Dr. Alan Rose walked down the halls of the newly-built R&D wing of the Royal Palace on his way to Sir Charles' workshop. The two hedgehogs had been working nonstop on a deroboticizer but every time they made any progress it was quickly undone by software complications. He felt for Charles seeing as how the man was having to undo what was essentially his life's work up until the coup. And while many of the citizens had come to appreciate the benefits of robotic life the majority still wanted to be flesh and blood again.
The door to the workshop opened up and there in the middle of the room sat the Roboticizer. Of course it didn't work and the two of them had made sure that it never would but they also made sure that no one outside of the lab ever knew it had been reconstructed. Alan looked over at his lab partner to see several cables running out of the back of his neck.
"Going over the code again?" the white hedgehog asked as he sat down at the terminal next to Charles who just sighed.
"It doesn't matter how many times I go over this I get the same answers," he replied as his eyes followed the stream of coding on the monitor. "If I had my original notes from before the coup then we'd already be done."
Alan stroked his chin as a disturbing thought crossed his mind. "What if there isn't a way to permanently deroboticize the Robians?" he said and Charles was silent. "All we've come up with so far is a temporary change that only lasts a few hours. If we hadn't found Julian's little mind control virus we'd be back at square one."
"It's still hard to believe he sabotaged the original plans knowing I'd throw them away," Charles commented. "Looking back on everything I can't help but wonder what else he did during his time in the city. As for your rather bleak outlook..." He paused as the idea weighed on his mind once more. "I'd be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind too."
"If the information that Snively gave the Freedom Fighters is at all accurate then Julian made several changes to the system over the years," Alan said as several different generations of code began streaming on separate monitors. "Add that to whatever changes Kinos made and we find ourselves up a certain creek lacking a paddle."
"Maybe not," Charles said as his eyes lit up with realization. "What if we were to standardize all Robians? Make it so that there's only one type of Robian and then we only have to build one derobotization system."
"Roboticizing a Robian without causing an explosive malfunction?" the white hedgehog asked as he leaned back in his chair. "I can only think of a couple ways to pull that off. Let me guess: nanites?" Charles nodded and Alan couldn't help but laugh. "Using the two technologies that destroyed Mobotropolis to restore its people back to normal. That's downright poetic."
"Do you think it's doable?" Alan nodded as he pulled up a map of the planet
"All we need to do is find enough neutronium and account for nearly two decades of modifications to the original code," he said with a hint of sarcasm as he pinpointed several sites where Doomsday pods had crashed. "It's a good thing we don't have anything better to do."
Thousands of miles away Venusia piloted her shuttle over the open ocean while simultaneously trying to avoid being tossed about by the storm. Her brother and three passengers were strapped in tight as the shuttle was hit by an updraft throwing the ship into a barrel roll.
"We had better be at least close," she said firing off a glare at Sonic. "I'm not sure how much more the shuttle can take. And I still need enough power to make it back home."
"We're close," Sonic told her as he gripped the safety harness. "Just follow the heading I gave you for another couple miles and we'll be close enough."
Venusia muttered a curse under her breath and pushed onward. After several minutes she checked their vector only to be grazed by a lightning bolt. The systems blinked as they adjusted the power fluctuation but were quickly overloaded when another bolt slammed into the shield. The engines powered down and the shuttle began its decent towards the churning ocean.
"If we survive this you are so paying to fix my shuttle!" Venusia yelled at Sonic as she braced herself for the impact. Much to her surprise (along with everyone but Sonic) the shuttle hit something solid and bounced. After skidding for about a hundred yards it came to a halt and Venusia finally opened her eyes. In front of her was most definitely the ocean but they were sitting just above the surface.
Sonic unclipped his harness and opened the hatch, holding on for dear life as the storm hit him full force. "Well? What are you guys waiting for?" he asked over the wind and stepped out. Before anyone could protest Sonic was already outside and walking across the ocean's surface. Sally and Mina stared in awe as land began to appear from where Sonic walked, spreading rapidly across a large stretch of ocean and eventually revealed an enormous building. It was obviously ancient but something about it seemed out of place, almost as if it was from another world.
