Chapter 161
Mesto the Sly
Three members of the imperial honor guard escorted Mesto to the throne room. Each machine was shaped like a humanoid hedgehog and was coated in the densest synthesized metal. When Mesto had first seen these automatons he had been awed by their appearance. Each was colored after one of the precious metals from the emperor's home world, and was powered by a core energized by a dozen Sol Gems.
Mesto assumed that the emperor had chosen a hedgehog for efficiency's sake, and the first time he saw them in battle that appeared a stroke of pure genius. He soured on that opinion after he had met Sonic and learned about the emperor's history with the blue haired hero. The machines were merely copies, fabrications of the power that the emperor so feared. In that sense, they were permanent testaments to his fragility.
A sly smile stretched across Mesto's face as he encouraged himself with that thought. Less than twelve hours remained until Iblis was set to activate and the Flames of Disaster unleashed. This was the critical moment, the final turning in Mesto's partnership with the emperor.
The emperor was no fool. He would expect treachery from Mesto and no doubt intended to intimate him with a show of force. Mesto had never been summoned to the emperor like a dog, and such a request hardly necessitated the use of the emperor's most powerful enforcers.
Robotnik had abruptly returned from earth earlier than scheduled. Ships were swiftly sent down to the planet to bring Mesto up to Iblis, the great space station and masterwork of the empire. Though the transporter had been destroyed during Infinite's battle with Sonic, Mesto still had his own ships he could have used. The emperor had meant to send a message, forcing Mesto to come before him as a lackey and not as an equal.
Mesto buried his resentment deep inside and focused instead on the marvelous architecture within Iblis. Science and technology had been rather new concepts to Mesto. Before he had met Robotnik, Mesto had considered himself an alchemist. His arts were no doubt crude and even barbaric in comparison to the emperor's advanced, systematized science. However, Mesto was not intimidated by the complexity. He had learned swiftly and had even figured out that his own brand of alchemy was really just a complex form of bioscience. In that arena, Mesto's expertise even surpassed the emperor.
Iblis was the culmination of both their genius, a living machine that far surpassed what either of them were capable of creating on their own. Mesto could feel the vitality of the space station. Like a living body, there was an endless cacophony of motion as billions of divergent systems worked tirelessly to fuel the endeavor of the one. The vibrant hum of activity thundered behind the sleek silver walls.
Soon. Mesto thought greedily. All the hard work and effort would pay off. It was only natural that Mesto himself reap the benefits. The emperor had been invaluable, but it was Mesto who had truly set the stage. It was he, after all, that secured Robotnik's victory in the civil war, and he was the one who told him about the Sol Gems in the first place. The power of Arvana should not go to some stranger. Mesto thought, filled with a sense of self righteous surety. That power belongs to me. I will be Arvana's god, I am Solaris.
His chest swelled with the bloom of imminent triumph. However, the further Mesto progressed into the station the more aware he became of something lacking. Whenever he had come here before he had always felt the pressure of the heart at the heart of the station. It was impossible to describe exactly how one could sense the power of Iblis growing within the station other than by noting a certain heaviness to the air. That pressure was gone now, and Mesto sensed a deep emptiness within Iblis that sent a shiver down his back.
He was taken to the central command center. As Iblis was a machine completely operated by self driving systems, the command center was not a stuffed room filled with consoles and terminals, but a vast open chamber more reminiscent of a throne room.
The walls which circled the room were made of a clear thick glass that gave one a view of the darkness of space. In terms of shape and design, the emperor had clearly intended to recreate the grandeur of the imperial throne room while removing any vestiges of colorful embellishment. It was a gray room, with cold metal floors and a gray domed roof. Without anything to distract, the eyes were therefore drawn to the raised dais and the throne, and most importantly, to the emperor.
Mesto's footsteps echoed loudly in the empty space followed closely by the low grinding hiss of the mechanical machines that escorted him. The emperor had changed. He no longer wore the extravagant vestments of his regal office. His huge form was shrouded in a black cloth, and his head covered by a strange mask. Like the room itself, the lack of color upon the emperor's person only further enhanced the glory of his magisterial crown. The gold looked transformed, carrying within it the very flame of a golden sun.
In previous visits, the wall behind the emperor had been the only one not made of glass. A single red banner used to hang from the ceiling and displayed the personal insignia of the emperor. That banner was gone. The blank gray wall now displayed a new symbol. Two diamonds crossed through a triangle enveloped by a circle. The symbol appeared to have been drawn directly onto the wall in blood.
Mesto felt a sudden chill trace down his back. The fingers of his gloved hand twitched. The Sol Gem built into the mechanized glove flashed suddenly and dimmed. Mesto knelt, the pulse in his neck skipping several beats.
The metal hedgehog's drew back into the shadows of the room. Mesto waited, hardly daring to breathe too loud. He knew the emperor was making him wait to flex his superiority. Mesto wanted to resist, but his neck felt as if an invisible hand was forcing it down. At long last, the emperor spoke. "Rise."
The voice sounded distorted. Mesto wrinkled his nose, as his whiskers twitched and stood on end. He heard the command from above, but he also heard a faint echo originate from behind him. Mesto stood up and crossed his arm over his chest. Now that he was closer, he had a better view of the emperor's new mask. It was a crude, misshapen mess of iron, clay and nails. The visage etched upon it hardly registered as a human as if it had been carved by a blind man. What served as the narrow slits for eyes were illuminated with a faint red light. Beyond the gaps, Mesto could just register the menacing gleam of the emperor's eyes. "You called me?" Mesto's own voice sounded weak and hollow. It echoed faintly before dying in a low whisper.
"I ordered you to distract the princess of the Thirteens. To ensure that she remained in the city, and ceased her rebellious activity." Again when the emperor spoke, Mesto heard it from above, but felt it from everywhere.
"And so I have," Mesto answered. Again his voice sounded weak and died instantly in the expansive space. "She will no longer pose a problem."
The emperor leaned forward on his throne. Whenever he shifted, a black shadow seemed to move behind him, casting a gigantic reflection upon the back wall. "You killed her. Your lust for revenge blinded you, causing you to ignore my direct command."
"I assure you, my liege, I never intended to disobey. The princess had to die. The Thirteens themselves demanded it. I only did what I thought best to maintain order."
"A sly answer, from a sly fox. Things in the city progressed exactly as you intended them. You laid your traps carefully and you laid them well. The rebels walked blindly into your net, or so you think. You may remove that disguise."
Mesto's face twitched, but he quickly mastered himself. Trying to appear unaffected, Mesto bowed a second time. Upon rising, he undid the illusion that covered his face. The fake scars and burns melted away. Mesto stood upright and forced himself to speak in a commanding, unflinching tone. "I wanted you to take the threat of the rebels seriously. I feared that Blaze would prove a major problem, and I did what I thought necessary to remove her." While speaking, Mesto reached behind his back and withdrew the summoning charm from his belt.
