Chapter 7: A Bitter Coronation

The tall trees rushed passed the young prince as he sprinted through the thick woodland, dodging between tree trunks and scrambling under the thick brush. The sound of panting filled the atmosphere, mixing with the gentle chirping of the birds flying overhead, their eyes trained on the boy.

The prince was focused, eyes forward and mind blocking out all the distractions in his peripheral. Nothing would distract him from his goal, and like a man on a mission he pushed forward despite the aching in his legs and the tightness in his chest screaming for a reprieve. This was like life and death, and Shadow refused to let himself fail this mission.

That's when he saw it ahead of him, the answer to his plights: the blue and gold flag fluttering in the wind sweeping through the clearing, whipping and flapping without mercy almost as if it were tugging to be freed from the metal pole it was tied to. A small smirk crossed Shadow's face as he pushed forward into the clearing, eyes only for the flagpole.

Suddenly, the sound of a twig breaking underneath the sole of somebody's boot echoed through the clearing, but Shadow was too late. In his fixation on the flag, he hadn't properly scouted the surroundings, and before he knew it he was on the ground with somebody standing over him. He squinted his eyes against the blinding sun, but as the figure shifted his weight to block out the sun, Shadow's eyes adjusted to King Mephiles' clean-shaven face.

"You almost had me there, son," Mephiles chuckled as he held out his hand. With a roll of his eyes, Shadow took his father's hand and allowed himself to be hoisted back to his feet.

"I had that," the young prince complained. "I was so much faster than you!"

"Only because I let you think that, my son," Mephiles spoke softly. "You ran straight into my trap."

"Why do I feel like there's a lesson coming on here?"

"When one allows their focus to be clouded completely by the fixation of their desire, they can lose track of what's truly important."

"In English, father," Shadow groaned, eliciting a chuckle from his father.

"You were so focused on getting the flag, you forgot to scan your surroundings, and it was easy for me to take you by surprise. Next time, regardless of what steals your focus, never forget your purpose. You were to get the flag without being caught, but you got ahead of yourself. Next time don't f–" Mephiles' words were interrupted with a hand shoving the centre of his chest. As the king fell backwards, Shadow turned and sprinted to the flag, ripping it from the pole and waving it victoriously above his head. A smile crossed Mephiles' face as he sat back.

"One must not let their focus be clouded by fixation, father," Shadow mocked.

"Okay, okay, you got me there. Now come help your old man up," Mephiles laughed as he held out his hand. Shadow strolled over and seized his father's hand, but as he readied to heave his father off the ground, a tremendous force pulled against him and he lost his footing, collapsing into his father on the ground. Mephiles wrapped his arms around Shadow and held him tight, snatching the flag from his young son.

"Looks like you still can't beat your own man!"

"No fair! I'd already won. The game was over," Shadow complained.

"I never yielded. Don't let yourself be distracted until your mission is complete." Shadow huffed, trying his hardest to break free of his father's grip, but it was to no avail. "Alright, alright, game over, son. Let's get back to the castle, and I'll have the chef whip up an assortment of desserts for us. How does that sound?" Shadow hesitated for a moment, still stewing in his defeat, but the persistent warming smile of Mephiles quickly wore him down until Shadow's frown was quickly replaced and he jumped up eagerly.

"Can he make those little cakes?" Shadow asked.

"He will make anything you desire, my son."

"I can't wait. Thanks, father, I love you."

"I love you too, my son," Mephiles threw an arm around Shadow's bony shoulders as Rouge appeared before them leading two horses behind her that would whisk the king and his young, bourgeoning prince back to Castle Deyfros.


Warm memories of the past flooded Shadow's head as he knelt at his father's bedside in the dark room. On his return he was quick to hear the news, and he couldn't believe his eyes as he was lead with his heart in the pit of his stomach to his father's chambers. Rouge hardly had time to grieve, or Eclipse time to process his shock, before Shadow ordered both of them out of the room. Rouge was instructed not to let anybody in until Shadow emerged, and although she wished to see the body of her closest friend, she respected her Prince's wishes and held steadfast by the door guarding the room long into the early hours of the morning.

