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1.
In the distance, Shadow hears the distinct roar of a sonic boom.
Its reverberations rattle his metal patio table. The world around him is similarly affected; nearby, a flock of scared birds take off from the trees.
He rolls his eyes. The other hedgehog always has to make such an entrance, doesn't he?
There's a strong rush of wind, forcing Shadow to shut his eyes. When he reopens them, Sonic is sitting at the other side of his table.
"Hey-a, Shadow," Sonic says with a smile. It seems a tad strained. "It's been a while."
His wording prompts Shadow to raise an eyebrow. "You changed your catchphrase," he observes.
Sonic's strained smile morphs into a wince. "Yeah, well, you kinda got mad at me for saying it too much. We actually had big argument about it."
Huh. It must have been serious if it convinced Sonic to drop 'long time no see'. He wonders what prompted it in the first place.
Sonic places his hands on the table, pulling Shadow from his thoughts. "I shouldn't be here," he says. He looks around, as though someone is going to jump from the bushes and attack him. "I promised I wouldn't come back. I just . . ."
It's difficult to make Sonic look this nervous. Is he acting like his because of their fight?
Apprehension must show on Shadow's face, because Sonic shakes his head. "It isn't your fault. We came to a mutual agreement. I'm breaking it by being here."
The explanation is vague, but Shadow knows better than to ask for any details. Instead of pressing for more information, he leans farther back into his chair and closes his eyes.
"I don't care about any of that. If you aren't supposed to be here, then do the other me a favour and shut up."
This gets a weak laugh out of Sonic. "Fine, fine. I'll stop talking."
The chair creaks as Sonic settles in. Shadow lets his body relax, listening to the sounds of nature as he soaks in the warm sun of an early spring. Bugs buzz around around. Birds chirp as they return to their homes. A light breeze rustles the trees near his cabin. The peace of it all could put him to sleep.
He doesn't know how much time passes before Sonic gets out of his chair. Shadow cracks an eye open, then sits up when he registers the forlorn look on Sonic's face. What...?
"I'm sorry, Shadow. Goodbye."
Another boom rattles the environment, and Sonic is gone.
2.
Sand is not kind to Shadow's air shoes.
For the sixteenth time that day, he is thrown violently into the desert floor after too much sand slips into the jets and cuts their propulsion. He rolls once, twice, until he comes to a stop in the scorching sand.
With a hiss, he scrambles to his feet and shakes the sand out of his fur. All of this is terrible. Those stupid motherfuckers at the colony are going to pay for dumping him out here to die.
Don't they know killing him is really hard? If he were as fragile as everyone else, he would've kicked the bucket a long time ago. Does his existence as the Ultimate Lifeform mean nothing to them?
Whatever. He's sure they'll realize the error of their ways when he returns to kill them all.
After an hour or so of walking, he finds a rock formation flat enough to sit on. Once he's settled in, he takes off his air shoes and carefully cleans the sand from the jets. The process takes at least twenty minutes per shoe. Really, it might be worth walking the rest of the way if it means he won't have to clean out his shoes twice an hour. He'll reach the colony later than planned, but at least he'll be less frustrated by the time he gets there.
He straps his feet back into his shoes, and then hears a sonic boom in the distance.
Oh, now isn't this just perfect.
He follows a cloud of kicked up sand with his eyes as Sonic approaches his location. Like usual, it takes no time at all for the blue hedgehog to get there.
Sonic skids to a stop next to him. He pants with exhaustion and looks at the sky with apprehension. "The sun is really killer these days, huh?"
Shadow gives him a level look. "You could say that."
In a stupid gesture, Sonic wipes non-existent sweat off his forehead. "Whew! Anyways, long time no see." He turns his head to survey the area. "Is it really like this everywhere? I thought the colony people were lying when they said the whole world was a desert."
"They're telling the truth. The world fucking sucks."
For a moment, Sonic looks like he wants to say something. He seems to decide against it with a small shake of his head, then awkwardly leans back on his heels. A few minutes of silence pass before he speaks again.
