The Albion Prophecy (A Sonic Fanfic)

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Kay plopped onto her bed and let out a long sigh, letting herself relax after a long, tiring day. She had been living in G.U.N.’s headquarters for a week now, and it seemed that each passing day was harder and more draining than the last. Most of her sessions played out the same way as the first had: Shadow would stand in a corner and watch as Rouge taught her something new, slowly at first but gaining more speed as Kay caught on. Then, when it seemed that she had it down, Shadow would take over and prove that she still had a long way to go. He would always challenge her, fight her as though they were on a battlefield, and then walk away in dissatisfaction. Nothing she did seemed to impress him in the least.

But then, he was Shadow the Hedgehog.

Once she let her muscles loosen up a bit she was able to determine exactly where she was sore and what parts of her body had been hurt today. Right now it was her back and left side – probably from all of the roundhouse kicks Shadow had delivered. Voices still swam in her head from today’s session, reminding her of all the hard work she had yet to do to become even remotely ready for actual practice. There were so many things she had to watch out for in a battle; enemies could surround her and attack her all at once. There were ways of avoiding that, but she was barely able to escape one attacker, let alone six or seven. Then there were the enemies with power. Speed, strength, stealth, firepower, indestructible armor...the list was endless. That was just the dodging part of war, too. All of the attacks she would have to learn...

Kay’s head hurt. She pushed the thoughts away and sighed again. There’s no way I can do this.

She really wanted to look out of a window and see the city lights, the sunset, or even the rocky hill that HQ was nestled into. But her new room had no window. Because of that first day when the Death Egg II had attacked and showered glass everywhere, G.U.N. was not inclined to let her stay in a room that was prone to enemy attack as her previous one had been. Kay understood, but she still longed to see the outside again.

Kay knew that she needed sleep. It was already pretty late, and Shadow and Rouge started early in the morning with no exceptions. If she wanted energy to stand tomorrow, she would need to get to sleep fairly quickly. Her eyes were already closed. She was half-asleep, but before she could completely reach the dream world a sound from the real one reached her ears and sharpened her mind once again. Kay wondered, briefly, if it was wind she was hearing. But that was impossible. She was in the center of HQ, away from any outside wall, so she decided against that hypothesis and moved on to another one.

Just then there was a faint creaking noise. Then the sound of a door closing and locking. Kay lifted her eyelids halfway, interested enough to take a look but too tired to really care.

Until she saw the emerald light.

Kay gasped and sat up, ignoring the dizzy spell that came over her and focusing instead on what was taking place before her. The light was shining in midair, directly above the center of her room, and it was starting to emit faint green mist that curled upon reaching the floor and spread out to the far corners. The wind-like sound continued, only this time Kay took note of a voice hiding within its protection whispering, “Hear me, Chosen.”

What? Kay wondered as she stared at the incredible phenomenon. She knew the Master Emerald was a powerful gem...it had the potential to grant super forms and could neutralize the seven Chaos Emeralds if it so chose. Kay had recently discovered that it could also give visions of the future and allow her to see everything at once (whether she wanted to or not). But for all her knowledge, Kay didn’t know anything about this.

A shape was forming in the mist now. As she looked closer she realized she recognized the figure. It was an elderly echidna with décor in his spines and a loose-fitting robe. There was a staff in his hand. Kay felt her mouth drop open. “Athair?”

Athair opened his eyes. Kay gasped when she saw that they were completely green and glowing brightly in the darkened room. His voice was echo-like when he announced, “I speak for the Master Emerald.”

She had no idea the Emerald could do that, either, but she was too stunned to argue. The only thing she could think of to reply with was: “Okay.”

Athair spoke again, still in that echo-like tone, delivering the Master Emerald’s message. “I admire your willingness to perform the task that awaits you.” He paused. “And while the hand-to-hand training you are receiving is necessary for average battles, it will do you no good against the enemy that is coming.”

Kay frowned, her surprised silence replaced with a keen interest in what was being said. “What do you mean?”

“The evil you are destined to face has no need for hand-to-hand skills. He uses pure Chaos Energy.”

Kay felt her shoulders slump in defeat. “How am I supposed to fight him, then? I have no Chaos powers.” Athair did not reply, but simply looked at her patiently. It took a moment, but Kay caught on and the realization dawned on her so forcefully that it sent a chill down her spine. “...Do I?”

There was a pause before Athair continued. “You require a mentor who can teach you the ways of the Chaos Force, for that is the only power that can defeat your opponent.”

Kay absorbed this new information and considered it for a few moments. Then she asked, “But who could teach me to use such energy in so little time?”

“There are many masters of Chaos,” he replied. “One is already training you.”

Kay understood immediately, the answer falling into place like the piece of a puzzle. “Shadow...”

Athair nodded once, slowly. “Seek a mentor. Learn to control Chaos. Then, and only then, will you be victorious.”

She realized that he was starting to fade, and desperately she cried, “Wait!” The figure did exactly that, remaining to hear what she had to say. Kay took a deep breath before asking a question that had been weighing on her mind for some time now: “Do you...do you know who my opponent is?”

He did not answer immediately. Instead he regarded her with calm interest before giving his answer. “You will learn soon enough, young hedgehog.”

Kay tore her gaze from him. She knew it had been a long-shot to try and determine who she would have to fight, but at least the conversation had let her know that it was indeed a person. Something seemed to be disappearing, and when she looked up she noticed that Athair’s eyes were no longer glowing. They were their normal color now, still trained on her. This time when the ancient echidna spoke, it was through his own powerful voice. He raised his staff into the air.

“The Master Emerald favors its Chosen,” he announced, the light behind him growing in intensity. “It resigns its power and abilities to you for use in battle against your enemies. Use them wisely; the Chaos Force is not to be harnessed for wicked intent.”

Suddenly there was an explosion of emerald green light, shining so brilliantly that Kay was forced to cover her eyes to keep from being blinded. The windy noise faded away, the mist retracted, and the glow dimmed to nothing. When Kay looked again, her room was empty. There was no trace of her visitor, nor were there any indications he had been here at all.

Alone once more, the thoughts burst into Kay’s mind like a balloon popping and letting out all of its air. I had no idea the Master Emerald could do that. I knew it was powerful, but... She frowned, remembering what Athair had told her about her hand-to-hand training being useless. What will I say to Shadow and Rouge? They haven’t been training me that long. Shadow will probably think I’m just quitting because I’m too weak to do the job. But then...he uses the Chaos Force all the time. He’s probably the best mentor I can get...if he even agrees to switch tactics and teach me to use the most powerful energy source on Mobius.

Somehow Kay doubted it.

It wasn’t long before her drowsiness caught up to her again, followed by another wave of dizziness. She situated herself, lay down, and closed her eyes once more, fully intending to sleep this time. She decided that she would worry about her newfound situation in the morning.

Maybe she would dream of the right things to say to her trainers.