Hello everyone! Sorry to have you kept waiting for four days for chapter two to be released and not the next day as I said last time. I got struck by laziness that prevented me from reading and polishing the second chapter. Hope you forgive me after reading the second chapter. After their encounter in the first chapter, it's time for some interactions between these two, which will be continued in the next chapter.
On with the chapter, good sirs and madams!
Surprised and teary blue eyes found themselves locked at the sharp but curious red ones.
The yellow Chaos Emerald hums audibly so the two do not forget it is there lying on the floor. With the radiant light and dancing sparkles dispelling some darkness surrounding the two though, it is hard not to notice.
The two ignored the emerald for now as they regard each other's presence here in this darkened hall. The one crouching down is a hedgehog with angular red eyes, black fur accented by red streaks on four of his upturned quills, ridges of his eyebrows, arms and legs, black nose, triangular ears, tan skin, white chest fur patterned into four curved pointed ends on each side with one pointed end going downwards, two spines protruding on his back and a tail. The only attire he has are white gloves with black cuffs and red tongues fitted with two yellow rings and red and white smooth shoes with black heel regions and the front sole pointing upward, red rim strips on the soles split below the in-steps, five yellow-orange line of small holes. Red tongue and black collar encircled by yellow rings are also seen above his shoes.
The one who is lying face down with her head up high looks to be a 9-year-old girl with pale skin, innocent blue eyes and long wavy blonde hair. Her outfit consists of a green dress extending just below her knees with a white, frilled collar, blue scarf tied around it, and white wrist cuffs held by two yellow buttons at the end of her sleeves. She also wears knee-high black socks and brown shoes or loafers.
They stared at each other for a few seconds in silence. It seems like they are wondering and waiting for either of them to speak first, with Mary's mouth open as she continues staring at Shadow's stern face. She must be trying to say something if her mouth is open but she cannot think of what she can say in this situation. She thought she had spoken her last words when she tripped on the floor. Or it might be the unexpected appearance of Shadow and her seeing she is still alive is making it difficult for her to speak.
While neither speaks up, their thoughts are active regarding their encounter.
Hmm… This girl must be Mary, guessed Shadow. From the way she is crying and panicking, and the messages I read about how she is in so much trouble, the creepy events I am witnessing here is targeting her for some reason. Maybe she caused the gallery to become surreal and threatening to one's mind, but I believe she didn't mean all of that to happen judging from her words.
A… A person… I'm looking at a… real person! Mary realized. I thought I will die without seeing someone from the real world… As for what he is though, he must be a… hedgehog. I am used to meeting humans, so meeting a different species is unexpected for me. But still, if he is from the real world, I should not complain, especially when I didn't die. Hopefully not yet...
The moment of silence finally interrupted through Mary speaking first. But the thought of possibly dying keeps her in fear, causing her to stutter her first words to the stranger, "Uh… U-Umm…"
"Grab my hand." Shadow told her, turning his hand that was about to grab the emerald upward.
"Huh? W-What for?" She responded.
"…To help you get up?" He clarified with a slight tinge of impatience in his tone. "You do not like staying on the dirty floor, right? We have lied or crouched on the floor long enough and I don't want my fur catching any dust and dirt."
Now getting what he intends to do for her, Mary promptly grabs his hand. He acts straightforwardly and appears to wear a dour face that seems natural to him that could deter anyone to talk with him, but she feels she can trust him. Given his nice gesture by extending his hand to help her stand up, she believes she is safe with him around.
"Oh, r-right." What she said as she stands up, feeling her weight transporting to Shadow's firm grip for a moment. Dusting her dress and sleeves for any dirt that may have latched on to her, Mary glanced at her palette knife and doll lying on the floor. She scooped them up, putting her palette knife in her dress pocket while holding her precious doll in her left arm. At the same time, Shadow picked up the yellow emerald, using its glowing light as a second form of flashlight.
Looking at him, Mary sees that he is a little shorter than her, just reaching up to her shoulders. He seems to be not bothered by the difference in height when he looks up to her, so she tilted her head down so she faces him properly. Despite being taller than him, she feels a little intimidated by him due to his glaring eyes, coupled by his aloof attitude he is showing to her even at this peculiar and scary situation. It feels like he is looming over her that not even his short height can diminish.
