A month had passed since the revelation that the Mobian Trading Company had been supplying the Order of Honorius for years. With the inventory listings, courtesy of Nicole, Tails had determined that about 70% of the cargo shipped to the Kingdom of Acorn was illicit. But before they could use the evidence to stop the cargo drops to Westside Island, Isaac needed to prove the existence of an illegal trade route.
"Are you sure this thing will fly?" Isaac asked, referring to the Tornado X. Tails had been working on the plane for two weeks, installing cameras for taking photos while in the air.
"For the last time, yes! We have been using the Tornado X for years! It's perfectly safe!" Tails explained, connecting a wire.
"Alright, but I still can't understand how something so heavy is able to fly! It seems… counterintuitive." Isaac responded.
"It's all about speed! As it's travelling on the runway, the faster it goes, it begins to generate lift, which allows the plane to take off. As long as it's generating lift, it won't come down." Tails explained. This explanation only confused Isaac further, not knowing what 'lift' was.
"Lift?" Isaac asked.
"Okay, let me try something else. Try thinking of it like a bird. A bird can fly higher without flapping its wings, because of lift. Lift being the force that is generated because of the position of its wings. The air currents travel under the wings when they are positioned properly, lifting the bird up." Tails explained.
Isaac nodded, beginning to understand better.
"Now, it's the same with the Tornado X! But instead of a bird flapping its wings to gain speed, it's propelled by an engine, powered by Chaos energy. The larger the bird, the more force need to gain lift." Tails finished, closing the last panel.
"Alright, but now, how are we going to take pictures without the Mobian Trading Company seeing us? I'd rather they not know they've been found out by us until it's too late." Isaac asked.
"We'll be flying pretty high. About 15,000 feet. We'll be high enough they won't be able to see us easily, but low enough that we'll be able to breath without needing to install oxygen tanks. Not to mention, I fly over the Mobian Sea all the time. Wouldn't be too out of the ordinary for them to see me." Tails answered.
"I hope they don't think anything otherwise. I want them to be surprised when everything they have built crumbles before them, their own greed being their downfall." Isaac replied, walking to his equipment.
"Sheesh, you know, you sound like Shadow when you talk like that." Tails responded.
"Lose family to them, and you'll know why." Isaac said, grabbing a whetstone from his pack. Isaac sat down, producing one of his knives. Isaac doused the whetstone with water, sharpening the edge of the knife. As he sharpened the edge, Sally, Sonic, and Amy walked into the hangar, seeing the upgraded Tornado X.
"Nice work, Tails! We should be able to get evidence of the illegal trade route by this afternoon." Sally said, admiring the cameras.
"Thanks! Now, the next ship should be coming into harbor in about two hours. We'll need to get in the air in about half an hour. Make sure you have everything before we get on." Tails instructed, opening the cockpit.
Isaac sheathed his knife, walking towards the plane. Isaac climbed into the cockpit, sitting on the left side of the aircraft. The others soon filed in, Sally sitting beside Isaac. As soon as the cockpit closed, Tails activated the engines, Isaac feeling the power shaking the hull.
"How by Elohim is this safe?!" Isaac thought to himself, tightening his seatbelt. Soon, the Tornado X began moving out of the hangar, taxiing to the runway. The plane centered itself on the runway, the engine becoming louder. Suddenly, the Tornado X moved forward, rocketing towards the other end of the runway. Isaac gripped the armrests of his chair, his grip becoming tighter the closer they got to the end of the runway. Isaac clenched his eyes shut, feeling his stomach flipping as the plane began to tilt. After a minute, Isaac felt someone tap his shoulder. Isaac opened one of his eyes, seeing everyone else staring at him.
"Are… are we still alive?" Isaac asked, unsure of what happened.
"Firstly, yes. Secondly, look out your window." Tails said over the intercom. Isaac reluctantly complied, seeing the entire island below him. As he did, he could see the railroad that went from the end of the island to the Kingdom. He couldn't see the old trade route, being shrouded by the snowfall.
"The island… looks so small from up here." Isaac commented, never seeing a view like this before. As Isaac surveyed the land, the plane shifted, going out towards the Mobian Sea.
"Guys, the cameras picked up one of the ships! And by the looks of it, this one is away from the designated route. I'm gonna go lower to get a better view." Tails announced, the plane gradually going lower.
