AN: Here's a rather large chapter for you guys. Been a while, so I thought I'd get you extra content! This will be one of the huge turning points of the novel, so I hope you like it. Please, read and review!

~("What, if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: 'This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more' ... Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him: 'You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine.'"—Friedrich Nietzsche)~

^/\^|v\/v

Syaoron the Fox presents

Following the Events of Sonic '06

Accompanied by Various Music and Themes

Remnants of the Past

Chapter 17

The Devil's Due

^/\^|v\/v

Temporal Vestige

-:-

-:-

[Now Playing: "The Little Things Give You Away" by: Linkin Park]

"You've really done it this time, John Murray. Your unconcern has reached new levels of absurdity in the face of your comrade's descent to madness. How long are you going to commit him to such torture? Will you stay your hand even as his courage and determination crumble to dust and ash? Just how little is the kitsune worth to you?"

"Shut up, Thunder. How many times do I have to tell you? Tails is strong; he can take care of himself."

Thunder sighed as they floated through the vestige on their way to their final destination. There was only one thing standing in their way now: Imperious himself. The imminence of the encounter left everyone shaking. Even then, Thunder could look behind himself and see Knuckles barring his fists, Silver glancing around nervously, and Cynthia attempting to comfort Tails, the only one who seemed not to respond to anything around him.

The journey's toll was nearly paid; simply one more payment was required of them. Still, Thunder felt uncomfortable with their approach. "We could wait. Everything would be fine if we wait," Thunder reminded him.

"Nothing will be fine. He is torturing her, Thunder; I see it in my dream," Ghost remarked dully. "Every moment I close my eyes, I can see her screaming. I am not going to rest until I get her back."

Thunder sighed. "Imperious might just be showing you these images. They might not be true."

"And what if they are?" Ghost shouted, glaring back at his longtime friend with eyes full of tears. "If there is even the slightest hint of her harm, I have to help her!"

Thunder held his tongue from further notion against the irrational man. Broaching Samantha's safety was always a sensitive topic for the former guard. The lion took a glance back at the kitsune behind him though, and he knew he had to keep fighting. "John—"

"We have nothing more to talk about, Thunder. Tails is strong; I've said it too many times."

Ghost was shocked when he felt the clawed grip of Thunder tug on the lapel of Ghost's trench coat. "Dammit, John, he's a kid! Barely even a teenager!" he shouted. "He can't handle this kind of pain like you and I can. He's not acquainted with death like you and I are; his psyche can't handle it. He loved that girl!"

Ghost scoffed, looking away. "Can't love someone when you're that young. He probably doesn't even know what love is."

That comment was met with a fist to the gut. "Can you even hear yourself? Maybe it wasn't love that the kit felt, but he felt some connection to her, and twice now it's been shredded."

"She already died once; don't blame me because he can't take it a second time around!"

Thunder glared harshly at the man, sighing. "I forget that humans are so mired in hypocrisy; they often do not feel outside the bubble of their lives like we Mobians do."

"Say that again, fur ball, and I swear I'll kill you."

The two were locked in fierce glares until Thunder finally released Ghost from his grip. The lion brushed down his lime green coat of fur and sighed. "Why are we going to Castle Usha?"

"What kind of question is that?" Ghost grumbled. He floated ahead through the vestige, searching for their entrance. "We're going to stop Imperious."

"No, why are we going now?"

"To save Samantha, you thick pussycat."

Thunder held back his anger toward that insult. He tried to keep calm. It wouldn't do well for the team to play host to discord. "You said earlier that you have to help her if there is even the smallest notion that she is in pain."

"I did. What of it?"

Thunder spoke softer now: "Try to be empathetic, John. You would stop at nothing to save Samantha. Don't you think Tails feels frustrated that—twice now—he's been unable to save the girl that he loved? Don't you think he feels enraged and afraid and lonely in a world that seems bent against him?"

After that, Ghost's rough retorts ceased, and the man pondered deeply. It was true: there were plenty of clear parallels between his situation with Samantha and the kit's plight with Cosmo. "I suppose I never thought of it that way," Ghost mumbled.

