Chapter 143

Light & Darkness

"Will he be alright?" Sonic lay in a crumpled heap upon a hastily erected hammock in the corner of the room. His leg was suspended above him in a tight sling. Sonic's face was discolored and his fur slightly muted. He slept soundlessly, his chest rising and falling with short, steady breaths.

"He will be fine. A few more doses of Armana should help him wake up." Princess Blaze stood beside Shadow, her hands folded behind her back.

"And his leg?"

"Our doctors have set the bone as best they can. Sonic heals quickly, he will be able to run again."

"But not soon enough." Shadow's hands curled into fists. The damage and bruises he saw on Sonic were a mirror into his own condition. He had never felt so overmatched in a fight before. Even with Sonic and him working together, Infinite had beat Shadow within an inch of his life. The strange medicine used by the Thirteens healed Shadow's injuries, but the stain on his pride would not be removed so easily. "We can't wait," Shadow said bitterly. "Iblis will be ready in less than two days. We must attack now."

Blaze's councilors all stared back at him blankly. As soon as Shadow had regained consciousness, Blaze had called for all the others to leave them except for her closest advisors. Gawain was there, and Silver, who seemed to have finished recovering from his previous injuries, and also the imperial turncloak Howl. The priest had not stayed behind, clearly indignant at Shadow's invitation to Blaze's inner council. Silver whispered something in Blaze's ear prompting her to shake her head.

Gawain spoke first. "You said yourself that the transporter was destroyed in the battle. We have no means of reaching the station without it."

"We find another," Shadow growled. "Everything is lost if we don't act now."

"We cannot stop Iblis," Blaze said firmly. Her eyes moved onto Shadow and he felt himself suddenly rooted in place. "But we can divert the Flames of Disaster."

"How?" Gawain and Shadow asked at the same time.

"We find the Iblis Trigger."

"And what is that?" Shadow asked doubtfully.

"The Flames of Disaster are ready. Solaris' wrath can no longer be avoided. But the emperor will not want them released until his machine is ready. As in the ancient past, the Flames of Disaster are not released until the abomination of desolation reveals itself, until the Iblis Trigger, an act of evil so great and final that the wrath of Solaris is finally unleashed."

"This isn't about some gods or demons," Shadow scoffed. "We can't rely on fables when all of reality is at stake."

Suddenly, the light in the room shifted as a pulsing green and silver aura filled the chamber. Silver's hands and eyes were glowing and he floated a few inches off the ground. "How dare you-"

Shadow prepared for an attack, but Blaze put her hand gently on the hedgehog's arm and he returned to the ground. "Now is not the time for that Silver," She chided. Blaze then turned to Shadow. "Iblis is lost to you. Without the Chaos Emeralds you cannot transport to the space station. And whatever power Sonic drew from Caliburn has destroyed what remained of the blade. But if we cannot stop the machine, we may still prevent it from working by stopping the Iblis Trigger and preventing the Flames of Disaster from being released."

"And how do we do that?"

Blaze stared at him, her yellow eyes thinned into such vertical slits that Shadow felt as if he were being x rayed. " We do nothing. This is something I must do alone." Instantly, her knights swarmed her.

"Princess, allow us to help you. If you know what the Iblis Trigger is then-" Gawain was cut off with a stern glare.

"Sister, we should stay together we can-"

Again, silenced with a look. "You must now decide what you will do, Shadow the Hedgehog." Blaze turned her attention back to Shadow. "If Iblis is stopped, that will not mean total victory. The emperor and his armies will still try to conquer the universe. Earth is perhaps already lost."

Shadow folded his arms. He looked the princess in the eye and tried to understand her. Shadow knew that she was no fool. Beneath her calm exterior, Shadow could sense a tremendous amount of power, perhaps even more power than he had sensed from Infinite. If thats the case, why did she not go with us? Could Shadow trust that she knew a means of stopping this Iblis Trigger?

"The Realm Lord is my enemy," Shadow started. "I've been hunting him from the beginning. I can't just turn away now."

Blaze smiled wistfully. "How difficult it is to let go of control. The Realm Lord is your enemy, but perhaps you have already done all that you can by bringing us your warning. Without you, we would not have known what was needed."

"So what are you saying? You don't need my help to stop this Iblis Trigger?"

Blaze nodded. "No one can help me with that. I alone can stop it."

They all gaped at her. Shadow could feel the frustration in the room. "Enlighten us then, what is the Iblis Trigger?" He hissed.

Blaze blinked. "If I thought you could help me, I would say. But I risk more by even telling. When it comes to it, I must ask you to trust me."

"And why would I do that?" Shadow took an aggressive step forward. "Every second we waste brings us all closer to annihilation. I can't take anything on trust, not now."

