Lessons were found to be a surprising comfort after the change from normalcy that was a royal bedroom. The bedding was far too soft to be comfortable and the young prodigy found himself yanking his loose spines from the pillows almost every time he woke to adjust himself. To be out in the open air was a relief. Fast paced running, warm up drills… It was nice to have something familiar in all the wild chaos that was the last couple days.

"Keep up, Silver." Shadow ordered.

His small boots slipped slightly on the roof tiles as he struggled to keep up with his elder. Shadow was kind enough to slow down to a normal running speed, but the terrain change from rock and dirt to uniform brick and thatch made the young hedgehog a bit slower than he'd like. Being able to manage different environments was something Shadow desperately expected from the prodigy. A gathering of rooftops was no different.

"Wide jump."

Following the flapping leather cloak, Silver leapt over an alleyway with a short huff. His jumping skills had gotten better the older he had grown, thankfully. Navigating the gravity fields did much to hone this skill as well with the boulders and rocks serving as mere bouncepads in the low gravity. Having great aim was important there, but was even more important here as gravity was its strict normal self.

"Hurry up."

Puffing his cheeks in an exhale, Silver attempted to pick up speed. Citizens below occasionally noticed the two heroes and gave loud expressions of surprise or excitement. Most humorous to the young hedgehog was when the children occasionally tried to keep pace. The young ones with sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks would sometimes trail along for blocks - panting and squeaking cheers and hellos while Silver leapt from rooftop to rooftop above.

"Think fast."

Silver instinctually held his forearm out in defense as Shadow unexpectedly turned and aimed a kick straight at the prodigy's core. Feeling the rough soles against his fur, he slipped below the thick boots with a twisting kick. A slight shout, and his heel collided with the elder's glove.

"Good."

Spreading his balance out, Silver freed his ankle just as the elder retreated his foot and backed away from his student. Carefully stepping across the tile, the snow white hedgehog advanced forwards with careful poise and a plan in mind. Feet anchored and strong, he threw a punch at Shadow - aiming for the head but blocked expectedly by a swift palm. Not wasting time he threw another strike. Side of the head. Throat. Chest. Shoulder. Head. Exhaling with each strike, he kept his core strong and stable. Each punch had to meet the block no matter what kind. Be it a fist, elbow, palm, or shin.

"Hold steady."

Turning from blocking, Shadow issued a strike of his own. Seeing the hook out of his periphery, Silver held his arm up and braced for impact. His bones took the hit gracefully - joints spreading the shock across his body and protecting his skull wonderfully. Ducking below another hook, Silver swept his arms down and around until…. Wham. The heels of his palms slammed against Shadow's hard abdomen in a powerful blow - sliding the elder back slightly from the force.

"Very good."

Shadow twisted, careful to burn some of the momentum before swinging his heel at the young hedgehog. Silver exhaled as he slipped past the attack. Pushing his palms against the boot, he stepped forwards in a graceful sweep - fingers knifing towards the elder's eyes and halted by a palmed block.

"Now chase."

Bolting from his spot, Silver followed after the "fleeing" adult. He quite liked it when Shadow would simulate a real fight - albeit toned done to his skill level. Having seen the elder take down Mephiles, Phantom, and Tone, Silver had a relative idea of what a difficult fight was supposed to look like. Shadow, no doubt, would have seen hundreds if not thousands of such fights in his lifetime. Using his experience to train the young hedgehog was like learning from a walking textbook. Everything that could possibly happen was explored and taught with each blow working in tandem with terrain and training to make Silver quite good with what he knew. It was nice that using powers were a bit out of the picture at this point though. Relying on pure skill was a good thing to get a handle on before throwing wild cards in the mix.

"Watch the rooftop."

Silver almost yelped as the gaps between the buildings widened by a difficult margin. Each leap grew more and more strained as the hedgehog huffed and puffed in an attempt to keep up with the elder.

"Remember your footing."

Lungs heaving and face reddening Silver found himself stretched further and further. His legs widened with each jump. His heart pounded faster and faster. His boots landed harder and harder - soles slipping on the tile and footing growing more unsteady until…

"WOAH!"

His foot missed the rooftop altogether. An unexpected alleyway had blended in with the buildings, hiding itself from the trainee until it was too late. His boot slipped over the edge and sent the kid tumbling over the edge. Mind racing, he squeaked. His hands extended - palms glowing and fingers splayed as he abruptly stopped in midair only a split second before a harsh hand grabbed his fading scruff.

"Ow ow ow ow…" Silver whined, skin pulling too tight around his neck.

"You caught my hand." Shadow stated, voice slightly strained. "You gotta let go."

Silver only stared at the cobbled ground twenty paces down. Breathing heavily, he realized his cyan glow had enveloped his whole body. Somehow he had suspended himself as some sort of reflex…maybe…

"Silver. Let go." Shadow sternly requested.

Slowly turning to look, Silver could see that Shadow had placed his boots on both rooftops and hung upside down with his hand firmly gripped on the young prodigy. It was nice that the elder had tried to catch him, but every second he held onto the tight scruff, the more pain Silver felt. In his mind's eye, the kid could see the outline of Shadow's hand - bones and muscle locked in position by his psychokinetic power.