"No doubt your actions were merely that of a humble servant," The emperor said mockingly. "However, did you ever consider that I gave specific orders for a reason? You thought you were the one pulling the strings, but it was the princess that used you." The shadow behind the emperor expanded, filling the emptiness of the throne room in darkness. "She wanted you to kill her. The betrayal and murder of the innocent princess was the final sin that would unleash the flames of judgment. You were the Iblis Trigger all along."
Robotnik rose from his throne. He seemed larger than before, his body huge and enshrouded by a cloak of absolute night. Mesto shivered and felt his insides go cold. "What are you talking about," He stammered, while taking a half step back. "Iblis is just a myth, a fantasy made up by the deranged priests-"
"It was," The emperor said menacingly. "But we have made it real. If you had stayed your hand then the Flames of Disaster would have been released naturally and the power of deity would be mine. Instead, you allowed the princess to trick you. When you executed her the Flames of Disaster were unleashed and she absorbed them all into herself. To kill one girl you ruined everything we worked for."
"What?" Mesto stood back. Flashes of Blaze's execution passed through his mind. The fires that had broken through the surface, the fire from the sky, the tremors and lastly the blood moon. Mesto trembled. He had never known a fear like the one he experienced when he saw Arvana's sky turn red. The potency of that omen still lingered in his bones. "It can't be…I…"
Robotnik strode down the long dais. Every heavy footstep made the ground shudder beneath his colossal weight. "Check for yourself. The power we had been so carefully building is all gone."
Mesto took another step back. "I…that can't be…how was I to know?"
"If you had followed my orders you would not have needed to. Was it so hard to endure her presence? Is your ego so frail that you had to kill her?" Robotnik laughed. It was a horrible sound that did not seem to originate from the emperor. Mesto felt it echo in his own skull, drowning out his attempts to get his thoughts in order. "Even her ghost terrifies you. I heard how you took refuge in your little tower, hiding as far underground as you possibly could."
Robotnik reached the final step. He towered over Mesto, his cloak billowing in the windless room. "I was to create the perfect universe. Everything would be made anew, and set in perfect order. That power is gone from me now. You nearly ruined everything."
Mesto halted. "Nearly?" He asked hopefully.
"That's right Mesto. You will have a chance to redeem yourself, and make yourself useful to me. When the fires went out I despaired of life itself. I risked the use of Eidolon but the consciousness I had sensed within the planet was gone. Instead my mind was sent adrift, and in the deep vacuum of nothingness I found an echo of the one. Now at last, at the end I understand. If I cannot make myself a god, I will simply bring my defied self into this world."
"What are you talking about?" Mesto asked. "Valom warned you against overusing that machine."
"And he was right to," Robotnik continued. "My mortal body has wasted away. I do not have long to live. I wagered this flesh on the promise of a divine ascension. But now I have found the true purpose of my being. That echo, that mind that I made contact with. It was mine. I called to myself, my divine self called out to me. It is trapped beyond the world, and only I can bring him to reality."
Mesto tried to speak, but he was momentarily frozen in fear. The eyes behind the emperor's mask burned with a crimson glare that was the perfect match for the Blood Moon that haunted over Arvana.
"I will clear the path for the one to come. I have always and ever been his vassal. And yet in him, I also have my triumph. His coming into the world shall be its unmaking, and at last the universe shall be set in order."
"Who?" Mesto snapped. "Who are you talking about?"
Robotnik's voice slowed. He spoke with a terrorizing relish that made Mesto's spine shake. "The Titan of time, bender of chaos, molder of entropy, guider of fate, the spark that livens the universe, the heat death that destroys it, the singularity of possibility and the expansive rip of destruction. The end and the beginning, the never and the always; The Realm Lord."
The gravity within the room swelled. Mesto felt a humongous pressure on his back almost prompting him to bow. He resisted to the point that his legs rocked back and forth. "We can still win," Mesto squeaked. "Even without Iblis, we can still rule the universe."
Robotnik shook his head. "That is not our destiny. The fate of all things is to be unmade by the Realm Lord. Only when this world of contradiction and disorder is wiped clean, can the world of order and perfection be brought into being."
"So…what are you saying?" Mesto could not suppress the shudders of fear that were racking his body. His spine lurched forward as the pressure pushed him down. "What about our empire?"
"Our empire?" Robotnik mused. "You have been a useful tool Mesto, but even you must have known that there can only be one head to one crown."
"You can't win without me," Mesto spat. "You don't have enough power to destroy everything."
"I don't," Robotnik agreed. "But he does." The emperor moved aside and gestured to the blood stained wall. "The Realm Lord is coming. I shall pave the way and once he is here, his presence alone will rip this universe apart."
Mesto dropped to his knees. Sonic was right. The emperor intends to destroy everything. It took every ounce of Mesto's strength to push down on the summoning charm and whisper the incantation. A void of darkness materialized between Mesto and the emperor. The familiar aura of dread that preceded Infinite's arrival spread throughout the chamber. However, instead of fear, Mesto was filled with refreshed courage. "The game of empire has gone to your head," Mesto cackled wildly. "You are not the only one to have the power of a god at your fingertips."
Infinite hovered out of the void. At his arrival, the emperor's guards immediately rushed to their lord's defense. Mesto dived out of the way as the battle ignited in an explosion of sparks. Powered with dozens of Sol Gems each, the emperor's machines were overwhelmingly destructive. However, they lacked any creativity in their attacks, falling easily into predictive patterns. Infinite wielded the power of the Phantom Ruby much more naturally. His movements were impossible for Mesto to track as the fight progressed to a speed beyond mortal sight.
The entire space station shook and trembled from the force of the combat. Mesto cowered with his arms covering his head. He watched as the emperor turned aside and walked back up the dais to resume sitting on his throne.
The battle seemed to last an eternity. Mesto sat with his face buried in his knees as the entire station lurched side to side. One by one, Robotnik's honor guards would make a final gambit and attempt to take Infinite out with a self destruct. Each time Infinite would bait them in close and then transport them out into space. From the window, Mesto could see a faint pop as the mechanized hedgehogs exploded harmlessly in a silent spark of pink light.
As explosively as it started, the fight ended in silence. Infinite dispatched the last guard and ripped its last Sol Gem out of its discarded skull before crushing the stone powder. Now they were alone with the emperor. Mesto rose unsteadily to his feet.
"It's over," He yelled at Robotnik. Mesto flexed his gloved hand and sparks of pink lighting flashed out of the fingertips. "I will need to keep you alive so you can serve as the public face of my reign. My reputation is still too tainted for me to openly claim the throne." Mesto allowed a wide smirk to stretch his face. "But then again you are so hideously deformed that I won't need you at all. My illusions will allow me to simply copy your old face on any of my servants."
