Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Fallen Island, Mobius, Solar cycle 3223

In the middle of the ocean, a village was settled on what was formerly known as "Angel Island", inhabited by a group of short red creatures known as the Echidnas: a powerful race of proud warriors who are known across the entire Milky Way galaxy for their strength and their durable bodies, in addition to their expert with magic and Chaos Energy.

Today was an important day for the tribe. Today was the day in which they shall restore the glory of their island and return what once belonged to them. Today they shall step on their enemy and show him who they are.

Today they shall restore the Master Emerald.

For centuries, the Echidnas have fought a war against their enemies, the Owls, in order to restore the artificial that they have created over 8,000 years ago. With it, the entire galaxy kneeled in respect to them. With the Master Emerald, they have ruled Mobius until the Owls stole it from them, causing the floating island to full into the sea, and hid it in God-knows-where. For the first time in history, all the Echidna clans decided to put their differences aside and join forces to restore their right.

Centuries of war ended up with the near extinction of the Owl Mobians, save only for one: Longclaw, the Guardian of the Emerald and the last survivors of the Owls. The Echidnas also were decreased in number as a result of the majority dying on the field of battle. In fact, the village was inhabited by the last surviving clan: the Knuckles clan.

Their leader, Pachacamac, has dedicated the last ten years to search the planet for Longclaw's new location. The search seemed to be hopeless until the last few weeks, when the tribe felt a huge level of Chaos Energy coming from the south. Immediately, the leader alongside tens of warriors went to investigate its source. Soon, they have returned with the news; the power belonged to a blue hedgehog who happens to be Longclaw's disciple.

The entire village cried in joy for finally locating their enemy. Soon, the Master Emerald shall be theirs again. The warriors prepared their weapons and made their medical equipment and food for the mission. Every man from the age of fifteen and over, forty-five warriors divided into five squads each under the leadership of one of Pachacamac's brothers, all came to battle.

The whole clan assembled in the hall of the sacred temple, all men and women were there sitting next to each other, waiting for their leader to come for his speech. The five brothers were in the front line sitting a distance away from the rest.

Soon, the whole temple went silent the moment Pachacamac came in, followed by his daughter Tikal who sat next to him.

"Dear brothers and sisters," he spoke, "for nearly four hundred years, our ancestors have fought deadly battles with our enemies, the Owls, in order to retrieve the Master Emerald back to Angel Island's sacred temple. We have lost so many, but it was worth it." He then stood up and placed a hand on his chest and continued, "Today, I, Pachacamac, son of Sabre the master of science and sorcery, son of Athair the Guardian who raised to the sky and became a spectre who resides among the Ancient Walkers and the Celestials, will go with all of the village's men to kill the last of our enemies and seek the location of the Emerald from her protégé. And I shall not return until I fulfill my promise!"

The Echidnas cheered in joy. Their leader's speech brought them hope to finally put an end to this war. Even those who were worried about joining the mission felt encouraged to participate in it.

Everyone cheered, except for one.

Despite all the stories she's been told since childhood, Tikal has always felt that what her clan was doing was wrong. Yes, she's been told that the Owls stole the mystical artifact they had created thousands of years ago, but something inside her always told her that this wasn't the full truth, that there was a bigger picture for the story.

She was soon pulled out of her own thoughts when Locke, her uncle and one of the five squad leaders. "Tikal, my niece," he spoke.

"Y-Yes, my uncle."

"Can I rely on you to watch my son in my absence?" He asked. "As you know, the mission can take some time. And you're the only one I trust enough to watch him."

"Sure thing, uncle," she responded. "I shall take care of him in your absence." Locke has noticed the sad tone in his niece's voice and how her head was lowered during the entire meeting.

He knew that look.

The face of shame and dishonor.

"Tikal." He said with a soft voice, kneeling on his knees to meet her eyes. "You do realize this must be done, don't you? Your father has already explained it to you."

"I know! But...!" She bursted into tears before she calmed down. "Why does it have to go this way? The Echidnas and Owls used to protect Mobius and to live together as one clan. But when we forged the Emerald, everything changed! We started an endless war!" She remembered some memories of war she had. She remembered the destroyed houses, the burned forests, the crying children, the fallen warriors...

She remembered her mother. How she loved her and played with her. She remembered her perfectly.

Her eyes.

Her smile.

Her stories.

Her corpse.

Tears formed in her eyes, emotions storming out. She couldn't keep it inside of her anymore, so she cried silently. "The war brought us nothing but chaos and death. How many more will die just to restore the Emerald? Isn't it enough what we have already lost in the past centuries!?"

