Chapter Two: His Concern
Two nights now, and counting, that he hadn't slept a wink, and yet for the first time in years he'd never felt so awake and alive before. He had paced every inch of the city's hospital, subconsciously taking in its every nook and cranny in an attempt to keep his mind off of the one room that he couldn't step foot in.
Blaze had been in the Urgent Care section of the hospital now for exactly forty-six hours, forty minutes and thirteen seconds…and yes, it seemed like in the back of his mind, he was counting each and every single second in pure agony. He knew he was harassing the already overworked doctors and nurses asking about her condition at every turn, but they seemed to humor him; sometimes, being regarded as the one who helped save the world had its advantages.
But I wasn't the one who saved it…she deserves so much more of the credit…she's the one who deserves to be idolized, and happy…
His mind was in chaos from a constant barrage of utter bliss that she had returned, and also horror at the condition that she had come back to him in. The true extent of her wounds had come to light very quickly once he'd brought her here and the physicians had taken a close look at her. They said her body was almost entirely covered in old burn scars, layers of them, as though she'd been incinerated to an inch of her life over and over again only for her skin and nerves to agonizingly regenerate each time again.
The very thought of her suffering made him ill; he hadn't eaten a thing since he'd brought her here and yet sometimes he found himself dry heaving a bit as he worried for her, and mourned for her pain.
Even now he was continuously walking and sometimes levitating laps around the exterior hallways of the hospital, when suddenly he froze as a hoarse and sharp voice suddenly called out to him from behind him.
"You're not going to help anything or anyone making a rut in the linoleum, boy…"
Silver felt his stomach churn slightly as he turned, though it was quickly swept with relief as he saw Edmund standing in the illumination of the elevator at the end of the hallway. Forgetting about every single instance that the elderly echidna had left a painful bump on his head, he all but tackled his old mentor to the hard tile floor. He hadn't seen him now in almost four years; ever since a new city had begun to spring up on Onyx Island amidst the scattered remainders of the echidna population, the old man had found himself a new purpose in guiding them.
Normally such affection would have earned him an especially strong wallop, but surprisingly, he felt Edmund's hand on his back, a faint tremble of age emanating from it. "Now now, you're a bit old for that aren't you?"
"I'm just glad to see you…but…what are you doing here? I didn't think you'd leave Onyx Island for about anything ever since Natum Albion began to spring up there…"
"Normally, you couldn't pry me from there..but I'd heard that our world has a new guest…" his voice was grim, which made Silver bristle a bit with worry, though he tried to calm it.
"Y-yes…my…my old friend, Blaze, the one who sealed the spirit of Iblis inside of her…" he sighed. "I didn't want her to leave, when she did…but we…we couldn't find another way to remove Iblis from our world…"
Edmund nodded, albeit gravely, glimpsing down the winding hallway towards the eerily quiet Urgent Care center. "Word travels quickly…her sacrifice has been praised, Silver…but the citizens are already fearful now that she has returned…"
Silver paused, then stared at him a bit incredulously as the echidna hobbled towards the window, looking down the numerous stories below to the relatively bustling city below, which was illuminated in the post-dusk twilight. "What…what do you mean fearful? Blaze's sacrifice is what made this entire world possible, how could they believe something so…so idiotic…!"
"They are not incorrect, boy…"
Something in Silver made him feel like he was rooted to the floor, something in Edmund's tone. It had that same serious edge, but with a more sorrowful undertone that Silver couldn't remember ever hearing from him before. "What…what do you mean…?"
"The demon Iblis is still inside of her, Silver…and judging by the condition that she's in …that creature has already overpowered her will to keep it contained. There's no doubt in my mind that she's already lost herself at times to it…and now she's here. Our world is still beyond fragile right now, Silver…her presence here could easily bring it straight back to the way it was before."
He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt angry, defensive, on edge…though miraculously he kept it under wraps.
"That's a load of bullshit…" he spat under his breath; he cursed pretty infrequently, but had no qualms with it when the situation called for it. "Blaze is the only reason that this world is inhabitable and at peace again. How could they say such things about her?! She gave up everything that she had to help Mobius and this is the thanks that she receives?!"