She hopes he is not here to end her.
W-What did I think that? He did help me stand up. She scolded herself again.
"…T-Thank you." Mary said, not forgetting her manners.
"Think nothing of it," replied Shadow. Folding his arms, he stares at her and says, "So… I believe you owe me an explanation."
"Huh?"
"If I'm not mistaken, you're Mary, right?" He bluntly asked her. The girl flinched in surprise because he guessed her name correctly but he continued regardless of her response. "Some of the writings allude to you when I was exploring around the gallery. Or at least, what I thought to be the gallery. The artworks changing and leaking paints, on top of the darkening halls, is enough proof for me that this place has a sinister secret."
"…" Mary stayed silent as she listened with her mouth open. While no words came out, her thoughts formed as she processed the implication of this hedgehog's presence.
"So, here's a question I want you to answer…" He unfolded his arms but his stare never wavered away from her form. "What is happening behind the scenes in this art gallery?"
"…"
"You're the only one present here until I arrived. I expect you may know why the gallery become in this odd state."
"…"
"Granted, you must be lost when all of this were happening, but I have a feeling that's not the case."
"…"
"Well? Don't keep me waiting. I want answers now before I can consider my next move."
"…Did you come across a big painting?"
"Hm?"
Looking back at him with an expressionless face, Mary decided that she must feed him info about what is happening in this gallery that she is sure could still be a part of the art world. There are two versions of the art gallery she knows that looked the same, but the difference is the floor colors. She remembers the "alternate gallery" has black floors and walls while here, it is white. She could always tell when a visitor has entered her world through the ? World painting and she believes they start in this part of the painting world first. With that in mind, Mary could guess how this hedgehog entered this world during what was supposed to be her demise in the hands of the cursed gallery itself.
"A painting. As big and wide like this," She spreads her hands wide to convey the size to him. "The name has two words, but I only read one word because I didn't understand the first word. "
Catching on to her crude description, he replies, "…Fabricated World? Is that the painting you're referring to?"
"Ah! Yes!" She almost jumped in delight when he correctly guessed it. "That's the painting! You saw it on the third floor before you were transported here, right? I know you did because you wouldn't be here otherwise."
"Really now…" Folding his arms, the hedgehog is convinced this girl, who he calls Mary, appears to know what is truly happening. Despite her appearance and behavior being similar to a little girl, he believes she have known how… this world hidden behind a painting in the art gallery function.
If he wants to learn about the surreal world he unwittingly entered, Shadow initially has no intention of it. He only got here to find the source of the Chaos energy signal he felt passing by the gallery. In hindsight, the fact he detected an increase in energy should clue him that a Chaos Emerald is the cause and source of the Chaos energy spike. Once claiming it, he would get out of here with or without the girl and leave things be because it is no longer his business.
But the encounter with Mary and witnessing the "gallery" changing uncannily marks the change of his plan this night.
He feels he won't have a chance to know more if he left everything here be and took his leave. Besides, with the emerald being in Mary's possession until now, it begs the question of what is it doing here.
Staring intensely at Mary, Shadow proceeds to question her about the Chaos Emerald. "Before I indulge myself in learning what this… fake gallery is, a question is in order that I hope you will answer."
"Um, w-what question?" Mary nervously asked..
"This emerald…" Showing the glowing emerald held in his hand, Shadow asks, "How did you get this?"
"How… did I got it?" She repeated, blinking in confusion.
"Any normal person wouldn't be able to acquire a Chaos Emerald due to their mystical nature and being found in dangerous and distant places," He continued. "Since I didn't know a single emerald was in this replication of the art gallery, it counts as an unlikely place to appear. And... I have every belief that this emerald may have appeared before you because you were holding it until you dropped it. Now that you understand, tell me when, and how, did you get the emerald. I won't ask again."
Slightly bothered by his blunt and indifferent tone, Mary averted her eyes off Shadow to stare at the sparkling emerald in his right hand. In any situation, she would be in awe of this special gem emitting a glow by itself. It's an unusual but pretty sight. If you want to make it glow, you have to shine a light to it and see the reflected light on the other side of a gem. Going by his words that this emerald must be special, she honestly didn't know she was holding a stone that is, as he said it, mystical.
He's expecting an answer, She reminded herself. I am confused about why he wants to know, but seeing he knows what this gem is, I'm curious to know as well.