Infinite hovered to Mesto's side and the two of them walked up the dais. The emperor did not flinch. "If my heart stops this station will plummet towards the surface. The impact will destroy the planet and there will be nowhere for you to run."
Mesto only allowed himself to falter for half a second. "Alive then. That's just as well. But you might regret that."
Robotnik merely glared back at Mesto, his eyes burned like red stars between the slits in his hideous mask.
Mesto snarled. "You think you can scare me with that mask?" He lunged forward and ripped the mask away. The clay pieces crumbled instantly into powder. Mesto stumbled backward and slipped down the dais steps.
"What the-" His fall was saved by Infinite who caught him by the arm.
Robotnik's skull burned like metal freshly put to the torch. The skin was wrapped tightly to the bone, stretched taut to the point where it was beginning to tear. All of the muscles had turned a grotesque shade of orange. His eyes were deeply mined into the face and encircled by deep black pits. Terrifying shreds of torn skin flapped haplessly near the jaw bone.
"What have you done?" Mesto asked in alarm.
Robotnik raised his hand and pointed to the floor. Mesto checked his feet and saw that he was suddenly encircled by a black shadow. Purple hands reached out of the darkness and seized him by the legs. Mesto screamed as a purple and black phantom ascended out of the floor. Hardened claws pressed against his neck and his head was pulled back.
"Wait!" Mesto called Infinite off who had already materialized his blazing red plasma sword.
Robotnik rose from his throne and picked up his broken mask. He placed the remaining section on the left side of his face. "Mesto allow me to introduce you to Mephiles the Dark."
Mesto groaned as the phantom tightened its grip. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the doors to the throne room open. A dorsal headed creature floated into the room, bringing along a cloud of unnatural darkness.
"Black Doom?" Mesto snarled. "Is this another one of your abominations?"
Black Doom said nothing. His devilish three eyes turned on Mesto and narrowed with intense dislike.
Mesto felt a spear of icy dread penetrate his heart. "Kill me and Infinite will destroy you all!" His fragile scream echoed faintly.
On cue, Infinite's aura spread outward. Dozens of red cubes materialized out of thin air to create a barrier around Infinite. Faster than light, Infinite vanished. A cube struck Mephiles in the head knocking him backwards. At that same moment, Infinite appeared by Black Doom and blasted him into one of the windows. Unrestrained, Mesto raced over to Infinite who covered them both in a shield of red energy.
Mesto allowed his relief to show. He laughed faintly, his chest heaving from the effort. "So close," He said dramatically. Mesto's eyes darted from Black Doom over to the emperor. "I knew that this day would come eventually. Neither of you freaks are fit to rule. You have played your part, but it is time for you to step off the stage."
Mesto fired a light spray of lightning at Robotnik. The blast struck him in the chest and sent him crumbling onto his throne. The imperial crown fell and landed with a dull thud on the dais steps. Mesto laughed. "You are a genius Robotnik, but all that genius has driven you mad. This nonsense about the Realm Lord and unmaking reality is proof of your delusion. But take heart. I will use your technology to conquer this universe. You wanted Iblis to make you a god, but you misunderstand deity. A god is not a god because it crosses some threshold of power, it is a god because it has all the power. There is no need for me to rise much further above myself, I will simply have to bring down the rest of the universe."
He laughed again, feeling a manic glee from his narrow escape. He turned to Black Doom. "Your necromancy is still a mystery to me. I wish we could have worked together, but you are too much of a freak." Mesto zapped a second jet of lighting at Black Doom. Mephiles intercepted, catching the attack and holding the energy back with one hand. "I'll hold it off!" Mesto yelled. "Infinite, kill the others!"
Infinite took a half step forward, but then paused. He stood motionless for a moment before turning on Mesto. The attack was so sudden that it was several seconds before Mesto had registered what had happened. He saw his own gloved hand floating in midair, the stream of pink lighting still crackling. Droplets of blood hovered in space as the hand twisted around. Mesto's eyes widened as he looked down at the red stump at the end of his arm.
Then he felt the pain. Mesto screamed and dropped to his knees. Blood sprayed from the wound and his hand fell beside him with a dull clunk. Mephiles rushed forward and hoisted Mesto to his feet. Black Doom came forward and took one of the golden chains from his neck and placed it near the gushing wound. He spoke words in an unknown language and Mesto screamed again as a totalizing agony streaked up his elbow to flow out into his entire body.
His legs thrashed as the pain crescendoed. With nowhere for it to go, it raided up into Mesto's head until he thought his skull would crack.
Black Doom moved aside and the pain receded. Mesto's chest drummed outward as he took in gulps of air. Smoke billowed from the wound. The skin had been folded back and cauterized. Mephiles released him and Mesto fell back to the floor. His entire body convulsed uncontrollably. It required his absolute focus just to try and catch his breath.
As the room refocused around him, he saw the emperor rise to his feet and retrieve his crown. He walked over to Mesto, his huge frame towering over him. "You've miscalculated." A firm hand pressed upon the back of Mesto's neck. Robotnik held him tightly to the floor. "Did you really believe you were ever a player in this game? You have simply been a piece, you have always been mine to command across the board."
Mesto clutched at his wounded arm. "Kill them…" He gasped. "Infinite…kill them all…"
Robotnik's terrifying laughter filled Mesto's head as he was lifted off the floor. Red energy coiled around him like chains to hold him firm. Mesto floated off the ground and rotated slowly in a circle. Infinite stood before him, his red plasma sword still burning in one hand while the other controlled Mesto's binds.
It had been ages since Mesto had looked closely at his subordinate. The mask he had made for Infinite had been fractured by repeat battles. Zero's face was almost completely visible beneath the remaining shards. Both of his eyes were closed over by ruined skin.
"Kill them…" Mesto pleaded. "We can still rule…all the power…it can be ours…"
"You are a fool," Robotnik whispered. He circled around to place his hand upon Infinite's shoulder. "Did you really believe that you could hide your pet from me?" Robotnik's chest swelled with savage enjoyment. "I was not sure if he would make the right choice. His loyalty to you was quite strong, Mesto. But in the final hour, it seems he saw you as you really are."
Mesto did his best to ignore the emperor. He kept both his eyes on Infinite. "You did not attain all that power just to die. Kill them now, while you have the chance."
Robotnik laughed again. "You are showing your weakness Mesto. Does death frighten you so much?"
"I helped you," Mesto continued. "I gave you that power. Everything you have suffered will be for nothing if you let them win."
