooting straight at me. A quick flip carried me out of harm's way, and the sphere crashed into a white stone pillar, destroying it in a loud explosion. Landing deftly on my feet, I dropped to a crouch, ready to spring again at a moment's notice.

"Damn it, you weren't supposed to dodge that."

Shocked, I quickly turned to the right to follow the voice's source, and my eyes met-

"Zor?"

The smaller, gloomy Zeti was sitting higher up on an overhanging balcony, staring at me with his usual forlorn look.

"Yeah, what?" He replied with a great deal of effort.

There was an audible pause as we both just stared at each other. No one said anything for almost ten minutes. I swear it was the longest time anyone had not talked, ever. I was the one who snapped first.

"What the hell were you doing?!" I yelled at him.

Zor just groaned. "You still don't get it. I swear, it hurts to have to talk to you... then again, it hurts me to do anything, so I guess it's nothing new." He shrugged, then slid off the balcony, landing a good twenty feet away from me. "See, we've all been keeping an eye on you ever since the six of us got to this hellhole."

I blinked. "Keeping an eye on me? And who's we?"

"All of us, you idiotic boy," Another voice spoke up from behind me. I spun quickly to see Master Zik standing on my other side, staff pointed at the ready. "Ever since the get-go. Even I was persuaded to take time out of my days to make sure you didn't do anything... rash."

My head started to hurt. They were watching me? All of them? Even... even Demio?

No, I couldn't think like that, not now. "What do you all care about me?" I replied, trying to sound defiant. "Last I checked, you couldn't stand the sight of me? Why the change of heart?"

"Oh, don't be so naïve. It's annoying." The reply came from my right. There stood Zeena, only partially paying any attention to me while the rest of her focus was on her nails as always. "We're not doing this because we careabout you. We're doing it because you're dangerous." At that she snapped her head up and leered at me. "I mean, look at yourself! I'll admit you used to be, eh, kinda cute, but then you just had to go and ruin it all! And what if the top brass sees you like this? We can't have him just giving up on getting a little revenge just 'cause of his stupid little brother!"

"That's right!" Zazz shrieked suddenly from my left; I hadn't noticed him before. "There's a big world down below for the taking, but as long as you're around Zavok's too soft to try anything! But if we kill you, then there's nothing left to stand in his way, which means there's nothing in our way either!" He finished, laughing a horrible, screeching laugh.

I wasn't really surprised at all of this – if anything I'd been expecting something like it for a good while – but it still caught me off guard. I'd gotten careless, figured that just because they were leaving me alone meant they weren't keeping me in mind. Clearly I'd been foolish, because now they'd gotten me boxed in on all sides, and if I didn't do something and fast, they were gonna smear me across the ground, all five of them.

Hang on, five? Something was wrong. Quickly recounting, I noticed only four; Zomom was missing. Of course, Zomom was probably off somewhere doing his own thing. He was never much of a team player. None of them were.

But then again, even if they weren't team players, they apparently hated me enough and thought me enough of a risk to band together and take me out as a group. They weren't leaving anything to chance. So where was Zomom? They wouldn't dare risk him ruining this, right?

Unless...

Grinning, I tried to sound tough. "Y'know, I think you guys got your numbers wrong."

"How so?" Zeena asked, looking somewhat surprised. Guess she wasn't counting on me staying so cool.

"You said you were all keeping an eye on me. All of you," I repeated, smirking as cockily as possible. "But you're missing a man. Where's Zomom? Too chicken to join in?"

"Not quite," Zik answered. "In fact, I think he'll be here right... about... NOW!"

On his last word I rocketed away, igniting my magic for a little speed boost. Good timing too, because the instant I moved, a large round shadow began to descend where I once was, followed quickly by something very large and very, very heavy smashing into that point. Stopping a distance away, I turned around to confirm that yes, it was Zomom. He'd belly-flopped right onto where I'd once been so hard that the ground actually rippled from the impact. On the plus side, it also sent the other Zeti flying, and from the looks of it, they all hit the ground pretty hard.

Quickly, I ran through my list of options, and it came swiftly down to two; run or fight. It was an easy decision.

I turned and ran as fast as I could. I had to get to Demio. No time for fighting.

I was going to make it. I had to. There was no other option for me.

I had to...

And then something burst out of my chest.

It happened so fast I didn't even realize it for almost a minute. Out of nowhere I felt a sharp pain in my upper back, and then my entire body went numb. My vision started to blur, and I felt weak; how I could still stand was beyond me. My hand reflexively flew to my chest and met something long, hard, and wet. My head could barely move, but I was able to look down just enough to see.

It was a staff. Master Zik's staff, jutting from my chest like a lance.