He couldn't help his powers flaring up a bit as he half-shouted this, causing the fluorescent lights overhead to flicker and suddenly die, and a few of them to burst violently; Edmund regarded him coldly, with a sharp glint in his eyes.
"Your powers are still slave to those emotions and that temperament of yours, boy…" he snarled at him a bit. "And so is your judgment…the girl is to be praised, and I will defend her in that regard until my body goes into the ground to feed the vermin. But there's no denying that she's not just a liability, but a danger to this world. I don't want to exile her, Silver…but there's simply no way for us to ensure that she is going to remain stable. All of the evidence points to the contrary…"
Silver growled a bit, his anger and concern causing him to pace aggressively back and forth like a cornered animal, though he knew deep down inside…Edmund was right. His mind was completely clouded with the tranquility of knowing that she was alive, that she was here again…and yet, that horrible creature was still inside of her. Living in her, torturing her. He instantly felt another wave of sickness coming on but did his best to repress it.
He eventually halted, resting his hands on the steel railing that traveled along the long set of windows. "I…I don't know what to do, Edmund…" he said after a moment, though his voice was a bit muted from all of the conflicting feelings in his head. "I can't…I can't just banish Blaze for the sake of the world…and I can't sacrifice the world again to…to have her here…" he paused, closing his eyes, feeling the cold touch of the glass against his forehead. "I'm at a loss…"
Edmund was silent, though he could hear him shuffle to his side, also facing towards the quiet and darkened city. "Maybe there is little that we can do here, for her…but you've been to many different timelines now, Silver…perhaps there is someone that you've met during your travels that may have some way to help her…"
Silver paused, looking contemplative. "Iblis is different from the other threats that have plagued Mobius…creatures driven by chaos energy, greed-driven technology, even celestial beings…but demonic presences aren't exactly the forte of anyone I've met…I'm not sure who to ask for help…"
"Just because the answer isn't blatant doesn't mean it doesn't exist, Silver…" Edmund retorted, giving him a hearty stab in his side with his walking stick that made the hedgehog yelp a bit. "Your friends that helped you to defeat Solaris in Soleanna may still be able to help you some way, even if it's just through supporting you…you can't do this alone though, and I'm afraid that Mogul and I are of little help in this matter. We want everything work out for your sake, boy…you deserve to have this peace. But what is within her defies a lot of conventions that we know."
Silver nodded; it wasn't as though he could come up with another solution. Most of the resources of the past had been lost by the time Silver's world had come about, after all; there was a good chance that maybe one of his past allies could think of something. Anything was better than leaving her in the condition she was in. But who would be the best to ask?
He realized he would have to wait and think on it later, since his attention was turned as the doors into the Urgent Care branch of the hospital finally opened, and one of the doctors stepped out, gesturing to him calmly.
"We've gotten her vitals stabilized for the time being, Mr. Silver…you're welcome to come and see her now."
Blaze shuffled slightly on the hospital bed; even though the sheets and blankets were soft and freshly cleaned, they still felt like sandpaper against her ravaged skin and coarse fur. The nurses had kept the room unspeakably cold for her, however, which felt so much more relieving than she could have ever imagined, and worked in shifts placing cold towels and compresses onto her to try and lower her body temperature. Though it was a long process, Blaze could already feel the difference, and it was like night and day to the agony she'd been in for a long time now.
Still, there were times she realized now that the pain she'd felt inwardly had been purely egotistical; her time spent as the princess guardian of the Sol emeralds and their accompany Scepter had bestowed not just great power to her, but also a sense of arrogance that she had felt slowly humbled by the condition she was in. It was arguably the one 'good' thing that she could derive from this entire situation: it had given her a new perspective on things. The kinds of things that had aggravated her years ago now felt heavenly compared to the hell she'd been in. Marine's incessant seaside ramblings and Silver's naïve attempts at reassurance from her now gave her solace instead of annoyance, and she realized now how much she'd taken advantage of having some times of peace and solace.
She was on the cusp of going back to sleep when she heard the gentle click of the door opening, and through the blur of the intravenous medications she saw Silver's form slip into the room quietly; now that her mind was at least partially back to normal she realized just how much she missed him as she felt a strange aching sensation in her stomach.