Thunder nodded. "Sometimes you need to see with the eyes of your friends. Your own eyes may be blinded," he remarked.

Ghost chuckled a bit. "Always the poet," he muttered. His merry expression melted to sourness as he glanced back at Tails. The fox was still grimacing, but Ghost couldn't tell what Tails was grimacing at. "Should I go apologize to him?"

"There will be a time after this fight is over when you can explain things to him; it will be okay as long as you understand Tails' pain," Thunder advised him. "For now, let's go flay us a dragon."

Behind the two rogues, the others lagged. Silver shot a nervous glance at Tails periodically, unnerved by the silence of the kit. He gripped at the white Sol Emerald in his palm and thought deeply, trying to contact Blaze again before the time came to do battle. He frowned when he received no response. Instead of worrying, Silver nudged Knuckles slightly. "Go talk to him."

Knuckles narrowed his brow at the suggestion. "Me? I'm not inclined to having my head bitten off," the echidna responded dryly. "You talk to him."

"I have the social graces of a grain of sand."

Knuckles chuckled. "I've spent more than half of my life on an island in solitude. I can't compare, not even to your grain of sand," he remarked humbly. "If you put me in a fight, I'll destroy the competition. If you want me to talk to someone, forget about it."

Silver's speech was stopped suddenly. "That was a remarkably motivating thing for you to say."

"I suppose it was, wasn't it?"

"It's for that very reason that you should talk to Tails."

The two stopped when Silver felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over and saw Tails there, his countenance no longer in the vices of anger. "You two speak loudly. I can hear you," he said.

Silver blanched, wondering just how long his life would last once Tails was done with him. He winced a bit and looked away, only to receive the fox's laughter. "Relax, Silver, and you too Knuckles," Tails said. The two, surprised, looked intently at Tails. "I know I haven't been particularly lighthearted lately…"

"That's an understatement."

Silver punched Knuckles in the shoulder and Tails continued: "I haven't been very fair to any of you. I've been caught up in my emotions lately; I've been lamenting too much; and you've all been suffering for it. What I mean to say is… I think I'll be okay. I'm going to try to pull myself together."

A phantom smile possessed Knuckles' lips and he patted Tails' back. "It's about time you got your head straight, brat," he grumbled. Knuckles then floated on, gesturing for the two to follow him shortly behind. Tails looked up for the first time in hours and saw the lights of the temporal tunnel rushing past him. The luminous sight brought warmth to his heart.

Before Silver could follow Knuckles, his shoulder was grabbed by Tails. Silver looked back and saw the kit, his face a paradoxical representation of teary-eyed sadness and soft content. "Silver?"

"Yes Tails?"

The kit took a brief moment to pause and collect his breath before speaking his whispered tones, "When you lost Blaze, how did it feel?"

Silver smiled, now seeing the purpose for the question. He looked into the teary kit's eyes and embraced the younger one in a tight hug. "I felt a dark dread wash over me, like all happiness had gone from the world," whispered Silver. He then held the kit at an arm's length away and nodded. "But eventually, after I had everyone's help, I felt more at ease with myself. I'd never say it, but all of you have helped my confidence grow in ways I've never thought of before."

Tails chuckled now, smiling sadly. "Silver, I'm happy for you," he said as he flew on ahead, tears dripping down his cheeks as his lips spread in newfound happiness. "I might never have gotten that opportunity, but I'm glad that at least you do."

Silver thought deeply over Tails' words. He looked on ahead, feeling encouraged. "That's remarkably mature of you, Tails," he said. "Thank you."

Tails floated on ahead to catch up with the others. Cynthia, who had been hanging back the entire time, smiled at the exchange of words. She approached Silver, watching Tails shake hands with Ghost—they had forgiven each other it seemed, or settled some sort of amity pact. "I think our foxy friend is going to be okay," she said.

Silver nodded. "He will be," agreed the hedgehog. "Cynthia, why don't you spend more time with your brother?"

"That's a curious thing to ask all of a sudden," remarked Cynthia, taken aback by his forwardness.

"It just came to me."

