While was Shadow slowly entering the trap, a small group was moving toward the same place as well. In its lead was nobody but the speedy hedgehog Sonic with a rope around his chest. The other end led toward the sky to gliding Eclipse. Amy was in his arms, and her face hardly showed any sign of fear.

On the other hand, Eclipse was nervous. How could this be? Why did this girl had such a crazy idea? Shortly after the priest left, she suggested to follow him once she finished bandaging his legs. She claimed Mr. Shadow had no intention of returning to them. It seemed he expected his death or capture.

The demon figured what their reactions would be. Mortals always made a big deal when one of them died or got hurt. However, at this moment, he could understand it a bit. He also didn't want to lose his sister or see her hurt.

The boy suggested taking the cart with them, but Amy was against it. It wasn't built for speed, and it was old so it could easily break. Eclipse listened to them, taking a note the boy was named Sonic. He hoped he wouldn't be chained to that girl for long, but remembering their names might be useful during that time.

His thoughts were interrupted when Amy asked him for any suggestion. There was no way he would want to be close to Shadow, but he didn't want to try what pain the collar could bestow upon him. He mumbled something about wings, and it was enough to spark this idea in Amy.

Sonic bickered with her for a bit, but the girl refused to listen and carried this plan. In the end, the boy had to comply since he didn't figure out anything better.

Eclipse sighed, feeling the wind in his face was good, but it didn't lift his mood. His eyes checked on Amy. She was so vulnerable he needed just one move to cut her neck. She would die without noticing it. He gulped. Would he die too? Would the collar prevent him from doing so? Would it punish him?

Another pain was the last thing he needed. His legs were better than he expected. They healed faster than his wing before, but they weren't ripped, so that might play a role in it. The warm feeling coming from Amy could also lessen the pain. He might be able to walk without any problems in a day or two at this rate.

"Eclipse?"

His head jerked. Amy was looking at him. He stared at her without noticing, and that scared him. Anything now could trigger the collar. He sharply looked away.

"Are you alright?" she gently asked. "Do you need to rest?"

"N-No! I'm fine!" he sharply barked, biting his tongue for such a harsh answer.

His cheek was gently caressed.

"You can tell me. I'll listen."

"It's nothing," he quickly replied.

Eclipse needed to be perfect. He had to fulfill every order flawlessly. Only then he would avoid punishments, and hopefully find a way to get rid of this bond.

After a while, Amy said, "It's beautiful."

He twitched a bit.

"Do you always see the world like this?"

He turned a bit towards her, looking around.

"Well, yes."

"I wish I could fly. Leaving all my worries on the ground, aiming at the endless sky."

Eclipse followed her eyes. There was just plain with some trees and Rosemary City at the right. The sky was glittering with stars when they weren't covered by clouds that kept gathering. They seemed heavy it might rain soon.

The yellow eyes slightly closed. It was true, flying for no reason helped him to relax. Once he created his small pets, he took them with him in a basket since it would take some time before they would be able to keep up with him.

Most of the time he was hunting, but he usually took a day off after the collecting day and explored his new hunting ground or lounged. He bit his lip, gnawing on it. How was he supposed to complete his task now?

"You are worried, about your sister, aren't you?"

Once more Amy shattered his thinking process.

"W-Why do you think so?"

It was one of the many reasons he was nervous. He wished this was just a nightmare. A mere dream to end soon.

"I can tell," she replied, keeping her power from him for the time being.

She didn't want to keep it a secret, but she wasn't ready to talk about it in details yet. Her words only expressed the bare minimum she understood. Mr. Shadow especially warned her not to talk about it in front of Eclipse. It was dangerous no matter how much docile he might look.

While Amy and Eclipse were deep in their thoughts, Sonic kept running. He was also thinking about the last days. Everything changed so fast, and he had no idea how he should cope with it. Father Shadow was still scaring him, and part of him constantly yelled at him to run away.

He tried to push it away, remembering all the good times they shared. It reminded him of his kindness, the lessons he learned, or the days they spent exploring the forest. He didn't want to lose his second father. The only family he had now. Being alone was terrified him.

He shook his head, kicking the image of the priest's second face away. In his heart, he knew Father Shadow was a nice person, but his brain continued to dish out all the unsettling images.

He looked over his shoulder. He didn't trust Eclipse for more than ten reasons, but the collar made sure he wouldn't try anything funny. For now, he was behaving and cooperated with them. The boy was aware of how dangerous this situation was, but Amy ensured him she wouldn't be a damsel in distress.

