Chapter 138

The Forgotten Vale

"There's no space for a clear landing, and I can't risk flying any lower in this fog." Their pilot pointed through the window indicating the long stretch of barren mountains. Knuckles stood at the edge of the open hanger doors with his head sticking out. He held himself firm with one hand on the safety handle, displaying a brazen disregard for their high altitude.

"Bring us near that peak and we will fly down on our own." Knuckles pointed towards a spiral capped summit in the near distance. The pilot indicated that he understood and changed course.

Rouge could not even begin to fathom what Knuckles thought he saw. Beneath the expansive canopy of gray clouds and dense fog, stretched a range of black mountains that seemed to roll out for hundreds of miles in every direction. A raging coast of treacherous seas enclosed the mountains on three sides, while an empty bog blocked its southern exit. Amongst the endless ranks of spear point peaks every landing spot looked exactly the same. "What does that radar say?" She asked, indicating the device that Tails had made.

"Whatever is causing that signal is somewhere around here, but the storm is causing too much interference. It might recalibrate once you're on the ground." The pilot switched to auto control and took the radar out of its case. He handed it gently over to Rouge.

She went to stand beside Knuckles, but stumbled as turbulence rocked the plane. Knuckles caught her around the waist and helped her up. "You sure you will be able to fly in this?" She asked coyly.

Knuckles shook his head. "I'll have to dive straight down and hope I can break my fall." His eyes glinted in the gloom. For this mission, he had chosen to leave behind the crown of his people. The classic look made Rouge think of when she had met the echidna warrior for the first time. He had the same look of absolute seriousness and forward determination that he had when she had tried to steal the Master Emerald from him.

"Well it's a good thing I'm carrying the important equipment."

Knuckles didn't smile. "How long until you can pick us up?" He asked the pilot.

"A few hours if we're lucky. Once the storm breaks I will swing back around. You should take a few flares with you so I can point you out."

Knuckles reached into the nearby compartment and loaded up with smoke signals, flare sticks, and a piston flare. "If we aren't ready in three hours then something has happened to us. Get back to the island and let Tails know as soon as possible."

The pilot looked into the rearward mirror. His grizzled face narrowed with indecision. Rouge knew that the man probably resented having to take orders from Knuckles. However, he did not press the issue, opting instead to accept the order with a simple grunt.

Without any further preamble, Knuckles spread out his arms and dove out of the plane. He immediately vanished beneath the fog. Rouge rolled her eyes before diving gracefully into the sky. Wind rushed against her, quickly pulling her into every direction. She did not try to resist it, instead she allowed the spiraling gusts to cyclone around her. Her vision was completely obstructed by the fog, but Rouge did not let that bother her.

She felt the air, and used the rapid changes in pressure to guess at her altitude. Instinct told her that the wind had changed, and her wings uncurled instantly. She rode a southward gust, diving down like a bird of prey. Rouge passed beneath the clouds and the fog lightened. She saw the towering peaks of the mountains lunging up towards her like sharpened spears. Rouge adjusted ever slightly, allowing the wind to push her along.

There was no way to check on Knuckles. It was all she could manage to try and navigate towards the peek he had selected. Rain swept down on her face. Her lungs filled with the shallow air tinted with harsh tang of sulfuric rock.

With a great effort, Rouge flattened herself out, pulling up from the dive against the downpour. She just managed to catch herself before skewering on the tip of a jagged rock. Rouge held out her arms and swayed precariously as she struggled against the wind. Could we have come to a worse place?

She squinted through the rain, trying to locate the easiest path towards the near summit. From the sky, this plane of mountains looked as inhospitable as any place on earth. Now it looked as if the entire area had been decimated by some sort of ecological catastrophe. Rouge could not locate a single tree or any sign of vegetation. The jagged rocks were a dark gray, except for some who were so black it looked as if the very stone had been burned.

The sight did nothing to lighten Rouge's building anxiety. She turned to the side, hoping to catch a glimpse of Knuckles. Lightning flashed and in the brief spark of illumination she saw a figure leaping and gliding between isolated pillars of tall rock. Suddenly, determined to beat Knuckles at the race, Rouge doubled her speed.

Set within the slope of the mountain was a narrow outcrop where she could find cover from the wind and rain. Rouge sped there and landed beneath the cover of outfacing rock. She turned back and waited. As expected, Knuckles had also been drawn to the prospect of cover. The ground seemed to shake for a few moments, and a second later, Knuckles came climbing up the edge.