"I see…" Cynthia took a breath and twiddled her thumbs. "He is very stressed lately, with Samantha you see. I feel like I'll only add to that stress if I bother him."

Silver scratched his head curiously. "Well, why don't you talk to him?" asked he the innocent question.

"I believe I gave you the reason."

"That's an odd thing to say," Silver replied. "If I were upset about a deeply personal problem and I kept it constantly bottled up inside, I would want to talk about it to a calm person, someone who I'm very familiar with."

Cynthia smiled at his notion. "You're a curious kid, Silver," she mumbled. She patted him on the head and looked him in the eyes, as if piercing his soul. Silver felt a chill in his spine, as though he were seeing into the eyes of a dying woman. "You have this inexplicable, naïve wisdom about the way the world works. Blaze must be a very lucky girl."

Leaving the hedgehog flustered, she flew on ahead. Silver wasn't quite sure what to think of her confusing compliment, or even if it was a compliment at all.

Still, as he stood there in thought, he watched the group he had traveled with these past days in glee. Their laughs and chides put a smile on Silver's lips. It was neither perfect nor pretty, and it certainly was not what he had imagined it to be, but this group was family to him. The bonds they had made over this voyage surpassed even the bonds of time.

Silver watched as his comrades flew into the portal leading to Castle Usha, onward to a new world. He flew in after them, well aware of the two consequences teetering in dire balance: liberation and destruction.

[Stop Music]

^/\^|v\/v

Sharp twists and shrieking light penetrated them as they landed in the pocket dimension of Castle Usha. However, instead of landing in the dim halls of the stone fort like they'd expected, the anachronistic crusaders landed on the outskirts where the fort loomed gloomily against a background of crimson sky. The castle was structured on a floating, monolithic stone island, outside of which floated many smaller islands. It was on one of these islands that the travelers landed.

"Damn, Imperious placed the castle under a teleport block," Thunder grumbled.

Ghost blinked in confusion. "A teleport block?"

"He used some sort of old magic to create an energy lattice around the castle," Tails explained as he analyzed the castle. "The frequency is too high for chaos energy to pass through it, and by extension, those teleporting through the Vestige. Our enemy is smart, well prepared, and level-headed; he is the most dangerous kind of enemy. We must be cautious."

"We'll have to get in the old-fashioned way," spoke Thunder. "Let's go."

It was then that their island hoping began. Tails carried Ghost, Knuckles glided with Cynthia, and Silver levitated Thunder. They navigated the sea of stone islands, carefully approaching the center. It seemed miles away even still.

"I don't understand…" Silver mumbled.

Thunder asked in reply, "What's there not to understand?"

"Well, why would Imperious bar us from teleporting inside the castle and then allow us to waltz in through the front door?"

"He has a welcoming party prepared for us, undoubtedly. Perhaps traps wait in this barrage of earth. Perhaps an ambush waits just beyond the gates. Either way, our conviction is clear: the only way is headlong for the castle."

At that point in time there was an ear-splitting ring. It dazed Silver long enough that he didn't notice one of the other floating islands careen for him. Thunder, unfazed by the ring, tackled Silver down so that they avoided the collision. The two islands were destroyed; only rubble was left behind.

"Silver, we're falling!" Thunder shouted, bringing the hedgehog out of his daze. Silver cleared his head and caught himself and Thunder in telekinesis.

Silver panted, shocked by the sudden assault. "That was close. Looks like Imperious set up some traps after all."

Thunder nodded and looked over to the others. Knuckles and Cynthia were leaping hastily over rocks as a slurry of collisions occurred. "Looks like every island we set foot on from here on out will collide with another."

"It's a mad dash for the center then," Silver mumbled. He focused on holding himself and Thunder up, but it was beginning to put strain on his body. "Thunder, I'm going to have to drop us on one of the islands. I can't carry us the whole way there."

Thunder cursed, preparing for a harsh landing. "I hope you're confident in your parkour skills then."

They set foot on solid ground and the cascade began. Rock smashed into rock as Silver and Thunder took huge leaps between islands. Silver thanked the days he spent running after Sonic and Shadow; they had taught him endurance and speed. Even then, he could feel pebble and rock pepper his back, encouraging him to run faster. His feet pounded against the ground as he ran while his heart pounded in against his chest.