"Are you going to kill them?" Sonic asks. He says it casually, with the levity of someone inquiring about another person's weekend plans.
Shadow raises an eyebrow at the question. "Will you stick around long enough to stop me?"
Sonic clicks his tongue and puts a hand on his hip. "You're not allowed to ask me that."
No matter how important the rules of their interactions are, they can be pretty annoying. "Fine. Then yes, I do plan to kill them. They deserve it."
He wonders how Sonic feels about it. If he met the same colonists that Shadow did, then he would know all about their post-apocalyptic slave empire. He would also know that Shadow had been banished after attempting to destroy them.
Sonic probably has very strong thoughts about that colony. Perhaps those thoughts carry more weight than his personal ethical philosophy.
Like usual, Sonic does not make these feelings known. He simply nods and says, "Yeah, okay."
Shadow gives him a once-over, then stares at him for so long that Sonic becomes visibly uncomfortable. Still, he does not let up. There is something about this situation that feels wrong. There is something missing.
Finally, he finds it.
"You're a bad actor," he says with a smirk. Sonic's eyes widen a little in surprise. "You've gone farther than this before. This entire world is the result of a massive ecological disaster—a personal nightmare scenario for you, I'm sure. Shouldn't you be freaking out right now?"
Sonic groans. He holds up a hand. "Stop. Just—stop. You are breaking so many rules right now."
Still, Shadow pushes. "If you're going to do this, you need to get better at acting. You can't make it so easy for me to figure this stuff out."
"These are your rules too, Shadow." Sonic is now visibly frustrated; his arms are crossed over his chest and one of his ears twitches in annoyance. "You have to follow them as much as I do."
With a shrug, Shadow leans back and lays down on the rock. "Whatever. Leave, Sonic. This isn't a good place for you."
It takes some time for Sonic to finally cave to Shadow's request. Without saying goodbye, he takes off in a cloud of sandy dust and disappears into the distance.
They don't really need to say goodbye. They will see each other again soon.
3.
Shadow is waiting for a ferry.
It is due to arrive in two hours. When it moors at the dock, it will bring on as many people as it can carry. Then it will travel on a desperate voyage to find land higher above sea-level.
Beside him, Sonic looks like he's about to throw up. He watches the rising seas with terror in his eyes.
"What happened here?" he asks, breathless.
Sometimes, Shadow finds humour in Sonic's reactions to the world. This is one of those instances. It would be rude to laugh, so he bites the inside of his cheek to keep it in for Sonic's sake.
"This is a swell," he explains. Below their feet, waves lap at the elevated platform many people had once made their home. "It's lasting longer than usual, so we have to evacuate."
This does nothing to assuage Sonic's fear. For once, Shadow finds that he can sympathize with him. Both of them had once dedicated their lives to protecting the planet. Seeing it in such a flooded state, especially for the first time, must be devastating for the blue hedgehog.
Nervously, Sonic fidgets with his gloves. "Do they—are people saying it'll get better?"
A high wave splashes water onto the platform. The crowd on the dock grows louder as they impatiently wait for the ferry's arrival.
"No one knows anything. All we can do is wait."
Sonic nods, but the concern doesn't leave his eyes. "Okay."
Eventually, the ferry comes. Shadow boards alone. When he turns back to face the dock, Sonic has disappeared.
4.
The courtroom is not a good place.
Shadow's arms are bound behind his back, the chain looped around a thick metal ring bolted to the floor in the middle of the room. Armed guards flank him on either side. With no Chaos Emerald, he has no hope of escaping.
The Adjudicator slams her gavel on the table. There is no crowd to settle, but she seems to take pleasure in doing it anyways.
Setting aside the small hammer, she lowers her head to read a document on the desk. "Shadow the Hedgehog, you have been charged with . . ." she looks up, narrowing her eyes at him. "Reckless use of Chaos Energy. Does that sound right?"