His fur was soaked and his face haggard as he slumped onto the rock. "Took you long enough," Rouge chided.

Knuckles was too exhausted to answer. His chest heaved as he sat up. "Remind me to never do anything like that again," He managed through rapid breaths.

Rouge carefully withdrew the radar and covered the screen with her hand to shield it from the rain. The device pinged quietly against the backdrop of the storm. "Well, this is useless," She said sardonically. "Whatever the hell we are looking for could be anywhere in a five mile radius." Rouge motioned despairingly towards the sea of nondescript black rocks. "How are we supposed to search this entire mountain?"

Knuckles answered by lying flat and placing his ear against the rocky floor. He kept a finger up to signal that he needed silence. Rouge put a hand on her hip and leaned to one side. Is he joking? The roar of the storm was practically deafening. Irritation bubbled in the back of Rouge's mind, and she had to suppress the impulse to levy some choice insults and sarcastic remarks.

After a minute or so, Knuckles sat up. "Did you have a nice chat?" She asked sweetly.

Knuckles ignored the sarcasm. "I feel something. There is a strange energy here, but it is distant, almost like an echo."

Rouge had to twist her hands to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "So what's our next move?"

"We need to find a way into the mountain. Whatever this thing is, I suspect that it is somewhere inside."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot my industrial mining equipment in my other pair of leggings."

Knuckles smirked and flashed the claws atop his signature fists. "Don't tell me you are afraid to get a little dirty?"

Out of jokes, and genuinely annoyed at the direction their mission had taken, Rouge allowed Knuckles to take point. He skirted to the edge of the cliff face and stuck his head out into the rain. It appeared he had no use for his friend's inventions because Knuckles outright refused to consult the radar. After another round of waiting for his Echinda senses to speak to him, Knuckles gestured down towards a slope in the mountain face.

The storm had picked up. Wind screamed in Rouge's ear and the rain threatened to knock them both off the mountain. The waves crashing in from the sea were reaching nearly twenty feet in height. They crashed against the black slopes with a force similar to that of an earthquake.

Knuckles clung to the rock, digging his fists into the hardened surface. He climbed at an angle towards the slope he had indicated earlier. Rouge tried to follow in his wake, but the going was arduous. Her fingers were deft and strong and she slipped them easily into the tiny crevices and cracks in the rock. However, as the wind grew in pitch and the rain weighed her down, her grip weakened.

Espio's katana dangled from the sword belt around her waist. It jostled beside her, carried along by the wind. "Why'd you even bring that thing?" Knuckles called out. She looked down and saw the faint white gleam of his mocking smile.

Cursing every name and person she could think of, Rouge continued the climb. Knuckles had led them in a circuit around half of the mountain. They were now steadily approaching the waterline. Rouge's arms were shaking like leaves. Her foot slipped on the slick surface of the rock and she fell a few feet before she managed to catch herself. Doing so made her slam into the mountain, knocking the air out of her lungs. Groaning, she peeked down and saw the roaring waters loom up towards her. If she fell, she would be sucked into the current and pulled beneath the overcropping rocks.

Panicking slightly and afraid to move now that she was safe, Rouge turned her head. To her relief, Knuckles had stopped descending. He had found a wide flat stretch of rock and knelt down, facing the slope. Rouge braced herself, the muscles in her arms screaming in protest. She knew she could not climb any further and there was only one way for her to reach that point.

Rouge's heart fluttered as she let go. The mountain fell away as she dropped like a rock. Wind and rain slashed against her face, but Rouge maintained her sense of distance. Her wings curled inward allowing her to slow her descent while not being caught up in the air. "Catch me!" She cried.

Knuckles reacted just in time. He looked up and reached out as Rouge passed by him. His hands caught her firmly around the middle. If she wasn't so grateful for having avoided a crushing death she would have smacked the smirk off of Knuckles' face. He placed her gently on the rock. Rouge slithered down the wall with her back firmly pressed against the rock. Her arms lay limp beside her, the muscles in her forearms pushed to the very limit.

She adjusted her position so that the sheath of the katana would rest against her knee. Rouge looked down at the weapon and asked herself the same question Knuckles had done. Why had she brought it along? "This had better be worth it," She managed through halted breaths.

Knuckles had taken them onto a narrow outcrop facing a slanted face of the mountain. Here, the black stone was less solid. Moisture from the water had turned the stone into a muddish soot. Knuckles placed his hand on what appeared to be almost a window of loose soil. "There is something here," Knuckles said. "Can't you feel it? It's the strangest form of energy I've ever sensed. It isn't anything like the Master Emerald."