They took the final leap. After what seemed like miles of running, they leaped onto the grounds of Castle Usha, followed shortly by Cynthia, Knuckles, and then Ghost carried by Tails. Silver was about to fall to his knees with relief when Cynthia pointed back up to the red sky. "We're not out of the woods yet," she said, glaring.

Silver looked back up to see that all the stone had coagulated into one great meteor rushing for them. It looked to be the size of a house, and Silver knew that if they were hit by the meteor, they'd be instantly crushed.

"Silver, stop panicking!" Tails shouted, looking between him and Knuckles. "Silver, I want you to hurl Knuckles right at the meteor."

"Are you insane? He'll be crushed!" argued Silver.

Knuckles stepped forward courageously. "It'll take more than that puny meteor to kill me," he said, bracing himself for a launch. "Go ahead, throw me."

"If you're raring to die then," Silver said, frowning as he enveloped Knuckles in the hold of his telekinesis. With the force of all his mind, he accelerated Knuckles into the sky.

Steeled to strike the meteor, Knuckles threw forward his fist. When he struck the meteor, a thundering crash resounded from the collision. Pieces of rock sprayed out, away from the others. Knuckles was left with only a few scratches. Carefully, the echidna glided down landing next to Silver. "Told you I'd be fine."

The six sat down and took a rest just outside the looming gates of Castle Usha. Thunder passed around fruit and water for the short break. Silver rubbed his leg muscles to make them less tense while Knuckles lay back to snack on his fruit. "At least we made it out unscathed," Silver said.

Tails shook his head. "Not entirely. Ghost was hurt badly; his leg was crushed by some debris," reported the kit while he helped Cynthia clean the bloody wound.

Ghost cringed and groaned from every sensation on his shredded skin. Every time he felt the pain he huffed in a vain attempt to ignore it. After it was cleaned, Cynthia wrapped it in gauze and sighed. "This is the same leg you hurt in your fight with Jack, isn't it?" she mumbled. "You have to take extra precaution with this leg, John."

"If only my leg hadn't given out while we were running," Ghost cursed.

"Don't worry so much about it," Cynthia reminded him as she heaved his arm over her shoulder, allowing him to lean on her for support. "It happens to the best of us. Let's just move on."

They packed their belongings and approached the foreboding gate. However, just as they reached the black doors, a swirling portal of blue and black appeared above them. The six moved out of the way and prepared to fight.

Then, contrary to their preconception, out from the portal dropped Sonic the hedgehog and Jack Makarov. Ghost saw Sonic with Jack and was skeptical of their sudden arrival. The two groups stared, locked in silence befitting a morgue.

"The Princess is a pawn," said Jack suddenly. "The real mastermind is here."

"And how can we trust you?" was Ghost's rebuttal. "I'm not going to risk another fight with you, Makarov."

Sonic stepped forward in defense. "Hold on; let's not butt heads. Jack only attacked you on Elise's orders. We need to work together now."

"He's got a point, Ghost," Tails spoke up, faithful as always.

With reluctance, Ghost nodded and sighed. He'd wronged Tails for too long; this time, he'd trust his judgement. "Alright. I choose to trust you then. Don't make me regret my decision."

The two groups joined into one. Now, the eight of them stood strong, ready to face Imperious. It took the combined strength of Jack, Knuckles, Thunder, and Silver to push open the heavy doors, leaving the opening wide enough for them to pass through. Silver walked forward into the dark and picked up a torch with his mind. "The way will only get darker," Silver said as he walked into the ominous castle. "Follow me."

Knuckles smiled as he followed immediately. Silver was no longer the unconfident, confused boy Knuckles remembered. Now he was changed, become a confident man certain of his goals. For that, Knuckles was proud.

Sonic followed shortly behind, then Tails, and the others followed suit. The doors shut behind them and they were left in a cold, stone hall. Sonic patted Tails on the shoulder and smirked. "Hey buddy, it's been a while," he said.

