Hey everyone, just making a brief author note to say that we are approaching the end of this story. These next few chapters I have had planned for months, and I can't wait to pour every little detail into them. Once again, your support means a lot to me, and I hope that most of you stick around until the very end, because it will be quite a journey from where we started.
Chapter 15: The Star Growing Inside of Me
The Void: Many Moments Ago
Tails' mind became a blank slate, as he concentrated his thoughts deep within. He searched all around for that grand purpose, the one that would keep him going throughout the rest of his life. He struggled to find it, as he kept failing to tap into the crystal's power. What am I missing? He thought to himself, inadvertently clouding his mind with doubt. The troubles residing inside him bled through his face, as he winced in frustration. "Stop!" Knuckles' booming voice called to Tails, as the startled fox opened his eyes. "You're losing focus… again."
In a sigh, Tails said, "I don't understand how you can do this. Meditating just isn't my thing. I can't slow my thoughts down enough.".
Knuckles put his hand on Tails' shoulder, trying to reassure him in a gentle yet firm way. "You don't need to slow down. Everyone has their own pace, but you need to concentrate. If you find a powerful thought or something that deeply resonates with you, then try to focus on that, and ignore all the rest." Tails closed his eyes again, trying to submerge himself into his subconscious. All seemed well at first, as Knuckles excitedly watched as Tails remained still and focused. It was like he entered the zone, much like Knuckles did when he absorbed the crystal's power. Without breaking his meditative state, Tails reached forward and tapped the crystal. Yet again, nothing within the gem reacted. Tails peeked and groaned at yet another failed attempt, as he stood up and walked away in a bitter attitude.
"I don't know what's wrong." Tails rubbed his fingers against his stressed face. "No matter what I do, no matter what I think about, I can't do it."
"We still have plenty of time-"
"We have eight days left here! And when those doors open at the end of the eighth day, and I'm still powerless, what am I supposed to tell Dial then? What am I supposed to tell Sonic? I promised myself that I would get stronger, so Sonic wouldn't have to worry about me anymore, but now I'm going to let him down."
"There it is." Knuckles suddenly had a revelation in his head. He started to understand the reason why Tails was falling behind. "You're thinking too hard about it. You know that Sonic would never be disappointed in you. The only person that you fear you'll let down is yourself." Knuckles approached Tails and put both of his mitts on the fox's shoulders. "You're smart– way smarter than I could ever be, and yet you complicate every problem you face. Simplify your viewpoint, and then you'll understand."
Tails takes in his words sincerely. He returns to the floor and begins his meditation again. He is once again bombarded by the stress and cluttered thoughts that inhabit his mind. The guilt, the fragility, and the insecurity all tugging at his soul. He tried to formulate countless ways to get rid of them, but that only created more problems, as it made Tails think of even bigger vulnerabilities. However, he recalled what Knuckles said, and to just keep it simple. He thought of his guilt and blocked out the rest of his faults. He started to see how ridiculous and overblown he made them seem. Why would he feel guilty for trying his best? After Tails rationalized his troubles, he found himself in a deeper field of concentration. He felt unburdened, boundless, and much more free. By looking at everything through an honest lens, he started to understand. To him, the universe had a clearer meaning. It meant discovery, demonstration, and a longing to enjoy it. To explore its limitless space with the ones who care for him. It all felt like one big puzzle that he had to fill out, but he would never be alone in solving it.
Tails reached out again, gracefully and in bliss. As his hand touched the crystal, it finally started to react. Knuckles watched in astonishment as Tails absorbed the cyan energy within Dial's crystal, as it coursed through his soft fur and immersed into his skin. Once the crystal was diluted of color, Tails opened his eyes and felt his senses heighten. He looked down at his hands and felt an overwhelming amount of control in them. Knuckles grabbed Tails by his upper body and lifted him to his feet. "What did I tell ya?" Tails felt elated as he couldn't look away from his hands. He felt like he could bend the world from his fingertips. "Hey," Knuckles said, snapping Tails out of his trance. "Why don't we go a few rounds in the ring to see what you've been cooking?" Knuckles pointed at the sparring arena, to which Tails was ecstatic to comply.
Westopolis
The gateway above the temple was growing, but still not at a fast enough rate to satisfy Mephiles. His ritual was steady and was working, but he felt a disturbance of power within the city. One of his apostles has been killed. The further Mephiles honed in on who, he discovered that Elvira had fallen. He wasn't worried, but he was aware that whoever put her down might direct their attention to him, which was the last thing he wanted. The speed at which the ritual was progressing wasn't fast enough to open the portal, so he had to take matters into his own hands. Mephiles stared into the sky and gazed into the abyss of the night. He spotted one lone star and seamlessly plucked it from the sky using his fingertips. It appeared as a small white speck in his hand, to which Mehpiles corrupted it with his own powers.
