Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The days had become a meaningless blur, the past decade had all been the same. Day in, day out. Only two events having stood out at all; major catastrophes to most, definite and inevitable points in time to one.

 The skeleton of the once grand castle loomed over the tall grass that had been growing for the past nineteen years in Kingdom Valley. The long abandoned grounds being less so explored as wandered by a figure of dark. Wading through the bladed sea till it parted into streams as the green waves met forgotten brickwork, stopping and looking around the rotten walls, the destroyed and forgotten robots left to rot by the last breathing beings to traverse the now shapeless halls.

Forgotten.

That’s what this place was for, the forgotten. The things that took place in those walls and the horrors they caused, forgotten by all but those who had the misfortune to experience it. 

He studied the engravings in the worn and weathered bricks, glaring at the inaccurate shape of the more than familiar deity depicted in the stones. Everywhere he stepped in the god forsaken kingdom lay more imagery of the same god who forsook them. 

The day was hot and the air heavy, he was told it was humidity. But he was unconvinced; humidity entailed the promise of rain, but the air was crisp and dry. He had briefly considered seeing forward, but the threat of rain was unbothering, and the reckless use of sight was a waste of energy he didn’t have to spare for something as trifle as rain. The air had only gained more oppressive weight the closer he approached to the centermost room of the desolate castle scape. The crumbled walls bisected the room with shade, creating an incomplete yin yang as he basked in the heat of the sun. Like a lizard trying to warm its blood.

But there was something wrong, an unnatural static. It felt artificial. A point formed in the center of the desicrated room. Not visible, but certainly there. As if by instinct The Dark returned to his base form, akin to a sort of primordial ooze, quickly soaking into the shade cast by the swaying grass. He watched cautiously from the shadows as the point became a visible scar on the fabric of the world. It seeped energy like a bleeding wound. 

 He absorbed a portion of the energy involuntarily, a nature he no longer had control over. He was surprised to find it somewhat satiating in a way nothing had been in a long time. He stewed in the shade watching the mark on reality become more wicked; cracking at the edges like a bullet hole in glass, fracturing further as a great sound of agony rang from inside. The sound was distorted like a poorly connected phone call. The rip in the world began emitting a brutal red light, it was bright enough that the silhouette of a better man hadn’t actually seen the mobian appear.

 But when his sight was clear again, there he was. There was a soft clattering of metal against the ancient brickwork. He appeared to be some sort of monochrome canine, the variety uncertain. He was on his hands and knees, fists clenched, snout parallel to the ground though obscured by his long white hair. He stayed completely still except to slowly and methodically reach for the black and chrome mask that lay loyally at his side. Only attempting to stand once sure his geometric masquerade was firmly on his face. He shakily got to his feet, clutching a spot on his chest like it burned. And it could’ve been, enough heat surrounded him to kill a normal being. But he seemed largely unaffected. The dark slinked through the shade silently, trying to come to a conclusion about the masked stranger. 

The hound was attempting to catch his bearings, looking around at the crumbling structures, when he froze. Not abruptly, or obviously in any real manner, but his movement softly ended. His hand left his chest as he fixed his somewhat stooped posture, hiding any physical weakness in possibly false confidence. 

“I know there’s someone here. Show yourself.” He spoke to the air. The shadows began to pool in the corner, then collected like smoke into a bipedal form to the right of him with a chuckle.

“Your senses are impressive. Most can’t detect me while hidden this way.” The canine took on a more offensive stance. 

“I should have known you would come to mock me in my time of weakness.” there was a hint of growl in his voice. The dark one cocked his head to the side and stared back blankly, unblinking. “Don’t play the fool just because the role suits you, Shadow the Hedgehog.” he accused. There was a silence. And then a laugh.

“Or perhaps I was wrong. You seem to trust your eyes too much. Thankfully for both of us, I am not that wretched hedgehog.” The canine’s one visible pupil eyed him warily, stance not changing. 

“No.” He finally decided. “You’re not him. Who are you.” It was less of a question than a demand, he didn't let his guard fall. The shade thought for a moment before deciding to humor him despite his rudeness. 