"For both of us, yeah," Tails said, sighing. He looked down at Sonic's bandaged legs and frowned. "Lots of things have changed.

Sonic noticed the solemn expression Tails held and became instantly curious as to what was bothering the kit. "What happened on your journey, Tails?"

"It's a bit of a long story," Tails said. "I'll tell you when we get back.

The two brothers then fell into silence as they trudged down the corridor. "This is the entrance hall," Cynthia explained. She had been through these corridors many times, so much that she'd memorized the layout. "It's a straight shot to Imperious' throne from here."

[Now Playing: "Final Masquerade" by: Linkin Park]

The time of truth was upon them. They marched toward Imperious' chambers with a sort of strength and solidarity, a death march on the offense, a crusade charge on a mission. Whether damned or dominant, condemned or conquering, this next conflict would be decisive of their lives and the future.

It was with this absolution that they strode out into Imperious' court. The room was wide and dark. The corners of the room were unlit, so much of the room was dark. There was a pathway of white stone set into the black which led straight up to Imperious' throne in the back; the pathway was eight meters wide. Pillars lined the pathway, upon which hung torches of blue flame.

Imperious sat in the back, looking impatient. He had waited too long for the travelers to arrive, and the arcane tattoos lining his body were glowing black with anticipation. At Imperious' right was Chameleon who stood reverent to his master; at Imperious' left was Samantha who was chained, bound, and scarcely dressed in rags.

Ghost's fists were clenched in rage as he saw the state of his beloved. "How dares he?" he snarled beneath his breath, his face contorted in anger.

Cynthia was unsteadied when Ghost began to clench his muscles in rage. She stood firm, holding him up so that his leg wouldn't be injured. "We'll get her back," she whispered. "Stay calm. We're almost there."

And so, with bold hearts and the strength of a legion, the travelers approached Imperious, that godlike dragon. The blue fires suddenly roared and became columns of flame which illuminated the room. Tails jumped a bit, but Sonic calmed him, and the others remained unfazed.

Imperious smirked when he saw the travelers come. He stood from his throne and unto his hind legs. His fierce form was now only fifteen meters away, and his wings, splayed for all to see, were covered in arcane symbols. "You have finally come. I cannot tell you how long I have been waiting for this moment, all of you. It is the time now where fate's glorious exchange can play out before us; you know, there truly is nothing in our power to stop the cogs of time from ticking right into place, second by second, minute by painstaking minute."

There stood the dark with his gargantuan wings and more impending words. Forward stepped the light to combat the dark's seeming omniscience. "Fate may have brought us this far, Imperious, but it is here that fate's path splits," Silver said confidently. He was a little light, but even a little light shines brightly in engulfing darkness. "You have the last item that we need, and we have the ones which you seek. We're here to take it from you."

An echoing laugh resounded, one which seemed to crawl from the bellows of hell itself. "You mean the Sol Emerald, of course," Imperious spoke, gesturing to Chameleon who held up the dark blue gem. "If you think you can take that beauty from me by force, then you must have been struck by some heinous, false precognition."

"We won't let your conquest continue, Imperious," Ghost shouted bravely. "Too many lives have been lost for us to allow you to live."

"And what would you do, little John? Fight a pointless battle, despair at your loss, and then live in denial of your failure? We all know where such a path leads, John. You've walked it before."

"You know nothing! Give me back my wife, dragon!"

Jack looked to Ghost in concern. "You're too hot, John. Quell your temper."

"He's right," Thunder agreed, whispering aside to Ghost. "You can't let him get inside your head."

The blue-eyed, blonde man took a few deep breaths in order to calm down. Imperious was pleased with having irritated the human and then turned to Sonic with a sinister smile. "How are your legs holding up, Sonic? Good as new, I would hope." His words dripped with sardonic malice.

Sonic gnashed his teeth together. The loss of his speed was like being shackled for eternity, and while he hadn't let it sink in, his devastation at the loss of his freedom as all too apparent now. Still, he said nothing.

