Sonic and the Reaper/Chapter 10: Molten Silver

"They first started when I was back in my time, about three thundred years from now, before I travelled here. I couldn't explain them, but they seemed to fade when I came to this time."
Silver was in the ruins of Tails' workshop, sitting on a nearly undamaged workbench. Blaze was at his side, and he was explaining about his strange memories to her. She was listening with uncanny interest as he gave the details of his memories. The missing quills gave him an eerie appearance, but that didn't falter Blaze's curiousity.
"In time, I forgot about them, but then they came back in a rush right before hell broke loose on here. Then you showed up, and somehow I knew I had to keep you safe, even if it meant putting myself in danger."
Blaze closed her eyes. "Explain these memories to me."
Silver sighed. "It's like, I'm standing in the burning ruins. You're standing before me, deadly flames circulating around your body in a sort of infinity symbol shape. Dark clouds are blocking any and all light from above. Suddenly, you start to float into the sky, slowly fading away. I can see you call something, but I can't really make it out. Then you vanish, and the clouds start to part in a flash, letting beams of sunlight shine through." He thought for a short while. "One of these beams of light strikes me, filling my vision with light, but then it fades."
Blaze opened her eyes and looked towards Silver. Somehow he looked familiar from before she arrived on this world, but... "Can you really recognize any emotions?"
Silver closed his eyes, thinking. "They're kind of foggy, but I recognize shock when you started to fade, then a sense of relief when the light starts to shine. Then when the memory's fading, there's something else, but I don't recognize it."
Blaze thought. "I don't know. But somehow, I seem to have similar memories."
The psychokinetic raised his head. "What? How?" Blaze gave her own sigh and thought.
"They're almost identical to yours, except they're from my own view. I remember a sense of regret during the circles of fire, then something like relief when I start to float away. Then there's a flash of light from behind me that sort of whites out my vision, but I recognize something crushing."
"When did they start?" was Silver's next question.
"I'm not sure." She rose, then closed her eyes and held a hand out, which the Jeweled Scepter materialized into. "Hold on for a second. Could I see the white Sol Emerald?"
Silver shrugged. "Sure," he replied, holding out the Emerald of request. "Why?"
Blaze's response was shocking. "It's probably the same with that Master Emerald I heard the reaper talking about, but the white Sol Emerald has an unusually high Sol Energy concentration. If used in conjunction with the Jeweled Scepter, it is possible to summon the other Sol Emeralds to my current location, although it takes up a lot of energy and has the risk of summoning whoever or whatever may be touching a Sol Emerald at the time."
"Then let me do it," Silver stated, reaching out for the scepter.
"No," Blaze said, shaking her head, "you just went through a lot of pain from the battle with the reaper and I'm betting that it still lasts."
"That's exactly why I should do it," he replied. "I'm in no shape to fight anyways, and if I do it than you're still able to fight anything that may come."
Blaze sighed. "Isn't it better," she asked, "if there's two fighters at moderate strength rather than one at full?"
Silver shrugged. "I guess. Just show me how to do it in case I can find the white Chaos Emerald and the Master Emerald."
Blaze stepped over to him. "It's simple, actually. Just hold the white Emerald to the gem and focus. Visualize all seven Emeralds around you, and it should work." Showing an example, she held the white Sol Emerald next to the gem of the Jeweled Scepter and closed her eyes. There was a flurry of energy, and the other six emerald-cut spun around her, then slowed to a stop. Blaze gave an exhausted sigh and collapsed back onto the workbench.
"Woah," she stated, "that took a lot more power than I thought it would. At least no one arrived."
An eerie, all-too-familiar voice called, "Well, not through the teleportation, they didn't."
Silver spun and leapt out of the workshop in a kinetic backflip to see Zyx, holding his scythe to the sky. Blaze followed burning and, holding the Jeweled Scepter like a weapon, and Zyx laughed.
"Foolish, Silver," the reaper taunted, "to not put up a shield around you. Then again, I can still see the marks of our last battle." He beckoned to Silver's missing quills. "No wonder you didn't think of it."
Silver took a battle stance, his psychokinetic rings glowing brightly. "Back off, reaper. Lest I tear you apart again."
Zyx laughed. "Not likely. First off, you're still weak. Second off, last time was only a fraction of my master's power. And third off..." He threw the hand that wasn't holding his scythe down. White magmic energy flowed around his arm, then condensed in his hand, forming a sword.
"I was wondering why the Sol Blast felt familiar."
Blaze's eyes widened. "Wait... so you mean, becaused you used the Sol treasure, that you can utilize Sol arts now?"
