Before all this drama took place, Sonic and Amy were on run. The blue hedgehog took many sharp turns with ease. Normally he would be happy and boast about it to Father Shadow, but right now he was focusing on getting Amy to safety.

Once he spotted the inn, he headed to the window of their room. He had left it open because this was supposed to be a short night stroll and not a date with a demon.

The pink hedgehog girl had never let go of his neck, feeling her heart almost jumped out of her chest with each beat. Amy closed her blue eyes when he jumped into the window and held her breath. Sonic had to shake her a bit to make her open her eyes and let go of him.

Amy slowly touched the floor, having no feeling in her legs she immediately went weak in her knees. Only thanks to Sonic's fast reaction she didn't fall down. He helped her sit down on the bed. She clenched her fists, pressing them against her moving chest.

The adrenaline was slowly leaving her veins, and that provided a place for fear to creep inside. She curled up, feeling tears in her eyes. A gentle hand was patting her quills. It took her long minutes, but she finally calmed down, and her heartbeat returned to normal. "W-What was that?" she asked with a shaking voice. Forget about bandits and kidnappers this being was scarier.

"A demon from our town," Sonic silently answered, and then he looked toward the window, adding: "I thought he was dead." He got off the bed and Amy grabbed his T-shirt.

"Where are you going?"

He looked over his left shoulder. "I'm going to help Father Shadow. That demon is strong. Not even I was able to run away from him."

The pink lass shivered, the thought of staying alone scared her. "But you don't know where he is," she quickly said.

"With my speed, I can find him." He smiled at her, but he wasn't that confident.

This city was probably ten times bigger than the one he knew. He had no idea how long it would take, but he was determinate to do it anyway. Anything else was better than sitting and waiting.

Tears appeared in Amy's blue eyes. "But that's still dangerous!" She stood up on her weak legs. "What if you will get hurt?"

"I don't wanna hear it from you, idiot!" he barked angrier than he intended as he freed his clothes from her hand. "What was the deal anyway? Why couldn't you--" He stopped since her cheeks got covered by tears.

She quickly turned away, falling on her knees. She was ashamed and didn't want Sonic to see her like that. She bruised her knee, but that was the last thing that hurt her.

"Sorry," he quickly added, realizing he shouldn't say that. "You aren't an idiot."

Amy shook her head. "No, you are right," she mumbled through her tears. "I'm THE idiot!" The tears soaked the floor. "If I just listened to you, nothing of this would ever happen." She tried to wipe her eyes, but new tears kept falling down. "If I let my parents engage me if I was an obedient girl and let my parents direct my life if I wasn't such a burden..."

"You aren't a burden!" Sonic snapped, kneeling next to her so he could see her face. He put his hand on her shoulder before saying, "You may be a troublemaker, but you aren't a burden." He tried to use soothing tone, but he had no idea if he sounded that way.

"I..." he spoke in a weak voice, "I used to beat other kids in the orphanage. My parents suddenly died, and I couldn't take it. I was missing them so much I wanted for all of it to be just a bad dream. Some kids were making fun of me for it, so I kept beating them, or I was just breaking stuff around me."

His face turned a bit read. "Everybody started to call me troublemaker or a burden. Some adults tried to enducate..."

"Educate," she corrected him, and that made both crack a smile a bit.

"Yeah, something like that." He scratched under his nose. "Of course, I never listened to them. They acted all high and mighty it was so annoying as they could understand all my problems." He took a deep breath, continuing, "There wasn't a day I caused problems until a new priest arrived."

"It was Mister Shadow, right?" Amy provided her input, and he nodded.

"Yeah, he was the first person who wasn't looking at me like I was some dirt, or was pitying me. He didn't shout at me when I broke his fence. He actually praised my strength and smiled. It was really strange."

Sonic slightly grinned. "Since then he visited me and let me sleep in his church. He treated me like an equal. As the days went, he encouraged me in my running and even went with me on some adventures around the town."

"He is a wonderful person," Amy said after a short silence. "No wonder you are so worried about him." Amy was happy she was right about Mister Shadow.

"Yeah, he is an awesome adult."

The pink girl wiped the leftover tears, and Sonic helped her to sit on the bed. "I will go now to find Father Shadow," he said.

"Please, don't go!" She reached towards him but refrained from grabbing him.