Infinite raised his free hand and gently touched the surface of the Phantom Ruby. The red gem bore a white scratch across its multifaceted surface, a scar from their last battle against Sonic. "You stole my revenge," Infinite said. "Blaze was mine to kill and you took that victory from me. I told you to let me fight her, to let me prove my superiority. You were too afraid. You took the easy way out and let her trick us."
"Iditiot!" Mesto cried. "What does that matter? They have lost their minds! You have already proven yourself the strongest of all. Why would you allow this weakling to decide your fate?"
"You are the fool," Robotnik replied, his voice as cold as ice. "You are the one that never understood the nature of power. My spies reported everything you said in your little sermons as you fed your subjects to the fires. Power is god, that is what you said. And yet you were foolish enough to bestow the gift of deity on one such as this."
The emperor put his other arm on Infinite, cradling him almost as if he were attempting to comfort his own child. "The power you cursed him with is nothing but a cage, tethering him to life. His power only meant something when it had a purpose, but you robbed him of his destiny. Now he is only a shell."
Robotnik cooed like a mother hen, a display made infinitely more unnatural because of the subhuman state of the emperor's appearance. "Despite yourself I must applaud your genius." The emperor tapped lightly upon the Phantom Ruby. "You truly made the power of the Sol Gems your own. Nothing I made comes close, other than Iblis of course. You were even correct in the name you gave your servant; Infinite. But in that you demonstrated your ignorance." A manic glee flashed in the emperor's unhidden eye. "Infinity is not eternity. Time stretched out endlessly with neither beginning or end may be infinite, but it is not eternal. It merely persists from moment to moment. So does this one's power. It might not have an upper limit, but from one moment to the next, this power is merely a hell, trapping his mortal mind into a defied state."
Robotnik moved over to Mesto. Almost tenderly, he brushed the tufts of hair concealing the scar beneath Mesto's eye. "Pain; that is what you promised him." Though his tone was sympathetic, almost motherly, the smile on his face relished Mesto's torment. "Pain was that fate you doomed him to. Until his last breath Infinite is cursed to be the strongest. You did not help him, Mesto, you stole the only thing that made his torment worthwhile."
Infinite said nothing. The Phantom Ruby pulsed slowly on his chest. Mesto could not help but remember their confrontation when Mesto had made the bargain with him. Zero had barely held to life and could only respond by raising and lowering his heart rate. Mesto realized that his alchemy had not really brought Zero back to life, but had only encaged his weakened, rotted corpse to an all-powerful avatar.
The emperor's smile stretched his ruined, skull-like face to the point where Mesto thought the whole thing would rip. Again, Robotnik put his hands over Infinite as if to shield him from Mesto. "The Realm Lord understands. He is merciful. Once he was a mortal too, and he had the hell of infinity forced upon him, stretching him to the point where his very being was shredded into pieces. But his will was not broken. He seized his broken being and cobbled it back together bit by bit. No other has ascended from mortality to infinity and claimed hold of true eternity. This ascension is all, and in it we will all have our rest. In the Realm Lord's dark oblivion, there will be no more pain, and no more suffering."
Mesto could not think of anything to do other than to scream. His yell hardly reached the tall ceiling. Pitiful and impotent, Mesto screamed and thrashed. Robotnik's laughter easily overrode his cries and soon that sound of insane mirth drowned out all other noise. Mesto's eyes darkened. The room blurred as he fell into a deep sleep.
The dead thing lay beside him. Mesto stirred as a blinding white light flashed down on his face. He tried to move, but his wrists and ankles were pinned down by glowing pink beams of energy. Mesto inhaled slowly and relished the feeling of air filling his lungs. He was alive, and if he was alive then he could still escape. The Hive is waiting for me down on the surface. Mesto allowed his mind to run free with hundreds of calculations. The emperor's forces still dwarfed his own, but Mesto was not completely without contingencies.
Mesto would throw everything he had at the emperor, but he would not leave his own fate to chance. I will have to escape to a new planet. If his forces were defeated then that most likely spelled the doom of both Arvana and Earth. I can start over somewhere else. Mesto thought, just like the emperor did. I could follow his same strategy and take over a different world.
His heart slowed as Mesto reassured himself by going over all his plans. If he could escape, then he could live. Relief so pronounced that he nearly laughed flooded through him, dispelling some of the paralyzing fear.
Now I need to know where I am. He looked around but the bright white light made it impossible for him to see beyond the glare. Mesto turned his head to the left and all his optimism and plans sucked out of him. As though he had been stabbed in the lungs, Mesto's mouth hung open as all the air in his body was expelled.
Iblis's dead heart was cut open and the flesh spread apart. Rusted nails pinned the folded back shreds of organic tissue. Black blood smeared the perfectly white floor. The white light dimmed allowing Mesto a fuller comprehension of his surroundings. He was inside the core of Iblis. The shattered ruins of the golem lay in broken pieces above his head.
Mesto's chest rose and fell. Fear did not describe the sensation that enveloped Mesto, nor could it be merely detailed as terror. It was a complete and total undoing. No longer able to properly process his predicament, his body reacted at random. His heart slowed while his lungs beat rapidly for air. His legs twisted and jerked while his arms and hands were as limp as stone.
There was no longer any glass separating Iblis's heart from the main core. Black Doom drifted in, a heavy stench of death and decay clinging to him like maggots to a corpse. One of his three fingered hands removed a crescent shaped necklace from his chest. The golden metal sparkled. Without saying a word, Black Doom reached down and punctured Mesto's chest with the blade and twisted it up so that the dull edge pulled on the skin without breaking it.
Mesto let out a groan of pain, but he did not try to resist. Black Doom left the crescent blade on Mesto's chest and carried the other end of the chain towards the black heart. Once in position, Black Doom moved his hand rapidly and the chain materialized a twin crescent shaped blade. Black Doom stabbed this blade into the center of the heart and twisted it around so that it matched the position on Mesto.
"Don't…" Mesto wheezed faintly. Tears were streaming down his face. "Please…"
Black Doom looked down at him. The twisted, shrunken face had no mouth and did not seem even capable of empathy. "There is only one god." Black Doom's voice filled Mesto's head and filled his body with a piercing, zapping pain. "Death. Not power, not light, the only true eternity is the eternity of non-being; oblivion."
The white light vanished. Darkness enveloped Mesto. For a second, the three red eyes of Black Doom hovered above him, but then they vanished. Mesto was left lying in the dark. His heart beat so heavily in his chest it made his whole body shake.
Drum.
"No…" If he could, Mesto would have torn out of his own skin to have escaped. He commanded his body to writhe, to pull against his restraints, to fight. Instead, he sat completely still, so still he even stopped breathing. Perhaps he had imagined it. Perhaps it was just a nightmare.
Drum.
Mesto turned his head slightly. Something moved beside him. He could just make out the silhouette of the motionless heart.