Annoyed, a low growl rumbles in Shadow's throat. These people don't understand Chaos Energy at all, everything about this is a sham—
One of the guards nudges Shadow with his gun. "Answer."
It takes all of his self-control to not snap at the guard. No matter how tame his words, talking back would only serve to make things worse for himself.
"Yes, that sounds right," he grumbles.
The Adjudicator nods and flips the page. "You were also caught with a Chaos Emerald in your possession. That is a level three offence. Do you have anything to say?"
Shadow takes a deep breath to steel himself. "Do you know who I am, your honour?"
The question does not please the Adjudicator. She rolls her eyes and gestures to the papers on her desk. "Of course, I do. I have your file right here."
"Then you would know this law was only put into place many years after I started using Chaos Energy."
There is no other defence he can use. Really, there's almost no point in trying. The Chaos Court has a 99.8% conviction rate—he's been a convicted felon since he walked through the door.
The Adjudicator only laughs. "If that's the case, I can retroactively charge you for every recorded instance of use in history. A single use is a life sentence of seventy-five years. Let's say you've used it around one hundred times . . . how does a seven thousand year sentence sound to you?"
He should have expected this. "Charge me for the one, thanks."
Seventy-five years is a long time. There's a chance the government will change during his sentence, and he'll be pardoned way before he completes his allotted time. Chaos paranoia is just a fad. It won't last forever.
With a smile, the Adjudicator slams her gavel again. "Shadow the Hedgehog, you are hereby convicted to a life's sentence in the newly renovated Prison Island Detention Centre. Court dismissed."
The guards give him no time to react. "Come on," one of them says, grabbing his arm and roughly pulling him to his feet. He's reaching to detach Shadow's chains from the ring when a sonic boom shakes the courthouse.
Oh, how that boom is like music to his ears right now. Knowing what's coming, Shadow kicks the guards away and falls to his knees. He grabs the metal ring and holds on tight.
The courthouse doors blow open. Twisting as much as he can in place, Shadow looks over his shoulder to see Sonic standing in the middle of the doorway. It's hard to see from this distance, but judging from his flared quills, Sonic must be positively pissed.
"Where is he?" Sonic shouts. "I know you have him!"
The guards raise their weapons, all locked on the same blue target. One of them takes a step forward. "Identify yourself!"
Ignoring the guard, Sonic's eyes sweep the room. Shadow is in the middle of the room, so it doesn't take long to find him. Sonic nods once in acknowledgement, then returns his attention to the guard who spoke to him.
"If I told you who I was, you wouldn't believe me." He shifts into a runner's stance. "So how about a demonstration instead?"
Shadow sees Sonic take off from the doorway before he hears accompanying boom. As the gunfire starts, he ducks his head as low as it can go and prays that none of the bullets ricochet in his direction. Getting shot is never fun, and it's even worse when you're on the run from the law.
Thankfully, fights with Sonic tend to be short. The gunfire stops soon after it started, and Shadow cautiously lifts his head to survey the area. All of the guards are on the floor—unconscious, probably—and the Adjudicator is nowhere to be seen.
Sonic stands triumphant beside him, arm outstretched in an offer to help him stand. "Hi, Shadow! Long time no see."
All the excitement Shadow felt at his arrival disappears at once. He tugs on the chain for dramatic effect. "My hands are tied, you idiot."
Sonic laughs sheepishly, pulling back his hand. "Oh, right. Sorry."
There's a downed guard a few feet away. Sonic flips him over, looking through their belt until he finds a set of handcuff keys. He holds them up with a grin, shaking them so the keys jingle together.
"Great. Now release me," Shadow says. He's been here all day—he doesn't know how much longer he can stand being attached to this stupid ring.
"Aye aye!" Sonic mock salutes him, then goes around the back of the ring to get started on the chains. The guards had spent quite a long time setting up his restraints, so he isn't surprised when he hears Sonic mutter a swear behind him and struggle to get an important link of chain loose.
That's okay. Shadow needs him to stay still for questioning, anyways.
