Shadow had come to find that his new living arrangements were rather… mundane.

Back in Villenulle, he at least had his work responsibilities. As simple as organizing books, ringing up the occasional customer, and feeding three overzealous cats had been, it at least offered a more structured routine than what he had now. There were also the days where he would have to leave his house for grocery runs or other errands. Here, there was none of that.

At the very least, he was beginning to adjust to his new lodgings. His run around the castle had tired him out enough that he managed to sleep for an uninterrupted twelve hours, and this had done leaps and bounds for his mood. His appearance was no longer the tattered mess it had been prior. For the first time in months, Shadow hadn't needed to worry about looking inconspicuous, nor did he have to go through the arduous process of styling his quills each and every morning.

Sonic had made himself rather scarce in the days following their trek around the palace. On the occasion Shadow did run into him, it was always a brief moment in passing, and he would take his leave shortly thereafter. Shadow found this somewhat bizarre, especially considering Sonic had seemed to want nothing more than to be around him 24/7 when he first arrived. Not that he was complaining about his absence–truthfully, he had no desire to be near him anymore than was strictly necessary.

But where Sonic's presence lessened, his Royal Scribe certainly picked up the slack. The fox had an earnestness to him that Shadow still didn't quite know how to handle. It was clear that regardless of his actual age, the fox was still just a boy at heart. While hesitant to engage at first, Shadow found that he didn't mind speaking to him so much. Of course, there was also the fact that he was technically obligated to do so.

Thus, Shadow had spent most of his time at the castle as a teacher to a fox–who, as Shadow saw it, was far more mentally attuned than he was in the matters he was trying to explain. Shadow may have had an upbringing under the world's greatest scientist, as well as a studious nature of his own, but this fox was on another level. His understanding of mathematics and physics went far beyond what Shadow had expected, and Tails always managed to ask the kinds of questions that even Shadow could barely wrap his head around. But even when he failed to have an answer for the fox, Tails still remained wholly engrossed with Shadow's commentary. From the automobiles of the industrial revolution to the modern systems of artificial intelligence and robotics employed throughout the world in the present day, Tails wanted to know about it all.

The boy certainly had a knack for machines. He had shown Shadow some of the devices used around the castle, many of which were crucial for keeping things running. Most crucially, a running water system supplied the palace through a steam-powered pump of his own design, allowing them to grow their food and providing them their access to running water. It was a little shocking, especially since Shadow hadn't thought this kind of technology was even around during Tails' era.

As they had done before, the two were seated at a table in the very alcove Sonic had shown them, Tails on one side, Shadow on the other. "It's nothing much. I just used the same irrigation methods the palaces' courtyards were using on a more efficient scale." Tails waved him off, "It came from an idea I had all the way back then, but no one would ever hear me out on it, then. My job was just to write, not invent. And tutor, when they needed me to."

"You, a tutor?" Shadow inquired. Though perhaps he should know better by now—despite Tails' youthful demeanor, Shadow couldn't deny his intelligence.

Tails smiled sheepishly. "Sonic wasn't exactly the model student, so the castle scholars would have me tutor him sometimes. We usually just ended up goofing off anyways, though."

Shadow leaned back in his chair. "That's not surprising." He murmured under his breath, causing Tails to stifle a snort.

"I can't say I miss trying to teach him myself, but that's when we really started becoming friends, so I guess I was grateful for that."

"You have an unusual relationship with your prince." Shadow muttered. "Were you always so friendly with him?"

Tails chuckled. "Well, sure! We've been friends since we were little kids."

"Even though you are a servant." Shadow stated.

Tails' smile dropped, and he blinked at him. He almost looked offended. "Don't let Sonic hear you say that." He murmured. "You're right that Knuckles and I were once meant to serve him, but that obviously that isn't the case anymore."

Tails' gaze left Shadow and he returned to flipping through the pages of the book resting before him on the table. "But even back when we were his servants, I don't think he ever saw it that way. I know he never treated me like that." Tails continued, not looking up from the pages.