Looking into his eyes again, Mary hopefully sees no harm in answering him. She is unsure if he can trust this frowning hedgehog with a chip on his shoulder that he is showing just now, but he is dying to know. Or he's just impatient.
"If you want to know, I-"
"CHAOS SPEAR!"
Something fast flew past her head, barely missing her hair swaying from the shift of the wind. Then a garbled scream is heard from behind.
"AAAAaaaaaAAaaaAAAAaaaarrrRRRGGGggghhh…!"
"Huh!? W-What was that scream?"
Mary turned around, swiftly bringing out her palette knife in response. Whether she may use it to defend herself or attack, she shouldn't be because it would be useless when faced against something a knife couldn't hope to stab or slice. The possibility is still there, but the implication remains.
"…AAAHH!"
Backing away with a scream, Mary stared at the... creatures that had manifested from the painted walls and ceilings. The perturbing sound of paint falling on the floor like footsteps is heard again as she and Shadow look at the group that surreptitiously appeared in the dark.
Formed entirely from black paint that is struggling to maintain its form due to the dripping or melting fluid, the monsters' uncanny appearance, pupilless eyes and jagged, gaping mouths are the only similarities they share between each other and most for them have varying forms for each one. Most of the monsters have a humanoid form with long arms, sharp claws and almost no visible feet (it could be melting through the floor) or no legs at all, leaving them clawing on the floor with their sharp hands or standing up supported by their painting bodies. Also, if their eyes are not being misled by the dark, all monsters seem to like bundled up together as one, giving it an impression that these separate painting creatures are actually a collective form of a single monster.
She had almost forgotten who caused all of this. The gallery must have deliberately created these monsters from the leaked paint found from the ceiling or maybe from the Abyss of the Deep since it has the same dark blue color. Regardless, the cursed gallery will not stop until Mary is dead for daring to get out of the Fabricated World without killing someone from the real world.
It's as if the gallery is angry at her for breaking the rule of the Fabricated World.
Or maybe this is a way for them to convey their jealousy and ire over her being capable of leaving without saying goodbye to her fellow artworks
"A-Ahhh… Ah… A-A-Ahh, aaahhh…" If she wasn't so afraid before, then she should be after seeing the painting monsters out for her blood. She can only stutter in fear, her body frozen still which it did not move even when the monsters make their move toward her.
"Uuuurrrrggghhhh…" They groaned in unison, which echoed within the hallway.
For every step or crawl they make, they are steadily going faster. This is helped by the paint-soaked floors supporting their feet as they quickly close the gap between themselves and Mary, who still did not move out of fear and possible acceptance of her impending doom…
…until she felt herself being pulled by her hand.
"Huh? W-Waahhh!"
"You're gonna stand there and let them get you? Move!"
Having enough of the waiting game between Mary and the monsters, Shadow grabs her wrist and gets away from the monsters quickly. His Air Shoes activated, producing hot fumes strong enough to levitate Shadow. With the draft enhancing his leg movements, he skates away with Mary in tow, making his way fast to the entrance door. At this point, the hallways become dim, still too dark to see properly but not intrusive and discomforting enough to let them see something.
Stopping his Air Shoes after letting go of the bewildered Mary, Shadow grabbed the handles and tried pushing them. "Nnnngghhh…! Open, you stupid door!" He growled, finding it hard to do a simple act like opening a door. For some reason, it's stuck like glue.
"I-I don't think you can open the door!" Mary told him after regaining her bearings. "I tried opening it, but it's stuck! It is probably because we are in the other side of the gallery, so we can't exit normally!"
"Tsk. Then I'll just bust it open." He stated.
"Bust it open?" She looked at him incredulously. "With what? Yourself?"
"Well, what else should I use? A crowbar?" He sardonically said, giving her a deadpan look.
Mary wanted to object to his response but the arrival of the paint monsters with their squelching movements and harrowing groans stops her. Seeing them approaching the cornered duo because they covered every conceivable escape route puts the fear back into her mind, making her step back to the wall behind her.