"Yet there is nothing else you can do," Blaze said imperiously. "You can trust me or not. But you cannot change things as they are. I can stop Iblis, but that will not save us for what comes after. If we survive the Realm Lord we will still drown beneath the armies of the emperor." Blaze pointed suddenly at Howl. "Unless, those armies were divided." The princess kept her eyes on Shadow, the yellow within shimmering like fire. "Howl told me what you promised him.

You promised to set the daughter of Zertian free. She is the rightful heir to the imperial throne. If you could save her, if you could free her from Black Doom's prisons then many in the empire would flock to her banner."

Shadow gaped at her. "What good would that do? If the Realm Lord-"

"You said yourself that Iblis is not the Realm Lord's only tether to this world. Even if we stop the Flames of Disaster that will not erase the emperor's influence, and by extension the Realm Lord's. We cannot defeat the armies of the emperor on our own. If the true heir of the emperor still lives, then she is our best chance."

"Then let someone else go," Shadow growled. "My fight is with the Realm Lord."

Blaze reached out with astonishing quickness and snatched Shadow by the wrist. She turned back his hand so he was forced to look down on the Ring of Kings. The golden amulet sparkled in the gloom. "You have been chosen for this task, Shadow the Hedgehog. It is your fate to see it through."

Shadow pulled out of her grip. "I don't believe in fate," He said bitterly.

Blaze half smiled. "Yes you do. You always have."

"Don't pretend that you know me," Shadow spat, feeling suddenly enraged. He did not like the way that Blaze was looking at him. Her gaze was so keen he felt completely exposed, as if his very thoughts were open to her.

"We are not so different," Blaze said, her voice suddenly quiet. "We are both creatures of fate, born beneath the shadow of a doom we cannot escape." The princess suddenly turned back to the others. "Leave us please, let me speak with Shadow alone."

Gawain and Silver bowed, and they tugged Howl by the arm to make him follow. Shadow watched them as they closed the door, leaving Blaze and Shadow alone beside Sonic in the back room of the hideout. The princess sighed heavily and walked over to the far side of the room. She bent down and scooped up a burnt up piece of old parchment. The paper instantly crumbled in her hands, the ashy remains slipping through her fingers.

"You did not tell us exactly what happened between you and Zertian. You mentioned the necromancer, Black Doom. What did he do to you before throwing you in a cell?"

Shadow hesitated, the sudden change in topic made him weary. "He took some of my blood and made some sort of creature with it." The memory made Shadow's mouth dry. The image of Black Doom gulping down the orb of blood and then spewing out the mess of flesh and organs made Shadow's stomach twist. "Black Doom called it Mephiles. It was a copy of me, and shared some of my abilities. I think…I might have killed it but I can't be sure."

Blaze nodded solemnly, however her eyes gave the impression that her mind was elsewhere. "Black Doom's power has grown. The more evil the emperor spreads, the stronger he will become. We will not have any chance for victory if Black Doom can raise any army that we defeat. You understand what this means?" Blaze turned to Shadow. "Black Doom and any demon that he creates is fundamentally tied to the emperor, and by extension the Realm Lord. Stopping Iblis won't be enough. I cannot spare any of my knights to answer this threat." Blaze motioned towards the still unconscious Sonic. "An enemy like Black Doom cannot be defeated by simple courage. Sonic must be saved for the final confrontation against the emperor, you know this. There is no one else, Shadow, it must be you."

Blaze continued to stare at him, seemingly breaking through every barrier he attempted to put up between them. "You are asking me to trust you, to trust you with everything. But I barely even know you."

"Faith is our strongest currency now. It is the power that separates us from the emperor, from the Realm Lord and all others who strive to dominate." Blaze's expression softened. "I understand how impossible inaction feels. For so long I have wanted to reveal myself, to use the full extent of my power to liberate my people. But I must wait. My time is drawing near. "

Shadow looked at her, though she had not seemed to move, a change had come over the princess. It was as if a flicker of the nearby candle had illuminated her from a different angle and suddenly exposed a completely different dimension to her appearance. An ethereal glow encircled her, and Shadow sensed a power older and deeper than any he had ever known. Her expression was stern, and Shadow thought she appeared almost like the statues he had seen of human kings from times long past. Her eyes displayed a grief that was simultaneously transcendent, stretched over a long course of years and yet imminently fresh as a bleeding wound.

Shadow felt a strange tug in his heart. He wanted to believe her, and his heart told him that he could. However, his rational mind would not bend so easily. The fear of the Realm Lord was too deeply planted within him.

"There is no true faith without risk," Blaze whispered suddenly. She turned and the change in her appearance vanished, and she appeared as ordinary as she had before. "We stand now above the breach. Beneath our feet is the pit of oblivion, ready to swallow us whole. We have precious few choices left, and one wrong turn will see us plummet into the darkness. You are afraid of the Realm Lord." Blaze changed tone suddenly. "The threat of him clouds your thoughts."