Zyx gave a few sarcastic claps. "Bravo, Princess. And I will be taking that Jeweled Scepter. Again." He lunged toward, his scythe slashing towards Blaze's arm.
But there was an eruption of magmic flames from the Sol Emeralds around Blaze that knocked the reaper back. When they faded, Blaze was still standing, but her fur had turned a magmic orange. Her eyes appeared to have turned into rubies, and her robe had burned into a molten red. The Sol Emeralds were spinning, frozen in place yet twirling like tornadoes.
Blaze herself was shocked at this. She was actually looking over herself when Zyx recovered, coming forth for a slash. Blaze dodged the slash with perfect ease, then delivered a burning kick that sent the reaper flying. Silver then recovered, shouting, "Scepter!" Blaze obliged, tossing the Jeweled Scepter to him, and he swung the scepter with perfect ease, launching a barrage of flaming fireballs towards Zyx. The reaper was unnaffected, but it caused enough distraction for Blaze to raise immense lava, locking Zyx in place. Yet Blaze didn't feel the slightest strain.
"What is this?" she asked herself out loud, looking at her hands. "This power... I've never experienced power like this!"
Silver turned to her. "You mean you've never experienced a transformation before?" Blaze shook her head, and Silver's eyes widened.
There was a shout, and Silver and Blaze turned to see Zyx, who managed to slice his way through the molten magma. Silver, however, appeared in front of him in a blur of energy lines and blasted him dead to the eyes with a flurry of fireballs, then delivered a psychokinesis-powered uppercut kick that sent him flying away. But Silver didn't lower his guard.
"No," he stated, curious. "This is wrong. Zyx's Reaper form has titanium-hard skin. He can't be damaged by normal means. And he couldn't be sent flying by a simple kick." He spun around. "Come on out, coward!"
"Smart boy," a voice called from above as Zyx dropped from the sky. This time, the fireball that Silver swung did nothing. He turned to Blaze, and a dark aura emerged from him, wrapping around the empowered cat.
"NO!" Silver shouted, warping to Blaze's side. But he had no sooner appeared than Zyx knocked him down with a deadly kick and left him there, observing Blaze as his master circled her. Blaze was paralyzed by fear, unable to move.
"Have you reconsidered your options, holder of the Flames?" the Dark Master whispered in her ear. "Have you reconsidered joining us?"
Blaze managed to choke out, "Eat...magma!" An eruption of magma shot up from below her, but the darkness was unfazed.
"It is useless, holder," the darkness whispered. "You have yet to know that darkness cannot be killed. Yet magma... I could take control of you right now, possessing you and causing your heart to stop - in other words, I could cool your magma. Although I won't kill you know, let me show you how powerful magma can be."
The darkness flew into Blaze, and she was incapable of moving. The darkness moved her body, and brought her hand up in the direction of Silver. Silver attempted to leap out of the way, but magma burst out from under him. Blaze managed to shout, "NO!" but it was too late. The magma spout remained in place, but the Dark Master turned her away.
"Do you see now, holder?" he asked her within her mind. "Magma can kill as easily as darkness, although not as subtly. If it can create, it can destroy. Join us, holder."
Blaze closed her eyes. A single tear fell from her eyes, and she shouted, "NO!"
The teardrop suddenly burst into flames, forcing the Dark Master out of Blaze's body. Blaze was likewise sent flying, still ignited. She was sent flying, the Sol Emeralds flying with her. She unpowered as she hit the earth, and the magmic teardrop struck the ground, erupting into deadly flames. Blaze could only watch as a huge magma-like creature erupted into being from the flames. It was somewhat humanoid, with spiked arms and legs, but its face was that of a lizard, with a third eye on its forehead.
Zyx got the gist of the blast, being sent flying and depowered as he hit the water. The Dark Master seemed to dissolve, but reformed a bit off, taking the form of a djinn. He shouted, "No! The Flames of Disaster!"
A familiar voice emerged from the magma spout, saying, "Now that's not ordinary means."
Blaze turned her head to see the lava being pressured down. Silver was there, holding the Jeweled Scepter. His shining silver fur was covered in ashes, and his golden eyes had melted into a burning platinum, but he seemed as powerful as ever - no, more powerful than ever. Blaze was just staring at him.
"White Sol Emerald!" he shouted, all buisiness. Blaze tossed him the white Emerald, wondering what he was going to do with it. Shockingly, he raised it to the sky, shouting, "Sol... MAGIC!" Many strands of white, magmic energy emerged, then condensed on Blaze. She was paralyzed as a pure burst of flames emerged from her heart and struck Silver. At the same time, a huge psychokinetic ring expanded around Silver's heart and condensed around Blaze. When all was done, Blaze felt... changed. And Silver's eyes were burning with flames.
