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Shadow8Phantom: I am glad to see my frequent reviewer is always present! I'll keep your offer in mind but I think I can handle the story decisions by myself. Thanks for offering your help to me though! And yes, Shadow and Marg will be stuck in the Fabricated World for the majority of the story. Not gonna say more or else I might spoil something, hehehe.
As quickly it appeared, the flash of light immediately vanished after enveloping Shadow, who instinctively averted and covered his eyes when it did.
Feeling the surge of energy is gone, he lowers his hands and opens his eyes, noticing the light is gone. He didn't expect a Chaos Emerald would suddenly perform a Chaos Control by itself. He didn't have an input so he believes that a reaction could have caused the emerald to perform the technique. He feels so surprised to learn an emerald can perform Chaos Control by itself even though he knew to an extent they have some form of sentience, he just didn't mind or cared about it.
Well whatever. Since I found a single emerald here, I should just- Shadow, still crouched down on the floor when the Chaos Control occurred, reaches out to grab the emerald after his sight returned to normal, his eyes directing to the emerald.
At least, where he thought the emerald should be lying on.
His eyes widened in surprise upon seeing no sign of the yellow glowing gem lying on the floor before him. "What? The Chaos Emerald. Where… Where is it?" Standing up, Shadow looks around in hopes the emerald could possibly be nearby instead of having likely teleported somewhere after it used Chaos Control. But to his dismay, no sign of the emerald's presence is here, not even some residual Chaos Energy it may have left behind.
With this fact, Shadow sighed irritatingly. Just what he needs. A Chaos Emerald that disappeared far from his grasp after he came across it. He doesn't care if it's only one emerald. A single one possesses enough energy to let its wielder rule the world and succeeding possession of other emeralds can enhance them and let them wield more power until they're able to command ultimate energy when seven of them are gathered.
"Give me a break… If the emerald didn't have teleported out of my reach, I would have grabbed it and be on my way," grumbled Shadow. "I haven't possessed one emerald for a while, so I thought I was lucky to have come across one. I need it to accelerate my energy charging process as I'm low on Chaos Energy."
Shadow wants to complain more, but he sees there would be no point in expressing irritation to an emerald who isn't in his vicinity and most likely is unable to hear his complaint. He should be glad he found an emerald that he can search and retrieve. Sounds simple enough, but it won't be easy. …Guess that means I must get moving if I were to find it. No progress is being made just by standing still.
With a goal set, Shadow adjusts his gloves and shoes before stretching his limbs to prepare his body for a long walk.
"My eyes… My eyes…"
"Hm?"
Picking up a new voice with his triangular ears, Shadow turned to the one who whined on his side. There, sitting on the floor with her back against the wall is a young girl rubbing her eyes with a quivering frown, looking quite uncomfortable and in pain.
Possibly couldn't be any older than 9, the whimpering girl has pale skin and long wavy blonde hair reaching down to her waist sitting on the floor on her knees with her legs spread out under and behind her. Her outfit consists of a green dress extending just below her knees with long sleeves that has a puff at the top, 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.
Shadow's eyes widen a little when he sees her, having only realized he was actually not alone the whole time he tried finding the Chaos Emerald only to see it's not here and bemoaning about it. A girl… Wait, was she the one who ran left and right before tripping in a panic earlier? I believe I briefly saw a hand reach out for the emerald when I crouched down to grab it. Hm, there's no mistaking it. She's the one who tried grabbing the emerald. He thought.
Also of note is the place he and the whimpering girl are in when his eyes fell on her. They're in a corridor that could fit at least five more people until they couldn't exceed past the space of the enclosed hall. The walls, floors and ceiling are all colored gray, and probably would have been the only color present here if weren't for the trickling or dripping dark blue and red substance found in the cracks between either floor, walls or ceiling or dripping only from the ceiling, staining two spots on the floor. As to what this substance could be, the strong smell lingering in the air indicates that these might be a paint. Why is the paint exuding out of the surfaces, Shadow has a feeling he shouldn't pry out the answer from. Lastly, the corridor is too dark for them to see so that the only space being lit up is around them.
Being a hedgehog, a species known for having nocturnal eyes, Shadow has no problem seeing in the dark, but as for the girl, she may have trouble seeing things until her eyes get used to the dark, only she will see everything here dimly.
