Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She tried her best not to look out at the barren wasteland around her. Shame ate away at her consciousness whenever she did. It was her first time leaving the castle grounds and, to put it lightly, the real world was worse than she’d ever imagined. 

As the mechanical carriage rumbled along, she couldn’t help but feel guilty about everything she had taken for granted. Clean air, a soft bed, air conditioning, and…

Water. 

The country hadn’t seen rain in twenty years. Crops died out. Rivers dried up. The sun beat down mercilessly. Water was given to the rich and the royal, leaving the unfortunate to fend for themselves. Even now, she was beginning to feel the rasp in her throat from the smoky air, and reached for her water bottle. 

“Is something bothering you, your highness?” her advisor asked.

She just shook her head and took a gulp of water. “Nothing of importance. When do we arrive?”

“Shouldn’t be more than an hour, your highness.”

“Thank you.”

She tried to relax in the carriage, but she didn’t look forward to the trip or the destination. It was all for politics. As if being a princess wasn’t enough of a pain already, now she had to choose between two suitors---not for love, but for the good of the country.

For the good of the family, she corrected. The rest of the country is in ruins. 

Not that it could be helped. With so little water to go around, even those lucky enough to receive water rations didn’t lead very comfortable lives. Only the royals were granted that luxury. And suddenly, she regretted pouring that extra bit of water down the drain this morning. 

She opened her mouth to say something, but something suddenly hit the side of the carriage, throwing her and the advisor across the cabin. “What was that?” she cried.

“The geyser fields aren’t for another three miles!” her advisor shouted as an explosion rocked the carriage again. “It must be bandits!” He tried to reach for the radio to give orders to the driver, but the ground exploded underneath them, and suddenly the carriage was falling through empty air. 

She knew she was screaming, but she heard it as if from a different dimension. Her advisor called her name, but she heard nothing but ringing as they tumbled down the cliffside, the world spinning around her. They hit with a crash, but everything went black before she could even feel the pain. 

She woke up very slowly to the sound of scratching and muffled muttering. Her entire body hurt, and she couldn’t even groan in pain as she tried to move, stiff as a board. She didn’t think anything was broken, but she could barely even shift her weight. 

A glance to the side told her that her advisor was dead. Tears sprang to her eyes as she caught sight of him, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle, and she had to look away. But perhaps the driver and the escort were still alive. She had to check. She knew she wouldn't survive out here alone.

She tried to sit up again, and this time made it mostly to her hands and knees. The carriage was smashed and smouldering, but there was still a bit of the wall between her and the outside world. The muttering grew more distinct, and she was content to keep that wall between them.

“Now that’s a real beauty. Shame no one’s got much use for jewels anymore.” 

A small glimmering sapphire flew through the air, as if tossed over a shoulder. Bandits, she thought, and then instantly panicked. They were going through the box under the carriage---the gift for the suitor she was to see. What would they do when they found her? 

“‘s all just fancy junk. C’mon, where’s the good stuff?” 

The scratching and rummaging grew closer, and her breath caught in her throat. Stay calm, Blaze, she told herself, though it didn’t help in the slightest. Maybe they’ll just want a ransom. Then they won’t hurt you.

“Ah, well. S’pose it’s time to check inside. Never did like dead bodies, though.”

It went quiet for a moment, and she held her breath in anticipation. She could hear the bandit counting, as if preparing himself for whatever horror he might find inside. 

“One...two...three!”

And then she was greeted by two mechanical eyes.

She screamed as the head popped up like a spring, but surprisingly, the creature with the terrifying eyes did the same. They both launched themselves backward, though the stranger recovered a lot quicker, and seemed to watch her panic with nervous amusement.

“Chaos, you scared me,” he chuckled. “Thought I’d found a ghost or somethin’. Need some help?” He held out a gloved hand, and she could only stare at it in terror.

“What...what are you?” she whispered. The creature certainly looked like a mobian, anthropomorphic with spiky dust-colored hair, but she had never seen a mobian with eyes like that. 

The bandit tipped his head slightly, and then laughed again. “Oh. Sorry.” He pulled the mechanism from his face and rested it on his forehead, and blush rose to Blaze’s cheeks as she realized they were goggles, and not his actual eyes. “You can call me Silver,” he said, once again extending his hand. “You?”

He doesn’t know who I am? “I’m...uh…” She stuttered for a believable lie, but the stranger’s yellow eyes flickered across her body, and then his eyebrows shot up. 

“Chaos, you’re a---” He started to bow, but he hit his head on the side of the carriage and swore again. 

“Shh!” Blaze held out her hands in desperation. “Quiet! They might hear you!” She stared at the cliff above them, but she couldn’t see any movement. Perhaps they’d given up when the carriage tumbled over the edge.

“Huh?” The stranger rubbed his head and cringed, but then looked at her and chuckled again. “Oh, y’mean the bandits? Don’t worry about them, your highness. Scared ‘em off already.”

"You...scared off the bandits." She studied him for a moment, trying to distract herself from the panic. Without his goggles on, he didn't look very threatening. He couldn't have been any older than she was, and his yellow eyes were anything but hostile. "And...how exactly did you do that?"

He grinned, and she noticed he was missing a tooth. "Trade secret, princess."

He must have scared them away so he could take the spoils all for himself. He may look friendly, but he's obviously dangerous. 

"What do you want from me?" she demanded, and though she tried to fight it, her voice wavered just a little, both from fear and pain.

Silver---that's what he called himself, wasn't it?---gave her a strange look, his brow furrowed. "What d'ya mean by that?"

"You managed to scare away a group of bandits by yourself," she said. She swallowed hard before she could continue. Her mouth was terribly dry again. "That means you're dangerous. I am a princess. You could---I don't know---demand a ransom, steal all of my possessions, take...take me away f-for yourself..."

The stranger backed up with his eyes wide and his hands up in surrender. "Hey, easy, lady. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm not that kinda guy. 'sides, I didn't even know you were still alive in there."

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged and grimaced slightly. “Seeing how everyone else’s dead as dust, I figured anyone inside didn’t survive either. Speaking of---how did you survive that?”

Her heart fell. Darius, Carl, Dusty, Spine---all dead. I really am alone out here. She wanted to cry, but she took a deep breath and forced the lump from her throat. “What do you mean?” she asked again.

Silver raised an eyebrow and pointed up the cliffside. “That’s gotta be like fifty feet up. And you got some bruises, but that’s it. That’s some serious luck you got, cat.”

“What can I say?” Her mind was swimming, and she didn’t really focus on what she was saying. “Cats always land on their feet.”

He laughed at that, loud and bright, and she nearly jumped in surprise. “Whatever you say, your highness.” He extended his hand for the third time. “C’mon. Let’s getcha cleaned up.”

Chapter Text

Can't believe I told her my name. 

Silver glanced at the princess behind him, for both her safety and his. She struggled over the rubble, and he held out his hand again. She didn't take it this time. "Almost there," he said.

"We're going to your house?" she asked again.

"Wouldn't call it a house, exactly, but yeah. We're going to my place. You'll be safe enough to rest there." He waited for her to join him on the other side of the rubble, and then sighed when she sat down.

"I'm tired," she said.

"Almost there," he repeated. "C'mon. You don't wanna be out after dark."

"Why not?"

"Not everyone's as nice as me."

She dragged herself up and groaned, but he could see the fear in her eyes. She was scared, but putting up a good act. He was scared, too, but not for the same reasons.

For thirteen years, he had carefully hidden himself away, keeping low and staying off the royal radar. He'd kept his symbols covered and rarely used his power, and never told anyone but the one who had raised him. But he knew the king and queen would recognize him if they saw him. They would know what he was if they knew his name. 

And now he'd slipped up and told the princess. 

Even if she knew, she didn't say anything, and she didn't seem afraid of him. Maybe her parents hadn't told her the specifics. Either way, she seemed to trust him, and though it was confusing, he didn't complain. He wouldn't have left her alone out here even if she'd known. 

"Why are you helping me?" she asked suddenly, as if she'd read his mind. 

He just shrugged. "You needed help, and I was there. Any other decent person woulda done the same."

"Even though I'm a princess?"

"That's not your fault. You can't change how you're born." I know that better than anyone.

She was quiet for a moment, and watched him climb up a warped fire escape into a dusty building. He asked her if she needed help, but she shook her head and followed him much slower. She slipped at the top, and Silver grabbed her hand before she could fall. She was wearing gloves, too. Weird. 

Silver's place was in the center of the building, in what was most likely a large conference room before the end of the world. He'd only been here for a few months, but it was already as familiar as his other temporary homes. He hadn't had a permanent home in nearly thirteen years - the same time the fire had happened. And as he thought about the flames, he glanced at the princess again. After all, it had been her parents who gave the order. 

Again, as if she read his mind, she spoke again. "You're practically a kid. Where are your parents?"

"They're gone," he said, a sudden bitter taste in his mouth. Easy, Silver. It's not her fault. 

"Oh," she said in surprise, as if it had never occurred to her that parents could die. "I'm sorry." She looked around the room, her brow furrowed in confusion. "So this is it?"

"Yep."

"You...live here."

"Yep."

"It's filthy." She took a drink from her bottle and Silver let out an irritated sigh through his nose. 

"Thanks. And you're gonna wanna save that. I don't have any water left."

She looked both surprised and guilty at the same time. "Really? How do you stay hydrated?"

He shrugged. "Drink whatever I can. There's a pipe downtown, but I didn't have time to fill up."

"That can't be healthy."

Do I look healthy to you? "Probably not, but hey, what can I do." He slung his bag over his shoulder and dumped it on the floor by the broken mirror, hanging his goggles on the piece of metal jutting from the wall. "There's a towel over by that door. It's not exactly clean, but it'll help get the dust off. Then we can get a bite to eat and you can go to sleep."

The princess picked up the towel with her forefinger and thumb, wrinkling her nose. "I have to get home."

"Can't do that if you can barely walk." He smiled a little as she gave him a look. "Saw you limpin' on the way. You need rest, princess. 'sides, you don't even know how to get back, do you?"

She huffed and turned away, but not before he could catch the glimmer of tears in her eyes. "Fine. You're right. I can't get home by myself." She shook her head, her hair bouncing, and then turned back to face him. "So you're going to take me to Onyx. And---and don't bother resisting. I'm a princess and that's an order."

He held his hands up in surrender, unsure whether to laugh or curse. "Sorry. I can't go back there." But the look in her eyes made him swear under his breath. Something in her golden gaze reminded him of himself. Maybe it was determination mixed with gut-wrenching terror. It sent a stab of guilt into his heart. "But I guess I can get you to the border."

This is gonna get me killed. 

She almost melted down in relief. He saw it in her face and her shoulders for just a second before she straightened up and forced a neutral expression. "Good. We leave at dawn."

"Whatever you say, princess."

"Now," she said, attempting to dust herself off without the towel, "you said you had something to eat before we rested for the night."

"Yeah," he said, almost regretting letting her stay here. But whenever he thought about kicking her out, he saw himself as a child again, staring at the barren wasteland in front of him. He couldn’t leave her alone out there. He wouldn’t let anyone suffer like he had. Not even the daughter of the ones who gave the order.

He opened a filing cabinet by the mirror and cursed again. One can left. He’d need to find something on the way, or they wouldn’t last more than a couple days. He flipped his knife open and dug it into the top of the can, prying it open and discarding the sharp pieces. He handed it to the princess, who took it with a frown.

“What is this?”

Silver shrugged. “No idea.” The labels had worn off long ago, but he didn’t care what he ate as long as it filled his stomach and gave him strength. “Beans, maybe?”

She pulled a face, her frown etching deeper into her face every time she looked at him. “You eat this stuff and you don’t even know what it is?”

“If you don’t want it, I’ll take it back.”

“No,” she snapped, squeezing the can and turning from him. She glared at the contents, and then sighed and poured some into her mouth. At first, Silver thought she would gag, but then she swallowed and poured herself another bite. 

She ended up eating the entire can, and Silver went to bed hungry. Not that it really mattered. He’d gone hungry plenty of times before, and he was sure this wouldn’t be the last time. He gave the princess his blankets and cushions and pushed the pieces of the long table into the corner to create a little private space for her. She accepted them without even a thank you, but he’d expected that, and didn’t think much of it. Instead, he pulled his coat tighter around his body and curled up on the opposite side of the room, willing himself to fall asleep as fast as he could.

But he couldn’t. Not with the princess in the same room. She moved around and grumbled to herself all night, but the noise wasn’t what kept him awake. He didn’t move from his spot curled on the floor, but his mind turned over and over, as restless as the girl across the room. The tighter he squeezed his eyes shut, the more vivid the memories came. Eventually, he settled with keeping his eyes open in a drowsy squint, tracing the cracks on the floor. Finally, he began to drift off, but every time the princess shifted, his ear twitched---basic instinct now, bred from the years he spent on the run.

You’re still on the run, moron. No point in using past tense. 

And now he’d just promised to run right to the ones hunting him.

Were they still hunting him? Or had they given up? Edmund had hidden him well during those first few years, when the wounds were still fresh, when he would have died of starvation, or when the guard would have found him. They hadn’t seen him since the order. He hoped, deep down, that they thought he was dead. There was no way a child could have survived this long on their own. But he knew they’d always have their guard up until they found his body or died trying.

Finally, he had to shift onto his other side, his spine prickling with anxiety. The princess must have heard him, because after a moment of silence, she sighed. 

“Are you still awake?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t sleep,” she said, as if he could do anything about that.

“Sorry. Try counting stars.”

“Don’t you mean counting sheep?”

“Just focus on breathing. Try’n relax.”

There was silence for a long time, and Silver almost fell asleep again.

“Silver?”

He covered his nose with his hand to hide his sigh. “Yeah?”

“I’m…nervous.”

“I won’t let anyone hurt you, princess.”

Again, she hesitated, and for a moment, he thought she would thank him. But that was too much to ask for. “Good,” she said.

Chapter Text

She knew she was unnecessarily rude to him, but she didn't bother changing her behavior. Besides , she reasoned, I am royalty. He should respect me no matter how I act. Deep down, she felt something almost like guilt, but fear quickly covered it up, which was in turn covered by irritability. 

If I sound like I can handle myself, he won’t get any ideas. 

She watched him break into a damaged truck on the side of the road and open every box and crate inside, as if he had no idea that they all had labels listing various products - all of them inedible. 

Not that he has many of those, it seems. 

It had been two days since Silver had agreed to take her to Onyx City, and every time she looked at him, she had more questions. He was the strangest person she had ever met. One moment, he picked his way through the ruined city with expertise and experience, and the next he was popping open boxes and making stupid comments with all the intelligence of a beached whale. She thought it was a miracle he had survived this long on his own.

“Nothing,” he said, shrugging apologetically as he climbed out of the back of the semi-truck, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She could have told him that just by reading the labels.

“You can’t read, can you?” she said flatly.

His eyebrows shot up at her question, and then furrowed in confusion. He cracked a smile and gave her a funny look. “What makes you say that?” he asked, though his voice wavered for just a second, and she could tell she hit a soft spot.

“All of the boxes had labels. You could have saved time by reading them.”

“Wanted to check ‘em just in case,” he said, shrugging, neither confirming nor denying her observation. So he had enough smarts to know not to reveal his weaknesses---and to know that royalty were particularly good at picking out lies.

“Right. You still wanted to check a sealed box of motor oil for food and water.” She let out a rather haughty laugh. “You could have just as easily asked me to read them for you.”

“I can read,” he said, shooting her a look that fell somewhere between a glare and a tease. To her surprise, he didn’t have a trace of guilt in his look, or anything else to let her know he wasn’t telling the truth. Either Silver wasn’t lying, or he was incredibly good at it.

“Whatever,” she finally said, turning to face the direction they were traveling. “Let’s get moving, then.”

They traveled in near silence for a good half hour before Blaze complained about her aching feet and made them stop again. She sat down on a bench and pulled her shoes off to rest her feet---she hadn’t been exaggerating, as her formal boots were incredibly uncomfortable to walk in for more than a few minutes. He watched her with irritation, though he did a fairly decent job covering up, and then said something that caught her completely off guard.

“You’re really inconsiderate, y’know that?”

Her head snapped up to look at him, first surprised, and then furious that he’d very blatantly insulted her. “Excuse me?”

The dusty hedgehog just shrugged, completely oblivious of her internal anger. “Just sayin’. I mean, I kinda figured, since you’re a princess ‘n all. Just didn’t expect it to be this much.”

