Sonic awoke slightly emotional as he gently pushed the pillow against his face attempting to hide his tears.
"Ah... So you finally awake. You've been crying out in sheer panic for hours. I was wondering when you would finally regain your composure." The strong echidna pestered sarcastically as he sat not too far away from the azure hedgehog.
"Knuckles... You're okay. Thank Chaos. I was worried I killed you or something." Sonic responded in a somewhat relieved tone as the nightmare left him with a feeling of unbelievable regret.
"Me? C'mon, I can handle my own... Let's cut to the chase, shall we?" The crimson echidna responded in a low respectable tone as he cleared his throat.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" The cobalt hedgehog replied curiously as he tilted his head in slight confusion.
"I'll spare you the details, however it's important you be are aware of my duties. As a guardian, my job is to protect the Master Emerald. Up to this point, I thought that was my only duty. However, a voice just spoke to me while you were unconscious and explained some vital information I was somehow not aware of. Apparently, there are creatures in this universe with the ability to manipulate Chaos energy. There are many but two of these users are called royals. The royals are the most powerful manipulators of Chaos. You know there are two sides to everything, right? For example, light and dark or insanity to sanity. Well, the royals are somewhat similar. There is one royal that regulates Chaos energy and one that frees it." Knuckles clarified as he pulled out a sheet of paper with all the notes he had written down soon after the event so he could remember.
"Oh... That makes sense, but what does that have anything to do with me...?" Sonic crossed his arms in slight frustration as he was reminded that he was supposed to be doing something very important and felt like the echidna was wasting time with gibberish that didn't apply to him.
"Apparently, you are one of these creatures. You are the liberator of Chaos energy. Also known as Prince Voziti, according to the voice. In other words, you disperse or free Chaos energy in order to keep the balance. Which greatly worries me, because apparently, you're one of the most powerful Mobians in the world and yet you're a clueless, egotistical kid. " Knuckles retorted as he gently massaged his forehead in minor distress.
"Voziti... That name..." Sonic's face lit up as the name sounded eerily familiar. Where in the world had he heard it?
"You are one of the keys to a harmonistic and peaceful world that apparently many of our ancestors longed to experience. That is why you are called a prince because you were originally supposed to be a ruler of Mobius. And the other key is your princess, Miran. She is the other side of the spectrum. She controls Chaos energy by manipulating the power around her. You know the saying opposites attract? This is no different. You and the princess were born to rule together and without each other the world will always be unbalanced. The voice made it seem like this perfect world created when you rule together, was the only way our planet could finally find peace." Knuckles continued as he once again glanced as his notes as if he was worried he might mix up the facts.
"Miran?" Sonic's expression turned somewhat shocked as he remembered a lovely voice he'd forgotten from his childhood.
"Remember that beautiful lady from your dreams you also called Miran?" The echidna spoke softly as he noticed Sonic's body suddenly stiffen in devotion.
"Of course... For a while, she was the only thing keeping me going. The thought that one day I would find and run away with her was my motivation to live for years..." The cobalt hedgehog replied as he felt his heart sink into his chest as the sound of her lovely voice practically tortured his mind.
"I thought it was just a reaction to everything that happened after... Ya know, the incident." The sapphire hedgehog added as he pulled his knees up close to his chest and hid his face behind them in shame.
"It might have been but I assume it was also your mind trying to remind you of YOUR job." Knuckles emphasized as he walked over to Sonic and patted his shoulder comfortingly.
"Now being the prince, you do have a choice. However, your purpose for being born has been stated. Awaken Miran and create the perfect world. MY job is to keep Chaos from getting out of hand for the time being." The crimson echidna sighed in frustration as he realized his own job got a heck of a lot more complicated.
"So... my feelings for Miran were true. Don't worry. I'll find her if it takes me the rest of my existence." The cobalt hedgehog responded confidently in a somewhat desperate tone.
