"You are late," Mephiles, the crystalline demon, said. "And why is your body tattered?" he added, realizing not everything went according to a plan.

"As much as I enjoy gazing at your sexy ass, my mind is too preoccupied right now."

Mephiles growled. This man had a sickening sense of humor. "I see you have returned empty-handed."

"Not exactly." Finitevus walked toward his main laboratory, and Mephiles followed him. "I admit I failed to obtain my primary objective, but I gained a sample." From his cape, he took out five hairs he ripped from Silver's chest fur.

"Hairs?" Mephiles exploded, his voice roaring.

"Not just that." Anger didn't control Finitevus' voice, but a hidden danger lurked nearby. "It's Silver's finest DNA from his cuddly chest fur, and that's all I need to research further."

Mephiles studied his face. Whenever he talked about Silver, he would geek out and be all crazy wacko he was, yet there was no sight of that behavior.

"What happened?" Mephiles asked.

"I've met... unforeseen obstacles." He again caught his muzzle. "There was a group of people who proved to be A-grade... no, perhaps S-grade quality, able to undergo my greatest modifications."

"How could they be a problem? You had five of the toughest Black Arms we produced. There was no way they could beat them!"

Finitevus didn't answer for a couple of seconds. "I need to think."

Eager to know, but considered towards his genius brain, Mephiles didn't press further. This man perfected his Black army decades ago, speeding up their growth and adaptability. He deserved at least some personal space. Mephiles still had great use for him, and a couple of days couldn't hinder the ultimate outcome.

"Alright. Inform me once you sort your thoughts."

The demon turned around when Finitevus called him, "But you know."

Mephiles stopped, paying full attention to his letdown.

"If I could smooch you!" Finitevus hugged his body, spinning around all jerky and twitchy as if he needed to pee. "And do 'that' and a bit of 'this' and be all messy about it, then maybe—!"

"Shut up!" Mephiles roared, shattering Finitevus' sick fantasies.

Seeing his partner in crime leaving, Finitevus shrugged. "He is so cute when he is angry. I so wanna cut him open."

His assistant stood near them, controlling the tubes and taking down the numbers, not paying his crazy employee much attention.

"Alright, enough fun, let's head to work." With those words, Finitevus dived into the world of numbers. "Did you see my laundry?"

The gray hedgehog didn't raise his eyebrow under that nonsensical question. "No, sir."

"Oh, well, let's move onto the next assignment. Any deliveries?"

His assistant put down the papers he had, and from his pocket of the lab coat, he took out a small notebook. "Yes, sir. I had collected five of them. Four from demons and one from an A-class agent, if I may guess, based on the amount."

"Good. Good. Any unaltered specimen in my collection?" Finitevus gazed from one big test tube to another.

"We have several men and women but only five children."

"Children, you say?" A dangerous gleam sparkled inside Finitevus' eyes. "And five of them?" He held the hairs in front of himself. "Alright, they shall do. Prepare them for pre-tests."

"Pre-tests?"

"Yes. I have too valuable ingredient to waste it."

The gray hedgehog bowed. "I understand. I shall have them ready in a few minutes." His steps soon silenced in a deep corridor.

Antagonizing hours later, Shadow had arrived at the outskirt of Frozen Town shortly after midnight, where they started their mission. He flew the whole way, as he was the only one able to move. He held Amy and Eclipse in his arms while Silver clutched to his back.

The weather made every second count, leaving them half-frozen and almost blinded through the veil of snow. Shadow landed with a thud, burrowing into the snow deeper than he expected.

Silver had to walk on his own now, as Shadow needed to hide his demonic form. With a quiet grumble, Silver accepted Eclipse into his arms, as the priest couldn't move with both of them.

'It would be easy to kill him now.' The psychic realized half of the step behind. 'Shadow is too weak to stop me. The hellcat is sleeping, and Eclipse is at my mercy.' He dug his eyes down. The small demon laid, his breath turning into faint vapor.

If Silver played his cards right, it could be seen as Eclipse succumbing under his injuries. All he needed was a hit through Eclipse's spine. It would be thin and invisible. Nobody would suspect a thing.

He bit his lip, gripping the small body closer. He refused to listen to that voice in his mind. Nobody and nothing controlled him!

'Dead Eclipse can't answer my questions!' he shouted in his brain, silencing the voice.