“What on Mobius is that supposed to mean?” she hissed.

Silver just sat on the other side of the bench, keeping as much distance between them as possible. At least he had some decency. “You’re not very nice,” he said with another shrug. “You act like you’re better than everyone else. Like you’re entitled to everything.”

Anger burned under her skin, and she felt her hands heat up just as they always did with strong emotions. She forced the fire back down, though it was harder than usual. Something about the stranger next to her irritated her out of her mind. “You don’t even know what entitled means, do you?” she muttered under her breath. 

He just barked out a laugh, fueling her anger. “Case and point.”

“Shut up,” she snapped, but he just laughed again.

“Never been very good at that. Seems like you aren’t, either.”

“Shut up or I’ll burn your mouth shut!” she nearly shrieked, jumping to her feet in what could only be described as a lunge. 

He still laughed, harder, louder, as if nothing in the world scared him. “Yeah? With what? You---wait a sec, did’ya say burn?”

The second the sound left his lips, she flung a burst of flame at him. She expected him to duck out of the way in time, since he must have fast reflexes to be able to live alone out here, but he didn’t react until it was too late. The fireball slammed into the side of his face and he cried out, immediately folding in on himself to cradle his head in his hands. 

Blaze’s heart leapt to her throat. She hadn’t meant to hurt him, not really. She’d just wanted to warn him; scare him at most. After just a second of hesitation, she reached out and started to apologize.

“Don’t.”

His voice startled her, not because it was angry or hurt, but because it was terrified. 

“Silver---” she started, but he cut her off.

“I said don’t.”

“I…” She gently touched his shoulder and he flinched hard enough to fall off of the bench. His reaction scared her, but not as much as the fear in his eyes. And yet the fear wasn’t directed at her.

He stumbled to his feet, his hand cupping his face to cover the burn, and backed up to the curb. She could hear his rapid breathing, so heavy that she could see his chest rise and fall, even through his coat and thick fur. It took her a moment, but then she recognized the look in his eyes.

Trauma. 

Her mother often had that same look in her eyes when she woke up from dreaming. But something was slightly different. She just couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

Blaze slowly stood up, praying that she looked non-threatening, but he scrambled back. “Back off,” he ordered, but his voice was trembling. 

There it was. Her mother’s trauma came from guilt, the same guilt that fueled her fear. She had done something horrible out of fear, and even though they reassured her that it was the right decision, it still often haunted her. Silver’s trauma was different. He hadn’t done anything---something had happened to him. He was a victim.

And Blaze had just triggered those awful memories, whatever they were.

“Silver, I---”

“Please.”

The pain in his voice didn’t just come from the burn on his face, and they both knew it. So she shut her mouth and sat back down, folding her hands neatly in her lap as guilt threatened to swallow her whole.

Very slowly, Silver backed up, into the street, widening the gap between them. She could tell just by looking at his face that he was on the edge of a panic attack. “I---I just---” He cut himself off with a cringe and swallowed hard before he could continue. He continued backing up as he spoke. “I just need a---need a second.” He turned his back to her, but hesitated just a moment to glance at her again. “Don’t go anywhere.”

So she stayed sitting on the bench and watched him run, regret settling in her heart. 

Silver was definitely gone for more than a second, but Blaze didn’t blame him. She hoped he hadn’t been hurt too badly---at least physically. She knew she had caused him deep psychological pain, and she knew that kind of pain often didn’t heal as fast as physical wounds.

It was maybe an hour before dark when she heard someone behind her. She turned, but she couldn’t see anything as the shadows lengthened. She could only hear the shuffling of feet.

“Silver?” she called nervously.

No response.

She quickly put her shoes back on and stood up, and then as a quick afterthought, she grabbed Silver’s backpack and slung it over her shoulder. The air felt more hostile than usual, and she licked her lips nervously. So much for showing that I can handle myself. “Silver, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean---”

Someone---or something---grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides, and she barely managed to scream before a thick gloved hand locked around her mouth. She instantly started to fight, but all of her training left her mind as panic coursed through her veins. Three large mobian men approached her from different sides, making the one behind her the fourth. She knew she could have easily taken them all by herself with the aid of her pyrokinesis, but they had caught her completely off guard, and her mind was too frantic to call the flames effectively. 

“Hello, pretty lady,” one of the bandits said, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “Lookin’ mighty fine. Too fine. From the big city, yeah? Whatcha doin’ all the way out here?”

Blaze squirmed in her captor’s grip, but he was much larger and stronger than she was, and she couldn’t focus. She tried to scream again, but her voice was muffled by the hand over her face. 

Another one of the bandits pulled Silver’s bag off of her shoulder and slung it over his own, not even bothering to check what was inside. “Wanna take her with us?” he asked the leader, lust burning in his red eyes. 

The first to address her, the leader just grinned even wider. “Oh, you bet. She’s way too sexy to leave behind. What a doll.” 

Blaze glared at him as she struggled against the thick arm around her waist, forcing the fear from her expression. The bandit sauntered toward her and nonchalantly touched her shoulder, before dragging his fingers across her skin. 

“Don’t touch me!” she tried to demand, the words muffled. Even so, the bandit understood the message, though he simply laughed. 

“No one tells me what to do, babe.”

He shoved his hand down the front of her dress and she screamed, but before he got a chance to grope her, something fast slammed into the side of his head. The bandit jerked sideways and fell to the ground, unconscious and bleeding from a deep wound in his temple. 

Instantly, the group of bandits became nervous, drawing various weapons and scanning the streets for the source of the attack. But before they could find it, another piece of rubble shot one of them down. Though he wasn’t quite unconscious, he wasn’t able to fight back. The man holding Blaze prisoner tightened his grip around her waist. 

“Get your hands off her.”

His voice was so threatening, that she almost didn’t recognize it. But sure enough, Silver stepped out of the shadows, seeming to appear out of nowhere. He had a slingshot in one hand and a metal bar in the other, and his eyes were murderous. The blistering red burn on his face only made him look more dangerous.

The two bandits who remained standing shuffled slightly, though the one holding Blaze started to laugh. “Whatcha gonna do, kid?”

In a second, Silver lunged for them and took a swing with the metal bar. Neither Blaze nor the bandit had time to blink before the metal slammed into the side of the man's head, tearing open a nasty gash and nearly knocking him out. He released Blaze with a shout of pain and fell to his knees. 

The remaining man reacted immediately, and Blaze scrambled away, though he wasn't coming for her. He ducked under Silver's swing and tackled him to the ground, the two of them wrestling for the metal bar. It quickly became obvious who was stronger. 

The bandit wrenched Silver’s weapon away from him and threw it across the street. Silver’s empty fist slammed into his face, breaking his nose with a sickening crack, and blood dripped onto his dusty white fur. The bandit swore violently, and Silver kicked him off, scrambling to his feet, but the man who had held Blaze captive regained his balance and grabbed him from behind. He yelled in surprise and pain as the bandit yanked his arms behind him, nearly lifting him off the ground, leaving him open to attacks.

I have to do something. 

The bandit with the broken nose pulled himself to his feet and stood in front of Silver, a deep scowl etched into his face. “Think you can just waltz in, bust up my face, and get away with it?” he snarled, blood spraying from his lips. 

Silver didn’t even flinch as the bandit’s blood splattered across his face. “You asked for it,” he growled, slamming his heel into the man’s knee. The bandit staggered for a second, and then slammed his fist into Silver’s stomach, laughing when he choked on his yelp.

“Then you asked for this.”

Blaze forced herself to ignore the sick thumping of the blows and Silver’s groans of pain, and just ran for the metal bar Silver had lost. She lit her hands in flames as she snatched it from the ground and spun on her heel, charging back to them. “Let him go!” she shouted, taking a swing. The bandit paused his beating and turned to face her, grinning as he raised his hand to catch the bar before it hit. 

He didn’t plan on it being red hot.

The bandit screamed the second his fingers curled around the metal and immediately scrambled back, only to let the bar hit him hard across his face, the sharp end tearing open a thick gash over his eye. It cut him too fast to cauterize the wound, but it made the skin bubble and sizzle. Blaze had never hurt someone on purpose, but she tried not to think about that as the last bandit standing quickly released Silver and backed up. 

“What kinda black magic---”

“Get out of my sight,” the princess hissed.

The large bandit didn’t waste a second. He grabbed the unconscious leader and took off, the two gravely wounded men staggering after him.

Blaze dropped the weapon as soon as they melted into the shadows. “Silver---”

“So.” He flashed her a grin, but though he was still standing, he was hunched over, breathing hard and gripping his chest. “So you’re---you’re Blaze, yeah?”

“What? No---I mean, yes, but that doesn’t matter. I’m so sorry---are you okay?”

She reached out to help him, but he flinched away, cringing as he did. “I’m fine.” He took a shuffling step away from her, and she saw him bite his lip to keep his gasp of pain in. “So the stories are true, huh?”

“What are you talking about? Silver, you’re hurt---” 

“The stories about the fire princess.” He let out a strained laugh. “Didn’t think they were true. Shoulda known better.”

She grimaced as she caught sight of the burn on his face again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

He struggled to pick up his bag from the ground, but Blaze didn’t dare help him. He didn’t look at her as he started walking again. “Didn’t mean t’gimme a burn the size uh'my hand? Right.”

That same irritation returned, battling the guilt in her chest. “I’m trying to apologize,” she said, crossing her arms. “And I just saved your life.”

“Yeah, after being the reason it was in danger in the first place. C’mon. We gotta find a place to rest.”

Chapter Text

He hadn’t had a beating that bad in a while. He could have easily taken the four bandits by himself without even getting near them, but that would have been a dead giveaway to the princess. Even if he’d stayed out of sight, she would have known a psychic was following her.

Curse this stupid prophecy. I’d never hurt her. Not even after what she did. 

The right side of his face had blistered only a few minutes after she’d hit him with her flames, and it stung whenever he moved. It brought the agonizing memories to the surface of his thoughts, and this time, he couldn’t just turn the other way to hide from them. It seemed like fate was determined to remind him of his past no matter what he did.

He tried to focus on the pain in his chest, rather than the burn on his face, but he couldn’t, not even as he’d stumbled down the street, leading the princess to safety. 

Why didn’t I just ditch her? I didn’t have to come back. 

His left arm was numb now, since he wasn’t used to laying on his left side when he slept. He tried to shift his weight, but he could only gasp as sharp bolts of pain stabbed through his chest. He didn’t think any ribs were broken, but they were certainly bruised and would take a while to heal. It hurt to breathe.

Blaze shifted across the room, and he could feel her eyes on his back. “Silver,” she started. 

“Go to sleep.”

“Something is bothering you.”

“What gave you that idea?”

She huffed in irritation, but he didn’t care. “Are you afraid of me?”

“No,” he said honestly. 

“Then why did you run from me?”

His chest tightened with anxiety and he winced in pain again. “I don’t wanna talk about it.” Please just shut up and go to sleep. 

But the princess was stubborn and relentless. “You nearly had a panic attack in the middle of the street. If you’re not afraid of me, what’s going on?”

He almost laughed at that. Nearly? The second he’d left her sight, he’d thrown himself into the nearest building and let the panic tear into him. He could feel it creeping back now, prickling up his spine and wrapping around his throat.

“Is it about your parents?”

“Shut up.”

“Silver---”

“I said shut up ,” he snapped, pulling his knees to his chest. He tried to take deep breaths, but it strained his bruised ribs, so he resorted to shorter breaths, only to feel them turn into rapid, frantic gasps for air. He was shaking now, and the movement irritated the wound on his face, which only fueled the attack. He squeezed his eyes shut, only to see the mutilated corpse of his father, his body charred beyond recognition. Tears pooled in his eyes and he pressed his palms into his sockets. 

“Close your eyes, baby.” 

But it had been too late. The image was scarred into his psyche.

He needed to control himself. If he fell too far into the memories, his mind might react with a burst of psychokinesis. Snap out of it! he screamed at himself. He couldn’t feel the floor anymore. His whole body was on fire. 

Something touched his shoulder and he bolted upright. The window across the room exploded, but though they both jumped, neither of them looked. He slapped Blaze’s hand away and glared at her as the memories melted to the background. “What is your problem?” he demanded. The tears stung his burnt skin. 

The princess backed up in surprise when she saw him crying. He wiped the left side of his face with his arm, but he couldn’t bring himself to touch the right. He would only feel the blisters, and it would only send him spiraling down again.

“Are…you really okay?” she asked softly.

“Does it look like I’m okay?” he shouted. Chaos, it hurt to breathe. He clenched his fists hard enough that if he hadn't been wearing gloves, his nails would have broken skin. "I don't have to take you home, y'know that? Least you could do is show a little respect."

She backed up, but didn't apologize. He wasn't surprised. "That's fair," she said. 

He almost laughed, but it turned into a cry of pain and he gripped his chest. Fair? None of this is fair. Y'think I asked for this? "Just go to sleep."

"But you're hurt."

"I can take care of myself." No thanks to your parents and that stupid prophecy. No one bothered to talk to us before coming in and killing us all. 

Slowly, Blaze shuffled back across the room. He watched her with blurry eyes, staring directly at her until she finally laid down again, her back to him. After that, he didn't spend a second more looking at her. 

He wanted to hate her. He really did. He wanted to hate her enough to leave her behind and run back to his shabby home, but he couldn’t. Nothing that had happened had been her fault. She was simply the product of her parents’ terrible choices. He couldn’t even blame her for the way she acted. It was just how she was raised.

It was almost funny how vastly different and yet how strikingly similar the two of them were. Blaze was the princess; the daughter of the king and queen. Her word was law. Silver was a nobody. He had no family and no home. Yet they both had extraordinary powers that were only seen as weapons---though Blaze had no idea about his, and he was determined to keep it that way. 

He was still crying. 

He woke at the crack of dawn, as usual, but he didn’t bother getting up until the princess was awake. Every breath sent stabs of pain through his chest. Slowly, he moved his coat off of his chest to check how bad the bruising was, and he swore under his breath at the sight of them. 

Purple and black bruises were dark enough to be visible through his fur, especially when he gently ran his fingers through it. These would take weeks to heal. He tenderly pressed his fingers over his ribs to find the worst of them, and he bit his lip to keep from shrieking. He needed to get ahold of some painkillers, or it would take them twice as long to get to Onyx. Maybe some alcohol would help. 

He had to sit up to get to his bag, since he had used it as a pillow, and the simple motion took all of his energy. Breathing hard, he dug through his bag for his flask, and then cursed again as he realized it was empty. Moving wouldn’t have been so hard if he could just use his psychokinesis, but he didn’t want to risk waking the princess. The exploding window last night had been way too close.

Bet she’d do more than just burn my face if she found out what I am. 

Flames burst through his memory again, and he quickly shook his head to clear them before he lost control. Losing control was dangerous, but it was also embarrassing. They’d only known each other for a few days, and he’d already had two mental breakdowns in front of her.

Shoulda just left her alone, you idiot. 

The princess sneezed from across the room, and Silver nearly leapt out of his skin in surprise. 

“Bless you,” he said instinctively. 

An uncomfortable silence settled between them like dust, and Silver wondered if she was actually awake or not. 

“Thanks,” she finally muttered. 

He was already sitting up, but he forced himself to turn around to face her, cringing with each tiny movement. “Sleep okay?”

Sighing, she shook her head. “Yesterday taught me just how dangerous it really is out here.”

“Not everybody’s like that.”

“I just kept thinking…” She ran her hand through her tangled hair absentmindedly. “Thinking about what they would have done to me if you hadn’t been there. Every time I closed my eyes, I thought I could feel them grabbing me.”

Welcome to my world, princess. 

“That’s rough,” he said instead. “Sorry I didn’t get back faster.”

Something flashed across her expression - guilt, maybe? “Yes, well…how are you feeling?”

He shrugged, hoping to show that he was doing better, but the simple motion nearly made him yelp. “Eh, been better. We should get going.” He hesitated for just a second, half-heartedly hoping that she’d complain and make them stay longer, but she just nodded and climbed to her feet. With a sigh, he followed her example, trembling like a leaf.

She gave him a glance, almost as if she wanted to offer to help, but then she turned away again and started out into the street.

Chapter Text

It quickly became clear that Silver was in immense pain. He didn’t move as fast as he usually did, and he kept a hand up against his chest at all times. She could hear the pain in his breathing as they stumbled along the road. Guilt twisted in her stomach like worms, but something else bothered her. 

