-attempts Morse code to greet everyone-

Well it didn't work lol but hello! Here's another one fresh off the oven! Hope you enjoy! ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or locations. They belong to Sega.

Chapter 8: Change

"Doctor! Wait!" a gruff voice sounded off.

"Hey, Eggman! Earlier you said this was Angel Island… What did you mean? Explain yourself!" another voice next to them yet more hot-headed announced as well.

Dr. Eggman sighed as he watched the two. "Such annoying pests… It may be too much for your puny little brain to grasp, but this is Onyx Island, or Angel Island from the future!"

"What?! The future?!" the individual shouted.

"Just like I thought… A bit too much for your little brains to comprehend. Enough of this small talk! Time to take care of both of you!"

…

…

…

Reflections often show many things: the way stuff looks in reverse and the way one's self can be shown in their entirety. It is like a gateway to show how one actually looks as their eyes cannot see everything such as behind themselves. Curiosity brings many to look at the mysterious barrier that can appear anywhere in the world with a clear surface. Water for example is one of those surfaces, its see-through trait making bits of light bounce off it at angles. A more complex term called refraction is the name for it, light rebounding off the barrier of the water's surface. Not only does some of this light get repelled, but for those with vision the light gets taken into their gaze which in turn creates a reflection upon it. Staring at the water with a source of light nearby will create such as thing and without it, one cannot see what they are looking at. Many other things can cause reflections as long as light itself can be refracted off them.

Mirrors on the other hand are different, made of a material that rebounds light all the time. It is used for a variety of purposes which serve well for many. The main purpose out of them is as a household item so many can use it to see themselves entirely. The eyes can only travel so far and no natural means of looking behind themselves is possible… unless they have another set of eyes in the back of their head. Nonetheless, mirrors serve as an alternative gateway to see one's true selves.

For a red echidna, he always tended to do this.

Knuckles stood in his room within the Shinjin Shrine. His room was pretty simple: a futon that laid on the floor, a blanket, pillow, small desk with a chair, training equipment, a window to see outside the gardens, a dresser for his clothing for the day now that he wears something other than just his shoes, and to top it all off… a mirror.

A sigh came out of Knuckles, his violet eyes watching his reflection in front of him. He took in all the features that were given to him upon birth with a calm expression. He didn't speak nor did he move much, simply enjoying the silence that came with only himself within the vicinity. Even when he did his duty as a guardian he mainly preferred silence. Knuckles got that during much of his stay in the shrine, a quarter of the day training with Shuifon with the other quarter training with his teammates. Ironically the Shinjin Warriors were pretty civilized when it came to practice; even Cinder who's normally the cheerful loudmouth of the group zipped her mouth when anything important came out. He didn't complain however knowing that the team were very tolerable, not arguing on his part that they didn't give him peace and quiet like how he preferred it back then. Heck he actually preferred their company, making conversation among them and such and the better part was that they all respected him. It was a trait he always wanted: to be felt as an equal, to be someone important to others, to be seen as someone reliable.

To be someone that feels like being their true self.

For the red echidna, it was something he will continue to search within himself.

His eyes kept staring at his form, noting the changes that developed within the five years that have passed. He grew taller to a respectable five foot eight inches which was enough for him to be considered average; he was small back then to begin with which annoyed him but over time his growth spurt started to develop and eventually did he not fit the definition no longer. His upper body was heavily lean and toned, layers of hard muscle covered by his red fur but definitely noticeable. His abs shown more prominently compared to back then as it was no longer hidden and whenever he was out shirtless, he felt the eyes of the Shinjin Warriors which greatly confused him. The spiked knuckles on his hands became sharper over the years, his training making them more deadly in combat that he had to resort to learning a style which involved using open palms to fight. Not only that but he trained more in utilizing his legs to add kicking and become more versatile. All in all, ever since he left the island he has gotten even stronger. Faster. Smarter.

Better.

It made Knuckles smile softly, continuing to see his bare form in the mirror. Everything else on his lower body was private matters but another trait would be that his tail grew longer to which he can control it to grab things and what not. Another aspect was his quills which grew slightly longer, but he would snip them at times to keep it within tolerable length. Aside from all that, he was proud that he denounced his role as guardian to follow a better path and nothing would ruin it.

A knock on his door was heard. Followed by a small voice.

"He's awake."

A frown came about the red echidna. Well, hopefully this wouldn't ruin it that much.