"Are you supposed to be here?"
Behind him, Sonic's hands fall still. It takes a moment for them to start again.
"You told me that I saved you," Sonic says quietly. There's a clicking noise, and the chains around Shadow's wrists get a little looser. "I didn't have much of a choice. I promise."
Ah, so this is all Shadow's fault. He wonders why it slipped out. Was it an accident, or was his experience in prison so miserable that he decided to end it before it had ever started?
He shakes his head. He won't know for a long time, so it isn't something worth worrying about.
Finally, the chains fall from his wrists. Shadow brings his arms forward, massaging the areas where they used to be. "Thanks," he mutters.
Sonic comes around the ring, stopping in front of Shadow. He offers his hand again. "Do you want to go?"
This time, Shadow accepts his hand and pulls himself to his feet. Sonic is all smiles, a sharp contrast to the version of him that had entered the courthouse a few minutes ago. It's a little concerning, really, how quickly he can switch up his attitude.
"I'm going—alone," Shadow says. He gives Sonic a once over. "They're hunting down all Chaos-affected people. That includes you. Go home."
Sonic places a hand over his traveller's bracelet, but doesn't touch the the small emerald embedded inside just yet. "Are you sure? I can stay."
He has no patience for this. Instead of giving him a choice, Shadow reaches forward and pushes Sonic's hand on top of the emerald.
"Chaos Control!" he yells.
If Sonic is a prodigy when it comes to Chaos-related affairs, then Shadow is like a seasoned master. He knows perfectly well how to reject the surge of energy that threatens to bring him away, stepping outside its reach while Sonic disappears in a flash of bright colours. At the end of the light show, he stands alone among a party of unconscious soldiers.
Home must be so nice right now. It's a shame he can never return.
5.
The sun is shining brightly in the sky.
It both fits and does not fit the occasion. In a cemetery at the bottom of the cliff, a small crowd is gathered to watch a wooden casket lower into the ground. They carry flowers in their hands, waiting to place them beside the new tombstone. Shadow was expected to attend, but he couldn't bring himself to join them. It felt wrong to say goodbye to someone he would inevitably see again.
This time, there is no sonic boom when he arrives. As though sensing the delicacy of the situation, Sonic approaches quietly until he comes to a stop beside Shadow on the cliff.
A small smile on his face, he nudges Shadow with his elbow and motions to the ongoing funeral with his head. "Wow. They'll just bury anyone these days, huh?"
Shadow scowls. "You're sadistic."
Beside the tombstone, a stand displays a large photo of the deceased. In a cruel twist of fate, they decided to use a picture where Sonic doesn't look too different from the version of him that now stands at Shadow's side. It's giving him serious whiplash.
"I'm surprised you didn't go for one of those services that turn your body into a tree or something," Shadow comments. The casket is all the way in the ground now. "Aren't traditional burials considered wasteful?"
Sonic just shrugs. "I didn't know you could pick. Don't they just choose for you?"
This is unbelievable. Shadow turns to face him fully, mouth slightly agape. "What do you mean you didn't know you could pick? That's one of the first things you put on a will."
This only earns him another half-hearted shrug. "Oh. I don't plan on having one of those."
"You don't want a will."
Sonic gives him a confused look. "I mean, what would I put on it? I don't have anything to give to people."
As much as Shadow would love to argue, he has to admit that Sonic's logic is actually a little sound. Even in his old age, he'd never been one to keep many possessions. He wouldn't have had anything to give away to people in the first place.
Shadow huffs and crosses his arms. "Whatever. I'm surprised you're here—isn't this pushing it a bit?"
Sonic points to the graveyard. "I'm literally dead. There will only ever be one me for the rest of time! No risk of double-Sonic-induced-universe-collapse."
This is also true. As explained by Silver, the laws of time travel dictate that two versions of the same person cannot exist at the same time. Sonic has an infinity ahead of him—he would have to be extremely stupid to accidentally drop in at the same point in time twice.
