It was a few hours since Shadow and Sonic arrived in the village, not knowing, there was a duo investigating the incident they had got involved in. At this moment, they were staying in an inn, and Shadow had spoken with as a few people as possible since the feeling of uneasiness was still lingering inside of him. What more, he hadn't talked with the boy yet. He was unable to speak with him during a simple lunch, hardly noticing the taste his meal had as his head was swollen with thoughts.

It felt strange and suffocating, but Shadow had no idea how to break the silence. It wasn't just that, the small wings were burning his skin. He felt them, constantly fighting with an urge to spread them, and take off to the sky while burning everything to the ground. Not even during the day he felt safe.

His original plan was to leave the town and never return, but Sonic made a mess of it. The priest was thinking, how to send him back home. He had no certainty the demonic transformation wouldn't occur again. There was no way he could risk this child's safety.

After the lunch, they headed back to their temporal room. It was a small one; it had two beds, one wardrobe, and a table with a chair. Shadow was standing in front of the opened window, watching the lively street below while Sonic was sitting on his bed. The ebony hedgehog wanted to continue traveling, so even staying here, was making him nervous. He took a deep breath, ready to face this challenge.

"Sonic-" He turned around.

"Father-" the boy interrupted him as they had spoken in unison.

"Ah, sorry, you first," mumbled the adult hedgehog.

"No, you, Father."

After a few seconds, Shadow cleared his throat, speaking, "I'm glad you are alright. I really am. When I heard from the aunt, you had gone missing I was afraid something might have happened to you."

The blue hedgehog only looked at him. There was no visible reaction, but Shadow could feel the tension.

"I know, you must have a lot of questions. But I'm afraid I don't have answers. What happened that night..." He noticed Sonic shivered. "... that was the first time it occurred. I'm sorry for scaring you so much."

Shadow came a bit closer, seeing, the other was getting nervous. The priest gently put his hand on the boy's shoulder. He was indeed shivering, bowing the head a bit.

"From the other people's reactions, I can see you haven't told anyone about it. I'm truly grateful. I don't know what I would have to do otherwise. I don't wish to hurt anyone."

The priest noticed, he was starting to squeeze Sonic's shoulder more tightly, so he quickly retracted his hand, putting it behind his back.

"It would cause nothing more than panic."

The priest moved back to the window, taking two deep breaths. Despite the nice weather and gentle breeze, his body was burning and suffocating.

"I wish to be honest with you. You might have heard about my departure. I was lying."

Sonic's head jerked.

"And yes, I'm well aware of how I have told you, lying is a bad thing. That remains true, but at the same time, there are moments when truth can't be told. What I have said, was a white lie. It's a special type of lie that hides the truth with good intention.

I love the townspeople, and I would never forgive myself if I would hurt anyone or you. That's why I'm leaving. I have made arrangements for a new priest or priestess, who should arrive in three days. I know it's sudden, but could you help him or her?"

Shadow turned to the blue hedgehog smiling. He walked closer to him, knelt and put once more a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure that person will be unfamiliar with many things, so I'm asking you to help. It won't be me there, but don't let it discourage you from visiting."

Sonic clenched his fists.

"I'm counting on you to look after the church as well, so when I return, I'll be able to see how much you have grown."

The boy's eyes were watering.

"Every goodbye is sad, but we will see each other again. I promise." He gently wiped a tear from the lad's face.

"That's..." the child mumbled.

Shadow hugged him. "It will be alright. I'll ask The Order for help. I'm sure they will be able to find out what happened to me at that time. So be a good boy and grow up strong."

The blue hedgehog returned the hug, clenching the cloth tightly. "That's a white lie, isn't it?" he whispered.

The priest nervously smiled. "What are you talking about--"

"You are lying!" the boy shouted. "You don't intend to return!" The child strengthened the embrace, burrowing his head into the priest's chest. "I won't let you! You promised! You promised I can come to you anytime I want!" He started to cry.

"That was before... that." Shadow felt like crying too. "Now it's different. I would never forgive myself if I would hurt you."

"You promised to show me the place where I can run!"

"I can tell you--"

"NO!" he interrupted him. "I want you to look at me!" His voice was getting louder.

"I can't." The priests' head slightly dropped.

"You visited me when I had a fever, and never left my side!"

Shadow remembered it like it was yesterday. It was during the last winter when Sonic fell into a river, and it was him who got Sonic to safety. At that time they were soaked, but thankfully they hadn't spent a long time in the freezing water.

"You scolded me when I did something wrong, but you never hit me for it!"

The priest disliked physical punishments for kids, he always preferred talking about it and making the child understand why it was wrong. Of course, when the situation demanded it, a small hit would be dealt.

"You taught me how to write, read, and count. You encouraged me to get better!"

Shadow hugged him tighter. These were the most cherished memories he had.

"You are my father!"

"I'm a father to anyone," he whispered into his ear.

"No, you are my family! You made me feel loved again! I don't want to lose you!"

This hurt, it was suffocating. More and Shadow felt he wouldn't be able to send Sonic away.

"That's enough... you will miss your train." He tried to loosen the embrace, but the boy held him tightly.

"How can I become a proper adult when I can't help the person I respect and care for the most!" The tiny nails dug into the robe.

"Even without me... you will be a splendid adult," the priest gently whispered. Crystal pearls were coming from his dark eyes, falling onto Sonic's quills.

"I don't want to be left alone... Please don't leave! I'll run faster and faster... so please..." Sonic got a hiccup from all the tears flowing into his mouth.

No silence was ever so deafening like now.