Shadow's eyes were swollen with saturated grief, and he collapsed to his knees, head in his hands. Tears fell onto the small scrap of parchment that was found scrunched in between Mephiles's fingers, smudging the ink – the quill used to write the letters with lying beside him. Ink covered the sheets. The writing was messy, clearly it was a struggle for Mephiles to put more than a few words on the parchment in his dying moments.

It's not your fault.

The message was clear to Shadow: Mephiles didn't blame him for failing his final mission. But Shadow blamed himself, as he thought back to the many lessons his father had bestowed him over the years. He let himself get distracted, and he became too focused on those stupid cubes. He'd missed his father by mere hours, and if he hadn't worried about squabbling with those petulant teenagers he could have saved his father with the flower's nectar.

His mud-soaked sleeves dirtied the pristine white sheets that Mephiles' corpse still lay in, his face peaceful with a thin-lipped smile still on his face. As if Mephiles' death was felt by Chaos himself, dark clouds rolled along the skyline and shrouded the curious moon. Crows sung their loss in the dark trees that rustled sombrely as light raindrops buffeted Castletown. Wreaths that the people put outside their doors as a sign of respect as word got around grew damp by the rain, their colours stripping away.

Deep realisation pounded in Shadow's chest, and each thud of his heart drew a sharp pain. He hurt. He ached. Shadow had never felt as alone as he did in that moment, and the deafening silence closed in around him as only his own faint sobs could be heard above the pattering of the rain on the stone. He could do nothing but stare at Mephiles' body. He found it hard to swallow, and his limbs wouldn't stop trembling.

There he sat, head resting on his father's body, long into the night, but try as he might the tendrils of sleep couldn't entrap him. There he stewed in grief, until hours into the late morning he heard voices stirring outside his door. One was Rouge, clearly arguing with somebody as she continued to guard his door, but the other voice was more distinct. Before they could say anymore, the voices quickly stopped and the door creaked open. Rouge had lost the argument.

"Shadow…" a soft voice probed through the darkness. "Shadow, it's me. May I enter?" Shadow didn't reply with words, only a soft, weak grunt. Eclipse took that as acceptance as he gently closed the door behind him and tiptoed over to the prince, kneeling beside him. His eyes lowered on Mephiles' corpse, and the sadness that Eclipse had been fighting away welled heavily in his gut, but it didn't fill him with as much sadness as the sight of his best friend did.

That was when Eclipse noticed the ink, the quill, and the messy parchment that lay haphazardly beside Shadow's arms. Eclipse went to grab it, expecting Shadow to swat him away, but the prince made no movement as Eclipse scanned the last four words Mephiles ever wrote.

"He's right, Shadow. It isn't your fault. You did the best you could," Eclipse said, placing a gentle hand on Shadow's shoulder. This time he was swatted away, as Shadow turned to Eclipse, his eyes red and puffy, thick black bags clinging to them.

"He lied," Shadow bit back, finally finding his voice. "I was selfish, and I was stubborn. Two things father always admonished me for, and they proved to be his downfall."

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is," Shadow practically bellowed. "We could have saved him if I hadn't stumbled into that stupid imp's swamp."

"You can't blame circumstance."

"But I can blame myself. If I hadn't wanted those cubes we could have ridden back with haste and father would have gotten the nectar in time. I was selfish, and father paid the price."

"Shadow, I–"

"Get out," Shadow interrupted darkly.

"Shadow…"

"I said get out!" Shadow screamed, allowing the anger stewing inside him to manifest at Eclipse. Eclipse didn't feel any anger or hurt as he rose and made his way to the door that had already been opened by Rouge, her instinct to pull Eclipse out of the room. They locked eyes, and Eclipse nodded as he left the Prince to his grief, feeling nothing but pity within him.

"I'm sorry," Eclipse mouthed silently as Rouge closed the door behind him, and took back up her position guarding the door as Eclipse slunk down the stairs and back to his chambers. Shadow's anger dissipated as quickly as it consumed him, and was immediately replaced with the hollow feeling that continued to rapture him. Finally, as the morning grew long and the sun tried to peak through the grey clouds above, the heaviness of Shadow's eyelids finally proved too much for his waning spirit, and he succumbed to sleep's pull.