He tossed the corrupted star into the air and watched as it exploded into a million pieces, scattering across the city. These pieces grow rapidly and form limbs, jaws, and a body. Viscous fangs row their mandibles as they strolled the ground on all fours. These newly formed beasts roam the streets, cutting off any way forward to the temple.
At the top of the temple's staircase, Cain and Blair patiently wait for the ritual to end. They tasked themselves to protect their master at all costs. It was then that they heard footsteps nearing them, that they sprang to their feet and awaited the intruder. They couldn't see who was approaching at the angle at which they were standing. Cain charged a black bolt in his hand, while Blair formed a shield of vines around his body. But as the mystery person reached the top, the deer brothers let their guard down out of shock. "You've got to be kidding," Blair said.
"Your eyes don't deceive you." Tails nonchalantly spoke as he reached their level. His hands were behind his back and he had the smugest look on his face.
"How did you survive?" Cain asked. "I was sure that my bolt hit something vital."
"It did." Tails once again said out of conceit. "And you definitely left your mark." Tails pointed at the Lichtenberg figures around his face and his abdomen. "But you'll soon realize how big of a mistake toying with me was."
Blair scoffed, "You serious?" He tried his best to contain his amusement. "Did the shocks my brother inflicted on you give you amnesia? You never stood a chance before, and we've only gotten stronger." Both Blair and Cain reveal the Chaos Emeralds they hold.
"That's right," Cain added. "What is it that an ungifted brat like you hope to achieve?" Tails kept both his cool and his smile. He was certainly confident. Cain sighed and slowly walked towards Tails, expecting nothing from him. He didn't want to bother with fighting Tails, not when he was such a pushover before, so he was going to give the fox a chance to turn back. As Cain stood directly in front of Tails' face, he was shocked that the fox stood his ground. "I don't enjoy hurting children, but do not test me, boy." Cain stuck his finger out and planned to simply push Tails back, but as he pressed against his chest, Tails swiftly grabbed hold of Cain's arm and wrapped it around to his back, putting him in an armlock. Blair wasted no time and shot out a thorny vine that was headed straight for Tails. But the fox noticed quick enough to pivot Cain to the front and have him take the blow instead.
In his distraught state after hurting his brother, Blair lowered his guard, allowing Tails to rush forward and grasp Blair by the neck, choking him. Blair frantically tried to shake Tails off by attempting to break his hold and swaying his body around. But it was when Blair slammed his back against the floor, that Tails yelped in agony as he kept holding on tightly. Blair kept getting up and falling back down again and again, bruising Tails' body with every plummet. Eventually, Tails had to let go and prevent any more damage to himself. Blair gasped for air as he fell to his knees, slowly recovering. As Tails recovered himself, he saw Cain tend to his brother and lift him to stand. Now the surprise was over, and Tails was no longer going to be taken lightly. "So, you've learned how to fight," Cain said. "Right idea, but still doesn't change the fact that you're ungifted."
"Am I?" Tails said with confidence.
Cain and Blair both look at each other, confused yet entertained. They both chuckle at the notion. "Please," Blair spoke up. "You expect us to believe that you became gifted after a single day?"
"Oh, but it's been so much longer for me." Tails closed his eyes and spread his arms to the side, channeling something deep within him. The deer brothers couldn't believe their eyes as they watched Tails levitate off the ground, with a silky aqua aura enveloping over him. Tails clasped his hands together, which sent out a short-ranged pulse across the temple. The atmosphere blackened around the three until there was nothing of the outside world left, just a dark void. A grid of blue squares illuminated from all around them until they were encompassed in a box. Each module of the grid was two feet in length and width, and the cube they were in was around eight million in volume. Tails descended to the floor of the grid and pointed to the middle of the floor. The fox's finger glowed, and suddenly, the modules in the middle of the floor elevated, along with many more panels across the grid. The space was altered into an arena, and it was all by Tails' design. "Now…you've entered my territory."
Cain was the first to break out of his shock, as he tossed a lighting bolt at Tails, to which the fox simply raised his finger and elevated another panel in front of him to block the bolt. Blair dug his hands into the floor and sprouted a wave of vines that flooded the floor, which forced Tails to fly up to avoid them. But that simply left him open for another one of Cain's bolts as he tossed one right at Tails. However, Tails thought quickly and commanded one of the ceiling panels to push down and propel him forward, which allowed him to avoid the bolt and dive bomb Cain as he didn't expect Tails to be on him so soon. Tails performed a seamless axe kick right into Cain's neck, knocking him into the wall, to which Tails conducted the panels on the wall to shoot out and throw Cain forward. Tails followed up with a clothesline before diverting his attention to Blair, who was trying to restrain Tails with his wrapping vines.