"Right… Sorry…"

Relaxing, the hedgehog felt his body droop. It was a relief that he no longer struggled to let go of things. As gravity took control, Shadow quickly pulled him to the rooftop - plopping him on the brick tile like a plush bear and looking him over for any sign of injury. Silver could only rub his sore skin.

"So you finally managed to suspend yourself on command." Shadow huffed, backing away from the child and crossing his arms.

"It was an accident…"

"It's not a bad thing."

"It's not?"

Surprised, Silver turned his gold eyes towards the elder. Shadow was just standing. Despite his crossed arms and obscured face, Silver could tell that the elder was thinking. Thinking a lot, that is.

"Why is it not a bad thing?" The young hedgehog asked.

"What made you think it was?" Shadow countered. "You could fly if you wanted to."

"I could?" Silver gasped. It hadn't occurred to him before.

"It's not out of the realm of possibility."

"Sir? Is that you?" A voice hollered from below.

"Who's asking?" Shadow responded.

Curious, Silver tilted his head to look over the edge of the roof.

"There's been a development at the Southeast Wall." The soldier shouted.

Silver blinked from her armor. The mirror-like polish cast the sunlight directly into his eyes as he squinted to get a good look. Red uniform poking out from underneath told the hedgehog that this was a member of the Royal Guard.

"Who do I talk to?" Shadow asked.

"Captain Sandstone."

Without another word, the elder hedgehog gestured for his prodigy to stand - arms extended to pick him up and carry him the distance they were preparing to go. Silently, Silver accepted the command and hopped in the gloved hands. It was strange how his whole body used to fit on the back of his mentor. For the longest time he was used to holding onto the strong shoulders where no harm could reach him. Tragically, his age had left him too large to ride where he had grown used to sitting. Heck, even his shoes were starting to get tight once again…

Before he knew it, he was raced across the city and set down on top of the massive wall that kept all within safe. The sturdy stone structure felt solid from under his shoes - the pathway wide enough for eight soldiers to stand shoulder to shoulder with ease. Looking around, the hedgehog felt himself awestruck with how someone could have built this.

"Where is Sandstone?" Shadow demanded, walking up to a group of soldiers without a bat of his eyes.

Feeling left out, Silver stumbled slightly as his boots moved slower than his brain. Regaining his balance, he jogged to the elder's side with a face as serious as he could muster. They were on official business. The best he could do was look like it. Eyes intense and lips hard, the young prodigy did his best to mimic Shadow's authoritative face with… interesting results.

"I am Sandstone." A soldier with a gold medallion spoke. "I take it you are Shadow."

"And his Prodigy." Silver spoke, still trying to sound like he was somewhat in charge.

Shadow rolled his eyes.

"Look down there." One of the other soldiers spoke, gesturing over the edge of the wall.

Hesitating slightly, Shadow strode to the edge of the wall walk and peered through the crenel at the ground below. For a second, Silver could have sworn he saw the elder's blank expression slip slightly - jaw loosening and pupils contracting before returning to their uniform place. Eyes locked on something below, Shadow only continued to stare.

Feeling left out again, Silver clambered onto the edge and stuck his head between the merlons. It took a few tries to ge steady, but as he managed to wiggle to a place where he could see - he settled himself in. Feet waving and balance found, the hedgehog found an unsettling sight on the ground below.

Deep black smudges trenched along the edge of the outer fortification. Grass tossed here and there. Bits of stone and wild rock covered in black soil and thrown away in the most careless manner. What in the world was going on?

"There were reports of stalkers roaming the fields last night." The captain swallowed.

"Are they trying to dig under the wall?" Silver asked, fear rippling through his fur as his eyes fell upon the piles of disturbed dirt.

"This would not be the first time." Shadow commented, inhaling slightly before he spoke. "However, it seems they are getting a little more…bold."

"What do we do?" Silver asked, eyes wide and shaking at the idea of a large-scale stalker attack on a city this populated.

It made sense for stalkers to be bold around villages. Mostly unfortified and under armed encampments were average pickings for such monsters. It was expected to be dealing with Mephiles shenanigans when it came to the wilds. But the city? Not even Savannah city seemed to struggle with stalkers and monsters - even if they were far more common on those plains. Crescent City was the most fortified place Silver had ever seen. Was Mephiles really starting to get serious about releasing Iblis?

"Double the guard." Shadow ordered flatly, tilting his head down so his hood covered his eyes. "Make sure they have a torch with them at all times so they may light flaming arrows."

Immediately, one of the soldiers stood at attention, flexing his wings in anticipation of flight. Pushing off the walls, Shadow pulled back and gestured for Silver to follow.

"It may not be enough. Fire is only a deterrent, not enough to completely dissuade an attack." He continued. "I recommend filling that pit with flammable materials - and light it on fire when they return to prevent them from digging deeper."

Gulping, Silver gripped onto the leather cloak. What if Mephiles got into the city? What would happen then - would there be a fight? Would people die? What sort of damage would go on in a scuffle like that? What if he got the Emerald? Where even was that Emerald? The kid could only grip his marked paws tighter into the cloak.

Giving a salute, the hawk soldier spread his wings and took flight. Silver found himself shuddering. Why did everything always have to involve some sort of fight? Is that how the world worked? Thinking about the attempted hole at the base of the wall, the hedgehog felt a pit growing in his stomach.

"Come, let's head back to the castle." Shadow stated. Picking the hedgehog up. "Things just got complicated."

"I thought things were already complicated."