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The lava rose slightly as the molten beast sank into it. Iblis let out a fading wail as it melted away and became a part of the lava river. I had rarely seen it express such pain, meaning it would likely stay down for longer than usual. That meant… maybe a three-day break. Four, if we were really lucky.
I prayed for a four-day break. But prayed to whom? No gods still cared about our plight. Sometimes I even find myself wondering if the gods grew tired of waiting for us to die and be punished for our sins, so they brought their hell right to us.
However, the people here, those that are still alive, at least, are good. They deserve happiness. That is why, as my vision blurs and I succumb to my injuries from the fight with Iblis, I stay hopeful.
Blaze screams my name, rushing to catch me before my head hits the concrete. Whether or not she's fast enough, I’m not sure. It all goes black.
I have faith in her. She’ll find a way to save me, just like she always does.
When I wake up, I… I don’t know where I am. I don’t see Blaze or the abandoned tower we call home. I don’t see anything. My eyes are certainly open, though. Is this a dream? My body feels light, yet the pain from my injuries lingers.
My breath hitches in my throat. Am I dead…?
Just as quickly as the thought comes, I push it aside when a breeze blows past me. I can feel it well against my fur, so I must still be alive. It’s… cold. I’m not used to cold things. Naturally, I turn to where the wind blows.
And there, in the darkness, I see… something. A slim figure sits atop a fallen stone pillar. It looks almost like a hedgehog. Like me. But it’s not.
It’s beautiful.
Pale purple tendrils of smoke dance around its silhouette. They glow faintly, allowing me to better make out whatever parts of its body they glide across. I can see one leg crossed over the other as shimmering black claws drum rhythmically on the stone. Every tap sounds like glass clinking.
That wind surges from the void again, rustling the figure’s quills. The sound of a dozen windchimes follows, and a chill is shot down my back. What an… ethereal sound. Like magic, almost. It lures me to take one step closer.
The quills of the figure emit a shine as they rattle. Again, like glass. Wait, no. They have a faint blue hue to them. Maybe crystal?
A glowing green eye appears on its shadowed face. It stares through my soul, and I shiver even though the wind has died down.
I don’t see its face move as it begins to speak. The voice comes from everywhere and nowhere all at once, but without a doubt, it’s the hedgehog before me who is talking. “Iblis will return in three days. I offer a solution to permanently defeat him. When you wake up, go to the old bell tower. You know the one.”
From the voice, I can immediately tell that the figure before me is masculine. Quite strikingly so; his voice is deep, soothing, a bit breathy… Magic. I conclude that this creature before me lives and breathes with nothing but magic. His slim figure had led me to believe that I was in the presence of a female hedgehog, but no.
Strangely, that reveal doesn’t make my heart beat any less faster.
But… But anyway, that doesn’t matter. Even more startling than the voice itself is what he’s saying. A solution? I open my mouth to reply, but nothing comes out. I can’t even cough out the smoke in my lungs.
The figure raises his other hand, which had been hidden from view, and plucks a bright red apple from the nothingness. He tosses the apple to me, and I scramble to catch it.
“There,” the figure speaks again. “Now, I know you won’t keep me waiting, Silver.”
Again, I fight to get a word out. And again, I am interrupted. This time, it’s a familiar voice that cuts through the abyss.
“Silver, wake up!”
The darkness vanishes as I somehow, truly, open my eyes. I find myself lying on a bed in my home. Blaze is hunched over me, a roll of bandages in hand. Tears are pushed from the corners of her eyes as a smile lights up her face. She embraces me.
I hug her in turn. As my arms wrap around her, I freeze. My right hand clutches an apple. “Wh-Where did… Where did this come from?” I whisper.
Blaze releases me and straightens herself. “When I brought you back here, that was just… on your bed. However it got there… you can have it. I ate yesterday, so I’m alright for a while.”
I sit up slowly, still studying the apple carefully. It’s cold. “Thanks. Blaze, you should rest. I’ve got to investigate something.”
“Silver, I insist you stay here! Your hands are burned, and those boulders Iblis threw left some nasty wounds on your body. Please-”
“I had a dream,” I say, finally pulling my eyes away from the apple to look at her. “I saw a man. He told me to meet him at the bell tower because he knows how to permanently stop Iblis. Then he threw me this exact apple.”
Blaze shifts uncomfortably. “Silver…”
“I know it seems crazy, but I've got to go! If no one is there, then I’ll forget about the dream. But what if… what if it was real?” I push myself out of bed and stand on wobbling knees. “It’s not far. I'll be quick.”
I can see through Blaze’s eyes that her mind is running. She keeps glancing at the apple. Finally, she gives a slight nod. “Very well. If you don’t return within ten minutes, I will be looking for you.”
“Okay, I’ll be back real soon.”
I fly out one of the many broken windows and make a beeline straight for the bell tower. It isn’t the tallest building around, but that massive bell on top makes it easy to find. I land swiftly on the roof, beside the rusty old bell.
No one else is here.
I pace around the bell, but the platform is just as empty as always.
“D-Dang it…” My hands clench into fists on their own. The apple is nearly smushed in my grip. Blaze went out of her way to carry me back home and bandage me up, and I repay her by giving her false hope. I’ve made a fool of myself in front of her.
Suddenly, the bell sways.
It releases a great chime that echoes off the ruined skyscrapers.
The wind that blew it was… cold.
Amidst the ringing, I hear footsteps. My body tenses, and I watch in awe as a person emerges from behind the swinging bell. I literally just checked the whole platform. Where did…?
Approaching me is a black hedgehog with upturned quills and muted green stripes. Not quite who I saw in my dream… Where are the claws and crystal quills?
No, maybe I’m misremembering it.
It’s obviously the same person. I can tell from those piercing green eyes. And… he has no mouth. This stranger maintains the elegance of the being I met in my dream. His steps are swift, arms dangling freely by his sides.
Unlike every survivor I’ve ever met, he does not have tattered clothes. Even his quills are in pristine condition, lacking the usual burns or ash marks. It makes him appear almost… unreal. Like he comes from a more divine place.
…Maybe not all the gods have abandoned us.
One stands before me now.
Finally, I can ask the question burning away the back of my mind. “Who are you?”
His eyes arch upward as if to imitate a smile. “I am your savior.” Those words linger in the air for a moment. The bell rings once more before he speaks again. “But you may also call me Mephiles.”
He wastes no more time with introductions. I don’t even have to ask him how to stop Iblis. As Mephiles begins explaining his plan, I can visualize his words. There is hope. I understand. Victory seems realistic now, more real than the dream this deity popped out of.
While Mephiles speaks calmly and with grand gestures, I lean closer. My mouth is watering.
I take a bite of the apple and taste salvation.