Tails directed two panels from opposite sides of the room to shoot forward and collide with each other, causing the lunging vines to be crushed in the middle. Seeing that Blair was in a constant state of sprouting more vines, Tails activated the panel below him and raised it slightly up to knock Blair off balance. Tails uses his tails to spring himself forward from the floor and perform a diving kick straight into the deer's stomach. After Cain recuperates and shakes his head, he sees his brother backed into a corner by Tails. He knew that Blair's ability wasn't suited for close-range combat, and he had to get him out of there.
Cain theorized that these panels weren't invincible, and if given the proper force, could break and provide an escape from this little pocket dimension. Cain thought that the best way he could test this theory was to overcharge his lightning strike with the Chaos Emerald he was given. The deer held the emerald up to his chest with both hands and started to take some of its energy. The sparks jolt around the smooth surface of the emerald and connect with Cain's black bolts, which bounce around his body. He became a battery for the gemstone's power, as he started to kick into overdrive. In the meantime, Blair was able to distance himself away from Tails via a grappling hook made from vines, landing next to his brother. His bruised face only angered Cain further, as he expedited the channeling of the emerald.
However, Tails saw that Cain had been prepping his attack, and quickly planned how to counter it. He could evade, create cover, or try to stop him before Cain could pull it off, but he wanted to turn the attack around and use it against them somehow. Tails had an idea, as he rearranged some of the panels on the ceiling and walls to be angled in a sequence where one faced the other and so on. With this setup, Tails waited for the right moment before Cain launched his attack, as the deer was still absorbing the Chaos Emeralds' power. The fox and the deer locked eyes intensely until Cain flinched from the abundance of energy he had been harboring. This was Tails' cue, as he activated the panel below Cain's right leg and messed up his footing as he shot forward a staggering black bolt, which went astray and hit one of the angled panels. The first panel reflected the bolt into another angled panel until a chain reaction of reflection across multiple panels was established, with the final panel pointing right back toward Cain.
In that split second, Cain witnessed firsthand the speed at which his bolts were traveling towards him. It was nearly instantaneous how they traveled from one point to another, which barely gave Cain any time at all to move out of the way of it. A bolt, powered by the Chaos Emerald, would be lethal to any mortal that was unfortunate enough to come across it. Cain knew that, but Blair figured it too. Blair saw no way that his brother could dodge the bolt, except for one harrowing way. Blair darted forward and pushed Cain out of the way, taking the strike from the bolt instead. As it pierced through his side, the wound instantly cauterized and left Blair's internal organs seared. "Blair!" Cain screamed as his brother fell. He dropped all focus on Tails and immediately tended to Blair, who had fallen to the floor. Blair, with the little energy he had left, used his Chaos Emeralds to power his vines and form a wall to shield both him and his brother from Tails, who angrily rushed forward in an attempt to punish Cain's unawareness. The fox pounded his fist against the vines, trying to use his strength to punch through, but his efforts were futile.
Tails' resentment powered his attacks, and he became frustrated that those deer brothers, the ones who tortured him, taunted him, and nearly killed him would cower away from who he now was. In the soft echo of silence, and the squishy battering of Tails' fist against the vines, came a faint sob, which stopped Tails in his tracks. He calmed himself for the moment and his ears perked up to listen closer. "What were you thinking? Why didn't you just let me take it?" Inside the shroud of vines, Cain places his hand on Blair's wound, trying to apply pressure. But the damage was already done. "Why!?"
Blair weakly chuckled, "And watch my little brother die? Mom said you were always the craziest."
"How is that fair!? How is it fair that I have to watch you die instead!?"
"Cause you're stronger than me… Ever since we were little, you always beat me when we wrestled. You can finish this fight." Blair tried to raise his head, but Cain pushed him back down out of concern. Blair winced in pain as his body was drained of adrenaline, and he felt every singeing sting. He knew his time was ending, and he had one final hope. He raised his emerald to Cain and plopped it into his brother's hand. "Take my antler and my emerald. Unleash your full potential." Cain's head dropped in sorrow as he couldn't bear the thought of being without his brother. "Hey…" Cain looked back up with a face full of salt and rivers, seeing his brother smile warmly. "I'm proud of you." The color in Blair's eyes faded away, and then, he was gone.