Drum.
It was so subtle that Mesto once again convinced himself it wasn't real. He closed his eyes and held them shut so hard he created a buzz in his own head. It's dead. It's dead.
Drum. Drum.
The crescent blade twitched. Mesto groaned as it rose upward, suddenly pulling tight on his skin.
Drum. Drum. Drum. Drum.
Mesto knew what would happen next. He ordered his body to move, but his inner self had retreated so deep inside that he was no longer in command. The darkness abated and Mesto stood in a cramped but familiar cellar. He sat across from a young gray fox. The child covered his head with his arms. Beyond the cellar door, they could both hear raised voices.
There was a loud smack! And crash and the sounds of a woman screaming. The child looked at the door, his eyes wide with fear. Smack, smack! The woman was being beaten to death. Mesto turned from the door to the child. "Do something!" He urged. But the child did not move. It continued to tremble, each loud smack caused it to cover its ears. "Do something!" Mesto yelled. The blows were getting louder, the woman's screams increasingly fainter. The child covered his face. Smack. Something heavy collapsed on the floor. The noise outside the cellar muted. Blood trickled beneath the gap.
"Rise."
Mesto stood and lowered his head reverently. Emperor Zertian considered him with a heavy scowl. The colossal walrus had his hands wrapped tightly on the armrests of his throne.
"My advisors tell me that you would make a perfect governor."
"It has always been my greatest ambition to serve the empire," Mesto replied with practiced indifference.
"I'm sure it is," Zertain said mockingly. "We've never allowed a native of this province to serve in the role. Your people are proud and stubborn. An imperial governor's loyalty must be to the empire above all. But you people are bound to your priests and false god."
Mesto did not take the bait. "The history of my people is long, as is their memory. Religion and tradition has its place, but they should never come in the way of stable government. My loyalty is to peace and prosperity, and by that measure, my loyalty is to the empire who has given that to us."
"A well rehearsed speech," Zertian sneered. "But there has not been peace in many years. I need a strong governor in this province, one whose loyalty I can trust beyond doubt. Already my spies tell me that insurrectionists plots are made and foiled everyday in this cursed land."
"Some are merely carried on by the winds of the time. They hear of rebellions in distant lands and think to make themselves heroes." Mesto stopped short after seeing the look of rage blooming on Zertian's face. "However, they are misguided and few in number. Their poisoned words only work on the masses when they include a drop of truth. For instance, many in this province believe that the empire doesn't care for them. Placing one of their own in a high position would go a long way in settling the unrest."
Zertian's knuckles cracked audibly. "Why should I care for those who harbor the words of traitors in their hearts?"
"They are only people," Mesto said cautiously. "If you were to elect me as your governor then many would see that the rebels are just upstarts who will never be satisfied with anything less than battle and mayhem."
The emperor leaned back in his throne and mindlessly toyed with the sharp edges of his large tusks. Mesto watched him carefully. He knew that if Zertian took longer than a minute to respond then he already had his answer. Mesto lowered his head again so that no one would see the sly smirk spreading on his face.
Now they shall see. He thought to himself. I can be worthy after all. Once Zertian makes me his governor I will be able to rally the people against him. Together, we could really rule this kingdom.
A minute passed and Mesto's triumph had arrived. Zertian snorted and readjusted himself on his throne. The emperor had almost no diplomatic skill. He made it painfully obvious that Mesto had cornered him, and that he would give him the position despite it going against his instincts.
"Very well. You may have the post, Lord Mesto." Zertian glared at him intently. "But know this. You are first and foremost my instrument. This province must remain firmly under my control, I don't care how fiercely you must push these ingrates down."
Stars twinkled above the gardens filling them with a bright silver glow. Mesto paced back and forth in the centermost circle. His nervous energy did not allow him to appreciate the beauty. A regal imperial cloak flowed down his back. He wore a new gilded brooch and a brilliant silver blade bounced on his hip. The weapon felt awkward as Mesto had never been much accustomed to combat. However, he had chosen his outfit carefully. I must look the part.
He stirred as he heard motion. Mesto took a deep breath and stood up straight. Blaze and her entourage appeared moments later. She seemed to glow in the twilight, glimmering with a light that did not seem so much as a reflection of the light around them but actually originated from within her very being.
Blaze was accompanied by three of her knights. Mesto was dejected to find her half-brother Silver with her. The young upstart had always hated Mesto. He smirked jovially at him and whispered something into the ear of his fellow knight, Tristen, another youth. Both of them laughed and Mesto felt his face flush.
"So he appointed you the new governor?" Blaze said. Her tone was neither congratulatory nor accusatory.
Mesto inclined his head. "Yes, I was able to convince Zertian of my trustworthiness."
Blaze smiled faintly, but it was the sort of look that carried with it a note of disappointment. "Do you not intend to serve him faithfully?"
Mesto blanched, realizing that he had walked straight into the trap. The princess and her knights were obsessed with honor and fair play. It was as childish as it was inept, but Mesto knew that he had to play along. He could not openly flaunt his deceit in front of her.
"Doing what's best for our people, is what is best for the empire," Mesto said, picking his words carefully.
"Spoken like a true politician." Gawain, one of the more veteran knights glared openly at Mesto while leaning upon a tall sniper rifle.
Mesto ignored this and kept his focus on Blaze. "Zertian will not show us any leniency. He cannot afford to have the eastern borders look weak while his forces are busy in the north. If he even sniffs rebellion he will respond with brutal force."
"But he has already pushed the people to the breaking point. Poverty runs rampant and nearly all of our wealth is owned by imperial elites."
"I know," Mesto said, straining to keep himself from smiling. "It will take time, but I believe we can make some changes. We just have to convince Zertian that it is in his best interest to help our province. If he cannot see the light, then we can slowly undermine him."
"And where's the honor in that?" Silver challenged. The youth's eyes were alight with the thirst for battle.
Again, Mesto ignored the interruption. "It will take time, but we can slowly pressure the noble families and guilds, and force them to make concessions."
Blaze frowned. "To what end? The emperor's taxes would still be too high, and those that collect them would rather fight than lose their precious stream of revenue."
"We would have to make concessions also," Mesto answered. "If we are careful and clever, we can see to it that everyone wins. Taxing our people into poverty will not fill the imperial coffers. A strong Soleanna is a strong empire."
Silver scoffed. "Is that going to be your slogan?"
"It may not be as glamorous as a futile death in battle, but it will save our people," Mesto snapped.
Blaze held up her hand and stopped Silver from arguing back. "Knights, please allow me to speak to Mesto alone." There was a fair bit of grumbling done for this request, but ultimately Mesto and Blaze were left alone.
Mesto shuddered from nerves as he and Blaze walked deeper into the garden. "There is more," Mesto ventured. "I did not want to say it in front of the others."