After the longest minutes in their lives, they reached the first house, alerting their inhabitants. The older couple immediately helped them inside, calling for a doctor. They refused to stay, only asking to help them to their inn.

And so it happened, and the local doctor exhausted his entire supply of bandages once he finished. Shadow took it upon himself to inform the mayor about the events. They couldn't keep them in dark.

Shadow concealed many details. He blamed the deserted village on a group of huge demons; the creatures a few villagers had glimpsed in the woods. He ensured them that they have taken care of them and that none of them were alive. The priest also urged them to even leave their town if they would spot one of them.

They were highly dangerous and tough to kill. Mayor was against such a drastic measure, but Shadow repeated his words.

"I know full well how hard is it to leave the place you love, but I'm begging you, please, at least allow children and women to get to safety. Ask the church's branch for refuge. They shall help you."

Mayor agreed to this, and the ebony hedgehog could leave his house to join his team in the inn.

Meanwhile, Silver sat on his bed. The migraine already left, but the sour feeling stayed behind. How could he make such a careless mistake? He had left his team behind! He was supposed to give them a spotless example!

His ears twitched upon hearing the opening door, its hinges creaking a bit. Amy entered, wearing a borrowed dress. Silver didn't need to look at her to see she took most of the bandages for herself.

The doctor was astonished that she was still alive after the blood loss.

"What do you want?" Having a company was the last thing the psychic needed.

"What it takes to gain your trust?"

"I've already said—"

"I know! But why can't you trust his words? Why he has to be under a spell?"

Silver growled. "Because you are too stupid to see he is spying on us!"

Her eyes twitched, but her stare didn't waver.

"Do you have any idea what he was doing after he had become your pet?" Poison seeped into his voice as he got the perfect target to release his frustration upon. "Unlike you! I've noticed strange happenings around him."

"That's what the adolescence is for," she retorted.

His lips twitched into a twisted smile. She had the guts to talk back, ignoring his death stare. What a worthy opponent of ripping apart!

He grasped his head, the urge to the main nibbling inside of his consciousness.

"I'm so gonna enjoy questioning him!" he spat. "And you can't stop me!" He leaped onto his legs, pain cruising through them. His hand moved before he could understand what was happening.

A slap landed on Amy's face.

It roared like a gong in the middle of silent night.

Silver's inner resonated as his brain captured the action.

A shame filled him.

A burning sensation spread from his lifted hand.

Amy stood like a statue. Her quills had fallen over her eyes, and a red spot grew on her cheek.

The psychic opened his mouth to apologize, but she had beaten him, "You monster!" Pivoting, she stormed outside.

A cold knife pierced his heart like the words of his bullies resonated inside of him. He grasped his bandaged chest, clenching his teeth as he fought with the urge to kill her. Earning a gasping victory, he collapsed onto his bed.

Shadow was just nearing the inn when Amy rushed outside, tumbling over the snow. Before he could call her, she disappeared among the houses. Knowing what kind of trouble she could get into, he followed her.

It didn't take long for the troubles to find her as a local group of drunk thugs circled her. Shadow would intervene, but her fist was faster. The first thug tasted his blood from nose first hand, and the rest followed soon enough.

Regardless of injuries, they couldn't hurt her. Especially as she burned on adrenaline. Once they realized she was too much for them, they scrambled away, licking their wounds.

Meanwhile, Silver forced sleep upon him, but even there he met nothing but misery. He stood in the middle of the grass plain. The wind played with each blade, but there wasn't a single sound. No birds chirped, and no bugs flew around and about.

Silver looked around, and the grass colored red under his feet, and the crimson spread faster than his eyes could follow. The wind sent shivers down his spine, regardless of the warm sun. Turning his head, he saw there was no sun but an enormous black hole.

He screamed, bolting forward as the hole pursued him. Four tentacles spurted out of it, armed with claws that clattered as they closed. The blades of grass knitted, tumbling him down with each step as if his heavy legs didn't slow him down enough. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to find a safe place.

Spurting into a mist that appeared out of nowhere, he stopped after a few steps. The feeling of safety enveloped him. The clatter of the tentacles didn't reach him, no matter how much his ears searched.

Yet, he wasn't alone. Somebody moved at the edge of his peripheral vision, their steps light. He pivoted, and when the world spun with him, his hand slashed forward, grabbing the person.

