x
Infinite's one eye traveled up the set of stairs that were said to lead to the room he would be staying in. The castle's perpetual chill air caused the jackal to shiver and he cringed, knowing that would be an obstacle to him getting a good night's sleep.
"There should be an extra wool blanket or two in your closet if you need it," Scourge told him, having been standing there behind him for the past five minutes and watching Infinite shoot fearful looks at the stairs like he expected a lion to be crouched in the darkness at the top of them. The moss-colored monarch narrowed his eyes and sighed. "What are you so scared of? This isn't a trap if that's what you're so worried about."
"I'm not scared," came Infinite's way-too-quick response. "I'm just wondering why you don't even bother to heat this place."
"Uh, hello? It's well over a hundred thousand square feet," Scourge pointed out, sounding angry but Infinite doubted he truly was. Annoyed, maybe.
Annoyed of having to put up with a wimp like me.
The green pineapple crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "There's a furnace in the basement, but it's hardly sufficient to heat this whole place. If it bothers you so much, you can always sleep at the inn in town. That is, if you don't mind waking up in a sacrificial circle... or not waking up at all."
"Yeah, I get it. That was a bad idea on my part, but I didn't know those rabbits were actually out to get me. I thought it was the curse of this zone that made them seem the way they did. Like... you."
At that last part, Scourge stiffened and squeezed his hands into fists and his eyes firmly shut. "This zone isn't cursed. Just... put at a disadvantage. They're merely looking out for their own skins." Scourge reopened his eyes and looked solemnly towards the floor. "Hey, I didn't trust you when I first met you." His azure eyes moved upwards to glance at Infinite again. "Mostly due to how you spoke to Honest."
Infinite's eyes reflected an emotion the masked mongrel rarely ever possessed, concern. "If you don't mind me asking, did you distrust Fiona at first?"
Scourge uncrossed his arms and adjusted the sleeves on his jacket. "She was my victim until she wasn't, and then I was her savior. So... no. Then again, we were young, so maybe distrust wasn't yet achievable for us." Infinite nodded and quietly began picking his way up the stairs until another "hey" from Scourge caused him to pause and turn around.
"If you hear any noises in the night, don't investigate them. We're aware, trust me, and we're already looking into it. Sleep well." With a small salute, Scourge quickly darted back to the throne room.
"N-Noises?" Infinite stuttered to himself after the royal renegade had left. He shook his head. It was time for bed. It was already ten. How long did Scourge plan on staying awake for? They both had school in the morning unless he just planned on not going tomorrow.
After closing the heavy stone door behind him carefully and hanging his mask on a conveniently placed hook on the wall beside the neatly made bed, Infinite pulled a large and blue wool blanket out of the top of the small closet and pulled it up to his chin as he settled down into the bed. After pushing all unnecessary thoughts like "who made the bed?", "does that lamp work?", and "why is the sky just as bright at night as it is during the day?", the thought of what "noises" Scourge could have been talking about filled Infinite's head once more. Was it the expected sounds of a creaky old building or something a little more... extraordinary?
"Whatever it is, I'm not hearing it now, and I doubt I'll ever hear it. Whatever it is, it's not ghosts." And with that, the brave jackal went to sleep.
—
No more than an hour later, Infinite awoke with a start when he began to see his breath swirl around in the air around him. It was still warm weather on Mobius, but here it felt to be the middle of winter. This was a supernatural cold he was experiencing now, though. The frozen air tore through the thick blanket Infinite was wrapped up in like a troublesome hound through a discarded newspaper. At least it had been a comfortable temperature at the inn. Maybe he should take a walk around the castle to warm up and perhaps find that furnace Scourge had been talking about.
Now hiding behind his mask once more, Infinite slipped through the crack in the door armed with just his blanket. He supposed that if he indeed found the furnace, he could sleep either by it or in a room adjacent to it that was in its radius of heat. It was in the basement, right? Well, first he had to find the entrance to said basement.
