The Private Dining Room was a place unlike anything Silver had ever experienced. Paintings of Queens framed in bronze and covered with protective glass. Plush seats with felted red fabric on stained and carved wood. A chandelier of candles adorned with beads of glass. When the young prodigy had first been ushered in, he was too stunned to speak. The confusion of Shadow forcing him to take a bath and scrub his worn shoes fell away when even his preened condition felt dirty in comparison to the expensive finish and carpeting.
Shadow himself looked far cleaner than Silver had seen in a while. The elder's ebony black pelt almost refused to reflect light as the fur absorbed the candle's glow like the deepness of the night sky. Such darkness allowed the scarlet red stripes to vibrantly shine - free from mud and dirt after so long. Silver hadn't expected to like using a quill comb on his own steadily growing spines, but as he found himself standing in front of one of the dining room mirrors; he saw himself shining a brilliant white not unlike clouds in the great sky.
The Queen, however, had dressed down from what she had worn earlier. Her extravagant red dress had been traded for a patterned brown one that emphasized her gold jewelry with subtle elegance. Despite the evening gown, she still glittered at every step under the candlelight with her young daughter following dutifully behind until their places at the table were reached.
"Sorry for the hold up, we were caught by the Chief of Staff."
"There is no rush, Ember." Shadow dismissed, giving his gloved hand a brief wave. "We are grateful for your hospitality regardless."
"That is a relief."
As she sat herself at the head of the table, Shadow gestured for Silver to find a chair. The table seated six, so there were fortunately few options to choose from, but as the elder hedgehog sat opposite the Queen - Silver found it only reasonable to sit opposite the Princess.
"What will we be having today?" Silver innocently asked, mind dreaming up of what things a castle could possibly serve. Roast chicken? Rabbit? Potatoes with gravy?
"That remains to be seen." Shadow answered.
As if on cue, wooden carts wheeled into the dining room pushed by aproned servants and followed by two royal guards. The scent consumed the room as silver dishes were removed from under metal lids and placed in front of the table occupants. Herbs and spices wafted their smells from the plate and into Silver's trembling nose as flavors he had never tasted before raced directly to his brain and dilated his eyes. Oh how he wanted to dig directly into the plate of meat and greens with such ferocity but Shadow's stern eyes and previous lecture told him to wait until the Queen had taken the first bite.
Taking a napkin, Shadow gently folded it and placed it in his lap - maintaining eye contact with the young hedgehog as a silent command to do the same. Silver wished he could fold it as evenly as the elder, but it was better than nothing he supposed. He had been told that table manners were far more strict the richer you were. Being the monarch of Crescent City must mean having the most strict table manners ever.
Taking her fork, the Queen daintily swallowed a bite of food. It took grit teeth and held breath to stop the young prodigy from slamming his face into the plate and inhaling the whole meal in one breath. But using the skills taught to him, he carefully took a knife and began to separate the meat into reasonable chunks. Much to Shadow's approval, thankfully.
"From where have you traveled this time?" Ember asked, elegantly selecting her vegetables and eating them one by one.
"I come from the South Sea mountains." Shadow responded. "I made a routine check on a village, only to be ambushed by an army of stalkers."
"That's why you were gone so long?" Silver asked, remembering to swallow his food before speaking.
"Yes, the village was attacked while I was searching the mountainsides - villagers were harmed and I had to perform an emergency C-Section during the whole ordeal." Shadow sighed, ears flicking through a suppressed shudder. "The aftermath took forever to fix - especially since most of the village went up in flames. There were no casualties, thankfully."
"And such an attack was targeted towards you?" Ember questioned.
"It was an attempt to capture or defeat me."
"Mother, does that mean the attacks on our City are not isolated?"
"They are not." Shadow answered.
"The Rangers are also seeing problems from Mephiles." Silver spoke up. "A group of them sought out my help due to the Fog Lungs."
"Fog Lungs?"
