Issue 5: Encounters

**"Something feels very wrong..."**

This article may contain **violent or triggering content.** Read at your own risk!

## Publication Details

### Date Published

* January 20 2014 (Cover release Date)
* January 24 2014 (Release Date)
* April 25 2014 (Completion Date)
* April 27 2014 (Cover Collab release Date)

## Production Staff

### Special Thanks

* Blazerona
* Knockabillar
* AceofHearts1

## First Appearances

### Characters

* Bernadette the Hedgehog
* Jules the Hedgehog
* Sonic the Hedgehog
* Zielo
* Shadow the Hedgehog
* Silver the Hedgehog
* Soulless

### Locations

* Angel Island

**Encounters** is the fifth issue within *The Murder of Me* comic series created by Gigi Dutreix. It was first published in January 24 2014, and reached completion April 25 2014. It proceeds **Issue #4: Silver**and proceeding Issue #5 is **Issue #6: My Friend, My Enemy**.

### Plot:

**Sonic, Shadow** and **Silver** encounter Zielo on Angel Island, and are stripped of Chaos Energy. Upon being thrust back to Tin-Can, Zielo plans on playing a little game with the trio. Can they survive?

## Summary

The issue starts in a flashback when Sonic was 6 years old. His house is on fire and his mother and father are looking for him. They believe the flames claimed him, but they press on after hearing him cry out. Sooner or later, they find him and Bernie runs to him, trying to comfort her child. Sonic weakly cries that the being took his "glowy" away, which enrages Jules who confronts it. It isn't known what the two are saying as all Sonic can focus on is how cold he felt despite the fires surrounding them. Jules begins to glow, a mysterious power activating (that we've seen from the triple s previously) as he states the being, known as Zielo, will be demolished in god language. Before he can act, Jules is brutally murdered by Zielo's hair acting as a large spike that pierces his body. Jules gives one final look at Bernadette and Sonic before he falls to the ground dead.

The flashback ends and we see Sonic, Shadow, and Silver still hiding behind the bushes. Shadow is struggling to hold Sonic back from running towards the monster who killed his father and shushes him. They listen in on what's happening, hearing that the plan was for the Soulless to scout the island and cause the chaos crisis and that they were to kill any intruders. Zielo angrily shouts, "EXCEPT MY SPARKS." and ruthlessly kills his Soulless. He begins to explain that his Soulless are thankless as he hands them power beyond mortal comprehension, and they keep making mistakes. He has no use of them if they are willingly imperfect, making him turn them all to ash and ending the cacophony of pain and suffering. The triple s are shocked by what they just witnessed and are unable to speak or move. Zielo breaks the silence by asking, "did you enjoy the show?"

Silver wonders if he's talking to them, which makes Sonic break free of Shadow as he rushes towards Zielo shouting that he'll kill him. He's stopped by Zielo who holds him up with his telekinesis. Sonic asks if he knows who he is, to which Zielo explains Sonic's entire life and family history and ends with him being a copy of Heephis, a deceased god. Confused by the infodump, Sonic stutters a "what", which makes Zielo start to rip a piece of his cheek off, asking if he should repeat himself. Unable to watch anymore, Silver jumps into action and freezes Zielo's hand, stopping him from hurting Sonic any further.

Zielo tosses Sonic into the ground then heads in Silver's direction. Sensing the danger, Silver freezes Zielo, but he breaks free. Zielo glares down at him and asks if their last encounter taught him nothing. Silver thinks about what he said and realizes that Zielo had completely erased the future. He adds in that the future displeased him so he did away with it, referring to himself as the perfect being and calling Silver the "copy of me" (Zielo copy). Silver grows enraged and uses his telekinesis to pick up a large tree to hurl at Zielo, but before he can land a hit, Zielo makes him vomit blood, weakening him greatly. Sonic perks up and demands that Zielo leaves his brother alone, god aura and language present. Zielo forces him to kneel as he does not need his disturbance and calls him "*Heephis copy*".

Shadow jumps into action, and forms a spear cannon, pointing it directly at Zielo. He begins to demand Zielo tell them what's going on and how to fix what's happening, often interrupting him. Growing angry at their insolence, Zielo forces them all to bow down to him and freezes them in place. Sonic notices the energy controllers, which infuriates Zielo even more. Zielo says that in order to know who he is, they need to learn their origins. Shadow demands to know what Zielo's origins are, which he begins to explain.

*"Correction... '**Our** Origins.' My brothers fell into the deep ominous pit of sin, and betrayed me in response. They became imperfect, so I took the liberty of eliminating them. But Heephis, unfortunately, sent prerequisites before his death. Those prerequisites being you three. Since you have originated from the deepest parts of Heephis' soul, you partake our appearances. As for me, what once was three had become one. I am the only god of existence. I no longer hold responsibility for the Control of everything. I have taken Heephis' and Celios' power, and became the only divine being. I am everything. I am nothing. I am perfect. I am god. I am Zielo."*

Shadow laughs at this origin story and starts to question Zielo being a god and challenges him, saying if he has such power, then to prove it. Zielo loves it when mortals challenge him, and in response he summons the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic claims that Zielo plans to use the Chaos Emerald's powers to do something. Zielo clears up the confusion and states that "these little rocks have done their job in bringing you three together", and now that their purpose has been served and are now considered imperfect, he shatters each of the crystals, Master Emerald included. The boys feel that chaos energy itself has been erased and are in a state of shock. Zielo then uses his powers to force Triple S to follow him, stating that they are "going to play a game with god". He guides them to the edge of a cliff where they can see the remains of Tin-Can, now a charred and desolate wasteland.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sonic can see someone very familiar: his mother, who is now a stage one Soulless. Zielo laughs at this, saying she is the perfect slave because she used to be Sonic's. The three, unable to move or fight Zielo's power, are thrown from the cliff and the issue ends.