Tails, still outside the shield of vines, suddenly felt an odd wave of remorse. He had no reason to feel that way about these people, but something about what he did reminded him of something he valued: A bond between brothers. And he just destroyed it, without so much as a second thought. Their bond was just as strong as the one he held with Sonic, and he couldn't possibly imagine the grief he would feel if that was ripped away from him, or if he was ripped away himself. The shock settled in, and Tails looked down at his hands. The ones that he prided himself for their control, were now stained with the blood of another person. His fury blinded him to the point where he didn't even realize that he had just killed someone for the first time. He tried to wipe that image away, but he regressed into his cluttered mind, which he had trained so hard to escape. "This can't be real…" He pleaded to himself. "Why… Why did I do that?"
He was so distraught over the empty feeling of his shame, that he failed to notice the whirring of power rising from within the vine shield, which shriveled and withered, revealing Cain, holding both Chaos Emeralds. The left antler from Blair's body had been removed and implanted into the missing socket in Cain's head, completing his set of antlers. Cain's face filled his hostility, narrowed in on Tails. As the fox regained his focus, he was too late to notice Cain charging him and was tackled onto the ground. Cain had him pinned and charged his hands with a field of electricity, as he grabbed Tails' head and electrocuted him continuously, prolonging the pain for as long as possible. Tails tried to activate a wall panel to shoot out and knock Cain away, but the deer didn't even budge as it slammed into him. Tails screamed as he kept trying to break free. His arms and legs flailed, his eyes bounced around, and his brain started to develop migraines from the constant shocking.
Eventually, Tails managed to break Cain's grasp on him by activating a tear gas canister hidden away inside his wristwatch. Cain backs away and coughs out the gas as Tails steadily gets up. However, the gas didn't deter Cain away for long, as he turned back around and fired a volley of black bolts at Tails. The fox narrowly evaded each of them by running to the side and using the elevated panels as cover. Tails started to pant, as something was tugging away at his heart. He was doubting himself again and kept condemning his action of killing Blair. He couldn't get that thought out of his brain, as his body solely ran on pure instinct to dodge the hellfire of lightning strikes. What is wrong with me? He thought as he maneuvered the panels to form a barrier that he hid in. It protected him from the bolts for now, but his excessive panting and abnormal heart rate turned everything into a full-blown anxiety attack. Tails' fur stood up and his whole body was shaking as he heard the thunderous footsteps from Cain's approach. Each step elevated his breathing beyond control.
"Come on out! We're not done yet!" Tails covered his ears and closed his eyes, trying to block out his voice. Too much was going on with him, as an array of sensations washed over him. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you…yet. I'll leave you to watch as I tear your world apart from your very eyes. I'll find the ones you love, and I will make them suffer for what you did to my brother. And after they're all dead, there will be time for you to wallow before your end." Suddenly, Tails' heart started to taper off. In his desperate state, he remembered why hadn't been holding back until now. These people he was fighting– they were monsters. They destroyed this city, and they threatened to destroy even more. Their bond was made up of hatred toward the world and couldn't be ignored. Tails realized that the reason he was fighting shouldn't be out of revenge or contempt, but out of the need for other's survival and well-being. He had to fight, he had to do anything that it took to save lives, even if that meant killing the ones he thought he took pity on. He had no reason to be afraid, not when he had already come so far. Tails rises from the ground and clenches his fist. He was no longer going to doubt himself.
The pillars surrounding Tails lower and reveal him in his battle stance. His open hand forward while his fist was tight around his chest. He faced down Cain, who sensed that Tails had regained his confidence and treaded lightly. The silence grew the tension as both of them eased their hands closer to each other until a sudden explosion of movement came from them as Cain lunged forward to attack Tails. He sidesteps and redirects Cain's fist away from him as he follows up with two quick punches to the deer's face. Cain didn't even flinch and kept attacking as Tails figured that his strength wasn't enough to put the deer down, he had to find another way to beat him, as he knew that he would lose in a battle of endurance. Cain slammed his hands on the floor, electrocuting the surface of the panels, and forcing Tails to fly up.
Tails immediately dove back down and fainted his attack, which caused Cain to block prematurely and allowed Tails to slip between his legs and kick him in the back as he emerged. To even the playing field, Cain conjured a bolt that locked at the top of his wrist and wielded it like a blade, as Cain slashed the air in front of him, nicking Tails' forehead. Tails winced as blood drizzled down his eyes, periodically blinding him as he promptly wiped it off. Just in time too, as Cain aimed to slit open Tails' throat with the bolt blade, to which Tails split his legs to duck just below it. Cain thrusts his arm forward, but Tails blocks it with the outside of his arms. However, with the fox stuck in one place, Cain charged forward with his antlers and rammed into Tails' stomach, nearly impaling him. Cain whips his head sideways, throwing Tails into the wall as the deer rushes forward to capitalize on it.