Rouge checked the radar again. The pinging signal did not appear to be any closer or stronger. "Listen, I-"

Knuckles cut her off. "Don't look at that, feel it." Again he closed his eyes. His entire body became rigid, even his fur seemed to stand on end. "If you are quiet, you can feel the energy vibrating at your feet. Its echo reverbs off the rock. There is a trace of it in the wind, and even…even the crashing of the waves."

Suddenly, Knuckles jabbed his fist into the window of loosened rock. The ground shuddered as he punched a hole directly through the mountain. Black soot and dust collapsed, as he had revealed a surprisingly deep gap. Knuckles stood back and allowed the excess debris to fall out. He then put his face near the opening and took a deep breath. "The air is clean," He said.

"The air is clean?" Rouge repeated dubiously. She stood up and examined the hole. It was a black abyss about four feet wide. There was nothing to be seen except an entryway into complete and utter darkness.

Knuckles ignited one of the flares and tossed it through the gap. The light flickered as it soared deep into the darkness. When it finally reached the bottom, the light had vanished into a faint spark. "It must be hollow inside," Knuckles said confidently. "Come on," He reared back in preparation to expand the hole.

"Wait…are you expecting me to…go in there?"

Knuckles flashed a toothy grin. "And why not? You're not afraid of the dark are you?" He dug his hands into the softened earth and used his tremendous strength to break a wider gap. Without waiting to see what Rouge would do, Knuckles climbed into the hole. He vanished within a few seconds. Rouge stepped nervously up to the tunnel. She could hear the rustling of Knuckles up ahead as he continued to burrow into the mountain.

Rouge grimaced as she labored into the tunnel. She felt the soft muddy soil wash up against her legs, and her fingers were instantly swallowed in muck. "If this leads to nothing, I'm going to kill him." Putting aside any lingering hopes for remaining comfortable, Rouge pressed on into the darkness.

She blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the gloom. Beyond her, the tunnel continued for several feet before ending suddenly. A whisper of blue light trickled up through the wider expanse, hinting at an almost hollow center. Rouge crawled forward, and when she reached the edge, a white gloved hand reached up to meet her. She withheld a snarky comment and allowed Knuckles to pull her the rest of the way.

Rouge landed in a narrow stone hallway. Her and Knuckles were practically squashed up right next to each other. "Feel the walls," Knuckles breathed. His tone had changed, he sounded cautious and alert.

She did so and was surprised when she felt a smooth surface with perfectly timed lines. This hallway had been made by someone. She looked up, and in the sparse light could see the flash of Knuckles' eyes. Crack! Knuckles ignited another flare and its green spark illuminated the space.

The walls were covered in black dust and were heavily tarnished by time. Yet, beyond the grime, Rouge could see the clear markings of intentionally made walls. She and Knuckles shared looks of incredulity. "How is this possible?" Rouge whispered. "These ruins must be hundreds…maybe thousands of years old."

Knuckles shook his head. He indicated the faint blue light that was trickling beyond the nearest turn. Together, they started forward at a slow shuffle. There was a faint echo with every movement, only partially drowned out by the muffled sound of the storm raging outside. Rouge's breath condensed in the air. She stayed close to Knuckles as they turned a corner. The hall widened slightly.

It was more obvious than ever that this place was not a natural formation. The walls were smooth and marked with images and symbols. None of the pictures could be seen clearly as they were all tarnished or otherwise obstructed. The most well preserved line showed a small glyph of some kind of mythinc animal. Knuckles stood by it and pressed his ears into the solid stone. "I can feel it," He whispered. "The energy…we're getting closer."

They ventured forward. Rouge noticed that their path slanted downward. They were being led deeper and deeper into the bowels of the took point as the road started to become more and more winding. Her senses were better attuned to the dark. After a few minutes, Rouge halted. She listened intently. "Do you hear….water?"

Beyond the swallowing silence of the underground, and beneath the muffled storm, Rouge heard the unmistakable rush or a waterfall. "This must lead to a cave just above the shore." She said, forgetting to whisper. Her voice carried and echoed loudly through the tunnels.

Knuckles held up a hand to silence her. Rouge continued to take point and the path finally ended at a closed archway. The stones of the arch were heavily eroded and partially buried in dirt and ivy. Their progress beyond the arches was blocked by a collapsed section of ceiling. The blue light that had been guiding them trickled through the gaps into the debris.