When they were looking for a rope, Amy told him how she wrestled with the demon for the first time. Sonic giggled when she finished her story. In return, he shared his experience but refrained from mentioning the not so grand finale.

Yes, this was crazy, irresponsible, and insane, but they couldn't be picky and the time wasn't in their favor.

A tug on his left arm brought him back to reality. Both his hands had thin strings attached, and Eclipse's directed his path. Sonic changed his direction, hoping Father Shadow was alright.

Meanwhile, Shadow entered the circle. Some miles away a certain tenrec woman jerked.

'What?' Her eyes shot open.

The ripple she felt hit her hard. Was it the demon Silver spoke about? The reaction of the circle was too big for that. It had to be something else that crossed the line.

She closed her eyes, gathering more information. She couldn't let her partner jump into a fight without any preparations. The mark on her forehead shone, and her quills gently fluttered around her. With her inner energy, she sent pulses of her power through the ground.

She could sense a huge amount of energy approaching the center of the big circle. It was proceeding slowly with caution. With each step and pulse she let out, she collected enough data,

"Silver!" Gold called him when she finished her research.

"What is it?"

The answer came immediately, and Silver's nervousness was visible in his voice. He didn't expect to be called with such strength as that meant trouble on her end. A problem too close to her.

"The circle was crossed, but it's not the small demon," she gasped as a shiver ran down her spine.

Shadow had no idea his position was known to his enemies. There was no sound that would alert him, the night was merely a background for insects songs. The tingling feeling in his feet could hardly mean danger. He was sure it was from the grass. Something sharp pricked him a few steps back. There was no need to start to panic.

Yet the feeling of immediate danger refused to leave.

By now his nose was full of different aromas and smells. He would swear somebody farted ten miles ahead. The drop of water that fell from the distant tree didn't escape him either. Yet he was unable to detect where the silver exorcist was.

It was driving him crazy, and the voice snickered from beyond his consciousness. There was no way the demoness would be left alone. Everything screamed this was a trap however he could only go forward. He wanted to keep his promise, albeit helping a demon couldn't be considered a good deed.

He widely shook his head. Why couldn't his brain leave him alone for a minute? This was crazy. No, this was insane.

His palms were sweaty, so he wiped them into his pants. Too late he realized Amy could chew him for it. Well, facing her anger might be a better option than to face the exorcist.

This random thought triggered an analysis, and Shadow's brain for a bit forgot about the predicament he was in. However, the conclusion wasn't any better.

Facing the exorcist was a better option. It won by a huge gap.

His lips twisted into a small smile.

'If nothing else, I would rather meet with this man when I can expect him.'

Getting jumped on in the middle of bathing or on the toilet would be really awkward.

With a bit lighter head, he continued forward. At this point, he noticed his steps were awfully quiet. He didn't try to walk any differently than before, yet he was sure not many people would hear him. Just like in his town where he often surprised others without trying.

His slightly red eyes fell on a heap in front of him. The smell of blood was coming from it. There was no doubt she was Eclipse's sister. The walk in the park was over, now to face her.

He tried to approach her slowly, circling her position. Her body was covered by scars and fresh wounds and held on place by dimly shining chains. Shadow had no doubt they were part of the circle under her.

His eyes traveled the plain around her. The silver exorcist was nowhere to be seen or smelled. There was only a small bush, and only a child could hide in it.

Another random image showed him the exorcist could be hidden under it in a hole with the bush attached to his head. Jumping into the fight with that it made the priest snicker. It was hilarious.

The demoness' body jerked, and his ears twitched. She noticed him. He shooed all unnecessary thoughts away and sat in front of her.

Her claws dug into the ground, but the circle remained untouched. It meant breaking it from outside might not be the easiest task either. Her yellow eyes frowned at him and muffled sounds escaped from her throat.

"Pipsqueak is sending me," he softly whispered to calm her down.

Crestia's eyes widen.

'What!' she shouted in her mind. 'He is... But!'

If there wasn't a chain in her mouth, she would bite her tongue. This wasn't time for thinking. Her eyes gestured him her message, but given how baffled Shadow's face was, he was dumb.

"I'll get you out of here," he continued to whisper. "Please, come with me. I wish to speak with you." He tried to sound calm, but her eyes kept moving to one spot on her right side.

