{Pre A/N}
Procrastination is over, time to lock in.
Chapter 11: Brand New Day, Brand New Threat!
Avalice Archipelago – Relic Island, Night Hours
In the heart of the Avalice Archipelago lay Relic Island, nestled between the three major islands. The island was an enigma, its dense, emerald woods concealing ancient structures that had stood the test of time. The moonlight filtered through the thick canopy, casting eerie shadows on the forest floor as nocturnal creatures roamed the island's woods.
Under this starry night sky, a small hush basset found herself in a secluded clearing, a place she had visited many times before. She was no older than ten, her ivory-white fur glowing softly in the moonlight, with bushy orange hair. Her bright green eyes were framed by her floppy ears adorned with green disks. She wore a sleeveless, beige unitard-like outfit, and around her wrists and ankles were sets of rings colored green and orange.
The young dog gazed up at the vast expanse of the night sky, her black nose twitching as she inhaled the cool night air. She closed her eyes, and her small hands came together in a silent prayer. She stood like this for what felt like an eternity, her small form bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight.
"Please..." she murmured, her voice barely audible over the rustling leaves and distant sounds of the forest. The weight of loneliness and worry pressed heavily upon her small frame, and as her eyes remained closed, tears began to well up. She sniffled quietly, a small whimper escaping her as she desperately clung to the hope that the stars might answer her unspoken wish.
Just as her hope began to falter, the sky above her suddenly ignited with a brilliant golden glow. Startled, she opened her eyes wide, looking up to see a radiant yellow light descending from the night sky. The young basset watched in awe as the light grew closer.
The light's descent slowed as it neared her, and with a soft bonk, it landed gently on her head. "Ow!" she yelped, more in surprise than pain, as she reached up to rub the sore spot. Blinking rapidly, she looked down to see what had fallen from the sky. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes widened in disbelief.
Before her lay a yellow gem, shaped like a diamond and pulsating with a gentle, otherworldly energy. She carefully picked it up, cradling it in her hands as though it were the most precious thing in the world.
"Whoa..." she whispered, her voice trembling with awe. Her heart raced with a mix of emotions—joy, relief, and hope—as she stared at the gem. A wide smile began to spread across her face, pushing away her fears. "A wishing star! It... it worked!" she giggled, her voice filled with childlike excitement.
She jumped to her feet, holding the gem high above her head, the moonlight reflecting off its light around her. For a brief moment, the clearing was filled with her joyous laughter. The mysterious gem, glowing brightly in her hands, filled her heart with a sense of wonder and possibility that she had almost forgotten.
Clutching the gem tightly to her chest, she closed her eyes once more, but this time, her prayer was one of gratitude. "Thank you..." she whispered to the stars, hugging the gem close to her.
Dragon Valley – Lilac's Treehouse, Morning Hours
As the first rays of dawn broke over the horizon, the morning light filtered through the windows of Lilac's treehouse, over the cozy living room. The room exuded a peaceful ambiance, with its family-sized sofa positioned comfortably in the center, a portrait of a dragon hanging proudly on the wooden walls, and a shelf filled with various trinkets. The television sat quietly in front of the sofa.
On top of the sofa lay Sonic the Hedgehog, sprawled out comfortably. He had insisted on taking the sofa to avoid bothering anyone. As the light of the morning sun began to illuminate the room, Sonic stirred, a lazy yawn escaping his lips as he stretched his limbs.
"Huff, that was a good sleep," he muttered, rubbing his eyes and trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep, the memories of the previous day slowly coming back to him.
Sonic and Tails had spent the night in the treehouse, grateful for the warm hospitality of their new friends. After a long day of excitement and danger, the two had shared a hearty meal with Lilac and Carol, settling down for a much-needed rest. Sonic recalled the dinner—ramen, they had called it. It was a dish he wasn't too familiar with, but it hadn't been half bad. He chuckled to himself, thinking that maybe it could have used a bit of chili for that extra kick, but overall, it had filled his belly. More importantly, the company had made the meal all the more enjoyable.