"To be honest, you ARE eternal lovers, you should be able to find her without trying. In fact, you probably already met her and just not realized." Knuckles shrugged before handing the azure hedgehog the notes he had taken.
Sonic looked up slightly mockingly as he found it hilarious that the crimson echidna was smart enough to know that he would probably forget half the information.
"What is Miran like anyway? If I am going to find her and awaken her, I need to know more about her. First of all, is she as beautiful as i remember her?" The sapphire hedgehog added as he glanced to the side in slight embarrassment as Shadow's face lit up in his brain as soon as he uttered the word beautiful.
"The voice didn't really tell me much about her appearance merely her personality. She's self-controlled, quiet, shy, antisocial and somewhat awkward. But she does have a good heart and a desire to help people without judgment."
"And Voziti?" The azure hedgehog inquired somewhat hesitantly as he was afraid Knuckle's would say something rude about his personality.
"Ever seen those crazy college kids who drink and get into trouble practically every day but are so fun to be around you just have to invite them to a party even though you know they're probably not safe to hang out with?" The crimson echidna exclaimed mockingly as he realized how offensive the statement sounded.
"HAY! That's not fair to the poor guy!" Sonic growled as he sat up in rebellion to the thought that Knuckles was practically insulting him to his face.
"Voziti is the essence of liberty and anarchy, if you want to get political. His concept of morals and ideals are a little borderline. He by no means is evil but he is a bit on the rebellious side. That's all I was trying to say..." He responded defensively as he was trying to make a very clear point.
"And the princess likes that? She doesn't sound like the kind of woman who likes crazy men." Sonic looked down at the ground in slight embarrassment as he felt like he didn't deserve a princess in the first place.
"Well, apparently Voziti is a bit of a charmer as well. I guess Miran likes charismatic men." He shrugged slightly as even he didn't really understand the reason.
"Ya... That does sound like me." The cobalt hedgehog crossed his arms in frustration and he sighed in disbelief that he was some kind of powerful prince.
All of this information made him almost sound like a crazy deity who needed a princess to help him control his actions so he didn't harm anyone. He hoped that he served more of a use than just making everything irrational and disorganized.
"Now this is all figurative of course. Chaos energy causes the carriers to have certain kinds of personality traits depending on their job at hand. Nevertheless, the voices explanation was quite clear.Awaken Miran. Create a perfect world. Rule it together for the rest of your existence." He responded making sure he was summarizing it as short and sweet as possible.
"How in the hell do two people CREATE a perfect world, anyway?" Sonic asked skeptically as he assumed it probably wasn't easy or moral for that matter.
"Unfortunately, she wasn't very clear on that. It sounded like it was somehow recorded into the master emerald so I had no way of asking questions." The red echidna rolled his eyes as he was starting to get sick of talking to this little brat even if he was a prince.
"Well, that's stupid... So all the voice told you was to find..." The sapphire hedgehog's thoughts drifted off for a second as he started to remember the reason why he came to Angel Island in the first place.
"SHADOW! How long have I been asleep?!" He exclaimed as he threw the sheets off his body and stood abruptly in sheer panic.
"Oh, about a day and a half. What about him?" Knuckles asked irritably as he gave the azure hedgehog a scowl for messing up his perfectly made bed.
"Egghead took him! I need to find him right now... Heck, I'm probably too late." He responded somewhat fearfully as he looked down at the ground in shame for letting Shadow be tortured for this long.
"Shadow, of all people got captured?! Ultimate Lifeform my ass." Knuckles snickered in hilarity as he couldn't believe that the great and powerful Shadow the Hedgehog needed to be saved like some kind of damsel.
"That's why I'm worried. If he was captured I would think he would break out rather easily or find a way to use Chaos control. But according to Tails he isn't anywhere to be found." Sonic looked down worryingly as his heart became increasingly concerned with the situation at hand.
"Wait..." They both stood and stared at each other as an imaginary light bulb appeared above both their heads.
