Chapter 44 - Fracturing a Mold
"-yyyy!?" Sonic finished from the sudden speed. Faintly recalling the direction they went, he still couldn't see from the light zipping passed his eyes. The after effect of the extreme velocity to a stop made it seem like he was still moving. Shaking his head while putting one hand on it, he took a couple of balancing steps to get stable. Feeling the world stop rushing around him, he put his hand down.
"..." the boy looked up and around.
Seeing they were back in a forest area, the pungent smell of the city was lowered. Turning around, he could see the establishment was not far away. More of like being on the outskirts of the metropolis. Rubbing the side of his head, he rotated around. Speed was still standing in the same place and was staring at him. About to ask him a question, the child noticed the intensity of his eyes were still there. The expression of confidence was replaced with a calmer one.
"...to begin..." Speed spoke while moving his neck. Cracking it a little, his head tilted down to look at the blue hedgehog.
"...there are...rules you must...not break..."
"..." Sonic blinked in surprise. Putting his hand to his side, he walked closer to be in front of the amputee. Giving his full attention, he nodded his head.
"...you will train...until you reach...exhaustion and...power depletion..."
"...power...deple-tion?" the boy repeated with a slight confused face. "...wait...you mean...like when I escaped that...thing in the mountain cave?"
"..." Vermilion slowly nodded his head then stared. "...do you...agree to...the rule?"
"..." the kid rose his hand.
"..." the gray hedgehog did a slow blink.
"Can I...ask a question?"
"...listening..."
"Will training to exhaustion and...uh...power drain make me stronger?" he asked putting his hand down.
"...depends on what...you mean...stronger..."
"Like...able to jump really high?" Sonic exclaimed doing a little hop while reaching for the sky.
"...yes..." Speed answered with a blink.
"Run up and down walls and buildings like you do?" the boy questioned while simulating running in place.
"...yes..."
"Able to plow right through metal heads like they were nothing?" he talked more excited and smiling. Doing a short shadow boxing act, he looked up at the adult.
"...you will...die...doing that..." Speed informed with a stoic face. His comment made the boy calm down. Seeing the blue fur ball look down at the ground for a moment, the older male was able to speak when the kid looked up.
"Okay...I agree to the rule."
"..." the older hedgehog stared for a second or two before closing his one eye. Curling his left fingers and tensing them into a claw position, little cracks and pops were heard from the cartilages. Opening his seeing organ lid, he looked at the kid.
"...you will train..." he began. Lifting his hand, the amputee gestured to the forest around them.
"...to survive...to adapt...and to learn...your environment..."
"You mean...like camping?" Sonic wondered. Thinking Speed's face would sour, he gave a faint nod.
"...it is...but there is...no home...to return to."
"Doesn't sound...too bad. When I was at my village, the adults would take us on short camping trips. I've slept outside before."
"...does that include...watching for...primals at night...and fighting them...if discovered?" he countered with a slow blink.
"..." the child answered with folding his ears back. Shaking his head slightly, Speed gave an immediate toothy grin.
"...do you agree...to the rule?"
"..." Sonic did an audible swallow and rose his hand slowly. The older person kept the same expression and stared.
"...listening..."
"...is it...necessary to...fight them?"
"...I thought...you wanted to be...a Freedom Fighter...is that...not true now?" he asked tilted his head a little.
"N-No...it is just...most of them are...bigger...and stronger than me," the boy commented.
"...the first...and second rule...will change...that statement."
"..." the kid responded with meekly bringing his hand down. Bringing his right hand over to his left arm, he began rubbing it.
"...getting...cold...feet...already?" Vermilion asked walking slowly forward. Getting closer to the blue hedgehog, he then began to circle around him. It seemed like a predator cornering its prey to the youngin'.
"N-No...I'm just...t-thinking about it."
"...wasn't this...your dream?" the gray hedgehog questioned keeping the sadistic expression. Doing one lethargic evolution around him, he continued the act of interrigation.
"...you gave up...your life...for your village..."
"...y-yeah...uh..." Sonic responded but couldn't bring himself to look up.
