guest (Dec 15): I don't really think Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is going to be a Sonic Prime game, but we only have a teaser, so patience.

angelayan183: Thank you so much for your reviews! I'm glad that you enjoy the story so much.

Happy New Year 2025 folks!

Enjoy!

Entry 76

Destiny In Hand

''In a city veiled by dusk, beneath the dimming skies, he walks alone, his past a lock without a key. Fleeting whispers haunt him, echoes of soft cries, tangled tales spun in threads of mystery. This is who I am! This is WHO I AM! Illuminating the dark, lighting up the land! This is where I stand! This is WHERE I STAND! Forging through the night, with destiny in hand!''

– Destiny In Hand (What if AI made a "Shadow the Hedgehog" song?) by Retro Bird AI

xXxXxXx

Eclipse felt his heart racing as he found himself in the middle of the battlefield, with the Black Arms fighting the Irregular Hunters and ARMS agents. He summoned the Dark Laser, blasting his way through several Hunters who attempted to stop him and took flight with Dark Wing. He deeply regretted leaving his brethren to fight Neos City's defenders, wincing every time he sensed a soldier of the Black Arms falling at their hands. He wished that he could help them, but there was absolutely nothing he could do – not when he had direct orders from Black Doom to confront Shadow once again.

Eclipse frowned, gritting his teeth as he sensed a Black Macho, one of their strongest warriors, being taken down. He had no idea who had done it, having lost the connection before he could even find the culprit, but he could feel the rage growing within him. Even though the Black Arms were making progress in conquering Neos City, they were still losing soldiers, leaving Eclipse furious. This was his family and he had to watch them fall one by one, sacrificing their lives for the sake of protecting their race and finding them a suitable home.

''This is all Shadow's fault! If he wasn't so stubborn and loyal to that human, we would've already won and prevented unnecessary losses!'' Eclipse growled, now flying faster. Thanks to the hive mind, he could sense where Shadow was and even invade his mind from a distance, but he decided against it. Shadow still didn't know how the hive mind worked, which would allow Eclipse to ambush him. He hoped that this would allow him to take down Shadow, considering how the dark hedgehog was more powerful than him. Even if Eclipse could block his Chaos Powers with his mere presence, Shadow could still use his Doom Powers to fight back and Eclipse knew that his older brother had probably gathered enough experience using the Doom Powers. ''Even if I ambush him, he would still be able to overpower me. I need something that would give me the edge…''

Eclipse paused mid-air, suddenly sensing something,… something powerful. He flew towards this source of energy, realizing that it was originating from an abandoned building. He spotted a red glow, with a gem lying just behind the window. Eclipse pressed his hands against the glass, his eyes wide as he realized what he was staring at. ''The Chaos Emerald… I found it! I found it!'' He grinned, feeling the excitement growing. ''Black Doom will be so pleased with this!''

Energy crackled in Eclipse's fist and he shattered the glass, grabbing the red Chaos Emerald and gazing at its magnificence. He could feel its power surging through his own body, jolts of energy that would spike whenever he attempted to draw more from the gem. Eclipse's first thought was to bring it to Black Doom. Sure, Shadow was supposed to be the one who gathered all the Chaos Emeralds, but Eclipse figured that the Black Arms would benefit from having a Chaos Emerald found by someone who was actually loyal to them.

Eclipse frowned, recalling Touka's words. He had no doubt that Shadow would eventually join the Black Arms, but the way things were going, it became more and more clear to him that Black Doom would have to force Shadow to stand with them. Eclipse wasn't sure how to feel about this scenario. He knew that the Black Arms were Black Doom's arms and legs, with him being the only one with a sense of individuality, but that didn't make them less of a family. But, now he had encountered another person who was similar to him – a Black Arms alien, but also his own individual – and he wondered whether Black Doom would go too far if he made Shadow his a soldier this way.

Eclipse shivered, aware how Black Doom wasn't someone who would easily forgive betrayal and, even if Shadow's behavior personally frustrated him a lot, Eclipse still hoped that Black Doom wouldn't punish his older brother or even kill him off outright. He believed that there was still hope for Shadow, and now that he had a Chaos Emerald, he was certain that he would be able to reach his goal.

''But, first…'' Eclipse gazed down at the street, having taken note of several Irregulars, lead by a white kitsune, fighting against the Black Arms. ''I need to see what damage I can do with the Chaos Emerald.''