Soon, the plane was low enough to get a high-resolution image, getting multiple angles of the ship. The Tornado X passed over the ship, heading towards the mainland.
"Nicole, you got the images?" Tails asked, speaking into a communicator.
"Roger that! Right now, I'm analyzing the serial numbers of the storage crates on the ship. So far, it doesn't match any scheduled shipments coming into the harbor. I'll make sure to send the information to King Nigel Acorn immediately. This should be a nice wake-up call for the Mobian Trading Company!" Nicole responded.
"Thanks, Nicole! How are we on the stronghold locations?" Tails asked.
"Well, that's not as easy. Seems their supplies are dropped off in the major harbors, and then transported to the strongholds by foot. Harder to locate, but not impossible! I'll keep analyzing locations to hopefully triangulate where they're moving the supplies." Nicole answered.
"Hold onto that, Nicole. I'm getting something from the radar. Looks like… oh no, it's Eggman!" Tails exclaimed, the radar practically lighting up!
"Who?" Isaac asked, looking around.
As if to answer him, a large airship appeared out of the sea, creating large waves as it rose from the sea. Eggman's logo, being some kind spray painted portrait of himself, was adorned on the side, seawater rolling off of it.
"That… is Eggman!" Sonic answered, getting out of his seat. Suddenly, the Tornado X switched flight modes, hovering in the air. Tails opened the cockpit, allowing Sonic to exit and perch himself onto the wing.
"Oh Hohohoho! Greetings, Sonic! It's been awhile! But as you can see, I've kept myself busy! Now, I bet you can guess what my New Year's resolution is!" Eggman announced, his voice projected from the airship.
"Is it you finally losing a few pounds?" Sonic asked, insulting him.
Eggman responded by growling through his speakers.
"I'm in excellent shape, you blue pincushion! My resolution is to finally destroy you! And this time, your friends won't be able to help you!" Eggman fired back, his voice becoming silent.
As soon as he stopped speaking, a swarm of flying robots exited from the airship, flying as a swarm towards the Tornado X.
"It's those winged creations! I saw them when I lived in the forest! Tails, let me out! I know how to stop them!" Isaac exclaimed, unbuckling himself.
Tails popped open the cockpit, Isaac leaving the cockpit and anchoring himself next to Sonic.
"Tails, get me closer!" Isaac shouted, keeping an iron grip on the wing. Tails complied, moving the hovering aircraft towards the swarm.
"What's the plan, Isaac?" Sonic asked, noticing they were getting closer and closer.
"You know the story of Icarus?" Isaac asked.
"Yeah?" Sonic answered, unsure where he was going with this.
"Get ready to see it in action!" Isaac replied, unhooking himself and leaping towards the swarm.
"ISAAC!" Sonic shouted, trying to grab him before plummeting.
Isaac grabbed the nearest robot, managing to secure himself. The robot, in response to the change in weight, began spazzing out, becoming erratic in its movements. It began hitting the other bots in the swarm, knocking them out of the sky! Isaac wrapped one of his legs around it, hoisting himself to mounting the robot on its back.
"Now, let's get closer to the fortress!" Isaac said to himself, grabbing the wings of it. Isaac took control of the robot, making it fly towards the airship.
"What is he doing?! Eggman's going to blow him out of the sky! We need to get him out of there!" Sally exclaimed, moving herself into the co-pilot seat.
"We can't get too close! We change flight modes, Sonic's going to be unable to protect the Tornado X. We can't use the weapons system without risking hitting Isaac! We'll need to wait until the opportune moment presents itself!" Tails explained, keeping control of the situation.
Sally could only look as Isaac struggled to maintain the direction towards the airship, but as soon as Isaac made it towards a maintenance platform, Isaac drove his knife into the head of the robot, leaping from the robot and landing on the platform, the robot plummeting to the water below.
"Well, I'm impressed! I've never seen anyone find way to board my airship by commandeering one of my robots! Tell me, have we fought before?" Eggman asked, communicating via the speakers.
"No." Isaac answered, walking along the platform.
"Well, looks like we won't be today. As much as I would like to face a new challenge, my interest is to destroy Sonic! So, I bid thee goodbye." Eggman announced, before going quiet. Suddenly, the ship began tilting, increasing the incline.