“I am Mephiles the Dark, but you need no introduction. You were the bane of the resistance, a war criminal, and missing in action on the last day.” He rattled off facts like he had been there. “Yes, I know who you are, Infinite the Jackal.” 

“Is that supposed to be impressive? I’m well aware of my infamy, it’s useful.” He replied bluntly. “Are you a part of the resistance?”

“No. I was…” Mephiles searched for the right word. “…encouraged against participating. I would have swayed the outcome too much.” Infinite scoffed like he didn’t believe him. “Not that it  matters now,” he continued like he hadn’t heard him. “there is no resistance to be a part of anymore.” 

“What do you mean, did we win?” He asked warily.

“Oh. No.” he said nonchalantly. “Very much the opposite in fact.” He paused, something occurring to him for the first time. “How long do you think you’ve been gone?” He narrowed his eyes while asking, eyes not so much closing, but the shape changing to be slim.

“How long? I’ve only-“ Infinite began responding, before stopping to think about it. He had fought tooth and nail to return to the normal reality, but it was entirely possible he had perceived time differently. “Four months.” He stated, not entirely convincing himself. Mephiles cocked his head like a confused dog, still unblinking.

“Hm…” 

“What.” his patience had began visibly wearing thin.

“Oh nothing, you’re simply off by about 61 months, give or take.”

Chapter Text

“That can’t be right. Five years?” 

“Five and a half. And it’s absolutely right. I'm very good with time.” 

Infinite quickly scanned his surroundings a second time, finding the ruins slightly more foreboding than at first glance. Most of the walls in line of sight seemed to have collapsed from excessive force, almost like an explosion of some sort, though some damage seemed far older.

“This all happened in five years?” 

”No, this place has been in ruins for far longer.”

”What happened here?”

”None of your concern.” He answered dismissively. “The question you should be asking is; What happened to you?”

“Fine. What happened to me?” He was starting to lose the limited patience he had for this stranger and his oddness.

“Not a clue.” Mephiles replied unhelpfully. He started walking around Infinite slowly like he was inspecting him for a fault, or a vulture circling a soon to be corpse. “It’s something I’ve been wondering since you appeared.” Infinite kept his good eye on him as he was circled. He knew well enough that just because this stranger didn’t seem like much didn’t mean he wasn’t a potential threat. He just felt… off.

 “So what now? Plan to report me to the resistance?” He asked bitterly.

 “There isn’t a resistance anymore.” He reminded.

“Have me arrested and imprisoned?”  

“Why would I do that?” A genuine question.

“Bane of the resistance,” he said, quoting Mephiles from before. “Surely they’d be offering some kind of reward for my capture.” Mephiles nodded like it made sense. 

“Possibly so. However, whatever they have to offer is of little value to me.” When Mephiles had completed a full round, now face to face with Infinite again, he seemed to inspect the ruby in his chest with curiosity. Infinite glared warily down at him beneath his mask. “I’m not foolish enough to do something that wouldn’t benefit me in the slightest.” Mephiles put a hand to where his mouth should’ve been in thought. He then tapped the ruby with a fingertip.

 The sensation that followed was similar to being shocked with static electricity when touching metal, but much stronger, slightly painful even. He pulled his hand away reflexively and shook it to get the buzzing feeling out. Infinite took a step back in surprise, resisting the urge to curl protectively in on himself. A red static surrounded his edges for a moment before it fizzled away. He looked at him with an angered and bewildered look in his eye as his stance became even more defensive. 

”Does it always do that?” Mephiles asked curiously.

“What was that, what did you do?!” He demanded.          

“That would be no then...” He flexed his fingers, his hand feeling slightly numb from the earlier shock. He felt suddenly awake, refreshed. “May I ask where you were this whole time?”

“Why should I tell you anything?” He spat. Mephiles shrugged casually, like the distrust he was being shown didn’t phase him in the slightest.

”You have no reason to, I’m simply curious where you could have been for five and a half years that made you think only a few months had passed.” He couldn’t help but notice very faint red lines stemming from the ruby, had those been there the whole time? “Somewhere abnormal I assume.” Infinite’s eyes narrowed at the attention to the gem. 

