Something is wrong, time froze. Everything went dark. I look around, confused. Nothing. Empty. Dark. Where was I?
I look down at my chest, the Ruby was still drained of power, dull. It didn't seem like it was going to be recharged any time soon. I look back up, searching around me again. Everything was a black emptiness. Why am I here? How am I here? Where is "here"?
I try to walk, but I could only take a few steps, it felt like there were rocks chained to each leg. I'm gasping. Without realizing, I sat down, cross-legged. I stared ahead of me before lowering my head. I placed my hands on my head. A horrible feeling surrounded me.
I heard maniacal laughter. It wasn't that different from my own voice. Horrible thoughts weighted me down. I felt helpless. Images appeared without any control. A belt, wrapped around my throat, my choked-out cries echo throughout my head. A knife imbedded into my stomach by my own hand, blood gushes out. But my mind wasn't done, my imagination makes me stab again. And again, and again.
What Sonic had said to me stuck with me. "Maybe we can help you", "We can help you if you let us". My mind conjures up another death, I am bashing my skull into a stone wall. I am unworthy of help... I think. I am a helpless degenerate who can only bring harm.
These emotions were swarming me, I don't understand them. I don't know how to make them go away. Everything felt so heavy and empty all at once.
"Boss," I hear a voice whisper. I quickly let go of my head, looking up ahead of me, stiffening. "Please, just give it up." It was Diego, who used to be my second-in-command. Always sporting his green bandana around his head.
"You're tearing yourself apart." Ryder advised. My rifleman, and the closest thing we have to a medic on the team. Since he has a past of self-destructive behaviour, Ryder knows his way around using bandages and disinfecting cuts. Therefore, he was put in charge of anything in that category.
"You need to let this go," Shroud said firmly. It was still odd to hear his voice. Shroud rarely spoke with an audience that wasn't us, preferring to throw a knife or an axe from his belt at any threats. What did he mean by "this"?
"You need to let us go," Shroud added.
No... No. I can't.
Vengeance must behad. Karma must make him pay. I must avenge you.
I crush my eyes shut. The scene of their motionless bodies flashing in my head. How I found them all beaten in the middle of the woods. I remember Shroud's body; it sustained more injuries than everyone. He had a broken arm, a bruised face, and a crushed windpipe.
My stomach knotted; I crush my hands over my ears. "Stop haunting me..." I muttered. "...Leave me be."
Then everything is gone, my body has changed, my hands are no longer over my ears, I am about to dig my claws into Sonic's flesh.
"...What?!" I mumbled, looking around me, confused. I try to brush this off so Sonic won't notice any odd behaviour. I raise my hand back up. But then everything stops again.
I am back in the dark realm. I look around, and I try to run out, find a way to escape. But each step was like walking on a tightrope. My legs were wobbly and each step was like a mile. I fall to one knee not two minutes later. I am sweating, grinding my teeth together in effort. Why is this so difficult?
Someone is whispering in my left ear. "The perfect candidate." The doctor.
My eyes go wide, I turn around behind me, standing up quickly. "No!" I yell out.
A wave of nausea hits me, I squint to adjust to the light. I sway away from Sonic's body. A headache is splitting my skull. I stand up and take a step back from Sonic, placing one hand on my head as if it would clear my wits. I kept the bloody hand tense, still ready to cause more harm.
Sonic was looking me, scared and confused. Uncertainty in his eyes.
I felt energy and weakness returning to me at once, the Phantom Ruby was recharging. The emotions were switching between being overwhelming and suppressed. Power bouncing between nothing and extreme. Identities changing from one to another.
I blink, and that's all it took.
I am on my knees; my arms are glued to my sides by and invisible force. I couldn't move. I growl in effort to try and free myself with no avail. Someone else whispered to me this time, only, it was in my head.
"I am part of you. You are part of me."
It was the Phantom inside the Ruby.
"Get away!" I demanded.
I fall to my knees, glitches riving apart my body. Pain, it was everywhere. Yet I felt strong, and weak. Empty, and whole. What is happening? I couldn't see, my vision was fading away. With the energy from the recharging Ruby, I desperately try to numb out the horrid emotions that are controlling me.
Before my eyes failed, I stepped over to Sonic. And I bring down my arm one last time. Now, a physical thing stopped me. A harsh shoulder shoved into me, knocking me aside. It takes a moment for me to collect my bearings once I finally stopped rolling.