Speaking of the girl, she eventually stopped whining and rubbing her eyes because the stinging pain left her eyes. With that pain gone, she lowers her hands before she opens her eyes slowly, blinking twice as she did so. "Owww… My eyes still hurt…" Despite relief washing her statement, there's a bit of hesitancy in her tone as little bits of pain lingered in her orbs.
After a moment of staring out to the space before her, it occurred to her that it is too dark here, so much so that the only things she can see are herself and the gray surface of the corridor around her vicinity, about one meter. Then remembering what happened earlier involving everything growing darker until she can no longer see brought panic back to her stature and expression as she stands up on her feet, stumbling backwards against the wall due to how quickly she stood up.
Her eyes widened in fear and anxiety as she whipped her head around frantically, her left hand clenching and opening in succession for some reason as if she was grabbing an object. While panic is written on her face, so too sorrow and despair as a small trickle of tears appear on the corners of her eyes. "Ah… A-Ahhh, no please… I… I don't want to die… I don't want to die," she pleaded, almost begging at someone in a whimpering tone. She remembered what the writings have said to her, all of which are anything but pleasant, and believing this imaginary world is still out to end her fabricated life, she huddle up against the wall as much as she can and shields her face with her arms, mostly her tearful eyes, so she wouldn't see what will kill her. "Please, I only want to go… to the… to the r-real w-w-world… I-I'm a good girl, s-so please… please let me live!"
After making a pitiful plea one last time, she remained in that position, sobbing to herself as she shook in fear. Her quivering body increases in frequency when she hears footsteps approaching her. She stuttered in response, becoming more frightened as the sound draws closer and louder to her. Her breath hitched in her throat when the footsteps stopped, and as much she wants to fight back, she didn't have it in her to do so. All she can do is wait inevitably for a fate she must have deserved for being a bad girl.
Mary continued whimpering with tears flowing from her covered eyes, until a gruff voice speaks to her. "Hey, stop crying."
Her breath hitched in her throat again, but not out of fear this time. She couldn't misheard that, right? That voice didn't sound like it's from the gallery. "H-Huh?"
"I said stop crying," The gruff voice repeated intently, and sounds of shuffling is heard before they speak again, "And get your arms off your eyes. The darkness is trying to make it hard for me to see here, so you're gonna make it harder for yourself to see, too?"
Whoever spoke to her sounds so impatient, emphasized by their growling, low tone. One thing's for sure however: Mary doesn't recognize his voice and mustn't belong in any parts of the gallery.
Wait, could it be? The owner of that voice… Is he from…?
Feeling a little bit of hope welling in her chest, Mary slowly but surely lowers her arms off her eyes. Her sleeves are stained with her tears, but she doesn't care for it at the moment as she wants to see who had spoken to her just now.
The person who approached her and told her to stop crying and lower her arms off her eyes is a hedgehog with red and angular 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 adorned by a yellow ring and red and white smooth shoes with black heel regions and the front sole pointing upward, red rim strips on the soles broken below the in-steps, five yellow-orange line of small holes. Red tongue and black collar encircled by a yellow ring are also seen.
Even with his gloves and shoes, he appears naked to her and if weren't for his black fur, this claim will come true.
She stared at him for many seconds after gasping in surprise to see someone is here with her. Her mouth was left agape as her widened eyes continue staring at him when she removes her back off the wall without any fear in her face. "Ah!"
The hedgehog noticed her moving away from him so that she's standing on the center of the hall, and believing she's still scared, quickly comes up with this statement to calm her. "Easy, easy. I'm not gonna hurt you. No need to step away from me."
She's not gonna lie. This person slightly shorter than her, maybe reaching to her neck or shoulders, looks intimidating and his angular eyes makes him glower perpetually. His red eyes, black, white and red coloring on his… what is it? What's the word for hair but for animals? Fur? Well, continuing on, hands and shoes and his assured posture certainly makes him appear taller in spite of his actual height. Lastly, his frown did a good job emphasizing his intimidating look that could kill if he was looked at the wrong way.