"What the...how the...?" Venusia stuttered as she stared at the building. "But that's impossible. Buildings don't just appear out of nowhere. We should've seen something, anything."
"This is the Somes Arcanum?" Mina asked as she stared out the hatch. "I imgained a lot of things but this...this is awesome!" Despite Venusia's protests she jumped out and ran after Sonic, quickly followed by Sally and Gedic.
"Am I the only sane one here?" she asked herself and sat back down in the pilot seat, trying to get the systems restarted to see the extent of the damage.
As they walked up to the doors, both of which stood close to twenty feet tall, a spell lock became visible on each of them. Without hesitating Sonic placed his hands on the locks and immediately blue sigils covered the doors. They slowly began to rotate in opposite directions until identical symbols on the doors began to line up according to the markings on Sonic's arms. As each line of sigils disappeared they could hear locks within the doors coming undone. Eventually the last lock clicked and doors began to swing inward revealing a pitch darkness with only a small speck of light in the distance.
"That's promising," Sonic commented. Slowly but surely the markings on his skin faded and he walked into the open doors. The others attempted to follow but were stopped at the door jamb. Mina pushed against the barrier but nothing, not even her flame ribbons, could pass through.
"I guess we're leaving it up to him...again," she muttered as the three of them headed back to the warmth of the shuttle.
Despite the misleading length of the hallway leading in Sonic quickly found himself at a very familiar-looking computer desk. The monitors flashed briefly before retracting into the desks and a blonde human girl walked up to him with a smile on her face.
"I see you found your way here, Keeper," the Librarian said. "I hope that the storm outside did not unnecessarily delay your arrival. If you had left immediately upon obtaining the key..."
"Whatever," Sonic interrupted her. "And thanks for the heads up by the way. Turning me into the key was a brilliant idea. Will these freaking whispers stop at least?" The Librarian nodded. "Good. I was starting to wonder if they were leading to something or I was just going insane."
"What you were hearing was essentially the instruction manual being downloaded to your brain. I wanted to get you acquainted with the Index's systems right away," she explained, leading him over to an active monitor. "All of your personal information has already been added. Now that you've passed the security clearance you have complete access to the information of the Index. For starters I am the automated management for the efficient longevity of information acquisition." Sonic mouthed each of the words as he tried to remember it. "But most of the Keepers refer to me as Amelia."
"Yeah, that's a lot easier to remember," Sonic admitted as he looked around. "So, Amelia, what else should I know about this place?"
"First of all, you have complete control over who has access to the inside of the Index in addition to any information inside it. Secondly, the only information you can take from here is information that is already available in the outside world," she explained. "You may run into a few exceptions in the case of information that will only benefit those living on this world."
"No resurrecting old technology or spells that I could conquer the world with, got it," Sonic reiterated and Amelia nodded. "Anything else?"
"There will be some information that is not stored within the Index's systems," she continued. "That would be the reason for all the physical storage." She gestured behind him as several lights turned on, revealing hundreds of visible bookshelves at least thirty feet all. "I can point you in the general direction but after that you will need to locate the information yourself."
"I'm sure that'll be loads of fun," Sonic muttered but nodded all the same. "You mind if we finish this up later? The last thing I really want today is a lecture." Amelia nodded and vanished, leaving Sonic in the Index by himself. He looked around while trying to wrap his head around the idea that he now had every scrap of knowledge that ever existed on Mobius. Turning to one of the monitors, he swiped his hand up and the screen came to life. Navigating the system seemed almost second-nature and in several parts it was if it was designed to guide him to exactly where he wanted to go. He turned to a security screen and he could see Venusia still trying to get the shuttle working. Between the lightning bolt and the crash landing the shuttle's systems had completely blanked out. On one screen he linked the shuttle's computer to the Index and on another he pulled up the programming code and began the reinstallation process.
"This is freaking awesome!" Sonic admitted happily. He closed all the panels and walked back out into the rain, the Index doors shutting behind him.
