Chapter 14: Visions

Earlier, at Mystic Ruins…

Knuckles ran through the hallways of the ancient temple. He could sense it. There was definitely a Master Emerald shard here.

No. Even better. There were several. The closer he got, the more of them he could feel.

At last, he came to the end of the tunnel and stepped into a large, open room with no roof. In the center was a tall stone pedestal covered in moss and vines. On the wide platform at the time, glittering in the sunlight, were several large gem pieces.

Master Emerald shards!

Knuckles swiftly made his way up the monument's steps. As he drew closer, he noticed the shards getting brighter. He reached the top and was about to reach out to retrieve the shards, but then stopped.

The shards glistened as Knuckles approached, and their light pulsated. At the same time, he felt a slight change in the energy. He couldn't say that it was good or bad, just that it had changed.

As he stared at the shards, feeling their energy, it clicked. This was the same thing he felt back in the casino. The one that showed him that vision. It was stronger now.

It was calling to him.

Cautious, Knuckles touched one of the Master Emerald's shards.

In that instant, all the shards' lights grew brighter, making Knuckles shut his eyes. The smell of moss and moisture disappeared, becoming replaced with fresh grass and wildflowers. He felt the air around him shift from closed and contained to open and free. The ground beneath morphed from squishy to gravely.

The light dimmed, and Knuckles opened his eyes. He was no longer on a moss-covered pillar inside a temple. He was standing on a dirt road in the middle of an open field under a bright blue sky.

"Where am I?"

Looking ahead, he caught sight of a large stone building at the base of a mountain.

"What's that?"

Knuckles made his way towards the structure. He soon noticed the energy around him. Everything felt real, from the ground beneath his feet, to the warmth of the sun. Yet, there was something he could only describe as unnatural. Even then, that didn't seem to fit.

Whatever it was, Knuckles knew he wasn't going to get answers by standing around.

As he approached the building, and it details became clearer, Knuckles got a nagging feeling that he knew this place. It looked well-cared for and pristine, but there was something about the layout of the altar and pillars encircling it that made Knuckles get a sense of déjà vu.

Before he could think more on it, he caught sight of someone at the foot of the altar's stairs and slowed to a stop. It was a young female Mobian Echidna. The same one from his previous vision. She was surrounded by a group of chao, all who were chirping with concern. One of them flew into her arms, and she held it gently.

"Do not worry, my little friends," she said. "I've informed my father about the invaders. Our tribe is already preparing for battle. Though my vision was of the past, we still have time. I promise everything is going to be fine."

The Echidna then frowned. "I wish there was a way to resolve this without bloodshed. I've tried convincing my father, but he says this is the only way. If we don't stop them, they'll destroy us. But why? Why does it have to be this way?"

Confused and wanting answers, Knuckles approached the female Echidna. "Hey, what is this place?"

The Echidna didn't reply. Nor did any of the chao seem to notice Knuckles.

He reached out to tap her shoulder…

And his hand went right through her.

Knuckles pulled it back, not surprised at all.

"I knew it," he thought. "This isn't real."

Just then, all the chao perked up and looked to the top of the altar, where a green light was beginning to shine.

"What is it?" asked the Echidna. "Is something wrong?"

The chao replied by happily chirping together like a choir and took the Echidna by the hands. Then, they guided her to the stairs of the alter. She smiled at their joyful song, but there was a look of concern in her eyes as the chao led her up the steps.

Knuckles followed close behind. As they ascended, he saw seven gems. Each a different color and floating on top of narrow pillars around the central shrine.

The Echidna ahead of him saw them, too. She caught her breath and stared.

"The Seven Chaos Emeralds," she said.

Finally, they reached the top, and Knuckles' eyes widened. In the center of the shrine was the Master Emerald, glowing a bright, radiant green.

The Echidna looked at the powerful jewel and clasped her hands together. She looked at her chaos companions with trepidation.

"Are you sure it's alright for me to be here?" she asked.

The chao all nodded before looking to the Master Emerald.

Then, its light grew.