Nothing. Shadow was surrounded by never-ending nothingness. It was as if his eyes were closed, but they were open. He flailed his arms around, but there was nothing to grab onto. There was nothing around him. Nothing, but darkness.

He tried to move, but he couldn't. There was nothing to push off of to give him momentum. It was as if he were falling, but he couldn't feel the breeze blow past him, and tussle through his hair. He couldn't feel gravity's hold on him. He felt like falling, but he wasn't falling. He was floating in the black. Then, slowly he noticed something far off in the distance: a small dot of light. He tried to swim over to it, but it got him nowhere. Thankfully, as he stared, the light grew bigger and bigger. That's when Shadow realised it wasn't getting bigger, it was getting closer.

Before Shadow knew what was happening, the light consumed him and he was thrust into it. His feet fell on something solid, and he tripped onto the ground like he'd been pushed through a doorway. He looked behind him, but the darkness that once surrounded him dissipated into nothingness and Shadow was left in this strange new world. Tentatively, he took a step forward.

A blue sky stretched off into infinity from every angle, and gentle white clouds hung happily in the sky above. Below him was a still, zaffre lake, with water that pooled around his ankles. As Shadow stepped further forward, the depth didn't increase, and instead stayed steady around his ankles. Shadow waded onwards, but there was only sky, water and clouds. He looked down at his reflection in the water, and it stared back up at him – a perfect mirror. His steps caused small ripples through the surface that muddied his reflection, but as the waves settled his image retained its shape.

Further ahead something broke the mundane blue: a small island of sand with one lone, dead tree protruding from the centre. Elated that there was something else in this strange place other than blue, Shadow found himself sprinting towards it. He was out of breath, panting heavily by the time he reached the island. He placed his hand against the oak, fingertips tracing bark. There was nothing special about it. He moved past it and squinted out into the distance, hoping to see something else, but the expanse extended out forever, and water met sky at the horizon without another speck of land to be seen.

That was when Shadow caught something peculiar. As he lowered his head, he noticed that his reflection no longer looked back at him. In fact, there was nothing in the water at all. Confused, Shadow bent down to inspect where his reflection should have been when he heard a droplet behind him. Slowly turning, his heart dropped when he saw a gurgling black figure begin to emerge out of the water. First shapeless, the darkness eventually spread out to form two legs, a torso, two arms, and a head. Red eyes opened from the black, and in an instant the darkness faded and left the image of himself. Its skin was slightly darker, and its eyes a deep crimson, but it was otherwise a mirror image of himself. A complete reflection.

"H-hello?" Shadow murmured, unsure if the thing could understand him.

"H-hello," it copied back.

"Can you understand me?" Shadow asked again.

"I can understand me," the figure responded.

"My name is Shadow, what's yours?"

"My name is Shadow." Nerves rose within Shadow.

"What are you?"

"What are you?" it repeated.

"I am Shadow."

"You are responsible." Shadow furrowed his brows.

"Responsible?" he questioned, tilting his head slightly. He tried to take a step closer, but as he did the image took a step back.

"You are responsible," the figure said again. There was a moment's pause, and then it continued. "Responsible for everything." Anxiety was rapidly being replaced with frustration as Shadow took a more assured step closer, but again, as last time, when he moved forward the figure moved backwards.

Shadow broke into a sprint, chasing after the figure. With little effort it copied his movements, but moving backwards, and kept the same five metre distance. Annoyance and anger kindled within Shadow as he shouted back at the image.

"What are you?"

"What are you?" it echoed.

"Shut up!"

"I am Shadow. What are you? You are responsible."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Shadow shouted back again and again. "You're not me, you're just a… a… a monster!"

"You're a monster," the figure repeated. "You are responsible, you are Shadow," the figure taunted as its shape began to contort. It's skin bubbled and shifted and contorted. Its arms grew shorter, its legs longer, and it's spikes more pronounced. Suddenly, instead of looking back at a mirror image of himself, Shadow was looking into the crimson, reptilian eyes of Mephiles. "You are a monster."

