Chapter 17: Whisper from the Void

Westopolis

"Wake up, little pup." Tails slowly lifted his eyes open and felt a flood of pain drift across his back. His vicious wound from the clawed attack wasn't deep, but it still hurt like hell as the gusts of air smashed against him. His eyes directed him into the sky where he saw a white gateway continuously grow in size, along with the two emeralds he was entrusted to grab aside it. The deep voice beckoned to him once more as he looked down and saw the nightmare that was Mephiles gazing into his soul. His lifeless expression was always constant, and yet Tails could make out a level of curiosity coming from his tilted head. Tails was well above Mephiles, as he realized that he was suspended in the air from the nightmare's power. "I see it more clearly now," Mephiles said. "You've met Dial, and you've seen the equation. I sense its radiance all over you." Mephiles grumbled as he paced around the fox. "How did that make you feel? Did it make you feel special? Or did it make your life even more meaningless?"

Tails was in so much pain that he couldn't even force himself to answer. He could only grunt and try to wiggle out of the constricting binds around his wrists. "A sight like that is truly wasted on the unworthy… However, if a frail being like yourself managed to withstand the horrors of the universe, perhaps I could be inclined to show you more." Mephiles took control of Tails' chin with a quick gesture powered by dark magic. He snapped his head back to the gateway, which led to a blank white abyss. "This threshold is the last bastion that keeps your world from collapsing. On the other side is the last of me. He waits in limbo until I call his name. But first, I must break past these troublesome barriers." Mephiles took in a deep breath as he concentrated his senses across the city. Moments ago, he felt the aspects of his energy scattered through the streets as his apostles were its vessels. Now, he sensed that it was all gone. His fodder had been wiped from existence, leaving just himself as the last line of defense at the temple. "Your friends have been thorough, dealing with those I let loose."

"You barely have a clue." Tails finally mustered a sentence. He looked Mephiles dead in the eyes with pure resentment and determination. "There are no odds that my friends won't overcome. Send as many of your monsters as you like, you're never going to stop them now that they're coming for you." While Mephiles despised all mortals, he had an inkling of respect for this one. For all intents and purposes, this kid was staring into death's eyes, yet he remained a stalwart. He must've felt confident after his victory over the deer brothers, and the new power and skills he's achieved from Dial. But those skills will be put to use in ways Mephiles found enticing, as he devilishly devised a plan.

The nightmare waltzed over to the fox and lowered him to be level with his head, He placed his hand under Tails' chin and locked his reptilian eyes with the kid's vibrant blue. "You see, that's the problem when you conscribe monsters. Your enemy has no reason to hold back." Mephiles raised his free hand and called forth the two Chaos Emeralds to hover around Tails. "But if you corrupt your enemy within, then they have no choice but to sacrifice." Mephiles slid his hand to Tails' neck and tightened his grip. His hand started to drip with a dark purple smoke that seeped into Tails' mouth and eyes. The pain on the fox's back didn't even compare to what this sensation felt like, as he felt his body be overwhelmed with an invasive substance. His fur around the edges of his ears and tails dulled and hardened until forming an outline of white and purple crystal. The crystalline material continued to spread further like an infection as Mehpiles began to change as well. The whites of his dead eyes turned red as his pale quills hardened the same way as Tails' fur did. Mephiles's legs were cut off at the ankles where two spike-like ends formed. "Let the new world begin."

Elsewhere, Knuckles, Sage, and Omega return to their temporary base inside the broken-down mall. As they reached the top of the escalator, they were shocked to see Shadow patching up Silver on top of a bench. There was a litter of bandages surrounding the bench, all drenched with blood. Shadow finishes applying the last bandage on Silver's abdomen before wiping the sweat off his forehead and sitting down on the floor, exhausted. "What happened to him?" Knuckles asked.

"He took a mean hit, but he'll live. Hopefully, his strength will return when the last two come back." Shadow stood up and took a look at the emerald the three had brought back. "Did she give you much trouble?"

"You mean you didn't see the giant abomination in the middle of the city?" Knuckles questioned.

"We were more preoccupied than we thought we were gonna be."