He had been overpowered by one person so fast—one person who was roughly the same size as he was. How had he managed to survive alone if he was that weak? And with the way he freaked out the night before, she knew there was something he wasn’t telling her. It wasn’t about his personal life. It was something more important.

“We’re gonna take a quick detour,” he said suddenly.

She looked at him in surprise. He hadn’t spoken to her all morning. “Okay. Where are we going?”

“Barricade Town. It’ll take us all day to get there, but I needa talk to someone.”

All day? She wanted to protest, but his words from last night rang in her ears. "I don't have'ta take you home, y'know that? Least you could do is show a little respect." Even though she was a princess, she was completely out of her element, and Silver offered her a great service by helping her home. He owed her absolutely nothing.

“Alright,” she said instead of complaining. “Who do you need to talk to?”

He gave her a sideways glance, no doubt surprised at her sudden patience. “An old friend.” He didn’t elaborate, and she sighed as her attempt to make conversation failed.

“So,” she tried again, “we’ve known each other for a few days, but I don’t know anything about you.”

“So?”

She rolled her eyes. His lack of social skills was becoming apparent. She wondered why she hadn’t noticed before. “So, tell me about yourself. It’s going to take us a while to get to Onyx, right? We might as well get to know each other. Besides, I don’t know anything about life out here. Maybe talking to you can help me see what I can do for my kingdom.”

He didn’t say anything for a while. His shoulders tightened, though she didn’t know if it was from pain or the sudden tension she’d created. For the first time, she actually took a moment to really look at him as a person, rather than as a means for getting home. 

The first thing she noticed was how tired he was. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. She could tell just by looking at him that he had been tired for a long time. As she watched him, his hand left his battered chest and moved to rub the bandages around his wrists. They were thicker than necessary, and she wondered if they were covering something else, like a bracelet or similar accessory. 

“It’s lonely.”

Her attention snapped to his voice as he spoke. “Hmm?”

“Out here.” He gestured to the world around them. “It’s lonely. There’s not enough stuff to be with a lotta people. Not anymore. By yourself, you don’t have to worry about someone else. You can just focus on keeping yourself alive. But it gets lonely.”

“You said you had a friend. Don’t you spend time with them?”

He sighed softly. “Not much. Not anymore.”

She wanted to ask why, but the atmosphere around him made her reconsider. “What’s their name?” she asked instead. 

“Edmund.” This time, he cracked a sad smile, though a wince quickly replaced it and his hand went back to his chest. “He’s the one who…who raised me. After…”

He didn’t have to say it. She already knew what he meant. After my parents died. 

“If you think I’m irritating, you’ll hate him,” he continued with a soft chuckle, brushing off his previous statement. “He’s way worse than me.”

“I never said you were irritating,” Blaze said defensively.

“You don’t need to. I can see it whenever you look at me.”

“Ah.” She cringed slightly, suddenly regretting her attitude. “Silver, I…” I'd like to apologize. But for some reason, the words refused to come out.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, but his soft sigh and slumped shoulders gave his disappointment away. 

Disappointment? If it really was as lonely as he made it sound, he was probably desperate for someone to talk to. And yet every time he spoke about himself, he chose his words very carefully, as if making sure he wouldn’t say too much.

“I apologize if I made you feel as though you have to hide yourself from me,” she said, surprising both of them.

He actually laughed at that, though it turned into some sort of yelp as he grasped at his chest. “Princess, you have no idea.”

Her mind immediately shot back to the prophecy—those words she’d been raised to remember at all times. What if Silver was the psychic they had warned her about? No, that couldn’t be right. If he was, he would have already killed her. Maybe Edmund was the psychic, and that’s why he needed to take her to him. Though she wanted to trust him, since he was her only way home, she suddenly started to feel nervous.

“Is it about the prophecy?” she asked, watching him very closely.

His shoulders tightened. “Sorta,” he said slowly. “I don’t wanna put you in danger. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

That’s an odd answer. “Do you believe it?”

Again, he hesitated, as if picking the right thing to say. “I don’t want to,” he said eventually.

The sick feeling in her stomach grew stronger. Something was terribly wrong. He knew something she didn’t, and she had a feeling that she could get hurt, even if he didn’t want to hurt her. “I want to trust you,” she said softly, “but I need you to answer something.”

He just glanced at her.

“Do you know who the last psychic is?”

His voice was so soft that she almost missed it. “Yes.”

Her heart nearly stopped, but she took a deep breath and tried to keep her composure. “Is it Edmund?”

“No.”

“Are you taking me to them?”

“No.”

“Are they trying to hurt me?”

“No.” He shook his head wildly, his long quills swishing through the air. “They don’t wanna hurt you. They don’t wanna hurt anyone.”

Something in his voice told her that he didn’t want to talk about this anymore, which only made her more suspicious. “Are you protecting me from them?” she asked.

Silver seemed to consider the question for a moment before he answered. “In a way.” Again, he paused, and then sighed. “Getting you home will protect you. They…they won’t be able to hurt you in there.”

“How do you know?”

“Ever heard of the Jade Massacre?”

Of course she had. Everyone knew about it. The village of Jade had been the home of the psychics, before her mother had them all killed. To protect you , she had said. And though Blaze didn’t think it was the right thing to do, she believed her mother. “Yes. Why?”

“Ever considered how close it was to Onyx?”

“Just fifteen, maybe twenty minutes by carriage or car.”

“Too close,” he agreed. His voice was very soft now. “It was too close. They won’t go back there. You’ll be safe.”

“You said you wouldn’t go back to Onyx when we first met,” she accused, trying desperately to put the pieces together. “What—”

“Princess.” Silver stopped abruptly and turned to face her, his brilliant yellow eyes filled with nothing but hardened determination. “I would never do anything to hurt you. I’ve done nothing but share my resources and protect you. Don’t accuse me of things you can’t prove.”

Red light from the setting sun bathed the ruined world around them. Silver hadn’t spoken to her at all since the conversation that morning, and though she was still wary, she didn’t blame him. He didn’t even announce when they’d arrived. The only indication that they were in Barricade Town was the massive wall surrounding the buildings inside. Though the wall was in disrepair, she could tell it had once been an impressive stronghold. She couldn’t see signs of life anywhere.

Silver led her down a few streets before he suddenly paused. One of his ears twitched, and he slowly turned around. 

Blaze swallowed hard. “What—” 

Something hit the back of her head, and she whirled around in panic, but she couldn’t see anyone. She glanced at the object that had hit her—an empty beer can—but it didn’t give her any clues about where it might have come from.

“Edmund?” Silver called, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Is that you?” Another can flew out of the shadows, but he caught it near effortlessly.

“Who wants t’know?” a gruff voice answered back.

“It’s me, Silver.”

“Eh?” A smallish figure hobbled out of the shadows to her left. “Silver boy? What’re you doin’ here?”

Blaze blinked in surprise as Edmund came into the light. She didn’t know what she was expecting, but a near ancient-looking echidna with bushy eyebrows and an impressive beard wasn’t it. He was severely hunched over, and leaned heavily on a gnarled cane, and she wondered how he was still alive.

“And you brought a friend,” the echidna said, squinting at her.

“Oh, we’re not really—”

“I’m just taking her home,” Silver said.

“Yeah? And where’s home?”

“Onyx City,” Blaze said.

Edmund’s eyebrows nearly shot off his face in surprise. “Onyx?” He looked back and forth between Blaze and Silver a few times in disbelief. “Are you crazy? Have I taught you nothin’?”

“Relax, Edmund. I know what I’m doing.”

“Nope.” Edmund turned and poked him in the stomach with his cane, ignoring Silver’s yelp. “You’re not gonna go. I didn’t raise ya t’run right back.”

“Edmund,” Silver groaned, though he had a small, playful smile on his face.

“Nuh-uh. I forbid it.”

“I’m eighteen. I think I can take care of myself.”

Eighteen? Blaze tilted her head slightly. He was only two years younger than her. Somehow, he seemed both much older and much younger.

“And when I was your age—”

“Here we go again,” Silver muttered, and Blaze couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“—I got into so much trouble I ended up gettin’ kicked outta my own clan, and y’know what that did tuh’me?”

“Yeah, it turned you into a grouchy old man.”

“Don’t talk back to your elders!” Edmund jabbed him with his cane again, still joking, but Silver yelled in pain and curled in on himself, staggering back. The old echidna immediately dropped his teasing and held his hand out to steady him, a deeply concerned frown on his face. “You’re hurt, Silver. Why didn’tcha tell me?”

“That’s why I’m here,” Silver gasped out, cringing.

“Then what’re we waitin’ for? C’mon, let’s getcha cleaned up. And bring your friend along, too.” 

Neither of them protested, though Silver struggled to catch his breath before he followed. This time, Blaze could see the sweat on his forehead as he struggled to combat the pain.

Edmund noticed, too. “Miss, you better help ‘im.”

“I’m fine,” Silver insisted, but he was almost as hunched over as Edmund, and he was shaking.

“Shut up and let the princess help you.”

Blaze quickly turned to look at the echidna, surprised by his observation. “How—how did you know I’m a princess?”

He just waved his hand in dismissal and continued his shuffle back into the building he came out of. “Your clothes, your posture, your voice. ‘sides, who else could give Silver a burn like that?” He chuckled sadly. “That easily pissed off, huh?”

She shook her head to clear her anger before she did something stupid again. “That doesn’t matter. Can you help him or not?”

“Only if you get ‘im inside.”

So she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and then stood next to Silver, though she hesitated again, thinking about their earlier conversation. Relax, she told herself. He’s too injured right now to do anything anyway. She wrapped her arm around his waist to give him support, and he immediately went rigid. “Did I hurt you?” she asked quickly.

He shook his head. “Nah. Just…surprised me.” He put his arm around her shoulders, and when they took a step together, he clung to her like a lifeline. 

Every step they took squeezed out a gasp of pain. Silver had his eyes shut tight and his teeth clenched, and Blaze realized just how injured he actually was. “We could have rested more, you know,” she said, wincing when her voice came out more accusatory than she intended.

He opened his mouth to respond, but let out a hiss as they stumbled, and had to try again. “Getting you back is my top priority. The longer you’re with me, the more danger you’re in.”

Nothing but absolute sincerity accompanied his words. 

“C’mon, you two,” Edmund called from up ahead.

Chapter Text

He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed physical contact until Blaze gently helped him down on a mat in Edmund’s shelter and released him. It had been too long since he’d last hugged Edmund. He wanted to wrap his arms around him right now, but every breath set fire to his chest.

“‘scuse me, miss,” the echidna said, gently pushing Blaze out of the way. “Alrighty. What’d ya do?”

“Wasn’t my fault,” Silver managed to say in between gasping breaths. 

“Right.” Edmund rolled his eyes. “Picked a fight you couldn’t win, yeah?”

“Didn’t start it, if that’s what you mean.”

“Uh-huh. Where’s it hurt?”

Silver held open his coat, though he was careful to keep it around his shoulders. The last thing he needed was to make Blaze even more suspicious. “Think I busted some ribs,” he said through clenched teeth. Chaos, it hurt. Edmund’s last jab had directly hit one of the sore spots.

Edmund knelt down beside him with a struggle, and then swore under his breath. “Dear Aurora,” he muttered. “I haven’t seen you this bad since…” Then he cleared his throat with a glance at the princess. He pulled his mittens off, revealing withered, practiced fingers, and gently rested his right hand over Silver’s heart. “Lay down. I’m gonna check if you broke any.” 

“Got any painkillers?” he asked between cringes as Edmund helped him lay down on his back. After the initial pain from moving faded, laying down eased the rest of it, and he could breathe a little easier.

The echidna shook his head regretfully. “Haven’t seen any in a while. Got some alcohol, though. That might help.”

“Can I get some before—GYAH!” Silver shrieked as Edmund put pressure on the bruises. The sudden pain made him inhale sharply, causing a bit of saliva to catch in his throat, and coughing definitely didn’t help the pain. “Chaos, wanna warn me next time?” he wheezed out, tears springing to his eyes.

“Stop talkin’ and hold still.” 

This time, his fingers were lighter as he felt along Silver’s beaten chest, but he still couldn’t help gasping in pain at every touch. Blaze was right. He really should’ve rested more. He squeezed his eyes shut and a few stray tears slipped down his face. With this kind of luck, it would be a miracle if he even made it to Onyx at all. Something else was bound to kill him before they did.

Finally, Edmund leaned back and shifted to sit cross-legged. “Well,” he said, “least I didn’t have’ta pin you down this time.”

“That’s the only good news, isn’t it.”

The echidna hesitated ever-so-slightly, but Silver still caught it. “Pretty sure you only broke one or two of ‘em,” he said slowly, “but the rest are still pretty banged up.”

Silver cursed under his breath.

“Can you fix him?” Blaze asked from the corner. It was the first thing she had said since they entered Edmund’s shelter, and he was surprised to hear the desperation in her voice.

He shook his head sadly. “Just have’ta let ‘em heal on their own.” Then he turned his soft blue eyes to Silver, his bushy eyebrows furrowed in loving concern. “I’m no expert, but breaks like that usually take six weeks to fully heal.”

Silver cursed again.

“But if you give ‘em some rest for a bit, you should be good to travel.”

“How long?” Blaze asked before Silver could.

Edmund considered the question. “A week, at least.”

“Where would we stay?”

This time, the old echidna laughed. “Here, obviously.”

“Can’t do that.” Silver tried to sit up, but only shrieked as pain shot through his body and had to lay back down, breathing hard. “You don’t have the resources for us. I can skip a few meals, but—”

“Oh, none of that. You need food if you’re gonna heal anytime soon.” Edmund climbed to his feet and shuffled out of sight, though he stayed in the same room. “If I give you some alcohol, you gotta promise you won’t chuck it back up in the mornin’.”

Silver tried to crack a smile, but the pain was starting to get the best of him. He was more exhausted than he’d realized. “Promise.”

Blaze watched them nervously, fingering the hem of her gloves as Edmund helped him sit up so he could drink. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked. “Wouldn’t…getting drunk cause more problems?”

He swallowed a gulp of beer, the stale sour taste lingering on his tongue. “Princess, I can’t move. ‘m not going anywhere. ‘sides, this stuff won’t wipe me out. Not enough alcohol.”

“Could if you wanted,” Edmund said, still helping him stay sitting. “But I only got a few left ‘n I’m not gonna waste ‘em.” He was quiet for a moment as he looked at the princess, and then slowly: “Want one?”

Blaze shook her head aggressively. “Oh, no.”

Silver finished off his beer with a sigh and let Edmund lay him back down. He desperately wanted to curl up on his side, but the position would only bring unnecessary pain. He seriously doubted the beer had enough alcohol to ease it enough for that.

“Now.” Edmund clapped his hands dramatically and Silver resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m young and I need my beauty sleep, so lemme find somethin’ for you, miss. Got a bit of privacy over here…”

Though they didn’t stop talking, Silver stopped listening.

He closed his eyes and tried to relax, but his go-to method of calming down—deep breathing—currently wasn’t an option. Though his body was exhausted, his mind still buzzed with activity. He just wished for once it would shut up. He could worry about all of those things in the morning, especially now that they were safe with Edmund. A tiny smile found its way across his face as he laced his fingers together and rested them on his stomach. 

Edmund had always been there, from the day he lost everything to the moment he ventured off on his own. His smile wavered at the last thought. His guardian hadn’t been pleased with the idea, and he himself hadn’t liked it either, but it was the only way to keep them both safe. The king and queen were growing restless. 

When Edmund emerged from behind the wall, he was alone. Silver figured the princess wouldn’t be joining them again until the morning, and since she was in a different room, he opened his eyes and finally let himself pull the gloves from his skin. 

He was greeted with familiar dark circles on his palms and backs of his hands. His psychic marks. The reason he was being hunted down at that very second. The reason his family was dead, the reason he’d had to leave Edmund, the reason why he had to be so painfully careful about what he said to the princess. Sometimes, he hated them so much that the gloves were the only things that kept him from trying to scratch them off. Other times, he found himself staring at them in awe, wondering how a scrawny kid like him could be gifted with such power. But most nights, he looked at them and just felt lonely.

“Thinkin’ ‘bout ‘em again, yeah?” Edmund said softly.

“Yeah,” Silver whispered. “It’s been so long, I dunno why it still…”

“They were your family, Silver. ‘Course it’s still gonna hurt.”