Changing into his usual attire which consisted of a black muscle shirt, black bagged pants with black shoes with golden cuffs around it and a metal plate on them, black sports tape around his forearms with black gloves having two metal spiked knuckles attached and two golden cuffs on each of his wrists, he finished it off by wrapping his black hood-attached scarf around his neck. Taking one more look at himself in the mirror he silently nodded and walked out.

It didn't take long for him to approach the room he was in the night before, merely a small walk away. Every step however he dreaded as he knew what would come after. He never wanted anything like this to happen. He wanted to keep what he left behind stay behind and move on. He thought he was safe hidden in the mountains of Chun-nan that no one would find him. Only the people he met and the locals would know of his whereabouts.

He thought he would have left his past behind.

But unfortunately, the past had other plans.

The red echidna saw Shuifon standing outside the door silently with a calm expression. The Linshao kung fu master knew of what Knuckles wanted, having told him the day before of the injured person. Shuifon understood and agreed to give them some privacy, having his students do other things in the meantime.

Knuckles approached the door and sighed. "Is he awake?"

"Yes, he is. His wounds were tended to by Zonshen and he should make a quick recover soon, but please no loud noise as it may disturb him greatly." the middle-aged man informed.

Knuckles responded with a nodded. "Yes Shuifon, I have left much of that part of me behind and will see to it."

Shuifon did the same gesture and walked away while patting the echidna's shoulder. Knuckles continued to look forward then growling a bit. 'Well, here goes nothing…'

Walking inside the room he noted the surroundings in his peripheral vision. Basically everything was the same as he had in his room except it was designed as an infirmary, given the medical equipment placed at several parts of the room. The bright light coming out of the sun did cause his eyelids to lower a bit, still having that dislike of a bright sunny day fresh in his mind. He preferred dusk or night better when it was more quiet, but even then he can still tolerate large amounts of light. Aside from all that his attention was focused on the person sitting on the bed and already did he start to regret it.

A yellow mobian fox sat within with bandages wrapped around their head and parts of their body, bits of blood staining them but overall not too serious. Two tails stuck out from under the blanket and swayed silently but it didn't bother him much, looking way better compared to how rugged they were the night before. Obviously it looked like they bathed noting the dirt and grime was off of them, but that wasn't what disturbed him.

What did disturb him were the shining blue eyes that gazed at him, threatening to spill tears.

"…Kn-Knuckles?"

Yup, already Knuckles was regretting not accepting to travel more to Shuifon. His violet eyes returned a hard stare to a fragment of what he left behind in the past, hoping to never see again. At least it wasn't him thank god… but it was his best friend nonetheless.

Knuckles stayed silent as he eyed the beaten form of Miles "Tails" Prower. He noted that the young fox also matured, looking more like a teen. His ears grew and his face was more sharp, obviously the amount of time he hasn't seen him doing some wonders. His blue eyes kept the child-like aspect of himself and fortunately didn't make him more of anything else. His tails did grow longer as well, probably at least five inches the most. Other than that the yellow fox companion of his past did grow well and right now he looked ready to cry.

"Kn-Knuckles is that really you…?" the kitsune whispered. The echidna didn't say anything, continuing to stare at him. He wouldn't answer his question, but he did answer with one of his own.

"Why are you here?"

Tails was taken aback by this.

Not because of how blunt it was.

It was because of deadly calm he sounded. His expression was unreadable yet he experienced a feeling that Knuckles doesn't want him there at all.

Tails gulped slightly, shaking a bit. "W-Well… um… I-I was t-trying to get away from…"

"From what?"

Yet again did Knuckles give that ominous tone which had no hint of malice or joy. It was plain neutral, but it still affected the yellow fox greatly that he couldn't think straight. Tails simply looked down, tears dripping off his face.

…

…

"I was ambushed. I was sent to get supplies to bring back to the group, but they found out where I was heading and attacked me." Tails explained.

Knuckles kept his emotionless gaze. "Who attacked you?"

Tails didn't answer, shaking a bit more. Silence followed suit and neither of them moved. The red echidna had a feeling he wouldn't get anything out of him; heck the yellow fox had courage but it wasn't enough for certain things. Back then he respected him for facing his fears head on when they teamed up or went on adventures, but it looks like time made some things stay the same. Tails did look mature he'll give him that but inside he was still a child that's yet to see the bad things in life.

It looks like it was something very serious if it got the two-tailed kitsune on edge. Eventually Tails managed to squeak out a bit of that courage.