He flew towards them, making sure to stay out of their sight. Fortunately for him, the small group of Irregulars, led by Shiro, was too focused on the Black Arms to even notice the little alien above them. Shiro waved her fan in one swift movement, unleashing blue flames upon the Black Arms and burning them, with the rest of the Irregulars attacking them to finish them off.

''Don't let any of them escape!'' Shiro ordered the aggressive Irregulars as they took several aliens down and rushed towards a Black Assassin, which suddenly teleported, then fired from its laser-type handgun weapon. However, Shiro was much faster, sending out a fiery tornado with a swing of her fan, burning the Black Assassin to ashes. That alien was quite durable, but fortunately, Shiro was strong enough to deal with them.

What she didn't expect was to suddenly being attacked by a barrage of energy spears from above. She gasped in surprise, doing her best to dodge all of the energy spears, only to get caught by one of them, sending her flying and hitting the ground hard. She felt a surge of pain, but managed to lift her head to see a winged imp-like alien hovering above her while holding a red gem.

''This is the power of the Black Arms! If you dare to defy us, we will destroy all of you!'' Eclipse told her.

''I don't care who you are! You are on our turf and we won't let you steal our BioEnergy- agh!''

Shiro stared in horror as one of the Irregulars was hit with a spear of energy right in the chest, falling over dead. Eclipse's gold eyes were glowing, with red energy sparking in his hand as he looked down on them. The Black Arms regrouped, going after the other Irregulars, while Eclipse turned to Shiro, who just realized she was about to die. However, given how Eclipse appeared to be more self-aware than the other Black Arms soldiers, she knew that she had to keep him talking.

''Look, we've been here much longer before you. It is only natural for two very different groups who with the same goal to clash,'' Shiro started, causing Eclipse to pause. The little alien smirked, aware that the kitsune was terrified of him and was trying to stall.

''You were destroying my family. Why would you think that I would let you go so easily?'' Eclipse responded. Shiro's breaths were shallow, her heart racing when she saw an energy spear forming in Eclipse's hand, this one being even more powerful than the previous. She knew she only had once chance to escape.

Eclipse fired the Chaos Spear at Shiro just as the kitsune swung her fan once again, creating a wall of blue flames that didn't stop the energy spear from passing through, but it as enough of a distraction for Shiro to create an illusion of herself and get away. Eclipse was left baffled when the illusion disappeared, but he didn't care too much. After all, the kitsune was too weak to pose any danger to him and he figured that she learned her lesson of avoiding the Black Arms.

Instead, he focused on his goal of finding Shadow, flying off into the distance.

xXx

Tails fired another blast from his laser gun at the nearest Black Arms alien, allowing him and Warren to pass through the street. The two had left CyExLabs a while ago, having decided to join the rest of Team Neos who were fighting against the alien invasion. They had already sent Lucas all of the information they could gather, so this was all they could do for now. Or, that's what they thought, because not too far away from them was Dr. Eggman driving in his EggMobile, and a simple glance and nod was enough for the duo to confirm that they wanted to follow him. Lucas had told them that Eggman was up to something, but he wasn't sure what it was, so this was their opportunity to gather more information.

''Damned aliens, getting in my way-'' Eggman growled as another flying alien swooped down on him, about to retaliate when a laser blast took it down. Stunned, he looked around, only to spot Tails and Warren following him; Tails flying while Warren was on his hoverboard. ''Prower and Taylor, I haven't expected you two to show up.''

''Let's skip to the chase, Eggman,'' Tails interrupted him. ''We saw the Badniks and we know you're up to something.''

''Why would you think I'm up to something?'' Eggman asked innocently. ''I'm merely performing my duty of protecting my city from the alien invasion.''

''Your city?'' Warren rose an eyebrow, both him and Tails giving the Doctor an exasperated look.

''Well, I'm living here,'' Eggman protested. Tails and Warren decided to let this one go, as they had no time for arguments.

''Never mind, what's your game plan?'' Warren asked. ''Even with Shadow gathering the Chaos Emerald, we still have to deal with the fact that, once the Black Comet appears, there won't be anything we can use to destroy it.''

''I see that you two have already thought so far ahead, but I went even a step further,'' Eggman replied proudly. ''I alone hold the solution to our problem.''