“Y’know that old saying? Time heals all wounds or something like that?” He shook his head slightly and sighed as he rested his hands back on his stomach. “Complete garbage.”

“Maybe.” He heard Edmund cross the room and sit down, grunting as he did. “But it hasn’t been that long. And…you got…interestin’ circumstances, t’put it lightly.”

“Does it still hurt for you?” Silver craned his neck to try and look at him, but the echidna was out of sight. “It’s been a long time for you. Do you still hurt when you think about ‘em?”

It was quiet for a moment before Edmund spoke, his voice softer than before. “Sometimes.”

Silver just sighed and closed his eyes again. “What d’ya think she’ll do if she finds out what I am?”

“That’s not somethin’ I wanna think about.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

Silence fell over the shelter, leaving Silver to his own thoughts. The beer from earlier hadn’t done much to ease the pain or relax his mind, but he felt much safer back with Edmund. If only the safety of the shelter could protect him from his own mind. 

“Hey, Edmund?”

“Mmm?”

“You still have that stuffie I used to sleep with?”

The echidna chuckled just slightly. “‘Course I do. It’s the only thing you let me keep when you left.”

“Can I have it back? Just for tonight?”

“Sure, if you can get it.”

Silver groaned. “What’s that s’posed to mean?”

“You haven’t been practicin’, have you?”

“Well, obviously not. Can’t with the princess around.”

“You’re always out of it when you don’t practice. So get your stuffie. It’s on the cabinet under the old tent, next to two beers. Bring it to you.”

“What if she sees me?” He didn’t realize how tiny his voice was until he had to repeat the question twice. Edmund had a point. His mind didn’t work quite as well as it normally did when he didn’t use his powers, but it was impossible to use it around the princess. He hadn’t realized how scared he was until now. Scared of the princess. The burn on his face tingled.

Edmund’s voice was gentle as he spoke, as calm as it had been those years ago when he’d first taken him in. “She won’t. Promise. She’s out cold.”

“Okay,” he finally whispered. He held his hands up in front of him for stability and visualized the cabinet Edmund had mentioned. He’d seen it when they’d first shuffled in, but he hadn’t paid much attention to his surroundings, as it had taken all of his energy to remain standing. He tried to twist a little to see it, but he couldn’t get a better visual. 

Oh, who am I kidding? I’m too tired for this. 

A familiar blue light shimmered around his body and very carefully, he lifted himself off the ground. Though the psychokinetic energy held all of his weight for him, easing some of the pain in his ribs, he still had to be careful not to twist around too fast. He drifted to the cabinet and searched through Edmund’s old supplies, his face lighting up when he found it.

His stuffie had certainly seen better days. The rabbit plush was just bigger than his hand, and most of its pink fur had either rubbed or burned off. It was missing one of its black bead eyes, the other melted into its face, and it was missing most of its stuffing, but it still smiled up at him, though the stitches had started to rip. This little toy had been the only thing that made him feel safe as a kid, and he was both surprised and relieved to see it was still in one piece. Mostly.

“That’s cheatin’,” Edmund said, though Silver could hear his smile.

“Says you.” The psychic stuck his tongue out at him and settled back down on the floor, snagging the old tent to use as a pillow. The blue glow vanished, and the room felt darker than before.

“Better?” Edmund asked.

He nodded. “Yeah. Feels better.” He tucked his stuffie in the space between his shoulder and chin, and closed his eyes for the final time that night. “Thanks, Edmund.”

“I love you, kid. Don’t forget it.”

“Love you, too.”

Surprisingly, he didn’t wake up until Edmund gently touched his shoulder. He groaned and blinked the sleep from his eyes, barely comprehending what was going on when the echidna handed him his gloves. Something about the princess waking up. He pulled them back on with a yawn, squinting against the bright light from the sun outside. 

“How long was I out?” he mumbled, trying to find the will to sit up.

“Doesn’t matter. More rest means you’ll heal faster.”

“What about the princess?”

“I’ll make sure she doesn’t burn the place down,” Edmund said with a wink. “You go back t’sleep.”

“I can’t just sleep all day,” he tried to say, but he was already drifting off again.

When he woke up again, he felt more refreshed than he’d felt in a long time. He yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and then gingerly stretched his arms and tried to sit up. His ribs were still incredibly sore, and he wondered if it was because he’d ignored the pain for too long.

“Afternoon,” Edmund said from a few paces away, where he was playing a solitary card game. The princess sat near the echidna, but didn’t exactly acknowledge him.

“Hey,” Silver said, and then hissed through his teeth as his busted ribs protested the attempt to sit up. Once he was finally upright, he let out a sigh, putting his stuffie in his lap. “What’s up? Edmund drive you nuts yet?”

The princess just shook her head and didn’t offer any further response.

“Real talkative, this one is.” Edmund chuckled to himself and shuffled his cards. “Need somethin’ t’eat?”

“No,” Silver said quickly, and Edmund nodded.

“Chili it is, then.”

“You don’t needa do this, y’know.” He watched the echidna rummage through the back of a wagon for the canned food, guilt already setting in his heart. They’d practically crashed here unannounced, and here Edmund was, feeding and sheltering them at his own expense.

“Didn’t have’ta raise ya either, yet here we are. Still gotta share, though.”

The princess watched Silver eat, her eyes unreadable. The stare was uncomfortable at best. He wanted to ask her why she looked at him like that, but in all honesty, he really didn’t have the energy to deal with her attitude. When about a third of the food was gone, he passed the can to her. “Save some for Edmund,” he said.

She frowned as she took it. “I know.” 

She ate slowly, and Edmund resumed his card game, sensing that she’d be a while. Silver watched him play, absently running his fingers over the plush’s worn ears. Edmund was getting old—older than he thought he would. And though he understood death better than anyone, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of fear at the thought of his guardian dying. When he did, Silver would truly be alone.

“What is that?”

Silver looked up at Blaze in confusion, surprised to hear her speak. “What?”

“That thing in your lap.”

“Oh.” He adjusted the little rabbit as he felt his face heat up with embarrassment. “It’s, uh, it’s my stuffie.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Your…stuffie.”

“Yeah. Something wrong with having a stuffie?”

The princess just shrugged and passed the can of chili to Edmund. “I think you mean plushie. Like a plush toy.”

He wasn’t sure why that comment irritated him so much. “Plushie, stuffie, same thing. Doesn’t matter.”

“It makes you sound like an idiot,” she said flatly.

“‘Scuse me?”

“I’m trying to help you. When we get to Onyx, speaking like that will draw attention to you. I assume you don’t want that.”

Silver actually laughed, ignoring the warning look Edmund gave him. “I don’t want that, or you don’t want that? Listen, your Fiery-ness. Sorry you got stuck with an idiot . Not everyone’s as privileged as you. You don’t have’ta rub it in.”

“Calm down, Silver,” Edmund said gently. “I’m sure she didn’t mean—”

“No,” he snapped, all the frustration and hurt he’d built up from the last week finally spilling out. “No, I know she means it. You’ve been nothing but rude to me ever since we met.” He glared right at her, gripping his stuffie hard enough to make his fingers hurt. “You don’t bother thinkin' sbout how I feel or what kinda sacrifice this is for me. The only time you apologized was when you gave me a reason to fight back.” He watched her eyes flicker to the burn on the right side of his face, blistered and fiery red, and though she looked guilty, he knew it was selfish guilt. “So you’d better quit it before I leave you stranded somewhere, got it?”

His sudden outburst left him breathing hard, straining his bruised ribs, but he forced himself to ignore it and stay staring at the princess. She ducked her head slightly and fiddled with her fingers as she sat. “I’m a princess,” she said softly. “Threatening royalty is treason.”

“Does it look like I care?” Silver shouted, throwing his arm out as if to show her. “Does it look like anyone in this hellscape cares? This isn’t your kingdom, Toasty. Get used to it.”

The cat’s eyes narrowed and her tail lashed the ground. “You have no right to speak to me that way. This is my kingdom, and you are my subject.”

“You both need to calm down,” Edmund said, but Silver barely heard him.

“Yeah? Aren’t those at the top s’posed to take care of their subjects? What’ve you ever done for us?” He wished he could stand, if only to make himself feel bigger. In reality, he felt like an insignificant speck of dust, only moving when someone made him move—nothing but a victim of other people’s actions.

This time, the princess hesitated, and he knew he’d won.

“That’s what I thought.” He forced himself to climb to his feet, pushing Edmund away when he tried to help him. His body practically screamed in pain, and he bit back a shriek as he stood. “Just—just gimme a minute.” 

He stepped outside, breathing in slightly-fresher air, and leaned against the building to try and calm down. He stared up at the dusty yellow sky and its dusty brown clouds, and took breaths as deep as his chest allowed. Though he felt he had the right to be angry, he still couldn’t help but scold himself. The last thing he needed was an upset fire princess, especially when she found out he was a psychic.

If, he corrected. If she finds out. Which she won’t. She won’t find out what I am. And if she does, I’ll run away from her. I’ll get as far away as I can. Then at least she’ll know I don’t wanna hurt her. 

From outside, he could hear her talking with Edmund, though their voices were muffled. She was upset, and Edmund tried his best to calm her. Thank Aurora for Edmund.

“Who does he think he is?” the princess growled. Silver could imagine her pacing the shelter, her tail whipping behind her and sparks igniting her fingertips. “I’ve never met someone so—so disrespectful.”

There’s worse things I could be. 

“Be gentle with him,” Edmund said. “He’s been through more than you can ever imagine.”

“Like what?” She sounded exasperated, and had no doubt thrown her hands in the air. “He won’t tell me anything about himself.”

“He doesn’t like talkin’ about himself much.”

“Why not? Does he have something to hide?”

“You asked him ‘bout himself? Or’ve you been so caught up in yourself that you refuse t’see him as a person?”

An ache settled in his gut, just under his ribs. He knew how she felt about him, but it hurt to hear it out loud. To her, all he was was a way to get home. Nothing more. He closed his eyes and sighed. Shoulda known.

“I’m trying my best,” the princess said, and he almost snorted. “He just makes it so hard—”

“Can I ask you somethin’?” Edmund said, and Silver could almost see the look of shock on her face as he interrupted her. “Why d’ya think he’s helpin’ you? Hint: it’s not ‘cause he has to.” The princess mumbled something he couldn’t understand, and then the echidna spoke again. “It’s ‘cause he knows exactly what it’s like to be alone and scared. The kid’s livin’ hell already. Y’don’t needa make it worse.”

It was quiet for a long time. Despite sleeping all day, Silver was exhausted, but he couldn’t bring himself to go back inside. He wasn’t ready to face her. Instead, he sat on the curb and rested his head in his hands. His stuffie fell from the folds of his coat. He hadn’t realized he’d taken it outside with him. He picked it up and held it tight, the way he used to when he was small. Even then, as a child, the whole world was against him.

It’s not fair.

“It was a fire, wasn’t it?” the princess said from inside. Her voice was almost too soft for him to hear. “It was a fire that killed his parents.”

Edmund didn’t respond for a long time, but eventually, the answer came.

“Yes.”

Chapter Text

“Silver—”

“Don’t talk to me.”

Blaze had expected that much, but she continued anyway. “I apologize for my uncalled for behavior yesterday.”

“Good.” He wouldn’t even look at her, and though she couldn’t exactly blame him, if they were going to stay here for a week, she wanted him to at least acknowledge her.

“I was frustrated and scared,” she said, watching him carefully. “I said things that were insensitive. I’m sorry.” She glanced over where Edmund usually sat for just a second before sighing very softly. “And thank you for helping me get home.”

Silver just made a sort of grunting sound in response. Despite sleeping all day, he had slept through the night and late into the morning, yet he looked as exhausted as ever. She could see the darkness under his eyes, almost matching the black fur around them. His breathing was still labored, and the bruising on his chest was more prominent than before. 

He didn’t have to save me. He could have easily left me behind and spared himself the pain. 

So why hadn’t he?

Her conversation with Edmund returned to her mind. “He knows exactly what it’s like to be alone and scared.” She started to wish she had been more gentle with him when they had first met. She had never had friends before. Sure, she’d grown up with nannies and servants, but she’d never had friends. Now she realized that while she had criticized his social skills earlier, hers weren’t much better. She too knew what it was like to be alone.

They sat in silence for a long time. Edmund had gone out earlier to fill their water bottles in a dirty well across the city, and though she offered to help carry them—Silver’s ear had twitched when she’d spoken up—the echidna was insistent that he go alone. So she was left to wallow in the silence filled with tension. Tension that she had created. 

“I’m sorry about your parents,” she said suddenly, surprising herself. “Edmund told me last night. I’m sorry if my fire triggered bad memories.”

He didn’t say anything for a long time. Just when she thought she wouldn’t get an answer, he spoke softly. “Edmund put you up to this, didn’t he?” 

“No,” she said, mostly telling the truth. At first, yes, the old echidna had told her to apologize, but it took her a moment to realize that she actually wanted to make amends. “I…shouldn’t have pried, but I asked him about it, and now I realize how terrible I’ve been to you.”

Silver stayed facing the wall, though she could see him rubbing his plush anxiously. “Those things you said to me really hurt.”

“What things?” she asked slowly, though she quickly explained as his quills bristled in anger. “Specifically. So I—so I can make sure not to say them again.”

“You treat me like I’m stupid.” His voice cracked just slightly, but she still noticed. “Maybe you’re not doing it on purpose. But when you talk to me, when you look at me…”

“I’m sorry.” 

This time, he glanced at her. “How much did Edmund tell you?”

“Not much.” She paused, and then sighed. “I know we come from very different backgrounds, but…I know what it’s like to be alone, too.”

“No, you don’t.” His voice had hardened again, and he’d spoken without hesitation.

She frowned at his accusation. “You don’t know how I grew up.”

He snorted, still facing the wall. “Yeah? Lemme guess. A baby girl’s born into the big wide world. She’s not gonna live. So her parents cause the end of the world to save her life, effectively destroying the rest of ours. Sound familiar?”

“That isn’t—”

“The little girl grows up all pampered and protected with everything she could ever want, while the rest of us die of dehydration ‘n heatstroke.” Though his voice was still hard, she could hear a tremble when he took a breath. “Then she thinks she had it bad, ‘cause Mommy and Daddy are too busy to pay attention to her, and so she thinks she knows what loneliness feels like.”

Blaze wanted to be angry, but she just watched him with an aching heart. He was definitely crying now. She suddenly wished she wasn’t so good at making him cry.

“I know pain’s relative,” he continued, softer this time. “So maybe I shouldn’t be so upset. But—I just…my family didn’t just die. They were murdered. And I saw the whole thing.”

As she looked at him, she finally saw him for what he was—a scared little boy alone in a world of death and devastation. She wondered why it had taken her so long to see it. No wonder he was so defensive when she’d assumed he couldn’t read. He had no one to teach him. He hadn’t had a father to teach him when to pick fights or how to tie knots. He hadn’t had a mother to tell him bedtime stories or teach him the best ways to cook food. He hadn’t had parents to run to when he was hurt or scared or upset. And he hadn’t had a nanny there when his parents weren’t.

That was why he looked so much younger and yet so much older than he really was.

“Silver, I’m sorry,” Blaze whispered. “I’m so sorry. I—you’re right. I can’t even begin to compare myself to you. I shouldn’t have tried. Everything you’ve said is true. I’ve been a terrible person and…and a terrible friend.”

He snorted again and rubbed his face with the back of his hand. “Yeah, you have.” Then he turned to look at her for the first time that day. His soft yellow eyes revealed all the pain and fear he’d been hiding. “So what makes you wanna change? You’re not just being nice to me ‘cause I threatened you last night?”

“No, and I’m…not sure,” she said honestly. “I think it happened when I realized what kind of person you are. Not just who I thought you were, but what you’re really like. You didn’t have to rescue me. You didn’t have to get hurt. You could have just walked away. But you didn’t.”

Silver held his plushie a little tighter. “Sometimes I wish I would’ve. But I woulda hated myself if I did.” He sighed and looked away. “You said you were a terrible friend. Do…you think we’re friends?”

A bolt of guilt struck her stomach, and she cringed slightly. “I’d like to be. I’d like to start over. Especially since you’re still going to take me home, even after how awful I’ve treated you. I’d like to make it up to you, if that’s possible.”