With that, the conversation had died, and only the sound of page-turning remained in the room. Shadow leaned his head against the back of the chair, not sure if he should feel awkward or not.

"Hey, Shadow?" Tails finally piped up after a while, looking up from his book. Shadow snapped to attention. "How do you know so much about this technology, anyways?"

Shadow furrowed a brow. Damn. It was a valid question, of course. Shadow had just hoped Tails would refrain from asking questions that pertained to him .

"I suppose I've always had an interest in engineering." Shadow stated, resting an arm on the table and choosing each word carefully. "I've seen many different machines in my lifetime."

"By being a bookkeeper?" Tails cocked his head to the side. Shadow's lip twitched. Of course Sonic had told Tails about that. Anything he told any one of these people may as well have been an announcement to the entire pack.

"No, before that. You could say I worked with machines." Shadow responded. Worked, and lived, that is. He cleared his throat. "But truthfully, most of my knowledge comes from simply living and noticing things about the world."

Tails nodded. "It sounds pretty great to be able to do tons of different things. I was brought up to be a scribe, but engineering and inventing was always what I actually wanted to do. There's no way the crown would have ever allowed that, though."

His eyes were downcast, brows furrowed in the same way Sonic's did whenever he had spoken to Shadow about the past. Tails perked up when he noticed Shadow was still staring at him.

"Ah, but I guess I have all the time in the world to do that, now." Tails rubbed the back of his head, "Anyways—you still haven't told me about the 'airports' yet!"

Shadow gave a small smile despite himself. He decided he would do a favor to the fox and focus on only the actual aircraft, omitting his actual opinions on the experience of flying commercially.

—-

When Shadow had finally exhausted all his knowledge for the day, the fox took his leave from the library, telling Shadow he'd be in his workshop. The airports seemed to have inspired him.

Shadow, in turn, remained. Tails had left behind one of his workbooks, telling Shadow he was welcome to look through it. Shadow now stood on the library balcony overlooking the courtyard, workbook in hand. The fox had filled the pages cover to cover with schematics and information on his inventions. They were truthfully rather crude drawings, but then again they were not much different from the kinds of things he and Maria would have doodled while aboard the ARK all those years ago. However, each of Tails' drawings was accompanied by paragraphs of truly impressive technical detail. It made Shadow wonder just what this fox could have accomplished had he been born a hundred years later.

Although Shadow was perfectly fine conversing with Tails about the technical advances of society, he couldn't help but feel it was all rather ridiculous; he wasn't fit to be a teacher. As nostalgic as sitting down for hours surrounded by stacks of books was (and he wasn't about to think about that), there was only so much information he could give to the fox.

He curled and uncurled his fingers, staring down at the middle of his palm. Tails had also asked him a personal question for the first time. It wasn't very prying, but it was enough to put Shadow slightly on edge. He had known it was only a matter of time until they started demanding more information from him, but Shadow would have preferred to leave before that became a reality.

Rouge wouldn't be arriving for two more days.

She had contacted Shadow the previous day. The good news was that GUN HQ had approved her extended time off, and that she had been gathering the items he had requested for delivery. Shadow was of course glad to hear she could arrive soon, but what mattered most to him were the specific contents of her delivery.

"The bad news is that my contact hasn't returned any of my calls," Rouge had told him. "Not sure if this means she's been caught, or if I've done something to piss her off. Or maybe she's just on vacation. The point is, I'm not sure I'll have your papers by the time we rendezvous."

Shadow let out a huff and slammed the book shut. It was frustrating having to wait, even more so when the outcome itself was indeterminate. His brain usually operated in hard-coded timelines and pre-planning. But now, he had no choice but to wait at the mercy of factors he had no control over.

He wouldn't dwell on it any longer; if those matters were out of his control, it was pointless to let it occupy his mind, especially when there were other things currently bothering him. Shadow departed the balcony and returned to the alcove of the library, placing the sketchbook onto the table. Neither Tails nor anyone else was anywhere to be seen in the main section of the library or in the main hall as he exited the room.