Digging his nails into the flesh, he pulled closer. Amy had fallen into his arms. Her face twisted with unspeakable pain, and it seemed her body melted. Silver yelped, pushing her away.

Half of her arm stayed in his fingers. The rest of her body burst into flames. He let go, dashing away from the frightening image. Soon shadows of figures enclosed him, and once he touched one, it screamed in agony, bursting into flames until only ashes remained.

No matter how he tried, he touched somebody, bumped into them, or slightly scraped them, and all of it resulted in their painful screams. He covered his ears, but nothing could block their agony. Spinning around, he noticed the black hole found him, ripping through the mist.

Tripping over his legs, he ran away, entering rocky terrain, slipping across the wet rocks. His lungs couldn't inhale as if something restrained them. The silver hedgehog fought for every breath he took.

Spotting a shining figure in front of him, he headed its way. Its light warmed him, bringing him relief. The mist cleared, showing him the figure stood in the middle of a pond. He couldn't see its face, but he recognized it.

"Mother!" he shouted, and his body hit an invisible wall.

Sparkles danced in front of his eyes. He pushed against the obstacle, beating it with his fists.

"Mother!" the psychic called her while the black hole inched closer, the tentacles snapping his way.

His mother turned her head, looking over her shoulder. She spoke in a mere whisper, but his ears exploded.

"Why did you have to be born this way?"

His lungs refused to work.

"Why did you have to be a monster?"

Tears spurted down his cheeks.

"Mo-Mother!" He dug his fingers into the wall dividing them, watching as she stepped away. "Mother! No! Wait! Please! Don't leave me alone!"

As he wanted to bang on the wall, one tentacle grabbed his wrist. Powerless, the rest of the tentacles captured him. He kept screaming for his mother, but she disappeared inside the mist.

The black hole devoured him, sending him into flashing hell. Lights of all colors flickered and twinkled, threatening to overheat his brain regardless of his shut eyes and crossed arms.

"Please! Come back! I'll do anything!"

He squirmed, tossed around by an invisible stream. Then everything blackened.

Nobody answered his calls.

He was all alone.

Forever.

Sobs left his lips, and a weak shiver danced across his body, growing with each heartbeat.

Two arms hugged him, and he pulled closer. He dug his fingers into their hair. The sweet fragrance filled his nose, washing away his fatigue. A quiet lullaby entered his ears, soothing his soul.

Opening his teary eyes, he stared at a wooden wall. Confusing thoughts he couldn't put into words swirled in his mind.

Where was he?

Who was he hugging?

What time was it?

Why was he sitting?

Who was he?

His eyes wandered around, spotting a shelf, a wardrobe, torn clothes over a chair, and a pink spot right next to him. His fingers twitched, sore, and stiffened from his grasp. With a loud huff, he let go of the person breaking the hug.

His eyes gazed into Amy's.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

Silver blinked.

"You... Why are you here?" His hands trembled, defying the urge to let her go. "Why didn't you leave?"

"I ran outside. But the snow cooled me down."

His amber eyes darted to her feet. They were bare, and wet marks lead to his bed.

Silver opened his mouth, but she had beaten him to it once more, "I'm sorry for calling you a monster."

His eyes shivered. "No! You were right! I'm a monster!" He hung his head low. "No wonder my mother had forsaken me!"

Amy shook down his hands on her shoulders.

That's how it should be.

Monsters should be pushed away.

A slap landed on his cheek that his head almost flew away. His quills swayed forward.

"Never say that," she growled, making his best attempt green with envy. She pulled him into another hug. "Your mother didn't forsake you." She let her fingers travel through his messy quills. "You may be a jerk, but you aren't evil. Nor monster."

His arms brought her closer, and her warmth filled him to the brim. Silver pulled her into his bed, falling asleep in her arms.

Shadow had heard them but refrained from stepping into the room. He let out a deep sigh. He knew this mission would be dangerous, but he had never expected an utter failure. The priest retreated into the second room where Eclipse laid on the bed.

His small frame shivered, and no blanket could warm him up. Shadow knew exactly what to do. He pushed the other bed right next to the first one. Taking down his upper clothes, he crawled into the bed.

Taking Eclipse's hand, he pulled him closer as the small demon grasped it to fend off nightmares. The priest caressed the young demon's quills, and soon his breathing calmed down.