He didn’t say anything for a while. Finally, he shook his head a little, though it wasn’t a rejecting gesture. “Princess, you’re the weirdest person I’ve ever met.”

“If it makes you feel better, I’ve never met anyone like you, either.”

When Edmund returned, he was obviously surprised that they hadn’t ripped each other’s throats out. 

They hadn’t said much since that conversation, but the tension had been replaced by peaceful stillness. There wasn’t much to do while they both waited for Silver to heal, so Blaze found herself taking naps most of the time. She wanted to take walks, but she was too nervous to go alone, so she’d gone scavenging with Edmund and decided it was more awkward to talk to him than it was to sit in silence with Silver. 

It had been five days since he’d been hurt, and while it was clear how happy he was to be with Edmund again, she knew he was getting restless. The echidna had let him stand up and walk around a bit, but he hadn’t let him move for long. Though Edmund wasn’t Silver’s biological father, Blaze could definitely see where the hedgehog had gotten his protective streak. 

Her parents were protective too, but their protection had never looked like this. These two outsiders loved each other very much, and showed it in their protection. Her parents’ protection just seemed like strict rules built from fear rather than love. They weren’t affectionate. They were only stern. Something like longing settled in her chest as she watched Silver and Edmund laugh together, tugging painfully as Silver rested his head on the elder’s shoulder, and she realized that he had been wrong about one thing. While she had grown up with every material thing she could ever want, she had been deprived of something far more important. She hadn’t realized how important it was until she’d seen its power.

She had been pampered and protected, yes, but she had never felt like she was loved. And now she realized that she would trade everything she’d been given just to have what Silver and Edmund had.

“You okay?” Silver asked.

“What?” Blaze blinked hard to fight the tears that threatened to fall. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried. 

He just tilted his head in concern. “Something bothering you? You look upset.”

“Oh, no,” she said quickly, forcing the neutral expression she’d been raised to show. “It’s nothing.”

“If you’re sure…?”

“I am,” she insisted.

Chapter Text

It was embarrassing how many times he’d already cried in front of the princess, but he couldn’t keep a few final tears from falling as he hugged Edmund and said goodbye. It would be a while before they could see each other again. Then Silver’s heart jumped to his throat as he realized that if they ever made it to Onyx, there was a very real possibility he wouldn’t come back. He hugged the echidna a little tighter before stepping back and giving him a smile he hoped looked sincere. 

“Thanks for everything, Edmund,” he said again.

“Anytime,” the old man said. “And I mean it. Anytime. Don’t stay away for too long, ‘kay?”

“I won’t.” Silver shouldered his bag, wincing just slightly. Though he felt much better after the week of rest, he still had a lot of healing to suffer through. 

“Take it easy, ‘kay? Nothin’ too crazy until you’re all healed.”

“Got it.”

“I’ll keep him in check,” Blaze said, surprising him.

She’s serious about being my friend. The thought made his smile a little less forced.

Everything’s gonna be fine.

And before he knew it, they were passing through the gate separating Barricade Town from the rest of the world, back on the road once again. They had to travel much slower than Silver would have liked, but it didn’t bother him as much as it had before. Besides, the princess seemed grateful for the extra rest stops.

“We gotta get you some new shoes,” he said as the sun set below the horizon. “You can’t walk all the way there in those.”

Blaze nodded in agreement. “To say my feet are sore is a gross understatement.”

Silver tilted his head slightly to get a better look at her shoes. “Those heels don’t look very safe, either. You’re gonna break your ankles or something.”

She chuckled slightly at that as they both sat down on a bus stop bench that had seen better days. “Yes, they’re certainly not designed for this kind of adventure. Usually, I only wear them for formal events.”

“Speakin’ of,” he said, setting his bag beside him and rummaging through it for something to eat before they settled down, “where exactly were you headed when you were attacked?”

This time, she hesitated. She took her shoes off absently and sat upright, her face as neutral as ever. “A political meeting,” she finally said. 

“Yeah? What kind?” He pulled out a few granola bars and checked the dates. They were only a few years expired, so he passed one to the princess and opened the other.

“I…” Her face twitched as if she wanted to cringe, but her body wouldn’t allow it. “It’s a meeting that will determine the fate of the kingdom.”

“You don’t seem very excited about that.” Silver took a bite of the granola bar. It was rock hard and tasted like cardboard.

She sighed softly, and her hard expression softened just a little. “I…suppose it wouldn’t hurt to tell you. I’ve never been able to express my feelings about this event without constant scrutiny. Anything negative I have to say is reported instantly to my parents, and then they send someone to try to change my mind.” She sighed again, louder this time, and then looked at him with a strange emotion on her face. “But you don’t have contact with any of them, and you never will. I’m not in Onyx anymore. It’s time I realized that.”

“You don’t have to pretend out here,” he said quietly. He wasn’t sure what prompted him to say it, but the words seemed to help the princess relax.

“You’re right.” She sat up just a little straighter, but it wasn’t so formal. “I’ve just kept it bottled up for so long, I’m not sure how to express it.”

“Well,” he laughed under his breath, “guess I’m the wrong guy to ask. I’m not exactly the best at keeping my feelings to myself.”

“I’ve noticed.”

He did his best to ignore that comment. “You can say whatever you want. I’m not gonna judge you.” He paused and took a moment to swallow the stiff piece of granola. It got stuck in his throat, and he coughed hard before he could speak again. “Well, I might judge a little. But I’m not gonna leave you out here alone. Sorry, princess, you’re stuck with me.”

“Is that a threat?” she asked teasingly. She had never teased him before.

“Eh, more of a warning, I guess.”

They settled into a comfortable silence after that. She didn’t even complain about the granola bar. They still needed to find a safe place to sleep, but Silver didn’t want to break the odd sort of peace they’d created. It was a nice change. But eventually, it grew nearly too dark to see, and he forced himself to stand up. 

“We should probably find somewhere to sleep.”

“It was supposed to be a meeting about marriage,” the princess said, staying where she was. 

“What?”

“The political meeting I was headed to.” She leaned over and put her shoes back on, her ears and tail drooping. “I was on my way to meet with one of the suitors. I’ll have to choose between the two of them who I will marry. Specifically, I have to choose who I believe will be the better ruler.”

“Oh,” he said. He wasn’t sure why his voice sounded so disappointed. Maybe he felt bad for her. Maybe he finally realized that once they reached Onyx City, everything would go back to the way it’d been before. She would resume her life as a princess, and he would be back on the run, alone. “Couldn’t you be queen without getting married?” he asked instead of voicing his thoughts. 

“Yes,” the princess said, “but that isn’t the problem. The king and queen want an heir as soon as possible.”

“That’s kinda messed up.”

“They believe an heir will divert the prophecy to the child instead of me.”

He blinked. “Uh, that’s still pretty messed up.”

“It is, isn’t it?” She stood up and yawned, and then followed him into the ruined buildings to look for a safe place to sleep. “And I don’t believe adding to the royal line will stop it. I can’t remember the exact words, but the prophecy says the royal bloodline will end. In fact, getting married might only put more people in danger.”

Silver just hummed in response. He didn’t trust himself to speak. It was stupid of me to think we could ever be friends. I can’t hide it from her forever. It was pitch black inside a room in the back corner of a building, and he was glad the darkness covered his pained expression. “Here’s as good as it gets,” he muttered, gesturing at the dark. A flicker of orange made him jump, panic seizing his whole body. But it was just the princess, looking around the room with her finger ablaze like a candle. 

“What do you think?” she asked as they sat down.

“Hmm?” He flattened his backpack as best he could and shoved it over to her to use as a pillow.

“About the rest of the royalty and the prophecy. Do you think it will spread to them? It can’t just be about me, can it?”

No, ‘cause it’s about me, too. 

He just shrugged. “I dunno,” he mumbled. “But it won’t matter if you’re home safe.”

“Prophecies always come true,” she said, though she stated it more like a question.

“Maybe,” he said. “You should get some rest, princess. The sooner you’re home, the safer you’ll be. We got a long ways to go.”

Prophecies always come true. As much as he hated it, he knew it was the truth. Prophecies weren’t very common, but every one of them he knew about had come true, whether they were spoken by the wisest elder or the youngest psychic. The end of the world, the drought, the massacre—everything. All of it had happened, just as foretold. 

And that meant that no matter what he did, the princess would die by his hand.

“Well,” she said, and the light on her finger dimmed, “goodnight, then.”

“G’night, princess.”

To his great relief, the princess didn’t mention the prophecy at all the next morning.

Finding her new clothes—shoes, especially—would be a difficult task, since many places had been picked clean years ago, but he hoped they’d at least find something to keep her safe out here. The sun was brutal, and he didn’t know how thick her dress and coat were. Even just strips of dirty cloth could give protection. He’d wrapped his feet in torn strips of blanket when he was little, and as long as it was thick enough, it gave enough protection to walk.

Silver decided that they’d stay in this city until they either found something or were sure there was nothing left. It would delay their journey, but they both agreed it would be for the better. 

Blaze trusted him now. And while he was grateful, it also made him nervous, especially since their conversation ran through his head over and over.

By pure luck, they found an old pair of hiking boots buried in the back of an abandoned apartment. The princess didn’t seem comfortable taking them, which Silver thought was kind of ironic, but she put them on without complaint while he wandered through the rest of the apartment. Something didn’t sit right as he looked around. Though there were blackened scorch marks everywhere, the place was almost fully intact. In fact, the entire street was one of the least damaged streets he’d ever seen. So where had everyone gone? The princess voiced his question as he left the room, and he just shrugged in response.

He found a few cans of food and a box of protein bars in the kitchen, and put them in his backpack before he felt it. A breeze of very warm air. He swore under his breath and quietly made his way back to the princess. She was sitting on the bed, which only had a few burn holes. She stood up when he came in and started to say something, but he put his finger to his lips to tell her to keep quiet. Though she was obviously confused, she followed his lead.

When he was close enough to whisper, he explained. “I know why there’s no one here. There’s…things here. We gotta go.”

“What kind of things?” she whispered back, her eyes wide.

“I always called ‘em monsters. They’re made of some sort of magic fire; I dunno exactly what it is, but they’re like mini versions of Iblis.”

“Iblis,” she murmured, no doubt thinking of the god her parents prayed to to save her life.

“C’mon.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the window. “They’re blind, I think, but they can hear really good.”

They were on the third floor of the building, and though there was a metal fire escape, he could see a few more of those monsters roaming the street. He swore again. There was no way they could get down there quietly, unless he—

He shook his head before he let himself get that desperate. He would only use his power if absolutely necessary. Prophecies always came true, he reminded himself, and that meant he would eventually kill her. He preferred to keep the probability of a psychic accident as low as possible. 

“How are we going to get out?” Blaze whispered.

“Gimme a sec,” he muttered, scanning the street and debating the options. Anything they did at this point would attract the monsters’ attention. He just needed to find the safest way to do it.

“Silver…” The princess squeezed his hand nervously. He’d forgotten to let go. “It’s coming in,” she breathed.

Sure enough, a fire red creature slowly made its way into the room, its forked tongue flicking in and out of its mouth. It looked like a snake, and its scales were so hot that they warped the air around them, making it look like some sort of dream.

Okay. No legs means it’s fast, but it can’t easily climb. No wings, so it’s not a flier. That’s good. We can’t outrun it, but maybe if we get high enough…

He tugged on Blaze’s hand and tipped his head to the window. She followed him out through the broken glass, barely making a sound. They stood on the warped fire escape and looked up, and Silver cursed a third time before glancing at the princess and mouthing the words, can you climb? She shook her head, her eyes wide in terror. 

“I’ll help you,” he whispered, giving her the most reassuring smile he could manage. “It’s gonna be okay.”

The monster stopped in the middle of the room and turned its head toward the window as he spoke. He’d forgotten just how good their hearing was. Blaze squeezed his hand hard enough to make it ache. 

“We gotta move fast.” His voice barely came out, but the princess nodded. “You first. I’ll catch you if you fall.”

“I—I can’t.” Her eyes stayed glued to the monster as it slowly slithered toward them. “I don’t know how.”

“Look for the path with the most hand-holds. Up through there. See?” Silver pointed up the ladder and across the jutting bricks. The monster was too close for comfort. “Just take the ladder and go from there.”

She hesitated, but then nodded and carefully climbed up onto the rail to reach the ladder. When she pulled herself up onto the first rung, the ladder shifted with a loud clang. They froze in panic, and then the monster lunged. 

Silver barely managed to scramble out of the way as it practically flew out of the room and slammed head first into the metal railing. It stood between him and the princess, and he cursed a fourth time. “Keep going,” he shouted, climbing up on the rail behind him and then swinging down underneath it. “I’ll distract it ‘til you’re safe!”

He couldn’t see her, but he hoped she nodded and kept climbing. 

This was a terrible idea. He slid down so he was hanging by the floor, his fingers barely clinging on to the metal. The ladder shifted again and the princess cried out, and Silver had to shout to keep the monster’s attention. He couldn’t see it, but the metal beneath his fingers grew uncomfortably warm, and then it slammed into the bars again, biting down on the rail. The metal melted instantly on contact with its mouth.

There was nowhere else to go but down, so he let go and hit the landing below him with a bang and a yelp. He had the attention of the monsters on the street, now, too. One of them was a flier. It beat its wings and let out a shriek, and dove right for him. This window wasn’t broken yet, so he shut his eyes and stuck out his elbow, and jumped right through it. The glass was weakened by the heat and shattered easily, but lots of little pieces stuck in his clothes and skin. 

The air was unbearably hot. His coat was drenched in sweat by the time he found his way to the stairs. The snake and the flier both forced their way into the apartment behind him, screeching and sending bursts of flame through the room, and he just managed to duck behind a wall before the blast hit him. It burned a massive hole in the wall, though, and the two monsters crawled through. He flew up the stairs three at a time, his injured chest screaming in pain, but he couldn’t slow down or find somewhere to hide. The monsters wouldn’t run out of energy. They’d keep chasing him until they were destroyed or until they caught him. And if that happened…

Iblis’s fire wasn’t like normal fire. It didn’t create smoke, it didn’t require oxygen, and it didn’t spread unless the monsters made it spread. But it was hotter than normal fire, and once you ignited, there was no way to put it out.

He hoped Blaze had made it to the top, but now that he had a flier on his tail, they wouldn’t be much safer up there. He had to get rid of it somehow. It had been a while since he’d fought and killed monsters like these. Most of the time, it was safer to just slip away as quietly as possible. He couldn’t just slip away this time. 

The flier hit the wall in front of him and landed on the stairs, flapping its wings and sending a heat wave that knocked him over. The heat and the pain in his chest made it hard to breathe, and he couldn’t get back up again. The snake slowed down behind him and reared back to strike. There was nothing to throw in the stairwell. He was trapped. He had no choice but to try and escape using psychokinesis, unless he wanted to end up as a charred skeleton.

But before he could summon enough energy to even make a shield, the snake suddenly froze, and then writhed and twitched and screeched for just a second before it exploded. Its white-hot scales flew back down the stairs, away from Silver. There was no way that was an accident. Did he do that? The flier opened its mouth to grab him, but as it started to lunge, the same thing happened, and it exploded, too, up the stairs this time. As if it had been grabbed by some sort of energy.

What in Aurora’s name—

Blaze practically slid down the stairs and grabbed his hand before he could even say anything. She pulled him to his feet and dragged him to the stairs, determination burning in her eyes. 

“Thanks,” Silver coughed out, still in shock.

“I honestly didn’t know I could do that,” she said. She glanced over the rail, and then slowed down. “There aren’t any more following you, right?”

“Don’t think so.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah.”

“What do we do now?”

Silver had to pause to catch his breath, the adrenaline from his escape draining and leaving him exhausted. “If we go to the top ‘n stay quiet, we should be able to get to the next building. Then we can make our way back down and get outta here.”

She ran a hand through her hair and nodded. “Right. Okay. Let’s go.”

“Hang on,” Silver barely managed to say between gasping breaths. “I needa sec.”

“Are you hurt?” she asked in concern.

He shook his head. “Just winded.” 

It took him a few minutes, but once he could breathe normally, they resumed their climb, slowly and quietly. He glanced at the princess once they reached the top. If she could control the monsters’ fire, that meant she had some of Iblis’s power. Her ability to create fire wasn’t just a side effect of her unique birth. She had the power of a god. 

He didn’t know if that made him nervous or not.

Chapter Text

It was only after they jumped buildings and made their way back down that she truly realized what she’d done.

