Golden eyes watched the sky in anticipation. Clouds of ash blocked the sun, but that was nothing new for Blaze. Her entire life had been spent without the sun, after all. But her eyes were not looking up for hope of a celestial body far beyond her world. Her eyes were those of a hunter, lying in wait for her prey.

It was December, which meant, floating behind her, was the mysterious Little Planet that only appeared one month out of the year before disappearing to Gaia knows where. Then again, it never mattered where it came from. It was Blaze and her companion, Silver's, greatest accomplishment. The only place on this molten world they've managed to drive Iblis away from.

Iblis, the flames of disaster, scarred their world with volcanic fury. It fell upon Silver and Blaze to defend what was left of it. Whether it was hard work, or some stupid stroke of luck, the ground they gained on Little Planet was something they vowed to keep.

The companions scanned the sky above them. Iblis was many things, but subtle was not one of them. When he attacked, they would be able to see him coming from a mile away.

The wait was not a long one.

Blaze's eyes caught a flash of red through the clouds. He was here.

"Hah! For a being so powerful he seems to be trying awfully hard to avoid us!" Silver mocked. Blaze stifled a smile. If she could bottle Silver's enthusiasm…

"Then let's make our presence impossible to ignore." She remarked. On her cue, Silver unearthed half a dozen purple orbs they gathered from Flame Core and made them orbit the pair.

The creature responded instantly. A screeching roar emerged from the clouds as it dove down to the wasteland. Its form resembled a vulture. The wings were mostly fire with volcanic rock molding the form together. With each wingbeat, cracks formed in the igneous structure. The three eyes locked onto its target below, those purple orbs…

Silver and Blaze had observed any Iblis remnant desperately go after these before and would often use them in their assault strategy. As soon as the Iblis Vulture was close enough, Silver commanded a 3 story wall he had dragged all the way from the city to crash down onto its back. The head was finally in range.

Blaze leapt above the vulture's head and created a blast above herself. The velocity launched her towards Iblis' third eye on top of his head which she forcefully shoved her heel into.

The beast screamed in pain as he launched his head back, which flung Blaze into the air. The cat felt her heart twist, but now was not the time for her acrophobia to take hold. Her trust in her companion was greater. Her body became enveloped in his power as she felt herself being shot towards the third eye again at thunderous speed. Iblis, however, managed to see it coming and moved out of the way. Silver slowed Blaze down enough to land safely, but the vulture was airborne now, heading towards Little Planet.

"You're not getting away!" Silver shouted. He commanded the ground to erupt, creating a wall to block the beast's path. The soil crumbled as Iblis broke through it, but the vulture had lost enough momentum for Blaze to catch up and clutch onto its tail. A moment later Silver was flying at her side as she climbed the rocklike back of the creature.

"Silver!" She shouted. "Iblis is getting too close to Little Planet!" Her words weren't untrue. At this rate the vulture would make it in less than a minute "You need to use your psychokinesis to drag it back to the surface!".

"Wait! I- I can't…" Silver stammered. "I've never controlled something like this before!"

"You won't be alone!" Blaze shouted. She planted her hands onto the back of Iblis. "I'm going to fight his flames to weaken him. I'm relying on you, Silver! Please rely on me, too!" With that, she focused all her energy into controlling Iblis' flames.

A teal aura enveloped her and the Iblis Vulture. She wished she could cheer him on, but for him to succeed, she'd need to put all her focus into quelling Iblis' flames. Her flames interrogated Iblis', searching for the source, planting seeds of fire to overtake the influence of Iblis. Every extension had a core where Iblis would burn from, if she could find it, she could weaken his influence. Her flames searched the wings, the tail, the head, until…

Eureka! The core was in the vulture's chest! Right where the heart should be. She commanded her flames to smother the core, keeping Iblis' will from spreading beyond it. Immediately she felt the creature's trajectory jolt. As she continued to block every signal she could, Blaze could feel her and the beast loop back towards the ground, then suddenly, she was pulled from its back.

The Iblis Vulture crashed into the lava lake below Little Planet. Her mind was slowly coming back to reality while she watched the beast try to climb back out, splashing basalt into the air, nearly hitting the pair.

"We need to finish it off before it can recover." Blaze said before turning to Silver. "Aim me." Silver nodded as Blaze began to twirl into her own small tornado of fire. She felt herself being launched towards the Iblis Vulture. She maximized her power as Silver shot her straight through the head of the creature.

Silver and Blaze landed on the shore line and watched the remains of the vulture sink into the lava. After seeing the last of it disappear, they turned away to face the next three Iblis Vultures heading their way.

It was going to be a long month.

In the Same Place, but a Different Future…

Blaze stood along the shore of Never Lake, her gaze fixed on the newly appeared Little Planet. Memories of her and her companion defending this place rushed back to her in waves. She was sure of it. If Silver the Hedgehog was going to be anywhere, he would be up there.

Just hold on, Silver. Blaze thought to herself. I promise I will help you save your future.

To Be Continued In

SILVER AND BLAZE: ESCAPE THE FUTURE

07/22/2024