"I'm not afraid," Shadow lied. "But I was brought here to stop him, to stop Iblis."

"You were brought here to warn Sonic," Blaze corrected. "And you have done so, and by extension you have warned me. But neither you or Sonic have the power to stop Iblis. This is a force of this world, of my world. I have to be the one to stop it."

Shadow hesitated. He knew there was wisdom in her words. Gothro did not say I had to be the one that stopped Iblis. Of course, Shadow had just assumed that Gotrho had intended for Sonic to be the one. Shadow had thought that Gothro, like elder Yorven and all the others, expected Sonic to be the hero that would finally defeat the Realm Lord. But stopping Iblis won't stop the Realm Lord, not for good.

Frustrated, Shadow started pacing down a line. But everything ends if Iblis isn't stopped. Why shouldn't I try everything to stop it? But what would happen if he succeeded? Shadow had been so oppressed with the idea of failure, he hadn't really considered what would happen if they did manage to stop Iblis. Could we actually defeat Eggman and all his armies? Shadow was uncertain about this point, but then he remembered Black Doom and his cultists. Hadn't Zertian told Shadow that Black Doom intended to create an undead army for the emperor?

Shadow pictured a barren wasteland filled with hoards of Mephiles like creatures. He shivered and felt a cold chill run down his back. "Even still," He said aloud. "Even if we are in a worse position afterwards, Iblis must be stopped. How can I trust that you can stop it, if you will not even tell me your plan?"

"I will not ask that you place your trust solely in me. Consider what you know and make your choice. Iblis will be active in two days. Alone, and with no way to return to the space station you cannot destroy it. Even if you could, a direct confrontation with Infinite would end in your death. You cannot stop Iblis, but you can save Zertian's daughter. If she lives, if you can get her, then I believe many in the empire would turn against the emperor."

"I don't know about that. They seem to love Eggman."

"They love what he has brought them. The facade of peace has been a warm blanket, but the gift was poisoned from the start. When they learn of Black Doom's crimes, what he did to the emperor Zertian, they will be enraged. Most will prefer to support Robotnik, but if we can divide his forces even a little, it will make a huge difference. Just as importantly though, someone must destroy Black Doom, kill him before he can create an army of undead."

Shadow said nothing. Blaze's reasons were slowly breaking down his arguments, but he found that he still did not want to take that final step.

"What I ask of you is not easy. Yes, you would walk away from one battle, but the one you head towards is far more sinister. You know what Black Doom is, you know what he is capable of. It is a dark road, and one that would destroy those who are less acquainted with evil than you are." Blaze motioned to Sonic. The gesture earned a sneer from Shadow could not resist the clear deference to his pride.

"Fine, I'll go. And I suppose there would be no point in waiting for the two days to be over?"

Blaze shook her head. "We cannot afford to waste any time now. If you are to leave, you should do so at once."

"And you swear you have a way to stop this Iblis Trigger?"

Blaze nodded. Shadow felt empty now. The fight with Infinite, the arguments and the constant dread had left him depleted. He found that all he wanted to do now was lie down and sleep. Though he knew that he could not do so. In fact, he could not see when he would ever get a chance to rest again. Perhaps not until the Realm Lord kills us all. He laughed dryly to himself, amused by his own dark humor.

"Zertian was wise to put his faith in you," Blaze said suddenly. "Though he was my enemy, it seems that suffering has taught him humility and the true role of a leader. He hinged the future of his people on you, Shadow."

"Enough talking," Shadow said despairingly. "If I'm going to do this, then I had best be leaving. I know where Black Doom's fortress is." He walked over to where Sonic was resting. Seeing his rival in such a pathetic state made him feel strange. His hatred of Sonic had been stronger than ever. Being around him caused Shadow to constantly replay his conversations with the Realm Lord. He hated being Sonic's copy, of being no less an original creature than Metal Sonic or all those other copies that Shadow loathed so much. Shadow found that he needed to outdo him, to prove himself the stronger of the two. But in the end, it was Sonic who had saved Shadow, and doing so had cost Sonic dearly.

Knowing that he was in Sonic's debt made his hatred even stronger. The voice of the Realm Lord echoed in his mind " You must destroy him, as all your brethren have done across a thousand different worlds. It is your density, your one purpose. His death will shatter your world and alter its course to the point where I can enter it in the flesh." All that Shadow was, all that he had experienced, all the pain and loss solely for the purpose of killing Sonic. And yet…he could not even do that. Perhaps Shadow could murder Sonic, and he had no doubt that was what all his countless copies had done across the multiverse. They had murdered Sonic, but they had never beaten him. They had never managed to rise above their original, to become better than him.