In other words, exactly what Shadow was counting on.

Petty as it was, Shadow found that he could not shake his annoyance over the outcome of the race from days prior. That is, if he could even call it a race. Shadow knew he was much faster than Sonic, and as he saw it, Sonic knew that too. The only way the other could have beat him was by taking an alternative, faster route unknown to those not intimately aware of the palace. It was so obvious that Shadow wasn't sure how he hadn't thought of the possibility at the time.

Shadow was no Rouge, but he had plenty of infiltration experience under his belt, and certainly enough determination to find any secrets this place may have been hiding. He just hadn't found them yet.

He found his way up to the terrace, a path he was very familiar with by now. Back to the open air, he turned to face the inside and pictured the location of the main entrance in relation to his current location. The route Shadow took during the race had him running between several switch-back hallways and staircases. However, the actual spatial location of the main foyer was nearly right under the tower where he stood. If Sonic managed to arrive there first, Shadow concluded, he must have taken a route that was a straight shot from the balcony.

Shadow stepped back inside and paced along the hallway. There was little on this level besides the balcony. A sole hallway curved around the center tower in two semi-circles, balcony on one side, staircase on the other. There, Shadow circled around the level, observing the way the smooth hardwood floor met the wall made of grouted stones evenly fitted together. However, as he continued his sweep, Shadow noticed an irregularity. He increased his pace at the sight of it and kneeled down at the edge between the floor and the inner wall. One of the stones making up the cobbled pattern was protruding ever so slightly. The edge was less than a centimeter in width, but it was enough to stick out like a sore thumb to Shadow's keen eyes.

Shadow pressed his palm against the stone and pushed. The stone shifted, clicking forward such that it matched the ones around it. Another hard push, the stone popped out to its original position. Shadow's fingertips gripped the edge of the panel and he pried. With little effort, the slab slid like a shutter, disappearing into a seam behind the wall and revealing a hollowed out space just big enough for a beast-sized creature to fit into.

Shadow allowed himself a moment of internal victory. It was just as he expected. He wasted no time ducking his head down and entering the gap. Once inside, he found he could stand to full height. The light from the opened hatch illuminated a spiraling staircase at his feet, leading deep down into the darkness of the tower.

So this is what he meant about this place being complicated… Cautiously, Shadow stepped down the staircase. He mentally calculated that his current position had him located just above his target goal. How fitting for a whimsical castle. He could almost laugh at the clicheness of it. Imagery of hidden passageways, spinning bookcases, and trap doors filled his mind. Goddamn enchanted castle, indeed.

However, the path he was on certainly didn't bring forth any thoughts of whimsy or mystique—it was damp, cold, and musty in the stairwell. As he descended, Shadow imagined that this passage would have been used for servants to move around the castle quickly, or perhaps as escape routes in the event of an emergency. In any case, it was clear to Shadow that at his current pace, this was by far the faster way to reach the ground floor from the terrace.

Light from the entryway above leaked away until it was pitch black in the stairwell. At the end of his descent, Shadow came to a halt. Barely visible in the darkness, the pathway before him forked in two. Shadow stared down each hallway. If servants had used these passageways, it was unsurprising that they led to a variety of destinations. The spiraling staircase and the darkness made it difficult for Shadow to estimate his current position in relation to the rest of the castle. To get to the main foyer, he decided he would just have to take a chance. Shadow brushed his fingers against the stone walls to keep his bearings, heading down the left path on a whim.

For a moment, Shadow wondered what the beast would think about him snooping around like this. Then again, Shadow had warned him he would figure out his secrets. If Sonic had a problem with him sticking to his declaration, Shadow decided that wasn't his problem.