"F-father?"

"You are a monster. You are responsible."

"I… I'm sorry. I came as fast as I could," Shadow's anger immediately dissipated, and he fell to his knees, looking up at the figure that, for the first time since it had formed, took a step forward and closed the gap between the two.

"You are responsible… for my death," the figure's words grew harsher. "You played with those children."

"I didn't play with anybody. I swear. I just wanted to hear this music–"

"Music… I died because you heard some music? Mephiles questioned.

"N-no. It wasn't the music, it was the cubes. I… I wanted the cubes, and I let you die because of it," Shadow finally admitted, his head hung in shame. "I was responsible. I am responsible. I'm sorry."

"You are responsible," Mephiles' figure taunted, and once again it began to shift. The next time Shadow managed to lift his he was greeted not with the image of his father, or himself, but of the boy that delayed him. The boy that fought with him. The boy that refused him. The blue hedgehog.

"You," Shadow's eyes narrowed.

"Me," Sonic replied, this thin-lipped scowl twisting into a smile.

"Why couldn't you just let me have the cubes?"

"Why couldn't you just let me have the cubes?" Sonic repeated, stepping closer so that he was standing over the prince.

"I deserve them!"

"You are responsible. You are a monster. You deserve everything you got."

"No… I'm not responsible for father's death. It was you, and your little friends. If you'd just given me the cubes then I would have gotten back in time. If you'd just listened to your prince father would still be alive. You… you… you…" Shadow trembled, slowly rising to his feet.

"Me."

"You are responsible," Shadow shouted, reaching for his sword. In a flash, steel sliced through the figure from shoulder to hip. It stood for a moment, and then from the wound a fountain of black erupted into the sky, drenching Shadow in obsidian blood. It began to gargle, and the gargles turned to laughter. Mocking laughter. The laughter was torturous, and never ending. The last thing Shadow heard was the laughter echoing through his head as the figure melted back into the pool, the blue world was swallowed up by darkness once again, and Shadow woke up.


The entire kingdom had turned out for the event. The spacious halls of the magnificent blue-stone church were packed to the brim, and for those that didn't have the status to get an invite into the cathedral lined the streets to watch as the horse-pulled cart gently rolled through the twisting streets of Castletown.

Shadow watched his people through the window, his chin resting on his arm. His melancholy eyes glazed over the hordes of people, his brain stalling and heart emotionless. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to go through the big song and dance that naturally accompanied a transitioning of the crown. He recalled stories his father told him of his coronation day, but Shadow didn't want any of it. He wanted to lock himself away in his room, like he had for the past two weeks, but Rouge was right – he couldn't shy away from his duties, and from the world.

The country had been in mourning this past fortnight, as had the lands as the deluge of rain that buffeted the farmlands dampened spirits further. But as if the lord himself were smiling on this new chapter of Deyfros, the grey clouds had parted and allowed the beaming sun to peek through for this special day.

As the cart rolled to a halt outside the cathedral, the door opened and Shadow stepped out to a cacophony of cheers. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply and steeled his nerves before his fake smile draped his face – the same smile he'd spent the night before practicing with Rouge. The time for sadness had ended, and his people needed him to be strong for them.

"We're entering a turbulent time, my prince," Rouge had reminded him the night before as she helped ready him for the day ahead. "Other kingdoms have their eyes set on us. If we don't show strength, the invaders will come and another era of war-torn battles will begin. Smile, be strong, and inherit your destiny. We can focus on everything else afterwards. Tomorrow isn't about you, my prince. It's about our country, our kingdom, and most importantly our people."

She was right, after all, and Shadow knew this to be true. Rouge was rarely wrong in her sage wisdom, but that didn't make the process any less painful. He wished to be anywhere else, doing anything else, but he ground his teeth and pushed through the boring proceedings. He waited as the clergymen began their services, and he stood tall as the bards sang their tunes and the nobles each came up to pay their respects and their congratulations. The whole affair could have been wrapped up in less than twenty minutes, Shadow thought, but as the fourth hour crawled past he began to struggle.

