It was black. Just black. Their bodies riddled the floor, blood pooling out from beneath them. It was the only other colour, red. The sound of metal on metal clashed in the background, a shoe against a sword. They cried out, all of them, clawing at the ground, trailing red behind them. All Infinite could do was watch, that's what he was told to do, that's what he had to obey. Watch as his clan, his family, were murdered.

Zee was currently fighting against Shadow, holding Zaun's sword in his hand as he ran at the hedgehog with a wide swing. The dark agent only kicked it away, before his hand lit up in green sparks and sent it into the jackal's chest. Infinite's team-mate was sent flying, hitting an invisible wall and falling limp against the ground.

"No!" Infinite cried, a path cleared in front of him as he bolted for the hedgehog, the one that was ripping him apart.

Shadow only turned to face him, grabbing the jackal by the muzzle when in arms reach and holding him up. His eyes seemed to glow red, his sclera turning dark. The hedgehog's frown shifted and formed into a demonic smile, showing off fangs that dripped blood,

"You're pathetic." Was all he said, before he slammed Infinite into the ground. The jackal cried out and tried to push against him, but the other pinned him to the ground.

Infinite started to shake, tears in his eyes as the ground around him rose, his friend's bodies being taken away. Slowly they stood, their eyes dripping blood as they all turned their heads down towards him. He still couldn't fight against Shadow, his foot pressing into Infinite's head as he held his arms back. What could he do? There was no winning this fight.

He let out a sigh, closing his eyes, "I want to be with them..."

The smile on the hedgehog's face widened, spreading over his entire muzzle. A snake-like tongue flicked through his lips as his glowing red eyes turned to slits,

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He said, "But you're not worthy of death. Are you? You did nothing to help them, why should you join them?"

The jackal felt something wet his stomach, his fur turning red as blood rolled down the hill, surrounding him. He glanced at his clan, to see their red tears falling harder, their mouths agape in silent screams, also leaking blood. It started to build around him, sticking to his fur, filling his ear. Infinite struggled against the hedgehog more as he tried to lift his head.

"You let them down, you, their leader. You weren't there when they needed you most." The demon behind him leant down to his other ear, when was he a demon? "Now you get to drown in their sorrows. Drown in their spilt blood. Drown, it's all you're worthy of."

"N-No!" Infinite cried out again, but blood started to fill his mouth. The metallic taste made him choke, tears started appearing in his eyes, "N-No-!"

Everything went red in a second, and the jackal couldn't breathe. He let out a silent scream, thrashing around, trying to escape. It was his fault, this was his doing. Their blood, their lives, it was all him. The jackal let out a throat-ripping scream.

And sat up in a cold sweat.

Infinite was panting heavily, eyes glazed as he stared into the darkness of his room. Silence surrounded him, and the jackal got uncomfortable; he stood and left the room quickly, ignoring the empty beds around him. The hallway was cool, indicating it was still dark out, he wasn't sure what time it was, but he knew Eggman would be asleep.

He let out a sigh, leaning against the cool metal wall and holding his head in his hands. A month had passed since Shadow's attack, a month had passed since Infinite lost everything. A month had passed since he took his rage out on Sonic.

It was still his best fight. Having used the Phantom Ruby Eggman had planted in his chest, Infinite had felt powerful, he felt strong, he felt unstoppable. Throwing that blasted blue hedgehog into the wall had made him feel so much better, knowing he could take down any foe he wanted. Sadly, Eggman made him spare Sonic's life, instead deciding to torture the bastard for the time being.

Good, so be it. Infinite didn't care what happened to him, he would never experience the pain Infinite felt. He will never experience the nightmares he faces every night. Like the nightmare he had just awoken from.

Opening his eyes again, the jackal started down the hall. His mind spun as the imagery of the dream circled his mind. Shadow turning into a demon, possibly even Satan himself, his friends all dead, their blood filling his lungs. He let out a shiver. This had been common the past few months, as well as nightmares based solely on (Y/N). But those... Hurt more.