"When some of Mephiles's cloud stuff gets in your lungs." Silver shrugged, addressing the Queen's question with a little too much nonchalance. "It can kill you if you don't have Chaos Connection."
"I see…"
"If I may ask," The Princess piped up. "I have been indulging in studies to know our enemy."
As Silver turned to look at the young monarch, he couldn't help but notice two marks along her golden eyes. Squinting slightly, he noted they were on the edge of her muzzle - pushed up against the corners of her eyes in the most unusual way. A slight look to the side revealed the queen had the same markings as well. It was a strange birthmark to be hereditary.
"Is it possible to glean extra information from your memory?" The princess asked. "You are the one person who would know most about these figures and events, perhaps your personal experience could lend wisdom that books and scrolls don't have."
"Blaze, why don't you tell us what you know first." Ember remarked. "That way Shadow can tell you what you are missing."
Silver turned his eyes towards the elder. The ebony hedgehog had frozen slightly at the change of topic. Despite the neutral expression plastered on his face, the young prodigy could tell Shadow held slight anxiety about whatever was about to come next.
"From what I know, Mephiles emerged at the same time the world fell into this deadness. The flames of disaster ravaged our land and you raised up a queen to reclaim this small section of the world from destruction. Mephiles runs free, and his influence is only kept out by the royal family's efforts."
"...What else do you know?"
"In every writing and account I read, the Flames of Disaster and Mephiles are linked." Blaze continued, adjusting in her chair. "The flames of disaster are spoken about like they are a sentient entity - and that it was given to the royal family and passed down through the generations."
Raising her paw, the princess lit her hand ablaze. Jumping slightly at the sudden display of power, Silver found himself staring at the dancing tongues of fire on the Princess's fingers. A strange undertone of red and orange flickered through the flames - setting the glow apart from those on the candle wicks.
"Is the birthing ceremony somehow tied to the flames of Disaster?"
"You are partially correct, Princess." Shadow sighed, a hint of apprehension tingling in his voice. "You are arriving at the correct conclusions, but for the wrong reasons."
"Is there something I am missing?"
"What you wish to know must be kept under lock and key. No one but the royal family is permitted to know the truth."
Sensing the roadblock that Shadow laid down, the Queen gave her fingers an authoritative snap. Like clockwork, the two guards stationed at the doorway turned and exited - shutting the heavy door behind them with a thud. Blushing, Silver fought the urge to huddle up. He had never been shared sensitive information before. Knowing that it was a secret made his fur tingle with both excitement and anxiety.
"What you are missing is context." Shadow sighed, foot tapping slightly under the table. "The flames of disaster are not this vague fire thing that took out an entire kingdom, it was a monster."
Silver found himself inhaling sharply.
"Iblis was the result of the stand against Solaris - an entity unleashed on our world by a mad scientist as a final means of distraction. He had incorrectly assumed that Sonic could take it out and even though I and one other were involved in the battle, our efforts only split it in half."
"Iblis being the flames of disaster…" Blaze exhaled.
"Mephiles being the cloud demon…" Silver finished, equally entranced by the information.
"Each half held a fraction of Solaris - a section of its mind and a section of its power." Shadow continued, finger subtly tapping on the tabletop. "Iblis took most of its power and Mephiles most of its mind. Upon the split, they fled the scene - Mephiles retreating into the wider world and Iblis beginning a grueling rampage."
"What did Sonic do?" Silver asked, clasping his hands together.
"Nothing." Shadow coldly stated. "He died when the deity split."
An eerie silence filled the room. Uncomfortable, the young prodigy fidgeted in his seat. He had forgotten the circumstances of that battle…
"We buried our dead and I set myself on chasing that thing down. Yet each time I emerged victorious, it would appear again in another part of the world." The elder exhaled, foot tapping slightly faster under the table. "I tried everything… firepower, technology, the Seven Chaos Emeralds… yet each time I sunk it into the earth, it would reappear within the month. The oceans dried under its heat, the world scorched beneath our battles… countless lives lost in the process…"
"Where is it now?" Blaze pressed. "You clearly defeated it somehow - and how does this relate to the ceremonies of our family?"