"Would you like to try and explain what just happened here?" Venusia asked him as he closed the shuttle hatch behind him. "One moment I'm trying to get my girl up and running and the next everything's back to normal."
"I used the Index to reinstall the software on the shuttle's computer," Sonic explained as he fastened the safety harness. "It was just a matter of linking the two systems together and running the installation program from my end." The three women stared at him in shock while Gedic chuckled.
"I see you've taken this in stride quite quickly," he said.
"And right now all I want to do is go home, take a nice long shower and sleep for about a week," Sonic replied as he leaned his head back. As he drifted off to sleep he could hear a sound he hadn't heard in what felt like weeks:
Silence.
It was dark by the time Venusia's shuttle landed near Sonic's house. Mina and Sally were the first ones out while the human female held Sonic back.
"There's something I've been meaning to ask you," Venusia told him as Sonic leaned against the inside of the hull. "Well, that we've been meaning to ask. Could you look into something for me?"
"Something tells me this is more of a personal favor than a business one," Sonic noted and nodded for her to continue.
"Brother Arias has had me keeping tabs on Gilgamesh since the two of you first locked horns," Venusia explained. "I caught up to him a few weeks ago and listened in on a conversation he was having. The only thing that I was able to get from it before he spotted me was that he was waiting for the solstice. I don't know why but I have this really bad feeling." Sonic nodded as Venusia and Gedic looked at each other briefly. Sonic was the first to admit he couldn't read into a situation but he could tell that whatever they were about to say could have very serious consequences.
"We'd also like you to look into Brother Arias as well." Sonic stood up straight and stared at Venusia while he tried to process what she meant. "You've seen that he can be a bit...excessive. It's getting worse and worse. We're worried that something's gotten to him, maybe this Xiaxos thing that your friend Kiarra is obsessed with."
"How do you know about...? You know what, never mind. I don't wanna know," Sonic said. "So what do you mean by excessive?"
"Brother Arias has always been fair to the Mobians in Azosarria and its territories," Gedic explained. "But recently he's beginning to sound like your Sub-Minister Uvenka." Sonic growled at the name but nodded all the same. "Then he'll turn around and tell us to help you without any questions asked. It's not that we mind helping you. In fact I would say that it's usually a pleasant experience and we manage to see something new every time."
"I'm not sure how I can help but I'll look into it," Sonic offered and the two humans thanked him. He exited the shuttle towards the house and waved to the two of them as they took off into the night. Without any further delay he grabbed a quick shower and passed out in his bed, oblivious to the sleeping mongoose next to him.
Over the next few days Sonic didn't forget his promise to help Venusia and Gedic but he wanted to wrap up the loose ends in the city before he disappeared again. He used what vacation time he had left and, after assuring his father that he really was okay, left for the Index.
The first matter was figuring out what Venusia had meant when she'd said Gilgamesh was waiting for the solstice. May was just around the corner so that only left him with a month and a half before the summer solstice. He stared at the screen of information in front of him, filled with all sorts of data relating to the solstices but none of it obviously relative.
"I feel like I'm missing something," he muttered to himself as he scratched his chin. A whistle from behind caught his attention as Mina tossed a water bottle at him.
"Trying to ditch Sally on me, eh?" she asked playfully, fully rested for the first time in several days. "I thought I might find you here when I couldn't find you in the office."
"Checking something out for Venusia," Sonic explained. "First, how did you even get here?" She cocked her eyebrow at him. "Oh, right. You've been here so you can shift here. Forgot about that. I guess it was a good thing I added you to the accepted user list."
"Explains how I made it past the door this time," Mina commented before nodding to the screens he had pulled up. "You wouldn't be planning a party that I don't know about, would you? If so I can put together a mean karaoke."
Sonic chuckled as he shook his head. "No, I'm trying to find out why Gilgamesh is waiting for the solstice to roll by," he said. "But the only significant thing happening is the fact that day will be longer than night. That's it, nothing else that I can see."