Infinite doubted it was in the dining hall, and the throne room had only one entrance. Perhaps the entrance to the basement was in one of the first floor hallways. After all, they were quite literally a maze.
Approaching the end of one of the offshoots, Infinite could feel the chill air dissipate for just a moment. Was he near the furnace? However, all there was at the end of the hallway was the entrance to a medium-sized library. Infinite wondered if the books contained within were from his zone or Scourge's, and what the difference was. If he weren't so tired, he might look through some of them, but the prospect of finding a warm place to sleep kept him moving. Except, well-
"Can I use that?" There, lying propped up against one of the freestanding bookshelves was a small, metal space heater. Infinite sat on his knees in front of it and found the switch on one side to turn it on. However, flipping it yielded zero results. Peering behind it gave him his answer why. It wasn't plugged in, its cord lying listless on the wooden floor. Infinite grabbed the heater, stood up, and started for the door when it suddenly slammed shut in front of him.
"What kind of crazy draft does this place have?!" he exclaimed quite a bit above a whisper due to his fright. He wrapped the cord of the heater around his hand and twisted the knob on the door but to no avail. He stepped back with his hand still extended. "T-The draft locked the door?" A laugh seemed to resound from behind the masked mongrel, so he jumped and spun around to see the distorted and transparent shape of a hedgehog sitting in a plush red recliner.
"I do not recognize you, but I was wondering if you could relay a message for me... To my traitorous son."
"You're a ghost?" Infinite asked, genuinely unsure.
"I prefer the term 'echo'," the gho- I mean echo said. "It makes haunting this place seem far less terrifying and more... Intriguing. I'm here to inform, not to scare."
The fact this "echo" didn't want to be called a ghost should've relieved Infinite, but it really didn't. It was probably due to the fact that him being there was most likely also proof ghosts were real. "Um, okay... Is your traitorous son Scourge by any chance?"
The echo rested his elbow on the arm of the chair he was sitting in and his head in his palm. "If that's what he's calling himself now, then yes. I want you to tell him something for me."
"Why don't you appear to him, then? He's around here somewhere, probably in his room asleep or with-" Infinite looked away. "His queen," Infinite told the echo, crossing his arms.
"He's blocked me out," the apparition explained, sighing. "Plus, I don't think he'd very much appreciate being interrupted right now. I think you know what I mean."
How nice of a guy this non-ghost must be not to interrupt someone whom he considered a traitor. Infinite blew out a gust of air in annoyance. "What's the message?" This hunk of metal is getting heavy fast.
"I want you to tell him that his days as king are numbered," the echo told him, a wide grin stretching across his translucent face. "And although he may have found temporary sanctuary for now in others, he can never escape the winds of fate."
Infinite heard the door behind him unlock and turned around immediately, rushing to the knob and twisting it. This time the door opened and when Infinite turned back around to say good-bye, the echo was gone.
---
"Is everyone here? Okay then, let's begin."
School would be starting in an hour, so it was important that they get this impromptu extended club meeting over with as soon as possible as to allow everyone to depart for their classes in order to get to them on time-- "extended" as in the characters meeting were of the Honesty club and beyond. Just now Blaze and Silver had arrived per Honest's request. Only Amy was absent due to her having to retake a test right then, but Honest just texted her saying "the play is off, there was an accident with Mephiles" and she seemed to understand, replying with an "okay".
Silver seemed pretty worried when he showed up and saw Mephiles detained, but all Mephiles said was "Don't worry, your secret will stay safe for now" and Silver immediately looked relieved. All this did was push Honest over the edge with worry, enough to call a meeting in the theater.
She sat at the end of the stage and looked over the gathered would-be actors and audience members. They were all sitting in the first two rows and looking up at her with faces full of confusion and concern, minus Mephiles who didn't look any particular way of course. She had let Mephiles out of the cage (although, again, he could have left it himself) and allowed him to sit with the others. Shadow was standing beside Honest with his arms crossed, obviously uncomfortable what with all the eager gazes being directed their way.