I lie there on my side, glitches slowly becoming less frequent. I barely found the will to bring myself up. But I did. I stood, slowly, turning back around to face my attacker. It was Shadow, he was somewhat hunching over, a hand over the gunshot wound in his stomach. He was panting.
Seeing that I got back up, Shadow quickly tried to kick away the restraints that held Sonic down. It didn't take long before they gave in.
I hear a whoosh of wind. I turn behind me. Metal Sonic was there, carrying the smaller version of Sonic by the arms. The little thing didn't squirm much. Metal Sonic dropped the small thing at my feet then charged at Shadow. He sensed my hatred for that brooding, self-indulgent imbecile. Before Metal Sonic made impact, a light covered him, and the clone slowly froze in the air.
I quickly snatch up the small Sonic by the head and make sure to keep him suspended off the ground. I turn to the side; Silver had his non-limp arm held out towards Metal Sonic. His ivory torso was coated in blood, and his face had a strained expression.
Shadow threw a punch into Metal Sonic, then the real Sonic kicked him. The clone vanished like hope.
I hold up the small Sonic in the air so that they could see, my nails digging into the Xerox's head. The Hedgehogs froze in their tracks, but still were prepared to charge. Even if that meant removing their hands from their wounds.
My head span, my muscles were aching, and I had no plan. The headache turned into a migraine. I didn't know what I was thinking or doing anymore. Too many thoughts coming in and out too quickly.
These words were stuck in my head: perfect, happy ending. I had this once. We had this. What happened? Zero took it away, that was how the joy came undone. Gambling it away like it was nothing. I – Zero, did this! Who was I? These personalities are battling each other constantly. One trying to overtake the other. But one always lost. Who am I now?
I... am...
Infinite.
"Take one step, and I crush this pathetic creature's skull," I threaten. I didn't even think to say that, but the words were coming out of my vocal chords. Sonic, Silver and Shadow look at me, tense. "Without your younger self, everybody you know will perish. None of them will remain. If the hero is removed, then you, Sonic, die. Every time you got lucky and saved some lifeform... now they will no longer have a saviour. Nobody to hear their pathetic pleas for help. And every villain you've ever faced is revived."
Sonic's eyes go wide, he looks at Shadow and Silver, gritting his teeth in fear. Shadow's brows furrowed and he turned to glance at his blue comrade. Silver maintained a stare at me, shifting between the tiny thing I was holding in the air, and then me.
"Surrender, or... I-I tear open his brain and let the spinal fluid cover the platform." I panted, and the glitches appeared in my voice again. I felt exhausted from the energy use I've gone through. But I must not let weakness reach the surface.
Several tense moments pass. Shadow curses, then slowly raises his bloody hands, letting his stomach continue to gush out red fluid. He slowly takes steps towards me.
Sonic grabs his shoulder. "What are you doing, you can't actually believe anything he's saying. For all we know, that's just me from another universe, and nothing will happen." Shadow shoves Sonic off.
"Then another 'universe' will be without a hero," Shadow replied. He turns back to me and slowly walks forward. Silver hesitantly follows his lead, stumbling from blood loss.
They stand in front of me, hands raised. Sonic still looked on from where he stood. Trying to decipher what to do. He crushes his eyes shut, muttering something under his breath. Sonic raises his hands in surrender.
A whirlwind formed inside of my head, when everything clears, the three Hedgehogs are all restrained. Sonic's head was barely raised over a glass pit of water, his arms held up by red cubes which kept him from drowning. He let out screams, eyes wide. It was a fact I have learned that Sonic has a fear of water.
Silver had each limb encased in large metal circles, hands and feet weighted down. He struggled to move, but he failed. Silver growled in anger, but it didn't serve any good.
Shadow was in a large cylinder, like a giant test tube. The thing that the doctor puts his experiments in. Shadow looked around him, eyes wide. It was fear. The "ultimate lifeform" was scared. This was precious.
My muscles react without thought. I crush the small Sonic's head in my hand, and I throw his body to the side. He sits there, lifeless.
"No!" Sonic and Silver yells. Shadow bangs his fists against the glass-like substance, any growls of anger being muffled. The small Sonic clone's body vanished.
My eyes go wide, and I stare at where I threw the small Hedgehog. I realize I am not in control of my own body. The emotions I am struggling to suppress were swirling.
Shadow and look at Sonic. They expected something to happen, for him to vanish with the younger version. But nothing happens.