Mary had met a lot of visitors who came down to the Fabricated World, most of which are either humans or animals that walk on two legs and act like humans. She read from one book that these two species co-exist on the real world, but live in different places like a city for humans or islands for animals. It's not uncommon for them to live in a same place, so there's some diversity. From her experiences encountering the visitors, she likes playing with them, especially the nice ones who reciprocate or even tolerate her personality and the place they were trapped in. Other than the jerks who didn't want anything to do with her and quickly left, they were okay and could have been friends with her if weren't for them wanting to get out to safety, which led her to… drastic measures to ensure they won't leave so she can have a friend.
But this guy… She's not sure if she can put it into words or describe him simply, but he possesses a unique aura that has both a nice person's features and a rude one's attitude. His appearance makes him look scary, but his stern yet placating words contrasts it.
Regardless of what she tries to make out of this black-furred person, there's one thing she is sure of: this person isn't from the Fabricated World, meaning he must have originated from the real world. This also means that he is the first real person she met for a long time.
Ever curious of anything and anyone, but most of all, feeling her fear pushed aside to the back of her head, Mary wipes the remaining tears of her eyes with her sleeves before she looks to his red eyes. She doesn't know yet what had happened after a bright light appeared from a yellow gem but she believes she can ask that to him during the first conversation between them.
"Are you… Are you from the gallery?" Mary questioned him, getting close to his face after bending her body forward. A bit too close for Shadow's comfort. "A visitor to the gallery? You… You must be, right?"
Not liking how she's invading his private space, Shadow steps backward to give some space between them while scowling. Then he gives out his reply to her. "Hmm, you can say that." While he's really visiting the gallery, it is past closing time, so he's trespassing. He's not gonna say it out loud under the belief she may get the wrong idea.
Or perhaps not considering the look of surprise and elation etched on her face when he replied yes to her question.
Smiling in joy, Mary couldn't believe she's actually talking to someone from the real world. Filled with delight, she says these words to express her current feelings, "As I thought…!" She knew the moment she got a confirmation he came from the real gallery that she couldn't waste this chance to introduce herself and get to know him more, lest he decides to leave her be and walk away without regard for her feelings. With this thought, she takes one step backward before putting her feet close and clasping both her hands and placing it on her lap, then with the same sweet smile, proceeds with the introduction. "My name's Mary, mister. I don't have a last name, but I think Mary is fine. What's yours?"
"…Huh? Oh! My name?"
Shadow snaps out of his trance, blinking his eyes after realizing he was staring blankly at her. When she got too close to him and he backed up to give them some space, his mind drifted somewhere after he noted her long blonde hair and blue eyes almost make this girl resemble his deceased friend more than 50 years ago. If that's not enough for a resemblance, he heard her name is Mary, almost sounding the same as his deceased friends' name, which is a variation of the girl's name: Maria. On top of that, her personality is that of an innocent and cheerful little girl who appears to like talking with people.
He would like to take note more of the apparent similarities between Maria and this girl out of rationality and curiosity, but he sees Mary is waiting for him to give out his name, her hands hidden behind her back and occasionally bouncing on her feet all with the same positive smile on her face.
"Keep it together… Must not get more distracted, especially since I don't know what's happening here…" He muttered quietly to himself so Mary did not hear him before clearing his throat and facing her with folded arms and perpetual frown. "…It's Shadow."
"Shadow?" Mary frowned while tilting her head in curiosity because that name sounds strange but exotic.
"Shadow the Hedgehog. That's my full name," he added. "I don't mind if you called me only Shadow. It will be a mouthful if you included my last name or wanted to be polite."
Mary is not planning to refer to him by his full name. Like he said, it sounds like a mouthful. Also, aside for the usual last name found for the animal species (which also lets her learn what kind of species he is) she likes the name for being unique.
"Okay! Nice to meet you Shadow!" Mary smiled again.
"Likewise…" Shadow returned less enthusiastically.
With introductions out of the way, it's about time the two address the elephant in the room. One that have been looming around them after they got an eyeful of light that appeared so suddenly. Shadow is yearning to ask this girl he now knows as Mary on where the heck they are and what is going on before he arrived. From how Mary is smiling as she continues looking at him, it seems like she almost forgot they are in an unfamiliar dark place and would have continued being ignorant to their predicament if Shadow keeps quiet.
Most of all though, Shadow is getting impatient. He better start asking her and get answers to discern their situation, especially since he has a feeling this girl must be aware of her plight if hearing her scared running and distressed cries he heard earlier until the Chaos Emerald plopped them here is any indication.