The uncertainty and risk of what Speed was asking only reminded him of all the dark places that he took him to. The times of resting in his former cave and outside, there was no safe space. There were no friends. No family. No protectors from the village. The reality of surviving seemed more unfair, harsh, and lonely.
"...tell me Sonic..." Speed spoke.
'...#$%#$%...#$%...#$%...' mental static and inaudible verbiage played in the one arm man's mind. The trigger made him stop being a vulture around the boy. Facing away from him, he could feel his facial muscles slowly changing.
"...are you one...that conceives...only dreams?" he began. Slowly turning around, an unfriendly expression was on his face.
'...#$%#I#$%$...#$$#%%...' a mental image of distortion played causing his right eye to unfocus. His cybernetic one saw no abnormality.
"...or do you...become the dream?"
"...?" the blue hedgehog opened then closed his mouth. Mostly confused, he worried that the adult would look disappointed at him. An even, grave tone came to his ears.
'...#$%#I$$##N$#E^$V#$E#$R#$%#$wan-wan-wan-w-w-w-w-w-w-w#$%,' a semi-disordered tone blared in his head. It was a voice of someone in the past. However, it wasn't from when he was younger.
"...look...at...me...Sonic..."
"..." the boy reacted with a flinch. Pressing his lips together, he raised his head and froze. A wild look was on the man's face. It reminded him of the first time seeing him kill a primal.
"...answer...the question..."
' #$I$#THEY%$CAN'T#$#$-THI-THI-THISSSSSSSS!' the bellow of an individual echoed distantly in Speed's ears. The recollection made a surfaced nerve near the outline of his robotic eye pulsate.
"...I will not...repeat it."
"..." the child did not dare to look away. Panicking in his mind, he tried to find an answer to the two questions Speed asked. Still unsure, he went with his gut reaction and the first thing that came to mind. Clenching his hands into fists, he tried to answer with a stiff face.
"I...I w-want to become...s-super speed. T-To be a f-freedom fighter...t-to help others who can't defend themselves!"
"...so...you...say..." Vermilion responded with staring. "...you...don't...look...convincing..."
"T-That's because...I'm scared!" Sonic exclaimed becoming animated.
'YOU#$CANT$#THIS#$#IS$TORT...#%' the voice of an adult shouted. Seeing the image of who it was, Vermilion curled his left hand into a firm fist.
"I've gone hiking on my own, but always had a home to return to...people to return to."
"The adults..." he continued. Standing up straighter, his head looked down at the ground. "They made sure we were safe...that we wouldn't do anything to get ourselves hurt. Telling us to look out for each other."
'YOURETHEREASONTHEYDIED!' someone screamed at him.
'...they...' Speed heard his voice followed by grabbing something. It caused muffling from an unknown individual. The recollection came to him feeling the grip strength increase in his hand.
"But from being away from them...and trying to keep up with you...and seeing another world outside of the village," the boy remarked feeling shame. The feeling was strong enough to bring water to his eyes making him mad at himself.
'...wouldn't have survived anyway...'
"I-I...I can barely keep up. I'm lost about what happened at the harbor. I don't know why your world is so much crueler. And...and...a-and," he continued. Wiping his eyes with one fist and taking a quick sniff from feeling liquid coming out, his throat felt the onset of a choke.
'...you lied...they died...' Vermilion vocalized. Sensations of increasing his grip on the person caused more sounds of struggling followed by cartiledge popping.
"I...I...I...I just...d-d-don't want...you...to...l-look down at me."
'...survival...is all that matters...in this place called...' he continued. Feeling a pseudo aspect of clenching his teeth hard and grunting, a sickening snap was heard followed by something going limp.
'...h...o...m...e...'
"..." Speed kept his same expression. Narrowing his normal eye and straining it to stop the images, the cybernetic one shined less intensely. Deciding to do a different approach from past experiences, his mind became less cloudly.
"...there is...no grading...to this...learning..." he stated. Walking slowly to the smaller hedgehog, the youngin slowly looked up. Seeing him tense up even more, the adult male stopped in front of him. Squatting down to be eye level, the same unfriendly face and piercing stare remained.
