Prologue: Awakening in darkness
Shadow was soon exiting out of the wormhole caused by Mephiles. Bloodied from the sneak attack, caused by the stab wound, he felt weaker. Unable to stay conscious, he fell on to solid ground.
"Tiffania..." He said weakly.
He passed out from blood loss, unable to move.
######
An unknown amount of time has passed. Shadow began to stir from his unconscious state. Having lost too much blood, he was shivering with a seizure.
"What's happened to me...?" He spoke, shivering.
"Shadow, easy there. You lost too much blood and I had to recover your life energy." Hien said.
"Hien? Thanks... I need to catch my breath for a moment..." Shadow said.
"Take a deep rest. I'll have a fire barrier block off anything that'll threaten you. It'll help warm you up just in case." Hien replied.
Shadow soon fell unconscious. He slept quietly, unknown as to what he will see.
######
After sleeping for some time, Shadow soon woke up. He felt groggy and weak.
"Ugh... This must be a side effect from recovering with what I've endured..." He noted.
"Indeed it is... I had to gather the four elemental essences from our surroundings to convert them to life energy to restore you. Though your body has recovered, you will still feel some side effects till they pass. Be wary that it may feel like anemia." Hien warned.
"I'll keep note of that. Thanks for the heads up." Shadow said.
"You're welcome. Now, we need to find out where we are." Hien spoke.
Shadow soon took a look of his surroundings. The area appeared dark and desolate. He appeared to be inside a building that was abandoned, evident by the several bricks fallen on the floor.
"Ruins? I don't think this looks ancient." Shadow said.
"It isn't. These ruins look recent, almost several hundred years." Hien noted.
"Several hundred years? What did Mephiles do to us?" Shadow asked.
"We'll find out when we go outside." Hien said.
Not having any answers, Shadow made his way through the ruins cautiously. Though there was little light, much was provided thanks to Hien shining through the darkness. He was able to find some stairs to make his way out.
######
(Play Sonic 06 OST - The Future World)
Shadow soon stumbled upon a way out. Light was pouring through the open passage. Upon exiting, he was looking at the scene with horror.
"By the force of Chaos...!" He spoke, aghast.
"I can't believe it..." Hien agreed.
The very sight they saw was a dark, decrepit world. Large landmasses of land were seen floating above a thick cloud cover with lightning shooting above the clouds. Ruins were seen everywhere, some of which were recognizable to Shadow and Hien. Bones of human corpses were seen littering on the ground. Some of which depicted the victim's last moments before death. Ash remains of the humans were also abundant, showing them as they cowered from an unknown threat.
"What happened to the people?" Shadow questioned.
"I'm also curious to find out." Hien said.
"Ash remains... Either something catastrophic happened that we're not aware of, or it entails to Mephiles." Shadow deduced.
"Wasn't Mephiles slain by your counterattack? He should be dead." Hien commented.
"No. He isn't dead yet. I was able to incapacitate him, but he'll be back." Shadow said.
"That means he's still alive." Hien noted.
"Yes. He's still out there. Whatever we've seen now may be the result of his lust for destruction." Shadow said, observing the scenery.
Soon, they noticed the islands billowing around as though hot air was blowing on them from below. Shadow soon felt a heat wave surge from beneath the clouds.
"Fire? This high up too?" Shadow questioned with surprise.
Channeling his water powers, he created a rain storm that drenched the flames that were towering. They fizzled out, disappearing beneath the clouds.
"What was that...? A surge of fire?" Hien asked.
"I don't know... Whatever happened here, we need to find answers." Shadow replied.
(The Future OST ends here)
######
(Play FEAR 2 OST - City of Ruin)
Shadow soon stumbled upon a ruined city. Much of the buildings around his sight appeared decrepit, ready to collapse. The lack of life around this area made it especially uncomfortable and unwelcoming for him.
"No matter where we go, there are ruins everywhere." Shadow said, hinting a tone of fear.
"It does seem eldritch, but we don't have a choice. It doesn't help I don't sense anyone or anything in this place either." Hien said.
"This place is truly desolate then. No humans nor monsters..." Shadow commented.
Exploring through the area, Shadow stumbled upon a collapsing building that gave away. Using his natural speed and Chaos powers, he evaded without a problem.
'Better be careful here... I don't want to end up dying in this place.' He thought.
Shadow soon noticed an old, but faintly familiar building. Though much of it was covered with dust, there was a familiar coat of arms displayed on one of the building's sides. He wiped the dust off to see the flag. Though the clothing was ripped and dirtied, it was a gray-silver color with two rhombi joined. The lower rhombus featured a fountain shaped depiction or a head of a staff. This brought Shadow to shock upon seeing the image.
"Is this...Tristain...?" Shadow questioned.
"It appears it is... I recall the coat of arms for Tristain and this is indeed the country. How did it come to this...? What could have caused the country to be devastated in such a horrible sight?" Hien questioned.