Locke understood perfectly what Tikal was going through. After all, wasn't he the one who buried his wife with his bare hands? He had to raise their child the past two years all alone. If anything, he wasn't ready to lose more. But it had to be done.

"That's why we can't stop now." Tikal looked at her uncle and noticed the determination on his face. "We've lost so many of us, many of them were close to me. But we cannot give up right now. They have died in hope that we restore the Master Emerald back to Angel Island's temple so it can glow up in the sky with all its glory. If we stop, then their deaths would be meaningless."

The girl thought of it. Yes, her uncle's words held some truth, but it didn't make her feel any better. If they continue the war, who knows how many more lives will be taken.

"Look," her uncle continued, "I know you still don't understand it, but one day, you will. As for now, you're still just a little girl and you should enjoy your life. The only responsabilités you should keep in mind is watching over yourself and your little cousin. Okay?" She nodded with her head down. "Good. Now let's go."

He then took her tiny hand and led the way back to his house.

Sitting on the ground of his house, Knuckles the Echidna was putting the last touches to his battle mask.

Being the son of a great Warrior, the nephew of the leader, and the descendant of the previous elders and leaders of his village, Knuckles saw that it was his duty to restore his tribe's right and bring it back to the sacred temple of Chaos.

He had made a small yet sharp spear that sweated his small size, then took a coconut and broke with his mere force. And with some handy work, he turned it into a mask that resembled that of his tribe's warriors. Today...

Today is gonna be his moment.

The sound of footsteps approaching the house took the boy's attention. It was his father and cousin Tikal. Quickly, he put on the mask and took the spear in his hands. Then he raced at full speed to his father, standing proudly in front of him.

"Father! I'm ready!"

"Knuckles!?" Locke said, surprised by his son's look. "What are you doing? And why are you dressed up like this?"

"It's because I'm coming with you!" The boy answered. "I'm gonna beat the last of the Owl warriors and restore the Master Emerald! You'll see when I-"

"Knuckles, my boy." His father cut him, silencing him. "I'm sorry, but you cannot come with us."

The young Echidna was, to say the least, taken back by his words. The words failed him to describe the great shock he was feeling. Did he do something wrong to be forbidden from joining the rest of the clan in this mission?

"B-But... why? Why can't I-"

"Knuckles," his father continued, "I know you want to be part of the upcoming battle. But you cannot. You're still too young to fight."

"But it's my purpose in life!" The kid responded with a broken tone. "I was born to honor our tribe! That's what you told me! And that's why you named me after our clan!"

"Yes. Yes indeed. You're right about every single word you spoke. It is true that you will one day have your moment to honor us, Knuckles. One day, not today." Locke took a deep breath and explained to his son, "Remember that night months ago? When suddenly, the Chaos energy manifested around you in the form of electricity? The entire village celebrated for a week and took well care of you. We saw you as a good omen and we still see you as so.

Sure, many before you succeeded in controling the Chaos Energy on their own without the need of an emerald. But they all required months if not years of practicing and training both their bodies and souls. And you? You were just... born with it. It's simply part of you. You're basically radiating the Chaos Energy like a Chaos Emerald does.

That's why you should keep training to get stronger and more experienced, for one day, you might- No, you will be the pride of the Echidnas. Who knows? Maybe Enerjak will find you worthy of being his new reincarnation. And don't worry, I'm sure you'll control his power and won't be corrupted like the predecessors.

So Knuckles, please, stay safe here. And when your moment comes, you'll just know it."

The five-year-old child was looking at his father with a mix of understanding and disappointment: he understood what his father was trying to tell him, but felt shame and disappointment in himself for not being helpful in the war.

"Now, I'll have to leave you in the care of Tikal, while I go and guide the warriors in the battle. But I promise you, I won't return until I honor our tribe." And with that, Locke left his son and walked his way towards the shore, ready to board the ship that'll take them to Longclaw's location.

Knuckles watched as his father walked away, his image fading in the horizon until it finally disappeared. He dropped his spear and sat alone on the ground. It really felt annoying to be the only child under the age of fifteen in the village, to be left here all alone.

Well, at least not totally alone.

He felt a warm and familiar hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw his older cousin, Tikal, staring at him with a sad expression. Of course, she never like this war at all and hoped for it to end at any cost.

"Knuckles," she whispered, "Let's go inside. It's cold out here."

The boy nodded his head and followed her without hesitation. He looked one last time at the sea where he saw the ships already heading towards its destination.

If he didn't honor the tribe today, at least his father will.

He and the tribe will finally accomplish their goal.

He will return to him with great tales of their victory.

He will return. Right?

Chapter Text

Flashback months ago

In the middle of the night, while people were asleep, a father and son Echidnas were sitting together on the top of a mountain, enjoying the view of their island that was enlightened with the fire torches in the houses and and streets and the beauty of the full moon in the sky.

