After Mephiles gained the remaining power of his other half Iblis, he went to search for the other Chaos Emeralds. The crystalize hedgehog close his eyes and focus as he using his enhance chaos sense to locate the Chaos Emeralds location in Soleanna
His mind wandered to Wave Ocean, no Chaos Emerald sense. He then move to Tropical Jungle, no luck and then to Radical Train still no Emerald sense.
Mephiles is slightly irritated because he haven't sense any nearby Chaos Emeralds in Soleanna but then he pick up a Chaos energy nearby Dusty Dessert and so the crystalize hedgehog went to the ruins of forgotten Soleanna history.
Mephiles float through the half buried ruins following the chaos energy he sense, as he goes deeper into the ruins the stronger the chaos energy is 'It's near here' he thought
The hedgehog keep moving forward until it lead him outside what looks like a giant arena "I remember this..." Mephiles said as he recall something from his memory
The arena was use as a main entertainment in ancient times where performers would come and performed tricks to the people and monarch, seeing the place that used to bring so much happiness for many people now crumbling and deserted making him feel somewhat sad but it has been thousands year ago he did not have any attachments to those times, still... Seeing this old ruin made him thinking...
Mephiles shake his head snap him out of his deep thoughts 'You are getting distracted by something so trivial. Focus!' he told himself 'You are here for the Chaos Emerald not to relive the past'
After the crystalize hedgehog shake himself from his thinking Mephiles float to one of the pillars in the arena as one of them has the Emerald floating above it, Mephiles take it without much of a trouble.
The hedgehog smile as he had now successfully obtain two Chaos Emeralds and then he teleport back to Kingdom Valley, he arrived inside his hideout in Kingdom Valley and use his powered up ability from regaining Iblis' power Mephiles camouflage his hideout but then he was caught surprised that the crystal's has expanded and even covering some parts of the ruins of Soleanna castle that the king used to reside in.
The crystalize hedgehog float down and look at the former royal castle, Mephiles then revert to his hedgehog form and walked the damp hallway on pilot as he recall another memory from fourteen year ago.
The castle is always bustling with people and staff, on rare occasion the royal family would held a any type of gathering here at the castle.
Even little Elise sometimes run around this very hallway unsupervised, thankfully he is there to watch over the little girl even if he isn't physically awake but only mentally and he only let the little child to be able to see him.
"Mister! Everyone in Castle Town would come here and we will have a big party!" The little red haired girl said "Aren't you excited!" She added
He chuckled lightly then answer "Of course, seeing my people happy is always what I look forward in this type of event"
Elise look at him with bright eyes "will you attend the party then?" The little girl asked at that his smile falter slightly
"Forgive me, but I cannot attend your party" he told the little princess
The child is sad to hear he wouldn't not coming to the party "Why?"
"Well for one I'm physically still asleep right now, so I can't really be there" he told to the little girl and then smile at her "Don't worry, I am at least will be there for you even if others can't see me" Elise gave him a big smile that seems to make her shines then he pet her head
Mephiles snap's out of his recollection and was reminded of sorry state the old castle t̶h̶a̶t̶ h̶e̶ h̶a̶s̶ v̶e̶r̶y̶ f̶o̶n̶d̶ m̶e̶m̶o̶r̶i̶e̶s̶ o̶f̶ e̶v̶e̶n̶ i̶f̶ h̶i̶s̶ h̶a̶t̶r̶e̶d̶ f̶o̶r̶ w̶h̶a̶t̶ h̶a̶p̶p̶e̶n̶s̶ s̶o̶m̶e̶t̶i̶m̶e̶s̶ o̶v̶e̶r̶p̶o̶w̶e̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ t̶h̶e̶ f̶e̶e̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ o̶f̶ t̶h̶o̶s̶e̶ h̶a̶p̶p̶i̶e̶r̶ t̶i̶m̶e̶s̶, the hedgehog stopped in his track and once again look around his surrounding
Because no one coming to the old castle so the place was not maintain anymore and left to the elements in this valley, the castle is dusty, wet and dirty even has hole in one it's ceiling.
"... This won't do..." Mephiles said as he saw the sorry state of the castle and bring upon himself to fix the castle as part to preserve something from his past.
He summons his shadows familiar and tasks them to repairing the old castle, the hedgehog set his shadows familiar into groups to efficiently clean and repair the old castle. He sent them away without much of a word, as the grey hedgehog walked the old castle wishlist his familiars busy preparing and cleaning then Mephiles arrives at the door to the throne room.
Looking at the large door with both anger and longing he consider to step into the room to walked to the smaller room that reside inside but after some thoughts he choose to against that idea, so he resumed his walk absentminded until he found himself in the royal garden. Mephiles still found himself fascinated that the plants still thriving even after a longtime with no one to taking care of them anymore
He stroll around the garden and take the scenery in he kept walking without much looking where he was going until the pale black hedgehog crashed unto the thick bushes, he suddenly felt the small prickly needle on the front of his body where he had crash.
The feeling is a minor pain nothing he could just walked off right after, he look at what had injured him.
It was a bunch of thorns as he look the bushes in detail he had now realize that he crashed onto a rose bush, Mephiles stand up from the place he crash but took caution to his surrounding as to not damage the flower bushes more. After he fully standing he brush off the thorns and dirt that had stuck on him when he was done the grey hedgehog look around then he saw a single red rose on the ground in front of him
'It must've fallen from the branch after I crashed ' he thought as he picked up the rose and examine it closely
When he examine the rose closely his mind started to thinking and wondered off, he was envelope with the feeling of sadness but also... Warmth(?). It was hard for him to get used to feeling his own emotion, a̶f̶t̶e̶r̶ h̶o̶w̶ l̶o̶n̶g̶ h̶e̶ w̶a̶s̶ c̶o̶n̶s̶u̶m̶e̶d̶ b̶y̶ a̶n̶g̶e̶r̶ a̶n̶d̶ h̶a̶t̶r̶e̶d̶ the hedgehog did not also mind this still he was confused by his own emotion as to why he felt like this...
H̶o̶w̶ t̶h̶e̶ S̶a̶k̶u̶r̶a̶ h̶e̶d̶g̶e̶h̶o̶g̶... H̶o̶w̶ A̶m̶y̶ m̶a̶n̶a̶g̶e̶ t̶o̶ w̶a̶r̶m̶ h̶e̶r̶ w̶a̶y̶ i̶n̶t̶o̶ h̶i̶s̶ h̶a̶r̶d̶e̶n̶ h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶?̶
W̶h̶a̶t̶ h̶a̶d̶ h̶e̶ s̶a̶w̶ i̶n̶ h̶e̶r̶ t̶o̶ m̶a̶k̶e̶ h̶i̶m̶ f̶e̶e̶l̶ t̶h̶i̶s̶ w̶a̶y̶?̶
I̶t̶ w̶a̶s̶ f̶r̶u̶s̶t̶r̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ y̶e̶t̶ p̶l̶e̶a̶s̶a̶n̶t̶ a̶s̶ i̶t̶ w̶a̶s̶ c̶o̶n̶f̶u̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ y̶e̶t̶ m̶a̶d̶e̶ s̶e̶n̶s̶e̶ t̶o̶o̶
'Why did I fall for her? She is just like other mortals and yet there's something that made me drawn to her...' Mephiles thought
He kept on looking at the flower in his hand and without realising that he was smiling, a genuine smile as he picture the welcoming and warmth smile of the Sakura hedgehog.