"My story is a warning, young Princess." Shadow darkly answered. "If Iblis is ever released from its prison it will unleash death upon this world once again - and there would be very few ways to stop it."
"You didn't defeat it?" Silver gasped. Anxiously he cupped his mouth with his hands.
"The day it was sealed, I reached the ruins of the Holoska nation where Crescent City now stands. An entire city had been leveled under its influence, and my only hope to save those still alive was to defeat it once again." The hedgehog exhaled. "However, I wasn't expecting a dear friend of mine to show up…"
"Shadow - Whatever you're doing is not working, you have to try something else."
"Amy! What are you doing down here? You brought your son?!"
A loud roar echoed across the broken cityscape as Iblis smashed its giant claws against the ground. Buildings crumbled. Fire raced across the pavements. Civilians ran - trying to find a means to escape but the mountains proved too dangerous to cross. Rock and concrete melted and burned from the intense heat of the demon. As the pool of lava began to spread, so did the screams of everyone trying to escape. Frightened, the child tightly wrapped on Amy's back began to weep.
"And?" Silver asked, scooting his chair closer to the elder hedgehog. "What were they trying to do?"
"Sorry I went somewhere for a second." Shadow blinked, shaking his head slightly. "She had been doing research on ancient deities in an attempt to find a solution."
"I swear to you, every time you beat this thing it's just gonna keep coming back." Amy asserted, giving her hammer a spin. "There's a way to - Shadow! Wait!"
Spying an opening in the beast's form, Shadow bolted from his place on the ground. Kicking his air shoes into high gear, he raced along the cityscape. He had to move fast. Beat it back. The patterns were there; he just had to act. Act now.
Iblis roared as it knocked over a building. Frighteningly, the structure groaned as it began to fall - windows breaking and concrete cracking the closer and closer it got to the ground. The pavement beneath the ebony hedgehog quaked and shuddered under the weight of the building, but Shadow only saw an advantage. Kicking off the structure, the hedgehog launched himself high into the air. Shoes blasted on full power he accelerated towards the demon - hand outstretched and Energy charging up. Just had to get close. Just get closer… closer… closer…
"CHAOS BLAST!"
His body exploded as he made contact with the beast's horned head - knocking it to the side and earning a window shattering roar. Inhibitor rings smoking, he fell to the ground - metal shoes landing on a rooftop and creating impressive dents in the hard structure. His body steamed from the mere heat of the beast. Singed fur straightened and skin shuddered as his body regenerated from the intensity of the attack.
Angry, Iblis turned towards the hedgehog with an open mouth. An earth breaking screech emerged from its throat as waves and waves of fire blasted from its magma-like body. Screams and cries sounded from below as civilians attempted to take cover from the barrage of attacks. Caught in the flames, Shadow shielded his eyes from the heat.
Charging his shoes again, the hedgehog leapt through the flames - hands outstretched and energy building for another great blast. Enraged, the demon swiped at the speeding hedgehog - claws streaking with fire and lava only for Shadow to weave between the giant claws with a push of a hand and a twist of his body. Feet first he slammed against the creature's eyes. Wildly it shook its head, forcing the hedgehog to grip the stone armor with his drawn claws in an attempt to hold on while he charged a bit more energy…
"CHAOS BLAST!"
Shadow fell back to the road below. Pulling out his emeralds, he breathed in their succulent energy - fueling his body enough to brace while his shoes slammed against the asphalt pavement. Towering over him, Iblis gave another angry roar but Shadow only absorbed more of the precious emerald energy. Heavy breaths rocked his body as bits of the demon's broken mask fell around him - sinking deep into the ground and shaking the road with a fury.
"Shadow wait!"