Still folding his arms while frowning, Shadow didn't wait before he starts questioning Mary. "So, Mary… In case you almost forgot, we're currently in a corridor almost too dark for me to see further ahead. What's more, the air feels heavy and suffocating, mixed in with the smell of paint found splattered or leaking out from the corners of the ceiling, walls and floors. Would you care to explain where we are and what is happening here?"
Just a reminder of the dilemma they're in is enough for her to stop smiling. Her wide eyes blinked twice before she looks down with a sad frown, seemingly not liking having to be reminded. She was happy to have encountered someone from the real world visiting the gallery but her fear and distress from earlier came back to her as she remembers where she is.
At least she doesn't seem to be dying alone in the increasing darkness any soon. Hopefully for long.
Letting a sigh, Mary begins explaining their current plight. "Well, we're in Da-. Ah! I-I mean!" She almost called her creator her dad and backpedaled. Her stutter causes Shadow to regard her with suspicion, prompting her to quickly correct and say what she has to say. "We're in Guertena's world where all his artworks inhabit it and a lot of paintings and sculptures he created are alive. They call this place 'Fabricated World'."
"Fabricated…World?" Repeating the name, it occurred to Shadow he knew the name. "You mean, the large painting found on the third floor of the art gallery?"
"Yes, that's the… name of the painting itself," she nodded, having realized what the first word she cannot read before she jumped into the canvas to try entering the real world is pronounced. "But I'm talking about the place we are in, not the artwork itself."
"Really?" Shadow adopts a thinking pose by placing his index finger to his forehead and his right hand under his left elbow for support. "They share the same name… Hold on, you said this world is where all of Guertena's artworks are alive and inhabit it?" He understands the implications behind her answers. "Are you telling me… that we're in… a different side of the gallery?"
Tapping her chin with a thinking look, Mary nods affirmatively. "Weeeell… Yes. You entered the Fabricated World through a large painting, which is how you got here."
"Huh? But all I did was look at the painting," countered Shadow. "How could I have got here when all I did was look?"
"Maybe that's how the painting worked, I think," Even she's unsure of how it did to transport visitors from the real gallery to the imaginary world. "But it did its job to lure unsuspecting visitors with its big shape and strange painting sooo… You didn't notice it's a trap until it's too late."
Shadow is feeling annoyed that he fell for a simple yet deceptively innocuous trap laid out by this so-called Fabricated World. He folded his arms back again to express his chagrin if his slightly furrowed eyebrows didn't convey it. He would have used Chaos Control to teleport him and Mary out of here back to the real gallery but his Chaos Energy is running low and not enough to perform the technique. Basically, he's stuck here.
"Tsk, just great," sarcastically stated Shadow. "This is not how my night should go. I only got here to find the source of the energy I detected while passing it by, which I only found out earlier is a Chaos Emerald."
"Chaos…Emerald?"
Turning to her when she heard him and repeated it, Shadow sees no harm in complaining to her as he says, "The yellow gem that covered us in a bright light, teleporting us to this corridor."
"Yellow…gem…?" Looking baffled at first, Mary realize what he's talking about… and the fact that the object she was carrying with her when the 'gallery' starts breaking down is not on the floor as she initially assumed. "Wait, the gem? Where… Where is it? Where's that gem?!"
She whipped her head around in hopes of finding it. But with the narrow corridor and the darkness coating their visibility other than themselves, she's not seeing any trace of the gem around her. Feeling frantic, Mary turns to the other occupant and asks him. "Shadow! Where is the yellow gem I dropped?! Have you seen it?"
"You mean… the Chaos Emerald, right?" Shadow clarified, taking note of the specific way she referred to it. He shakes his head and states, "Sorry to disappoint you but it's not here. It got teleported somewhere after it's done teleporting us to this hall."
"Huh? Teleported somewhere?" She stops getting frantic.
"For some reason, other than a possible reaction, the Chaos Emerald activated Chaos Control and engulfed us in its light," he explains more. "When the light vanished, the emerald is nowhere to be seen on the floor. My guess is it got teleported far from us after it was done teleporting us here."
"…The light? You mean the same light that hurt my eyes and nearly blinded me?" Her hand unconsciously reach to her right eye when she asked for clarification.
"That's right. In fact, I saw you rubbing your eyes after I found out the emerald is gone," he added. "I take it that is the first time you witnessed Chaos Control?"