"Father, may I ask you a question?" The young Echidna asked.

"Sure Knuckles. Go on," the father responded.

"I wanted to ask you about my powers, the Chaos Energy," the young child, now known as Knuckles, continued. "Where does it come from? And how come I have it?"

The adult stayed silent for a few moments, thinking of the best answer to give to his son. "Why are you asking?"

"Ever since it manifested around me two weeks ago and the tribe celebrated the miracle, I just... wanted to know more about," Knuckles replied, "to know the origin of the power that I was gifted with. I want to know why of all people I was destined to have it."

The father understood what his son meant. It was his right after all to know the secrets of the blessing he received. He was old enough to understand its origin now.

"Son," he started, "what I'm about to tell you is something that we Echidnas discovered thanks to our ancestor Enerjak and to your grandfather and great-grandfather, Sabre and Athair.

To know where Chaos energy comes from, you've got to learn the fabric of reality. You see, son, we are living in a Zone [1]."

"A Zone?" The boy titled his head.

"A Zone is a massive spacetime continuum that contains four dimensions: three spatial dimensions of height, width, and length and one temporal dimension. It contains eerything from planets and stars to entire galaxies. In fact, your grandfather discovered that the observable part of the zone - the one we can see from our homeland - has a large diameter that even light take ninety-three billion years to cross it. Imagine then the full size of the Zone."

"It is that big!" Knuckles yelled in disbelief.

"Yes," his father answered, "and it is still getting bigger with every second." The boy wowed in amusement, never imagining the world to be this big. "But it doesn't end there. You see, our Zone is part of an infinite number of Zones; alternate realities with different rules and inhabitants. Some of these Zones are similar to ours, like the Zones of the Arabian Nights, while others differ greatly than ours, say for example the Negative Zone, which is the complete opposite of our world.

And all of these infinite realities are contained together within a five-dimensional spacetime called the Mortal Realm, also referred to as the Cosmic Interstate: that is, a transcendent reality that has the same four dimensions as us plus an extra spatial dimension."

"But what does all of that has to do with Chaos energy and me?" Knuckles asked in confusion. How did the structure of the world relate to his powers?

"My boy, be patient and all your questions shall be answered.

As I was saying, the Mortal Realm is also part of a six-dimensional space called the Macrocosm. It houses two other realms besides ours: the Afterlife and the Demon Realm.

The Afterlife, as you know it, is where our souls go after death. Every single soul in this world must go there to be judged for the actions it committed in its life. If you were a good and noble person, you go to Heaven. But if you were corrupted by the forces of evil and dishonorable acts, you are sent directly to Hell were the soul is punished for its crimes.

As for the Demon Realm... It is a place where only demons and monsters reside. Monsters like the One-Below-All, Erazor Djinn, and... Iblis."

The mention of the name 'Iblis' made Knuckles' bones shiver in fear and discomfort. He heard many stories about the name's bearer and how much disasters he brought upon the world when he was summoned, how he left nothing but death and destruction behind him until the god of destruction Chaos finally decided to intervene and banish him back to his realm before punishing the person who summoned him - a hedgehog whose name was lost in history - for bringing such a monster to the world.

"Nevertheless," the adult called, getting the attention of his son, "that's a story for another time.

As I was saying, around the Macrocosm, there are two seven-dimensional worlds that move around it like how the moon travels around our planet. These two worlds represent the Realm of the gods."

"Gods? You mean like the Ancient Walkers?"

"No, Knuckles. While the Ancient Walkers are indeed respected gods who guided us across history, but even they are not allowed to enter such a sacred world, for they are only planetary gods. They have no authority in another planet, let alone an alternate Zone. The Realm of the gods is only for the gods who watch over the entire Macrocosm, like the Celestials for example. "

"Or Chaos the Destroyer?" The boy questioned with excitement. He clearly admired the Mobian god of destruction.

"Yes. Chaos also resided there in his days as a Destroyer. Now, all of these realities float within an eight-dimensional spacetime called the Universe [2], as in 'the unity' because it unites all that there is.

But it doesn't end there, for there are a dozen Universes out there, all contained within a nine-dimensional structure called the Multiverse [3]."

"Wait," the child cut him, "if the word 'Universe' means all that there is, how come it's actually not all that there is?" Well, he does have a point.

"It's because, despite that they are separate, they are almost identical.

The Zones are different from each other. For example, planet Mobius only exists in this Zone. The same thing can be said to the Realms and Worlds. But, when it comes to the Universes, they share a lot of similarities share a lot of similarities but are different in their way.