Holy Chaos.

She had just controlled those monsters. She had destroyed the spawns of a literal god with barely a wave of her hand. Fire had been hers to control from the moment she was born, but this fire was different. It wasn’t created by people. It was created by something with unlimited power. Did that mean she had unlimited power, too? She’d never felt drained of energy after manipulating the flames before, but she also hadn’t used her power very often, as the last thing the kingdom needed was to lose their city to a fire. Maybe out here, she’d be able to find a place to practice.

Silver didn’t mention the event again, and that almost made her more unsettled than if he’d suddenly run away from her. After all, he was terrified of fire, though she knew he’d never admit it out loud. That was just one more thing she didn’t understand. If he was so obviously afraid of fire, why did he bother sticking around when she could literally create it out of nothing?

Once they finally made it far enough away to resume their normal travels, she turned to him. “You’re not scared of me, are you?”

“No,” he said, trying—and failing—to give her a smile. “Just haven’t fought one of those things in a while. Caught me off guard.”

“Well,” she said and swallowed hard. Her throat was terribly dry again. “Thank you.”

This time, he glanced at her with a confused half-smile. “You’re welcome? I mean, I wasn’t much help back there. You did all the hard work.”

“No, I mean…thank you for taking me home, even after everything I’ve said and done.” She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, and then stared at the new boots on her feet as she walked. “I know fire makes you nervous. You don’t have to deny it. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. But this whole trip must be nerve-wracking, and I’m very grateful you’ve stayed.”

Silver let out a strained laugh. “That’s putting it lightly, but hey, least now we know you can protect yourself.”

“Yes, but with your survival skills and expertise, I doubt I’ll have to do much protecting.”

His smile wasn’t so forced this time.

As the days passed, Blaze honestly began to enjoy his company. What used to irritate her now made her chuckle or say something in return. He had the wildest stories to share, and she couldn’t quite tell if they were all true or not. Either way, he was a fantastic storyteller, and she was actually disappointed when he stopped talking, though that wasn’t very often. 

Two days after the incident with the monsters, the wind picked up and Silver frowned. “Dust storm,” he muttered. “C’mon, we gotta find shelter.”

“Dust storm?” she repeated.

He cracked a smile. “Doesn’t sound too bad, does it? But that stuff’ll tear right into you if you’re not careful.”

“Where do we take shelter?”

“Preferably anywhere with four walls and a roof, but three walls will do. Even two, but that’s pushin’ it.” He looked up at the sky, frowning again. “And we gotta find somewhere fast. We got two, maybe three minutes.”

Sure enough, the wind grew stronger every second they stood there, blowing dust and ash around them. It came from everywhere, and even the remains of buildings around them didn’t do much to protect them. Blaze covered her mouth with her arm and squinted as the air grew hazy. Silver pulled his goggles down over his eyes, but then had to hold his quills back to be able to see. 

“This way,” he said, and waved her forward. 

“Do you see anything?” she asked, though she regretted it instantly as dust rushed into her throat. 

“How d’ya feel about dumpster diving?”

Despite asking, he didn’t give her much of a choice, and practically shoved her into what used to be an alley. She stumbled forward and fell against a large dumpster, its green paint peeling and covered by rust. Silver struggled to lift the lid against the wind, but once he did, they were met with a terrible smell. It probably had been much worse when the garbage was fresher, but that didn’t make her feel any better. 

“Ladies first,” Silver said.

So she pinched her nose and climbed in. Silver tumbled in after her, considerably less balanced than she had been. His wheeze of pain was nearly lost to the crash of the lid closing, but she still caught it. “How are you holding up?” she asked as he got settled, though she had to raise her voice and ask again over the roaring of the wind.

“Fine.” He shifted his weight and a tiny sound of pain escaped his throat. “I’ve been better.”

“I know it’s not exactly the best place, but maybe this storm is a good thing. It’ll force you to rest.”

He snorted, though he immediately covered his face to hide it. “Whatever you say, princess.”

“I’m serious.” She couldn’t see him, but she knew he was giving her that goofy, gap-toothed grin of defiance. “Don’t make me run back and tell Edmund you’re not taking it easy.”

“Alright, alright, jeez.” He shoved her arm just slightly, and she nearly jumped.

Was that a show of affection, like a friendly look or a teasing comment? No one had ever made contact so casually with her before. It was always just a quick, firm handshake, or her father’s stern hand on her shoulder. What else was she missing?

Unsurprisingly, Silver fell asleep a few minutes later, despite the thundering of the storm outside and the stench of the garbage inside. It was a survival tactic, she figured. Fall asleep as quickly as possible whenever there’s safety, and sleep until instincts say otherwise. Even if survival wasn’t on the line, Blaze decided it was a useful trick, and so she closed her eyes and tried to let herself drift off as well. 

“Hey. Sleeping Beauty. Time to get up.”

“Huh?” Blaze blinked the sleep from her eyes and rubbed her face. It took her a moment to remember where she was, and when she did, she instantly regretted putting her hands on her face. “Is it over?” she mumbled. 

“Yep. We’re all clear.” 

Silver pushed the lid off and let it swing over the side of the dumpster, revealing the dust-covered landscape. It hit the side of the metal with a crash, sending a cloud of thick grey ash into the air. They both coughed hard as they climbed out, but once the dust settled, she much preferred the dusty air to the thick smell of rotting garbage.

“We smell disgusting,” she announced, and Silver just laughed. 

“There’s only one way to clean up out here,” he said with a smirk, “and you’re not gonna like it.”

She tipped her head slightly. “Oh? What is it?”

Still grinning, he crouched down and grabbed handfuls of ash and dust. The layer was nearly an inch thick. Then he held his breath and squeezed his eyes shut, and threw the dust directly into his face.

“What in the name of—”

“Dust bath!” he said with more enthusiasm than he probably should have. He grabbed another fistful and threw it at her, laughing as her jaw dropped in surprise.

“How is this supposed to clean up?” she nearly shrieked, though she wasn’t exactly upset. She didn’t know what she was feeling.

Silver practically threw himself on the ground and rolled over in the ash, looking up at her with that stupid grin still plastered on his face. When did that grin stop being annoying? When did she see it and start to smile back?

“Think of it this way,” he said, putting his hands in the air as if he was showing a presentation. “You’ll smell like fire, but that’s way better than ten years worth of rotting trash, yeah? And—” He held out the word for an extra second for dramatic effect. “—if you’re sticky, the dust’ll stick to it and make it easy to peel off.”

“That’s…disgusting, but I suppose it makes sense.”

“Then quit supposing and get yourself dusted up!” He gave her a childish giggle, and for some reason, she absolutely couldn’t resist. She sat down next to him and laughed as he swished his arms through the dust. “It’s a dust angel,” he said, sitting up to show the imprint left behind. 

“That’s ridiculous,” she said, smothering her smile in her hand. 

“Nah, you’re just boring.”

She paused at the slip of dialect. Boring. He’d said the whole word, rather than cutting off the end. He’d done the same thing with the word supposing, and he was starting to pronounce you completely, as well. Was it a slip? Or was he matching their accents? Blaze had felt more comfortable sharing her emotions and expressing herself around Silver. Maybe, subconsciously, they were becoming more similar every day.

Silver was still waiting for a response, so she shook her head and gave a dramatic sigh. “Alright, Mr. Exciting. Teach me how to not be boring.”

How to not be boring. That was, by far, the worst sentence she had ever structured, but it felt almost freeing to be able to speak however she wanted, with no one there to correct her.

“Sure. Lesson one. Stop having a crisis every time you do something your kingdom wouldn’t like.”

“Hey,” she protested, throwing a handful of dust at him this time. “I don’t have a crisis every time.”

He rolled over again and pushed himself onto his knees. His whitish quills were now a rather ugly shade of brownish grey. “Really? ‘Cause you just had like three in the past two minutes.”

“Actually, it was only two.”

He laughed again. The sound made her smile. “Whatever you say.” 

He put his hands in his quills and ruffled them up to get the dust out, and then stood up to scrub the rest of his body as if he had handfuls of soap rather than ash. As he brushed off his wrists, one of the bandages she’d noticed earlier slipped, just slightly, and the sun glinted very briefly off of whatever they hid. It wasn’t bright, but it had definitely been some sort of metal. That was odd. 

“Well, let’s keep going.”

“That sounds alright to me.”

According to Silver, their next stretch was threatened with frequent dust storms, but he’d said they wouldn’t be as bad as the previous one. Thankfully, they didn’t have to hide in any more dumpsters, though the buildings here were significantly more damaged than the previous city.

Two days and three more dust storms passed before Silver squinted up at the sky and frowned. “Storm’s coming. We gotta find cover.”

Though it was windy, it didn’t seem to carry enough ash to be a dust storm. Blaze looked up as well and froze at the unnatural sight. The sky was covered in black clouds tinted with red, and she was surprised they hadn’t noticed them roll in sooner. “A storm?” She pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders as the wind tried to pull it away. She had just found the garment, and wasn’t about to lose it. “But it hasn’t rained for—”

“A fire storm,” Silver corrected. “You don’t have those in Onyx? They’re practically everywhere.”

At the mention of Onyx, she sighed and dropped her eyes to the ground, though she wasn’t quite sure why she was upset about it. “We probably do,” she said. “I just wasn’t allowed out very often. It was too dangerous.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty bad. C’mon. We have maybe ten minutes, tops.”

That’s not what I meant, she thought, though she didn’t allow herself to say it out loud. Every time she mentioned the prophecy, Silver closed off, and now that she could finally talk to him and enjoy his company, she didn’t want to push him away again. But she couldn’t keep the thoughts from forming. They kept me in to protect me if the psychic ever came back. They must be worried sick. They have no way to know that I’m safe. Anything can happen in…How long has it been? Two weeks? Three?

“Hey, princess!” Silver called from where he’d climbed up an electrical pole. “Not to order you around or anything, but we got another problem. We gotta move!”

“What? What is it?” She had to shout to even hear herself. The wind was howling now, and the dust and ashes stung her eyes. She hadn’t realized she’d stood there for so long. The sky was even darker. 

Silver slid down the pole and ran toward her, pulling his goggles down over his eyes. “Dust storm, coming up fast. Didn’t see it coming with the clouds ‘n all. And with the fire in the sky, this is gonna be a nightmare.” He held out his hand, like he had when he’d first found her. “Close your eyes. The dust’ll blind you if you don’t.”

“Are you crazy?” she nearly shrieked, though she had to cough the dust back out again.

“Trust me.”

Blaze wanted to argue. After all, it was an insane idea, and though she enjoyed his company, she wasn’t sure she was quite ready to blindly follow him. But that’s what she’d been doing this whole time, wasn’t it? She’d blindly trusted him to get her home. For all she knew, he could be taking her somewhere far away from Onyx. He could even be taking her to the psychic. But he hadn’t hurt her, and he’d shared his resources and put himself in harm’s way to protect her, even though she knew she didn’t deserve it—and she knew he knew it, too. Why was she suddenly doubting him now? He knew the outside world better than she ever would, and now he was scared.

“Okay,” she said softly. She took his hand and squeezed her eyes shut, ignoring every instinct she had. 

“Hold tight,” Silver said, gripping her hand firmly. “Follow my voice. I’ll guide you.”

“Silver,” she whispered. The wind screamed in her ears, and dust pelted her body, nearly tearing open her skin.

“It’s gonna be okay. I promise.”

They slowly shuffled forward, Silver guiding her through the streets. He was in a hurry, but he made sure to warn her of cracks and curbs as he helped her up into a building. The dust settled for a moment as they passed behind a wall, but he stopped her before she could open her eyes.

“Hold on. We can’t be down here when the fire falls. We gotta keep going, but you can’t tell when a dust blast will hit.”

“You mean—”

“Yeah. We gotta go up.”

“But the wind—” 

“I know, I know. Things’ll get messy.”

He pulled her to the stairs and put his hand on her back to help her climb them faster. Every few steps, a blast of wind and ash nearly knocked them over, and Blaze squeezed her eyes shut tighter.

Then she heard a faint sizzling sound, her ears twitching as it steadily grew louder, and then without warning, a blast of heat slammed them into the floor. Silver swore and Blaze cried out, and then she yelped in surprise as he put his arm firmly around her waist and lifted her up. 

“Sorry, princess,” he said through gritted teeth.

He practically carried her up the stairs, despite his healing ribs, and only paused to kick down a door. The head behind them grew sweltering, and as soon as Silver let go of her, she tried to unclasp her cloak. 

“Don’t.” Silver grabbed her hands and she blinked her eyes open. “You need the cover or you’ll get burned.”

At that, she huffed a little. “Surely you haven’t forgotten the monsters. I control the flames. They won’t—”

His eyes narrowed. He grabbed her shoulders without warning and spun her around to look out a gaping hole in the wall, facing away from the wind.

“—hurt me..?”

The fire storm was unlike anything she had ever seen before. The streets ran with liquid fire, glowing white hot, and massive drops fell from the sky, bursting on impact. She could really feel the heat now, singeing her hair and drying her eyes. She stumbled backward in disbelief. Fire had never looked so…evil. Not even Iblis’s monsters felt like this. She coughed in the smoke and suddenly grew dizzy with fear.

“We should be okay here,” Silver said, his voice muffled. He had his arm over his mouth to filter the smoke.

“Should be?” She turned to look at him, but he just shrugged.

“You never know how hot this stuff gets ‘til it’s burned through your shelter.”

“So we’re not safe?”

“No. But we’re safer. ”

Blaze stepped back again and collapsed against a wall. “I’m going to die out here,” she whispered.

“You’ll get used to it.” Silver knelt beside her and spread his coat out like wings. She gave him a weird look, but he just flashed her that gapped-tooth grin. “My coat’s thicker than yours. More protection for you, princess. I promised I’d get you home, and by Aurora, you’re gonna get there in one piece.”

They must have stayed there for at least an hour—Blaze curled up in a ball, and Silver kneeling over her to protect her. How could he be so kind? This was now the second time he’d put himself in danger to keep her safe. This time, though, she knew it was a lot harder for him. He kept his eyes shut tight and his jaw clenched, but it wasn’t very hard to guess what he was thinking about. The burn scar on the right side of his face seemed so much darker in the shadows.

Finally, after what felt like years, the raging inferno began to calm, and he stood up again, wincing as he stretched his legs. “Alright, princess. Storm’s died down enough to keep moving. Gotta be careful, though. The fire’s still burning.”

“Are you alright?” she asked softly.

He just smiled a little. “Eh. Just a bit sore. And my tail’s a little toasty, but it’ll be fine.”

She climbed to her feet and followed as he turned, but then she paused. His ears and the back of his head were starting to blister. “Silver?” she said carefully. His ear twitched at the sound of his name, and she saw him cringe. “Silver, you’re hurt.”

“Nah, just a little overdone.” 

“I’m serious. You’re blistering.”

“It’s really okay.” He glanced at her, but then dropped his eyes. “‘sides, I’ve had worse.”

“If you’re sure…”

“I am,” he said firmly. “C’mon. I’m not gonna wait for the roof to come down.”

Due to the river of fire, they had to stay as high as they could, and that meant jumping buildings whenever possible. It had taken Blaze a few jumps to get the hang of it, as the last time they’d jumped across the rooftops had only been a single leap. She was extremely thankful that Silver was always there, promising to catch her if she fell, though she chuckled a little at that. She knew very well that he wouldn’t be able to grab her if she did fall, but it made her feel better just the same.

The sky was brown and grey now, instead of the deep red and black from earlier. The air was cooler, too, and that made moving easier. The way was still treacherous, but then they reached a raised interstate, and she let herself relax.

“It should be safer from now on, right?” she asked.

Silver flashed a smile over her shoulder. “Yeah. Should be smooth from here.”

They fell into silence, though it was uncomfortable this time rather than just still. Just by watching him walk, she could tell he was hurting again, both physically and emotionally. His parents had died in a fire. They had been murdered in a fire, and he had watched it. Yet he still let himself take the worst of the heat for her. How could she ever repay him?

She took a breath. “Silver—”

A thunderous crack cut her off. She froze as the pavement split beneath her, and the world seemed to hold its breath. Everything was eerily still.

“Princess.” Silver’s voice cut through the silence like a knife. “Princess, look at me.” When she finally found the courage to meet his brilliant yellow eyes, he extended his hand again. “Don’t move your feet. Just reach for me.”