"I assumed as much," Blaze said with a polite smile.
Emboldened by her friendly tone, Mesto continued. "We need not serve Zertian forever. The empire's entire system is too fundamentally broken to be fully repaired. A clean break would be best for the future of the kingdom. But to do that we would need a strong leader." He stopped suddenly and reached for Blaze's hands. "We could do it together. I know I have little right to ask you of this. I am a nobody with no family, but I have risen to this height all on my own."
Mesto knelt in the grass. "Marry me. Make me the King of Soleanna and together we can overthrow Zertian!"
This all spilled out of Mesto at a rapid pace. His long rehearsed speech was forgotten in the daze of the moment. Now he knelt in the grass with his heart racing, his mind turning over what he had said, wondering if he had fumbled his one chance.
"If you spoke the truth you would not have to agonize over your words." Blaze's tone had changed. She sounded sharp and regal.
"What-" Mesto stammered. "I…I thought you knew-"
"You do not love me," Blaze said firmly. "You love only what you think you can get from me."
Mesto changed tactics quickly. "This isn't about love. It is about our country. We can save it together."
"I will not hand Soleanna from one tyrant only to put it in the hands of a liar."
"A liar?" Mesto slowly picked himself up. His body trembled with rage. "You can't be so naive? Do you think Zertian would have made me governor if I told him the truth?"
"I don't think you even know what the truth is." Blaze glared at him, her yellow eyes swirled with orange flames. "Do not think you can trick me with your honeyed words as you did the emperor. Your only goal is to rule."
"Together!" Mesto insisted, once again drawing near to her. "I know what you're capable of, I know that you can rule. Let us do it together. Once the throne is ours we can overthrow Zertian and establish a kingdom better than any that came before it!" He threw up his hands in exasperated excitement.
"With your power and my mind we could make a perfect world!" Mesto lost control of himself. Almost heedless of Blaze he began to speak about the future. The cities and systems he had long labored inside his mind he suddenly let loose. With every word he constructed a government that surpassed all others, just and fair, but undeniably all powerful, a leviathan that demanded absolute obeisance but was also worthy of love. At the height of this goliath, of this totalizing force, of this tower to reach the heavens, Mesto and Blaze would stand together at the zenith of all life.
"Once we are there," Mesto said, now breathless from his long speech. "Then there will be peace forever."
Blaze remained stoic. She had not interrupted or reacted during his long tirade. "Thank you," She said finally. "At last I think you spoke some truth, though there were many falsehoods mixed in."
Mesto deflated. "What-"
"There would only be one left standing at the top," Blaze persisted. "And that would be you. But still, I thank you for speaking your mind. Now I think you can understand why I must refuse you. The power you desire belongs to Solaris and to Him alone."
"Solaris?" Mesto allowed his frustration to show. "Don't let the lies of the priests delude you! That old legend is just a story. They want to keep us down, to stop us from wanting more. It is because of Solaris and all that drivel about the Flames of Disaster that we are the laughing stock of the world. It is the reason we are so behind while everyone else advances."
"Advances?" Blaze's eyebrows rose. "Advances to where? What you call progress accelerates headlong into nothing. It has no destination, no end in mind. So how can it progress? Unless of course, you mean to say, the world progresses when it steps nearer to the point where you; Lord Mesto, are finally entrenched at the very top."
Mesto frowned. "That is not what I meant. I want peace and prosperity for the kingdom the same as you do."
"No," Blaze shook her head. "You want to rule. If the welfare of Soleanna was offered to you on one hand with the cost being your own ignominy and humiliation, but on the other hand, the absolute destruction of Soleanna and your rise to absolute power on the other, which do you think you would choose?"
Mesto shrunk. He created the lie instantly in his mind, but his mouth would not obey. Somehow he felt as though the princess would force him to admit the truth. "If Soleanna had to die for Arvana to live at peace, wouldn't it be the noble thing to allow its destruction?"
Blaze frowned, abject disappointment flowered in her eyes. "You are a sly creature, Mesto. There is talent in you, and the ability to do great things. But you have chosen the wrong path."
Mesto scoffed. "I am offering to save you. Without me, this entire kingdom would fall into pieces. You can keep your honor and withhold your thanks. I will stand between our people and Zertian, and I suppose, if it must be, I will stand alone." His pride shattered, Mesto turned and stormed off into the darkness.
Shadows swelled and then burst at the light of a dozen candles. Several prisoners knelt with their hands tied behind them and sacks over their heads. Mesto sat in the humble wooden throne that served as his governor's chair. His hands were twitching.
"They were speaking out against the emperor," His spies told him as they walked around the prisoners. "We couldn't find any direct links to rebels, but it is good enough."
"Killing them will send a strong message." Yara, the most bloodthirsty of Mesto's initiates, fingered his long knife and looked longingly down at the prisoners.
"But not to the right sources," Mesto said bitterly. "Killing them will only make the people more angry and galvanize the traitors."
"It doesn't matter," Yara spat. "Zertian demanded blood, it's either theirs or yours."
Mesto clutched the emperor's letter in his off hand. The words written upon it were ingrained in Mesto's mind. As crude as he was stupid, Zertian had demanded that citizens of Soleanna pay the price for a recent cargo raid near the border. It had never even been proved if the rebels were even from the kingdom, but the emperor wanted an example made nonetheless. It fell to Mesto to exact imperial vengeance.
It is too early to disobey. Mesto told himself. He did not yet have the emperor's trust. His initial plans had all had to be pushed back when Mesto realized just how little power his new role actually offered him. He could do little more than put his stamp of approval on policies that the emperor already had in place. Mesto's plans for intimidating the noble families and guilds were already cold, as he realized that his low blood marked him as a non-person.
Zertian thinks I'm trapped, and Blaze and the others agree. Mesto burned with white-hot resentment towards them all. I will not be defeated so easily. He would comply with the emperor's demands, but Mesto would also use them to his advantage. His spies had chosen his victims carefully. Three of them had ties to nobles, while two of the others ran a spy network for some of the guilds. Mesto could only hope that the deaths would send a strong message. Though he personally would have preferred a more subtle touch. The last two were random citizens.
They are martyrs. Mesto told himself. They were powerless in life, but I will make them useful in death.
"Remove the hoods."
Yara obeyed and his fellow countrymen all looked up at him. Mesto expected them to beg and cry, and even try to appeal to their shared blood. Instead, they all glared at him. Their loathing was as piercing as Blaze's disappointment. Mesto flared up with sudden fury. He had intended to make himself see the faces so that the weight of his choice would not be lost on him. Now he felt that they were even less than brute beats. Their faces were contorted, bestial, as though something had clicked inside Mesto's mind that prevented him from seeing them as rational beings like himself.