To give an example, in each Universe, there is a Zone just like ours, with a Mobius of its own, with its own tribe of Echidnas.

In other words, all that there is for us is also all that there is for those Universes inhabitants.

However, they're not completely identical. In this Universe, we Echidnas, despite the wars we fought, still exist as a species, but in another Universe, it's possible that we went extinct." The child gasped, terrified of the idea that his tribe could be dead somewhere else. "Another difference is you yourself?"

"Huh?"

"Yes, you Knuckles are different in those Universes. There isn't a 'Knuckles the Echidna' who is a brave and powerful boy that loves and respects his tribe. There is instead a counterpart of you who is a brave warrior that loves his people but isn't an Echidna named 'Kneckles'. He could be a Fox, a Hedgehog... maybe even not from this planet or zone at all. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, father," he replied, "I understand."

"Good, because now you'll where your powers come from. The entirety of the nine-dimensional spacetime is contained together and kept in balance with the tenth dimension. In order to keep such a number of dimensions in order, the ten-dimensional spacetime continuum is powered by a massive amount of energy. So much energy that whoever holds it like Enerjak did is considered to be a nigh-omnipotent creature.

This energy is the Chaos Energy. Hence, the tenth dimension is called the Chaos Force [4]."

"Wait, what!?" Knuckles yelled in disbelief. Never did he imagine that his powers were that dangerous. Sure, he knew that they were powerful, but to destroy the entirety of existence! That's something that he could never ever dream of. "B-But does that mean that I could possibly wipe out all that there is!? And how come I got it if it is that far away from us?"

His father didn't answer for a moment. He just stared at the sky before responding, "The Chaos Force manifested itself in the lower realms through what we call Chaos Emeralds. The Chaos Energy runs through those emeralds, giving them the power to warp space and time, to increase their strength, to manipulate energy in different forms, and even to rewrite reality.

Whoever made them must have known how dangerous it is for such a power to fall in the wrong hands, so instead of containing all of this energy within one emerald, he diveded it across millions of emeralds and spread them across our entire universe. In fact, it is said that there is enough emeralds to fill an entire sea.

Many legends talk about the Emeralds' origins and who made them. Every story contradicts the other. However, the most popular story believed to be true says that they were forged for unkown reasons by the Abstract Entities and Pillars of Existence: Zalama, Eternity, Infinity, Oblivion, Life, Death, Ahl, Mandrakk, Abraxas, and the Queen of Nevers. The involvement of these beings may explain the Chaos Emeralds ability to warp reality.

As for the origins of your ability to harness Chaos Energy on your own relates to an event that occured roughly 9,000 years ago, when advanced mechanical technology still existed. Back then, fourteen Chaos Emeralds were discovered on our planet. They were found by a mammoth named Mammoth Mogul.

Mogul was a brilliant scientist who always seeked more from life. He was fascinated with the massive amount of energy stored within the Chaos Emeralds. In fact, after spending months researching on them, he discovered that a single Chaos Emerald - despite being a simple fraction of the Chaos Force - has enough power to wipe out entire galaxies at once and even to create a whole zone larger than ours."

The child wowed in amusement, but before he could say a word, his father continued, "However, Mogul's heart was corrupted, for he was a power-hungry monster. And when he found out about the abilities of the Chaos Emeralds, he wanted all that power to be his and only.

In his attempt to do so, he absorbed the power of eleven Emeralds with his body, allowing the Chaos Energy to run in his veins. But when he tried to add the last three Emeralds, his body refused to fuse with them due to it reaching its limits. If another Emerald was added, Mongul would've exploded and died. But the idiot was so arrogant that he tried to force the Emeralds within himself.

As a result, the three Chaos Emeralds were shattered to pieces and their energy was released on the planet, causing a blast on a planetary scale that wiped half of the life on Mobius and knocking the other half unconscious. This cataclysmic event is what killed the Mobosaurs and destroyed the technology of our planet."

At this point, Knuckles started to hate this Mammoth. He was a dishonorable man who only cared about himself and didn't care what got in his way. His actions killed thousands or millions of innocents! If he met the guy, he would've given him a piece of his mind.

Nevertheless, the adult continued the story. "The Ancient Walkers, who were the last survivors of the Mobosaurs, decided that enough was enough and that Mammoth Mogul should be judged for his actions. But Mogul wasn't willing to surrender easily, so he fought with all his might against the gods of Mobius. However, despite not having any Emeralds with them, the Ancient Walkers were trained to harness the Chaos Energy with their very own bodies. In addition, not only was the Mammoth outnumbered, but he also lacked their wisdom and perfect mastery of the power, so he ended up getting defeated and banished into deep space."

Knuckles smiled in happiness. It was good to know that this force of evil got what he deserved for his dishonorable actions.