It was almost hard to fathom how much time had passed, though there was no denying it seeing how much he'd aged. She'd been told it had been almost a decade now since she'd departed this dimension with Iblis contained, and now that she could observe him she could see how much he'd aged.
He still looked like the same young and somewhat oblivious Silver she'd known before, but he had definitely grown up noticeably; his lankiness and awkward demeanor seemed to have both subsided, and he'd become stronger and carried himself with more confidence now. She almost felt a small swell of pride seeing him so grown up, considering how often she'd lectured him about being gullible and impulsive.
Silver cautiously approached her, looking like he was trying his best not to startle her in any way; his expression was so soft and caring, to a point where she felt that same kind of ache in her stomach again, though knowing that he did care that much was comforting. He made his way to a chair beside her bed, and reached out and gently took her hand in his. He gave it a gentle squeeze and mustered a small smile for her.
"Hey…" he said, his voice slightly deepened, and definitely smoother now without that pubescent shrill to it any longer. "How are you feeling, Blaze…? Is the medicine helping? Do you need anything?"
Blaze shifted slightly; that dull ache seemed to change into a feeling of warmth inside of her, just hearing how concerned he was…she couldn't honestly remember the last time someone had showed her that much care since…well, probably since she had last seen him. She made an effort to return his gentle hold a bit.
"I'm doing better…the medicine is helping to dull the pain as best it can…and no…I don't need anything…" she smiled to him softly, and that seemed to make him relax; she could feel some of the tension leave his hand.
"That's good…" he said, though his expression suddenly seemed faintly pained. "Blaze…I'm just so happy to see you again…I've been worried about you all this time, and…it seems like I had just cause to be…"
Blaze couldn't help but chuckle coarsely at that. "I guess you did…and here when I left this dimension with Iblis…I had so much confidence, didn't I? I was resolved to what I had to do…" she sighed. "If only I'd known the gravity of it then…"
"No, Blaze…you did what you did out of selflessness, to help his world…don't try to second guess yourself or your actions…" Silver cut her off; she felt his other hand tenderly touch one of her cheeks. "I wish…I was half as brave as you are."
"Heh…you always did lack confidence in yourself…but look at you now…" she replied, and he paused, looking slightly stunned. "You've grown up so much, Silver…I'm very proud of you, you know…"
Silver's face lit up noticeably at that, and he rubbed the back of his head a bit sheepishly. "M-maybe not as much as you think…" he stammered a bit shyly.
"Growing up doesn't always mean…the loss of innocence, Silver…" she replied. "In fact, usually…it's knowing when to be innocent and when to be mature…and acting accordingly. You seem to have found that balance now…"
"I only really did…because I took a lot of what you taught me to heart…" he admitted. "You know, at first, I used to think you were kind of, well…mean, when you'd say I was naïve and ignorant. But then I realized after you left that…you were right. I was both of those things, and I was also reckless…I did things without thinking them through and both used my powers and traveled through time without really thinking on the consequences of either…and it led to some problems, some things I had to learn from in the long run. But…I think helping to rebuild Mobius has helped me gain a lot of new perspectives on how to best use my abilities in ways that are productive…"
Blaze nodded, and glimpsed out the window a bit. "You've done a good job so far…rebuilding, I mean…it looks like an entirely different planet now…" Seeing it, however, did give her a pang of homesickness for her own realm.
Silver's bashfulness shone through a bit again. "I've done the best I can…though, I don't know if I'd been able to do it without your guidance, and help from my mentors…"
"Stop discrediting yourself, Silver…you've done plenty and all on your own. It's good to regard what you've learned, but you also have to regard your own accomplishments…" she replied, looking at him wearily. "I am glad…that the world is safe now. I just…in all honesty I didn't come here to put it into any danger…I…"
Silver paused, looking at her attentively. "What is it Blaze…?"
"I only returned for one reason…I was resolved to staying in exile as long as it meant that Iblis wouldn't be able to hurt you and your world again…but…I found myself wanting to come back almost every moment…"
"Why…? Did you want to see how the world had become without Iblis in it, or…find a way back to your own dimension…?" he asked her softly.
"No…" she suddenly became quiet a moment, and looked at him, her amber eyes filled with perhaps the most emotion she'd allowed to ever slip into them. "I came back…so that I could see you again…"