At this point, Mary is close to not understanding him because it feels like he's talking about a different object and topic. She's getting impatient, especially when they should be addressing what their current situation is and what they should do. "…Um, I'm sorry, but what is this Chaos Control or Emerald you keep mentioning to me?"
Seeing her impatient but curious and confused eyes ogling him, Shadow guesses that despite her words possibly telling him that she must owned the emerald in some way, she doesn't know what it is and what it can do. "The yellow gem you mentioned is a Chaos Emerald, while the light that came from the emerald which teleported us here is a technique called Chaos Control. Did you get that?"
Mary listened to him intently and thankfully, she understands his answer. If only a little. She slowly relaxes her posture and says, "So the yellow gem I was holding on is called a Chaos Emerald? I… didn't know it has a name."
"From your words, I take it you have no idea you actually held on a powerful gem?" Shadow inquired.
"Powerful? The emerald is… powerful?" She looked confused again, but also curious.
"That's right. The Chaos Emerald is a mystical stone that stores a powerful, albeit unstable energy that has been the center of our world's history," Shadow sees no harm in lecturing Mary about what an emerald is and why is it important. "There are seven emeralds each, one of which obviously you had in your possession until it disappeared. Even without all emeralds, which can grant its user immense power that can be describe as miraculous, having one emerald should suffice to give the holder enough power to let them rule the world.
Mary's eyes and mouth are widened and agape at once. She never thought she was holding a powerful gem that could possibly give her so much power if she knew how to use it. Coming from a girl who adores shiny gems, this is a startling discovery.
"Wow… I have no idea I was holding such a unique gem all the time." exclaimed Mary, positively enamored. "Even when I first thought it was an ordinary gem, I saw it as my lucky charm, if only because how pretty and shiny it is. I was wondering what it is when I got ahold of it one day…"
"That's what I want to know," continued Shadow. "Tell me. How did you get a hold of the emerald? There's no way an ordinary girl like you easily acquired it without knowing its location."
"…Why do you want to know?" Mary cannot help but ask this.
"Just answer my question."
Unable to retort against him when his harsh reply made her flinch, she quickly comes up with a reply. "It's incorrect for me to say that I found an emerald through luck. It literally appeared to me in a flash of light while I was finding a way out. Before I knew it, I was holding it and kept it with me ever since."
That's not entirely incorrect. Mary was drawing on a sketchbook one day when a doll with a yellow dress walked to her carrying the yellow emerald. The first time she laid eyes on it, she was instantly captivated by its brilliant, smooth appearance and shimmering body. Of course, she did ask where the doll got this emerald, and they said, 'It suddenly appeared in our room through a bright light.' She had so many questions about how it appeared and what kind of gem it is, but she didn't contemplate more because of her love for shiny gems, so much so that she treats it as her lucky gem.
"It… appeared to you?" Shadow questioned.
Mary nods. "Yes. It must have 'teliiported' here like you said it did when the light covered us. Hmm, in hindsight, maybe that should have told me the yellow…emerald is special and not an ordinary gem. But at least it's still pretty."
Shadow finds it hard to believe Mary got the yellow emerald just by it appearing to her so suddenly. In his eyes, Mary is a normal little girl, so it doesn't make sense that the emerald showed up to her to be kept within her hands. He wants to know more, but the gray walls, apprehensive air and ominously oozing paint reminds him of their situation. He doesn't have much time to pry more info from Mary, so he decides to put it aside for now.
Well I did have my answer, unsatisfying as it is for now. Shadow took solace to that, even if he doesn't like it.
With the question about Mary acquiring a Chaos Emerald set aside, Shadow eventually decides they must set their next course of action. Fortunately, Mary was thinking the same and she gets to bring it up.
"So um… If you're done asking me about the yellow Chaos Emerald, can we please move now Shadow?" She pleaded to him with an anxious expression. "We won't be able to find a way out of this place if we linger here for long. Worse, there might be a hostile artwork moving behind us and could reach us any moment. You don't want to stay here forever or die, right?"
"Hmph, obviously," he haughtily remarked. "I was hoping I didn't end up in this predicament for this night, but as I already see, that never came to pass… It irritated me I am trapped in a world you said contains Guertena's artworks, and therefore, the gallery that was built to exhibit his works to the public. I hate to say it out loud but… I do not know the layout of the Fabricated World, as this is the first time I'm here, loathe as I am to be here."