Tails knew when he first saw Sonic that his legs were damaged such that they were irreparable. All of his life, Tails had known Sonic as a carefree spirit, one who never stood still and ran just so he could feel the wind in his face. Though he too was stricken by Sonic's disability, Tails remained reverently silent.

The same could not be said for Knuckles. "Damn dragon, you should never have laid a hand on my comrades!" he shouted, running forward in a burst of fury to strike the dragon.

"Knuckles, don't!" shouted Sonic.

Imperious never moved, and neither did Chameleon. Knuckles struck Imperious with a single blow, one which concentrated all the movements of his body into a single blow. However, when contact was made, Knuckles recoiled back and landed on his behind. "Unbelievable…" the echidna mumbled.

Knuckles could feel Imperious' glare on him while he scuttled back over to the others. Imperious looked down at the spot where Knuckles struck and noticed a dent and a bit of blood in his scale. He laughed a laugh of appraisal and mockery. "Impressive, echidna," Imperious mumbled as he peeled off the scale with one of his giant claws. "You managed a dent. Still, these scales are wilting. You would never have penetrated them when I was in my prime."

Imperious took a mighty step towards them; they took a few nervous steps back. "Allow me to retaliate," the dragon stated courteously before bellowing, "Fus Ro Dah!"

The true power of a dragon ripped forth from his lungs and a truly unrelenting force blasted from his toothy maw. They were completely blown back by the force, knocked on their backs, gasping for air.

When again they all stood, Imperious prepared another shout. "Strun Bah Qo!"

Again his voice tore through the air, creating a maelstrom above their heads. Rain that would not douse the fire began to storm in the hall, and bolts of lightning created flashes of light and crackling booms of thunder.

"Krii Lun Aus!"

A blast of infernal energy enswathed them once more, and the effect was different. Silver could feel weakness overcome them for a short time, and he fell to his knees. He felt fear creep into the dark parts of his soul. With his utter and complete control over everything around him, even the states of his enemies' bodies, Imperious truly was a god.

[Stop Music]

The spells and powers cast over them lifted. The shroud of storm dissipated from the ceiling and the weakness left Silver and the other travelers. They stood once more before Imperious, now enraged and intimidated by his mighty powers, and the dragon spoke again. "Now that the chain of being has been established, allow me to propose a more diplomatic solution, a trade if you will."

[Now Playing: "Hurricane" by: Thirty Seconds to Mars]

Arcane power gathered in Imperious' right hand and he used some sort of telekinesis to move Samantha in front of them. "In exchange for all your Sol Emeralds, I will return the girl and promise never to bring direct harm Soleanna or any of the desolate places on your little Mobius."

It was a tempting offer. The safety of the world lay in the hands of the one who held all the cards, and for the sake of the world's safety, he was willing to make an offer. Such a play was unbefitting of such power; Imperious could have taken what he wanted at any point in time. Still, they decided to play along. "Give us your word," Ghost demanded, though fearfully.

"My word is worth as much as yours," Imperious spoke wisely. "However, you should know better than anyone else that I always keep my word."

The travelers nodded to each other wistfully. Left with no other choice, they had to abide by his terms. Silver levitated the Sol Emeralds over into Imperious' palm, and as he had promised, Imperious levitated Samantha into Ghost's arms.

With a tired and weak tone, Samantha eked out, "John?"

A smile finally broke over Ghost's face after a drought of depression. He kissed her forehead and held his beloved close. "It's okay now, Samantha. It's okay now, baby."

Nuzzled against his warmth, Samantha shivered still. "You can't let him, John… you can't let him…"

"Let him what?"

However, she could not answer. Her green eyes shut closed; she'd passed out from exhaustion. The six looked back up to Imperious in awe as the dragon took the emeralds. "To hold such power again, it is a blessing," Imperious grumbled, pleased by the events.

The emeralds' powers, now gathered into one, thrummed in the air. The stones floated then and rotated in a circle, accelerating to ever faster speeds until the spinning emeralds became a blinding ring of palpable energy. Silver could feel the power running through the air; something amazing and terrifying was about to happen.

And then, like a lightning strike, the emeralds spawned a red and white sphere of unimaginable power; a stable singularity. The power of the singularity seemed to suck in and force away all matter in an instant, and an overwhelming wind blew throughout the palace hall.