Of course, what certainly would be his problem was getting lost down here. The path split further, the routes seeming to drag on to no end. But just as the possibility crept into his mind, Shadow's fingers brushed against what felt like a wooden slab. Shadow stopped and felt around, fingers brushing over a rusted knob. It was a door. Shadow placed an ear to the wood. Silence. No light penetrated through the cracks. Shadow gripped the door handle, but before he could turn it, a chill ran down his spine.

He was looking for the main foyer. He had no reason to believe this door was anywhere near that location. In fact, based on how long he had been walking, there was no way it could be. A feeling of uneasiness wafted over him, an instinct telling him to turn back. Shadow looked back into the darkness from the way he came. He felt somewhat foolish all of a sudden. Just what was he doing down here, anyways?

Then, the image of Sonic's snarky grin flashed in his mind. Shadow clenched his jaw and tightened his grip around the doorknob. Was this what the beast had wanted him to do all along?

Shadow shook his head at himself. The fact remained: he had no idea just how extensive these passages were, and this was the first indication of an exit he had come across. If he was to leave, this was as good a time as any. With a hard push—and more resistance than he had expected—the hinges of the door screeched and the wood scraped against the floor until the door swung open with a sudden jerk. There was a harsh noise of what sounded like paper tearing and a thick layer of dust assaulted Shadow's nostrils. He covered his mouth and stifled a cough, rapidly blinking at the particles dancing around his face.

A dimly lit room lay before him. Crumpled wallpaper laid at the base and around the frame of the door. Shadow observed his exit point. It appeared that someone had attempted to conceal this entrance with wallpaper. He turned his attention back to the room. Immediately, he noticed it was a space he had not seen before.

Walls stretched into ceilings high above his head. The room was long, similar to the dining hall, with typical Orléanais renaissance architecture to match. Shadow craned his head down the length of the room. The door had brought him out near one end, facing the long wall. Columns lined both sides down to the end of the room. Shadow stepped forward and slipped around a column. There at the back wall sat a structure upon a set of golden steps. Whatever it was, it had been covered up in the tattered remains of cobalt and violet fabrics. Beyond it, Shadow caught a glimpse of the room's only light source. A stained glass window peeked out behind massive crimson curtains.

At first, it reminded Shadow of the stained glass window in the library. However, as he observed it, Shadow noticed a difference. The window in the library had no discernable figures, only mandala-esque patterns and colorful tessellations. The one before him, however, appeared to be depicting some kind of scene. A figure was partially visible from behind the curtains.

Slowly, Shadow walked across the room and up the steps. He passed the covered structure and gripped the red curtains. As he pushed them aside, sunlight seemed to engulf the room, bright rainbow colors washing over him. The mural now uncovered, he took a step back and observed the depiction before him.

He could see the figure clearly now. A golden hedgehog stood on some kind of hill or crest, his hand raised and palm open towards the sky. A bright green radiated from his hand, sparking and flaring up to where seven gems floated above. The multicolored gems captured the light in a dazzling display, and as he stared at them, Shadow felt his vision begin to flash between each color in rapid succession. Seven colors, seven gems. He placed a hand to his head. There was that feeling again—a memory (or was it a dream?) clawing at his mind.

What was more disturbing to Shadow was the figure himself, though. The way the green and yellow glass panes surrounded the figure's outstretched hand, colors jagged and almost crackling as the sunlight shone through— it was familiar. Shadow's own fingers wrapped around the palm of his hand.

The uneasiness Shadow felt before was beginning to rear its head again as he stared at the hedgehog. Sonic had made no mention of this place, and from the dust in the air and state of the room, it was clear no one had been in here in a long time. And then, there was Shadow's dream. He couldn't get the image of the seven capsules out of his mind. If it was the gems alone, he would have chalked it up to a simple coincidence, but the depiction of the hedgehog possessing such a power could not be ignored.

Shadow's life had been full of uncertainty, full of lies and confusion, but the one thing he had always had utmost faith in was his role as ultimate lifeform and the abilities he harnessed because of it. He had always known them, and they were solely his own. And yet, he had come to find he did not understand the full nature of his abilities. Despite the arduous efforts of GUN, it remained a mystery where Shadow's power originated. By all means, they violated the laws of physics: energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but years of research had left them no closer to an answer.