A hand grabbed his arm as he stepped to charge again. Halted, Shadow turned to smack who was grabbing him only to be knocked to the asphalt by a giant hammer.
"Just LISTEN to me, you idiot!" Amy shouted, spinning her weapon and hoisting Shadow from the ground by his chest fur. "You're only going to put it to sleep if you keep going about it like that."
"Amy if we don't stop it fast, the death toll will just keep raising higher and higher-"
"Shut it! I found a manuscript that survived the destruction of Soleanna that talks about the Eternal Sun."
The hoglet strapped to her back gave a horrified screech as it recoiled into the fabric sling. Reacting to the child, Shadow grabbed Amy and bolted - Iblis's claws slamming down on their previous location with mere seconds to spare. Enraged, Shadow let loose a volley of Chaos Spears. The beams of light exploded on contact with the magma beast. Roars of pain shook the city as it recoiled from the attack.
"Amy." Shadow growled. "Go home. You shouldn't have brought your son into this-"
"Why did you try to push her away at first?" Silver asked, picking another piece of meat from the plate.
"I was worried that she would get herself killed." Shadow sighed. "Iblis was an extremely powerful entity - and I was fully prepared to be fighting it for all eternity."
"Listen - the manuscript said that the living flame was entrusted to the Royal Family - it's mentioned that it can fall into slumber within a royal soul." Amy growled. "Look!"
Shadow flinched as a sheet of notepaper was slapped onto his chest. Taking the paper in his fingers, he reluctantly began to read the notes.
"You being stupid and making it mad isn't going to solve anything." Amy frowned. Seeing a volley of molten rocks coming their way, she took her hammer and batted them away with a mighty swing. "We have to seal it."
"I have a royal soul…" Shadow gasped, an epiphany clicking into his head like a lightbulb. "I am the blood relative of Black Doom - the leader of the Black arms."
"That makes you a prince." Amy nodded, adjusting her cloth wrap so her hoglet was snug to her back. "That's good enough for me - let's go."
Dodging another breath of fire, the two hedgehogs ran towards the angry demon. The terrain had grown rough from destruction - buildings leveled and skyscrapers felled as citizens ran opposite the hero's path. The civilians had found themselves cornered as paths through the destruction had been cut off by debris. Panic and confusion erupted around as the crowd frantically pushed and shoved around each other in an attempt to find some way to find shelter. Iblis approached - ground shaking with each molten footstep as Shadow and Amy screeched to a halt before the giant demon.
"Quick - the Emeralds!"
Grasping an Emerald in each hand, Shadow slammed his wrists together in a cross - inhibitors sparking from the force of the blow. Heat intensifying as the demon grew closer, the hedgehog began the incantation.
"Eternal sun!"
Iblis roared at the words - slinging molten rocks at the two. Acting quickly, Amy swatted the boulders away. Rocks and sparks fell to the ground around as civilians retreated from the attack with a cry.
"Living Flame that has been entrusted to the royal family!" Shadow shouted, words crossing the distance and emeralds glowing with power. "Fall into slumber within my soul, Iblis!"
With a screech, flames and sparks barreled towards the ebony hedgehog - gathering at the emeralds and slamming into his chest with enough force to make him shout.
"Shadow!" Amy called, concern and panic racing across her features as she ran to his side. Yet, she dared not touch him. As the fire continued to blast into his chest, all the hedgehog could do was yell.
"Did it work?" Blaze asked, excitedly scooting closer in her chair.
"What happened?" Silver squeaked.
"Iblis thought I was cheating." Shadow explained, shaking his head. "My blood is not mine, and as it entered into my soul; it found my heritage to be… artificial."
"NO!" Shadow shouted, smoke bursting from his mouth and sparks dripping from his eyes as the flames abruptly burst from his chest. "Accept me, you cursed demon!"