And it was completely soaked with my blood.

My brain, trapped in the shock of pain, was refusing to give commands or even form ideas – I literally couldn't think. I couldn't even move. Yet somehow my magic ignited on its own, and I could feel it flow to my pierced chest and try to heal the damage as best as it could. Mending my bones, stitching up my muscles and reconnecting my severed arteries even as blood continued to gush down my chest and stomach.

And then I started to feel pain again. The pain of not only having a long wooden spear thrust through my chest but also the pain of being healed. I could feel my bones being forced back into position, my torn muscles re-sewn by invisible hands, and my skin desperately trying to reform itself around the spear that jutted from my chest. The pain was indescribable.

Almost immediately my mind gave out completely, and I blacked out.

Demio...

This is all my fault.

I was just a kid. So stupid. So naïve.

That day, one hundred years ago, I didn't care about how you felt, about your opinions on the matter. All I cared about was satisfying my juvenile curiosity.

If I hadn't followed you, Mr. Ledale would never have followed me, and you would have gone undiscovered. Maybe you would have decided on your own to give up on you'd been doing, and everything would've gone back to normal. We could've been a family again.

And now, I've lost my chance to atone. At my moment of greatest hope, the hope of once more seeing Demio, the brother I'd lost, and not Zavok, the demon tyrant, I'd been killed off by people I never even saw coming.

I understand, Demio. This is my punishment. To have hope taken from me, and replaced by so much of this wretched despair. An ocean of emptiness and self-loathing swirls within me now, and I lay upon its floor.

It's all what I deserve.

Goodbye... my beloved brother...

It's been a while since that day.

When I awoke from a sleep even deeper than death, a sleep that I still can't understand how I was roused from it, I was somewhere... new. I didn't understand it at the time, but it was no place on Lost Hex. It was below, on the world I didn't even know existed. The others had thrown me over the side to dispose of me, to ensure Demio would never find the body. I was completely alone.

But by some miracle of the gods, I was not that way for long. I was discovered two days later by a strange blue hedgehog by the name of 'Sonic.' He was a brusque, cocky fellow, but I couldn't help but come to like him. While we were talking I mentioned the Zeti, and he got really surprised. Turns out he'd been there fairly recently, chasing somebody he called 'Eggman.'

And he'd seen the Zeti. Fought them. Even Demio. And as far as he believed, they were dead.

When he said that, I lost it. Right then and there I broke down, a flood of tears cascading down my face like a great waterfall. He was surprised at that, but he didn't leave as I thought he would. Instead, he stayed. When I finally calmed down, I explained everything to him. My entire story, from the day I was saddled with my curse to the day I drew what I believed would be my final breaths. He was stunned at all I had been through, and horrified when I told him Zavok had once been my brother.

When I finished, he said that if I had nowhere else to go I could come with him. I won't deny that I was angry at first. My brother's murderer, asking me to go with him? When he knew the pain I had felt? Of course it didn't last. Sonic didn't know the truth at the time. He was fighting to protect the world he loved – this world. Would I still be alive if he had failed?

So I did go with him. My body was very weak, and in fact still is, so it was a slow journey, but in time we made it. He introduced me to his friends – a genius fox named Tails, a hardheaded but loyal echidna named Knuckles, and a friendly, caring pink hedgehog named Amy. They were all so welcoming, and I slid into the group as if I had always belonged.

I've been spending lots of time with them, especially Tails. When he learned I hailed from another dimension he was amazed, and asked me if he could talk with me and run some experiments. I was disinterested, and maybe a little insulted, until he told me that he hoped to find my home dimension from it all. I agreed in a heartbeat then.

Why? Honestly, because I want to go back. It has a lot of painful memories for me, and the thought of returning terrifies me, but there's so much more there that I love with all my life. I have too many joyful memories to stay away from it. And I want to see if the people I love – my father, Mr. Ledale, and all the others – are still alive. I want to see what's happened to them.

I haven't returned to Lost Hex either, but I intend to one day. I want to return to the forest and walk blindly through the foliage like I used to. I want to climb the mountains and see the auroras twinkling in the sky. I want to run through the lush, green fields and feel the wind brushing gently on my face.

And most of all, I want to look for Demio. I know what Sonic said, but even so I can't truly surrender hope until I know for myself that Demio is forever lost. I don't care about the other five, but if Demio is still alive then I have no choice but to return. Not as a Zeti, but as an Altheuman. The way it should be.

And that's all she wrote. Don't worry, it's quite over yet - I'm planning a separate epilogue for this story, which should be up in a few days (hopefully). Until then, please leave a review on the way out.

Tomorrow's Hero, signing out.