"...there is...no judgment...to this...journey..."
"...there is...only...a finite...outcome..."
"...you either...survive...or you die..." the amputee stated. Continuing to bore at the child without blinking, the last word he said made Sonic's eyes widen more. The blue hedgehog's fur began to lift a little.
"...you become...only a dreamer...or you manifest...the dream..."
"...you..." Vermilion emphasized. Lifting his left arm, he poked the boy's stomach. Stiffening from the sensation, the pointed claw-nail on the man's finger did not feel friendly nor cruel.
"...are the only one...who chooses...your reality..." he continued. Moving his finger back while staying still, he stabbed it back into the boy's abdomen.
"...you...choose to grow...or decay..." Speed talked then repeated his previous action.
"...you...and only you...makes a choice."
"..." Sonic blinked from listening to the intense and stern talk. Wanting to think about what the older man said more, they were almost nose to nose. The threatening look on his face made him stay where he was.
"...if you choose...to only be...a dreamer Sonic," Speed spoke still having his finger poking. "...I will take that...as a betrayal...and put you...through that post...with that corpse."
"..." the child visible shook with horror and kept standing.
"...if you choose...to bring your dream...to a reality...I will commit myself...through blood and bone...till you become...an ascendant...of yourself."
"...a-a-an..." the kid stammered then swallowed. Still shaking, he was trying to process the man's last statement.
"A-Ascendant?"
"...your dream...will morph you...alter you...create something...bigger than who...you are now," Vermilion explained. Blinking finally, his off-putting aura was still constant. No deviation. No faltering. No backing away to a calmer tone. It made Sonic think that he was betrayed before.
"...what...is...your...answer?"
"..." the boy flinched, but didn't break away.
Without a wind up in her body, Chiara felt her sight change to micro-vision. Pulling both arms to her left, she formed her hands into claw positions. Twisting her body to the right to torque her arms, she swung hard and fast to her right. With her nails protruding, she swiped the image of the faceless specter. Partially thinking that her hands were only going to graze the wall and go through the spirit, she committed full force.
'gggggaaaa-' the ghost uttered when she made solid contact. Gashes and deep slashes appeared on the figure's face. Slowly, black looking liquid began leaking out of the lacerations.
"...!?" the female stoat felt cold sweat dripping down her back.
"Fun factor huh..." Narah spoke then adjusted herself in her seat. Leaning back and pushing out her chest, she crossed her legs. A coy expression came to her face.
"I know one way to increase...the fun factor," she began while slowly wagging her bushy tail.
'aaaaaaAAAARRRRRRRRRAAAAHHHHHHH!' the ghost screamed. Bending over and covering its face, its viscous ooze from the lacerations began coating is fingers.
'...what the shit...' Chiara's voiced echoed in her mind. It sounded small and distant. Without a second thought, she rushed the dark floating silhouette and reached toward it. Grabbing its neck and feeling it be something solid, she immediately slammed it to the ground. Not letting go, she began to strangle it.
'What the shit...WHAT THE SHIT...WHAT THE SHIT!?' she shouted in her head while increasing her grip.
'Oh? You have my attention foxy lady,' the man on the phone spoke. Despite having an idea of where the conversation was going, Chiara focused on one thing. Asking questions or stopping to think was beyond what her survival instincts were telling her to do.
'WWWWHHHHHYYYYYYY HAVE YOU MARrrrrrrrRED ME!?' the ghost raged in anguished. Not breathing, it showed a toothy anger expression. The sight of it fighting back pushed Chiara's fear higher.
'SHUT UP AND JUST DIE YOU PIECE OF SHIT!' the stoat barked back with murderous eyes. 'I HATE YOUR KIND!'
"Too bad you aren't here...so I can show you some fun," the fox woman cooed while looking down at herself. Smirking from hearing a breathing change, the environment around her seemed to get colder for some reason.
'...hey...that's totally...not fair,' he argued while making sounds of shifting in his seat.