"Now, as for the survivors of the Chaos Blast who were knocked out, when they woke up, they felt that something was different. They felt stronger, faster, and more durable. It seems like, when the Chaos Blast reached them, it got weaker and so its danger was lessened."

"You mean...!?"

"Yes. The survivors absorbed the Chaos Energy into their bodies. However, they weren't able to properly control it and manipulate it at will, nor were they able to use it at its fullest potential. That required a lot of training for the body and mind. However, it seems like in the recent era, our bodies adapted to the energy within it to the point that the Chaos Energy now manifests from a young age. And you my son are the proof for this theory."

When the story was finished, Knuckles found himself speechless with a mixed feeling of pride and shame in himself. He was proud of himself for having a body that could endure the stree of the Chaos Force, but he also felt shame because this power within him was thanks to the suffering of others. Not to mention that he simply has it and control it at will, while his ancestors trained their whole lives to master it.

But wait a second. Another question popped up in the boy's head. "Father, does that mean that there are other children my age who also have the ability to control their energy?"

The older Echidna thought of that for a few seconds, then he answred. "Well, who knows? It's a possibility. But that doesn't make your power any less special, son."

The child nodded in understanding, then he asked anither question. "What about the Master Emerald, father? From where did it come from?"

"Perhaps another time, Knuckles," the father responded before standing up, taking his son's hand, and walking back to the village. "It's getting late. We better go home now."

Back in the present

Knuckles was laying on his bed next to his sleeping cousin. He wasn't asleep though. The upcoming fight between the Echidnas and the Owls was still bagging him 'till now. He stared at his hand and observed the electricity running through it.

His uncle, the tribe's leader, Pachacamac mentioned that they discovered Longclaw's location thanks to the Chaos Energy radiating from her young disciple who happens to be a small blue hedgehog.

There was no doubt. It was another child gifted with Chaos Energy just like him.

While he didn't doubt the strength and capability of the village's warriors, he couldn't help but be worried. After the talk he had with his father months ago about the origin of the Chaos Force and how dangerous it could be, he couldn't imagine the consequences if this hedgehog attempted to attack his people in defense of his mentor.

It was funny, though. Two boys gifted with the ultimate power: one a proud Echidna and the other a pupil of the Owls.

Perhaps the two were destined to fight in order to see who'll be victorious and will honor his people.

Maybe this was his moment.

Yes. Yes, it is!

He'll finally prove his worth to his father, to the village, and to the whole world.

Tikal, on the other hand, was only half asleep. After all, she had to keep an eye on her younger cousin. While he was undoubtedly the stronger out of the two, it was her responsibility to take care of him due to being the older, even if the difference was only a couple of months.

She could swear that she heard a voice similar to the opening of a portal. And when she didn't feel Knuckles next to her, she was horrified.

Quickly, she jumped out of bed and called for her little cousin. Outside of the house, she found a portal that was still open, her worst feelings coming true. So without hesitation, she grabbed her own bag of rings and jumped through the portal before it closed.

"Knuckles! Knuckles, where are you!?" She called, hoping for him to answer. She walked between the trees and bushes searching for him. It was hard to see anything in the dark with only the moon and the stars guiding her, but she couldn't just give up and return home without him. It was a matter of hours before the Echidna ships reached the island to help find him. The only reason for why they didn't use Warp Rings in the first place was because the rings make a loud noise when they appear, and with Longclaw being an Owl - a creature that could hear even the tiniest voice from afar [5] - they just couldn't risk letting her discover their arrival.

Which meant that Tikal had to find Knuckles at any cost.

"Come on. Come on. Where are you?" She wondered with worry.

"Can I help you?" A voice spoke above her head. It was a mature voice of a female that caused the six-year old to freeze. She slowly lifted her head up and what she saw made her bones shiver in fear.

There, on the branch of a tree, stood an Owl staring down at her. It was undoubtedly Longclaw, the last survivor and the most powerful Owl at all. As the stories tell, her power could rival that of their entire village. And now, the young Echidna was alone face-to-face with her.

She trembled to the ground, not knowing what to do. She wanted to scream, to yell for her life, to ask for mercy.

She finally gathered enough courage and screamed at her, "S-Stay away, Owl! I'm an Echidna! My tribe's warriors are now surrounding the island! And if you hurt me, I'll scream and they'll all come here this instant!"

"Is that true?" Longclaw questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Because I've just finished circling the island and I didn't see any Echidnas other than you and the first young visitor. Plus, I doubt that your warriors are so reckless to the point of bringing two kids to the field of battle."

Tikal gasped in fear and covered her mouth when the Owl jumped down to her, tears storming out of her eyes. She was praying for her life to be spared and to return home safely with her cousin.