(City of Ruin OST ends here)
(Play FEAR OST - Endurance)
Soon, the ground began to rumble. Wisps of air soon formed with a dark aura. They soon formed creatures appearing like a horse, only there were dark markings on its body appearing like blood vessels. The eyes showed an ethereal glow of a dark purple color.
"What on earth...? Wind Stallions?" Shadow questioned.
"They appear to be Wind Stallions back in the Elemental Realm of Wind, but nothing like the same. They appear corroded with something dark." Hien observed.
Soon, the dark Wind Stallions began to channel wind in the form of sickles. Shadow managed to dodge some, but his body couldn't handle the strain due to the healing. He was experiencing a sense of vertigo, allowing some of the wind blades to nick him. Blood was shown flying from the cuts he received.
"Ugh... Their wind sickles are dangerously sharp. Augh...! What the!?" Shadow grunted.
There was a painful sensation that emanated from his wounds. It felt as though his body was being ripped apart from the inside. Hien noticed it was due to a corruptive force from the creatures that was harming Shadow.
"Shadow, I'll try to purify your body from this issue. Whatever these creatures have, it's definitely dangerous." The flame spirit spoke.
"Hurry... I don't think I can handle their attacks for long..." Shadow grunted, showing weakness.
He brought his sword out in its flame form. Shadow dodged the attacks which caused additional damage to the ruins around him. With some difficulty, he managed to cut them down. Exhausted, he was panting hard, unable to recuperate from the poisoning effect from the dark corruption caused by the creatures.
(Endurance OST ends here)
"Hien, those creatures were definitely holding something within them. Whatever it is, it feels as though I'm being corroded." Shadow noted.
"I've realized it as well. Their spirit energy is heavily tainted. What's worse is their affinity to wind. I can sense a strong aura as though they're composed of the element, but with something extremely dangerous." Horn explained.
"Will it take a while to recover from the corrosion?" Shadow questioned.
"It won't be long. Thanks to your connection with fire, the corrosion should dissipate. However, you're still healing from your battle so it might take some time." Horn warned.
(Play Sonic Adventure 2 OST - Black Noise)
Shadow didn't show it, but he truly felt challenged and uncertain. The fear of losing his life was starting to creep on his mind. He went to a nearby decrepit wall to hide from any threat that could be present. He soon noticed his hands quivering.
'Just...what happened to his world...? Everything is destroyed and I don't know where I've been marooned to.' He thought with slight panic.
The mental panic was starting to gnaw him in his mind. Adding to the factor he was in a desolate, abandoned town with no sign of help, Shadow felt shaken.
"Shadow! Don't start panicking. This isn't like you." Hien said.
"I haven't been in such a pitiful state like this before, Hien. I'm in a hostile world now after dealing with Reconquista back in Albion." Shadow reasoned.
"I know you feel mentally exhausted after what you have been through. However, don't lose yourself. We need to know what happened here." Hien noted.
Shadow soon felt himself calm down. He controlled his breathing to soothe the panic attack.
(Black Noise OST ends here)
"Thanks. I needed that pep talk." Shadow said.
"Just keep your head. Remember that we need to find information." Hien noted.
(Play Nier Automata OST - City Ruins)
Shadow cautiously explored the ruins of Tristain. The feeling of being alone was ever present, making the travel uncomfortable. He was able to overcome the side effects of the corrosion, but he still felt a minor sense of vertigo due to his body healing from blood loss. His steps looked unsteady as he tried to keep his balance.
"Damn it... I still haven't fully recovered to be physically capable of defending myself, let alone exploring." He grunted.
Exhausted, he took a momentary break. Sitting near a cracked wall, he managed to catch his breath and regained his stamina, albeit partially. The wounds on his body against the dark creatures soon began to heal quickly.
'This is not a place I would expect to see... I have to find any clues or answers as to what caused the world around me to be like this.' He thought.
Standing up with effort, Shadow began to explore more of the ruins. From a distance, he was able to faintly make out a familiar building. He couldn't see it clearly due to the landmasses floating about. He used his wind powers to fly up to the sky to see what he needed to. Upon seeing the building in question, Shadow gasped.
"No... It can't be...!" He said.
He soon bullet dived to the site. Upon reaching the floating landmass, Shadow finally had a clear visage of the building. It left him in shock. It was a familiar sight with a pentagonal shape surrounding the main building. Much of the foundation has rotted, shown by the overgrown plants around it.
"Tristain academy... This whole place is indeed what's left of Tristania... The question is not where we are, but when." Shadow noted.
"Looks like we have been sent across time after all... Seeing the coat of arms from one of those ruins was one clue. Now we found the former academy of magic." Hien agreed.
"Now that we know where we are, but we need to find more details as to how this happened." Shadow commented, overlooking the city ruins.
"Much of the city lies in ruins. Plus, those strange wind monsters may still be around." Hien noted.
"It will be arduous, but there should be something to provide information." Shadow said.
The view soon zoomed out from Shadow, displaying the landmass that was once Halkgenia, now floating above a sea of clouds. Underneath the clouds, a raging sea of fire and lava was shown.
(City Ruins OST ends here)
That's all from here.
The opening and ending will be shown in the next chapter.