“Assume what you want, I’m telling you nothing.” 

“Such a shame, and here I was, willing to volunteer such vital information.” He said with partially feigned disappointment. This seemed to catch his attention.

”What information?” He questioned warily. 

“Where we are for a start.” 

That made Infinite pause. That was true, he had less than a clue where he was at the moment. Information like that could be useful. But then he thought a bit harder. Sure, knowing where he was at the moment would be useful, but to what end? He had no squad, and if what Mephiles had told him was true the war was long since over… there was nothing left for him to go back to…

 He shook his head.

”I can figure that out on my own.” He said bitterly. 

“A shame,” Mephiles replied with a shrug. “I would have been more than happy to give you a tour.” There was a hint of humor in his voice.

”I don’t need help from…” He paused as he looked Mephiles up and down. He certainly put the ‘strange’ in stranger. “…whatever you are.”

“A local.” Mephiles offered. It wasn’t a lie, but the way he said it made it sound like it was a joke that Infinite wasn’t in on. 

”Right…” He wanted to just turn and leave, not wanting to deal with this guy. But for whatever reason, he felt like that would be a bad idea. He didn’t look like much, in fact he looked almost sickly in shape, but he was weird. Not just ‘random guy on the side of the road weird’, but weird in a way he couldn’t entirely place. The lack of mouth didn’t help, and he could almost swear that he hadn’t blinked once. “Like I said, I can figure that out alone…”

“If you say so.” He said, walking past him to stand more properly in the sunny spot. He had expected him to make an exit now that his offer had been declined, but he just stood there. Leaving Infinite standing in the shade. He should’ve taken the opportunity to leave unnoticed. But he didn’t. He just kept a cautious eye on him.

”You know me.” It was more of a statement than a question.

”As you said, you’re an infamous person.” He didn’t even turn to look at him.

”Yes, but you don’t seem to care.”

”Hm… you mean I don’t seem afraid of you?” There was a sort of humor in his voice, like the question was a joke, a taunt even. The jackal studied him for a long, silent moment. This thing was bizarre to him.

”…Yes.” He replied simply.

He laughed.

”Does it bother you?” Mephiles finally returned his attention to him, leaving the cloudless sky ignored for now. His gaze, though casual and uninterested, felt piercing, as though he was studying a particularly interesting experiment. Part of the effect was due to his acidic green eyes, they clashed terribly with the dusty, pallid purple, greys, and muted browns on the rest of his body. and, to infinite’s knowledge, hedgehogs didn’t typically have slit pupils. 

”It… confuses me.” He finally said. The sharp pupils ever so slightly moved over his face as he continued to stare blankly, making it hard to tell if he were studying the man very closely, or staring past him completely. 

“Why? Do people usually flee in terror in your presence?” Again, there was that condescending, humor filled tone. 

“Yes.”

”Then I offer my deepest apologies for not quivering in abject terror.” The jackal studied him in turn, trying to determine what his ‘deal’ was.

”Why?”

”Because it seems to be quite the sore point for you.”

“No, why aren’t you?”

”What, why aren’t I afraid of you?” He hit the last word with an incredulous Inflection, like the idea of him being afraid of Infinite of all people was beyond laughable.

“Yes. Why not.” He near demanded. He was tired of this weirdo, he was tired of him acting like he was just some novel entertainment, some joke. Mephiles looked up and away as he thought for a moment.

”Would you rather I just show you?”

”Show me what?” 

Mephiles responded only by lifting his arms in presentation, or in an attempt to show himself or like he was a puppet showing that it had no strings. Then, as if he were made of wax, he melted. Head first, black and slightly purple falling to the ground where his feet once stood in viscous drips. Within a few moments he was reduced to a puddle on the ground. 

Infinite had never been on the receiving end of what he assumed was an illusion, and he had to admit. It had been impressively realistic. Not that he’d admit that out loud. Just as soon as all of him was collected in the tar-like puddle, it started dissipating into smoke, seeping into any and every crack and shadow that he could reach. In seconds, Mephiles was gone. As if he’d never been there at all. 