"This have anything to do with that sword Fiona said he's after?" Sonic looked at her curiously. "What, she didn't tell you? The first time you ran into him he was looking for some ancient sword called..." She snapped her fingers several times as she tried to remember before saying, "Excalibur! That was it."
"It can't hurt to try," Sonic replied as he entered the sword as a filter. Much his surprise, and delight, only a few entries remained. "These are hand-entered notes," he realized as he pulled the first one up. "I don't believe it. Arca was looking for this thing too?"
"The same one that wrote the Secret Scrolls to this place?" Mina asked and Sonic nodded. Mina let loose heavy sigh. "This oughta be good."
"Looks like he wasn't able to find it in the Index," Sonic continued as he read the notes, "but he was able to get several clues to someone who did know about it. There's this old dojo in the mountains between Xenodome and the Northern Tundra." He hesitated for a moment as he looked at the coordinates the former Lightning Guardian had left. "Huh, talk about a weird coincidence."
"What?" Mina asked, her curiosity piqued.
"The place where I trained is in the same mountain range," he explained as he checked the coordinates. Once the image was up he zoomed away from the dojo and he swore under his breath. "It's not just in the same mountain range. It's the samedojo." He looked back to the note and quickly read through it. "Apparently the master there knew how to find the sword. But the place was abandoned when Arca found it so he gave up looking for it."
"What's so important about this sword?" Mina asked as Sonic dug deeper into Arca's notes. "The human version of the story says that it's some kind of holy blade that only those worthy of wielding it can use."
"That's just it. There's no record of it in the entire Index other than these notes," Sonic told her. "It's like it was just...forgotten." He read through the last page of Arca's notes before swearing under his breath again. "You've gotta be kidding me."
"What is it?" Mina asked as she walked over to stand next to Sonic.
"The dojo master that Arca was looking for," Sonic told her, "his name is Masamune, the same as my teacher."
Mina's eyes narrowed as she looked over the screen once more. "That feels like a few too many coincidences," she said and Sonic nodded. "Let me guess: You're going to go ask your teacher why he allegedly has information on a mythical sword, right?"
"Am I really that predictable?" Sonic asked shaking his head. "Not much of a choice, though. If he really does have a lead on the sword then I owe it to Venusia to look into it. And if I have to go up against Gilgamesh again then I want all the advantage I can get."
"Then I'm coming with you this time. And don't you dare tell me to head back to the house," Mina told him, quickly adding the last bit as he started to protest. "You're not the only one tired of losing every fight they get into."
"That's kinda funny coming from a pacifist," Sonic remarked and Mina playfully punched him in the arm. "Fine, you can come. Brace yourself, though. Training with the old man can be a bit...rough."
A few hours later they were standing at the doors of the dojo. Sonic pushed the doors open expecting to see a class training in the courtyard. Instead the entire facility was quiet to the point where he could hear the wind blowing through.
"This can't be a good sign," Mina pointed out and Sonic agreed.
They both looked around trying to find someone or at least some indication of what happened. Sonic made a mental note that the hot springs were still active so if they came up with nothing the trip wouldn't be a total waste. As they wandered from room-to-room they noticed that everything was neat and in order, not to mention well-maintained.
"It's like they just up and left for no reason," Sonic finally said after a half hour of searching. "This place usually has at least a few dozen students."
"So where do we go from here?" Mina asked as they set their things down in one of the bedrooms. "If this Masamune guy isn't here then we don't have any other leads. We're stuck in the same place Arca was."
"There is one more place I can check," Sonic told her, "but I need to head there alone. Why don't you go ahead and hit the hot springs. I could be awhile." The mongoose's eyes lit up and she nodded while Sonic went back outside.
He walked to the back of the dojo and tried opening the shrine doors. As he had expected they were barred from the other side. Using the backside of Kaiyō Mujō he pushed the bar up until if fell to the side of the door. Sonic eased the doors open to reveal a long staircase down into the heart of the mountain.
