"Who's that mole?" Glitch's answer caught him off guard.

Shadow retracted his hand, checking if he, by some mistake, didn't take the wrong photograph. But no, Finitevus had smirked his way, devil dancing beyond his eyes.

"He's an echidna."

"Aha."

Shadow showed him the picture once more. "Was it him giving you the limbs?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm! I haven't seen such a weirdo before!"

'Then who?' Even when Shadow expressed the possibility of it not being this white echidna, he never believed it could happen.

"Then how about seeing him? Maybe you glimpsed him somewhere?"

He gave Glitch time to think, but he shook his head. This turn of events went in an unimaginable direction.

"Can I go now? It wasn't that mole-guy."

Shadow swayed his head, hearing the boy as if he was in the water. "Who it was then? Maybe we can work together?"

"Work?"

"Yes! If he could heal you, he may help more people if we join forces." An excitement filled Shadow to the brim. This may be the best news in a long while. "Can you tell me who it was?"

Glitch shared his joy, beaming with an enormous smile. "Yes, his name is—" His voice turned silent as if a sword cut him.

A caped figure ventured through the streets of Albion City as the peak of the night approached. It moved swiftly, making barely any sound as if it had no weight.

'Why?' Sirius asked in his mind. 'Why am I here?' He scaled the house, moving from one rooftop to another. 'It's obvious they have captured him.' He slid down, landing near the entrance of the underground complex.

He inhaled the cooling air. 'I'm not mistaken. He was here, but who was with him?' He went on all fours, inspecting the area with his nose. 'It's familiar, but I can't put my finger on it.'

He slashed his tail, leaving a scratch mark on the cobbles stones among others. The barred gate couldn't stop him from moving further as he slipped past it. The surrounding seals lit up for a moment before dimming.

'I need to watch my steps, or I can trigger an alarm.'

His eyes could see past the ordinary tiles, sensing the spiritual energy that had gathered here for generations. Spiritualists had come and gone, adding layers upon layers, fixing and creating new means of defense and offense.

Even the weakest demon would find it here suffocating, but Sirius had absolute control over his energy, so the seals didn't affect him. Yet they make following any smell a pain in his nose. His body was never meant for stalking prey or beating his enemies.

He had the power of knowledge on his side and the centuries of experience he had gained from his research. He could decode almost every seal he had seen here. Some were new and some too old to read them. But he still couldn't rewrite or undo them, as that would alert The Order.

Scorch didn't inform him about any suspicious activities since she breached their security. 'Still, it doesn't mean nothing is happening. Inside The Order are exceptional individuals. Even if there is only a handful of them.'

He proceeded further, having to stop occasionally to ensure he had caught the right trail. Finally reaching a vast room, he bristled. He could smell Glitch's emotions all over the place. He clutched his fists as if he was holding onto the last straw of hope of Glitch avoiding any danger.

'Why it frustrates me so much?' He shut down his eyes, but it didn't stop him from replaying the memories he had shared with Glitch.

When he had found him, it was his search for Silver that brought him to that village. Seeing the boy half-death yet with a burning spirit in his eyes caught his interest. He was eager to share what he had known about Silver, confirming to Sirius that he was on the right trail but came too late.

At first, Sirius didn't plan to take the boy with him, but Glitch was determined to get his revenge no matter what. Some time ago, he also finished a theory that would allow him to equip a mortal with demon limbs, giving them powers. As silly as that could be, he found it useful taking Glitch with him.

The boy had forsaken his old name, donning a new identity, accepting this new name from Sirius. It took over ten years for the limbs to fully regrow. The librarian could speed up the process, but that would endanger the boy's life.

Seeing Glitch making the first steps after a long time left him with a fuzzy feeling. The young man with the soul of a child brought new moments into his usual routine, much as Eclipse did.

Sirius shook his head. 'Enough!' he shouted at himself, but he couldn't stop his heart from aching. He didn't need to grow fond of them! There was no reason. He had set this path in front of himself.

There was only one thing he needed to do, and nothing could stop him. He couldn't allow it!

He needed to calm down first. 'I don't think I can continue any further. There shouldn't be more than a few streets dividing me from The Order's headquarters. Not even I may go unnoticed.'

With a regret in his heart, he had to turn around. 'But if he dies, was my other project useless? Should I stop?' Neither biting his lip, slashing his tail, or balling his fists could vent his anger.

'I did count with this possibility, so I took necessary steps to ensure his silence. They won't get anything out of him.'

"Glitch! What's wrong?" Shadow shouted, holding his shoulders.

The boy clutched his head, shaking as if a blizzard raged inside of him.

"His name is! His name!" He repeated. "I! I!" He lifted his watering eyes. "I can't remember."

Shadow's eyes widened. "You can't—"

"No! Please! Don't call him!"

Shadow pulled him into a hug as the boy tried to escape. "I won't! Nobody will!" He caressed his quills.

"I'll remember! I promise!"

"It's alright. You can tell me what you remember now."

Glitch sobbed in his arms. "There's nothing! I know he is there, but I can't picture him."

Shadow's face darkened. This couldn't mean anything good. He had his experience with blocked memories, but it seemed somebody erased his tracks instead. That had to require complex inscriptions deep in the boy's brain. Removing them or even finding them could damage his mind for good.

"Glitch," he called the shivering hedgehog after a few minutes. "Don't worry. Nobody will punish you for not remembering. I suspect there is a seal in your mind preventing you from seeing this person."

"But Why?" He lifted his soaked face. "He was so kind to me! Why would he do that?"

"I don't wish to suggest answers I can't base on anything but a vague feeling. But I suppose it has something to do with your limbs. As much as fantastic as it is to have them back, this procedure can be used for sinister schemes."

Glitch wiped his tears, trying to comprehend the words.

"There is one option we can try to recover your memories. I've gone through it once myself. I won't lie, it's not a pleasing experience."

The boy shrunk, hugging his chest.

"But it's not like torture. Gold, the person who is an expert in this field, is very kind, and she put me through as less pain as she could. Right now, she is away on a mission. Now, I'll inform my boss of your cooperation and excellent behavior."

The priest stood up, stopping as the boy grabbed his trousers. The plea in his eyes almost broke his resolve to go alone.

"I can't take you with me." He took down his jacket. "Here, take this to keep you warmer. I promise to return as fast as possible." He caressed his quills, and the boy let him go, grasping the jacket Shadow put over his back.

The priest took a step outside and dashed. Before informing Mr. Nigel, he had to find Silver to stop him from interrogating Glitch.

Getting outside of the tunnels, he inhaled the night air. The wave of chill gave him shivers. The moon shone brightly despite most of it missing, with the stars twinkling all over the sky in endless rivers. At another time, he would stop to enjoy the view, but now he had to hurry, following his nose.

He glanced at the psychic at the table in the restaurant with somebody he didn't expect to see so soon.

"Gold!" He slammed his hands on the table, and the psychic bristled, hissed, and clattered on the floor, his coffee spilling all over him.

The tenrec blushed like a tomato, hiding her hands on her lap. Shadow gasped, not noticing her flushed expression.

"I'm so happy to see you, Gold! I need your help."

"You have five seconds to talk or pay my expense today!" Silver growled, gaining the ebony hedgehog's attention.

"Is being a punching bag an option?"

"No," Silver deadpanned him, getting up. His uniform got ruined by dark stains and the cup broke into pieces.