''What is it?'' Tails asked.

''You'll soon know, but first – I'm sure that you have noticed how the environment changes in phases,'' Eggman said, with Tails and Warren nodding. ''There should be one last phase that, according to my very precise calculations, will allow for the Black Comet to finally appear. However, that won't be the only celestial object in the sky once I'm done.''

''What are you-? Wait-'' Warren paused, gathering his thoughts, while Eggman gave him a gleeful look. ''You're talking about Space Colony ARK.''

''More precisely, I'm talking about the Eclipse Cannon,'' Eggman replied, leaning over the EggMobile. ''Even if Shadow goes Super, there is still not guarantee that he'll be able to destroy all of the Black Arms or the Black Comet.''

''Then we're coming with you,'' Tails said in a resolute tone. ''Even if you're honest about using it to destroy the Black Coment, we can't trust you that you won't be using it against Neos City.''

''Eh, whatever- If you want to come along, then better keep up,'' Eggman said. Tails and Warren were a bit taken aback by this response, but followed him nonetheless.

xXx

Silver took a deep breath of relief, noting how he, Makoto and the Babylon Rogues had managed to clear out the area they were at, defeating the Black Arms, but it was clear that there were still more to come. He turned to his partner. ''Where do we go next?''

''I'm not sure. The most we can do is to keep on fighting the Black Arms until we get a message from Lucas,'' Makoto said, shrugging.

''Doesn't Lucas have some kind of a plan?'' Chase asked, raising an eyebrow.

''Of course he does, but that plan depends on Shadow finding all of the Chaos Emeralds,'' Makoto answered.

''All Shadow wants is to defeat Black Doom and save Touka,'' Silver added, clenching his fist and giving the Babylon Rogues a resolute look. ''Even if there is no set plan, we will still do our best to support him.''

''I guess we're lucky it's just the Black Arms,'' Wave said, leaning against her huge wrench, having used it to beat up the aliens. Suddenly, a purple mass started to spread through the street, looking like a massive shadow that consumed everything in its sight.

''You just had to jinx us,'' Rika grumbled, glaring at Wave. Before the swallow could even respond, the Babylon Rogues got suddenly separated from Makoto and Silver via a massive crystal wall that appeared from the ground, followed by a ring of fire.

''Agh, what's going on?!'' Jet shouted, backing away from the flames. Fortunately for them, the flames dissipated and the crystal wall shattered, leaving a giant outline in the street that was still covered in the purple, shadow-like mass, with one figure standing right in the center of it.

''Mephiles!''

Makoto and Silver glared daggers at the dark shadow, who in turn was quite pleased to see them.

''Even if Black Doom had laid claim on Neos City and its inhabitants, that doesn't mean that I won't cast my own shadow,'' Mephiles said, his gaze fixed on Silver.

Silver gritted his teeth, feeling the rage bubbling within him. Not only was Neos City in danger due to the Black Arms, but Mephiles, the one responsible for the city's future demise, was also here to cause further chaos. Silver refused to allow this, surrounding himself with cyan energy and flying into the air as he confronted Mephiles.

''I won't let you destroy Neos City! Not now, not in the future! Never!'' Silver growled, his gold eyes glowing cyan as he sensed Makoto sharing his own BioEnergy thanks to Chaos Surge. Despite fighting the whole day and holding back the Black Arms army, the teenager still had enough strength to share it with him. Mephiles laughed darkly, his amused tone sending chills down everyone's spines.

''You? You are too naive to even comprehend the force you're trying to defeat,'' Mephiles responded, stretching his arms out as dark flames started to swirl around his body. ''But if you insist, then I shall give you a demonstration!''

There was a chilling roar as the flames built up into a raging inferno. To Silver, Makoto and the Babylon Rogues' horror, an entity that could only be described as a fire demon emerged from the inferno, its humanoid body a mess of fire, lava and stone.

''Iblis…'' Makoto muttered, his eyes wide in horror. It was one thing to fight Mephiles, but both Mephiles and Iblis?! If they merged together, this would become a suicide mission. He exchanged glances with Silver, who was just as shocked to see Mephiles unleash Iblis, but his this shock was quickly replaced by a resolute look. Both nodded, understanding the message. It didn't matter what kind of opponent they'd face, they would do everything in their power to protect Neos City.