Sage looked around for anyone else and was curious when she couldn't find the blue blur or the fox anywhere. "Where are the rest? I thought Sonic was with you?" Shadow was caught off guard a little as he saw the new robot speak with Sage's voice. He thought it was a drone that Sage might've sent from Eggman's base, but he never expected that it was Sage piloting the unit. It didn't phase the hedgehog for long, as he retained his train of thought and answered her question.

"I thought he would get back here before me when I went out for a first aid kit, but considering that Tails is also missing, he must still be out there looking for him." Shadow speculated.

"Tails' last directive was to retrieve the two emeralds at the peak of the temple. If he has not returned, then the chances that he completed his mission are not looking good." Omega added. It made sense, as if Sonic had the Chaos Emerald radar, and saw that the two emeralds were still at the temple, he would immediately head there in a heartbeat. "Do you at least have the emerald?"

Shadow gritted his teeth, as he recalled that he gave Sonic the emerald. That idiot! He was supposed to bring it back here. Shadow thought. "Sonic was the last one I entrusted the emerald with, and if he's making his way toward the temple, then he is jeopardizing everything." Shadow looked back at Silver, who was in no condition to fight. But after what Shadow had witnessed in their battle with Infinite, they were going to need Silver's help. This put Shadow in a tough spot, as he was conflicted with what the next move was going to be. If Sonic was going to confront Mephiles by himself, he would lose, and he needed backup immediately. But if they left now to help him, they would have to leave Silver behind and hope they could handle the fight without him. It was a difficult call, but Shadow made his decision. "Grab the emeralds we have and move out."

"What about Silver?" Sage inquired.

"If we can snatch the remaining Chaos Emeralds, we might not even need him. C'mon, we're wasting time."

Back at the peak of the temple, Sonic was on his way up the long flight of stone stairs. Along the path, he cruised past the body of Blair and a small pile of ash. Sonic feared that the ash belonged to his friend, but he also thought that it could've been the other brother. He wasn't going to be sure who it was until he reached the top. With one last push, Sonic darted past the last step and was led to a flat platform where he saw Mephiles communing with the gateway above. His eyes were fixated on the nightmare's new appearance, but they were quickly drawn away as he saw Tails lying on the ground in the middle of the platform. Due to the light from the gateway, the front of the fox's unconscious body darkened and it became impossible to tell whether he was hurt or not. Regardless, Sonic repurposed his gaze back to Mephiles as anger filled his body.

"There it is again," Mehpiles murmured as his head unnaturally twisted to look at Sonic. "That stench of a mortal wielding a god's gift. But it is more potent within you." Mephiles gathered from Sonic that Dial's power was granted to him in bulk, unlike the senseless fox who seemed to have inherited that of a fraction. He could tell that the hedgehog before him was chosen by Dial himself to receive a great gratitude of power. "There is a well of potential in you, hedgehog. Someday it might've proven a hindrance to me… but this is not one of those days."

"Will you just give it up already?" Sonic said impatiently. "Your followers are defeated. Your army is losing. Face it, you won't take this city."

Mephiles scoffed, "Who said I needed the city? All I need is a little more time" The gateway started to form a glass-like surface along the threshold of this reality and the void beyond. Moments later, small cracks spread across the glass veil as a fiery presence emerged from the other side. The flurry of embers danced against the edge like it was trying to escape. Mephiles turned back to the gateway and gave the embers a soft and warm look. "Soon, the seal will break, and all you've done today will be for nothing."

"Not if I stop it now!" Sonic made his way forward, but as he did, he noticed that Tails started to rise from the ground, slowly and eerily. Sonic stopped in his tracks and watched as his buddy shuffled toward him while his head hung low. "Tails!" The hedgehog ran over to his friend, whose body was still silhouetted by the light behind him. Sonic grabbed onto his shoulders and tried to see if he was alright. "You're ok, buddy. Just listen to my voice. We'll get out of this mess." As Sonic held tighter to straighten out Tails' posture, he felt a small prick pierce his glove, like he had grabbed a sharp rock too hard. Suddenly, another one of those visions he had been experiencing before popped into his mind. This time, he saw himself on the floor, bleeding out as Tails hovered above him. As Sonic returned to reality, he looked down and saw Tails' hand covered in a crystal shell, ready to stab him in the gut. Sonic quickly moved his hand down as Tails thrust forward, and while he did catch it in time, the edge of the crystal hand momentarily pierced through Sonic's skin.