Hm. On second thought, maybe Shadow shouldn't rule out that possibility. Sonic has a propensity for recklessness, after all.
"Just don't mess it up," Shadow warns. It's a bit of an empty threat. Sonic would never intentionally destroy the world.
They watch the funeral until the crowd disperses. With nothing left to see, Sonic bids his farewell and presses the fake emerald on his bracelet.
In a flash of Chaos Control, he is gone.
6.
There is a black pillar on Angel Island. It isn't very tall, but its intimidating exterior delivers a clear warning: stay away.
If Shadow and Sonic were anyone else, it would have launched its weapons systems by now. Thankfully, Tails had enough foresight to program it to recognize the late guardian's friends; two centuries after Sonic's era, they are still granted safe entry to the Master Emerald's altar.
Miles Electric in hand, Sonic scratches his head as he looks at the pillar's readings. "I don't understand any of this."
With a roll of his eyes, Shadow yanks the tablet from Sonic to get a look at it. The numbers on the screen make him frown. They don't make any sense to him, either.
Ugh. He shoves the tablet back into Sonic's hands and sits on the grass in frustration. "This is a waste of time. What's the point?" he says.
Sonic plays with the traveller's bracelet on his wrist. "When we visited the workshop, I found a note in Tails' desk asking me to check up on this and report back to him. I guess he wrote it before he, you know . . ." A shudder passes through him, and Shadow can only imagine what he's picturing in his head right now. It hasn't happened to him yet, after all. "I'm not entirely sure what the point is. You said I lasted a bit longer than him, so it's not like I can go back to tell him how it's doing. I'm not sure why I'm really here."
Shadow stares at the dark pillar, trying to figure out the fox's intentions. Why would he ask teenage Sonic from the past to check on the pillar? Sonic was still alive between the invention of the pillar and Tails' death, so he couldn't travel to that chunk of time without collapsing the universe. There was no way for him to feasibly 'report back' with the test results.
Unless . . .
"If you save the test results on the Electric, will they still be there in sixty years?" Shadow asks. Slowly, Tails' plan is piecing itself together in his head. Sonic can't travel to visit the older Tails, but if he can just hold on to them until it's time to show them . . .
Sonic smacks his forehead. "Oh, I get it! He wants me to go back and wait."
What a strange mission. Shadow isn't a nice person, but he doesn't think he could ever ask someone to do something like this. He knows all too well the burden of postmortem demands—they never turn out pretty.
"That's fucked up," he says. His memories of the fox make it hard to stay dower, and he laughs a little to himself. "Tails was a little fucked up. Good job on that one."
Sonic scoffs and sits beside him, splaying his fingers between the long blades of unperturbed grass. "Whatever. At least I'm better than Gerald."
Wow. Shadow shoves him playfully, knocking him onto his side. "Low blow."
Sonic doesn't apologize. Two hundred years ago, maybe Shadow would have cared more. It's been too long since their early adventures together, and his memories of the ARK don't quite sting anymore. He can't find it within himself to be angry.
His eyes cast downward to the Miles Electric in Sonic's hand.
There are other people to mourn now, anyways.
7.
Shadow needs to stop coming back here.
The lofty apartment on top of Club Rouge belongs to him in name, but it may as well still be hers. He can't bring himself to get rid of anything or move stuff around. It looks the exact same way it did fifteen years ago. The only difference, really, is that he's the only one still around to live in it.
He hasn't been outside in twelve days. It probably isn't good for him. There's nothing constructive about laying on her couch and feeling miserable, but it's a cycle he can't escape on his own. The apartment is darkly alluring and he doesn't know how to let go.
He's been through this before, so he knows he'll get out eventually. Until then, all he can do is wait for it to pass.
There is no sonic boom this time. This is by design, of course.
Shadow still has too much pride to willingly let Sonic see him like this. The next time they see each other, he plans to lie and tell him that they spent two weeks together in the city. Sonic can't travel back to confirm without risking the whole universe, so he'll have no choice but to accept Shadow's words at face value.