"Uh oh." Isaac muttered, attempting to find something to grab onto. Unfortunately, the metal plates making up the hull were riveted seamlessly, preventing any chance of grabbing onto something. Gripping the edge of the platform, Isaac ended up hanging from it, his feet dangling above the water. Isaac could see that he was too high to survive the fall!
"Tails, quick! If he lets go, he's not going to make it!" Sally exclaimed. Tails quickly made his way to Isaac, the hovering aircraft plowing through the swarm. Isaac felt his fingers slipping, his grip failing.
"Guys! I can't exactly hang around here forever!" Isaac shouted, his hands cramping.
"We're coming! Just hang on!" Sonic responded, reaching out. Isaac reached out, his hand just out of reach. In one last-ditch attempt, Isaac swung himself towards Sonic. Isaac… fell out of reach.
"NO!" Sonic shouted, unable to grab his hand.
"ISAAC!" Sally screamed, seeing him plummet towards the sea!
As Isaac fell towards the water, Isaac closed his eyes, making what may be his last prayer.
"Tantai elōhim, eṉ jepattaik kēḷuṅkaḷ! Uyirvāḻa eṉakku valimai irukkaṭṭum! Eṉakku vāḻa viruppam irukkaṭṭum! Āṇṭavarē, eṉ uyiraik kāppāṟṟum tiṟaṉai eṉakkuk koṭuṅkaḷ, nāṉ uṅkaḷiṭam keñcukiṟēṉ (Father Elohim, hear my prayer! May I have the strength to survive! Let me have the will to live! Lord, give me the ability to save my life, I beg you)!" Isaac prayed, feeling himself fall faster.Suddenly, Isaac felt a break in his descent. Isaac dared not to open his eyes, but he soon felt a sharp pain through his back. Soon, his descent resumed, finally hitting the water. Isaac opened his eyes, seeing that he was underwater. The cold water feeling like knives stabbing into his body. Isaac clawed his way to the surface, finally breaking through.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Lord Elohim!" Isaac gasped, praising in between breaths.
Soon, the Tornado X hovered down towards Isaac, the heat from the engines scalding his face. It was a welcome sensation to the ice-cold water. A ladder came down, Isaac not hesitating to grab it. As he climbed, the Tornado X began rising. But Isaac felt a weight on his shoulders, almost as if he suddenly gained weight. Isaac's head peered over the edge of the aircraft, seeing Sally waiting. Before Isaac could say anything, he was met with a hard slap to his face. Isaac maintained his grip on the ladder, feeling himself sway back a bit.
"You idiot! Do you realize you could've died?! You would've hit the water like pavement! You could've died!" Sally scorned, tears streaming from her eyes. Isaac attempted to get himself back up, but this was met with another slap. Isaac blinked; his face still numb from the plunge into the water.
"I can't believe you! You would've left your sister alone! She would have to live without you! I would have to live without you! How could you do something so stupid?!" Sally yelled, her voice breaking.
Before Sally could do anything else, Isaac quickly hoisted himself up to Sally, kissing her. Sally reared her hand to slap Isaac again, but soon, her anger melted away, beginning to cry. Isaac broke the kiss, Sally breaking down.
"Please… p-please don't d-do that, ever again!" Sally begged. Isaac put his hands on the sides of her face, his forehead touching hers.
"I'm sorry. I promise you; I won't do anything like that ever again." Isaac promised. Isaac finally hoisted himself up onto the aircraft, feeling the pain in his back growing. As soon as he cleared the edge, Sally flinched. Isaac was confused by her reaction, but nonetheless hoisted himself up onto the aircraft. As he stood up, he felt himself unbalanced. Isaac moved forward, leaning himself towards the cockpit.
"Isaac… don't freak out." Sally said, her eyes wide.
"Freak out? Why would I freak out?" Isaac asked.
"Your… your back. There's… something." Sally hesitatingly said.
"What?" Isaac responded, reaching for his back. Isaac grabbed something, a shot of pain coursing through his back. Isaac let go, looking over his shoulder. He wasn't prepared to see a pair of large, feathered wings sprouting from his back!
"Uh… Sally, I think… I'm gonna…" Isaac began to say, before fainting and collapsing into the cockpit.
After loading Isaac into the cockpit, Tails got the Tornado X out of the airspace, Eggman narrowly missing them with missiles. Isaac awoke a few hours later, finding himself on his bed.