Amidst the chaotic maelstrom, Imperious reached into the singularity with his arcane magic and extracted a figure. Even though hellfire licked at her soles and gnawed her body, she was unaffected. Her purple, flaring dress went uncharred, her violet fur nearly untouched. Silver knew the beautiful figure the instant he saw her. "Blaze!"

Her golden eyes shot open in surprise at her new surroundings. She had been kept in her hellish dimension so long that she forgot what the outside looked like. Now, she was kept captive by this dragon menace, held before her longtime friend and a few of his comrades. "Silver! What on Mobius is going on?"

Imperious glared at Blaze, barking, "Silence, woman! Do not speak yet."

"Hey, don't speak that way to her!" Silver shouted in response.

With a few heaving breaths, Imperious chuckled. His chortles silenced the room, left them full of fear. The singularity collapsed into nothingness once more. "Everything has worked out simply perfectly," he growled, pleased. He took the seven Sol Emeralds and activate their powers once more.

This time, their power was directed at Blaze herself. The rotating stones this time created a suction force concentrated on the cat. She howled in pain as a fiery essence was being drawn from her. Silver gritted his teeth in anger, biting back his tears. "Stop that!" he shouted.

"You can do nothing to stop me, Silver!" Imperious said snidely as he continued to suck out the essence from Blaze. When finally the process was done, flames no longer licked at Blaze's body, and a pulsing, red power was contained within the ring of the emeralds. Imperious discarded Blaze, flinging her over to the group where Silver caught her.

"What did you do to her?" Silver asked, holding her and checking for a pulse.

"I did you a great favor, fool," Imperious said. "Blaze's body was bound with the soul of the Flames of Disaster. Without the removal, you would never have been able to even get close to her. Now, she is void of the flames, and Iblis' soul belongs to me."

"And what do you plan to do with the soul?" Ghost asked nervously, looking in awe at the heart of the flames.

Imperious smirked. "I'm glad you asked," he claimed. He then set his reptilian gaze upon Tails and beckoned him forth with a crooked talon. "Come here, Miles. It's time."

Knuckled grew pale at those words. He felt the world suddenly grow cold as he looked at Tails' surprised expression. "What the hell does he mean by that, Tails?"

Tails shook his head, his eyes widened by those words. What had Imperious expected of him? What was going on? What was this sudden feeling of angst that came over him? "I don't… I don't…"

"You do, Miles. You have always known," Imperious said. "You just don't know that you know. Now, as I said before, would you kindly come here?"

Something clicked then in Tails' mind; something he felt that he knew innately but had never really recognized. A fierce sense of dread overtook him as he solemnly, against his own will, strode toward Imperious with slow, robotic steps.

"Tails, what are you doing?" Sonic shouted. He reached out for the kit, but was held back by Ghost.

"You have to let him go, Sonic," Ghost grumbled, finally accepting defeat. "This has been Imperious' plan from the start. Hasn't it?"

"Well done, Jonathon," Imperious said, congratulating the human with a drawn out, taunting clap. "You'd never have known it, but before you recovered Tails at the very beginning of your journey I planted a small device in him. Not only does it give me control over some of his basic motor functions and movements, it was with this device that I encouraged the anxiety and depression Miles has gone through. All this has prepared him and turned him into the ultimate receptacle."

Sonic's eyes widened. "No… No, not my little brother!" he shouted angrily. "Give him back!"

Imperious laughed off Sonic's words as the emeralds moved into position above Tails' body. Even though his body was controlled, Tails could still sense the imminence and danger he was in. Whatever would soon happen, it was out of his hands. Tears welled up in his eyes as he was met with his doom. With the last of his will, he looked up and into the blinding flame of Iblis and swore that, just for a moment, he saw Cosmo's face somewhere in the recesses of the light. He let himself drift henceforth into the comfort of the light.

Sonic screamed. Knuckles shouted. Silver cried. The rest just sat in utter awe.