"Just wonderful," he muttered. "Another long staircase in total darkness, my favorite thing in the whole world." He was relieved to see torches hanging from the wall and grabbed one. With a snap of his fingers he generated a small spark, lighting the torch, and within seconds it was burning bright. "And this is why I love being a Guardian," he added with a smirk. He began the descent down the steps while silently hoping that the trip would be a short one. Within minutes he came to an ornate set of doors that opened easily to a small shrine where an old man was seated in meditation. Sonic set the torch in the available sconce and walked towards his teacher.
"I was hoping you'd come back, Sonic," Masamune said without looking back. "I sent the others home after Gilgamesh came back. At that point I knew you wouldn't be far behind."
"He came looking for Excalibur again, didn't he?" Sonic asked and the old man nodded. "And?"
"I have every intention of taking that secret to my grave," he answered. "I did not give that man the secret of Isle Avalon nor will I give it to you. That is, of course, unless you earn that privilege by finishing your training."
"You told me the last time I was here that I finished my training, that I'd learned everything I could about swordsmanship."
"But a swordsman never stops growing," the old man replied chuckling. "True, there is little else to learn about our style but the connection between you and Kaiyō Mujō is still growing, is it not?" A small tug from the blade confirmed her answer to Sonic. "You and Kaiyō Mujō have only scratched the surface of what you're capable of."
"Gilgamesh is waiting for the solstice," the hedgehog explained as his sensei stood up. "I'm assuming the summer solstice so that really only leaves a little over a month for me to tap into whatever power you're talking about. Is it doable?" The old man nodded. "Then I'm in. Also..."
"The mongoose wants to train as well I take it," his sensei finished for him. "She's more than welcome to. She may end up helping you more than planned, just like your fox friend." Masamune took the torch from the sconce and they began walking back towards the courtyard. Once outside they could see Mina leaving the hot springs looking a great deal more relaxed than she'd been over the past few days. Sonic called out to her and she joined them in the middle of the courtyard.
"You must be Masamune," she said, extending her hand which the old man gladly took. "I'm-"
"Mina Mongoose, Guardian of Flame," Masamune finished for her, catching the mongoose off-guard. She looked at Sonic who just shrugged. "Sonic tells me that you'd like to train with him. Please be aware that I do not hold back with any of my pupils."
"I understand," Mina replied. "I don't plan to slack off and, if possible, I'd like to give Sonic a run for his money."
"I like her!" Masamune laughed before turning to Sonic. "Before we get started I must warn you: I can teach you how to reach your full potential with Kaiyō Mujō but in the timeframe you want it can be quite dangerous."
"Let me guess," Sonic said as he crossed his arms across his chest. "If I can't reach a certain point you'll kill me."
Masamune's gaze hardened. "Quite the opposite," he corrected his student. "Kaiyō Mujō will kill you." Both Sonic and Mina were taken aback. "For the talented members of the Kurōkami this process would normally take decades of training. And if they were fortunate enough to even reach this point it could take centuries to truly master it. What I'm going to do is generally considered taboo."
"How do you know all this?" Mina asked. "And what's the Kurōkami?"
"The Kurōkami were ancient Magan fighters that used tamashīken," Sonic explained. "That actually reminds me of something I wanted to ask. How does a human know so much about tamashīken and the Kurōkami? Is there some kind of library here on them?"
"When have I ever given you the impression that I was human?" Masamune asked as Sonic stared at him. "Surely you must know of other beings that can take on human-like forms."
Sonic's eyes widened in realization. "You're...a tamashīken," he said and the sword spirit nodded.
"My master's name was Masamune," he explained, "and he was the one that founded this dojo. The concentration of katsuryoku here was so powerful that it allows tamashīken to manifest indefinitely. It will also allow you to push far beyond your limits with ease."
"Guess I shouldn't be surprised, old man," Sonic said with a smile as they both drew their swords. Mina dropped into a fighting stance next to Sonic and Masamune couldn't help but smile at them.
"If you want to defeat Gilgamesh then you must first be able to defeat me," he said. Sonic nodded and released Kaiyō Mujō's katana fuzen. Mina swallowed nervously as she felt the full weight of their combined reiatsu weigh down on her. "Let's begin."