Mary already knew before he reluctantly brought it up that this is the first time he's in the Fabricated World as its newest visitor after a long time. She expects there will be plenty of exploring and searching around that he must do in order to find a way out and fortunately for him, she knows all the layout of the Fabricated World's areas. It's heavily unlikely she would get lost.
Wanting to cheer him up after being so stuffy the whole time and never smiling, Mary speaks to him with a determined look. "Don't worry Shadow! I have been here for a while, so I know the layout of this place a whole lot."
"Really?" Shadow replied.
"Yes, really!" Mary nodded reassuringly.
He's not sure if he can allow a little girl to be his guide for the Fabricated World. He hasn't seen more of this place yet so he can't discern how dangerous their eventual exploring will be, but if the events from earlier after he inadvertently entered this world are any indication, he shouldn't expect an easygoing adventure. Well, he can handle that fine, but it's a different topic for Mary, who claimed to have been in this world longer than him.
Oh, speaking of her, Shadow can remember her panic when the "gallery" plunged into total darkness leaving them unable to see much anymore. He heard her fraught footsteps before she tripped, crying about how scared she is and believing she's going to die soon. Her change of mood is abrupt, so he has reservations if she can help guide him go farther in the Fabricated World.
With that in mind, he didn't hesitate to say this to her. "Hmm, I highly doubt you would be a good guide."
As expected, Mary looked shocked before she irritatingly asks him this. "Huh? Why not?! I said I was here for too long than I wanted it to be, so I managed to memorize every layout of this strange place! Why are you refusing me to be your guide!?"
Matching her offended look with his own stern eyes, Shadow reminds her of earlier. "Because of your panic when everything became too dark for us to see anything."
At that mention, Mary flinched when she was reminded of that when she failed to escape this world and was about to pay for it with her false life. "H-Huh…? What?" She looks so surprised he knew her delirium since she believed she was alone when everything got pitch-black. "How… H-How did you… know that…?"
Whatever bravado she has vanished quickly as fear takes center stage in her head, partially overwhelming her to the point her body is trembling. Shadow noticed it, but he pushes on. "I was standing close to you. Of course it was too dark so I have to rely on my ears to hear your footsteps and hopeless cries. Then you tripped, making you drop the yellow emerald that soon activated Chaos Control that landed us in this place. In short, I witnessed you crying out of despair, pleading someone to save you."
The girl looked like she was shot in the heart over his words that he was present when she cried out of fear for her life. She cannot contain her tears anymore as drops of it trickled from the corner of her eye, leaving behind a trail. This didn't go unnoticed by her and immediately wipes them off with her hands. But she continued crying and starts sniffling next.
"I… I, I…" She tried saying something, but it came out as stutters again. After a lot of stuttering, she manages to say something. "I was… s-s-so scared of… d-dying."
"Huh? Dying?" Shadow raised an eyebrow. This info is new and unexpected. "Why?
"I-It's all b-because I got out," she looked down with a whimper. "I thought I was in the real gallery and tried going outside, but I found out quick that… that I didn't… actually leave and was still trapped in this place. T-then I began reading scary messages directed to me as I walked around aimlessly and everything became harder to see, until the lights are gone." She raised her head to Shadow, her vision blurred by her tears. "I-I didn't want to think it but… but… I realize at that point that I'm… *sniffle* I'm… gonna d-d-die…!" She covers her eyes with her hands after she explains to Shadow what made her panic before they properly met. She didn't care if she's crying so loud in front of a possible new friend. She wanted to let out her sadness and fear instead of bottling up.
Watching Mary cry is making it hard for Shadow to not ignore her. He expected she would get distressed when he reminded her about her near-death experience, even if he's wondering what kind of death awaits her if the emerald didn't interfere, but not to this extent. This could possibly be how she was looking for an exit in this world for a while and whatever sights she witnessed or encountered here could be anything but good and impacted her mood. Now that he thinks about it, Mary actually found an exit, meaning she could have finally escaped out of this world, but for some reason she failed and almost died for it. Why for? It's a hunch at this state, but Shadow has a feeling this Fabricated World has it out on Mary. She must have done something bad that warranted the place to inflict as much suffering as possible to her, the latest of it luring her into a trap she thought would grant her freedom. It made him sick, admittedly.