Sonic pushed his friend away as he clenched his stomach. It was a shallow wound, but the shock that came after was like no other. Sonic stared forward and watched as Tails' features were revealed once a bolt of lightning struck from above and illuminated the area for a second. Tails' whole body was covered in the same type of crystal that Mephiles was made out of. His orange fur was now dark purple, and the patches of white fluff turned to a pale blue. His eyes were now red and the two remaining Chaos Emeralds were attached to the tips of his tails. Sonic stumbled back as his eyes kept widening. With each step back, his corrupted friend stepped forward. Mephiles was greatly amused as he cackled through the air. "What did you do to him!?" Sonic snapped at Mephiles.

"I've shown him the eternity that lies ahead. He is now glimpsing into the new world. Just look at how happy he is now." Tails' face was in complete contrast to what Mehpiles described, as it now resembled the same lifeless expression that the nightmare had. "Do you still think you can stop me?" Tails lunged forward and slashed at Sonic with his crystal claws. Fortunately, Sonic was able to stop him by locking his hands into Tails'. Sonic held his feral friend back as his mind went into disarray. He didn't want to believe that this was really happening. He felt responsible for what had happened, as once again, he wasn't there for him when he needed his help. First with the encounter with Cain and Blair, and now this, Sonic has done nothing but let Tails down. He wanted to save him, he didn't want to fight, but the more time he spent trying to find a way to stop Tails, the risk of the gateway opening increased.

"Help… me…" Sonic faltered his grip as he saw Tails' arms and legs shaking. The fox's head drooped as he started to regain a little bit of himself. There was still someone in there, and maybe they could be saved. "Sonic… please…"

"Hang in there. I'll get you out of this, I promise." Sonic tried to reach out to his friend. However, Mephiles' control over the fox returned as Tails savagely broke free from Sonic's grip and slashed him across the face. As Sonic fell to the floor, he felt all of his motivation drain from him. Here he was, helpless to save his best friend as the clock ticked toward oblivion. Everything felt out of reach as Sonic crawled away. Their chances were being thrown away at every moment with no hope in sight, and soon, all that training and hard work Sonic had put into would lead to nothing.

Meanwhile, back at the broken-down mall, Silver started to stir as he leaned forward subconsciously. He groaned as the sharp pain from his gaping wound reminded him of his disposition. The hedgehog took a second to adjust his eyes to the lights inside as he looked around the empty plaza. "Hello?" He hollered into nothing, as no one was around to respond. Silver struggled to lift himself to his feet and carefully trod down the escalator.

Silver held his hand tight against his gut as he pushed open the glass door with the tips of his bloody fingers. He wondered where everyone had gone. Seemingly no one was around at the base, and all the emeralds had been taken. Silver put two and two together as he looked out into the horizon and saw the gateway above the towering temple grow immensely. They must've gone without me. Silver balled his fist as he looked on. He may have been hurt, but he was far from out of the fight. And by the look of things, and all the chaos that surrounded the peak of the temple, they were going to need his help containing that havoc.

Shadow led the charge up the temple as they piled through the hoard of beasts that guarded the entrance. Sage and Knuckles followed close behind him as Omega fired a volley of weaponry to cover their six. It wasn't long until they moved past the final step with Omega forming a perimeter behind them from the impending beasts. As they all faced the threat ahead of them, they were all stunned at the sight of the blue blur on the ground, subdued and filled with apathy. The greater shock came from the sight of Tails, whose cold eyes snapped at them like a drone seeking its next target. "What's going on… is that-" Knuckles spoke up, trying to rationalize what he was seeing. "No, this can't be. You monster!" Knuckles yelled at Mephiles.

Mephiles chuckled, "Oh, this is so rich. I should've done something like this much sooner. No matter. Go on, Tails, dispose of them." On command, Tails raised his hands and clasped them together, sending out a short-ranged pulse that enveloped all of the heroes. The horizon dimmed and the ground faded away, as a grid of dark purple squares formed a box around all of them. Knuckles' heart sank as he instantly recognized what they were now trapped in.

"What the hell is this place?" Shadow questioned.