"Tikal."

Both Knuckles and the Echidna jumped in shock, and Knuckles brought a hand to his head. That voice. It didn't come from the outside. It spoke directly into his mind.

The Echidna the voice called Tikal trembled. "W-Who are…? How do you…?"

"I've been watching you, dear child of Light," said the voice, its tone masculine and kind.

Knuckles stared. The voice was coming from the Master Emerald!

"Who are you?" Tikal asked, still trembling.

"I am one of the gods who created the Chaos Emeralds," replied the voice.

"A god?" Tikal gasped. She immediately dropped to one knee and bowed her head. "Please, forgive my rudeness! I did not know!"

"Be not afraid, Tikal," replied the voice warmly. "Rise up. I have brought you here to reveal the secret to you."

"A secret?" Tikal whispered, getting to her feet.

"You wish for peace in this world, however fractured it is."

"I do."

"Then hear these words: the servers are the Seven Chaos. Chaos is power. Power enriched by the heart. The Controller is the one that unifies the Chaos."

"Seven Chaos?" Tikal pondered aloud. "The Controller unifies the Chaos?"

"Think on these words," the voice ordered. "Seek out the wisdom of old. Then return here when you have the answer. I will be waiting, child of Light."

As the voice spoke, it grew quieter. At the same time, the Master Emerald's light dimmed to a soft glow.

"Wait," Tikal pleaded. "Answer to what?"

But there was no reply.

Then, Tikal turned around.

Knuckles stiffened as her eyes met his. He didn't how, but he knew she was looking at him.

Seeing him.

Before he could call out to her, he was surrounded by white light again. He shielded his eyes, and the vision faded. All at once, the atmosphere around him changed.

He opened his eyes, blinking with disorientation. He was back in the ruined temple. The Emerald shards that had been at his feet were gone, but he could feel their presence around him.

Knuckles stood where he was, his mind racing to catch up with his reality.

"What was that all about?" he asked aloud. "That voice. It was trying to tell her something. But what? And who is that? Is…Is she trying to tell me something? Yes. It must have to do with the Master Emerald. But what? I need to get back to Angel Island."

Elsewhere…

Tails flew through the jungle of Mystic Ruins, glancing his wrist device.

Shortly after he lost connection with Sonic, his radar went off, telling him that a source of Chaos Energy was nearby. Without a moment of hesitation, he took off in search for the source. As he got closer to it, it became clear.

"There's a Chaos Emerald around here!" he said, excited. "I'm getting closer! And it looks like there are other Chaos energy readings!"

Tails looked ahead and saw a stream of clear water flowing into a wall of hanging vines. Curious, he reached out and pulled them back. Just as he thought, there was a tunnel behind them.

He looked at his radar. Wherever this tunnel led, it seemed the Emerald and other Chaos readings were on the other side. The question was where exactly did it lead to.

Tails looked down the hollowed space, and his heart thumped faster. It was dark and narrow, and the ceiling was so low that Tails would have to crawl on all fours just to fit. The roots poking through the dirt almost resembled a gaping mouth full of sharp teeth, sending more chills down Tails' spine.

But it was the darkness was what made Tails shiver. Just staring into it, not even seeing a glimpse of light at the end was scary.

"What would Sonic do?" the Fox thought to himself.

The memory of his best friend snapped Tails out of his trance. He shook his head and took a deep breath.

"Get a grip, Tails," he said to himself, mustering up all the confidence he had. "Sonic wouldn't be afraid, and I can't be either. I have to do this myself. I can do this."

Pumping himself up, Tails crouched down and crawled into the tunnel, the water soaking his shoes and gloves. He didn't go more than a few feet before stopping. He hated being in dark places. They made him feel trapped. That the world would close in at any moment and collapse on him, or something would jump out at him from the shadows.

"Okay, maybe I'm a little afraid," he admitted in a shaky voice. "But I've got to keep going. Just go in, get the Emerald, and get out. Easy as pie. I can do this. I can do this."