The lack of three particular presences bothered Shadow. One of those he had a partial explanation for, but the reasoning for the two others' absences was completely unknown to him.
"Um, Honest? Where are Fiona and Scourge? Shouldn't they be a part of this?" Shadow asked Honest.
"They're on a mission for me right now," Honest replied, not turning to look at him. Honest felt she could say that even in front of Sonic because she could always just pass it off as another thing that needed to be done in the background in order to progress her story. Which it was, but anything that happened behind the scenes could be described that way if she wanted.
"Anyways, first topic: What is the secret being kept for Silver by Mephiles? Any ideas?"
"I... Have a theory," Blaze stated calmly. She turned to Silver who was sitting several seats away from her. "Is it regarding your... Alter ego?"
Rouge gasped and everyone began to stare at the little, white fluffball in sudden interest. His ears and fern-like appendages dropped in fright and he ducked behind the seat in front of him. "B-Blaze, I t-told you n-not to- *gulp* t-tell anyone..."
"It's for your own good to get that off your chest," the mauve cat told him. She looked worriedly up to Honest on the stage. "This has been bothering him for nearly seven years."
Honest felt her expression change from one of serious listening to concerned listening despite knowing everything she knew. "That long, huh?"
"Uh, what kind of alter ego?" asked Sonic fearfully.
"A Dark one," Blaze replied somewhat gravely.
"He lied to me," a tearful Silver admitted. "He told me that he didn't have any control over me, but then he took over and Mephiles happened to see me. I don't know what happened between them. I was asleep during that time, but Dark told me that Mephiles was going to tell everyone about my secret if I didn't agree to help him set up the trap- I mean play..." At that last word, the fern-headed hedgy bowed his head and squeezed his eyes shut.
Honest coughed which seemed to draw the attention back to herself. "W-Well, I guess that brings us to our next point. Silver?" Said dorky time traveler lifted his head and peered sorrowfully at her. "I think it would be advantageous for you to move into Snow's house with your father."
"What? No, I don't need to do that. I promise, I won't let Dark out like that again!"
"You can't guarantee that," Shadow argued. Silver looked at him with a disbelieving expression.
"I agree," Blaze said simply, earning a rather loud "huh?!" from the very hedgehog she was agreeing to lock away by saying that.
"I'm rather tired of having to be your babysitter," she explained. "I want to have a life of my own besides constantly looking after you."
"You don't have to look after me," Silver argued.
"Really, Silver?" Blaze sighed inwardly, surprised Silver could forget so easily. "You've broken eight of my plant pots just this month."
"My controls are slippery!!" Silver protested with a (>д<) expression.
Blaze offered a sympathetic smile. "Hey, Honest and Shadow might be able to help you learn how to better control your psychokinesis while you're there."
"Really?" Silver asked them. Shadow and Honest both nodded, and Honest said, "We can get all the greatest minds together to help you out. Tails, Knuckles... Even Sonic could offer some help. After all, he has a Dark form of his own."
"Our forms are nothing alike," Sonic claimed harshly. "Dark Sonic isn't completely separate from me. He doesn't have his own consciousness, and he definitely doesn't speak to me. He and I are one entity, and only when I am in a dark place mentally can he show up. Plus, I need the presence of all seven Chaos emeralds to draw power from in order to transform. Dark and Super are forms of Chaos, so I don't see how Silver can just transform into his "Dark form" whenever it feels like it."
"But that's why we need to keep a closer eye on him and figure it out," Honest pointed out. When Sonic still didn't look convinced, Honest continued. "Okay, maybe it's not a true Dark form, but it's still potentially dangerous to just ignore. It's already nearly caused your death, remember?"
"Faker, this is my son," Shadow pressed. "If you feel uncomfortable living in the same house as him, maybe you should move out."