"I-It's back Knuckles… and we didn't stand a chance…" Tails quietly let out.

"What's back?" Knuckles continued to question him.

Tails didn't answer back, too scared to say the truth. Words still left him however.

"I can't tell you Knuckles… Not by myself."

The red echidna raised an eyebrow. "Okay if that's the case, when you do get better I would advise you to leave and never return."

Blue eyes widened in shock as Tails gasped. "N-No you don't understand! They'll come here eventually! They have taken over the other nations and there's no-!"

"I will ask you again, if you don't tell me who attacked you then I will not help you. This place is hidden and no threat will ever come here. Now once you do get better, leave this place and tell no one about it." Knuckles informed in the same neutral tone.

Now Tails really looked like he was about to cry, keeping the tears within him as best he could but small sobs eventually came out. Knuckles wasn't fazed by this. "Don't try to guilt trip me fox. All I ask is you tell me."

Tails had no choice: it's either the truth or he continue keeping it in until the echidna uses force to throw him out. He decided on another way however thanks to his brilliant mind.

"I-I can't t-tell you by myself Knuckles… but the others can…"

Knuckles gave out a small sigh. "I don't even want to see them-."

"Knuckles… they're not the same. When 'it' appeared, they stood no chance… the truth is… we were looking for you this whole time."

Now Knuckles was a bit surprised. They were actually searching for him the whole five years? Did they really care about him to go search for him? Is he really that important?

Either way that didn't matter, the only thing in the echidna's mind was how they treated him as comic relief and there is no way he'll go back to that part of his past. He is done and is looking towards the future.

…

…

"They know of this place Knuckles. Soon they'll attack Chun-nan."

His hands clenched into fists instantly, the echidna's neutral expression turning into an angry one. Even his own past would break through on rare occasions.

"What do you mean they know of Chun-nan? You led them here?!" Knuckles' voice raised a bit higher in fury. Violet orbs stared intensely at Tails who kept his ground as best he could, tears still in his blue eyes.

"I defeated one of them but they're connected to a neural framework, meaning that all of them share the same mind. They don't know the exact location but they've seen the area around it, meaning it's only a matter of time…" Tails explained softly.

"Who's 'they'?" Knuckles said a little more forcefully.

The yellow fox looked up with a determined expression. "If you want to know, for just this once, come with me to see the others. After that you can leave and we won't ever bother you again."

…

…

…

"I understand my young pupil. You may leave with Tails and know more about 'them' if he does not wish to explain himself." Shuifon said. Knuckles and Tails stood opposite to him with the yellow fox carrying a small backpack he had on his person when he arrived while the red echidna had his regular attire and nothing else. The three stood at the entrance of the Shinjin Shrine as well.

"Thank you Shuifon. I will return shortly and it won't take long." Knuckles then bowed as he and Tails headed out the temple. The Linshao kung fu master watched the two walk down the stairs with a smile.

'Be ready Knuckles. If you only do what you can do, you will never be more than you are now. Follow your path my apprentice and see where it leads you. Even the past will be of some help to guide you.'

"So where are the others?" Knuckles questioned. Tails jumped at his serious tone and almost lost his balance. "Oh um let's see… our base is in Mazuri."

"… you are kidding. That is some ways away from here fox."

"Hey don't call me fox Knuckles, I'm your friend! Boy you really have changed didn't you?" Tails replied.

Knuckles didn't say anything, only shaking his head as he pulled out a glowing jewel from within his scarf. Its green glow radiated off brightly and the two-tailed kitsune was amazed.

"W-Woah where did you get that?!" Tails said in astonishment. Knuckles didn't answer back but held out his hand. Taking it as a sign to hold it did Tails nodded and grabbed it, Knuckles raising the jewel high into the air.

Within a second, they both disappeared.

In Mazuri…

A flash of light appeared as both Knuckles and Tails materialized. The red echidna looked at the jewel in his hand to see the light fade away, leaving only a clear container in its wake as he placed it back in his scarf.

"So that wasn't a Chaos Emerald?" Tails asked. Knuckles replied shaking his head. "That was a Power Gem. It has the same properties as the emeralds but to a lesser degree and are hard to find. Their power is limited so I used it to Chaos Control farther since Mazuri is too far for my regular Chaos Control to get us here." he explained.