With his resolved steeled, Tails turned the light on his device on and pointed it straight ahead. To his surprise, he saw the tunnel was made of stone instead of dirt. The strangest thing was that it looked like was crafted into perfect half-cylinder shape. Not by natural erosion either. It was too clean and smooth, like it had been cut by a force outside of nature.

With his curiosity slowly replacing his fear, Tails pressed onward. Something about seeing the structure gave him a slight sense of comfort.

Soon, the tunnel expanded, and the ceiling rose higher to the point that Tails could at least walk, even if hunched over. The red dot on his device blinked faster with each step he took. The tunnel continued to widen out, and Tails was soon able to stand up completely.

Then, to his joy, a faint light at the end appeared. He picked up the pace and ran towards it, wanting to get out of the tunnel. He soon stepped out of the dark and into the light of the sun, blinking from its brightness. In that temporary moment of blindness, Tails heard a sound.

Tiny voices cheeping "chao".

When his eyes adjusted, Tails found himself looking out over a surprising and adorable sight. In the middle of a small glade, happily splashing around in a clear pond, were a bunch of little chao.

"A chao colony!"

Some of the chao nearby quickly became aware of Tails' presence. His hesitance to proceed vanished the moment they approached him with welcoming squeaks. He soon found himself surrounded by the little creatures, all of them singing their chao songs to welcome him.

Tails laughed at the cute greeting. "Nice to meet you all, too. I guess you were the second signal I was picking up on."

The Fox checked his device again. It was picking up the Chaos Energy coming from the chao in the colony. And among the scattered signals, the strongest one blinked more rapidly.

"It looks like the Chaos Emerald is somewhere around here."

The chao looked at each other with wonderment as Tails mumbled to himself. They then smiled and nodded in a silent agreement, and two of them gently grabbed Tails' hands.

"What is it?" he asked. "Do you want me to follow you?"

The chao chirped in reply, as if saying 'yes', and Tails couldn't help but smile.

"Okay, lead the way."

Tails let the chao guide him to the pond. As they drew closer, the rest of the colony stopped their frolicking and flew out of the pond towards them. As they did, Tails caught a glimpse of a ruby red light in the clear water, and his device beeped louder and faster.

Then, before leaving the pond, two chao grabbed the red item and pulled it out.

"The Chaos Emerald!" Tails exclaimed.

Then, to the Fox's astonishment, the two chao flew over to him and held it out. He glanced between the chao and the Emerald.

"Really? You're giving it to me?"

All the chao around him replied with a happy "chao".

"Thank you," Tails said gratefully. "I promise I'll take good care of it."

Tails held out his hands, and the chao placed the Emerald into them.

Then, at that moment, its red sheen grew brighter. His smiled vanished and he shut his eyes. All at once, the world around him changed. The soft grass beneath him hardened into stone, the calls of the chao faded away, becoming replace with crackling fire, and the fresh air was replaced with the scent of must and stone.

The light dimmed, and Tails opened his eyes, gasping in shock at the sight before him. He was standing in a large, dark room lit by torches, giving it an ominous, fiery glow. Only a single small shaft in one of the walls let in a narrow ray of sunlight.

"Where am I?" Tails asked, looking around.

After his eyes adjusted, Tails saw shelves full of scrolls lining the walls around him. Seeing them caught his curiosity, and he reached out to grab one.

Only for his hand to go right through it!

He recoiled and backed away, his eyes wide with confusion.

"The Chaos Emeralds."

Tails turned around fast, his heart nearly skipping a beat at the voice.

Behind him, looking over an old scroll on a stone table, was female Mobian Echidna dressed in a white top and an ornate long skirt.

"Who are you?" Tails asked quickly.

The Echidna didn't reply. She didn't even seem to notice Tails. All her attention was on the scroll before her.

At the same time, Tails realized something.

"Hello," he said, raising his voice. "Hello!"

His voice should be echoing around the room, but it wasn't. Even his shout didn't bounce back at him. The Echidna's voice echoed, but not his.