She leaned forward, ever so slightly, only a few inches away from brushing his fingers, but that was all the movement it took. The concrete crumbled, and she fell.

She barely had time to scream before she was surrounded by a glowing blue light. It stopped her fall, as if someone had grabbed her, and then it slowly started to lift her back up. 

Psychokinesis.

After twenty years, destiny had finally found her.

She fought the telekinetic with everything she had. She screamed and thrashed and engulfed herself in flames, but as she rose above the barrier, she saw him, and her heart nearly stopped.

No.

Silver gently set her down, and she scrambled back. The circles on his hands faded to nothing and the blue melted from his eyes, but it was as clear as day. 

“Blaze, I can explain,” he said desperately. He held out his hand for her to take, but she backed up again and hit the barrier.

“Get away from me,” she hissed.

He froze where he was, his eyes pleading. Slowly, he took a step back, and then another, and then he turned and ran, hopping the barrier and vanishing from sight.

She just stood there, gasping for breath. It all made sense now. The bindings on his wrists, the way he tensed when she mentioned her parents, how he had lost his family, why he traveled alone. He was the last psychic, and that meant he was supposed to kill her.

She wouldn’t have blamed him if he had actually tried. He had every right to want her dead. Her parents’ orders had led to the death of his entire village. He had lost everything because of them. He had had countless chances to end her life, starting from the moment he knew she was the princess. He should have killed her dozens of times already. 

And yet, he hadn’t.

When she had told him to stay away, he had obeyed. She had made it very clear that she was afraid of him, and he had listened. No explanations, no begging, nothing. He had just left without another word.

Suddenly, she realized that she had made a terrible mistake.

Chapter Text

Silver ran until his legs gave out. He collapsed against a building and curled up, his heart aching. He could barely even feel his injured ribs or the blisters on the backs of his ears. All he felt was the terrible sting of betrayal. 

He should have known it was coming. He should have known he couldn’t hide it forever. I’m such an idiot. Can’t believe I honestly thought I wouldn’t have to be alone anymore. 

He knew he should have left her to fend for herself when he found her that day. Maybe pointed her in the right direction. Nothing else. Now she knew what he was. She knew what he looked like, how he talked, where he stuck around, who he was close to, and she’d no doubt run home and tell her parents, and the hunt would begin again. This time, Edmund wouldn’t be able to save him.

Chaos, please don’t take it out on Edmund.

He dug through his bag for his flask, but it was still empty. He was on his own.

How could he have let himself get close to her? He had been carefully hiding for thirteen years, and one reckless moment had ruined everything. I should’ve watched her more closely. Taken a safer path. Should’ve just let her fall. She might’ve busted a leg, but she’d’ve been fine.

I should’ve walked away when I had the chance.

“Why didn’t you?”

His head snapped up at the sound of her voice. He hadn’t realized he’d spoken out loud. Immediately, he scrambled to his feet and backed up, reluctant but ready to fight. 

Blaze jumped at his sudden movement, but didn’t back away. “I—I wanted to apologize. I overreacted.”

“After all that?” he whispered against his will. His chest was painfully tight, and he couldn’t tell if it was from the injuries or the emotional hurt. “After all that, you really thought I’d hurt you?”

She didn’t look at him, and that was all the answer he needed.

He slung his bag over his shoulder with a wince and turned away. “Onyx City is due north. Follow the highway. You can’t miss it.”

“Where are you going?” she asked, as if she cared.

“As far away as I can. It was nice to meet you, your highness.”

“Silver, wait.” She grabbed his hand and he spun around.

“What?” he snapped. “What else could you possibly want from me?”

“You said you should have left me when you had the chance,” she said softly. “Why didn’t you?”

“‘Cause I was taught not to judge someone based on what you think they are.”

She frowned, her eyes both frustrated and sorrowful. “You do have to understand where I’m coming from. They said you were supposed to kill me—”

“And you have to see where I’m coming from!” he shouted, his voice breaking. “ Chaos, not everything is about you, Blaze! Your parents murdered my entire family! I didn’t leave you back there ‘cause I know exactly what it’s like to be surrounded by the bodies of those you loved, and I woulda hated myself for the rest of my life if I put you through that.”

“Even…” She hesitated, her fingers playing with her necklace. “Even though you knew I was their daughter?”

“You were what, seven? Can’t exactly blame you for their order.”

“But they did it because of me. It was all about me.”

“Then they made it all about me. I was five, Blaze.” He looked right at her, and held her gaze until she turned away. “You really think I want to be the last psychic? What they did wasn’t your fault anymore than it was mine. For a minute, I let myself believe you weren’t like them. But now I’m starting to think I was wrong.”

She let him turn and shuffle away, and only spoke when he surrounded himself in teal light to lift off into the sky.

“If I promise to never tell them who you are, will you take me back to Onyx city?”

He paused just before his feet left the ground. “How can I trust you after what you said to me?”

“Because despite what you are, I trust you,” she said simply. “If you really were going to kill me, you would have already done it by now. And…” She sighed softly. “And I owe you for saving my life. It would be heartless of me to turn you in after you’ve done so much for me already.”

“Yeah, it would.” Every instinct he had told him to run away and leave her behind. But he knew he couldn’t. “Fine,” he said. “But at the first sign of trouble, I’m outta here.”

She smiled in relief. “Thank you.”

“Don’t make me regret this.”

He woke to someone calling his name. He sat up slowly and yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Princess?” he muttered.

“Silver!”

No, that wasn’t Blaze’s voice. It was a voice that was both so familiar and yet so unrecognizable; a voice he hadn’t heard in a very long time.

He scrambled to his feet and spun around, frantically searching for the speaker. It was too dark to see anything but vague forms. Blaze was still asleep in the corner across the room, but other than her, there was no one else around. He stood there for a few more minutes, starting to wonder if he’d really heard it at all, but then it came again, clearer this time.

“Silver!”

It can’t be.

“Mom?” His voice cracked as he called back.

“Silver!”

He followed his mother’s voice out of the building into the dark street. The air was thick with smoke. “Mom?” he called again, and then coughed hard. “Is that you?” 

The only response he got was another echo of his name. 

The smoke was too thick and black to see any more than a few feet in front of him. He squinted and coughed and held his hands out to steady himself, but he couldn’t find anything. The voice came from everywhere at once, spinning around his head like a storm. He needed to get back to Blaze. But he turned back the way he thought he came, only to find more smoke and smoldering ashes. He was lost.

“Silver!”  

It was his father’s voice this time. 

“Dad?” he cried, panic taking hold of his body. “What’s going on?”

And then it was Gold’s voice, and Ruby’s, and Chief Cobalt’s, and Bronze’s, and everyone he remembered from his home. All of them were calling him, trying to warn him, but he couldn’t understand them. The only thing he heard clearly was his name, and the loudest voice was his mother’s, so he followed it deeper into the smoke. 

The air around him began to turn reddish, heating up with every step. Now he could hear the crackle of flames, and as he walked, the smell of burning fur filled his nose. He froze when he recognized it. “Mom?” he said again, his voice shaking. 

And then the screams came.

He found himself standing in the middle of Jade Village, surrounded by burning houses and charred bodies, while screams and gunshots and roaring flames echoed in his ears. He took a step back and yelped as he stepped on a glowing ember. His feet and hands were bare, and he was missing his coat. The air was sweltering. His father’s blackened remains lay next to him, only recognizable by his four inhibitors.

“Silver!” his mother cried.

“Mom!” He ran toward her voice, shoving his way through the wreckage of what used to be their sanctuary. Now it was nothing more than a raging inferno. “Mom, where—”

There she was, just like he remembered her: her quills the lightest shade of blue, tied back over her shoulder, her dress as yellow as the sun, the dark symbols on her hands. And just like he remembered, she staggered toward the woman Silver now knew to be the queen, a bullet lodged in her side.

He wanted to run to her, protect her, do something, but he could only stand there and watch as the guards filled his mother’s body with bullets. “Please,” she choked out, blood dribbling from her lips. “Please…spare my child.” She collapsed at the queen’s feet, turning the stone path into a river of crimson. “P-please, your—your Majesty. S-spare my…my—my son.” Then she looked at him and mouthed something, and one of the guards shot her between her eyes.

“Mom!” Silver screamed, and the royal guard turned to him.

A burst of flames illuminated the woman’s face, and his breath stuck in his throat. 

Blaze. 

She gave him the same look the queen had given his mother. Disgust. Rage. Superiority. Gone were the traces of fear and regret Blaze had shown earlier. Her eyes glowed with burning determination, and she raised her arm to point at him. “You,” she said, her voice splitting into the voices of everyone he knew. “You should have killed her when you had the chance.” 

“I don’t—” he started, before doubling over with heavy coughs. He could hardly breathe through the smoke. “I won’t kill her. I won’t.”

Blaze narrowed her eyes, and the entire guard aimed their weapons at him. He was completely surrounded, but when he tried to summon his psychokinesis, nothing but fire rushed through his body, and he cried out in pain.

“Then she will kill you.”

The gunshots were deafening. Bolts of Iblis’s flames shot into Silver’s body, igniting his fur on contact and burning him up from the inside out. He let out a blood-curdling scream and collapsed as absolute agony tore through his veins, but they didn’t stop. They unloaded round after round of fiery bullets into his burning flesh, watching him writhe in agony, laughing at his pain, taunting him, but finally, Blaze knelt down next to him and pressed a gun against his forehead. She was smiling.

“You should have killed her when you had the chance.”

And then she pulled the trigger.

Silver bolted upright with a scream that turned into a choke as he struggled to catch his breath. It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the dark, and then he yelped again as he recognized the princess mere inches from his face. 

“I’m sorry!” she said quickly, scrambling back to give him space. "I was just about to wake you. I didn’t mean—"

"What were you thinking?" he snapped, trying and failing to keep the tremble out of his voice. She flinched, and he spoke softer. "I coulda killed you."

"I'm sorry," she said again. "I just...you were screaming in your sleep, and…"

"It kept you up, so you came to make me stop, yeah?" he muttered, and turned away from her, rubbing his face to find his cheeks wet again.

"No, I was worried." Her gaze softened and she sat down beside him. He scooted away. "Are you alright? Were you dreaming?"

He almost snapped at her again, but then he just sighed and ran a hand through his messy quills. What else did he have to lose? “Yeah. I get…bad nightmares sometimes.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” But despite his answer, he found himself sharing with her anyway. “I just dream about…” He swallowed hard, though it didn’t get rid of the lump in his throat. “My family. And what happened. Just…stuff like that.”

“That’s terrible,” Blaze whispered. 

“Then I get scared, ‘cause I don’t wanna hurt you.” Silver tugged off one of his gloves and stared at the dark circle on his palm. The circle that would get him killed on sight in Onyx. “But everyone tells me I have to. I don’t have a choice. And it's just…” His voice cracked. “It’s exhausting.”

“I used to have nightmares, too,” she said, “though they weren’t like yours. They used to be about the psychic, but the one I saw in my dreams is nothing like you. They were full of darkness. They wanted to kill me, and they would stop at nothing to do it.” She turned to look at him, though it was too dark to really make out her features. “But you…I’ve never been afraid of you. Not when we first met, not when I upset you, not even when I found that you’re the psychic I’d been so afraid of. After everything you’ve done for me, why would you want to hurt me?”

He let out a shaky sigh, trying desperately to quiet his tears. “It’s…it’s gonna happen. Whether I mean to or not. ‘Cause you’re right. Prophecies always come true. Always.”

“And yet I still trust you. I’m still not afraid.” She hadn’t hesitated for even a second before she’d spoken. She really meant it. Silver didn’t know if that made him feel better or worse.

“Thanks, I guess,” he mumbled. “Not that it’ll make much difference.”

They sat together for a few long minutes, nothing but his occasional sniffles breaking the silence. Then the princess shifted beside him, and spoke very quietly. “Do you need a hug?”

The sound that came out of his mouth was a mix between a laugh and a sob. Just a week ago, she wouldn’t have even asked what was wrong, and now here she was, offering to comfort him with a hug of all things. “Yeah,” he managed to say. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Chapter Text

Even after their conversation a few nights ago, it was obvious Silver was trying to avoid her. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought he was angry with her. Nothing she said seemed to help. He stayed as far away from her as he could, and though she knew he was only trying to protect her, it still hurt to see.

“Can’t you at least talk to me?” she finally blurted.

He turned to look at her in surprise. “What?”

“I mean, I understand why you’re staying so far away,” she said as she gestured to the distance between them, “but you can’t keep ignoring me forever.”

For a moment, it seemed like he was going to protest, but he just pressed his lips together and faced forward again. “It’s for your own good.”

That response sent a flicker of anger into her heart, and she had to pause for a moment to push the fire in her chest away. “How is this situation any different from before? Genuinely. It’s not like you magically gained psychic powers, so why are you doing this now?” She stopped in her tracks, and after a few steps, he stopped too.

Instead of answering her question, Silver clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes. “Why do you suddenly care?”

You showed me what freedom feels like. You showed me what it’s like to have a friend, to speak my mind, to live as if no one was watching. I don’t want to lose that. I can’t do this alone. 

She tried so hard to say what she was thinking, but the words didn’t come. Why did it hurt so much? What was this feeling that burned like fire whenever she looked at him? Why did it feel like her world shattered every time he avoided her? Why did she feel like she couldn’t live without him?

“I don’t know.” She was lying, and she knew it. One glance over his shoulder told her that Silver knew it, too. She hated lying to him, but things were already so awkward between them. Besides, their tangled lives were a mess. Once they got to Onyx, she would never see him again, and it would be for the best. 

“What’d’ya mean, you don’t know?”

“I don’t know!” she repeated, raising her voice. Sparks ignited at her fingertips. “I don’t know why I need you. I don’t know why I look at you and feel like everything is okay. I don’t know why I’m not afraid of you. You’re irritating, you’re dangerous, you’re supposed to kill me—but I don’t care about that and I don’t know why!”

Because I’m falling in love with you.

Silver didn’t respond. She took a step forward. He took a step back. 

“Are you afraid of me?” she asked.

“No,” he said, and took another step backward.

“Then why do you keep doing this? Why do you keep pushing me away?” Why was she so frustrated? Why couldn’t she handle her emotions like an adult, like she usually did? She needed to calm down. Then they could have a civilized conversation—

“Because I’m afraid of myself!” Silver suddenly shouted. His voice cracked and he was shaking. “I’m afraid of killing someone again!”

Her thoughts halted. “Again?” she whispered. “You’ve already killed someone?”

“It was an accident.” He lowered his voice, but it cracked again. “I was eleven. Someone attacked me ‘n Edmund, and…I dunno what happened, I just…fought back, and suddenly the guy was halfway ‘cross the street with a broken neck.”

Her voice refused to come. What did she say to that, anyway?

“Second time I was thirteen.” There were tears in his eyes yet again, and her heart broke. No one deserved a life of crying. “Someone jumped me alone. He was drugged up ‘n desperate, and I was young ‘n stupid…” He suddenly went very tense and pressed his knees together. It didn’t take her long to realize what he was talking about. The realization made her sick. “I didn’t know what to do,” he whispered. “I panicked. And before I could stop myself—he exploded. Maybe he deserved it; I dunno, but…chaos, it was the worst feeling. Knowing that I did that…” He finally met her eyes, and though she had never been a touchy person, she wanted to run to him and hold him close to make him feel safe. He took a shaky breath and wiped his eyes, and then turned away from her again. “So that’s why. ‘Cause the longer you’re around me, the more danger you’re in.”

“Oh,” was all that came out. “I’m sorry.”

To her surprise, he sighed and apologized, too. “No, I’m sorry. You didn’t…needa know that.”

“If you want me to stay away from you, I can do that,” Blaze said softly. “If that would make you more comfortable, I'll do it. But please don’t ignore me.”

He didn’t respond as they began to walk again, her on one side of the street and him on the other. Then he sighed again, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets. “Okay. I’ll try.”

They followed the highway until the city abruptly ended and nothing but flat wasteland spread out in front of them. The highway stretched across it, leading to what Blaze assumed to be another city. 

“Follow the highway. You can’t miss it.”

Silver stood in the middle of the road with his hands on his hips as he squinted down the highway. Blaze waited in the shadow of a crumbling wall, already feeling the increase of heat and lack of shade from the road in front of them. 

“We’ll have to travel at night,” Silver finally called. “The sun is merciless without shade. Without cover, you’ll fry, but with it, you’ll melt.”