"Don't worry." He showed her thumb up. "I'll find Father Shadow in a jiffy and be back before you know it." He tried to calm her.

"What if the demon will come after me again! Please stay!" Her voice was trembling. Her stomach was squeezed when she remembered how she almost died for the second time.

"Father Shadow will definitely get him this time!" Sonic only wished he would sound as confident as he wanted. The boy started to think a bit, realizing she might be right. This demon was after all still alive. He got away once he could do it again. Not to mention Amy was like a magnet for trouble. "Okay, I'll stay with you," he finally agreed and sat next to her. "Let's wait for Father to come back."

Amy's eyes shined, and she quickly moved next to him. The blue boy started to blush a bit, and so he averted his face, watching outside. The young lass lowered her head and hugged his arm. As the minutes in complete silence passed, she started to think.

This experience was scary, however, she felt something strange. She couldn't describe it, but this demon reminded her of somebody or something. She wondered if she hadn't seen any picture of it before. She was always praised for her good memory, but right now it was useless to her, as she couldn't recall anything that could relate to this incident.

'I wonder why,' she silently whispered in her mind, 'why I felt such déja-vu when I saw its eyes before falling from the tower?' His eyes were yellow, right? Cats have such eyes, so that had to be it. He merely reminded her a cat. However, this conclusion didn't convince her mind, as a voice from deep within was whispering her something different. She tried to listen to it, but there was not a single word she could recognize.

While was Amy lost in her mind, Sonic was tapping with his fingers against the bedding. This encounter with Eclipse didn't leave him so scared. For a strange reason when he saw falling Amy, his mind was clear. There was no panic or shock. It's true he was surprised seeing the demon was alive, however, he didn't terrify him.

Maybe it was because he was concentrating on saving Amy, or because he got faster. He looked at his red sneakers. After the dinner, he made sure to clean them, but now they were dirty. He closed his eyes and remembered how he was cutting one corner after another without any problem. He pondered why he was so fast. Where did it come from? Was it always inside? Was it in a family?

It pained him he didn't know anything about his other relatives. If he had at least one, he would be sent to live with them, and he wouldn't end up in an orphanage. Then again he would never meet Father Shadow. He sighed in his mind, remembering words the priest once told him; "Knowing one's roots is important, but don't let it hold you in one place."

At that time, he wasn't sure what it meant, but right now he had the feeling he understood it a bit. Sonic lost everything, and what remained he had to leave behind. It devastated him, and so he clung to it, closing his heart in the process. He slightly smiled. He was really happy to meet Father Shadow.

The minutes mercilessly ticked away, a few of them turned into tens of them until two hours spent in silence were gone. The peek of the night was upon them, and the fear once again invited itself into their hearts.

Sonic clenched his fists, and he was ready to dash outside to look for the priest when his ears pricked. He felt Amy hugged his arm closely, her body trembling. Through the open window came strange sounds. Too late he realized he should have closed it.

A clawed hand grabbed the window frame. Soon after it appeared horned head with wings immediately behind it. The creature was making hoarse sounds, wheezing, and loudly breathing.

Sonic and Amy quickly backed down toward the door, not letting the being leave their sight. Amy felt like screaming, but she couldn't make a sound. Something was strange here she was recognizing this person despite the drastic change in appearance. What more, the voice in her head was silently whispering soothing words, like she shouldn't be scared at all.

The body finally rolled down on the floor where it curled up. It was twitching and jerking with an occasional cough that escaped.

Sonic turned his ears toward the figure, slowly realizing who it was. "F-Father Shadow?" whispered the boy before getting closer. "It really is Father Shadow!" he knelt before him and shook with Shadow's body. He immediately noticed the fur was burning and soaked in sweat. "He has a fever!" His eyes fell on Amy who made a step back.

The blue hedgehog quickly dashed to grab her hand. He pressed it more tightly than he wanted, but the girl didn't yelp. "Don't scream! Okay? Father Shadow is just... a bit ill," he quickly babbled. Making a scene was the last thing they now needed.

Amy silently nodded. The first shock was gone and a strange calmness spread through her whole body. She was sure it was thanks to that silent voice, but right now there wasn't a time to think about it. "Then we have to help him. I'll bring some water." She effortlessly freed herself, leaving the room.

Sonic stood there, not moving. The blue hedgehog had no idea what to do. To chase Amy because she would definitely run away or tend Father?