"Don't worry," he said quickly. "You'll get it back. I've just got to take care of this thing." He shot forward, sped towards the Flames of Disaster and flat-out burst into flames!
Blaze reeled back as Silver struck the back of the Flames' head, causing it to turn around. The still-burning Silver managed to dodge a pure burst of flames that erupted from the creature's mouth, which headed straight for Blaze. Miraculously, Blaze instinctively attempted to nullify the flames and instead froze the flames in place. It took no effort to simply hold the flames in place until she was out of the way; then she released them harmlessly. She looked at her own hands. Normally, nothing would be wrong, but this time there was a difference, resting over the back of her hands and her palms.
Faint cyan energy rings.
Meanwhile, Silver was still battling the Flames of Disaster. Raising flames over his body, the magma creature's attacks were weakened greatly. It was a simply matter for Silver to move in to a barrage of attacks, ranging from physical to Sol to absorbing the Flames' attacks with the Jeweled Scepter and flinging them back. Yet the Flames were persistent, never giving up. At one point, Silver launched a Sol Lance at it. It practically ate the blast.
Eventually, Silver vanished in an explosion of flames and reappeared at Blaze's side. "It's no use!" he shouted. "It won't give up!"
Blaze cursed and turned to see the Sol Emeralds. She turned to Silver and called, "Return my flames to me!" Silver was quick to realign the psychokinesis and pyrokinesis with their owners by the use of Sol Magic, and Blaze grabbed the red and blue Sol Emeralds, then crossed them over her body. The Flames of Disaster melted into lava, becoming a snakelike creature that shot towards Blaze. On instinct, the pyrokinetic shouted an incantation
"Eternal Sun! The living flame that tears apart stars with your heat! Fall into slumber within my own magma, Flames of Disaster!"
The Flames gave a deadly shout like a volcano's eruption as it melted into lava again, this time becoming an orb of pure magmic energy. Blaze brought the Sol Emeralds to her sides, and the Flames parted into spirals of fire that wrapped themselves around the Sol Emeralds, then coursed into Blaze's body.
"That's it," Silver stated, thinking out loud, and Blaze turned. "Don't you recognize this picture? I've seen this exact scene before, in my faded memories. The huge magmic creature; the spirals of fire; the burning ruins." He motioned to where the Flames were standing, which had become a small inferno. "Sealing the Flames of Disaster. That was my faded memory."
Blaze thought. "But if that's true, why am I still here?"
Silver shook his head. "I don't know, and I'm not all too sure I want to know. But enough of that. You were shocked when you were powered by the Sol Emeralds. You've never taken a powered form before?"
"No," she replied. "I didn't know it was possible to achieve a powered form with the Emeralds. How is it that I utilized them without meaning to? And how is it that I was able to utilize them now when I couldn't before?"
Silver shrugged. "Utilizing them without meaning to is an easy one. Sonic does that all the time; a dire situation here, the Chaos Emeralds in one place there, and Boom! you've got a supersonic Chaos Emerald-empowered hedgehog." Blaze actually stared at him with shock in her eyes. "Never mind. He's attributed to the Chaos Emeralds' power, so he can tap into it at any time if they're all in one place. If you're not attributed, then all being near you and a life-threatening situation usually causes a transformation. But as to how you could utilize them now when you couldn't before; is it that you couldn't, or that you never tried?"
"I couldn't," Blaze replied. "I've tried to use them most commonly. I've known that they held a unique power, but the most that I've achieved with them before the coming to your world is that my Sol arts were empowered. If I tried to do more than that, I got nothing." Silver thought about this for a few seconds.
"I think I might have an answer to that," Silver replied. "When Sonic first tried to use the Chaos Emeralds, he likewise got nothing. But then Tails came along, and Sonic went gold. Eventually, Sonic came to one conclusion; the Chaos Emeralds' true power is unlocked by friendship." He raised his head to Blaze. "You have any friends back in your dimension, Blaze?"
Blaze shook her head. "No. I had assistants, but a friend was nowhere."
Silver smiled. "That's the ticket. The Sol Emeralds are nearly identical to the Chaos Emeralds. Friendship obviously unlocks their power."
Blaze nodded. "I see."
The psychokinetic hedgehog turned to the ruins of the workshop. "Well, friend, would you like to help me look through all this? Sonic is going to be pissed if we destroyed those blueprints; they were the one thing undamaged in here.
The pyrokinetic nodded. "No problem," she replied, and she stepped into the workshop. But as though the destroyed doorway was an awakener in her heart question ignited like her hands and burned like the Flames of Disaster. Is he truly a friend?
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