A blinding light impacted Tails' heart, and the most ear-piercing screech was emitted from the impact of the light. Violent shockwave after shockwave forced pillars to collapse. The anachronistic travelers were pushed back, barely able to bear the brunt of the attack.

And then, silence. The light ceased. Tails was knelt over on all fours and glowed with an ominous, red light. Silver crawled to his knees and flung his head up to see what had happened to Tails. Before him was the kit surrounded by fierce flames with nine bloody tails waving behind him. Sonic's legs were already weak, so he was unable to stand up tall, but he still looked straight into Tails' now vermillion eyes and frowned. "Tails?" Sonic called out in vain hope. "Tails, is that you?"

The answer came in the form of a howl that caused the earth to shake beneath their feet. Tails, now infused with Iblis, had become a powerful nine-tailed kitsune. A calculating force seemed to stand behind his movement's though, evidence of Iblis' takeover. The kitsune looked between Imperious and the anachronistic travelers before clawing at the air with a divine power. The slash alone created a shockwave of immeasurable magnitude.

"What's he doing?" Silver shouted over the sounds of howling winds and flying debris. The flying stones cut into him, but his sheer awe at the sight overrode such nuances.

"He's cutting a hole in space-time with chaos!" Thunder said as a black void in space formed where the slash was made. Soon after, the kitsune jumped through the void.

"Oh my. It looks like our little kitsune has run from the den," Imperious mused. He sat back down in his throne, retaining once more his air of authority and superiority.

"Where's he off too, Imperious?" Cynthia shouted out. "You know, don't you?"

"That's no way to talk to your former master, Cynthia."

"Just tell us, lizard!" Ghost shouted in reply.

Imperious' sinister laugh darkened. "Why, I imagine he's on his way to Soleanna right now," he replied. Imperious leaned on his arm, as if pondering a sudden query. "Iblis has a score to settle with the people who sealed him. I wouldn't put it past a god to incinerate every last speck of dust in Soleanna until it is nothing but a field of ash and despair."

"Damn you, Imperious! You promised you wouldn't lay a finger on Soleanna!" shouted Silver while he clutched the resting body of Blaze close to his. "What happened to the security in your words?"

"But you must see, my words remain secure," Imperious snidely reminded him. "I have kept my promise; I am not bringing harm to your little planet. I cannot be held responsible for a monster which I cannot control."

Fear and frustration struck in an instant. First Jack backed away, then Silver, then Cynthia with Ghost, and soon they were sprinting as fast as they could for the exit. They had to hurry; there was a crisis at hands.

The apocalypse was at Soleanna's doorstep.

[Stop Music]

^/\^|v\/v

He was no longer. It had taken over. It had seeped through ever crack and orifice to embody Him, take Him, be Him and yet not be Him. He was a passenger on this trip down the road to Armageddon; It was the driver, director, guide, judge, jury, executioner…

It relished in the amount of power It held over Him. His body was not only strong, but suitable for It's needs and devices. With Him, It would become strong; unimaginably strong. It growled in glory, howled in victory. It stood on the brink of madness and divinity.

It—once He—stood at the border of that city, that loathsome place guarded by cowardly men and ruled by a weak, figurehead woman. Too long had that place held It in confines, too long had It sat docile in the chambers of a woman's soul.

Now, It had awoken. It suppressed Him, prevented Him from using Its power. Instead, It used His body as a vessel, as a modem, a thoroughfare for movement and battle, a nigh indestructible weapon of holy strength.

Yet still you struggle, weak one. Hold these flames in your hands, oh vessel mine. Feel the power that could fell nations and armies with the flick of a wrist. Look before you, oh vessel mine. There is so much life left to burn.

In the deep cracks of the mind, He hid from Its assaults. He fought valiantly against It. Valiantly, but vainly.

Look at yon city, oh vessel mine. See how it rolls up and down, each building like a hill in a playground. And are you not bored? Wish you not to run freely through the alleys and destroy; run amok as we were meant to do?

It crept into the deepest cracks, pushing out even Him.

Tonight, we rule the world. Tonight, we feast like lords. Ruination, desolation, destruction; these are the finest of flesh, oh vessel mine…

And are you not hungry?