"No way... You said princess, right? That meaning it has to a female?" The azure hedgehog stared at Knuckles intensely as he forcefully grabbed his shoulders.
"No clue. The voice never really emphasized gender only personality." He replied uncomfortably as he really didn't like being touched by anyone, especially not this stupid brat.
Sonic's mouth curved up presenting the sweetest most thrilled smile Knuckles had probably ever seen.
"Woah there... You're creeping me out." He replied as he glared at the cobalt hedgehog awkwardly.
"Do you think Shadow is Miran!?" Sonic exclaimed enthusiastically as he shook the echidna's shoulders violently in pure exhilaration.
"Holy shit. Calm the hell down! Why is that a good thing? I thought you hated Shadow." Knuckles responded as he pushed the azure hedgehog away before scowling in confusion.
"Not at all... I..." Sonic's ears quickly went down as he wrapped his arms around himself pretending he was holding the ebony hedgehog in his arms.
"When the hell did you become so love-struck? You look like a complete idiot, by the way." The crimson echidna once again rolled his eyes mockingly as he sighed in annoyance.
"I could die happy if we were somehow meant to be." Sonic looked up with his eyes beaming with hope and admiration as he cupped his hands together before placing them on his heart.
"Oh Chaos, please don't start getting sappy. It's disgusting." The echidna frowned in slight revulsion as he put his hands up in defense emphasizing that he did NOT want to hear any more.
"You don't get it, Knuckles! If he somehow is Miran then he will be forced to accept my feelings." The cobalt hedgehog's eyes turned somewhat aggressive as he softly bit down on his thumb.
"Another trait of Voziti, assertiveness. Just because Miran is your princess doesn't mean she has no say in the matter. She is NOT property. You both have to agree to rule together." He responded while eying Sonic coldly as his words came off as incredibly stern.
"But..." The sapphire hedgehog's ears went down in displeasure as he gave a childlike pout.
"No buts. I get that you crave power and dominance but she's still a person." Knuckles responded while giving him an especially ruthless glare.
"If she's MY princess then she should have to do what I say..." The azure hedgehog spoke slightly coldly as his eyes turned somewhat perverted.
"Man you are so much like Voziti it hurts and get your mind out of the gutter." The crimson echidna slapped his hand against his forehead as he groaned in annoyance.
"I can't help it if I like to be in control. Wait, but didn't you say Voziti was all about freeing Chaos energy? How come I like feeling powerful?" Sonic questioned confusingly as he grabbed a pillow before hugging it to his chest deep in thought about the whole situation.
"Correct, however Voziti is a dominant entity. Meaning he is protective and assertive. Whereas Miran is submissive meaning she is much more passive and shy." Knuckles replied firmly, looking closely at the azure hedgehog's face to make sure he wasn't puzzling him too badly.
"I see... So just because Miran is all about rules and regulation doesn't mean she's all strict and stern? Then that IS Shadow's real personality. That considerate, passive, affectionate, beautiful mind really is him." As he continued each word seemed to be spoken with more fondness and by the end of the sentence he looked practically drunk with relief.
"Now again we have no concrete evidence that he is her and until she awakens we will never truly know." The crimson echidna added as he grumbled at the sapphire hedgehog's incredibly embarrassing look of love and admiration.
"He will awaken. I will do everything in my power to reach him. No one EVER underestimates Sonic The Hedgehog! However, first I need to save him from the clutches of evil." Sonic catapulted the blanket off his body as he quickly grabbed the functioning Chaos Emerald Locator before dashing out of the little home.
"It was nice talking to you… I guess?" Knuckles responded sarcastically as he felt like the cobalt hedgehog seriously disrespected him.
But that was like Sonic and Voziti for that matter- To get a ton of information and not give it any time to sink in. How in the world is this kid going to be a ruler?!
Voziti (Vo-zee-tee) – translates roughly to drive in Croatian.