It was only Eclipse's warm, nervous smile that helped him stand tall and strong. His eyes glanced subtly sideways, meeting Eclipse's uncertain gaze. He'd always been there for him, and even though Shadow had ignored his dearest friend for weeks, Eclipse still made sure to be front row centre for his prince, for his king, and for his best friend. With newfound determination and solace, Shadow allowed the ceremony to finish and took to the stand.

"My fellow Deyfrosians," Shadow began, addressing the crowd of onlookers, mainly noblemen and clergymen. "I speak to you today not from a place of joy, but from one of sorrow. Throughout his entire life, his Majesty The King – my father – was an inspiration to our kingdom and me personally. He brought our war-torn nation to a place of profound and prolonged peace that has lasted for more than two decades – the longest in our history. To that, we owe him the most heartfelt debt.

"Mephiles' was a well-lived life, full of love, kindness, wisdom and guidance. Those qualities will be mourned most deeply with his passing. He promised a safe place for all his citizens, and devotion of his entire self to Deyfros. That is a promise I renew today and intent to keep as long as I rule.

"In our sorrow, we must draw strength from the light of my father's example. On behalf of the kingdom, I offer the most sincere thanks for your condolences, and your praise. But as one flower wilts, another blooms, and Deyfros continues to march ever-forward to a bright future: A bright future for me, a bright future for my people, and a bright future for all of Deyfros."

As applause echoed the chamber and filled the cathedral, Shadow got down on one knee and bowed his head and the priest removed the golden crown from its blue-velvet cushion and placed it gently atop his head. He looked up to Rouge standing proudly to his left. She nodded, but gave away no emotion. He then looked down to the crowd and locked eyes with Eclipse, whose beaming smile still never left his face. Finally, as he stood, the priest turned to the crowd and shouted.

"The old king is dead. Long live the king!"

"Long live the king!" The crowd shouted. "King Shadow the First!"

As the night grew long and the people of Deyfros retired back to their homes, Shadow finally arrived back at the castle. Instead of turning to his chambers for rest as per Rouge's suggestion, he made his way to the throne room and gazed upon the magnificent blue and amber throne. He ran a callous finger across the intricately carved armrest, and for the first time ever allowed himself to sit upon the throne – his throne – and officially begin his time as ruler.

However, his mind didn't wander to all the things he had planned for his kingdom, nor did it postulate on potential invading forces that may come to profit off the instability of a nation between monarchs. No. As much as he fought against the thought, a bitterness crept through his veins and blanketed him with its vitriol. With dark and furious eyes, he didn't look upwards to a brighter future for Deyfros, but instead looked with contempt at the Village of Ashorus, and the teenagers that took everything from him.


The moon cast its ghostly glare across the rolling fields to Ashorus' east. A lone horse stood lazily, it's muzzle tied to the branch of a nearby tree at the edge of the forest. Every few moments it was startled by a loud thud coming from within the forest. A thin haze of mist as red as blood pooled around the horses legs, coiling around tufts of grass.

Sonic breathed deeply, allowing the tendrils to waft in through his nose and dance around within his lungs. Sharp nails dug into the tough edges of the small, crimson cube Sonic clutched in his left hand, and with his right he made a fist and delivered it into the thick trunk of one of the taller trees dotting the forest. The wood shuddered slightly from the force, but no trauma was visible.

Groans escaped Sonic as he sighed. It wasn't enough. He needed to be stronger. He wanted to be stronger. He craved to be stronger. Tensing his muscles, he pushed his energy on the cube and called upon its power. It wrapped around his pale arm, infusing with his muscles and aided them as they bulged.

Sonic reeled his arm back, tightened his fist, and shot his arm forward with frightening speed. His knuckles met the trunk with a deafening snap. The wood waned from his punch and the bark stripped. As Sonic stepped back to marvel at his work, he noticed a small indent against the trunk the size of his fist.

Hungry eyes darted from proof of his strength to the cube, and then back to the tree. Veins stretched across the whites of Sonic's eyes, colouring them a pale shade of red. He exhaled, shivering with delight as he felt the cube's energy surge through him and drain out back into its casing.

Sonic smiled.