"Do your thing," Rouge said with a mocking bow as she made room for him. Knuckles approached the stones and drew his arm back. With an earth shattering punch he turned the wall of stones into dust. There was a colossal crash! As the sound echoed throughout an impossibly huge space.

Rouge gasped. They stood at the threshold of a winding stone stair leading down into a subterranean vale. However, this was not like any cave that existed on earth. Impossibly green and lush, the vale was a world onto itself. Circumscribed by towering black walls and canopied beneath a dome of curbed rock, the vale was set within a hollow bowel at the very deepest recess of the mountain.

Rouge felt a tingle run down her spine as her eyes expanded to capture all the beauty that was ahead of her. They had escaped from a world of gray stone and been transported to a verdant field beyond imagination. Grass covered the stepped glades, shadowed by the boughs of huge trees decorated with fanned out branches. A low hanging mist dazzled the eyes with a rainbow hue of color as the fog captured the luminance of thousands of flowers.

Across the far edge of the vale there was a gap in the wall that allowed the passage of a rushing waterfall. It flowed into the river which snaked through the vale like a blue ribbon before exiting beneath the hood of arched rock, passing out of the vale and out into the ocean.

The stair winded through the vale, passing beneath the trees and towards a curated garden at the lowest, centermost point.

"How is this possible?" Rouge asked, completely bewildered.

Knuckles shook his head. He inhaled deeply and sighed. "Smell the air…I've never smelled air so fresh before."

Rouge did so, and even her urban lungs could tell the difference. It was a wholesome air that rejuvenated the spirit. Yet it made no sense. She looked up and saw that the vale was capped beneath a roof of black rock. There was no way for sunlight to enter into it, yet the vale was still filled with a healthy blue light.

Knuckles started down the stairs, walking slowly so as to marvel at the beauty around him. Rouge followed, completely baffled at what she was seeing. Some of the trees and plants seemed to have come from a completely different era of history. There were roses that had reached the sizes of small trees. Plump fruit of a myriad of different colors hung along red vines that were strung up from tree to tree, almost like a system of fairy garden lights.

A wooden bridge crossed over the river. Faint symbols were carved into the wood, but they were too eroded for Rouge to make out. At the center of the garden, the road circled around a huge mound of earth. When they rounded the bend they saw a shrine made of white stone underneath the shadow of the largest tree Rouge had ever seen. It was a Banyan tree but grown to a supernatural scale. Its branches spread up and outward forming a gigantic network of branches and leaves.

Knuckles held back so he and Rouge could reach the shrine together. As they ascended, they heard the faint sound of childish laughter. Knuckles froze. A palpable shock seemed to run through his body. Rouge turned to him. His face had gone pale. She pulled on his hand to get him to keep moving.

They eclipsed the crust of the mound and stood before the shrine. There, playing in the grass before the steps were dozens of small blue creatures. Rouge had heard of Chao before, and had even seen a few from a distance. However, she could not say whether or not these were the same species. They were of the same relative size, but their heads were shaped completely differently. A majority had round heads with long tendrils emerging out of the back. Their wings were long, and sloped down to their feet. However, the most striking aspect of their appearance was their eyes. Each of them had black eyes set with glowing blue iris. A literal ray of light emitted out of their gaze whenever they looked at something. The childish laughter faded as the creatures stopped playing their game. They had noticed Knuckles and Rouge and had turned towards them. The sight of all those strange eyes staring at them, made Rouge's spine tingle.

Knuckles strode forward. "They're Chao…" He said hoarsely.

"Are you sure?" Rouge whispered. She would not drop her guard just yet.

The oddly shaped Chao watched the strangers with apprehension. Knuckles attempted to draw nearer, but they all retreated back towards the shrine. "It's alright," Knuckles said aloud. "We aren't going to hurt you."

There was a sound like the stringing of a harp. Lights sparked from the branches of the tall tree. Rouge looked up and saw a yellow ball of light flash down and land in front of them. As the light faded, Rouge saw that it was actually another Chao. This one was extremely old. Its blue skin had faded into a grayish white. Age had turned its skin hard and as coarse as the bark of a tree. Its eyes were completely white and it held itself up with a small twig it used as a cane.

Slowly, and deliberately, it limped towards Knuckles. When it reached his knees, the Chao raised its cane and indicated for Knuckles to kneel down. Knuckles turned back to Rouge, she motioned that he should obey.

Knuckles knelt. The old Chao motioned for Knuckles to get lower. He did so until he was face to face with the little creature. The Chao chieftain stuck out its chest and raised its cane over its head. "CHAO!"