Thankfully, her prayers were answered.

"Calm down, little girl. I'm not going to hurt you," Longclaw assured her with a motherly tone. The Owl wanted to hug her and wipe out her tears, but since she was an Echidna whose been fed multiple stories from her tribe's elders on how 'dangerous and malicious' her people are, she knew that touching her would only make things worse.

"B-B-But you're an Owl," the girl said through tears, "Y-You killed many of us! W-What makes this any different?"

"Well, for one, I only attack after the enemy strikes. I fight only to defend myself and not hurt others. Two, I don't usually kill unless the opponent doesn't want to let go of me or he's so powerful. Three, if you noticed, only your warriors were killed by me. The nurses, the elders, and youngsters who accompanied them have always returned to you safely with a few scratches at worst. Plus, I would never dare to hurt an innocent child." The adult explained.

It was true, Tikal thought. Only the warriors were killed against Longclaw. The others always returned safely after battling her. This helped to calm her down a bit, but she still kept her guard on.

"I heard you were searching for someone. Knuckles, was it? I figure he's the kid with a warrior's attitude." Longclaw spoke to her, trying to sound as nice as possible.

"Y-Yes, that's him!" Tikal replied. "You said you saw him earlier. Can you please lead me to him, and I promise, we'll leave your island!"

The Owl smiled warmly at the child. While she didn't like the fact that she was on her kneels begging her for mercy as if she was planning to kill her like a monster, she could sense the honesty and pureness in her soul. She just came searching for her cousin and then leave. As a mother herself, Longclaw couldn't bring herself to not help these kids, even if they were the children of her enemies.

"Very well then. Follow me. The one you call Knuckles went this wa-"

"LONGCLAW! LONGCLAW, HELP ME!" A terrified scream was audible across the entire island. It was the cry of a child asking for help. Longclaw froze in shock when she recognized to whom belonged the voice.

"Sonic!?"

A few minutes earlier

Knuckles the Echidna kept walking through the jungle, having no idea where he was heading. The feathers were his only trace, but since the Owls usually fly in the sky and do not walk on the land, it'll be difficult.

But it doesn't matter. He's Knuckles the Echidna, son of Locke. He was trained in hunting and tracing his enemy. He's a proud warrior who fought against Fallen Island's beasts and brought them back to the village for everyone to feast on.

His eyesight may not be useful in the dark, but he could hear and smell well. Suddenly, he heard a sound. It was the sound of someone running fast. Really, really fast!

He climbed a nearby tall tree to have a better vision under the moon's light. When he did so, he saw a flash of blue light running acrosd the island at the speed of sound. Even though he couldn't see him properly, Knuckles knew that it must've been Longclaw disciple; the blue hedgehog who runs so fast.

He was the key to the secrets of the Master Emerald.

He jumped down and hid next a tree and waited for the hedgehog to pass next to him.

He needed to be precise.

He should catch him at the right moment.

It's all or nothing.

Finally, he heard the sound of the hedgehog's footsteps getting louder and saw the blue blur approaching. He waited until he passed next to him.

And there he was.

In the span of one millisecond, the two were only a few inches apart from each other. It was a short time frame, but it was enough.

"Gotcha."

Quickly, Knuckles jumped on the hedgehog, which resulted in both of them spinning and rolling down the hill and into a puddle, with the Echidna's grip on the Hedgehog not loosening a bit.

Once they landed, the Echidna stood up and lifted his enemy up in the air and threatened him, "Don't try to fight me, hedgehog! For you are now under my mer-"

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" The Hedgehog yelled in fear.

Confused, Knuckles removed the mask off of his face and took a better look at his enemy. That's when he realized: he was so tiny.

According to the elders of his village, hedgehogs were usually a bit shorter than the Echidnas thanks to the latter's built up bodies. However, this one was so tiny that barely reached Knuckles's shoulders.

"LONGCLAW! LONGCLAW, HELP ME!" And the way he screams with heavy tears storming out of his eyes. He was crying like an untrained child! He imagined Longclaw's disciple to be a strong warrior around his age who could give a hard time for his tribe's warriors.

But this? How old was he? Three years old!?

He let go of him, which caused the child to fall harshly on his butt and into the ground. He lifted his head and saw the Echidna's purple eyes staring down at him, not leaving him at all. He walked backwards only for his back to bump into a tree.

He was cornored and all alone. Naturally, he cried harder hoping for his mentor to hear him and come to his rescue.

Finally, the Echidna uttered the only thought that was bagging him now.