But unlike GUN, this mattered little to Shadow. It was his power after all, and he was confident in his use of it. That was all that mattered to him.

But now, here was this hedgehog, depicted with a power so reminiscent of his own. Again and again, his eyes traveled along the aura around the figure's hand up the crackling tail to the seven gems above, haloing him in a kind of divine light.

"Shadow?"

The meek voice echoing from behind him dragged Shadow back from his spiraling thoughts. But instead of reacting impulsively like he might have days ago, Shadow recognized the voice instantly. He shifted his gaze away from the stained glass and turned his body to face the voice's owner.

Tails stood before him on the other side of the room, hands clasped nervously. On the opposite far wall, Shadow could see what was likely the main entrance to this room open just a crack. As he had come to find was the case with all of the occupants of the castle, Tails had made no noise when he entered the room. These beings— they really were just like phantoms.

"I was worried you'd be in here," Tails mumbled, scratching his cheek nervously, "but I suppose that makes sense."

Shadow stared at him, voice flat and expression blank. "And why is that?"

"Because you seem like the kind of person who would go where Sonic didn't take him," he responded. "He didn't show you this place, did he?"

"No. He didn't."

"That figures." Tails sighed. He glided across the room, passing right by Shadow and up the stairs. He stopped beside the structure and gripped the violet fabric. With one quick motion, he tore the mass of coverings off of it. Lying under the tattered cloth was a throne, intricately designed with tarnished silvers and stained wood grain. At one point, Shadow imagined it must have been magnificent in the light of the fixture behind it. But now, it was little more than a sad rotting piece of furniture.

"This was the throne of the last sitting monarch, Sonic's mother." Tails explained. "Sonic was slated to sit here too, but–well, he never got the chance. He sealed up this place a long time ago. I think it brings back bad memories."

"Is he not fond of his mother's memory?"

Tails looked at Shadow incredulously. His mouth twitched, as if he was about to say something in defense of his prince. Instead, he only hardened his jaw.

"He doesn't like to talk about her, and I don't think he would be happy to find us here either." Tails stared nervously past Shadow to the exit of the throne room. He picked up the fabric from the ground and recovered the throne before gliding back down the stairs towards Shadow.

"Hold on." Shadow uttered as Tails reached his side, "That window, who's on it?" Shadow flicked his chin at the stained glass.

"Oh." Tails murmured, "Well, that's one of Sonic's ancestors. He was the first King of Sonic's bloodline." Tails furrowed his brow, as if he really had to wrack his brain to recall the history. Shadow nodded absentmindedly and Tails just stood there, becoming increasingly more uncomfortable as the two lingered in the throne room. "I really think we should leave…" Tails insisted.

Shadow ignored his suggestion and took a step closer to the mural.
"That power he's wielding, then," Shadow spoke, "is that due to the chaos emeralds?"

Tails' ears perked up. "Yes, it is." He began, a note of skepticism in his voice. "Besides granting wishes, chaos emeralds were also the relics of great power. Chaos energy could be very dangerous in the wrong hands, so that's why the emeralds stayed with the royal family."

Shadow nodded. "That power, I've seen it before."

Silence lingered between the two until Tails finally piped up with a nervous chuckle. "W-what do you mean? The chaos emeralds haven't been active in centuries."

Shadow glanced over his shoulder. He was now standing between the mural and the fox, who was looking at him with a mix of nervous confusion and awkward politeness that Shadow was sure wouldn't last much longer. He exhaled deeply, knowing he had no choice but to show the fox just what he meant. Slowly, he raised a hand out in front of him, palm facing up in a manner very similar to the hedgehog on the glass. He breathed in deeply, and Tails paled as a dim spec of light flickered in Shadow's hand. From that spark, the spec grew, tendrils of light swirling and wrapping around Shadow's palm and wrist until he was essentially wielding a glowing mass of energy. Tails' expression was visible through the light in his hand: a mix of horror, fascination, and confusion.