Rouge jumped back, ready for an attack. Instead, all the Chao started to dance and sing. Knuckles let out a long exhale of relief. "They know me…" He said.

"What?"

"They know me as a guardian…" Knuckles answered. His voice was strained. The Chao started to sing and form a procession. The chieftain waved them forward with its staff, indicating that they should head towards the shrine. Knuckles walked forward with Rouge trailing behind. The head Chao transformed again into a yellow ball of light, streaked into the air and landed on Knuckles' shoulder.

"Chao," It said sagely.

Together, they walked up to the shrine and ascended the dais steps. Set on a pedestal of clear crystal was a throne made of white tree bark. A skeleton sat on the throne. The dead figure had an oval shaped skull with deep ridges along the center. Its legs were short and its upper body strangely proportioned. Dozens of golden necklaces hung from the loose bones and a tribal sash was decked around its shoulder. Rouge took particular notice of its hands. The skeleton wore gloves made of a polished white bone fitted with long claws that seemed to be made out of pure diamond.

"Chao!" The Chao chieftain started speaking rapidly to Knuckles.

"What's it saying?" Rouge asked.

Knuckles walked to the edge of the shrine and pointed up. Rouge followed his direction and saw at once what he was indicating. High up, nestled in a formation of branches at the centermost eclipse of the tree was a hollow gap. There, fused into the very heart of the tree was a pulsing blue cube. Light streaked out of it, causing the nearby air to shimmer faintly.

Rouge immediately pulled out Tails' radar and sure enough the device started to ping rapidly. Before she could say anything, Knuckles had already started questioning the chief Chao. "Where did this come from?"

The chieftain answered with rapid squeaks and unintelligible sounds. Knuckles translated immediately so Rouge could follow.

"There used to be a kingdom here. These mountains were much smaller then, and the bog was a flat land of rolling hills." Knuckles paused as the Chao continued to chirp eagerly. "However, the weather had begun to change. Storms broke over the coast and started to threaten the kingdom. Crops died and the rolling hills became inhospitable swamps. One day this gem fell from the sky. The ones who found it took it as an omen. They felt certain that the gem was the key to saving the kingdom."

The old Chao paced back and forth on Knuckles' shoulder. "A grove was built around the key and the surrounding area flourished while the rest of the kingdom fell into decay. The king became obsessed with claiming that power for himself, with using the key to preserve his castle. Those that held the key disagreed. They felt that the key had been sent here by the gods and should not be moved. There was a battle. The kingdom was split in two in a civil war."

Knuckles folded his arms as he watched the Chao continue to explain. "The storms became worse. Earthquakes devastated the king's castle and caused it to fall into the sea. The kingdom collapsed. As a last resort, the key was taken away and hidden within this cavern. The Chao were selected to watch over it along with a chosen guardian. They held out here against the storm, but an earthquake caused the cave walls to collapse and they were trapped inside."

Rouge watched as the lead Chao's expression became sad and it leaned heavily onto its staff. "They thought they were doomed, but the guardian found a way to harness the key's energy. He set it within this tree, the last living thing available to them. The key's energy restored it, and the roots of the tree spread and gave life to the entire vale. They've lived here ever since, for centuries they have protected this last sanctuary."

"What happened to the guardian?" Rouge asked.

The Chao chieftain turned towards the throne and bowed its head in reverence. It spoke sadly back to Knuckles who translated for Rouge. "The energy from the gem caused certain changes. It is why the Chao here look so different. Some of the energy slipped out into the water, turning some of the wildlife into ferocious monsters. Great beasts came out of the sea and the guardian fought them back. He was fatally wounded protecting Chao. After he died, they collapsed the entrance, closing off access to the exterior halls."

Knuckles gently lifted the chieftain off his shoulders and set him down. Rouge stepped closer to Knuckles and dropped her voice to a whisper. "This…"

"Is amazing," Knuckles answered. Though his expression was still one of disbelief. "These Chao are probably the last ones on earth…"

"It's not that," Rouge interrupted. "We've found the key thing, but what are we going to do?"

Knuckles frowned."We can't just take it," Knuckles said slowly. "This thing is what is keeping this place alive."

Rouge bit her lip. "I know…but…if we don't take it…we have to think about the rest of the earth."

Knuckles remained silent. The two of them looked out and watched as dozens of Chao went out into the garden. They used little tools made of stones and twigs to prune and trim the flowers of their garden.