When he's older, Sonic will probably realize that he's been lied to. That's fine.
Shadow can deal with his wrath later.
8.
Curiously, Sonic prods the part of his stomach where the stab wound used to be. "Wow," he says in awe. "The future is amazing."
Shadow twist the cap back on the medicinal salve and places it on the bedside table. He turns back to Sonic, who has positively ruined his bedsheets by laying in them while covered in dirt and blood. They'll need to be tossed when he goes home.
"Not always," Shadow replies. He leans in close to Sonic's torso, observing the healed injury for himself. Not even a scar has been left in its place. "Be more careful around Eggman's machines. Next time you come to the future for an emergency, I may not be able to help you."
Sonic waves a hand dismissively. "I'll be fine, I promise. We both know I live to get old, anyways."
"That isn't a certainty," Shadow says. They've both changed the future enough times to know how fragile a timeline can be.
Ever confident, Sonic just shrugs. "Eh. I think I'll do okay."
Something has been bothering Shadow for a long time. Sonic's assurances only causes his concerns to flare, and he doesn't think he can keep them inside anymore.
A cold tide of fear washes over this heart as he sits on the side of the bed. If he doesn't bring it up now, he'll have to wait until the next time Sonic comes to visit him. That could be anywhere between a few days to several years from now. He doesn't think he can wait that long.
"You promised to visit me until you died," Shadow begins, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "And yet, I've never encountered a version of you older than twenty. Why do you think that is?"
The smug confidence falls from Sonic's face all at once. For a moment, he looks almost fearful, but the expression is gone in an instant. He puts a hand on Shadow's shoulder and sighs.
"I don't know," he says. Giving his shoulder a squeeze, he adds, "I guess we'll just have to find out later."
Shadow shuts his eyes. An end is coming, and all he can do is wait.
9.
It's been a thousand years since Shadow last saw the blue hedgehog, and he's finally come to accept his death.
Sonic hadn't been visiting him in 'chronological order', so to speak. It wasn't strange for him to encounter his twenty year-old self one day and then come across his sixteen year-old self a year later. There had been no logic behind his visiting patterns. Most of the time, Sonic had probably just summoned Chaos Control and let it take him whenever.
Still, it's strange to go for so long without seeing him. Especially during an era as chaotic as this one, where Sonic would generally prioritize his visits to keep Shadow company during the apocalypse. This new ice age has been cruel, but Sonic is nowhere to be found.
The fire pit in his cabin keep him warm during the coldest months. He snuggles in closer, then hears a sound from a bygone time:
A sonic boom.
Something about this enrages him. He's spent centuries alone, driven to isolation so extreme he nearly lost who he is, and now Sonic wants to finally show up to visit?
Absolutely unacceptable.
The cabin's front door swings open. Sonic steps in with a timid smile. "Hey-a, Shadow. Long time no see!"
This is his breaking point. With a growl, Shadow grabs the metal tongs he uses for the fire and throws them as hard as he can at the other hedgehog. Sonic jumps to the side with a startled gasp.
"Shut up!" he yells. He stalks his way across the room, then shoves Sonic roughly into the wall. "I hate it when you say that. Do you even know how long it's been?"
Sonic grunts at the impact. He recovers quickly and holds up a hand, warning Shadow to stay back. "I don't know. A few hundred years, maybe?"
Shadow's hands curl into fists at his side. "Try a thousand," he hisses.
"I'm sorry," Sonic says, but he doesn't sound apologetic at all. "Things have been busy, and I haven't had time to explore this area yet. I'll get around to it."
Get around to it. Shadow steps back, focusing his gaze anywhere but Sonic so he doesn't feel compelled to attack him again. Nothing about this is fair. The idea of waiting like this again, of mourning a friend only for them to return, makes him want to tear his quills out.