'are yyyooouuu...ONE OF THEM!? A PATHOGEN!? A SPAWN OF#$%#$MONSTROSITY!' the spirit roared at her. At the same time, its blank face began to move. As if there were hundreds of small threads moving beneath its skin, it rippled and began to morph.
'JUST FREAKIN...' Chiara yelled with her face filled with fury. Not caring about staying quiet, she gritted her teeth put all of her strength into her hands. Feeling her forearms begin to burn and shake, she squeezed the specter's neck harder.
'DIE ALREADY!'
"Fair? Hee hee...but...where's the fun factor in that?" Narah giggled.
'...now you're being mean...'
"What if the fun factor...came with no restrictions?"
'...!?' his breath stopped as a temporary silence was heard.
'yourejustlike!#$YOUAREJUSTLIKE$#^THEFILTHTHATCAUSEDTHEEXODUS!' the ghost screeched at her.
In the changing of its head, a nose began growing outward. However, it was not animal like. It was more protruding with two nostrils that looked like upside down commas. From the peak and back to roughly the center of its face, was a nose bridge. While this was occurring, deep eye sockets formed as if simulating a cave in.
'fuckingdie! FuCkInGdIe!' Chiara repeated feeling her head shaking. Terror and wrath were close to consuming her conscious as it already took over her physical reactions.
'ISAIDFUCKINGDIE!'
'...babe...you...you serious?' the boyfriend asked in shock.
"...I might be..." Narah answered. Slowly gliding her finger on her desk, a larger smirk came on her face.
"As long as you don't hurt me...too much."
'ITWASAMISTAKETHATWECREATEDYOU!ALLOFYOU!DEVILINCARNATES!' the specter bellowed with ferocity and suffering.
Two eyes, with blood veins protruding in them, filled the empty sockets along with the shape of a distinct brow. In fanatic movement on the sides of its head, its skin ballooned. With a vicious pop followed by short darkened gore spilling out of the wounds, something of ears appeared. With the frenzy of threads under its flesh stopping, a clear physical identification was seen. In the turmoil inside her, she looked at the person with an instant reaction.
"..." Chiara felt her sight beginning to tilt again. The imagery and what it was screeching at her caused her horror.
'WESHOULDHAVELISTENED!WESHOULDHAVEGENOCIDEYOUENTIRERACE!YOUREXISTANCEISANABOMINATIONTOLIFEITSELF!' the individual scorned and screeched rapidly while being strangled to death.
"..." she felt her hold on herself snapped. Letting go of its neck with her left hand, she instantly made a murderous fist. Cocking it back, her entire body shook as if rage swallowed her whole.
'...I'll see if I can get off early...' he said with a restrained wanting voice.
"Sound a little desperate there babe."
'Gee I wonder who-'
"...!?" Narah jumped from the sound of a sudden bang. Getting to her feet and turning around, her eyes widen. Seeing Chiara at the back end of the administration office, she was on top of something. Unable to make it out, it appeared to be a large person of some kind. About to open her mouth, she froze when her coworker lifted another fist.
'H-hey. You alright? What's happening?' he asked when another distant slam was heard.
"I-I'm fine...my co-worker caught some...one..." the fox woman began. Trialing off, the female stoat woman began to go faster and harder. Each punch and clawing strike sounded louder and vicious. After the fourth strike, liquid began to fling around.
"C-Chiara!? Stop!"
'What's she doing? Fighting an intruder?'
"...she's..." Narah began.
"RRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chiara roared savagely.
Bringing down a double fist and making contact with the disfigured silhouette's face, it exploded. A small geyser of black fluid shot straight up and painted the stoat's face and neck. Ceasing its movements, the only sound was her heavy and haggard breathing. Still unable to control the boiled over of turmoil inside her, she got up. Immediately, her ears picked up faint breathing and whipped around.
"..." the co-worker felt her fur begin to stand. Seeing her face was splashed with what appeared to be blood, it was her right eye that caused the most concern. The iris had changed to a dark red orange and seemed to glow in the dimmed illumination of that area of the room. Refocusing, the fox woman saw that the stoat was shaking bad.
"H-Hey Chiara...y-you okay?"