He gave the order without reservation. Yara's knife sang as he cut their throats. That got boring after the first three, so then he started to cut into their bellies. Now, at last, they screamed.
The screaming crescendoed into a loud tumult. Mesto stood in the center of the arena and drank in the crowd's fury. The bright sun sparkled down on him like a theater stage light. Blaze was strapped to the pyre behind him. Mesto relished the look of anguish on her face. "They hate you more than they ever hated me," Mesto said quietly to her. "Behold the true nature of those you wished to save."
The princess ignored him. Bowing her head, she whispered a faint prayer.
Annoyed, Mesto raised his hand and unleashed a jet of pink lighting. The black chains instantly burst into the flames.
The fires roared and Mesto felt the ground shake. He looked up into the sky expecting the sky to rip apart and for the Flames of Disaster to spill out. Instead, the ground cracked beneath his feet. Huge demonic hands sprang out of the depths and pulled Mesto into the underworld.
He landed in his own pink lit labs. Only now they were distorted. The sterilized metal walls were replaced by mucusy red and black blobs. His countless victims lay on their backs, arranged in a sickening pattern.
The air was so hot it burned Mesto's skin. Every breath scarred his lungs with sulfur. The last of his victims sat up. Blaze, her skin blackened and cracked, limped over to him. Her corpse was rotted and bloated, except for her eyes. They were as bright and yellow as ever.
With a mere flick of her wrist, a ball of orange fire struck Mesto. He felt all his fur and skin dissolve instantly. He screamed as the pain caught up to him. Mesto collapsed into a puddle. The floor was made out of the same red flesh of the walls. He tore strips of it free and tried to hide himself.
Blaze laughed. She spoke with Mesto's own voice. "You wanted power and in return you paid the price. A wretch such as you rarely has to face their own worthless nature. They go on with their meaningless lives never knowing that they are nothing. If you could see what you truly are, the nothing that is in you, you would break. Face to face with the abyss you would crumble."
The princess towered over him. Her eyes seemed to expand to grotesque proportions. Mesto could see his reflection in the yellow plane. He was exactly as he had always been. His fur and body were completely undamaged. But this was no common mirror. Mesto saw beyond, he saw the horrid creature beneath, the stinking flesh of evil and corruption.
"That horrid creature that you behold is you. It is the image that you have long dreaded, the one that lingered in the corner of your nightmares. It is the true image, the one that you most wanted to hide."
Mesto shrank back from himself. His own image and voice were tormenting him. "You have known pain, but would you endure true suffering?"
Drum. Drum. Drum. Drum.
Absolute darkness. Mesto drowned in a dense void of night. Something swam towards him, unaffected by the ether. Its cloak was so black that it registered as a dense solid, as it was not the absence of color but the possession of true nothingness. A burning orange crown rested on its head, bedazzled by the sparkling light of several colored diamonds. The face veiled behind a bipartite mask.
Mesto tried to swim away from the looming terror, but he was trapped in the density of the darkness. The god-like figure rose up and withdrew a spear made of solid gold from its cloak. Without saying a word it thrust the spear into Mesto's chest.
Drum. Drum. Drum. Drum. Drum.
Mesto stared up at the dark ceiling. The crescent blade floated ominously in the air. His chest had been torn open and his blood pooled beneath him. Iblis's dead heart churned, gushes of fresh wet blood sprayed from its center. His restraints were gone. They had been removed before the lights had been turned off. Mesto could have ran. Instead, he lay motionless as his own heart floated out of his body. The crescent moon chain rotated in midair. Iblis's huge, freshly animated heart floated above him. A cloud of dark energy spiraled around it, condescending the flesh into a smaller size. Slowly, it descended and filled the gap in Mesto's chest.
Drum. Drum. Drum. Drum.
The heart beat, and Mesto died.
The lifeless body floated in the air. Mesto' limbs hung at his sides as though suspended from invisible ropes. His mouth fell open and the Realm Lord spoke. "The final reckoning has come. Gothro's interference has run its course. The Time Lord is no more. His defiance has cost me Shadow and now the Flames of Disaster are permanently quenched. But my reach is not broken. Gothro can no longer aid them. The final locks need only been turned and I shall be unleashed."
Robotnik bowed. When he had placed Eidolon on his head to try and make contact with the dead heart, something else had reached out of the void to speak to him. The contact had nearly broken the emperor. Only a mind as powerful as his own could have endured the brush with something as cosmically paradoxical and infinite as the Realm Lord.
Everything he had endured throughout his life, throughout his conquest of Arvana had been predestined. Robotnik was no stranger to destiny, as he had long believed that it was his fate to rule the universe. Only now did he relish the true awesomeness of his own calling. For the one who had orchestrated his destiny, was Robotnik himself. And who else could it have been? Who else had the power to bend reality, to rise out of the flow of time and call himself?
The universe had no will, no mind to direct its course. Everything happened at random. That random chance had given birth to a contingency, the possibility of a being that could become more. In a world without god, it was not only possible, but inevitable that a god would emerge.
Robotnik was both servant to that deity, and its reality. He was both priest and god, devotee and the object of devotion. The universe was his to wipe clean, his to buffer until it shone as a perfect mirror where he could behold the image of himself. Robotnik would gaze into his own genius forever.
Iblis may be gone, but the connection to the Realm Lord still persisted. Everything Robotnik had made on Arvana bore the stamp of the Realm Lord's fingertip. Even if the Flames of Disaster were gone, the Realm Lord's corruption still stained the planet.
The next step came to Robotnik immediately. He called Black Doom up from the surface, not surprised that he already had a servant familiar with necromancy. It had been one of the many contingencies in the Realm Lord's plan. Sonic and his friends could never possibly counter the mind of Robotnik, not when he had the strength of eons to plan his assault. The heart of Iblis was still the strongest direct connection he had to the Realm Lord. Thanks to Black Doom's necromancy, Mesto's body was now host to that lingering spirit.
The Realm Lord raised Mesto's hands and clouds of purple and black smoke swirled around the dead avatar. "My being is now connected inexorably to your own. If my existence becomes impossible then your mind will be lost in limbo and break into pieces. This was Gothro's plan, his final chip in the game. If he could defeat us in this world, then I will be undone in all the rest, and all the worlds that I have consumed will be freed. But he is gone now, consumed like all the rest. Time consumes all, and with foresight of ages, we shall triumph."
A cold, merciless laughter filled the chamber. Robotnik stood and stared directly into the harsh white light bursting from Mesto's mouth and eyes. Through the light, Robotnik could see a vision of absolute dark void. A figure swam in the midst of the black sea. The Realm Lord hovered near him. Robotnik was filled with a tremendous sense of euphoria. This was his future, his destiny.
"Our perfect future rests in your hands," The Realm Lord said. "Defeat will mean the end of everything."