Rouge smiled wistfully. She felt a strange warmth in her heart. Despite all the death and danger of previous weeks, it felt vindicating to know that there was still peace and beauty somewhere in the world. Though that sentiment could not shield her heart for long, as Rouge was immediately reminded of the threat they faced. Eggman will destroy this place just as GUN destroyed Angel Island.

"Had you any idea that there were Chao that lived away from the island?" She asked Knuckles.

"As far as I knew the ones on Angel Island were the last of their species."

"But how is it that they recognize you as a guardian?"

Knuckles shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe this kingdom was connected to the Echinda tribe in some way. Perhaps it was an offshoot or something."

Rouge gestured to the skeletal remains. "Strange huh? Do you think the Chao on Angel Island would have done that with your body?" She meant it as a dark joke, but the humor was lost on Knuckles.

"This might be the last refuge of the ancient past. A past before humans, before all the mystery and magic was taken out of the world." Knuckles grimaced, his hands curling into shaking fists. "But….we need that key. If it can help us against Eggman, then we must do it."

"And if they try to stop us?" Rouge asked. She did not want to even consider having to harm the little creatures.

"If they refuse…I'll take it and run out of here as fast as I can. I don't think we will have to fight them."

Turning around, Knuckles marched out of the shrine. The head Chao perched himself on one of the lowest branches of the tree. Knuckles knelt beneath him and held out his hands in a display of humility. "Listen to me…this gem, the one that the guardian used to save you. It is not of this world. It was once part of a great machine that was used to visit this planet from another world. We need to take it. The entire earth is now threatened by a foe that is beyond any one of us. Please…if it is possible, I will return it if I can."

At his words, there were many loud cries. Dozens of Chao came rushing back towards the shrine. Several of them formed a wall of bodies by interlocking their arms. They stood defiantly in front of the tree, in a vain attempt to keep Knuckles away.

However, Knuckles kept his attention on the chief and ignored the others. The chieftain leaned forward on his staff and coughed faintly. "Chao," It said weakly.

"If I fail, then it won't matter. This place will be destroyed along with the rest of the world. Angel Island has already fallen. The Master Emerald has been destroyed."

The chieftain reacted in surprise. It clutched at its heart and held fast to its staff. "Chao…Chao…"

"You cannot hide. This enemy means to mechanize the entire planet. He hoards all forms of power. Even if you are the last free creatures on earth, it will not matter. He will find you eventually."

"Chao…." The chieftain shook his head.

"What's it saying?"

"That they have sensed such a threat. Even though they are hidden from the world, they are still able to perceive what is happening. They knew that something had happened to the Master Emerald, that one of the great powers of the earth had died."

"So they'll help us?"

Knuckles shrugged. "I don't know yet."

The old Chao took his staff and started striking it against the tree trunk. At first, Rouge thought that the creature had been enraged, but then she heard the melody behind the strikes. It was a mournful tune that was soon picked up by the other Chao. They added their voices to the song, filling it with a harmonic melody. Soon the vale was filled with the sound of music. Rouge could not believe that such small creatures were capable of making such noise. The echo of their music stretched throughout the entire cavern, drowning out the sound of the storm outside.

The chief Chao stopped beating his drum and walked back over to the edge of the branch. He swayed gently to the rhythm of the music, his eyes closed. "What are they doing?" Rouge asked.

"I'm not exactly sure. I think the Chao can communicate as a group through music. But…I can't tell what they're saying."

The old Chao opened his eyes. He gazed down at the two of them, looking at them intently one after the other. "Chao…"

Knuckles relaxed with a deep sigh. "It says that our hearts are pure. We can take the key." The old Chao beckoned them forward. Knuckles and Rouge leapt onto the lower bough of the tree. Together, they ascended the huge banyan tree. Its web of branches formed throughout the centuries raised impossibly high into the sky.

At the top, they were now nearly seventy feet off the ground. Rouge clung to one of the branches nearest to the gap where the key was housed. The light streaking from it was almost blinding.

"Take it," Knuckles told her. He was a few branches beneath her, the strain of the climb taking its toll on him more than her.

Rouge dug the heel of her combat boots into a wedge of a branch to keep herself steady as she reached out with both hands. Her fingers glazed the sides of the impossibly smooth stone. With an effort, she reached out a little further and grabbed the rock. It was square shaped and about the size of her head. She pulled, and there was an audible groan as the gem came free.

Rouge smiled and looked down to see Knuckles, when she felt a shudder run the length of the tree. The tremor jostled her and she nearly fell. She fumbled to catch a branch, dropping the key. "Catch it!"