'...' Chiara looked at the fellow employee through two lens. Her left eye was blurred while the right one showed everything in a gritty and haunting color hues. Knowing a part of her was lost in emotions, she strangely could think and hear things somewhat normally. Thinking of what to say, her mouth opened up suddenly.
"...I'm...not...fucking...staying...here...anymore..." she hoarsely spoke with a shook-up aura. Without feeling in control, her hand lifted up and pointed an accusing finger. It wasn't at Narah, more of the phone next to her ear.
"...no more...no more dealing with this shit..."
"All this time. ALL THIS FUCKIN' TIME! THOSE CRACK HEADS ON GROUND FLOOR! MORE GOT FUNNELED IN!" Chiara seethed with anger and frustration.
"...what...what are you talking about? Calm down a minute!"
'I'm heading to you. She sounds like she snapped.'
"...yeah...kind of...she just mauled the intruder," Narah whispered under her breath.
'You should make an excuse and get out of there.'
"Do you know?" the female stoat spoke without thinking.
'WHY CAN'T I CONTROL MYSELF?!' she wondered in a panic.
Trying to stop, her body moved forward. The accusing finger and arm were still pointing forward. Strangely, it didn't feel like something or someone took control of her. It seemed to be herself against herself. While her brain was trying to establish control, it seemed her heart had burst open a floodgate. Anything that she was repressing or constraining was no longer withheld.
"Do you FUCKING know what happens to those people?! THE ONES YOUR FUCKING MATE DROPS OFF!"
"..." Narah took a slow step back while still holding onto the phone. The ferociousness in the employee's voice started to make her feel her safety was in danger.
'How the heck does she know what I do? Did you tell her?' he asked a little startled. The vehicle he was driving became louder and louder as the engine roar became overbearing.
"Look out there and take a grand view of that death crater. The pub that HOUSED those drop offs," Chiara spewed and swiped her extended arm to the right. "ALL OF THEM ARE DIRT NAPPERS NOW! TORTURED TO DEATH! TREATED LIKE SCUM OF MOBIUS!"
"...they're...what?" the fox woman questioned in a quiet voice. Flinching, the stoat put her hands on her head continued to shake.
"He freakin' knew...he freakin' fuckin' knew! GOD DAMN IT!" Chiara barked then looked back up at her coworker. Clenching her teeth together harder and showing a face of scorn, her blurry eye began to clear.
'...this is...me...and how I feel...' Chiara thought to herself. Despite seeing what she was doing, it seemed more of an outer body experience. Watching herself speak her subconscious thoughts with no input of the conscious side.
'...I must have snapped...' she continued and felt herself wanting to look around. However, her face kept facing forward as if locked into place.
"C-Chiara...j-just...c-calm down...o-okay?" Narah spoke softly taking another slow, careful step backwards.
"I'm gonna find him...and beat the living shit out of him," she declared.
Without pausing or further explanation, she dashed out of the room. Without thinking of where her legs were taking her, she had bolted out of the room. Rushing to the staircase and kicking the door open, she pounced down the stairs. Going down each level in single bounds, the stoat reached the ground level. Bursting through the back entrance, her right eye began shifting around as if searching for something.
'W-W-Why is my eye-!?' Chiara said apprehensively in her mind.
Her eye stopped at a certain direction. Without processing or thinking, her legs dashed in that direction. Her left eye had now gone back to normal. However, her right eye still saw the world in a gritty and haunting lens. The further away she got from the apartment building, it seemed her control over her body was returning.
By the time she was able to stop herself from running, there were two figures in the distance. Recognizing who they were given their size and age difference, it seemed like they were talking to each other. Something about their encounter made her want to listen in without causing detection. Keeping herself hidden and eyes on them, she was able to get close enough to hear them. Her ears perked hearing the hoarse voice and pauses between words of the older person.
Feeling his fight or flight senses activate, he tried going against what his gut was telling him. Tensing himself up till all his muscles were tight, the fear didn't go away. Clenching his teeth, his neck began to feel a pull. Focusing back on the adult's face, the mildly vicious expression remained. His eyes were still intense with a blank mouth. A part of him briefly believed being yelled at was safer than what he was going through now.