"Did… did I pass out?" Isaac asked aloud, rubbing his eyes.
"Only for a few hours." Sally answered, sitting next to his bed. Isaac got up, still feeling off-balanced.
"What happened? I… I don't remember what happened." Isaac asked, regaining his balance.
"Isaac, I need you to remain calm, okay? Just… look over your shoulder." Sally suggested, bracing herself for his reaction. Isaac looked over his shoulder, seeing a pair of large, feathered wings folded on his back. Isaac gently touched them, feeling sensation as it being an appendage.
"I… I think I remember now." Isaac said, sitting down on his bed.
"Listen, Dante is researching just what exactly is happening! So, we just need to relax while he finds the answer, alright?" Sally explained, trying to keep things calm.
"… okay." Isaac muttered, not knowing what was happening to him.
It was not long until Dante came running out of the library, clutching an ancient tome.
"Sally! Sally, I found it!" Dante shouted as he ran down the halls. Sally heard him, turning her attention to the door. Dante practically burst through the door, breathing heavily. Sally got up from her seat, offering it to Dante. Dante quickly sat down, opening the book on Isaac's nightstand.
"Dude, you're going to freak! The Order… they had you wrong from the start!" Dante said, flipping through pages.
"I mean… I'm obviously not a demon." Isaac responded.
"No, that's just it! You're the complete opposite!" Dante said, finding the page.
"What are you talking about?" Isaac asked, not knowing what he was talking about.
"Your mother and father… they weren't just Mobians! They were something else!" Dante exclaimed, still breathing heavily.
"Dante, you're not making any sense." Isaac replied.
"Isaac… you're a Nephilim! You and Lily!" Dante revealed.
"What?! No, that's impossible!" Isaac exclaimed.
"I don't mean to take away from this, but what is a Nephilim?" Sally asked.
"Nephilim are the children of the fallen angels! Having children with mortals, the offspring would become very large and strong! I mean, it only makes sense! Isaac is a foot taller than most Mobians, he can rip iron doors off of their hinges, your mother or father must've been a fallen angel! Or at least one of them was Nephilim as well!" Dante explained, excited by his findings.
"That's impossible!" Isaac argued, not believing a word of this.
"No, Isaac… he could be onto something! That picture from the Historical Society… that was dated about a hundred years ago! If they didn't make mistake in categorizing it, then that would mean both of your parents were at least over a hundred years old when you were born!" Sally realized.
"Do you two hear yourselves?! I can't be Nephilim! My father was a hunter! My mother was a blacksmith! They weren't fallen angels! They weren't Nephilim! This… is just some kind of coincidence." Isaac said, leaping from his seat.
"So the wings?" Dante asked.
"I… I prayed to Elohim. Asking Him to save me. If these wings didn't appear, I would've died. That has to be the reason! That can be the only reason!" Isaac argued, his anger increasing.
"Isaac, you need to calm down." Sally said, concerned.
"How can I be calm when my own girlfriend can't see that I'm normal?! I AM NOT NEPHILIM!" Isaac shouted, his body combusting into flame!
"Quick, douse him out!" Dante said, grabbing the blanket off Isaac's bed. Sally grabbed the other side of the blanket, covering Isaac. Dante quickly tackled Isaac, patting him down with the blanket to extinguish the fire. After a few moments, Dante uncovered Isaac, who was breathing heavily. His shirt was charred, his pants dried and cracked. His boots had fallen apart, the sinew completely burned. His wings were untouched, the fire having no effect on them.
"Your powers are getting out of control! We need to find a way to inhibit them! At least until we know how far they go!" Sally said, terrified by what just happened.
"I… I don't need your help! I will… find a way myself!" Isaac responded, still angry. Isaac slowly got up, walking towards his door, his boots falling off of his feet.
"Isaac, please! We just want to help you!" Sally said, reaching for Isaac's shoulder.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Isaac shouted, his body radiating enough heat to keep Sally away. The stone floor beneath Isaac became scorched under his feet, the paint on his door peeling. Isaac opened the door, the doorknob becoming incandescent at his touch. Isaac walked down the hall to the exit, his feet leaving scorched footprints as he walked.
"This is not good! If the Order sees him like this, they will throw the kitchen sink at him! We need to get him under control!" Dante said, grabbing the ancient tome. Sally was still in shock, never seeing that kind of reaction from Isaac.