''Uh, Boss, what's that?!'' Storm asked, pointing at Iblis. Jet had no answer, having never seen anything like that monster before, with Chase taking over.

''That monster is called Iblis, and if it merges together with Mephiles to create Solaris… Well, we're all basically doomed,'' Chase explained.

''Are these two really going to fight it?'' Arven asked, pointing at Makoto and Silver. ''That's crazy!''

''What else are they going to do?!'' Rika interrupted in frustration. ''We can't just throw a wrench at it!''

''Speaking of which, what are we going to do?'' Jet suddenly asked, with the group exchanging unnerved glances. It was one thing to fight the Black Arms, who were just alien soldiers, but Mephiles and Iblis were way out of their power level.

This battle now depended on Silver and Makoto.

xXx

''Do you sense anything?'' Rouge asked Shadow, taking note of the frown on his expression. Omega, on the other hand, was celebrating taking down a Hammer Oak.

''It should be here, but…'' Shadow furrowed a brow, suddenly turning around. Both Rouge and Omega were alert, realizing that something was wrong. The three quickly dodged a barrage of Chaos Spears, scattering around the street. Shadow looked up, spotting a familiar figure flying above him. He growled. ''Eclipse!''

''Hello, brother! Going by your reaction, you seem to be quite happy to see me!'' Eclipse grinned, teasing the dark hedgehog, while Shadow just glared at him.

''Uh, Shadow, who is this and why is he calling you his brother?'' Rouge asked.

''My sensors are telling me that this creature is a Black Arms alien,'' Omega said. ''The only connection between them is their shared DNA.'' He turned to Shadow. ''Shadow, do you want me to stop this family reunion with fire?''

''Hey, I am still here!'' Eclipse shouted, annoyed at being ignored. Shadow smirked, having to admit that it was a little amusing to see Eclipse getting so annoyed, but his smirk dropped the moment he sensed the Chaos Emerald in Eclipse's hands. ''You couldn't have even bothered to tell your friends about your family. I'm disappointed, Shadow.'' He then turned to Rouge and Omega. ''I don't think you'll live long enough to get to know me better, but still – I am Eclipse the Darkling, The Ultimate Alien!''

Shadow scoffed. ''I have defeated you once and I will do so again. Now, hand over the Chaos Emerald!''

''Only because you defeat me once doesn't mean that I'm going to bow to your whims,'' Eclipse replied, glaring at Shadow. ''If you want the Chaos Emerald, then join the Black Arms.'' Shadow's response was a Chaos Spear to the face, which Eclipse managed to fortunately dodge. The little alien shot a glare at his older brother, gritting his teeth. ''If you're going to be so stubborn, fine! I'll defeat you and drag you to the Black Comet myself!''

Shadow snapped his fingers in an attempt to create another Chaos Spear, only for the energy to fizzle out, realizing that Eclipse was once again blocking his Chaos Energy. He narrowed his eyes, aware he would have to rely on his Doom Powers. The familiar sense of tearing in his back had returned as his massive black and red wings emerged, but at this point, he was used to the pain he felt. He charged into the sky, lunging at Eclipse. The little alien flew up, turning the whole battle into an aerial chase, with the two leaving Rouge and Omega behind.

''Should we do something? I want to eliminate Eclipse, but it seems that Shadow is more suitable for that,'' Omega asked.

''I think we should leave the two to their family reunion. If something goes wrong, we'll interfere,'' Rouge replied, smiling. ''After all, Shadow knows who his real family is.''

Meanwhile, Shadow was chasing Eclipse between the buildings, the little alien managing to maneuver between them expertly, hoping that he would somehow lose Shadow and ambush him once again. He didn't get too far, as Shadow fired several Doom Spears at him, forcing Eclipse to dodge and fly upwards, noting just how relentless his older brother was. He managed to turn around, firing a barrage of Chaos Emerald-powered Chaos Spears at Shadow, but the latter evaded them. It was clear that at this point, Shadow got used to his Doom Powers, enough to use them as if he had been using them his whole life. That put a damper in Eclipse's plans, but he wasn't giving up.

Shadow continued his assault, even when Eclipse suddenly dove towards him. His eyes widened in surprise when Eclipse suddenly disappeared in a flash of light, and he turned around, only to get hit with an energy blast close range and fall.

