Get inceptioned
also people on ao3 asked for concept art so ill try to get a collage photo on there
Silver was way too aware that he was dreaming. His hands were distorted, the clouds moved way faster than normal, and to make things worse, the wall of fog was billowing ominously in front of him. Trembling, the hoglet backed away.
"Shadow...I...I…" He stammered, words failing to escape his mouth. As he fought with his tongue, green eyes pierced through the purple mist - startling the hoglet.
Frightened even more than before, the child turned tail and fled, running as fast as he could through the woods. Panic raced through his veins as he reached with his mind to try and take control of the dream. As he pleaded with his imagination, the landscape changed - ground twisting and forming under his bare paws as he stumbled onwards. Dead moss and leaves gave way to rock as he fled through stone fields.
Turning to look over his shoulder, the tiny hedgehog spotted the demon closing on him. Its crystal claws dug into the hardened ground like razors as it grew closer and closer; eyes shining like tongues of fire as the distance between them closed.
Stumbling for a second, Silver pushed himself to run faster, flailing his hands and reaching with his mind in an attempt to lift off the ground. Yet, as hard as he tried, the cyan aura refused to be summoned. No matter how hard he pushed, no matter how weird he pushed his fingers, he could not control his power. With his mind taken away from his path, Silver's foot caught on a rock. Distorted, his hands hit the ground, splattering white all over the ground like paint as the young hoglet fell flat on his face.
Growling, the demon approached, rapidly closing on the young hedgehog. Silver scrambled forwards, trying and failing to stand. Glancing over his shoulder, the frightened child tried to spot the beast through the hazy air. Unfortunately, it was way closer than expected. Golden eyes watched in horror as the black creature pounced; claws tearing through the air like blades as it landed on his back. Before he could scream, Silver found himself sitting bolt upright in bed.
"Shadow!" He cried, wrapping himself in his covers. "I..I can't do it!"
The adult in question stood on the other end of the room, facing out towards the fields with his arms crossed.
"You have to try, Silver." He stated, not turning to look at the trembling hedgehog.
"I...I'm scared…" Silver sniffed, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "H he's going to kill me…"
"He cannot do you any damage in the waking world." Shadow spoke. "I need answers, Silver."
"Why don't you ask him then…?" Silver sobbed, shaking and burying himself further into his sheets. "I..I can't do it…"
"I'm not the one with fog in my lungs." Shadow responded. "Besides, he has no interest in speaking to me."
"W why not?" Silver hiccuped.
"As far as He's concerned, I tethered him to this reality and destroyed his chance of complete control over this world." Shadow grumbled. "Because of me, he lives in constant pain."
Silver poked his head out from under the covers, looking at the adult with teary eyes.
"He wants nothing more than to kill me and take this world for his own." Shadow continued. "But since I cannot die, he will readily take his revenge in other ways."
"So… you guys won't talk…?" Silver asked, sniffling slightly.
"No." Shadow answered. "We won't."
Slowly, the adult turned around and faced the young hoglet. A deep sigh sounded through the air as the ebony adult closed his eyes.
"That's why I need you to figure out what he wants with the Emeralds."
Silver sniffled, shuffling back under the covers with a small whine. From what he could tell, Shadow couldn't even talk to the demon. Little of what the ranger said made any sense. It sounded way beyond something a small mind like his could comprehend. If Shadow couldn't even talk to the wicked thing, how could someone like him do it? The task before him seemed daunting.
"I- I told you…" Silver choked out. "He wants to know what you're planning.."
"My ideas are a liability." Shadow sharply answered, making the small hoglet jump. "If I tell you, he will be able to pry it out of you the same way he pried Axon from me."
A dark look crossed the elder's eyes as he approached the hoglet. Ruby eyes glowed in the low light environment as the imposing form of the adult towered over the sitting hedgehog. Silver gulped, staring up at the ranger with a twinge of fear in his eyes.
"I need you to figure out why he cares about my plans." Shadow spat. "If he won't talk, I'll apply pressure from the outside."