"No… No, no, no!" Mary believes this is the end for both of them. "I don't wanna die… I don't wanna die… All I ever wanted is to see the real world with my own eyes… Why does dad and the gallery forbid me from going out the cursed world I spent my entire life in?" Tears fell from her eyes, unable to contain them. She drops to her knees, hugging tightly the doll she brought with her to provide a little companion to attend by her side. Seeing her impending death had delayed for long until in this point, the portrait girl seems to accept her fate, knowing well that there is no more escape.
I guess living in the real world may remain a fantasy to me… She thought up her last words, her "fabricated" heart full of regret as she expects to be killed. So sure of what would happen that she didn't notice the visitor glaring at every monster approaching the two.
Feeling loads of Chaos energy flowing through his body starting from his hand holding the Chaos Emerald, Shadow is more than ready to throw down with these monsters. He needed something to unload against after a whole day worth of having nothing worthwhile to do outside work. Even then, his current work didn't have him fight someone, which in this time of peace is what he liked to see but that left him not throwing out punches or practicing his moves for the upcoming fights so he can adapt in every situation imaginable.
At least he won't be getting rusty soon when he's not fighting.
Once his energy was rejuvenated fully, Shadow stares at every monster that is now close to his position. Aware of Mary backed against the wall in fear, Shadow sends out a booming shockwave because of his full Chaos energy. This pushed the monsters away from him, letting out gurgling screams.
"UgaaaAAAAaarrrrRRGGGHHHHhhh!"
"Ah!" Mary is not immune to the shockwave, jolting from the sudden noise entering her ears. She covered them with her hands to stop the ringing sound inside her ears, letting go of her doll subsequently. "What... What was that sound? And... the monsters," She looked at the recovering monsters, few of them proceeding to move forward again after a minor setback caused by Shadow. "They are far from us? ...How? What did-"
"You," Shadow turns to her, making her flinch from the way he is starting at her. "Behind the desk. Now."
"H-Huh? The desk?" She turned to the desk that was sitting there. She didn't get what Shadow wanted her to do at first, until the hedgehog steps forward to confront the monsters head-on. Her eyes widened when she realized what he will do, so she exclaims, "Wait, are you... going to fight them?"
"I told you to get behind the desk. You do not want to get hurt, right?" He told her again, firmly and glaring at her this time. His concern for her well-being is masked behind the harsh tone in his voice and clenched fists.
"Eeep! R-R-Right away, sir!"
Mary did not hesitate to go behind the desk after snatching her doll. Fearful of what will happen next, her entire form hid under the desk, which means she will not see the absolute thrashing Shadow will soon inflict upon the approaching painting monsters.
Not that she has a chance to do so due to what move Shadow will do.
"AAAAaaaarrRRRRRGGGggggghhHHHHHH...!" All monsters howled a chorus of terrifying screams as their jagged mouth and sharp claws stretched over the unflinching hedgehog. With their paint-like bodies letting them stretch to great heights and sizes, a normal person stood no chance against these painted nightmares about to tear their body apart or eat them alive with their teeth cutting and munching their bones, muscles and organs without mercy. In that situation, they are in control and will succeed.
Too bad that the prey before them isn't any normal person.
Actually, he is far from being an ordinary being.
"Chaos…CONTROL!"
It was over in an instant when he said those words.
His right hand has sparks of electricity running across his fingers and palms to melt the residual paint that smudged his glove. The paint weren't sticky so Shadow has no problem shaking them off, but the thought of having his body and attire stained by a paint after killing the monsters annoyed him. He is relieved it didn't happen.
Other than that, Shadow remain composed after disposing his foes without breaking a sweat. He dusted both his arms and quills, satisfied of eliminating the monsters one-sidedly. Really, did he expect he will be having a hard time killing them? He already knew who's gonna come out on the top.
Well, they did nail down the frightening look. I was a little disturbed even just by thinking it. Shadow gave points to the monsters' appearances.
"Umm… Is it safe for me to go out now?" He heard Mary said from the desk. She can be seen peeking her eyes behind it while still hiding her entire body from his view when he turned around. "Are the monsters…gone?" Her eyes turn to where the monsters used to be there.
Staring at her with folded arms, Shadow quickly replies to her. "They still remain… as splotches of paint smearing the floors and walls. Even that won't be there for long 'cause they will melt soon."
Her eyes widen in surprise and awe. This hedgehog managed to kill all the monsters by himself, looking no worse for wear at that. And since the walls are no longer being filled with harrowing groans and writhing liquids, she believed him.