Anyway, back to the crying girl, Shadow knows he must calm her down and apologize for accidentally bringing up her near-death experience he only realized until she tearfully told him. It has become a bad memory for her at this point. While he will do it because she is delaying their departure and her cries are grating to his ears, but also, as much he doesn't want to admit it because of his aloof and pride but… he doesn't like seeing an innocent girl like Mary crying and get sad.
In fact, when she looked up to him with tears full in her eyes, her blonde hair, blue eyes and pretty face is shown to him, and if he still has doubts Mary could possibly resemble his deceased friend, then seeing her crying face with those features and imagining it happening to his deceased friend should. Especially when her image flashed in his mind.
S-Shadow…
"Ah!" He gasped at the thought, which felt like a memory to him. He quickly calms his mind as he takes a breather. "…Maria…" He muttered her name with closed eyes.
If he wanted, a single tear might fall from his eyes.
But he didn't. Shadow has no time to get sentimental over his memories of Maria. He must do an important task if he wants to get out of the Fabricated World.
Stepping close as Mary's cries calmed down enough it became a series of sobs and hiccups and stopped rubbing her wet eyes, Shadow calls out to her in a calmer tone. "Mary."
The crying girl didn't respond, only looking down so her tears dropped to the floor below her. The hedgehog wouldn't accept this, so he calls out again in a firmer voice. "Mary, look at me. Just once, alright?"
Hesitatingly, the girl looks up, sniffling once she made eye contact. "…W-What?"
Now establishing contact with her again, Shadow closed his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath. This is a hard path for him because he's an aloof person who cares more about his pride than any traits he has, even if he has done this before. Part of him wants him to not go with it, and at first, it nearly tempted him. Fortunately, he didn't listen to that inner voice, punching it away from his head if he can. Opening his eyes, he proceeds to say this to Mary.
"I'm… sorry for making you cry."
"Huh?" Mary blinked her teary eyes twice.
"I didn't intend to cause you to cry out loud when I reminded you of your fright which I told it as a reason why I don't want you to be my guide," he sighed before continuing, "Really, I didn't mean to make you more distressed than you're already feeling. I was saying it only from a logical point of view."
Based on his sigh and sincere words as well as the look on his face that has him avert his closed eyes from her, Mary sees that Shadow is regretting speaking out his opinion which caused her to be more upset about their current plight. Actually, she doesn't hold it against him for making her cry. Sure his apparent rude words reminded her of the gravity of their predicament and how she nearly died under the gallery's cold hands when freedom appears to be within her reach, but she doesn't blame him.
Feeling bad for making Shadow regret what he said to her, Mary believes she should say something so he doesn't feel bad anymore. With a small smile, she says, "It's okay Shadow. I… I can't help but be distressed that my... efforts to escape out of this place only brought me back to the start. Not only that, I think, perhaps… the Fabricated World is gonna kill me once it has its sights on me," she looks down with a sad and fearful frown on that part, "I guess trying to escape from this place a second time will be harder than before…"
Hearing her accept his apology is enough for Shadow to have him stare back at her. His reserved demeanor conceals it, but he's feeling a little happy Mary actually doesn't blame him for being trapped in the Fabricated World. Now he doesn't need to be worried she's unhappy over him saying something that she mistook differently than he intended to.
Listening to her lamenting the adversity they will soon face once they start walking, a determined look appears on Shadow's face as he chooses to respond to her pessimistic words. "Hmph. You are right that attempting to escape a second time will take more effort than before due to your blunder earlier, not helping that this is the first time I am here in the Fabricated World. But because of my presence, this world will regret having entrapped me. If it thinks they can kill any of us so easily, I will gladly prove them wrong."
Mary has a curious, but amazed look on her after hearing his boastful speech. "What? How can you say that so… confidently?" She can't help but ask him about how much confidence he's radiating even if they're in a dire situation.
Shadow gives her a look. "You don't have to worry Mary. I can back that up sooner or later when we encounter our first enemy in this place. Besides, I have to protect you since you don't seem to have skills in combat."