Silver was terribly confused. Apply pressure from the outside? What did that even mean? He felt far too young to be even involving himself in these sort of things. He was still a hoglet - a mere child. A small one at that too - he hadn't even hit his first growth spurt.
With a whimper, Silver pulled the blanket in front of his face. He didn't even want to look at the adult before him. A sigh sounded through the air.
"Silver, it's either this or removing him." Shadow spoke, kneeling down to the burrowed hedgehog. "You need to make a choice."
"I'm scared…" Silver sniffled, curling slightly.
"You're braver than you think." Shadow stated, calmly staring at the lump under the blanket. "I'll be right here just in case something goes wrong."
Silence laid heavy in the air as Silver processed the words the ranger had spoken. Did he really mean it? The seconds ticked by, feeling like hours in the quiet night as Shadow's words sunk in further and further.
"You promise?" Silver finally asked, sitting up to peek out of the covers with a hiccup.
"...yes." Shadow answered, hesitating slightly in his response. "I'm here."
Feeling a little better, Silver laid back down. For a while he rested there, struggling to sleep before eventually his brain drifted off. Into the black void he fell, world fading from around him as his mind slowly tumbled into dreaming.
Before him stood the wall of cloud once again. Shivers rocked the young hedgehog as he was faced with his fears yet again. The ominous pulsing fog terrified Silver to his core. Everything in him demanded for safety, his very instinct begging him to flee. Yet, The hedgehog knew he had to stand his ground. Green eyes pierced at him yet again, but Silver didn't run. Trembling in his shoes, Silver stood still; refusing to balk from this monster. Shadow was counting on him for answers - and he was the only one who could get them.
But how?
Silver barely had time to think as a figure began walking out of the mist. The purple fumes lingered around its feet, whisping and whirling from nonexistent wind as each step carried it closer and closer to the hoglet. The ivory hedgehog gulped, feeling his lungs constrict as it stalked closer and closer.
"You dare come back to me again?" It hissed, words echoing from nowhere as it towered over the small child.
Silver shrunk back, shoulders rising as his fur prickled; standing on end from the mere presence of this thing. Slowly, his knees began to shake, fear quaking his body. Oh how he wished he was awake…
"I...I need answers…" Silver choked out, voice barely rising over his own breathing.
The demon's face met his own as the crystal laden head shot down to the child's level. The strangely hedgehogish eyes began to drip with black fluid as its mouthless muzzle breathed across the hoglet's nose.
"What questions could a pathetic weakling possibly have for me?" The creature snarled, head twisting to unnatural angles. Silver found himself staring at the demon, it's body rotating hypnotically around its cruel set of eyes.
Tears began to form around Silver's own as chills ran down his spine, puffing his baby coat further than it already was. Stammering, the hoglet tried to speak - only to find his mouth unbearably dry. A sniffle escaped into the air.
"Sh-Shadow sai-"
"I do not care what Shadow said." The creature spat, cutting the hoglet off. "That disloyal wrech has done nothing but interfere."
Silver winced, jumping back slightly from the awful face. Whatever that thing was, it was definitely as angry as the ranger had said he was. Backing up further, the ivory boy found his back pinned against a wall.
"You have no place to ask questions here." The demon hissed, smelling the fear radiating from the child. "You will tell me what I want to know, or you will die."
"S-shadow never told me!" Silver whimpered, sliding down the wall until his tail hit the ground. "H-he said his ideas were a lye a billy tea…"
"That fool cannot outwit me." The hedgehog creature growled. "He's told you at least something."
"He hasn't…" Silver sobbed, curling his knees to his chest. "He only told me that he can't talk to you…"
The hard claw of the beast shot at the hoglet's throat, squeezing the airway tight. Silver let out a choked scream, kicking and flailing as his small body was hoisted upwards. The green eyes shone bright as the wheels turned behind the wicked creature's skull. The hedgehog could only watch as the beast began to think.
"If words cannot get you to talk, then only death will."
A loud crunch echoed through the air as the hoglet sat bolt upright. Screaming, Silver curled up tight and rolled onto the ground. Everything in him begged for mercy as he laid in the dirt, sobbing his eyes out. Why couldn't the demon leave him alone?