“All that talk and you retreat like a coward?” Infinite scoffed into the air, but Mephiles seemed to truly be gone, or at least, uninterested in responding. What was it that Mephiles had said? He didn’t participate in the war on either side because he’d “sway the outcome too much”? Yeah right. Good for stealth maybe, but he highly suspected it was all talk.

Now that he was seemingly alone, for real this time, he grit his teeth. His chest had been aching the whole time, maybe even while he’d still been in null space, he wasn’t sure. He needed a plan now. No allies, no base, nowhere to hide, no idea where he was.

It shouldn’t be that hard… he’d been alone before. He just needed to stay hidden.

Chapter Text

He drummed his fingers mindlessly against the side of his cup. It was an espresso, he thought. He’d never had one, nor would he ever, he wasn’t entirely sure why they kept giving them to him. He was never going to drink it. Not that he could, but every time without fail, if he was out on the balcony the same time as her, she’d ask for a second one for him. But without the dipping cookies, she knew that would be a bit too wasteful. He wondered if she simply did it because it was warm, and he liked warm things, he wondered if that was something she’d even noticed. 

“Got a lot on your mind?” she asked, finally looking up from her lengthy paperwork.

Elise was older now, about 26 he thought. He couldn’t remember her birthday offhand, that’s what he told her anyway. 

November 14th, 1989, 7:52 PM. 

It had been raining. 

She was closer to 27 at this point in the year, not that it mattered. 

She was still a child in his eyes and likely always would be.

The faint burn scars that were scattered in pale blotches across her body would’ve made her look older if not for her bright disposition and softer, more youthful features. He often wondered if she expected him to feel guilty about them.

 He didn't.

 He didn’t see the point in remorse for what was a mercy he’d had no obligation to give. That's why he distinctly never noticed them, or how her eyes had been forced into a slight squint from the ones that had crawled up to her face.

She frowned slightly at his lack of response, only slightly though, just the slight downturn at the corner of her mouth. It’d been almost twenty years since her father had “passed” and easily ten since she’d had to actually smile at everything. 

A hard thing to unlearn apparently.

”I noticed you went on a walk earlier, anywhere special?” Another feeble attempt at small talk. He turned to look mindlessly off the balcony into the horizon, nothing to see but the sparkling blue sea and the sheer cliff sides that surrounded it. It was beautiful, if not a repetitive sight. The tides come in and then go out only to repeat it all over. Couldn't they ever do something else?

 She chewed her bottom lip, he didn’t see it, but he knew she did. It was what she did when she wasn’t making any headway with him. Not that he noticed things like that. “You seem more awake than usual, are you feeling a bit better today?” She tried.

An insulting question. 

It had been a decade and he was still dealing with stupid energy issues that her damned father caused him. Some days were better than others, only awarded to him by his defiant body after maybe a few weeks of holding back, taking it easy. Others were hell, barely able to speak let alone hold his shape. The bad days seemed more common than the good lately. He hated having such a simple vulnerability, he hated that she knew, he hated the patience she showed towards it.

”I took a nap.” He said finally, lying. 

“Oh. Well… that’s good, I suppose.” She glanced over her paper again, likely not actually reading it. “And the rings are helping?” 

The rings. 

He glowered slightly at his untouched coffee. If it hadn’t been insulting enough to practically be babysat by those that were meant to worship him, she’d also employed the help of her friend's little brother. 

The blue one? Or maybe it was the yellow one that was the little brother. He hadn’t bothered to learn the names, or rather, he forgot them on purpose. He didn’t care how direct their involvement, each and every one of the blue one’s stupid friends had had a hand in ruining the rest of his eternal life. That did include Elise as well, but that was slightly more complicated. 

The yellow one, he was pretty sure, was the one that had made the rings. He had described them as “reverse inhibitor rings, sort of”. The basic idea was that they were meant to produce a subtle amount of light, heat, and chaos energy. Just enough to hopefully keep his form stabilized, without allowing him enough energy to dish out the revenge he felt he was owed. 