The realization made him notice another detail. He was brightly lit, like he was standing in direct sunlight. But he wasn't even standing in the light coming from the small opening in the wall. The Echidna before him, however, was covered in shadow and a fiery red glow from the torches.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I see," said the Echidna, catching Tails attention. "When Darkness threatened the world, the gods created the Chaos Emeralds to maintain the balance, and to give mortals hope. Only those blessed with the gift to use this world's power, and who have strong hearts and wills, can harness their power."

She lifted her gaze and stared ahead. "Strong hearts. Power enriched by the heart. Chaos is power."

She straightened and inhaled sharply. "Of course, Chaos is the power enriched by the heart! And the Seven Chaos, must be the Seven Chaos Emeralds! The Seven Chaos Emeralds' power is enriched by the heart of those who use them! And the Controller. The Controller is the one that unifies the Chaos."

She looked the scroll again and read on. Tails walked up beside her and looked over her shoulder. On the parchment, written in black ink, was a language he had never seen before. However, the moment he saw it, though he could not explain how, he could understand it.

"'Even those with evil in their hearts could harness the Seven Chaos' power," he read aloud. "The gods crafted the Ultimate Power to control the Seven Chaos. Only one, the Controller, can disperse and unify the Chaos.'"

"The Controller," the Echidna whispered pensively. "Ultimate power. The Controller can disperse and unify the Chaos."

She closed her eyes, her eyebrows furrowing together.

Tails stepped back and thought. So many questions were racing through his mind so fast he didn't know which one he should try answering first.

What was going on? Who was this girl? What was the meaning of that scroll? How could he read it? What was this about a Controller?

Suddenly, the Echidna's eyes snapped open with realization.

"That's it!" she exclaimed. "I understand! I must return to the alter!"

She immediately turned around and ran towards the door.

"Hey, wait!" Tails called.

Before she exited the room, the Echidna looked over her shoulder.

Right at Tails.

Then, before Tails could do anything else, he was surrounded by the bright light from before, and shielded his eyes.

A second or two later, the world around him changed again.

He opened his eyes, blinking. He was back at the pond, surrounded by the chao colony – who were looking at him with concern – and holding the Chaos Emerald in his hands. Only now, he was breathing heavily.

"What the…? What just happened? Who was that?"

Tails' trance was soon broken when a large shadow cast overhead, accompanied by the deep sound of plane engines.

It was the Egg Carrier!

"Eggman!" exclaimed the Fox.

It moved across the sky like a shark gliding through the water. Then, it stopped and hovered in the air. The chao huddled together, and some hid behind Tails. They all went silent, as if the monstrous machine above would hear them and attack.

"Why did it stop?" Tails asked aloud.

As soon as that question left his mouth, he realized the answer.

It must've gotten a signal from the Chaos Emerald in his hand!

If he found it, the chao would be in danger!

He had to get out of here!

"Don't worry, little guys!" he said to the chao. "I'll keep you safe!"

Clutching the Emerald tight, Tails spun his two tails, and took to the sky. After getting high and far enough from the colony, he turned to face the Egg Carrier.

"Hey, looking for this!" he shouted, waving the Emerald in the air.

For a moment, the Egg Carrier didn't move. Tails held his breath. Did he get its attention?

The shifting of the turbine jets answered his question.

As the airship changed direction, Tails took the chance and flew off as fast he could. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the Carrier now following him.

Holding the Chaos Emerald close, he took off with all the speed he could muster, and the Egg Carrier gave chase. While the size of the airship was intimidating, and though he had no plane to fight with, Tails felt nothing but confidence. He was in the sky. He could fly anywhere. He might be smaller, but that just made him more maneuverable.

Even better, he had a Chaos Emerald.

"Just try and catch me," he challenged. "Chaos Emerald, please, lend me your power."

The Emerald ruby sheen grew brighter, and a thin cocoon of the that same color swiftly wrapped around Tails, and he felt his power surge. With this additional Energy enhancing his own, he sped off like a shooting star, leaving the Egg Carrier struggling to keep up.