She is safe, for the time being.
Displaying wariness still, Mary stands up and moves away from the desk to walk close to him. Her movements are slow, as if she is trying to process what he did and the danger being gone. This is supported by their surroundings becoming a little brighter, possibly because the leaking paint from the Abyss of the Deep rescinded. Could it be the cause of the darkening space and eerie footsteps heard earlier?
Whether she wants to know or not, they were not brought up. Instead, Mary starts asking him how did he killed them. "So, uh… How did you do it? How did you wiped them out?"
"…" Shadow went silent there. Seeing no harm in informing her, who is now standing before him with an inquisitive look over him, he answers, "Through my powers."
"Your powers?"
"You heard me. My powers are what ended them without exerting excessive energy."
"R-Really? Are you… capable of fighting, and also… pretty strong?"
"Yes. I believe you don't need me asking more of that since you saw what I did to the monsters."
"But, I want to know! I have never met anyone from the real world who is powerful and can fight! I am impressed of your feat, really! Can you tell me more? Please? Pleeeeaaase?" She enthusiastically proded, smiling for the first time after almost dying. Any fear had vanished or at least decreased as she focused on the incredible hedgehog.
"…*sighs* Fine. But, in return, you will tell me where am I, what happened here, who you are, and when and how did you have this Chaos Emerald with you. It's a fair trade, so I will not hear you ask for more."
"…Okay. I was thinking on letting you know when I first encountered you anyway. I hope I didn't make you wait."
"More like delayed due to the monsters' appearances. Now, let's go to the resting room in the third floor. We have been in the first floor long enough."
"Oh, okay. I suppose it's okay to be in a small room to rest. I very much don't like being out here while the gallery is still being like this…"
"Then let's not delay any longer."
The two beings left the floor to go up, their footsteps breaking the eerie silence of the fake or "real" gallery.
Chapter two finished!
I believe you already know what will happen after Shadow saved Mary from getting killed by the cursed gallery, but yeah, thanks to the Ultimate Lifeform, Mary is spared from a terrible fate. It's not just her who are spared, but Ib and Garry were spared from a horrible fate stuck in the Fabricated World. As I said in the first chapter, these two will not be making an appearance in the story because I want to focus on the growing friendship and eventual family-like bonding between Shadow and Mary.
As such, when you think about it, they will not get to explore the cursed art gallery and suffer something bad when they are so close to getting out.
Andit'snotbecauseIwantMarytohaveahappyendingwithoutanyonedyingorsufferingbadoutcome.
...
...
...Ahem! So anyway, regarding the paint monsters, I based their appearances and role from the disembodied hands that can scratch you while exploring the Fabricated World, the leaking painting coming from the tiniest cracks of the ceiling, the Fusion sculpture and, quite possibly, the machinations of the cursed gallery.
Once, I saw a fanart on Deviantart depicting black paint oozing out from Mary's eyes and mouth with an agonized expression. It is possible that when the gallery is going dark, it is not just her surroundings. Her body is slowly melting or evaporating and black paint oozing out from her eyes and mouth, like the Abyss of the Deep leaking blue paint to cover the walls and floor and red or blue paints seeping from the ceiling and one window. If you don't want to see the fanart, then try imagining it. It is a scary sight and a horrible way to die for even a disturbed painting like Mary.
The cursed gallery is surely a sadistic one if it decided that is how she will die, which I believe that's what happened during A Painting's Demise. It's my own and the artist's interpretation so you may have a different opinion on what exactly happened during the ending. Either way, thanks to the Chaos Emerald, that didn't happen. So the gallery responds by sending out paint monsters made from the leaked paintings covering the walls and floor and to either claw, tear, or eat Mary.
And of course, you already seen what Shadow did to them. In fact, I was thinking on having a short fight sequence for that part, but decided against it because he is a powerful lifeform capable of using Chaos powers.
The danger may have stopped, but the two are not out of the cursed gallery yet. Do not worry though. They will be out soon enough. Just one more chapter before we can move out from the Fabricated World and see Shadow and Mary living and overcoming difficulties together...
...That is, if their contrasting personality and issues hinder them. Eh, I hope they can. This is a story about their developing bond as fellow creations of two people, after all.
Well, time for me to end this chapter. Stay safe everyone and thank you for reading!