"You're up earlier than I thought." Shadow sighed, poking the campfire with a stick.
"I can't do it!" Silver screamed, throwing his face into his pillow. "He's too mean!"
"You have to try, Silver." Shadow sighed. "I need answers."
"He's gonna kill me again…" Silver sobbed, voice muffled from the fabric and feathers. "He's gonna hurt me…"
"Silver…" Shadow spoke, voice floating through the air as if carried by the smoke. "You can't give up."
Slowly, the sniffling child turned to look at the adult. The steadily crackling campfire lit the hooded head in flickers, casting a warm shadow across the ranger's pale face. Feeling chilly from the night air, Silver crawled out of his bed. His bare paws crossed the forest floor, shuffling through leaves and twigs until the warmth of the fire pit gave relief to his shivering body. Leather clad gloves reached out towards the child, handing him a shoulder guard filled with warm water.
"Drink." The adult commanded.
Silver obliged, feeling the warm liquid pour down his throat in soothing gulps. A hefty sigh escaped the child as he finished it, wiping his lips with his arm. The ranger took back his armor.
"Feel better?" Shadow asked, reattaching the metal plate.
"Yeah…" Silver mumbled, feeling warm and cozy.
"Good." Shadow responded, reaching into the fire and rearranging the logs. "What did he do this time?"
Silver shuddered, seeing the horrifically unnatural face flash through his head. His words escaped him as the thought of meeting the wicked creature again crossed his mind. The only thing he could muster was a whimper, bringing his knees to his chest in an attempt to be smaller than he already was.
"That bad?" The adult mumbled, green eyes staring the hoglet down.
The ivory child nodded, bringing his chin down to his knees. A tear fell through his eyelids, dripping onto the dirt below as Silver struggled to keep his composure. His lower lip trembled, quivering and wavering from the overwhelming emotions.
"I could use an Emerald to help you sleep better." Shadow offered.
"That blue gem…?" Silver sniffled, looking up questioningly.
"...yes." Shadow responded, pausing slightly to think.
"Will it really help?" Silver asked, sitting up straighter in anticipation.
"Yes." Shadow answered. "Although I must have misplaced it, since I cannot remember where I put it."
"You lost it?" Silver choked out, startled that the ranger would lose such a seemingly important object.
"I misplaced it." The adult corrected. "Although I assumed you knew where I stored it."
Silver looked at the ranger in disbelief. Shadow never told him anything. Why on earth would he assume Silver knew where it was. Slowly, the hoglet shifted his eyes to meet Shadow's. The green eyes stared back at him, shining from under the hood with a probing glare.
"You don't tell me that kind of stuff." Silver spoke, feeling slightly stupid for not knowing where the gem was.
"I must be misremembering." Shadow sighed, turning back to the fire and adding another log. "My mistake."
Silver felt a little better. Shadow rarely made mistakes. In fact, this might be the first time in the young child's recollection that the adult had even made a mistake. This knowledge comforted him. Somehow, knowing the ranger wasn't perfect made him feel good about himself.
"So where is it..?" Silver asked, scooting closer to the adult.
"Where's the last place you saw it?" Shadow countered, dusting ash off his gloves.
"I..I don't know…" Silver stammered, caught off guard by the question. "B-back in the glowing canyon I think…"
"I see." Shadow mumbled, voice slightly distorted. "I guess I haven't told you after all…"
"Well… if you find it, will it take the fog out of my lungs..?" Silver asked, staring at the adult's desaturated muzzle.
"Not without burning." Shadow responded, the corners of his lips twitching slightly at the words. Silver shrunk back. Something didn't feel right, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
Slowly, the hoglet turned to look into the woods, expecting to see stalkers glaring back. Surprisingly, the trees were empty - the background fading into darkness beyond the campfire's light. Shivers racked the child's body, fur puffing out from unease. Trembling slightly, he scooted even closer to the adult - hoping for some sense of security. Yet, he only felt chills, freezing his body to the core.
"I'm scared Shadow…" Silver whimpered, grabbing onto the thick leather cloak for comfort.
"I know."