Robotnik understood. This was how things were meant to be. Either Robotnik would be allowed to recreate the perfect universe, or everything would be erased. There were no other options.
The light faded and Mesto deflated to the floor. His chest rose slowly, the heart of Iblis just barely clinging to life. That heart was now the physical register of the Realm Lord's presence. As long as Robotnik could keep it alive, then the Realm Lord's connection to this world, and to Robotnik himself would remain.
He left Iblis' core and met with his generals back at the throne room. "Mobilize your armies," He told Black Doom. "Sonic and these other rebels must be stomped out at last. For now I must return to earth and finish its subjugation."
Robotnik wanted to believe that he had neutralized his main threats on earth, but his instincts told him otherwise. When he had fired Jormungand's cannon at the island Tails and the others were hiding, the entire landscape had vanished. Not one shred of the island remained. Perhaps it had been his imagination, but he had sworn he had seen a bright flash of light. It was a mistake to fire such a heavy payload. If he had just used enough firepower to destroy the island there would have been something left for him to sift through. However, his eagerness to destroy the pests that had annoyed him for so many years had burned too hot. Now, that error left him in a state of indecision.
If Tails and the others are still alive then my armies will be vulnerable without me there. Robotnik would have to return to earth and complete its mechanization. The resulting surplus in power would make it easier to deal with Sonic. Each stage in his plan fed directly into the other. There was no way Sonic could possibly counter his advancements on every front. Once the earth is turned to metal, the stain of the Realm Lord will become permanent.
"Sonic is mine," Infinite announced, breaking Robotnik's train of thought. "This is my battle, and I will not have my victory stolen from me."
The emperor glared down at Infinite, wondering how he should proceed. Mesto's creation was too powerful for him to directly control. Revenge was all that kept the powerful revenant going. Robotnik would not make the same mistake that Mesto had. "You may settle the score with Sonic, but do not take any unnecessary risks. Destroy the rebels first, and only engage Sonic once victory is ensured."
Infinite did not bow. He turned away from the emperor and vanished in a portal of black mist.
"Never mind him," Robotnik said, turning to Black Doom. "If I give the order, you and your armies will go to his aid. Our first priority is killing Sonic."
"And what of Shadow?"
Robotnik sneered. "If this pet of yours is as powerful as you claim then we should have nothing to worry about. Nevertheless, we must be careful. We cannot afford any more-" Alarms blared suddenly. Robotnik looked around as the doors to the throne room rushed open and closed rapidly.
The entire space station trembled. Robotnik was flung sideways and tumbled out of his throne. He struggled onto one knee and saw a flash of pink light beyond one of the wall sized windows. Robotnik rushed over and saw flashes of pink light sparking all over the surface of Arvana. "What's happening?"
A screen descended from the ceiling. It flashed and brought up the face of Valom. The owl was in a black room with wires falling from the ceiling. He was badly cut across the face. "Sire! Jormungand has malfunctioned! Our power reserves suddenly tanked!"
Robotnik rushed to the other side of the throne room and looked out the other windows. His great flagship drifted aimlessly through space, sudden fires bursting out of its hull.
"Emergency reserves can only keep us in orbit!" Valom cried. "We are getting reports of crashes all over the planet!"
Robotnik flashed with rage. He knew without checking, but he still asked the question. "Which systems have failed?"
Valom brought up the ships computer and typed on it. The owl's face sank. "All of them…sire…every system powered by Sol Gems…they've all gone dark…"
Robotnik's chest swelled. The rush of anger made his fragile legs shake. As pitiful as it was, he could not remain standing. He collapsed into his throne, breathless from the mere effort of powerful emotion.
"There is no need for concern," Black Doom said cryptically. "My armies do not rely on such petty tricks. The undead will pull all the living into the abyss."
"Sire!" Valom continued from the screen. "There is only enough energy in the banks for one more jump. We must return to earth right away!"
Robotnik glared at the screen. His weak fingers struggled to even drum against the armrests of his throne. Hundreds of calculations, and contingencies raced through Robotnik's mind. He weighed the value of staying versus going, analyzing every known data point, each probability vector. If he stayed here then his armies would be stranded on earth without a leader. Even if Tails and the others were dead, there was still the risk of mutiny and mass desertion.
Numbers flashes across his mind as though it were a living computer. Eidolon had turned much of his brain to mush. Faces, emotions, and nostalgic memories had been mostly burned away. The emperor saw the world now much more numerically. He no longer saw colors and embellished details blurred into a gray mist. Only the relevant information filtered through his senses.
Black Doom's necromancy was far more powerful than Eggman could have ever believed. However, the demon was so captured by his worship of death that he lacked tactical foresight. An army of undead may be the most deadly force imaginable, but it could be undone with poor implementation. Infinite's awesome power was hamstrung by his absolute lack of will. His desire for revenge trumped all other considerations making him a tool that could only be used with careful precision.
It must be me. Robotnik thought bitterly. He had never been blessed with the endless
cavalcade of bleeding heart allies like Sonic was. Each of the blue blur's colorful friends was more pestering and annoying than the last, however somehow they managed to frustrate the emperor's designs time and time again. Luck. That was the only possible explanation. But luck cannot hold out forever. I will place nothing on chance. I am inevitable.
It would be him. Robotnik would not place even the most infinitesimal piece of his plan into the hands of another. He turned back to the screen. "Return to earth Valom. Inform my forces that I shall return for them soon."
Valom hesitated. The old owl paled and his feathers trembled. "Ye….yes your majesty."
"Valom," Robotnik continued. "You are in charge there until I return. Keep my forces in line until I do so. Allow them to raid and ravage as they see it."
The owl nodded and Robotnik turned off the screen. Beyond the window, he saw the lights of the ship turn on and then there was a flash of light as it was transported back to earth.
"Return to your fortress," He commanded Black Doom. "Make sure everything is ready. I will take up my throne at the capital."
Already, his mind was busy formulating the designs for new transporters. The required energy would be stupendous, but unlike his labs on earth, here here was not restricted. Arvana was his to utilize as he saw fit. The energy required for the transporter was not so great, after all, he had only needed the unlimited power of the Master Emerald to locate the planet, his own Ion batteries had powered the transporter that had brought him here in the first place.
The last war was approaching and victory would test him to his absolute limit. Despite everything, the emperor could not suppress a small smile from playing across his face. Behind the frustration and the anxiety, a part of him relished this chance to unleash his full, optimized genius. Perhaps, he was not so much different than Sonic after all.
AN: R.I.P Mesto you probably won't be missed. You were a real weird guy, but you were the first O.C in the story and the most important so you had that going for you.
Sorry for the super long chapter, I thought about breaking it up, but I thought it was just better to get through it.