As he lay on the sofa, Sonic reminisced about the conversations they had shared the night before. He and Tails had eagerly recounted their past adventures to the girls, each story met with wide-eyed amazement and enthusiasm. Sonic had told of his early days on South Island, while Tails excitedly explained how they had met on West Side Island. The girls had listened intently to their stories.
Sonic chuckled as he remembered the look on Lilac and Carol's faces when he mentioned Little Planet and its mysterious time-warping abilities. The story had left them in shock, their eyes practically sparkling with fascination. He snorted as he recalled how Lilac had practically begged him to share every detail about Angel Island, her excitement palpable.
"Yep, the moment she steps on Angel Island, she's going to combust with joy," Sonic said to himself with a smirk as he sat up on the couch. He hadn't told them everything, preferring to let Lilac experience the wonders of Angel Island for herself when the time came. But his mind was now occupied with more pressing matters.
"Eggman…" Sonic thought to himself, his expression growing serious. It seemed that the doctor wasn't working alone this time. He had that Serpentine guy with him, which was strange enough, but there was something else—something off about the whole situation. Eggman had seemed… colder, more sinister than usual. And then there was that other name that had been mentioned: Brevon. Sonic didn't know why, but something about it all felt... wrong.
He let out another yawn, shaking his head. "Eh, whatever. We'll figure it out later," he finally said, brushing off the uneasy feeling.
Sonic glanced toward the door where his friends had slept, noticing that it was half-open. He peeked inside curiously and saw the spare bed where Tails had slept—it was empty. Tails was already up and about, but the girls—Lilac and Carol—were still sound asleep in their respective bunk beds. Lilac slept peacefully on the top bunk, a small smile on her face as she dreamed, while Carol was slumped over on the bottom bunk, drool hanging from the corner of her mouth. Sonic couldn't help but snicker as he gently closed the door, careful not to wake them.
"I wonder where Tails is," Sonic mused as he slid the wooden door open and stepped outside to take in the fresh morning air. The forest valley was quiet, the only sounds being the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves. A soft breeze carried the scent of grass and morning dew.
He took in the breeze with a smile, his ears perking up as he started to hear a faint noise coming from Torque's tent, not too far from the treehouse. Curious, Sonic decided to investigate, leaping down from the treehouse and landing softly on the grass. He listened intently as the voices from inside the tent became clearer.
"Your gun used to do that?!" a young, excited voice exclaimed from within.
"Yeah," replied a second, more mature voice with a hint of awkwardness. "My gun used to be able to harness the power of different elements. I could shoot stuff like fire, electricity, water, and the like. But after, uh, some 'unexpected variables,' I had to modify it so it could only shoot lasers."
"Aw, man," the young voice sighed, sounding a little disappointed. "I wish I could have seen it…"
The older voice chuckled. "Don't worry, if you want, I can give you the gun schematics."
"Really?!" the young voice perked up instantly, filled with enthusiasm.
"Sure, why not?"
At that point, Sonic decided to call out. "Hey, Torque! What are you doing in there?" he called, his voice carrying across the clearing.
The tent flaps rustled, and Tails' cheerful face appeared, beaming up at Sonic. "Morning, Sonic!" Tails greeted him, looking particularly excited.
Sonic grinned back. "Morning to you too, bro. What's up? Couldn't sleep?" he teased, knowing full well that Tails was always the first to wake.
Tails chuckled, shaking his head. "You know I'm an early riser. I'm doing fine. I just thought I'd check in on Torque, and, well, we've been geeking out a bit," he explained, his eyes practically sparkling.
Sonic perked up, intrigued. "You guys building something in there?"
Tails nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, come check it out! We've been working on something really cool." He motioned for Sonic to follow him inside the tent.
Sonic, now fully curious, stepped inside the tent. To his surprise, the inside was much larger than it appeared from the outside. The space was filled with crates, various gadgets, and a workbench cluttered with tools and electronic components. Torque sat at the desk, focused on tinkering with what looked like a radio, his expression one of intense concentration.