Shadow felt Blaze come up beside him. "I am his copy." Shadow did not know why he was telling her this. The truth felt as though it had been threatening to come out of him ever since he had arrived in Arvana. He did not care what Blaze or what anyone else would think of him. "The Realm Lord created me to kill him. There have been countless different Shadows, all created to emulate Sonic, to kill him. When we first met I was offended at the very comparison between us. I was the world's ultimate life form, that was my identity. Then Sonic took that from me at the Space Colony Ark. He beat me, not only in the fight, but in spirit as well. Then the Realm Lord told me the truth. I was never the ultimate of anything, just a shadow."

A seed of rage threatened to burst inside Shadow's chest, spurred on by the memory of all the indignities he had suffered. However, he found that the seed could not fully sprout. Something kept the rage from fully spreading.

"The Realm Lord cannot create," Blaze said softly. "Evil is not a maker, it has only the power to prevert and ruin. It is only your pride that still compares you to Sonic. But I think your heart knows that you are both extremely different. You know there are powers beyond the Realm Lord's intentions."

Shadow nodded, remembering what Gothro had told him in the Seeing Room about the will of love. "Don't tell Sonic what I told you," Shadow said, pulling himself out of the memory.

"Of course."

Shadow took a deep breath. Now that his choice was made, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. I must do what I can, and trust that these others have their own role to play. "I will leave now."

"That is well, but you will not be going alone."

"Princess? I, I-" The priest stammered and looked back and forth from Shadow to Blaze. For his part, Shadow had his arms folded and a deep scowl stretched across his face. "I should be with you at this critical point. You need a member of the clergy here-"

"You will do as I command," Blaze said firmly.

"I must protest! Why would you send me away and with this…" He glanced sideways at Shadow. "This heretic and-"

"Enough," Blaze's words acted like a slap. The priest immediately fell silent. "I am ordering you to go with him. That is the end of the discussion."

"I don't need him," Shadow contested with an inward groan. "He will only slow me down."

"Black Doom's magic is beyond your comprehension. Roran is a priest of Solaris, a master in the arts of healing and cleansing. He will be useful to you."

Shadow scoffed. "I need warriors not ignorant zealots."

"And yet you have just proven your own ignorance," Blaze said hotly. "Black Doom cannot be destroyed in the usual manner. His magic must be undone, his darkness reversed. Roran is a member of our most Holy Order, he will be able to help."

The priest folded down the crumples in his robes. "I do not fear the necromancer. The cleansing fire of Solaris can wipe away the stain of death and all corruption. But princess, I beg you, you must send someone you can trust."

"I am," Blaze said, sounding suddenly tired. "Zertian chose Shadow for this, there is no one else. I do not want to lose you, but you can help Shadow far more than you can me."

Roran gave Shadow a final, sharp glance before bowing humbly before Blaze. "Then, if that is your command, I shall follow it to my upmost."

Shadow sighed. "Fine, whatever. The priest can come, but he'd better not prove to be a burden." The game of farewells was getting Shadow extremely annoyed. Now that he had chosen to go, he wanted to do so right away. He was itching to fight again and remove the taste of his previous defeat.

"Princess, I beg leave to go with them." Howl suddenly dropped to his knees. "Zertian was my emperor, and I had sworn an oath to obey him. I broke that oath and served Robotnik, staining my honor forever in the process. Permit me to serve him again. I can be an asset to the mission, I know the empire better than anyone. I know how it runs, how it thinks. If Zertian's heir can be saved, I could serve as her advisor and help bring the empire to her cause." The wolf looked much changed in such a short amount of time. There was more fire in his eyes, and Shadow wondered if he had not also sampled the mysterious medicine of the Thirteens.

Blaze frowned. "Your own crimes have not been forgotten. I do not have the right to set you at liberty. But, upon your sacred word, if you agree to never again raise your sword against Soleanna then I will grant your request."

Howl crossed his arm over his chest. "I swear."

Blaze turned to Shadow. "Fate has taken a strange turn. I urge you to accept Howl's inclusion. You might find yourself in need of his knowledge."

"Whatever," Shadow said with a shake of his head. "Whatever it takes to get this over with so I can leave." Though despite his protests, it took another half an hour before they were finally ready to head out. Roran bid farewell to his comrades with notable sadness. It was clear that none of them ever expected to see each other again. The priest also had to pack a satchel of books and scrolls which he insisted he would need in order to counter Black Doom's magic.

At last, Shadow, Howl and Roran left the Hideout. A group of gray hooded scouts escorted them through the city. They took the sewers beyond the walls. Once they were out in the open, Shadow offered out his hands. Awkwardly, Howl, then Roran who seemed immensely displeased took his hand. We can't waste time traveling slowly. Shadow looked back at the city, wondering one final time if he was making the right choice. Good luck Sonic. He turned away, and broke out into a dead run, pulling Roran and Howl along with him.