Eclipse smirked in satisfaction, having used Chaos Snap to get behind Shadow and use his Dark Laser to get a hit on him. He then flew after the dark hedgehog, attempting to grab him, but Shadow suddenly turned around mid-air, firing a Doom Spear right at Eclipse's hand. The little alien cried out in pain, suddenly dropping the Chaos Emerald. They locked eyes for a moment, only for both of them to dive after the plummeting Chaos Emerald.

Shadow was closer to it, noting how the gem was falling towards Cosmo River, but as he tried to reach it, Eclipse suddenly used Chaos Snap to catch the Chaos Emerald right before it could fall into the river and quickly disappeared in a flash of light, forcing Shadow to land on the water surface, using Doom Surf to steady himself. He looked up, glaring at Eclipse, who was hovering just above him, smirking.

Suddenly, Eclipse pointed one had at Shadow, with the dark hedgehog forcing the black manta-ray creature keeping him afloat to move, escaping the devastating sonic blast and charging towards the little alien. He leapt into the air, managing to clock Eclipse in the face, with the little alien stumbling back, but still staying in the air as Shadow went for a kick. He blocked it with his free hand, only to get hit by Doom Spear from up close. Eclipse took the hit, feeling waves of pain spreading from his chest and through his body, but still kept a tight grip on the Chaos Emerald.

Before he could even recover, Shadow followed up with a barrage of punches and kicks, culminating into a powerful Doom Blast that sent Eclipse flying and crashing into a building. Shadow flew into the room, taking note of the shattered glass and Eclipse lying on the floor, the red Chaos Emerald lying between the two. He scoffed, walking towards the Chaos Emerald, only to get stopped in his tracks by a Chaos Spear from Eclipse.

''I have to hand it to you – you're stubborn,'' Shadow said, staring at Eclipse.

''At least you're acknowledging that we have something in common,'' Eclipse replied, breathing heavily as he sat up. Shadow paused.

''It's the only thing we have in common,'' he stated. Eclipse frowned.

''What about family? Fine, I get it, you hate me and won't acknowledge me as your brother, but I know that human, Touka, is your sister and you're loyal to her,'' Eclipse said, slowly getting up.

''You're correct,'' Shadow replied, wondering where Eclipse was going with this.

''I have talked to her,'' Eclipse suddenly said, taking note of the brief look of surprise on Shadow's expression. The surprise was swiftly replaced with anger.

''If you tried to harm her in any way…'' Shadow growled, with Eclipse feeling a chill flowing down his spine as he tried hard not to look at his clawed hand.

''What I meant to say is that I understand your loyalty towards her. She was quite fierce about protecting you,'' Eclipse explained. ''It's a shame she also isn't Black Arms.''

''She is much better than all of you combined!'' Shadow snarled. ''I doubt that you will ever understand why I will always pick Touka over you. You can tell Black Doom the same.''

''Our father knows what is best for our kind…'' Eclipse started, annoyed when he heard the mocking tone Shadow used when addressing the alien warlord.

''Black Doom is nothing more but an obstacle in my path. He decided to conquer this world, the world I protect for Touka's sake, and I will make sure that he will fall for daring to make this grave mistake,'' Shadow responded in a firm tone, taking a step forward as his crimson eyes started to glow. Energy crackled in Eclipse's hand, and he moved, trying to punch Shadow, only for his hand to go through air as Shadow ducked, kicking Eclipse in the chest and sending him flying back. The little alien landed with a thud on the floor, allowing Shadow to take the red Chaos Emerald for himself. He then turned on his heel, walking away.

''Sh-Shadow…'' Eclipse called out for him, with Shadow stopping and glancing back. It appeared that Eclipse wasn't done yet, despite the injuries he had suffered. He once again got up, arm pressing over his stomach. ''Maybe, I can't stop you, but Father will… He will punish you for this.''

''Hmph. I will be the one to judge Black Doom,'' Shadow replied, his dark wings vanishing as he leapt out of the building, using Doom Morph to get down to the street. Eclipse felt his legs give in and he fell on the floor, exhausted and hurt.