"This chaos energy—was it anything like this?"

Tails said nothing, still too stunned to speak. His mouth was slightly agape and his eyes darted back and forth between Shadow's outstretched hand and the window behind him.

"That's impossible." Tails finally whispered, voice barely audible. "How are you…what are you…?"

Shadow curled his fingers into a tight fist and the power sizzled out. "I don't quite understand it myself, you see." Shadow locked eyes with Tails, a new intensity to his gaze. "But I believe this power may have something to do with why I wasn't affected by your curse. Those chaos emeralds gave your kings power like this, correct?"

Tails broke eye contact with Shadow, turning away from the hedgehog altogether. Clearly he saw where Shadow was heading with his words. But after revealing his hand to the fox, Shadow wasn't about to let him off the hook so easily.

"Tails, will you take me to a chaos emerald?"

"I told you, the emeralds are useless now!" Tails shouted. It was the first time he had raised his voice like this at Shadow. "And even if they weren't, I can't just give you one!"

"Listen to me." Shadow snapped. He tried to keep his voice calm as he continued, "I have reason to believe those emeralds' power is similar to my own."

Tails turned back to face him. His eyes were wavering, but Shadow could see that the fox was picking up every word he said.

"I cannot guarantee anything, but if I am able to make a connection with them, it may yield a clue as to what happened to them."

Tails fists were clenched at his sides, and then he placed a hand to his muzzle, eyebrows furrowed his thought. "We should wait until Sonic gets back."

Shadow clenched his jaw. Discovering the mural had shaken him to his core in a way he couldn't ignore. He did not want to see that fool right now, and he certainly did not want to ask for his permission. This was a personal matter now, and as far as he was concerned, nothing was going to stop his investigation.

"You and your prince said these emeralds are gems of miracles, correct?" Shadow softened his eyes, putting on one of the facades he had mastered during his time at Marmotte's. "If that's the case, they could be the key to curing you of your afflictions."

Perhaps Shadow should feel more guilty than he did proposing such a possibility to the fox. Although it was not necessarily a lie, the truth of the matter was that Shadow's priorities had little to do with this castle's curse. He couldn't deny that he would say just about anything the fox wanted to hear in order to get what he wanted.

"I am aware how painful this topic is for Sonic, which is why I would rather not raise the possibility to him until we know if my hunch is correct." Shadow spoke, voice-laced with sympathy. "If we yield no results, then I would not want to give him false hope. But if I am able to make a connection…"

Tails' eyes widened, and Shadow knew he had him.

"Do you really think so?" Tails whispered, his voice so earnest in a way that bordered on desperation that Shadow couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.

"We won't know if we don't try." Shadow responded. "So, will you take me?"

Tails sighed and rubbed the back of his head. However, his gaze was one of resolve and determination. "You're right—it has been painful for Sonic. Everything about our situation has. He tries to hide it, but I can see through that. If there's any chance that what you say is true, then I want to find out."

Shadow blinked. While such a thing was not too hard to gleam, Shadow hadn't expected Tails' outright admission to Sonic's state of mind. From Shadow's perspective, Sonic almost always seemed ready to crack a joke or a smile. In fact, Shadow had found it off-putting just how cheerful he acted given his situation. If the beast really did have so much angst in him, he was good at hiding it. Shadow refused to humor the thought that the same could be said about him, though.

"Plus, I mean, if it's for scientific purposes, I suppose we don't have to make a big fuss about it…" Tails chuckled nervously, gliding across the floor. "We have to be quick though, so follow me." Tails halted in front of the passageway Shadow had uncovered, staring back at him expectantly.

Shadow raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless marched forward towards his companion. He allowed himself only one final look at the hedgehog who wielded the so-called power of miracles before following after Tails into the darkness.