Fortunately, Tails manages to slip away by staying low to the ground and dips across the floor gracefully. He springs back up and attempts to kick at Cain's abdomen with his shin, but the deer mirrors the fox's moves, causing them to trade blows and clash as each of their attacks is blocked by the other. Cain forces a weak yet swift jab that clips Tails' side and throws his hand over to strike from above, but Tails grapples the arm before it can hit. Despite the block, Cain punishes the move by generating electricity into his body, shocking Tails and hoping that he would let go. But to Cain's surprise, Tails yells out of determination and keeps his grip tightly chained. The fox widens his stance and throws Cain to the ground with one hefty pull, and as he does, he collapses to his knees to catch his breath. Both Tails and Cain rise to their feet, but Tails acts first as he sprints away and uses the panels on the floor and wall to shape a narrow corridor to conceal him.
Cain spots the exit of the corridor and readies a bolt into the palm of his hand, waiting for Tails to pop out there. Suddenly, the middle of the corridor's wall splits open, and Tails springs out. His feet take the lead as he collides with the surprised deer. The kick to his head bounces him against the wall, disorientating him. I'm not done! Tails blurted in his mind as he wrapped his legs around Cain's neck and slammed his whole body into the ground. Throughout this fight, Cain's patience waned with each second that Tails remained on his feet, and now, he was ready to finish it. Cain supercharged himself with the two emeralds, creating a static field that forced Tails to back off. It was more power than he had ever invoked before, as the bolts of lightning became unpredictable and uncontrollable, breaking his limits. The stray sparks produced enough power to finally put a crack into one of the panels, which reminded Cain of his initial plan. If he could free himself from this little pocket dimension, he would regain the advantage. So he kept charging himself with all the energy that the emeralds could give him, going beyond the threshold of circumspection.
Tails quickly realized what Cain was doing and commanded all the panels in the area to surround the deer, and hopefully contain the onslaught. Cain didn't seem to notice that he was trapped, as the surge of power clouded his senses to the point that he didn't even know if he was alive. It was a feeling, unlike anything he had ever felt. Oh, to be honored enough to experience this phenomenon. How can I resist it anymore? Cain thought to his blissful self. He had reached the breaking point of the emerald's power and his body. The chain of lightning, bouncing across the containment walls, finally starts to take its toll on Cain's body, as fissures of light form across him. Brother, if only you could be here to feel this. This is what it means to be gifted. As his body was encompassed by this light, he could not handle it anymore, as he exploded into a ball of radiance, leaving no trace of him behind. The shockwave knocked Tails back as his strength from holding Cain in place depleted, causing the domain to fade away.
The real world unveils itself as Tails tumbles onto the stairs of the temple. The howling wind shot pain into his wounds, but he welcomed its harsh gusts, reminding him that he was still alive. He clenched his side as he raised his upper body, looking around for any remnants of Cain. However, all he saw were two dropped emeralds and a pile of white ash. Tails tilted his head back and basked his face into the sky with an expression of relief. He wobbled back onto his feet and shuffled up the stairs to reach the emeralds. But out of nowhere, a dark purple mist envelops over the emeralds and snatches them away. "No!" Tails watched in horror as the mist ascended into the air and dissipated, leaving the emeralds in the hands of the one person everyone feared: Mephiles. Tails tried to manifest his pocket dimension to isolate Mephiles, but his concentration was broken as an excruciating pain dug into his back. A pack of those beasts that Mephiles created had lurked behind Tails and struck with their claws.
"Impressive performance, child." Mephiles applauded the injured fox. "But did you actually think you could just waltz up here and make a mess without me noticing?" Mehpiles floated down and waved his hand to the circling beast pack, gesturing to them to back off. He kneels to Tails and rests his hand on the fox's chin, salted and drenched in his tears. "Something is special about you. The power you hold, it's familiar… Perhaps, given to you by an old friend of mine. If you have been deemed worthy by him, then you will appreciate my art." Mephlies slid his fingers across the back of Tails' neck and grabbed him by the scruff. He floated into the air, carrying Tails' limp body with him, as they ascended the stairs to the peak of the temple, where the ritual was nearly complete.
To be continued…
Up Next:What It Takes To Be Infinite!