The only reason Sonic was living there, er, sleeping there since he was gone most days and was either with Tails, off saving the world, or just out running, was to test Shadow and to be a part of Honest's story. He had put up with the additions of many other characters over the years, so why would he suddenly break down when Silver, a person who he knew very well, came to stay? Well, the short answer was that he wouldn't. There was something else going on.
Sonic seemed to think of something then as his expression changed from disdainful to one of shame. "Sorry, I'm just worried having Silver there would take attention away from me. I don't know what I was thinking."
Literally everyone present-- Honest, Shadow, Rouge, Blaze, Silver, and Mephiles-- rolled their eyes at that obvious lie. However, the actual truth remained unknown. Still though, if Honest was going to get this meeting over with time to spare, she would have to ignore the blue ignoramus for the time being.
"Let's see... What else is there to discuss?" Honest asked no one in particular and tapped her chin in thought. The gathered characters began to chatter amongst themselves and completely disregard the blond cat for the time being.
"Ah, Honest," Shadow said suddenly, drawing Honest's attention. "It's eight. Maybe you should let them leave."
"Nevermind then! You're all free to leave for class!" Honest suddenly exclaimed. Everyone, without looking at her, began to leave. Mephiles turned into a puddle of black liquid and shot out of the room at an incredible speed.
With steam flowing freely from her triangular ears, Honest huffed and crossed her arms where she still stood atop the stage. "It bothers me how little respect our club gives me. Don't they know what kind of influence I have over what happens to them?"
"They... don't. But that's what you want, correct? If they knew they might become scared of you and that's never a good thing," Shadow pointed out to her.
Honest giggled. "Yeah, you're right. If I appear to them as being relatively powerless, the members of our club might trust me more. I feel like trust wins over fear any day." She jumped to the floor and Shadow afterwards.
"Your homeroom is closer, right? I'll walk you there," Honest offered, extending her hand. Shadow cautiously grasped it.
"Sure, but let's go slow, okay? It's not too far and I would rather not get my arm ripped off straight away today."
"Why, is that something I'd do?" Honest asked, her eyes smiling. Shadow rolled his and smiled back, then they both started down the center aisle and after the others.
—
Blaze gave Silver the last of the stacks of boxes and shut the door.
"Thank you for helping me move my stuff," Silver exclaimed as he and Shadow began walking in the direction of Snow's house.
"No problem," Shadow responded, leading them through the center of what appeared to be a market. They passed by empty stalls that no doubt were manned earlier in the day. It was well past six now and the sun was setting behind them as they walked.
"Whoa, what happened here?"
Shadow stopped in his tracks and Silver soon afterwards when they came across a huge dent in the pavement. Cracks spread in every direction from a circular indent in the concrete. Silver tilted his head to see around the boxes he was carrying.
"I dunno," the dorky time traveler answered. "Amy got a little mad at Sonic?"
"A little? Yeah, you're probably right," Shadow laughed. He walked around the mark of impact, but Silver hesitated to follow him. "It does kind of look like that. Like a round hammer mark."
Although it was completely silent in this part of town right now, Silver could've sworn he felt someone's gaze pressing into the back of his head.
"Uh, Silver? Are you coming? It'll be dark soon."
"Sorry! I'm coming!" Silver ran to catch up with Shadow.
Once they arrived on the doorstep of Snow's house, Honest answered the door and her face lit up. "This is the last one? Okay, then! I can show you around now." Silver followed her inside and shut the door behind him.
Although during the meeting it seemed as though Honest was having Silver move in so that they could keep an eye on him for his protection, Shadow wasn't yet entirely convinced Honest wasn't just doing this for her own entertainment. Another player to join their multiplayer matches.
"Well that was rude," Shadow commented to no one as he was now, in his mind, entirely alone. "He has no regard for anyone or anything around him while he's focused on some other matter."
"Yup, that's my nephew alright."
Shadow froze. Who in the heck- He turned around.
Shadow's blood ran cold as he felt all color drain from his body. There, in the silhouette of the evening sun's rays, stood the last thing he expected to see that day...
Himself.