"He… he never yelled at me like that. He never yelled at anyone like that. Dante, what's happening to him?!" Sally asked, becoming more and more concerned.
"It's the nature of the Fallen! Nephilim are naturally aggressive! Isaac's nature fights within him! If he doesn't come to terms with it, he could go into a meltdown!" Dante explained, reading from the book.
"Okay, when you say meltdown, you mean…?" Sally asked.
"He will decimate his own soul from existence! We will lose him… forever!" Dante clarified, running out of the door.
Sally followed, before running back and grabbing Isaac's cloak. They followed the scorched footsteps, seeing where Isaac had been. They ran out into the courtyard, seeing it flooded with melted snow.
"Quick, follow the trail of melted snow! It'll lead us right to him!" Dante said, his feet splashing through the shallow puddles going into town.
As Sally followed, she activated her communicator, contacting Tails.
"Tails here!" Tails answered.
"Tails, get the others! Isaac's powers are out of control! We need to find him before he destroys himself!" Sally explained, becoming frantic.
"On our way! Where are you?" Tails asked.
"We're running into town, but if you need to find him, just follow the trail of melted snow! And hurry!" Sally answered, turning off the communicator.
As they ran, the trail ran through the marketplace, where some of the stands were scorched! The trail continued out of the town, and out of the Kingdom walls. Sally and Dante stopped at the gates, seeing the trail stretch into the Forest.
"Isaac must be running at this rate! How's your pace?" Dante asked, putting the tome into his pack.
"I can keep up! Come on, Isaac needs us!" Sally answered, running off towards the trail. Dante followed closely, keeping pace with Sally.
Isaac ran into the forest as fast as he could, feeling as if he could run forever! Isaac didn't know where he was running to, but he knew he had to get there! He needed to get there! As he ran, the snow melted, revealing the brown grass underneath. The sun began to lower in the sky, the sun dipping towards the horizon. Soon, Isaac found himself into the center of the Forest, finding a clearing. Isaac looked around, seeing that there was no vegetation at all.
"Here! I can let loose!" Isaac said to himself, feeling himself getting stronger. Isaac released a guttural yell, punching into the ground! The ground burst forth, releasing streams of fire! The ground became scorched, the clearing looking like it had never had vegetation in centuries! Isaac smiled widely, feeling a sense of accomplishment in this feat. Suddenly, Isaac frowned, feeling his power building up again.
"I need to keep running! I can feel myself shaking with energy!" Isaac thought, running out of the clearing. About twenty minutes later, Sally and Dante ran into the clearing, struggling to catch their breath.
"How the hell does someone run like that?! That energy must be keeping him going!" Dante exclaimed, clutching a stitch. As Sally was regaining her breath, she looked around, seeing the damage in the clearing.
"He's getting stronger! If he's scorching entire areas, he may cause a blaze we won't be able to stop! We need to find him now!" Sally observed, running after the trail exiting the clearing.
"Aw man… Why did Isaac have to save my life?" Dante asked aloud, powering through the stitch and running after Sally.
Isaac kept running, his pace slowly gaining speed as he ran. Soon, Isaac began hearing the shore, the sound of waves becoming apparent. Soon, he found another clearing, peeking out of the tree line. Isaac picked up his pace, running out of the forest. But as he did so, he slowed down to a stop, shocked by what he saw. It was the cabin he grew up in, but instead of it being gutted out by flame, it was still intact. Almost as if the fire never happened.
"No… that's impossible." Isaac said, feeling himself begin to cooldown. Isaac walked to the door, reaching out. The door felt real by his touch, Isaac pushing it forward. There was a fire in the fireplace, illuminating the room. As Isaac walked in, he could hear a faint noise in the kitchen. Isaac peered around the corner, seeing his mother cutting vegetables with a knife.
"Mother?" Isaac asked, slowly walking closer. She didn't say anything, continuing to cut the vegetables.
"Mother, it's me! Isaac!" Isaac exclaimed, striding into the kitchen. Isaac went to grab her wrist, but his hand phased through her. Isaac backed away, fully knowing he was still awake. Suddenly, the door in the living room slammed shut, Isaac's father walking into the home, shaking his head.
"Father! Please, say that you can see me!" Isaac begged, attempting to grab his shoulders. The same with his mother, Isaac merely phased through him. He walked through Isaac, walking into the kitchen.