Tails was amazed at all of this; not only did Knuckles change a lot compared to when he last seen him but he actually said some sophisticated wording. Heck sometimes the young fox had to talk for him when it came to explaining complex things to others.

"…well anyway it looks like we're in the right place. The base is over there." Tails said pointing to the right. Knuckles took in the sights before following his direction: barren desert land with no life anywhere besides some cacti and the occasional desert animal. Aside from that, Mazuri is known for its extremely hot climate and almost uninhabitable location in which not many lived there, but he did come one time to visit a village that had an issue with some foreign mercenaries. Now that he realized it…

"Wasn't there a village where we are standing right now?" Knuckles asked. Tails silently nodded in sadness.

"This is all that's left of it." he replied as the two watched towards where the yellow fox pointed at: a metal dome-shaped structure that slowly appeared. Knuckles knew of this technology, Tails explaining to him years ago of camouflage and such. He didn't understand much of it due to lacking knowledge in that department, but that didn't mean he'd forget about it.

The two walked through a set of doors that opened up for them as they closed upon entering and the outside disappeared upon the camouflage engaging again.

Knuckles was feeling underwhelmed by what he's seeing:

Several people huddled together on scraps of blankets and other bare necessities to keep warm were present on the floor. The floor itself was composed of dirt meaning it had no actual floor while half of the people within were mobians as well, the red echidna seeing a mobian duck hugging her children close to her while a pair of mobian zebras comforted one another in a small blanket. Several children played with what they have, sometimes drawing on the dirt itself or using rocks to entertain themselves. All in all, the scenery looked bad.

'What the heck? What happened?' Knuckles thought in his mind. He did not expect something like this at all. Not only that but the whispers that followed suit as the duo walked through.

"Hey is that…"

"No way… after all these years."

"It's that echidna!"

"The big guy's back."

"Dang he's tall."

"Tails actually found him…"

"Mommy they found some help! Hooray!"

Knuckles was surprised inside. These people knew him?

"Hehe looks like you're getting a warm welcome Knuckles." Tails said beside him with a smile. Knuckles still tried to take it in, keeping a calm look but internally was baffled by this. The fact that they lived in these conditions… just what is really going on?

Unknown to them, a hooded figure within the crowd silently watched them. Their covered eyes looked at the red echidna, a silent gasp coming out of them. The figure then turned and ran away… a small bunny tail swishing behind them.

Knuckles and Tails approached another set of doors, the yellow fox placing his hand upon it to which a scanner appeared and did its thing. Hearing a beep afterwards the doors opened and Tails gestured Knuckles to go in first. Eyeing him suspiciously he nodded and walked in, the fox coming after.

A small room greeted them which looked a little better than the open space outside. It had a round table with several chairs and a round device in the middle with numerous buttons on it. By the looks of it Knuckles deduced that it was a meeting room, and he could only think of one reason behind why he was in here.

"They're here, they're here!"

A high pitched voice radiated off from behind another set of doors opposite to them and they instantly opened.

An older Cream the Rabbit burst through, tears running down her face as she stopped right in front of the two.

"T-Tails!... and Mr. Knuckles!" the teen doe launched herself at the two and hugged them close to her. Tails blushed at the contact while Knuckles looked down with a sigh. He took note of what she was wearing which was very different compared to the orange dress she wore before.

It was an old brown robe with a hood that covered her form.

"H-Hey Cream. Is everyone doing well so far?" Tails asked. Cream nodded as she noticed the bandages he had on his body. "Yes but oh my goodness Tails are you okay?! C'mon my mom and I will heal you up!" she then grabbed Tails' hand and ran off towards the doors the two came in.

"W-Wait hold on Knuckles still has to-!"

The doors closed on them leaving Knuckles by himself. He shook his head and grunted. "Well that's a start."

It was definitely a start, the set of doors that Cream ran through opening once again and his violet eyes shifted towards them. He wasn't surprised at any of it.

…

…

…

A purple chameleon.

A green crocodile.

A black and yellow bee.

A big purple cat.

A small purple cat.

An ivory bat.

A black and red hedgehog.

An orange echidna.

A pink hedgehog.

The last person to be shown did surprise him however, but not the way he expected it.

A blue hedgehog wheeled in by the pink one, a tired smirk on his face.

…

"What's up, pal?"

End of Chapter 8

And that is it!

Woah, it looks like we'll be getting familiar faces back. What will happen after being away from them for such a long time?

Stay tuned and find out next time! ^u^/