Shortly after Silver had left, Shadow stood in front of heavy doors. Complex circles full of tiny words shone, spinning like a mechanism in a pocket watch.

'Not good.'

The protecting seal was active, and so the one inside the room. Glitch was awake and trying to escape. Shadow had hoped the boy would be still unconscious. He took a deep breath, entering.

Glitch levitated in the air, an inch above the ground, suspended by special chains and inscriptions all around him and over four stone columns that held the chains.

The prisoner was taking a short breather after his last outburst. His ears perked, hearing Shadow entered. Surprise quickly stepped back, making space for a fury.

"You! You dirty liar!" The boy balled his fists, pulling with his entire strength. "You tricked me!" Tears spurted out of his eyes.

"I'm sorr—"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Glitch almost ripped his limbs in two as he tried to escape.

Shadow watched him, letting him tire before he spoke, "I'm sorry, but I had to—"

"You work with that monster, do you? You were in this together!"

"Please—"

"Shut up! Shut up!" He tossed more.

"Glitch!" Shadow barked, authority shrinking the boy. Shadow towered in front of him. "I'm sorry for tricking you. But I had no choice. I couldn't risk innocent people getting caught in the crossfire." He didn't shout, but he let his voice be firm.

Just like when he talked with Sonic about his pranks. "I have a few questions for you, and time is against us. I need your full cooperation."

"Forget it! I won't tell you anything!" Glitch tried to pull away, but he couldn't move more than an inch.

"I'm fully aware you don't trust me. It's obvious you can't comprehend what is happening around you."

"Pretty words won't help you, geezer!"

Shadow could see Sonic in front of him. He had also yelled at the priest, not trusting him a bit. But now, Shadow had a time limit, and the situation was several times more dangerous.

"Glitch, if you can't answer my questions, we will have to proceed to different measures. Ones that include pain and torture. And I'm sure you can guess who would be in charge."

The boy shivered, biting his lip. Fear crept into his eyes.

"Right now, you have a chance to avoid all of that."

"No! No! I'm not talking!"

Shadow let out a sigh. This could be much harder than he hoped for.

Meanwhile, Sirius had finished his daily task, heading to the secret test tubes. His brain swirled with thoughts.

'Glitch healed much faster than I calculated. It may be because his body had accepted the limbs and its growing adapted to them.' Still, his eyebrows frowned. Something kept bugging him deep in his mind.

Upon entering, he looked around, sensing something was very off. The bugs in his mind grew.

"Glitch?" he called, but nobody answered him. "Where did he go?" His eyes penetrated the darkness with ease.

The tube was empty, as he had released Glitch half of the day ago. The boy begged him to pursue Silver once more, but Sirius refused, staying firm on his decision.

He moved around the small place, entering the second room where Glitch used to stay. The place provided all that he needed in material needs. His eyes glanced toward the pillow that got soaked by many of the boy's tears.

He tugged them away, counting all the scratches over the wall where the boy let out his frustration. Not even the table was spared of the hedgehog's influence, but it didn't bear any wounds. Instead, a stack of papers with pictures laid there. A reminder of this boy's long-lost dream of becoming an artist.

He came closer to it for no particular reason except for the latest drawing capturing his interest. There was a figure of black and red color with a tail and a cape. It was smiling and next to it stood in shaky handwriting, Hero.

Sirius tightened his fists. This wasn't the time to get emotional. Glitch was only a part of his calculation to shape the future. That was all.

Inspecting the table more, he had found a paper with messy writing. It took him a moment to realize the meaning.

"Must go. Bye," he read it aloud. "He shouldn't be able to leave this place on his own!" He left the secret room, heading into a deep part of his library.

There, behind the heavy door so dark one could see it only when they would slam into it, spread more darkness. But unlike outside, this one crawled all around. Sirius' steps echoed, reflected by obstacles all around him. Under his feet crunched a glass shard.