"Hmmm… I still have doubts Shadow but…" Little by little, she's feeling hopeful again that her newest companion and friend might be who she needs to finally escape out of this nightmare. She's adamant that their imminent adventure will not be easy and the Fabricated World won't be so kind as to let these two roam around freely without anything trying to take their lives after they escaped using Chaos Control, but she would be lying to herself if she said Shadow's words instilled in her a sense of uncertainty over their possible survival and eventual escape. "With us together, maybe we can do it. With your help, I can escape at last!"
"I would say 'we can escape at last' but based on your claims about how you've been here for a while until I showed up, I'm not gonna correct you," replied Shadow. "At least for now, you're starting to feel positive like I suspected you should."
"Me? Acting positive?" She tilted her head with a curious smile. "You're not wrong. Someone has to smile instead of frowning all the time. I read from a book that it's not a good habit to be sad and frowning regularly."
Shadow's eyes narrowed after deducing that statement pointedly referring to him. He would have said a remark to it, but he felt it's not necessary. Also, the conversation he's having with Mary reminds him a little of some conversations he had with Maria, specifically how he's so morose all the time and that he should smile even once.
If they aren't trapped in a wretched world and their conversation is taking place decidedly not Fabricated World, it would be nice and relaxing. He will prefer it if this continues, but he's not a sociable person and they really need to move. Still, the short conversation he had with Mary was nice and sweet... not that he will admit it outwardly.
Clearing his throat, Shadow reminds his new companion of what they must do next if they have to escape out of this world. "Now then, it's about time we start walking through the corridor. We've been standing here too long than I expect we should."
His words snap Mary out of her stupor. "Yes, you're right. We got carried away, I think." She rubbed her head sheepishly.
"Well we won't be carried away again once we start moving. Come on Mary. Let's not waste our energy standing here anymore."
"Okay! I'll take the lead Shadow! As I said earlier, I know this place than you do!"
"Hmm, I prefer if we walk together to be safe."
"Ooohhh! Yes! Yes we should! I've been wanting to do that after we introduced ourselves! …But is it okay, Shadow?"
"Yes. I don't mind, so don't worry."
With a set goal in mind, Shadow and Mary walk down the gray corridors together side by side with little or no fear in them. Braving the horrors of the world of Guertena will be no easy feat, but with the Ultimate Lifeform accompanying Guertena's last painting, they will take against anything the gallery will and soon cast upon them.
One important thing they must maintain at all costs however, is that they must keep their minds on a stable level, for it, as well as their growing friendship, will be put to the test. They do not know it yet, but very soon, they will find that navigating around the dangers and hostiles will be easier than having their minds getting disturbed…
Finished!
Shadow and Mary's adventure in the Fabricated World soon begins. Their situation appears bleak as the Chaos Emerald is out of their reach and the Fabricated World isn't happy an inhabitant attempted to leave without exchanging someone from the real world. Expect the world of Guertena to become more hostile and eldritch as it will soon subject the two to plenty of threatening horrors and enemies that are out not only for their lives, but also their minds.
If you are aware of the old version of this fanfic (that I'm struggling to decide if I should let it remain or delete it to let the new version breathe) and have read its contents, expect also this story to be different. Slice-of-life style chapters will not be added here as surreal and psychological horror is the main theme for this fanfic, with violence or gore being considered (not to ludicrous extent, I assure you). However, that doesn't mean Shadow and Mary won't have some downtime at all in between venturing deep in the hostile world of art and encountering monsters on their way. Their growing friendship is the main core of this fanfic, after all, so I sincerely hope they get to grow together as friends during their whole experience in the Fabricated World.
Oh, speaking of that, I am wondering if I shall add characters after three or four chapters. I'm thinking of actually including Ib and Garry to the fanfic because I found out red, blue and yellow paint result in a black paint if mixed together. If I do end up adding them though, they will be different compared to the original. How different they will, you ask? Well... I'm thinking that they do not come from the real world. That's all I will say about them. Lastly, maybe Rouge should join the fun. And Cream as well.
Anyway, let me stop there. I shall see you all in the next chapter! Take care, stay safe and have a pleasant day/night!
Side note: Uhhh, will this site be okay? I can't view the number of readers on my page and email alerts appear to have stopped. Just putting it here since there's a 50/50 chance this site will fix itself or collapse and I'm not sure if I should be glad I have my other fanfic account on a different website or worried for this site's future if these comes up frequently.