"...I-I...w-want...t-to become...t-the dream."
"...you...are...not...compelling..."
"I-I'm scared! I'm-!?" Sonic exclaimed then shook hard. Speed snatched his mouth within a blink of an eye. They were still nose to nose and the man's voice got deeper.
"PRIMALS...DON'T...CARE...OF...OUR...FEAR."
"MACHINES...DON'T...PROCESS...OUR...FRIGHT."
"ADVERSARIES...DON'T...CONCERN...OUR...FABLES."
"HUMANS...DON'T...RELISH...OUR...EXISTANCE."
"THIS WORLD...DOESN'T CARE...IF WE LIVE...OR DIE."
"ALL...YOU CAN DO..." Speed began. Standing up, he began to lift Sonic off the ground. Feeling the child latch onto his arm to not get choked, the grip on his face increased.
"IS SURVIVE IT...MASTER IT...OWN IT...CONQUER IT...CHAMPION IT."
"..." the blue hedgehog blinked. Processing what he said, a small realization occurred.
'He's...not angry with me,' he thought feeling a small amount of fear go down. 'He's...telling me...what will occur.'
'If I don't commit...and show I'm scared all the time...then I won't survive. I can never be a freedom fighter even if I learn super speed.'
'That's what he is saying...right?' the boy questioned in his mind. Feeling his eyes focus and shake a little less, the intensity of Speed's stare lightened. However, the grave look on his face remained.
"...you...have something...to say?" he asked still lifting the child up and holding his face. Sonic tried giving a firm nod, but was restricted from his hand over the lower half of his face. Seeing the man blink slowly, he lowered the blue hedgehog to the ground. Removing his hand and putting it to his side, the amputee looked down at the kid.
"...listening..."
"I...I think I understand what you are saying Speed," Sonic admitted. Though apprehension still festered inside of him, he looked up at the older man with a neutral expression.
"I've dreamt...of going faster and faster...to be a speedster. Ever since the adults in my village told stories of soldiers and vehicles going faster than sound, I wanted to achieve it."
"To be the fast thing alive...then when I saw you...and what you could do...it was like my dream could become real. If someone else can do it, I could too."
"I know...I offered myself for saving my village," the boy remarked then closed his hands into fists. "I don't have anything else to offer in exchange for learning to use super speed."
"...would you...die...in trying to...obtain your dream?"
"...y-yes...," Sonic answered as firmly and manly as possible. Thinking there would be another stare down, Vermilion did something different. His unfriendly face went away to a stoic one then morphed into a half smirk. The intensity of his stare was gone.
"...that Sonic...is the temperament...needed. Anything less will...not help you." the gray hedgehog spoke in a normal tone. Seeing the child look less spooked and give another nod, Speed looked to something at his right. Pointing, Sonic turned to the direction he was pointing at.
"...are you ready?"
"Yes sir!" the boy sounded off trying to contain instant enthusaism.
"...then..." he began. Bending down and picking up a rock, he handed it to the boy. Seeing the child take it and look at it, Sonic looked up and waited. See the man look at him, his left arm lifted up and pointed.
"...throw the rock...at the bushes...as fast as you can."
"..." the blue hedgehog blinked a couple of times. Feeling somewhat puzzled, he gave a small nod.
Turning to get himself in position, he took two leaping back steps. Stopping and getting into a running stance, he sprinted forward quickly. Planting his left foot down being adjacent to Speed, Sonic launched the rock towards the indicated greenery. Thinking nothing would happen, someone suicide dove out of the bushes. Barely missing the projectile, the person rolled on the ground and stopped once facing up and forward.
"HEY! What the hell was that for!?" Chiara barked.
"...!?" the blue hedgehog blinked in surprise.
"..." Vermilion spoke. Staring at the female stoat, he saw something different. His thought was broken from seeing an irate look on her face as she stomped toward him. Stopping in front of him, she got into his face.
"We need to talk...now."
"..." Speed blinked and breathed a sigh through his nose.
"...listening..."