And they worked. 

He hated that they worked.

He had put in so much effort to change his form as much as he could, and it was still only just enough to keep from him looking identical to him, and now the only thing he actually wore had to match his? It was insulting, infuriating. He still wore them, they did help, avoiding his lethargy was only just slightly worth it. At least his pair were a different color, though, white gold wasn’t really his color. He preferred cooler toned metals.

”Enough.” He replied unhelpfully. She hummed thoughtfully in reply, turning her attention back down to her papers, there was still a lot that needed signing. 

“That’s good at least.” She trailed off, hopefully dropping the conversation for now. He dropped his hand from the mug, the coffee was cold now, sapped of all its warmth. She took a sip from hers, seemingly still hot. “I heard you were in kingdom valley earlier, what for?” She asked it very casually, like it was just for pleasant conversation. He knew it wasn’t. 

“As you said before, I went for a walk.” Dismissive. He could've told her about their… "tourist", but he couldn't care less if she knew or not.

“Kingdom Valley is a sacred area, it’s off limits to most.” She said it smoothly but it felt like an accusation.

”And I suppose I am not allowed in sacred areas?” He shot back.

“That’s-“ He’d caught her mid coffee sip. ”That’s not what I meant and you know it.” She set her cup down. “I just wondered who let you by, that’s all.”

”I don’t need permission to go somewhere in my country, and I certainly don’t need to be surveillanced throughout it.” He snuck in, not like it was any of her business.

“Mephiles, that’s unfair and you know it. I’m your guardian, I’m supposed to look out for you.” He hated when she brought that up. “Guardian”. Not as in “legal guardian” like a parent would be. But “Guardian” in the same way the echidna was to the master emerald, to Chaos.

”That was a self imposed role.”

”Yes! Because I worry about you, I’m constantly worried about you!”

”Ease your sympathies, you worry about everything.” 

“I’m in charge of an entire country, it's my job to worry about everything. Including you, especially you.” It was guilt. They both knew that. Guilt for dozens of things she had no control over, yet she kept herself on the wheel of torture trying to fix it. It was admirable if not pathetic. He waved her off dismissively.

“You have many other worries you should focus on.” He was right, she put far too much energy into worrying about him that was better used elsewhere. Then again, he gave her a lot to worry about and little solace for it. 

“I just wish you'd talk to me…"

"Yes, because our conversations are so enlightening." Sarcasm.

"You never say anything." Mephiles stood from the table.

"How unfortunate that you keep trying." There was nothing Elise could've said to stop him from leaving because he was already through the door back inside. She sighed, shaking her head as she got back to her work.

He silently slinked back to "his" bedroom. It wasn't really his, a repurposed guest room more than anything. Still, it was an attempt to give him so semblance of privacy. In some ways he felt like he was meant to feel grateful. But a god, even the pathetic half of one, meant to be grateful for being allowed privacy? Allowed mercy? It was a joke.

By all means the room was nice, it was in the palace after all. It could've been someone's master bedroom in a decent apartment. The bed was a queen size with a sheer fabric canopy above, it sat untouched, he never slept in it once yet they continued to swap out the sheets as if he did. There was also a vanity desk and mirror, the latter of which had been flipped so all it reflected was where the walls met. He knew what he looked like and had little desire to remind himself of it.

The tall west facing window let ample light seep in, casting a long line of warm light to stripe across the length of the room. The spot of the floor beside the bed where the sun usually sprawled was his preferred spot to rest as puddle. It had nothing to do with wanting to spitefully not use the room correctly. Not remotely. Even a little.

He was tired, physically and mentally. Kingdom valley had been farther away than he usually went, it had been a bit taxing on him. On the way there at least. After he'd gotten there he had actually planned to take a "nap" in the sunniest spot he could find, but then that jackal had showed up. The amount of energy he had been radiating had left Mephiles feeling more awake than he had in months, likely because it was almost certainly lethal levels of heat. It was seemingly a miracle that it hadn't boiled Infinite's insides on the spot.