He finds himself at one of the cabin windows. Snow is piled high outside, extending beyond into a horizon of white and grey mountains. He places his hand on the cold window, and finds that if he closes his eyes, he can almost pretend he's back on the ARK's observatory.
Maria had once confided in him that worst part of being stuck on the space station was the wait. If the treatment worked, she would've achieved her dream of walking on Earth. Project Shadow offered promising results, but there was never a guarantee she would get to leave. The only thing she could do was wait.
This isn't a life Shadow wants for himself. One day, Sonic is going to die in the past. This will mark the end of his visits into the future. Since his visits are anachronistic, will Shadow ever know when he's been visited for the last time? Or will he lie forever in wait of something that might happen again, but never will?
Shadow opens his eyes and turns to face Sonic. As he speaks, he knows he is sealing his own fate.
"I'm done with this, Sonic. I want to say goodbye."
Sonic's eyes widen. "Shadow . . ."
This time, Shadow does not cross the floor with ill intent. He takes Sonic's hand in his own and traces a finger over the emerald in the traveller's bracelet. It has brought him fond memories, but he thinks he's okay with never seeing it again.
"It's only fair this way," he continues. "You got your turn a long time ago. Now it's mine."
Solemnly, Sonic nods. He puts his hand on top of Shadow's, holding it in place over the emerald. "I haven't gone farther than this. You'll never see me again."
Each heartbeat hurts more than the last. Strangely, he finds that he can almost appreciate it. Grief is painful, but it is liberating this time, too.
He squeezes his hand tighter.
"Goodbye, Sonic."
Sonic gives him one last sad smile. "I'll be seeing you around, Shadow."
He says the magic words. Chaos Control arrives in a myriad of colours, painting his cabin in a rainbow that reminds him of all his past experiences. There are friends, enemies, happiness, loss, and everything between. His memories are dazzling and vivid and supply him with a much needed warmth in the era's eternal winter.
When the colours fade, he is alone.
That's okay. With an eternity ahead of him, there's a lot to look forward to.
10.
The deal is made on Shadow's fifty-second birthday.
His unique DNA has granted him a quasi-immortality that protects him from aging. No matter how long he lives, he will never age beyond fifteen. It feels like little more than a curse, and celebrating his birthday only serves to make him unhappy. The passage of time is meaningless to him—what's the point of turning it into an event?
While the others eat cake, Sonic pulls Shadow aside a produces a small gift box from behind his back. "Here. Tails made it, but it's really a gift from me."
Shadow takes the box with a raised eyebrow. "If your friend made it, is it really yours?"
Sonic frowns. "Just open it!"
Birthday presents also feel like a waste of time to him, but he decides to indulge the other hedgehog and unwraps the ribbon holding the box together. He removes the top and reaches inside to pull out a . . . bracelet?
"You got me jewellery," he deadpans. What a worthless gift—since when has he been known as someone to wear jewellery?
And no, his inhibitor rings don't count. Those are purely practical accessories.
"Think of it as an accessory," Sonic says. He points to a shining emerald in the middle of the gold band. "That's a fake Chaos Emerald. It's specifically tuned for time travel."
"Time travel?"
Sonic taps his foot, appearing a little nervous. "I've been using it to talk to Silver. He's been explaining all the weird time rules to me, and I think I'm finally starting to understand them. As long as I don't travel to present day and we don't screw up the timeline too much, I can basically visit you whenever I want."
The implication of that statement makes Shadow's blood run cold. "Visit me?"
"The future's probably pretty lonely," Sonic says with a shrug. "I thought you might appreciate it if someone came to check up on you every so often. Only if you want me to, of course."
Shadow knew there would come a day when he would be the last of his friends remaining. It's never been something he's looked forward to, for obvious reasons.
Through the weird bracelet, Sonic is offering a delay of that final day. The shadow of eternity has haunted him ever since he crash landed back on the planet. It is an all-encompassing shade that threatens to cover him until the end of time.
With Sonic's help, maybe forever will feel a little less dark.
He turns the bracelet over in his hands.
"Okay," he says.