Torque looked up as Sonic entered, offering a friendly smile. "Hey, Sonic. Slept well?" he asked, setting down his tools and turning to face him.
"You bet," Sonic replied, stretching once more. "So, what's all this?" He gestured to the array of equipment scattered around the tent, his curiosity piqued.
Tails beamed with pride, unable to contain his excitement. "Torque and I built an interference radio! With it, we can intercept any transmissions that Robotnik or Serpentine might send to each other." His eyes shone with enthusiasm as he explained the device. "There are a lot of people living on these islands, so it might be difficult to locate them directly. But with this radio, we can track any suspicious communications and pinpoint their locations much faster!"
Sonic raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "Nice work, guys. Does it work?"
"Let's find out!" Tails said eagerly, turning to Torque. "Hit it, Torque!"
Torque nodded with a confident smile and flipped a switch on the radio. The device crackled to life, emitting a series of beeps and static before a distorted voice broke through the noise.
The voice, though distorted, was clearly not Robotnik or Serpentine. "...coordinates set...project proceeding as planned...ensure no interference..." it said, the words growing clearer with each repetition.
Sonic, Tails, and Torque exchanged wide-eyed looks as the transmission continued. The voice grew louder and clearer until it was unmistakable.
The tent fell silent as the weight of the message sank in.
Back in the treehouse, Lilac and Carol were still fast asleep, curled up in their respective bunk beds. Lilac slept with a contented smile, dreaming peacefully, while Carol snored loudly, her face buried in her pillow.
Within moments, a blue blur raced back into the treehouse, the front door swinging open and closed in a flash. Sonic darted through the living room and into the bedroom, where he quickly grabbed Lilac's hand and Carol's foot, startling them both awake with a jolt.
"S-Sonic?" Lilac stammered, blinking groggily as she tried to make sense of the situation. She looked at him, still holding her hand, confusion written all over her face. "What are you—"
"No time to explain!" Sonic interrupted, urgency in his voice as he tugged her out of bed.
"W-what do you... Whoa!" Lilac yelped as Sonic pulled her to her feet, nearly causing her to stumble.
"Nana… I don't wanna train... Nya!" Carol mumbled, still half-asleep as she was yanked from her bunk like a ragdoll.
Sonic, not wasting any time, dragged the groggy girls out of the bedroom and straight to Torque's tent. Lilac and Carol, still disoriented from being so abruptly awoken, could do little more than scream behind him. Once inside the tent, Sonic unceremoniously dropped them to the floor, causing Lilac to land on her butt with a soft thud and Carol to faceplant into the ground.
"Ow! Sonic!" Lilac protested, trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep as she rubbed her sore bottom.
"Yeah, Bluey... What gives?" Carol grumbled, her voice muffled by the ground as she attempted to push herself up, still more asleep than awake.
Sonic, slightly embarrassed, scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, but you need to hear this," he said, gesturing toward the radio that Tails and Torque had been working on.
Torque, seeing that everyone was now present, pressed the play button on the radio, allowing the earlier transmission to repeat itself clearly for Lilac and Carol to hear:
"Kingdom Stone coordinates set, Zao's mayor reelections project proceeding as planned, arriving at destination, ensure no interference from the Shang Tu Police. Go, go, go!" The sound of a train horn blared before the transmission ended.
The tent fell into a tense silence as everyone processed the message. The Kingdom Stone was in danger, yet again, and this time, the threat was more immediate than ever before.
"Ughhhhhhh!" Carol groaned, still half-asleep as she slammed her head back onto the floor in frustration. "Five more minutes..."
Sonic couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head. "Sorry, Greenie. Looks like our next adventure starts now!" he announced, his voice filled with the eager anticipation of a brand-new day.
{Post A/N}
Whoa wait a moment, Relic Island? Not Relic Maze?
That's right, I decided to change some stuff to better fit the story, Relic Maze now is a whole new separated island and is the center of the three main islands as well as the place where the Kingdom Stone is located.
That's all I am going to say as we start the brand new arc.