"Stop dillydally," Amy rebuked him once she returned. "He needs help." She brought a bowl full of water and some cloth. "First, we have to put him on something."

Sonic's eyes widen, he was surprised she had returned. But what more, she seemed so calm now. He only made some positively sounding syllable as he stared at her taking down the blanket from the bed.

"We won't get him on the bed, let's make it on the floor." She dragged down the mattress and then the bedding.

Sonic finally snapped out of his daze and helped her to make a bed on the floor. Then they slowly dragged Shadow on it. Sonic would never think anybody could be so heavy. However, he was more surprised how hot the priest was. Once the ebony hedgehog was laying down on his side, Amy started to clean his body, and Sonic sat next to her.

She had noticed cracked cross around his neck and many physical changes. He had wings, claws and his fur turned partly red. On his forehead, she felt some bulge, and it scared her a bit. At first, she thought it could be an eye, but she shooed that away, ensuring herself it's just a big bruise.

The blue hedgehog was looking at her. Sonic felt he was inside of a vivid dream. Amy, a girl, who was just recently scared by a demon and kidnappers alike was now tending to Father Shadow like he didn't look like a monster. What was with her? How could she shake that fear so quickly? Did she forget it already?

To be honest, Sonic was scared of Shadow now. The memories were still fresh, and he felt the panic flooding his mind. The kind Father Shadow was scaring him more than that demon! He shook his head, soaking the used cloth in the bowl. He wrung the water out before he handed it to Amy. For a brief moment, he felt their fingers to touch. That short second was enough to tell the boy Amy was shaking just like him.

It amazed him. She was scared yet so collected. His respect towards her got stronger. She was nervous like him only she was capable of hiding it under her smile and resolve. Maybe she kept cleaning Shadow's body to not focus on her fears? Sonic bared his teeth and clenched his fist.

He felt like an idiot. All of his boastings were just for a show. How was he supposed to grow up into a good adult like Father Shadow said when his will was so weak? He took the bowl to the kitchen, changed the water and quickly returned back. He put it down, whispering, "Let's switch." He didn't wait for Amy's proper answer as he took the piece of cloth from her hand. Shadow's body wasn't shivering so much like before, but he was still far from being clean.

For the next hour, they were taking turns until the priest wasn't clean and dry and they too tired to move. In the end, Sonic and Amy slept in the other free bed. The rest of the night was dreamless for all of them.

The ebony hedgehog coughed, twitching as his body was sore. 'Agh, my body,' he moaned in his mind as he turned to the side. He tried to open his eyes first, but he felt too tired for that. So instead, he yawned for a few times, carefully stretching his limbs one by one. He wondered why he was so exhausted, but his brain was too sluggish and couldn't provide any clear memories.

He slowly stood on all fours, before sitting halfway down. His quills swayed from one side to another, as he was trying to convince his brain to return to normal function. He once again yawned and tried to open his eyes. However, the eyelids were glued together with rheum, so he rubbed them to get rid of it.

As he rubbed them, he noticed he drooled in his sleep. It embarrassed him as it never happened before. 'Was I dreaming about Amy's cookies?' He smiled when something sharp stabbed him into lower lip. He jerked and straightened up his body. He felt the blanket slid down his back, grazing over something, but he wasn't paying it any attention.

Finally, he was able to open his eyes, and despite his vision was a bit blurry he understood something was wrong. He stared at his hands. His eyes widen as the brain finally processed the visual information. "M-My hands..." His voice was shaking.

He had claws and there was a red streak going up to his elbow, continuing over shoulders on both arms. He gasped, and the piercing pain in his lip showed him it was caused by long fang he didn't have before. His body started to shake, and the shivering got so strong he had to hug his body.

"How do you feel, Mr. Shadow?" asked a silent voice.

The words awoke him from his panic, and he quickly turned his head in the direction of Amy Rose.

She was sitting on the bed, watching him as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. There was a small smile on her face despite it looked so tired. There were darker bags under her eyes showing she hardly had the needed amount of sleep.

Shadow felt the fear filled his mind. He was looking like a monster, and she saw him. She was there looking at him! "Ah... I... Am... I... No..." He had a problem to speak, as his brain tried to find a solution, and the malicious voice was whispering a clean cut to her neck would do the job done.