SKW World Ring Chaos: Sky Citadel
Sora says as Sonic is leading the Soul Princes and Mya through the Sky Citadel, "I was going to make a comment on going through a Sleeping World similar this, but honestly? This place has that beat."
The Sky Citadel is comprised solely of buildings suspended in the air by unspecified blue orbs on the bottom of them. As such, the area is devoid of any solid ground. The whole city is made of pale rock, and its architecture heavily features pillars, overarching openings, curves and dome-shaped rooftops. Structures here include temple-like buildings, enormously tall walls, floating platforms, ring-shaped roofs and interwoven roads, most of which are held up by pillars suspended in the air. Adorning the surfaces are golden rims and the Ancients' markings. Additionally, floating around the city are cylinder-shaped towers and long arch bridges of immense size.
(after gameplay)
"You're going to have to fill Bentley and Penelope in on the past of this place, Sonic. I can already tell it's a historian's dream." "Will do. The Heartless Detector is freaking out. I think we're close, but getting over the big ravine currently in front of us is not going to be easy." "Huh. This is giving me flashbacks to when I crossed the wires to the Cooper Vault." Kairi comments, "Storytime?" "Storytime."
Playable flashback to Sly 3 goes here.
Sly Cooper (narrating): "A couple years ago, I met this guy, McSweeney, who claimed to have run with my father's crew back in their heyday. They pulled jobs all over the world and amassed quite a collection of priceless items. It was then that McSweeney told me all about the Cooper Vault. It seemed that my father, like all my ancestors, had been hiding their wealth in a secret place for generations, each one adding to the treasure hidden behind a door that, if McSweeney's story is true, only a Cooper can open.
Sly Cooper (narrating): Using some well-placed clues provided by McSweeney, we set out for the secret island that held the vault. On arriving, we discovered someone by the name of Dr. M had already set up shop. From the looks of it, he'd been trying to crack the thing for years, growing steadily more frustrated in his failures and more paranoid as the decades rolled by. He'd built himself a fortress with security as tight as Fort Knox. Getting inside the place would take precision, creativity, and moreover, it would take an army of world-class thieves. Finding and bringing together that much talent won't be easy, but to get inside the Cooper Vault and collect my inheritance, I was willing to pay the price. I embarked on a globetrotting adventure to assemble the crew for the hiest of a lifetime. In the end, Dr. M almost killed me to take my cane…" Ratchet comments, "I see. It was the key to the vault. Clever…" "Bingo."
(After gameplay)
Bentley joins in on Sly's story with the Soul Princes completely engrossed.
Bentley (narrating): We watched as Dr. M just stood there, unwilling to leave as the walls caved in on the vault. He'd spent his life lusting over the Cooper fortune, and he wasn't going to give it up, no matter what the cost.
Bentley (narrating): Our exit was a little rough, but Murray managed to get us out just in time to witness the final fate of the Cooper legacy. It was a bittersweet moment; the end of the road always is. We both looked on, lost in our thoughts, thinking back on all of the adventures that had brought us here. The people we'd met and places we'd seen. We'd worked for a long time to get Sly into that vault, and now its secrets were hidden again, this time for good. I can only hope that he'd found what he was looking for in there.
Bentley (narrating): We searched every inch of the island for Sly, retrieving the gang one by one, only to make the surprising discovery that he didn't want to be found. As always, he'd left a calling card. Only this time, it was worth millions. The months rolled by and when Sly still hadn't shown up, Murray headed back east to complete his training with the Guru. Without Sly as our leader, for the first time we each had to step out on our own. A difficult thing; we'd been together ever since we'd met at the orphanage. Shortly after, I started working on the Continum Jumper, and then things really went downhill. But that's a story for another day…"
The group, having crossed the ravine, now moves into the area where the Sky Crystal was once located, changing into their Mage Costumes in preparation. Sora notices, "It feels like there's been movement around the Crystal. Almost like someone was climbing out of the rubble…" "Or..someTHING. Something that didn't exist until recently. And depending on how you want to look at the definition of one of the terms used in my adventures, still doesn't. Ray, do you think you could do a quick check on the energy supply of this thing?" "On it." A few minutes later, Ray comes back with his report. "There's very little darkness still in there. Something was created using that energy. And I think that thing… is Sonic's Nobody. Siccy." "That answers the question of why we look so similar… huh." Sonic freezes. "What's going on?" The Sky Crystal starts glowing, and in the air… is another Keyhole. Sonic comments, "Sora, do your thing." "Ready, Sly?" Cue iconic Keyhole sealing gesture as it is locked and… the beam of light keeps going?" "Guys, I think we found a secret place on the other side of the room. And is that music?"
(After gameplay)
Sly comments, "Man, that was a workout." The other Soul Princes comment, "Agreed. Mya, mind being our lookout while we search this room?" "Absolutely."
(after gameplay)
"There's no mistaking it. This is the Chaos Galaxy's World Ring. The Ring of Rage, colored red. Now what about that music? (Sonic Boom theme song plays)
Tails comments, "It seems like it's missing a significant section." Sonic comments, "The other galaxies of the Universe of Life probably have the other parts of the song… just what track are we rebuilding?"
Siccy comments, "We'll find out. Mya, you coming?" "I'll stay nearby to protect the Chaos Galaxy, and hopefully learn more about myself. I think I still need to process all of this."
"In that case…"
(Sly opens up a portal back to town for Mya, and the Soul Princes get ready to return to their home base.)
"If we need support when it comes time for the final battle, we'll come get you. That's a promise."
End Chapter