Knuckles dug his claw into one branch and swung out to catch the key piece. "Woof," He said, wiping his forehead. "Are you alright?" He asked her.

Rouge clamored back to the safety of her branch. "Yeah, I was just surprised is all. I guess I should have expected something to-"

ROOOOAAAAAAARR! The tree trembled causing all of its branches to shake. Rouge clung tightly to her own to stop herself from falling. WHOOOOOSH. CRASH! Something broke through the canopy and made contact with the tree trunk. Knuckles and Rouge looked down, but their vision was blocked by the tight web of interlocking brambles. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

"Something's coming," Knuckles growled. He stood back and got into a fighting stance.

Rouge put a hand around the hilt of Espio's sword. The katana bounced gently on her hip as the tree continued to shake.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crack! Dozens of branches split apart as a white body burst through the bramble. Rouge saw a flash, and suddenly the figure was attacking Knuckles.

"Take it!" Knuckles flung the key into the air, away from his attacker. Rouge leapt off her branch and caught it.

Whoosh! "Look out!"

Rouge spun around just as she landed on a lower perch. Thud. The figure landed just after her. "What the hell?" She drew back in shock and revulsion. The dead bones of the guardian advanced, it's sharpened fists raised threateningly." The loose jaws fell open and a disembodied voice called out of it.

"RETURN!"

Rouge was only given a second to make her choice. Instinct allowed her to draw back as a slashing diamond fist flew inches away from her face. "Argh!" She drew Espio's sword and slashed. The blade struck air as the skeletal guardian moved away at lighting speed.

It had ducked under her attack and readied to strike on her unguarded side. "Get down!" There was a rush of red fur as Knuckles tackled the guardian. Together, they fell off the branch and plummeted through the network of vines and tree limbs.

"Knuckles!" Rouge leapt after them. With the key tucked beneath her arm, she jumped nimbly from branch to branch. Knuckles had brought the guardian down, but it had already recovered. Knuckles attempted a haymaker punch, but the guardian slipped the blow. He was inches away from driving his diamond claws into Knuckles' side when Rouge came crashing down from above.

She kicked with all her might, striking the guardian square in its forehead. Crack! The guardian's neck snapped back and its head fell crashing into the abyss. Rouge only had a chance to take a single breath, before she realized that the fight had not ended. Without any need of its head, the guardian rushed forward.

Rouge met his diamond fist blades with Espio's sword. Each strike caused a spark and the impact sent a shiver down Rouge's arm. The guardian's speed was incredible and despite having no muscles it was amazingly strong. Realizing she had no chance in a head to head fight, Rouge leapt into the air.

The two combatants blitzed from branch to branch. Rouge never remained stationary for longer than a single exchange. The key was slipping from beneath her arm, but she held firm. She did not know what had happened to Knuckles. It required every ounce of her focus just to remain alive and work the fight slowly back towards the surface.

Crack! Annoyed with the game of cat and mouse, the guardian started slashing at all the nearby branches, cutting them by the stem and causing them to rain down on Rouge. She moved side to side, running in a circle around the circumference of the tree trunk. The guardian guessed her movement and managed to get around her.

Rouge slashed, but her blade was easily parried. The guardian seized her wrist and squeezed her hand until she thought her bone would pop. Suddenly, she was shaken from side to side. Knuckles had returned. He had taken some of the cut tree limbs and had thrown them down like spears. The guardian moved off Rouge to block these projectiles.

She staggered back. Her wrist was turned and throbbing badly. She switched hands, switching her sword to her left. Knuckles and the guardian were standing toe to toe exchanging blows. The two guardians collided and each took the other by the hands. They pressed into one another, exerting the full extent of their considerable strength. To Rouge's surprise, Knuckles was driven back. He was pressed right up to the trunk of the tree and pinned against the bark.

Rouge leapt into the air with a shout. Her sword raised above her head. It was impossible to tell which way the guardian was looking, but he had not dropped his guard. With the reflexes akin to a snake, the guardian's hand shot and closed around Rouge's neck. She kicked faintly as balls of light danced in her head. The guardian's grip tightened and she felt the muscles in her throat strain.

But Rouge had not expected her gambit to work. With what little strength she had remaining, she threw her katana into the air. Knuckles reacted instantly. With only one of the guardian's hands still pressing him against the tree, Knuckles was able to slip free. He jumped up, caught the sword and struck down with a downward slash. Clang! Espio's katana cut straight through the bone, cutting off the guardian's hand by the wrist.

