Issue 13: Hope

**Hope** is the thirteenth issue within *The Murder of Me* comic series created by Gigi Dutreix. It was first published in June 8 2018, and reached completion August 15 2019. It proceeds **Issue #12: Tainted** and proceeding Issue #13 is **Issue #14: In The Depths of God**.

## Summary

It begins with Sonic's memory of being with his mother at his father's funeral. He runs off, tears streaming down his face, and stops upon a hill where a Ball of Hope comes to him.

Silver awakes in his bed, getting up quickly when he sees Shadow on the ground, who asks for water, Silver having to walk to get it, his god powers being exhausted. When he comes back, they talk about the failed mission and how they cannot mentally reach Sonic. Shadow says that it is all Sonic's fault because of what he turned into (Tainted Sonic) Silver tries to look on the bright side but it shot down by Shadow.

Silver then hears Shadow think about how he should have stayed at his old prison and asks him why the heck he would *ever* want to go back there!? Shadow says that at least it did not expect anything from him unlike Paradise where his failures matter. Silver assures him that it was not their faults what happened on the mission.

Silver then mentions that their powers are getting stronger and that he thinks he had a dream of one of Sonic's memories (the one from the beginning of the issue), recounting about a glowing pink Ball of Hope that would come to him in his past and give him peace in his deepest despair. Shadow listens, quietly commenting, "Ball of Hope?" and "Oh."

Blaze then comes in, Shadow confronting her about why only she is here and Blaze tells him that Antoine has not yet returned from his mission, Bunnie is helping refugees, and Chaos and Miss Sol are having a terrible episode.

Chaos and Miss Sol are huddled together in front of a cracked and scarred painting of the old gods, Miss Sol seeming to be talking to Celios from a memory that 'it' is all a lie.

Blaze and Shadow are still arguing, Shadow then storming off. Blaze offers her help in finding their lost brother, Silver asking what happened to him since they were separated. Blaze tells them of Sonic fighting his mother, Zielo antagonizing him, Sonic accidentally murdering his own Mother, and then him becoming Tainted. Blaze offers her help again, asking if the two can sense their brother's presence. Silver says that they did that once when they saved Sonic from drowning back in Tincan before fighting 'that water monster', which Blaze calls a Bloodthroat. "The what?" Silver asks, not yet knowing what that is.

Blaze explains that the creature they fought was once a Demi-God like them; a Demi-God is too powerful to turn into a mere soulless and so, with a mark on their tongue, they become horrible Bloodthroat monsters. Shadow turns away from them, Silver noticing, and asking Blaze to come back later. Once she leaves, Silver goes over to Shadow who tensely says no to Silver touching his shoulder. Silver grumbles that it is just him and he can share now. Shadow goes on to talk about their souls and how their power controls then, its instability and powerful raw infinity once controlling him, starting to shake as a light purple energy begins to spark softly around him. He gets more upset as he talks about this nagging feeling, which Silver puts into words, the need to be together, and that he does not actually feel this, it is the power, he does not care! He should not care! ...Right? Silver then hugs him, comforting him, telling him that he needn't say anything. Shadow excepts the hug, tears running from his face.

And then Silver sees it. The glowing lights are back! He calls out and reaches for them, then turning back to Shadow-to see that they are coming from him. Silver and Shadow sit on the bed discussing Shadow's ability to transfer Hope, who warns Silver that he will destroy him if he ever tells Sonic about his crying, which he rarely truly ever does, and Shadow's confusion about his emotions. Silver then teases Shadow about him actually caring about them before wondering about how Sonic is feeling right now.

Shadow stands and uses his powers to send a ball of Hope to Sonic. We see it go through the portal from Paradise, through Portal City, into the wilds beyond civilization, and deeper and deeper into the infected world of eyes and teeth, past thousands of soulless, and finally past a skinnier Zielo, who opens his tired eyes to watch it pass, and into a hole in an overtaken city surrounded by living muck full of eyes, ghostly hands in the sky, and bloody teeth that protrude from the earth itself. Deep within the city it finds a silent Sonic sitting in an alcove, back to his usual fur color but still with clothes tattered, body blood-spattered, and teeth pointed and sharp. He reaches out and holds it.

Then, from the shadows, we see Amy walk out, not a soulless any longer, but covered in blood, scratches, bruises, and with her clothing dirtied and ripped like Sonic's. "...S-Sonic?" she asks and the issue ends.