"Oh no, we need to get out of here." He said. "Tails has full control over each panel in this realm. As long as we're in his territory, there's not a lot we can do on the offensive."

"How did the kid get this strong in such little time?"

"It's a long story. I'll explain it if we survive this."

"Is there any way we can break out of here?" Sage proposed. "Do you know of any stability compromises in any of these panels?"

"No matter how hard I tried during our training, I could never break through any of them. We're trapped here until he releases concentration."

Shadow stepped forward and lifted Sonic to his feet. Shadow saw how defeated he looked, but he was more fixated on getting out of here and stopping Mephiles than on comforting Sonic. "Get yourself together. We're not done."

"We have to save him," Sonic muttered. "He's still in there… somewhere."

"No," Shadow said as he pushed past Sonic. "We don't have time for this."

"Shadow, wait!" Shadow didn't listen, as he leaped forward to attack Tails. The fox responded by raising the nearest panel in front of him, blocking Shadow's punch as the ebony hedgehog repositions for a better angle. However, no matter how many times Shadow maneuvered around Tails, the fox kept forming a blockade around himself to deter Shadow. It waned his patience as he became reckless in his attacks. He tried brute forcing through one of the panels with an overcharged chaos spear, but as Knuckles said before, nothing was strong enough to break through, as the spear failed to dent the panel. Supporting Shadow was Omega, who unloaded a barrage of missiles that were predictably blocked by the barrier surrounding Tails.

In the back, Sonic, Knuckles, and Sage regroup and go over their options. "I doubt there is going to be any convincing that will stop them now." Knuckled commented.

"Less than a five percent chance, specifically," Sage added on.

"We can't just let them kill Tails. There has to be another way." Sonic stated as he looked over to Sage. "Are you able to find any possibility of freeing him, please?"

"I am missing crucial data regarding Tails' corruption, but I can make a couple of guesses of how we can try to sever it. One likely source of the corruption stems from Mephiles. If we can suppress his power somehow, it might give Tails the control he needs. But seeing how Mephiles isn't inside this realm with us, I say that it isn't very probable we can go that route." Sage continued with her next idea as she pointed to the Chaos Emeralds embedded in his tails. "This is a leap of faith, but it is also possible that severing the emeralds could help restore him. Even if it didn't, removing them would vastly hinder the capability of this domain." All of those options weren't great, but it was the only ones they had.

Suddenly, the panels across the pocket dimension started to shift and move in all at once. Slowly but surely, the grid was compressing and losing volume as Shadow and Omega were pushed out of the way and scrunched up with the other three. "Those are all viable options, Sage, but surviving this death trap might be the only option we can afford to focus on." Knuckles commented. The walls came closer together as the heroes were losing ground. Knuckles and Omega tried to push the panels back, but even with all of their strength combined, they had no success slowing them down. Sonic, Shadow, and Sage, on the other hand, tried everything in their arsenal to damage any of the panels, but once more, there was little to do.

"Warning! Compartment capacity is diminishing." Omega stated as the stability of the gears in his arms started to falter. Twenty feet of space became ten, and ten feet of space became five, as all five of the heroes crumpled together.

So this is how it ends. Shadow thought as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. While everyone else was in a panic, Shadow knew that there was not much left to do in this situation. Knowing this, Shadow had little to regret in the end, except for one thing. Rouge, I'm sorry. I tried to make your sacrifice mean something, but I failed. Embracing the pressure that increased with every second, Shadow only hoped that it would be quick. He braced himself as he waited. However, the panel suddenly stopped, as they were pulled back by a light blue aura. It gave all of them some room to breathe, as they watched in awe as the ceiling of the grid was torn apart, leading light from the night sky back into their reality. The realm was quickly disassembled as Silver descended from the sky, putting all of his power into throwing the panels away.

This move left the corrupted Tails isolated, as Silver flew down and contained the fox in another layer of blue aura. "I have no idea what's going on! I don't know why Tails is like this! But I am here now."

"What are you doing here? You are in no shape for this." Shadow was furious that Silver was risking himself when he was still badly hurt.

"I don't need to fight yet. I can hold Tails down while the rest of you guys take down Mephiles."

"Do you think you can remove the emeralds on him too?" Sonic asked Silver.