The fingers around her throat uncurled and Rouge fell. The one handed guardian had turned all his attention onto Knuckles. Rouge saw the world around her blur as she staggered to her feet. There was a loud clash of steel as Knuckles fought back against the guardian's assault. Rouge reached down and picked up the dead hand and removed the glove. It was far too large for her to wear and try and use as a weapon so instead she reared back and hucked. It spun twice in the air before striking the guardian in the spine.

That bought Knuckles a chance to slash at its exposed wrist. The second hand came off and there was a loud crack! Instantly, the guardian's skeleton vanished in a puff of white dust. Rouge clung to the key as she made her way over to Knuckles. He had busted his lip during the fight and blood dripped down into his fur.

"Are you alright?" He managed.

Rouge nodded while rubbing her throat.

Knuckles inhaled deeply, his eyes darting around in search of more foes. "Is it dead then?"

Rouge nodded.

Together, they climbed down the tree and returned to the shrine. All the Chao had gathered at the feet of the dais. To Rouge's surprise, the skeleton of the guardian was still sitting on its throne. Only now, its bone gloves were gone. The clawed weapons now rested in the grass in front of the chief Chao. He pointed his staff at Knuckles and then to the gloves.

"Here," Knuckles flipped the katana around and offered it to Rouge. "I guess it was a good thing you brought it along after all." He then knelt down and scooped up the gloves. When he placed them over his hands, Rouge was not surprised to see that they fit perfectly. All the Chao cheered and clapped their hands.

"They couldn't have warned us we were going to be attacked?" Rouge asked, glaring darkly at the little blue creatures.

"No," Knuckles said simply. "We had to prove our strength."

Rouge rolled her eyes. "Of course."

Knuckles said farewell to the Chao and thanked them again. Together, he and Rouge walked back up the stone steps and stood at the overlook before returning through the arch. They stood side by side and looked down at the vale beneath them.

"It's beautiful," Knuckles said. "A world completely untouched, and preserved against the ruin of time. It's like a window into another age."

"But nothing can last forever," Rouge pointed out. She had the key piece tucked beneath her arm.

"No," Knuckles agreed. "But that doesn't mean we can allow Eggman to destroy what vestiges of beauty remain. He must be stopped. No matter the cost." His eyes narrowed with steely determination.

Rouge adjusted her sword belt. It still felt awkward to have the sword dangling from her hip. She looked at it and thought of Espio and all the others who had already died. "Sometimes it feels like we are fighting because we don't have any other choice. Things can't go back to the way they were, and in alot of ways we've already lost."

Knuckles turned to her. "Not all is lost." He gestured to the vale and the beauty all around them. "Even if it feels that way to us, we can protect what is left for others. I don't know what will happen when this is all over, I don't know what my life even is without Angel Island. But there is still goodness somewhere, beauty that is untouched and lives that can still be happy. I won't let Eggman spread his evil any further."

Rouge stepped towards Knuckles. A cold fear had washed over, and his confidence was a warm blanket over her heart. For so long Rouge had kept herself aloof from the sorrows and heartaches of the world, always afraid to allow any of her real emotions to break through her cold exterior. She had used sarcasm and cutting jokes as a shield for so long it was almost impossible for her to connect with the genuine feelings inside her.

However, at that moment, she felt her walls crumble into pieces. She pushed herself towards Knuckles, her lashes fluttering just a few inches from his face. They were staring at one another. That single second expanded into several moments.

Rouge saw the indecision creep into Knuckles' face. So strong, but so stupid. Returning to herself, Rouge nearly pulled away but then thought better of it. Why not, we may all die tomorrow after all? She leaned forward and kissed Knuckles. He reacted just as she expected him to, falling back in shock. Rouge expected he would break the kiss and berate her, but to her surprise, he placed his hands firmly around her waist and pulled her in closer.

They escaped the mountain through the same route they had entered through. Knuckles lit the flares and the two of them climbed up to the summit while signaling the pilot. The plane flew as low as it dared in the storm and dropped down a pair of firm ropes. Knuckles and Rouge clung tightly to the wires as the plane flew away. Once they had broken out of the cover of the lashing rain, they were pulled up into the hanger.

Rouge glanced at Knuckles as he went to strap himself into his chair. Their eyes met, Knuckles blushed and looked away. Rouge chuckled to herself and stored the piece of the Ark of the Cosmos in the hanger storage locker. It had been an interesting mission.