The Flames of Hope/Episode Silver: If We Shall Last/Part III

==Chapter 23==
thumb|left|200 px|The Final Dream
Blaze walked through the dark and empty streets of Castle Town, the streetlamps casting shadows against the walls. She was completely lost in thought, barely even knowing where she was going. She should be running away, leaving back to her home dimension to protect the Sol Emeralds, but she couldn’t leave Soleanna, not while Elise’s safety weighed on her mind.
“Is something wrong, Blaze?”
Blaze jumped back and a fireball appeared in her hand. The fire illuminated the black hedgehog as he pulled himself up straight, almost like he was pulling himself out of the shadows surrounding him.
“Who’s there?” She shouted.
“Somebody who helps people in need. I know about Elise...and I know about Iblis.”
“How?” She asked “How do you know?”
“I...I’m part of the reason she’s infected by that monster in the first place,” He stuttered. “I’ve only just been reawoken recently. I want to help her.”
Blaze made the fireball disappear. She had been so lost and scared that she didn’t realise the figure didn’t want to hurt her. He seemed to genuinely care about saving Elise.
“I believe you,” She muttered, not looking Mephiles in the eyes “I’m sorry...with what’s been happening recently I’ve just been on edge all the time. Every day, Iblis takes over Elise more and more. I feel like one day Elise is just going to vanish and I won’t be able to bring her back a-and Iblis will just…”
“Calm down, Blaze. You’re being hysterical.”
Blaze breathed with heavy, ragged breaths, trying to contain her emotion. She usually didn’t have a problem with controlling herself thanks to her training; why couldn’t she keep control now?
“I-I know…” Blaze replied “It’s just...I want to help her. The power inside her is going to rip her apart. I see it more and more...she’s not far away from Iblis consuming her.”
“I understand your concern,” The hedgehog replied, managing to keep his cool much better than Blaze “Your desire to help her burns like a flame. I can see that.”
“Please. She’s like a sister to me. If you have any way to help her…”
The hedgehog nodded slowly.
“I know how you can save her,” He continued. “I will require two Chaos Emeralds in order to make it work. I’m sure someone of your skill will be able to retrieve them.”
Blaze nodded.
“You will also need a code. It will allow Iblis to be released so I can begin the transfer of his energy into the Chaos Emeralds, where I can destroy him entirely and finish what I started. The code only works for people who are close to Elise. You need to be the one who uses it...to trigger Iblis’s release.”
“What is the code?”
“Deactivate system 348. Code Epsilon. Engage.”
“I understand," Blaze said, beginning to calm down "I will retrieve the Emeralds as soon as I can...thank you...”
“Mephiles,” The black hedgehog replied “It is all I can do to help someone in need. Good luck, hero.”
Mephiles clicked his fingers and vanished into the darkness. Blaze looked back at the palace one last time before running away to look for the Emeralds.
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