"I can do my best to try. But hurry, I don't know how much longer we have." Silver got to work as he focused his power on removing the emeralds from Tails. They were lodged tightly inside him, making it so that the process had to be careful and deliberate in order to not cause any more harm to Tails.

"How disappointing," Mephiles said as he sank into the ground. His body evaporated into a black mist until nothing but an animated shadow of him was anointed on the stone floor. "Very well, let's see if you can entertain me." Suddenly, the body of Mephiles' shadow expanded across the leveled ground and swirled into black and purple oil. All that remained of Mephiles' body were his red eyes illuminating at the center of the floor. Orbs from the oily substance bubbled up and floated into the air before enlarging and gaining mass. Hundreds upon thousands of orbs spawn from the floor and boil until they pop violently to reveal miniature versions of Mephiles, although warped and imperfect. The swarm envelopes around the heroes as they brace to fight them off.

Sage extends an array of red circular pillars on her back, which when activated, shoots out a swirl of red disks that disintegrate a large sum of the clones. Both Sonic and Shadow leap into the air and perform a multitude of homing attacks in rapid succession. However, as some of the clones are destroyed, their bodies melt into a black mist and conjoin. As more clones fall, more mist and mass are added to the conglomeration. Enough is attached to start creating another monster, as the mass takes on a form similar to the beasts patrolling the city, but greater in size and far more dangerous. The greater beast's one eye charges up and unleashes a powerful laser right at Shadow and Sonic. Both hedgehogs narrowly dodge the beam but are immediately overwhelmed by the swarm of clones. Their irritable and playful chants sing like a serrated dagger in their ears.

Knuckles and Omega take the fight to the giant cyclops beast, as Knuckles slams his fists together and places an echo on each of his hands. He follows Omega as the bot flies below and through the beast's legs, sticking bombs across each limb. As the bombs detonate, it messes up the beast's stance and gives Knuckles the opening he needs to jump in and place his hands on top of its head. He activates the echoes on his hands and it causes a force in his fists that doubles his punch. In an instant, the beast's reinforced head is crushed and it starts to dissolve into a pool of purple blood on the floor. However, this pool acts on its own, as it reforms again into a serpent-like monster with grey rocks bolstering its body. "These guys just don't know when to quit, do they?" Knuckles yelled as he took down a few more clones.

Shadow looked down at the ground and saw Mephiles' vexing eyes watching them as they struggled to hold off his forces. This wasn't going well for them. The real threat was just killing time below while he deployed his annoyances to deal with them. If they couldn't find a way to pry him back to the surface, then this world was lost. It angered him with every passing second as the clones and monsters kept pestering him. That anger fueled an aura powered by chaos energy around him, and its radiance had a peculiar effect on the creatures. They were deterred by the bright light that glowed from Shadow's aura. Perhaps if the overabundance of chaos energy was amplified further, Shadow could force Mephiles out of hiding, and he knew exactly how. Shadow placed his hand around his last inhibitor ring and removed it. His aura vastly grew, and it greatly thwarted the advance of the creatures, but it still wasn't enough to bring Mephiles out. But at this point, Shadow was willing to sacrifice anything to succeed, so he placed the last inhibitor ring on the ground and stomped on it with all of his power. It was a struggle to get a single crack on the golden ring, but as soon as one formed, many more followed until it exploded in a ball of light.

This was the catalyst that sparked an opportunity, as once the circle of radiance drifted away, the dark oil cleared and Mephiles stumbled across the floor all by himself. His army had been wiped away by the blast, and his powers were being suppressed by the overwhelming presence of Shadow's aura. "What?!" Mephiles exclaimed as Shadow dove in to finish him off. Shadow dragged him through the ground as he tossed Mephiles around like a ragdoll.

"A little help over here!" Silver called from behind. Sonic, Knuckles, and Sage rushed over as Silver was close to finishing his task. The Chaos Emeralds were nearly detached from Tails, Silver just needed the others for some minor assistance. "I almost got it, but I don't want to strain my powers on Tails any longer. It's taking a lot for me to hold him back."