"You're a toddler!?" Knuckles expected anything but this. The person he assumed to be his destined sworn enemy was just a crybaby younger and smaller than him. But that means he manifested Chaos Energy at an age younger than him when he first discovered it. Could this be why Longclaw took him in? And could he possibly be a dangerous opponent when he grows up.

While Knuckles was busy in his train of thoughts, Sonic noticed how distracted he was and took it as an opportunity to escape. He ran as fast as his little feet could carry him and away from this stranger.

His sudden action brought the older kid back to reality and made him notice that his recklessness and lack of focus allowed his enemy to escape.

"Hey! Come back here, now!" Knuckles didn't have any time to waste. He ran at top speed following the trail of blue light. Even though he'd be at a disadvantage due to the hedgehog having super speed and knowing the place better than him, he was still the older of the two - thus the more powerful - and a trained hunter. He should be at least capable of keeping up with him.

He may not hurt him, but he still have to force him to split the secrets of the Master Emerald's whereabouts.

Up in the sky, Longclaw was searching the land with the young Echidna whom she was holding tightly with her talons. While Tikal felt uncomfortable about this, she kept her focus on observing the world below her to find her cousin before he does something stupid.

"Tell me, little girl," Longclaw said, getting Tikal's attention, "This boy, Knuckles, is he dangerous?"

"To say the truth, he's as strong as a skilled warrior," the girl answered. "He has a good heart but... honoring our tribe was always his goal in life. He probably came here in the first place just so he could get you."

Longclaw sighed. She really needed to find Sonic or the red boy before something bad happens.

"Wait, I think I see them!" The orange Echidna yelled. The Owl turned to where she was pointing and saw a flash of blue blur being followed by a red one, both of them heading through a land bridge to a small nearby island and continuing their way towards-

Oh, no! She thought, before she yelled loudly, "The Days of Fury! [6]"

"What?" The orange Echidna asked in confusion.

"Hold on tight! We have no time to waste!" And then, she flew at her top speed, determined to stop the two kids before they get themselves killed.

Meanwhile

Knuckles wasn't willing to give up that easily. Despite the fact that the child was a little bit faster, he managed to keep up with him. Sooner or later, he'll get tired of running and then, he'll force him to spill all of the Emerald's secrets.

"Stop!" He ordered. "Stop this instant, Hedgehog! Come and fight me like a true warrior!"

"Leave me alone, you jerk!" The blue one yelled back in tears. Never in his life had he felt such a fear from someone (since the only person he has ever met is just his mentor Longclaw). He never knew the meaning of being threatened before now.

So he ran.

He ran for his life.

However, he suddenly stopped in his run when he found himself approaching the cliff of a mountain. Thankfully, he managed to stop just in time. But this meant that he now, he had another trouble to deal with.

He was trapped.

When he turned behind him, he saw the big red creature cornoring him with a spear in his hands. He couldn't jump to escape him because they were on a mountain. A fall from this height will kill him or at least break every bone in his tiny body.

On the other hand, he red Echidna could see the distress and fear in the younger one's face when he turned around and stared at him. His breathing quickened, tears built up in his eyes Knuckles could swear he was hearing the beatings of his heart.

Enemy or not, this was a panicked child. It was dishonorable to attack him like that.

Maybe he didn't need to fight him at all. The elders of the village always thought him that it's better to solve the conflict by talking things out rather than colliding fists. Perhaps he can convince the kid to lead him to the Master Emerald's location.

Slowly, he put his handmade spear aside and spoke, "Listen, we don't have to fight each other. All I want is for you to answer my questions." The Hedgehog didn't respond. He just kept shaking and crying. "I'll let you go if you lead me to the ultimate power."

"T-T-The what?" The child asked through tears.

"The Master Emerald! Didn't you hear me? The most powerful weapon in the universe through which we can harness the Chaos Energy."

"T-That's just some stupid bed story!" The Hedgehog finally gathered enough courage to yell at the Echidna, though he still had tears in his eyes. "Even if it existed, I don't know anything about it."

Knuckles growled while growing impatient. The child was definitely lying. He could accept the fact that he is untrained, but there was no way Longclaw wouldn't teach her apprentice anything about the artifact that they stole from his tribe centuries ago.

"You're only getting things harder on yourself, Hedgehog," Knuckles threatened. "It's either you start talking now or I'll just-"

Suddenly, the red Echidna's speech was interrupted when he felt the ground beneath them shaking. The two succeeded in maintaining their balance to not full into their doom. Then, they noticed that there was massive clouds of smoke emerging from the top of the mountain they were on.

That's when it hit them.

This wasn't a mountain. This was a volcano! And judging by it, it was about to erupt at any given moment.

They both realized that they had to leave this place as fast as they could. But by the time they realized it, it was too late.