A deep laughter fills the air, and like the other Hedgehogs who look my direction, I realize it was coming from me.
"Such a pity," my mouth says, but my will doesn't. "He was such a useful spy." My head turns to where the clone vanished. The little Sonic was my – and the doctor's – way of doing proper "research" on the opposing side. We could see through his eyes, listen through his ears.
"What?!" Sonic blurts, angered and confused. "You tricked us?!"
I am fighting myself; I am battling something internally. The Ruby, trying to maintain control of its power, and the thing inside it. I am still in control... I must.
I kept seeing things. A figure in front of me. I could barely make it out, it was too blurry. They had the silhouette similar to my own species. They didn't have any identifiable colouration, just... hollow, a shadow. I think they had their arms behind their back. A bright red emanated from their chest.
Before I blinked, a voice – whom had to belong to the figure – spoke. "Take my hand, become one again." They held out their hand to me before I closed my eyes. When they opened, the person was gone. But I still yelled out at them, somehow knowing who they were, and what their intentions were.
"We were never one!" I yell out at where the figure once stood. His voice returns, it was not far different from my own, only more metallic, deeper.
"That may be true, but we are more alike than you can ever imagine."
I quickly turn around to met the origin of the voice. They still had a hand held out. They were no longer blurry, but red glitches began to scatter around their expressionless body. He, or it, seemed as though it was supernatural.
The presence was battling for control again. I have never been able to fight them off for this long before, without giving in or having old memories resurfacing. A part of me wanted that thing out, I wanted this Ruby out of my chest. I wanted my life back.
But you're far beyond that point.
"Stay away," I threaten, voice firm. Sweat was dripping down the inside of my face. One hand crushes into a fist while the other pushes my mask into place. A tingling forms in my chest, and soon it turns to pain. Slowly, it got worse and worse.
When I had begun to wonder if the three Hedgehogs were still behind me, the pain intensified. I grip at the Ruby, falling to one knee. The light that came from the Ruby flickered for a moment. "Ah," I gasp. I glare up at the figure, trying to stand up. "What... are you doing?!"
The figure takes steps towards me, calmly, slowly. My body trembles as I tried to make my muscles move, but the exhaustion I have been fighting off has taken over. And another invisible force has its harsh grip on me.
The shadow lowers their face to meet mine. "You already know the answer to that." There was nothing there, just emptiness. No face. Not even any shadows or reflections of light, no sign of them being a real being. It was like looking at a flat, two-D character. I felt... intimidated?
"What are you going to do?" I manage to stand up on two feet, body shaking from the effort. The figure seemed impressed, taking a single step back.
"I will achieve our common goal," the thing says back. Then they walk towards me.
"No." I say, trying to struggle, move. Nothing worked. "I won't allow you to—"
They took hold of my head, one of their cold and dark hands on either side of my face. I could feel this, even through my mask. It felt like it was made of hatred, vengeance, paranoia. Is that what evil feels like? They look into my eyes, though they didn't have any of their own. It was foreign yet familiar. My heart pounded. Was this fear?
"Look into my eyes, Zero." No matter how much I shook my head to escape their icy hands, they wouldn't let go. I could feel immanent danger, signals flashing in my spine.
Everything was going dark, but the figure's face was changing. Their fur changed; it was a bright white. Two eyes formed. But they weren't normal. The whites – what should be the whites, were not natural. The left was a bright orange, and the right was a purple. Irises formed in the center of each. They were black, I thought they were its pupils. But then the cornea took shape. The pupils were completely white, staring into me.
They were completely reversed. And who was forming that face had just made my sight fail. They took control.
Somebody, stop him.
Sorry I haven't been updating, its been busy. I got braces, they hurt like hell during the first week. I've been trying to keep my grades up so I can actually -- perhaps -- get into a good school where I can have a future. Because school is cool, kids!
For any of those interested, my mid-terms are telling me that I'm getting 87% in English (Cause I properly know how to use commas and I read the dictionary in my free time. Yep, I'm a nerd.), a 90% in Art. Yeah, I've been improving a lot. I'll post some of it later. I am getting 74% in Science, which whill likely change since we've started doing Chemistry and I'm killing it! I got 51.5 out of 50 on a test. (Let me have this, I never brag.) And I got a 76% in Civics.
Otherwise, I'm very sick right now and I can barely make any of my sarcastic comments anymore. I'm done talking now, sorry, haven't spoken all day, I'm very talkative. So, see ya.