He hated that he had let everyone down, it will haunt him for the rest of his life. But after taking on (Y/N)'s promise, he now had the added fear of failing her. What if Sonic won overall, and he was left living, knowing he had failed? It was something he didn't want to think about, and that's why he was determined to win, to make sure her dream came true.

Having Sonic being tortured, Infinite thought, meant that (Y/N) was getting her redemption. In fact, when Sonic had been brought in, Infinite made sure he knew why he was being put through this. He could still remember the useless excuses the hedgehog threw his way.

"I didn't know!" Sonic had yelled, fighting against the restraints around his wrists, "I would have saved them! If I knew, if I was aware... I would have!"

Such a feeble attempt to escape his punishment. Infinite had felt anger towards the hedgehog in that moment, seeing him try to get out of his past mistakes with an excuse. It was the first time the jackal had ever felt such power as he punched the hedgehog, leaving him unconscious in the cell. It brought him joy to think he was suffering.

Yes, he suffered from nightmares, nightmares of his clan crying and begging him to let them live, asking him why he let them die, or of him drowning, always in their spilled blood. And the pain of others seemed to numb these scarring nightmares. But... He also had one good dream. It was a recurring dream, one he awaits again; as much as he didn't want to admit his weak desire, a stupid thing to hold on to, he couldn't help but hold out for it.

(Y/N) would appear in front of him, she'd have a soft glow to her, and a sad look on her face. They were always floating in darkness, and she was the only light. Every time she cupped his muzzle, pulled him into a hug, and told him it was alright, that it wasn't his fault. Every time she told him to ignore the nightmares, that the demons were just trying to pull him under, that he couldn't let them win. She would then pull away, give him a soft smile and tell him the others were all watching him, that they hoped he was alright, and to hold out until they won.

"Everything will be alright Infinite, everything will work out." She would say as she pulled away, her hand would linger on his muzzle, the only warmth he would feel, and every time he would try to pull her back. But every time he tried, he would go through her, and she would fade away.

These dreams, they were good, but they tormented him. He just wished to hold her longer, to talk to her, apologise. But he could never speak in those dreams, all he could do was try and pull her closer, try and say he was sorry, try and make it right. He wished he could say something, anything, but it was always futile. And deep down, he knew that she understood. It was like she could read his mind, though he just wished he could say it out loud, say it to her.

From these dreams, Infinite would wake with an ache in his chest, and his head would spin. Usually his room was freezing, and he sometimes wondered if it was a dream, or if it was real. He had never believes in ghosts, but sometimes he caught himself wondering, possibly in hope of communicating with anyone. He found it stupid as well. How could he think such a ridiculous thing?

An idea came to mind, and the jackal's ears perked. He raised his heterochronic eyes, before picking up the pace and hurrying into Eggman's laboratory. Storming through the sliding doors, the jackal is surprised to see Eggman standing over the table, working on another prototype ruby. He ignores Infinite, deep in his work.

"Can you bring back the dead?" Infinite asked suddenly, causing the human to freeze.

He turned his goggled gaze down towards the jackal, studying the seriousness of the Mobian's face. Seeing the hard-set look of the smaller being, he gave a shrug and turned back to his work, "It's a long process. I would need to work day and night but we have other things to do first."

"I see..." Infinite rubbed his muzzle, liking the sound of the possibilities, "So... Once we finish this fight, win this war... Could I request at least one person?"

"The new recruit I assume?" Eggman said, "(Y/N) was it?"

"Yes."

The human was silent for a moment, as if deep in thought. Infinite could see the gears ticking in his magnificent brain, before he blinked and went back to working on the Phantom Ruby. A smirk appeared under his bushy moustache, and Infinite wasn't sure what it meant.

"If you can bring the Resistance to its knees and win this fight, I'll bring her back."

"Then it's a deal." Infinite holds back the smile, the excitement he felt at the thought of once again seeing (Y/N) alive.

"Yes. You should attack the city first. They should be in disdain now that Sonic is gone, cause fear, drive them out of their homes. Bring destruction wherever you go. We start at dawn." Eggman stood straight and stretched, his bones creaking. The jackal nodded once, liking the idea of such a large-scale attack.

This was going to be done, they were going to win. And he was going to see (Y/N) once again.

No matter what.