Shadow's body jerked, moving away. The spot in front of Crestia was smashed by a long whip.

"What?" the priest barked as he landed on all fours with no time to ponder why it felt so natural.

He stared in front of himself as the whip made of blueish energy retracted into thin air. His ebony fur bristled as the silver exorcist slowly walked from nothingness. His eyes darted toward a few glowing letters on the ground.

He never saw anything like this, but he could guess what that barrier was capable of. Unknowingly he silently growled, his body tensed ready to strike.

"What a pleasant surprise," said Silver with a cold tone. "I was hunting for the small one, but I got the fake priest instead."

Shadow jerked his body, standing up. He gestured for the other to stop. "I only want to talk with you."

"No worries," the exorcist slightly chuckled. "I'll give you a plenty room for words when I question you!" He barked the last word, and the whip whistled through the air at tremendous speed.

The priest dodged it in the last moment, yet he felt his skin burned. "Wait! Please stop!"

He tried to convince him to hear him out, but Silver was enjoying this too much to stop for tea time. The whip slashed, hitting the ground. The dirt shot toward the sky, the grass was ripped to pieces.

Shadow hissed. He quickly figured out the exorcist was aiming at his legs to immobilize him. The priest's fur bristled and refused to lay down. The attacks forced him to retreat a bit with each step. He rolled to the left, continuing on all four.

Silver's eyes sparked with a sadistic glint. He was getting bored with just using a whip. He lifted his hand and created a bunch of his all the time favorite spears and threw them.

The spears rained down and only thanks to a miracle neither hit Shadow's body, they merely closed him like in a cage.

"Can't you, please, hear me out?"

"Shut up, you dirty trash!" the psychic barked. "The only thing you will plead for will be your death!"

The whip transformed into a sword, and Silver jumped in for close combat. The blade cut the spears like nothing but stopped against raised forearm engulfed by green flames. The psychic quickly leaped back.

"Talking, huh?" he mocked. "You are just a monster hiding its hideous form!"

Shadow's body shook. He raised his arm based on instinct. He had no idea how to control the green flames, they appeared on their own. Silver's words stabbed him in the heart. Even now he still hoped he was normal.

Silver stabbed forward, and the priest avoided it. He got in front of the exorcist. His fist tightened, and he jabbed. A pain spread through his knuckles as they collided with a blue shield made by Silver's other hand.

'He can use both arms?' A quick thought ran through Shadow's mind with a hint of amazement. This person was skilled.

Forget about materializing an object with one's spiritual power, that's a great achievement on its own. However, being able to use two different spiritual weapons pushed him into a new league.

A smirk decorated the psychic's face as he pulled his sword back, running its blade through Shadow's shoulder. Blood spurted out, droplets landed on the silver fur.

The priest yelped, grabbed his wound and stepped back. It was burning, and a bloodlust filled his mind. Ripping the fool in front of him could quench his thirst. Not to mention, there was another breathing body just a few steps away.

While the duo was busy exchanging blows, Crestia tried to break her prison. She noticed the change in the air. Both mortals were leaving a smell that surrounded demons when they were aiming to kill. She had found it strange, but her struggle had top priority.

Her strength was mostly depleted, but her stubborn nature refused to lose. Her body jerked, and a cold sweat covered her body as Shadow landed in front of her. Gone was the gentle look in his eyes, there was a wild beast inside.

He flipped back, getting on all fours just in time to avoid a whip that left a hole and showered the demoness with dirt. Her eyes shot toward Shadow who mostly left the area of her peripheral vision. She only noticed green flames dancing around his hands. There was a crimson fur on his limbs, and she wasn't sure if he had it before.

A rain of spears covered the ground, but this time the priest shattered some on his retreat.

'It's so strong!' Silver thought, feeling a sweat appearing on his forehead.

He sent another row of spears, stopped Shadow from betting closer and forced him to move to the right.

"Now, Gold!" he shouted at his partner through telepathy.

Once the priest touched the ground, it shone, engulfing him in the light. The electricity ran through his whole body, chirping like a flock of small birds. Chains spurted from the shining words.

Silver had a smug smile. They hadn't spent hours in making those small inscriptions for nothing. It was his plan to lure the demon into one of them. Its chains would make sure to secure him.

"Silver..."

He heard Gold calling him. Her voice was shaking.

Before he could answer, the chains broke.

Shadow was free.

The priest's fully red eyes stabbed Silver.

The real fight just began.