"Azazel, you do not look well. Is everything alright?" Gloria asked, ceasing cutting.
"No. Those men you chased off, I heard them coming. I feel they are not ones to give up. Gloria… I am scared. They threatened to burn our home to the ground… with us in it! We should leave! At least, until we can get help!" Azazel explained.
"My husband, they are all talk! We allow them to run us off away from our home, we will never be able to live peacefully! I trust in the plan Elohim has given us! The plan he has given to Isaac! We must stay! And if they wish for a fight, then a fight we will give them!" Gloria said, stabbing the knife into the cutting board.
"My wife… have I ever told you how beautiful you sound when you talk like that?" Azazel asked, walking closer to Gloria, and embracing her.
"You have… but I will not object to you saying it again." Gloria said, giggling.
"Once we assess our situation, we should… reconnect again." Azazel said, chuckling.
"Two children not enough for you?" Gloria asked, kissing Azazel. As they kissed, the kitchen window shattered, a Molotov cocktail breaking against the floor. The liquid combusted, the kitchen igniting! Azazel and Gloria dove for the living room, getting away from the blaze!
"They're here! Quick, go get Isaac and Lilith! I'll put out the fire!" Azazel said, getting up off the floor. Gloria ran towards the bedroom, while Azazel walked into the kitchen. Focusing his breath, Azazel took control of the flames, the fire beginning to extinguish itself. But as he did so, the door was broken down, three soldiers running in, equipped with swords.
"For the Order!" They shouted, running towards Azazel. Azazel focus shifted to the soldiers, getting into a battle stance. As they charged, Azazel blocked their strikes and disarmed them, breaking bones as he threw them into walls. After taking down two of them, the remaining one and Azazel began circling each other, ready to strike.
"You fight good, for a blind demon." He said, circling.
"I have broken free from Lucifer's control centuries ago! I am not a demon anymore! Why hunt us down when we do not pose a threat?!" Azazel asked, outraged.
"Wait, what?!" Isaac reacted.
"You are a cancer! You may not be a threat now, but one day, sooner or later, you will turn! And right now… I'm cutting you out!" The soldier said, tightening his grip on his sword.
"A demon I am no longer!" Azazel replied, running in. The soldier fought him, missing his strikes. Azazel eventually disarmed him, snapping his wrist. As the soldier staggered, clutching his wrist, Azazel launched himself, kicking the soldier into the growing inferno! The soldier didn't scream, succumbing to the flames radiating from the kitchen. Breathing heavily, Azazel recomposed himself, focusing back on the growing flames. But as he did so, the window in the living room shattered, a small metal ball bouncing off the floor.
"Oh sh-" Azazel exclaimed, the detonation of the metal ball cutting him off. The fragmentation cut through him like a knife, severing his spinal cord. The explosion sent him flying into the wall, falling back down onto the floor.
"FATHER!" Isaac cried out, running to him, and crouching down. Azazel clutched at the fragmentation wounds, bleeding profusely. Gloria ran out of the bedroom, coughing from the smoke. She saw the wounded Azazel on the floor, struggling to get up.
"AZAZEL!" She screamed, running to his side. Azazel coughed, blood pouring from his mouth.
"I am gone, my love! I… I cannot feel my legs! You need to leave! You can still live!" Azazel said, his breathing becoming heavy.
"No! I am not leaving you!" Gloria said, holding onto him.
"But Isaac! He…" Azazel began to argue, before being quieted by his wife.
"Elohim has given me a vision upon his escape! Isaac will live! He will raise Lily, better than we could! He will avenge us, including the others that this damned Order have murdered in cold blood!" Gloria revealed, shedding tears.
"Gloria… my angel. Please…" Azazel began to argue, losing his voice.
"I will be by your side... just as I have promised." She said, embracing him. Azazel slowly wrapped his arms around Gloria, closing his eyes. Isaac heard something snap, looking up. The support beam snapped, the burning roof coming down.
"LOOK OUT!" Isaac shouted, bracing for the impact. Isaac felt the burning wreckage of the roof around him, but not feeling its impact. Isaac slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in the burnt ruins of his home. He looked to where his parents were, finding their remains. They were charred skeletons, still together in an embrace.
"Mother… father… who am I?! Am I a demon-spawn?! Am I Nephilim?! WHAT THE HELL AM I?!" Isaac cried out, feeling himself tearing from the inside-out.