An image of a gigantic tank filled with purplish, pulsating light that moved like water flashed in front of him. In the next heartbeat, that very tube emptied as if flushed out.

He bit his lip, shooing the unwanted memory.

Finally, he approached a shining place. Narrowing his eyes, he had watched the floating woman inside. Light balls flew in and out of the crystal coffin, not needing the growing cracks to escape.

"I should have known," Sirius growled. "That you would be behind his departure and quick recovery. Do you hope Glitch's death will stop me?"

A crack grew a bit across the crystal. The prison might not last for too long.

"You can't escape this place! I shall not allow it!" He turned around. 'I need to find Glitch and fast!' He again bit his lip. He should have watched him closer. No, he should have never awoken him weeks ago. Just because Glitch's body fully accepted the demonic limbs and could use their powers wasn't enough for him to beat Silver. How could he allow himself to think it could work?

'Did she influence my mind?' He stopped for a bit, finding this possible. He kept monitoring her for centuries. Sirius could easily overlook her growing effect on him. Entering other people's minds and altering their decisions could be one of her abilities. 'She could contact Glitch and make a portal for him too!'

Sirius had returned to the front part of the library, where the transportation circle laid. Reciting the needed formula, the letters shone one by one, opening a portal in front of him. He focused on Glitch's personal aura that was unique to all creatures and followed its trail.

It came to him as no surprise he would wind up in Albion City. That's where Silver resided right now and was out of his reach for the time being.

He had found the last place where Glitch's trail was the strongest, just a few steps from an underground passage. Sirius could only search the surface, but it usually was enough, as he used it to find suitable places for demons to send to. But with this place, it proved fruitless. It had too many barriers and seals all over. He had to concentrate hard to maintain his search.

Minutes later, he had to end the connection, fearing he could experience a backslash. He let out a sigh, rubbing his eyes.

"It seems I poured my research into him for nothing." He bit his lip as his own words nibbled on him.

Rhygenta and her siblings looked at him from behind the corner. They had never seen him so concerned and upset, and they didn't know what to do to cheer him up.

Sirius had noticed them, sending their ways a small smile. "I'm alright. You don't need to worry."

Glitch squirmed in his shackles, tiring himself out while Shadow tried to talk sense into him.

"Glitch." The priest reached out, and the boy shivered, tugging his head between shoulders. Shadow hesitated for a moment before he patted the boy. "I don't want to hurt you but to help you."

"Then set me free!" he barked.

"That would do more harm than good."

The captured hedgehog shook his head, keeping his resolve firm. When Shadow wanted to speak, Glitch's stomach rumbled, and his ears flopped.

'Is he hungry?' Shadow stepped back. 'It can't be that long since we have met.' His black eyes trailed to the sewed limbs. 'I wouldn't be surprised they would drain him.' He nodded with a small smile, a plan forming in his mind.

"I'll bring you something to eat."

"Don't you dare to bribe me with food!" Glitch barked, but his eyes and rumbling stomach almost begged for a meal.

Priest raced out of the room, trying not to waste a single second. In the main kitchen, he basically confiscated everything that was prepared from sandwiches, a big piece of smoked ham, a roll of cheese, freshly baked cheesecake, a couple of pitches with orange and apple juice, and a few other things he didn't have time to categorize. He stuffed it into two enormous baskets and one straw backpack. Even the wide corridors turned a bit too narrow for him now.

"I'm back," he said, hearing as Glitch jerked, pushing his body away.

The boy fought with the urge to sink his teeth into the ham and wolf down the cheese and choke on the juice while trying not to choke on the sandwich.

"It's alright." The priest tried to calm him down. Before he came closer, he checked if the door was firmly shut. "I'll release your limbs, but you still can't use your powers." As the S-tier agent, he had access to many seals, and he could activate or undo them.

Starting from legs, he examined Glitch's figure. Scars raced across his demonic legs, and he could only imagine if he suffered those or were part of the limbs.