The sense of coldness washed over him as it finally hit him that he lost the Chaos Emerald to Shadow, despite having managed to claim it for the Black Arms. If Black Doom ever learned about this, Eclipse could only pray that he remained alive. Not only that, but Shadow was firm in his decision to stand against the Black Arms, with Eclipse even wondering if it was worth using the hive mind to force his control over Shadow. However, at this point, he was too tired to even focus. He only had enough remaining energy to return to the Black Comet.

''What should I do? I can't let Black Doom know what happened… But, he will know since that is how the hive mind works,'' Eclipse muttered under his breath, feeling the panic set in. As much as he respected his father, he couldn't deny that he also feared him. Black Doom was unforgiving when it came to failure, especially a massive one like this.

The Black Arms was a violent and hive-minded race of extraterrestrial beings created and led by Black Doom. Even though Eclipse considered his race a huge family, he knew damn well that Black Doom was the one who controlled who remained alive and who died. If Black Doom felt that Eclipse was no longer useful, he would get rid off him, one way or another.

''I took a risk in creating you. Do not disappoint me, Eclipse!''

Those were the first words he heard from Black Doom, and they still echoed in his mind, leaving him anxious. He wanted to make his father proud more than anything else, but any control he had was lost. While Shadow soared, having a family and friends who supported him, Eclipse was left behind, watching his own family getting mercilessly decimated and his father not caring whether he'd survive or not. Eclipse forced himself to stand up despite his injuries, taking a deep breath and vanishing in a flash of light.

''What happens next doesn't matter anymore. I will get my revenge on Shadow, regardless of the cost!''

xXx

Touka furrowed a brow as she saw who entered the chamber where she was kept at. It appeared that Black Doom personally decided to grace her with his presence. The alien overlord stared at her silently, his three glowing red eyes almost boring into her, as if he was trying to read her thoughts.

''Too bad for you that I'm not part of the hive mind,'' Touka suddenly said, glaring at the alien overlord. To her surprise, Black Doom seemed to be more amused by her comment, correctly guessing what she was thinking.

''I have no need for a pathetic human among my ranks,'' Black Doom replied, only to pause for a moment. ''Still, I am aware that you do have some use thanks to your BioEnergy.''

Touka kept quiet, wondering just how much Black Doom and the Black Arms even knew about BioEnergy. She knew that they wanted to use humans as a food source and that they were Irregulars, but she got the impression that this food source was more eating humanity and less using them for their BioEnergy. ''How much did Toshiro and Mephiles tell you?''

Black Doom had to admit that it was impressive how this mere human managed to immediately assess the situation. Indeed, he wasn't privy to that particular information of the existence of BioEnergy, and Toshiro and Mephiles told him everything he needed to know. Admittedly, he couldn't care less about BioEnergy, as his true goal was taking the Chaos Emeralds, but he did grow interested in an alternative energy source now that Shadow was close to delivering them.

''They told me enough,'' Black Doom replied. ''Once you're no longer useful as a lure for Shadow, I might just take all of your BioEnergy.''

''I'd prefer for Shadow to just absorb my BioEnergy,'' Touka replied in a firm tone.

''Maybe I'll let him do that once he is under my control. It would be quite poetic for Shadow to end the life of someone he loves,'' Black Doom said. Touka's eyes narrowed.

''Speaking of Shadow, you were the one who contributed to Shadow's creation, right? You were the one Prof. Sakamoto mentioned,'' Touka asked.

''The only one I had ever assisted was Prof. Gerald Robotnik. I don't know anyone called Prof. Sakamoto,'' Black Doom responded, his reply surprising Touka. ''However, I know this. There is more than one Shadow.'' His eyes glowed menacingly. ''One has already escaped my grasp. This one won't be so lucky.''

Touka stared at Black Doom, completely baffled, if not even intimidated. Black Doom was pleased to see this kind of emotion coming from her. He chuckled darkly, leaving the chamber and Touka alone. The teenager was both confused and perturbed by the information, but the more she thought about it, the more she understood.

Black Doom – and by extension the Black Arms – was an Irregular, that was obvious. However, it appeared that his situation was different from that of other Irregulars. He was aware of the video game reality and that there were two versions of Shadow – one being video game Shadow and the other being Irregular Shadow. It was clear that this Black Doom wasn't well informed about the reality of Irregulars, preferring to take a more familiar route his video game self had taken.

''If the situation is really like what I had assumed, then I fear what the resolution might be.''