Stumbling forwards, Shadow spat glowing liquid onto the ground - arms falling slack and Emeralds dimming as he slumped to his knees. Enraged, Iblis let loose another breath of fire - attempting to burn everyone trapped in the area below. Seeing it incoming, Amy acted fast. Kicking up a sheet of metal, she gave it a throw; flames deflecting to the side as it raced through the air.
"Shadow!" She cried. "What happened?!"
Without answering, Shadow gripped the Emeralds harder. Rising from the ground, he backed up - stepping backwards into the crowd and crossing his arms once again.
"Eternal Sun! Living Flame that has been entrusted to the Royal Family!" He shouted, bracing his chest and locking his stance. "Fall into slumber within the soul you unholy creature!"
The Emeralds sprung aglow once more, sucking the essence from the raging demon and slamming it into the hedgehog's chest once again. Hissing from the pain, Shadow grit his teeth and bore it. There was no room for failure. No more.
"Did it work this time?" Silver gasped, quills flaring and eyes widening in anticipation.
"Iblis couldn't resist a second command." Shadow sighed. "It took advantage of the misspoken word and did some cheating of its own."
A shout filled the air as Shadow fell to his knees once more. His back arched and his eyes consumed with the orange glow of magma. Mouth agape, molten lava erupted from the hedgehog's chest and filled his jaws with the glowing substance. Shadow could only scream as the flames burst out of his eyes and mouth - rejoining from the three channels and weaving into a ball of flame and fire in front of everyone's eyes.
Shadow!" Amy cried, stepping back as heat erupted from the hedgehog's chest. The gloves on his hands and the cuffs on his wrists began to blacken, smoke wafting off of them as they began to burn off of his own body. The inhibitor rings glowed an unhealthy red - overheating from the power and threatening to break from his body.
"A…A-Ah ACCEPT ME!"
The flames snapped through the air, snaking through the crowd and billowing through the air. Beast and hedgehog alike screeched as it singled out a woman hiding rubble. Unforgivingly, it burst through her chest, circling around her as she screamed and cried through the process. Alarmed, Amy ran over to her - trying and failing to interrupt the flames as more and more of the unholy fire poured into her body.
"Oh no!" Silver squealed, knees hitting his chest as anxiety circulated in his heart. "Did she survive?"
"Iblis deemed her soul to be royal." Shadow replied. "Her ancestors were once rulers of the land, and her lineage was direct enough to count."
"Was that…" Blaze gasped, daintily covering her mouth.
"The first Queen of Crescent City." Shadow confirmed.
"Cinder the Home-Giver." Ember nodded.
"After the ritual was complete, I made the decision to keep her bloodline royal - the only way to have the monster remain sealed in the long term." Shadow stated. "Using the documents as guidelines, we constructed a monarchy beneficial to as many people as possible. She was trained how to rule, and her lineage has proven successful in containing Iblis."
"Is that why Mephiles keeps trying to attack our city?" Blaze asked, tail twitching in anticipation.
"If he can kill the current holder of the Flames of Disaster, he can unleash Iblis back onto the world." The elder hedgehog frowned. "This is why an army has been raised in order to protect the city from destruction."
"All we have to do is keep Mephiles from getting in?" Silver questioned, setting his fork down as the last of the food was swallowed.
"That would be ideal."
"So you will be looking at our defenses while you are searching?" Ember asked, elegantly placing her napkin back on the table.
"Yes. I will be looking for any holes that would endanger your family."
"Most wonderful."
Silver let out a yawn as the food settled in his stomach. His brain spun from the volley of information just dumped into his lap and his brows furrowed as he processed. As a Prodigy, was his job to protect the Queen of Crescent City too? Iblis being unleashed on the world would be horrible for everyone. Especially Since Mephiles wanted to release him so badly.
"It is getting late." Shadow abruptly announced. "We have places to be tomorrow, and I see it fit that my prodigy gets some rest."
"What?"
"Let's go Silver." Shadow stated, standing from his seat with a gesture to the young hedgehog. "Thank you for the meal, Ember, I appreciate it greatly."
"It will always be my pleasure."