"Isaac!" Sally exclaimed, finally finding him. Isaac turned around, seeing Sally and Dante standing there. As he looked over his shoulder, he saw his wings had disappeared. Dante was clutching his side, feeling the stitch for the last few miles. Sally walked in, careful where she walked.
"Isaac, I can't just say I know how you feel. But listen to me… you're not who the Order say you are!" Sally said, stopping ten feet from Isaac was.
"Then what am I?! I Just found out my father was a demon! My mother… she was an angel. What the hell am I, then?! Demon-spawn?! Nephilim?! Or does none of this matter?!" Isaac asked, outraged.
"Isaac… I don't care who you are. You're still the same person I fell in love with! You are good! You are… a brother, a friend, a guardian!" Sally said, walking closer.
"And my parents?! Why them?! My father died a slow, painful death! My mother… she didn't even try! She gave up! The moment she saw him bleeding out, she resigned herself to death by fire! Why did they have to suffer?!" Isaac yelled, feeling himself heat up.
"Isaac, please… think about Lily! She's the last family you have. She wouldn't want you to hurt yourself like this. And your mother and father… they wouldn't want you to grieve like this! They would want you to cry. They would want you to remember them fondly. Not succumb to your anger!" Sally said, crouching down with Isaac.
Isaac could only look down, feeling ashamed of himself for what he had done in the past few hours.
"Isaac, I can understand you being angry. I can understand you being upset. But it's hard to understand when you push us back. We need to know how you're feeling. Otherwise… we'll never be able to help you." Sally explained.
Isaac said nothing, only shifting his gaze to Sally. Isaac slowly embraced her, feeling something break inside of him. Sally comforted Isaac, feeling him shaking.
"Isaac!" Lily exclaimed, running into the ruins, followed by Tails, Sonic, and Amy. She stopped upon seeing the skeletons, as if already knowing who they were. She could only look as she saw her brother, his pants being the only article of clothing that survived his combustion.
"Lily… this was our home. These… were our parents." Isaac said, his voice barely audible. Lily slowly walked towards Isaac, her eyes filling with tears.
"Lily… we are not normal people. We… are destined for great things. But I have learned the hard way that we cannot allow ourselves to succumb to our anger. I beg of you, learn from my mistakes. We… cannot allow our enemies define us because of our heritage. We must be the people we seek to be. Please… promise me you will be better." Isaac said, fighting back his tears.
Lily quickly embraced Isaac, crying into his shoulder. Isaac didn't hesitate to do the same, embracing his sister. After ten minutes, Isaac rose from the floor, still holding onto Lily.
"Isaac… is there anything we can do?" Tails asked, wiping a stray tear from his face.
"No, you've… done more for us than we could've ever hoped for. But before we leave, I… I want to give my mother and father a proper burial. Something to let their souls rest." Isaac answered.
They obliged, allowing Isaac to carry the remains of his parents out of the ruins of the home. Isaac thawed out the soil, digging into it with one of the charred boards. After half an hour, digging into the soil, Isaac was able to bury his parents, shoveling the dirt over them with his bare hands. Isaac then used the rocks he had dug up to make a cairn, a pile of rocks to mark where they rest. After all was said and done, he kneeled by their cairn, placing one of his knives.
"Isaac… do they sleep?" Lily asked.
"Yes, little sister. They rest peacefully." Isaac answered, getting up.
As they walked from the cairn, Isaac finally felt the cold. But before he could make a comment about it, he felt his cloak drape over him, a hand resting on his shoulder. Isaac looked to who it was, seeing it was Sally. Isaac faintly smiled; glad she came after him.
"How is it you put up with me? A reasonable person would've most likely left me." Isaac asked.
"Guess I'm not reasonable." Sally answered.
"I would never blame you if you did." Isaac said, his smile disappearing. Sally frowned, squeezing his shoulder.
"Except I know who you are. And who you are is a good person! And if the Order can't see that, then that's on them!" Sally responded.
Isaac grinned, knowing at least she would always help him. As they boarded the Tornado X, Isaac was grateful for the heating, relaxing into his seat.
"Isaac, you gonna be alright?" Amy asked, turning in her seat.
Isaac nodded, feeling exhausted.
"Yeah, I… I think I'll be alright." Isaac said, closing his eyes.