The volcano shook again, this time harder than the first time, preparing to erupt, and the cliff they were on started to collapse. The two boys panicked and attempted to keep their balance. The blue Hedgehog was taking it the hardest. Unlike the older male, he never trained in his life for these situations. In fact, his poor innocent and childish mind never imagined that he'll ever be put in a scenario of Life or Death like this.

So like any kid his age, he started crying and yelling for his mother figure to come and help him.

And his panic and fear grew bigger when he heard the sound of a crack and saw the edge of the cliff he was on beginning to fall apart.

"LOOK OUT!" The Echidna yelled. Without a second thought, Knuckles ran towards the Hedgehog and picked him up before the cliff fell. For some reason, the kid seemed to forgot that this was the same person who kept chasing a few minutes ago and held on to his chest as if he was holding for his dear life.

While surprised at first, Knuckles knew there was no time to waste and that they needed to escape as fast as they could. He ran with the Hedgehog in his arms back to the path they came from, only for it to collapse before their own eyes, forcing them to stay on what remained of the cliff.

Now they were stuck.

And if this wasn't enough, an explosion sound was heard from the top of the mountain, indicating that the volcano has finally erupted. Both boys yelled in fear from the loud sound of the explosion, especially when they saw the lava blown in the air and falling towards them like rain.

Knuckles knew for a fact that a few lava drops won't kill him, but they'll surely leave some burns on his skin and hurt him as hell. However, he couldn't say the same thing about the crying Hedgehog in his arms.

For some reason, Longclaw didn't give him any training for survival at all. And judging by how thin his skin is, he'll probably be killed or left disabled for the rest of his life if a few drops hit the wrong part of his body.

Knuckles was a proud Echidna warrior. While the Hedgehog wasn't on their side (for now), he couldn't for a young, untrained, and unarmed kid to be hurt badly like that, nor for such a great potential like his to be wasted from a young age.

He knew he'll regret this, but it was the right thing to do.

He threw the kid beneath and jumped on him, thus using his body as a cover to protect him.

A blue Hedgehog was confused by the act and asked, "W-What are you-"

"AHHHHH!" The kid was terrified by the older boy's scream, but what scared him more was when he saw small drops of lava on his body, realizing that his scream was a cry of pain.

"Y-Y-YOUR BODY!"

"JUST STAY HIDDEN!" Knuckles ordered. The little Hedgehog wanted to object, but seeing how he could not do anything useful in this situation, he obeyed the Echidna's ordered and stayed beneath, even if he couldn't ignore his screams and felt sorry with some guilt for not being able to help him.

However, things got worse when the two saw - to their horror - a river of lava bursting its way towards them. There was no way they were surviving this. The three-years old Hedgehog cried and screamed higher than before, and even the mighty Echidna shed some tears of fear, fearing that his end has came, that he'll die a painful death, that he won't bring honor to his tribe, and that he'll die failing to protect the kid.

When all seemed lost, a glimpse of hope shined on them.

"Sonic!" "Knuckles!" Two female voices called for them. One belonged to a mature woman and the other was that of a young girl. When the two of them lifted their heads, they saw an Owl flying in the sky with an orange Echidna in one of her talons.

"Longclaw!" The blue Hedgehog - now known as Sonic - yelled in happiness. Quickly, the last of the Owl Warriors flew to the two boys and grabbed the red Echidna with her other free talon, allowing Tikal to pick up Sonic from the ground. Then, Longclaw flew away from the erupting volcano.

The Hedgehog in Tikal's arms turned to the male Echidna who now lost consciousness from pain. Even though he chased him and kept trying to hunt him, the boy almost sacrificed his life to save his. And now, he was the one who was in need of help.

"Longclaw!" Sonic adressed his mentor, "You've got to help him! Some parts of his skin burned from lava!"

"He's WHAT!?" Tikal yelled in shock, fearing that something happened to her cousin.

"We'll take him to our home. We can heal him there," Longclaw answred without hesitation, "As for now, hold on tight!" And with that said, she flew as fast as she could towards their house.

Even though this is an Echidna who chased her apprentice, he was just a child who also saved his life and was now in need of help.

On a nearby island, the Echidna ships docked on the shore. One by one, they descended and started making camps.

It was nighttime. Longclaw was probably patrolling the island right now. They didn't want to risk to be caught easily. Plus, the Owls have the advantage when fighting in the dark. They can see their enemies while the enemy is hopeless in the battle.

The Echidnas will start moving by daybreak when she rests and let her guard down.

"Attention, all of you," their leader, Pachamacac, announced, "Tomorrow will be an important day for not only the tribe and the village, but for all the Echidnas, because we'll finally end this war and restore our glory with the power of the Master Emerald."