"Say no more," Sonic responded as he attempted to remove one of the emeralds. With each tug and pull, he felt the emerald start to loosen. Unfortunately, it was also causing Tails immeasurable pain as he howled in agony. "Just bear through it, buddy. We almost got you out." Sage and Knuckles joined Sonic by working on the other emeralds. At the other end of the temple's peak, Shadow continued to lay waste to Mephiles as he slammed his fists against the nightmare's whole body. Mephiles tried retreating into a gaseous form, but Shadow's bright aura prevented any escape.

"You will pay for what you did!" Shadow said as he knocked Mephiles down to the ground. He hit him with a right hook, then a left, and at that point, Shadow had no care for his punch's form, as he swung rapidly and haphazardly. "You hear me!? You will never escape me! Go ahead and try! Slink into as many universes as you please, I won't ever stop hunting you until you are dead!" Shadow's punches started to make a dent, as the crystals on Mephiles cracked and broke apart like glass. Once again, Shadow was mere moments from finishing this once and for all. First, he almost destroyed the Tormentor back in Emerald Hill. Second, he nearly executed the Crusader. And now, he was beating Mephiles into a grimy pulp, and this time, there were no apostles to save the nightmare now.

Mephiles needed an escape. He needed just a little more time. He thought endlessly how he could get out of this, as his puppet was subdued and his other half was still beyond the threshold of time. No one else would be coming for him now, so out of pure desperation, Mephiles used the last of his strength to call his final fragment, hoping it would enrage and break out on its own. "Iblis!" He called. "Now is our time! Let us deliver them one final ballad. A hymn of oblivion!" His words reached through the threshold of the gateway, as the barrier shattered to pieces once the frenzied flame violently pierced through. It plummeted down and pushed away Shadow as it shielded Mephiles. Its intense flickers provide no opening for Shadow to attack, as the ebony hedgehog's frustration nearly mirrored the eruption from the angered flame. The flame known as Iblis lifted Mephiles into the air as it began to swirl around him, rejuvenating and repairing the damage across his shell. "So close. It's almost admirable, considering how far you have come. So I'll do you one last favor… I'll make it quick."

"Omega, the emeralds!" Shadow sharply turned to the bot, who opened up a large compartment in the middle of his chassis and revealed four emeralds. Shadow hastily takes them before drawing his attention to the rest, which was over by Sonic and the others. Speaking of which, the blue blur had nearly pulled out the emerald, along with Knuckles and Sage being close themselves. Seeing the merging of Mephiles and Iblis in the background, Silver knew that they had to quickly finish their task. He put the last few fumes of his energy into motion, and with one final push, the emeralds attached to Tails popped out without any more trouble. This act drained Silver entirely, and as he crashed to the floor, Tails also collapsed as the pain sent him into shock. "Hurry up!" Shadow yelled across the temple. "Grab the emeralds and get over here!" Knuckles quickly tossed Sonic the emerald he pulled out. The hedgehog wasted no time running over to Shadow and aligning the Chaos Emeralds. They both ran in sync toward Mephiles and Iblis as their bodies began to glow gold. However, just before they could go super, a white flash emitted from Mephiles and Iblis as the two of them condensed and reshaped themselves.

The flash knocks Sonic and Shadow back as the emeralds disperse across the floor. Everyone watches in awe as this white light encompasses the entire horizon. The city, the outskirts of town, the entire world vanishes beneath the flash, until it starts to recede back at the peak of the temple. In the sky, a figure amasses. Angelic wings sprout to the sides along with a thin, scepter-like body. A red orb comfortably sits in the middle and flashes brightly, signaling the final factor for the paradox to begin. The sky turns pitch black, and buildings in the city start to decay like they're being pulled from a large clump of yarn. They spiral into a dense purple dust and float into the air until they become nothing. The ground below the temple cracks and detaches from the rest of the unraveling world, leaving the heroes trapped in the middle of empty space. Sonic surveys his surroundings, hyperventilating as everything around them is gone. And even though the emeralds were removed from Tails, his body was still morphed into harrowing form, with no signs of recovering. Truly this was the end of everything.

No more was he Mephiles or Iblis, but he was now Solaris. The angelic being floated through the emptiness until he had reached a glimmering river at the edge of the universe. There, he would find the equation and his old friend, and finally, Solaris' vision would become reality.

To be continued…

Up Next: The Starweaver!