Blaze looked up at the sky. It was nearly dusk. “Could we wait until tomorrow night? Or take a quick rest now?”

“Yeah, but we’ll have to keep it short. We’re almost outta supplies and I don’t wanna be stranded out there.”

He turned away from the road and searched for a better resting place, and though she tried to help him, it was difficult to stay away from him like he wanted her to. Thankfully, he didn’t look for too long, and decided the wall she’d rested against was as good a place as any, and they sat together in the lengthening shadows. 

His backpack sounded lighter as he set it on the ground. That wasn’t a good sign. “What sounds good to you?” he asked as he set three cans out in a line. “Can one, can two, or can three?”

None of the cans had labels, but at this point, she didn’t care what she ate. “How about can three?”

“Alright. Can number three it is.” He stabbed his knife into the top and pried it off, licking the piece of metal clean. “Oh, this one’s pretty good. Kinda salty.”

It looked like some kind of condensed soup, with vegetables and bits of meat in a thick creamy sauce. They took turns slurping the soup from the can until they couldn’t get anymore, and then they swept the sides with their fingers. They both had to take one of their gloves off, of course, which meant Silver had to reveal one of his psychic marks. It was a perfect circle on his palm and the back of his hand with a line connecting to a band around his wrist, and it was nearly pitch black, like a tattoo. He caught her staring, but didn’t say anything. When they were finished, he packed the other two cans away and stood up, shouldering his bag. 

“Gonna see if there’s somewhere to fill up water. We’re down to a half bottle, and we’re not gonna make it across with that little.”

“Oh. Okay.” Her heart jumped in her chest at the thought of being alone. But it was necessary, she reminded herself, and she could defend herself just fine. She had no reason to be nervous.

“You just rest,” he said, either ignoring or missing her nervousness. “I’ll be back soon to get some rest, and then we’ll head out.”

“Alright. Good luck.”

And then he was gone, leaving her alone by the highway. Even though she couldn’t help but worry, she knew she needed to at least rest her eyes. The sun didn’t seem too ruthless as it slid down the sky, so she took her cloak off and bunched it up to use as a pillow. She still wasn’t used to sleeping on the ground. Despite this, her eyes could hardly stay open as she laid there, and before she knew it, she had drifted to sleep.

Her dreams were full of fire and hardened black rock. Some sort of creature darted across her vision, too blurry or too fast to make out. A deep, thunderous voice spoke in her ear, and though it was close and rather loud, she couldn’t understand what it said. Her fingertips burned despite never having done so before, and she cried out as the feeling spread up her arms. The sound was muffled.

Then there was a flash of blue she’d only seen once before. Psychokinesis; wrapping around her body and lifting her into the air. She tried to scream, but her mouth couldn’t open, and no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t move.

Everything became distorted like a smudged mirror, and she couldn’t feel her body anymore. Her consciousness rolled and tumbled through blue magic and yellow fire, spinning endlessly into a dark void. Around and around and around until—

Silver gently shook her awake. "Time to go, princess."

For a moment, all she could do was lay there, dazed and confused as the burning from her dream faded. Sitting up was a struggle. She felt more exhausted than she'd been before she'd fallen asleep. "Right," she said slowly. Her tongue felt too big for her mouth. 

Silver gave her a strange look. "You okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

He didn't seem convinced, but he didn't push it. He just climbed to his feet and shouldered his bag, just like he had earlier. "If you say so. We gotta hurry. It's gonna be a long walk, and I don't wanna be exposed out there any longer than we have to."

The full moon was a deep orange, as if lit by the glow of a fire. While she was slowly getting used to it, the air was still filthy, filled with smoke and dust from all these years of drought. They said rain cleared the air. The last day it had rained had been twenty years ago, on the day of her birth. The day her parents had caused the apocalypse. The day they had sealed the fate of anyone who wasn't a royal. 

Maybe, she thought tentatively, it would be better if Silver killed her. Then the world wouldn't have to suffer for her parents' poor decisions. 

The prophecy had been spoken on her birthday seven years later. After seven years of drought, after starvation and plague, the king and queen had brought a psychic into the castle; a seer to tell them when this disaster would end. 

"A psychic of unseen power will end eternal suffering, and the royal bloodline will be no more."

The rat had stared right at her, his eyes glowing as his voice echoed, and that had been all the evidence her parents needed to give the order. 

Unseen power…

Silver didn't look like he held unseen power. He was childish and non-threatening. Then again—she glanced at him as her gut twisted nervously—she had only seen a glimpse of his power. From her point of view, he had caught her near effortlessly and brought her to safety without even breaking a sweat. And though she had never met another psychic before, that just had to be impressive. The mental energy required for something like that had to be enormous. 

He must have caught her staring at him, because he rubbed the bindings around his wrists and cleared his throat awkwardly. "So what's Onyx like, anyway?"

"It's…" She struggled for the right words. "Crowded, from what I can see. It seems as though life is still somewhat of a struggle, though it's practically nothing compared to out here."

"From what you can see? Don't you live there?"

She cringed slightly. "Yes, the castle is located in the center of the city, but I was never allowed outside. My parents are…paranoid, to put it lightly."

Silver snorted, but it wasn't in good nature like it usually was. Of course it wasn’t. That paranoia had killed his entire village.

“I apologize,” she said quickly. “I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

“Eh, my fault for askin’.” He glanced at her and flashed her some sort of half-smile. “Thanks, though.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but her voice stuck in her throat as something flickered in the distance. A creature of flame and hardened black rocks, just like from her dream. Her heart clenched and she froze in place as it came closer, taking enormous strides towards them. A face became visible as it approached, and it stared directly at her with two white hot eyes.

“Princess? You good?”

She heard Silver’s voice as if from underground. She pointed a shaking figure at the creature behind him, and he turned with a frown. It was almost upon them. She wanted to run, but her legs were like cement.

“What're you pointing at?” Silver said. “I don’t see anything.”

How can you not see it? she wanted to scream. It stopped mere paces away, radiating enough heat to smother her. The glow of the fire beneath its rocky armor nearly blinded her against the darkness. Then it tipped its head back and roared, and the sound shook her to her very core.

“What are you?” she cried. “What do you want from me?”

The monster roared again, and a voice spoke in her mind. 

“I am Iblis.”

“What d’ya mean? What’s going on?” Silver demanded. She barely heard him.

“Surely you recognize me. I am the god who resides within you.” 

The behemoth—Iblis—raised its claws as if to strike. Liquid fire dripped to the ground, sizzling on impact, and finally, she staggered back.

“What do you want from me?” she repeated, her voice trembling.

“I have allowed this carelessness for too long. I cannot allow myself to be put out.”

“What do you mean?” she all but whispered.

Iblis leaned forward, planting its fists and crouching like a wild animal. It lowered itself until its face was only an arm’s length away. The heat was suffocating.

“This recklessness will only lead to the death of us both. You must end this.”

“You can’t mean…” She turned to look at Silver in disbelief, terror coursing through her viens. He looked just as scared as she was.

“Yes.”

It raised a massive hand over the hedgehog’s head and flexed its claws. The fire dripped in a circle around him, and bits of its armor flaked off to create an ashy halo. And Silver just stood there, looking utterly confused.

She had to get him out of here. “Run, Silver,” she said. “Run as fast as you can.”

“What in Aurora’s name are you talking about?”

Iblis snarled. 

“Aurora will not save him now.”

Why wouldn’t he listen? What could she do? Iblis’s claws tightened, just seconds away from crushing her companion—her friend—so she took off running.

His shout of surprise was all she needed to know he was running after her. “Princess—Blaze, where’re you going?”

They had to get away. They had to. She made the mistake of glancing over her shoulder, and nearly lost her footing as she saw the monster following. It wasn’t running, but it was so massive that it didn’t need to. It could easily keep pace. 

Her chest burned, and she wasn’t entirely sure it was only from running. Flames ignited at the tips of her fingers and tail, and despite having near-total control over her powers before, this time, they sparked without her command. Like in her dream, they eagerly raced up her arms, burning hotter than ever before—hotter with every step Iblis took toward her. Tears burned in her eyes and her legs were jelly and she couldn’t breathe. She held it back as best she could, but against her will, a sob exploded from her throat, and the world caught fire.

She had no idea how long the inferno lasted. All she knew was that it hurt. Everything was doused in fire. She couldn’t tell if her clothes were burning, but it felt as though they were. Her fur seemed to burn until there was nothing but scarred flesh left behind. The flames of every emotion she’d held back rushed out of her and into the sky like a bonfire, burning and burning until the fuel was exhausted, and she collapsed to the ground.

Silver was at her side in a second. He reached his hand out, but didn’t touch her. “Blaze! Blaze, are you okay?”

It took her a full minute to see clearly, and another two to catch her breath. The ground was scorched and blackened in a wide circle, with a few glowing red embers left behind. She’d left the highway in her mad dash to get away from Iblis. As soon as she realized it, she bolted upright, her heart racing as she desperately searched for it. The god was nowhere to be found.

“Blaze, what happened?” Silver asked.

She opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out. Her forehead still burned, and she lifted a trembling hand to touch it. The royal jewel burnt her fingers, and she yelped.

“Hey, don’t touch that. You’re—you’re burnt.” Silver’s voice cracked, just slightly. “I’ll see if I can take it off—”

“No!” she cried. “It’s—it’s a seal.”

He blinked in confusion, but didn’t protest. “What happened?”

Her voice shook, and it took her two times to say it.

“I saw Iblis.”

Chapter Text

“You saw Iblis?” Silver couldn’t keep the utter disbelief out of his voice. “Like—like the actual Iblis?”

“Yes.” The princess was shaking, and her voice was soft. “I—I don’t know what happened. It was so sudden, and I don’t know where it came from. It wanted…to tell me something.”

“What did it say?”

She refused to meet his eyes, and her shoulders pulled in protectively. “I can’t tell you.”

That was more than alarming. “What? Why not?”

“It would only upset you both.” She struggled to her feet, swaying a little, and shied away when he held his hand out to steady her. The edges of her clothing were singed and smoking. “We must go. I don’t want to stay here any longer.”

Silver looked down at the scorched earth beneath him, spreading out in a wide circle. A charred tree shed flakes of ash like the end of a dust storm, and some of the rocks around them were tinged red with heat. He didn’t want to stay here either, but the princess looked like she could barely walk. The gem on her forehead still glowed.

“Can you make it back to the highway?” he asked.

She nodded and stumbled. He reached out and caught her, but immediately yanked his hands back on contact. She was practically burning, even though there were no flames in sight. She winced as he stepped back. 

“Sorry,” he said quickly. “You’re just—you’re just really hot. Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered.

He watched her stand there for a moment, waiting as her gem slowly dimmed. His curiosity tugged at his heart until he blurted a question. “What’s that thing on your forehead? You called it a seal?”

She brought her hand up to touch it and flinched. “Yes,” she murmured. “I never understood what they meant until now.” Then her eyes glazed with tears, and she took a shaky breath as she turned to look at him. He’d never seen her cry before. “Silver, I think Iblis is inside of me.”

His heart seemed to stop in his chest. “What?”

"The stories of the old gods," she continued, her voice cracking, "how Iblis was sealed into a jewel after his revenge rampage, how he was so powerful that he could still hear and answer prayers—I didn't really believe them, but…this is the jewel." She gestured to her forehead. The tears finally spilled from her eyes as she looked right at him. "My parents fused us together somehow. I wouldn't be alive without him. I can't live without him. And in return, he got his revenge." 

She turned and looked out at the barren world around them, and Silver followed. The drought and the fire and the monsters all started twenty years ago, on the day of the princess’s birth. This was Iblis’s revenge on the other gods—killing the mortals they cared about so much. 

"I just don't understand," Blaze said. "They stopped him the first time. Why can't they do it again?"

"Because Aurora can't harm a moral," he heard himself say. "It's not that she won't. It's that she literally can't."

"They can't do anything to stop me." She was openly crying now. "Silver, this is all my fault."

He shook his head wildly. "Hey, hold up. It's not your fault. You were literally just born when your parents screwed us all over. None of this is your fault. C'mere." He took her hand and pulled her closer, and then gently brushed her tears away with his thumb. The tears were literally boiling, but he hid his wince as best he could as it burned even through his glove. He didn't know what prompted him to do it. He had no idea if this kind of contact and closeness would comfort her, but she didn't pull away. "Blaze," he said softly, "none of this is your fault. Promise. You couldn't've known. Don't think your parents knew, either. It's okay."

To his complete surprise, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his coat and the fur around his neck. His first instinct was to pull away, because after all, he was supposed to kill her, and it would be better if they stayed far away from each other. But she was sobbing as she clung to him, and he couldn't help but hug her back, even as her boiling tears sizzled against his neck and her hands burned him through his coat. He was taller than her, now that she wasn't wearing her formal high heels, but she seemed even smaller now. She was so small and so vulnerable, and he knew now, at least in this moment, that he had to protect her. 

He didn't know how long they stood there together. His legs had started to lock up when she finally pulled away, rubbing her face and refusing to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry," she said. 

"Don't be. It's okay." 

“We…we should keep going.”

“Right.” Silver adjusted his coat and rubbed his neck, cringing slightly as he touched the burn. “Think you can walk, or you need help?”

He thought her face flushed, just a little, but he couldn’t be sure, not since she still radiated warmth. “I’d—I’d like a little help, if that’s—if that’s okay.”

“Sure. What d’ya need?”

“Could you hold my hand?” she whispered.

The request caught him off guard, but he didn’t let himself be speechless for long. “Absolutely.”

She didn’t need it. That much was obvious as they slowly made their way back to the highway. She had near perfect balance and steady strides, but she didn’t let go. And he didn’t mind it. Her hand had finally started to cool off like the rest of her, and was now a comfortable warmth against his palm. He almost wanted to take their gloves off so he could feel it better. The thought made his ears hot, though he didn’t know why. There wasn’t anything inherently intimate about taking gloves off, was there?

Once they got to the highway, Blaze shifted her hand and laced their fingers together, and his ears burned hotter and his cheeks were no doubt flushed. But she didn’t say anything, so neither did he. They traveled in silence for hours, hand in hand, until the sun began to creep up above the horizon and the air began to burn.

“Pull your hood up,” he finally said, tucking his quills into his own hood and pulling it over his head. “The sun’s gonna get real nasty. We need to cover our faces”

She glanced at him and nodded, releasing his hand to put on the hood of her cloak. She didn’t take it again. He didn’t know why it felt so empty afterward.

Doesn’t matter, he told himself. It’s bad enough that you’re friends. The less attached you are, the better.

The air was sweltering. The sweat that soaked through his coat had already dried in the sun and his eyes hurt from the dryness. Every breath he took felt like sand in his mouth. The road ahead of them rippled like waves as the heat warped the light, distorting the path ahead. A mirage, Edmund called it. It was easy to be misled in a mirage, but they would be safe as long as they stayed on the highway. He rubbed his eyes just in case. It only made them sting.

Oddly enough, while she didn’t look at all comfortable with the heat, Blaze didn’t seem to be faring nearly as bad as he was. While he could see the sweat glisten in her fur, she didn’t seem to be melting. The gem on her forehead was glowing again, though it was hard to tell against the glare of the sun.

When it was about midday, Silver’s throat felt as dry as the cracked pavement beneath them. He and Blaze sat on the barrier to rest for a moment and took turns taking sips from the water bottle. He noticed that she hardly drank anything and almost pointed it out, but something stopped him. His eyes flickered to the gem again. Maybe, he thought tentatively, Iblis is protecting her from the worst of the heat.

He was exhausted, and he knew she had to be, too. If he sat here any longer, he might melt into the pavement. He was just grateful for the wraps around his inhibitors. They would have fried his skin in only an hour if he’d left them exposed. When he shifted his feet, the rubber on the soles of his boots felt softer than usual. They still had miles to go, and they couldn’t afford to stay here much longer. Still, it was nice to sit for a while.

“Let’s go,” he finally said. His voice sounded like gravel.

The sun had shifted from their right to their left by the time the next city came into view. Blaze dragged her feet as she walked, limping just slightly, but Silver didn’t stop. They had been walking literally all day, but he didn’t want to risk sleeping out here. If they overslept, which he had no doubt they would, they’d be fried to a crisp.

“You okay?” he asked when Blaze stumbled for what felt like the millionth time. He took a sip from the water bottle and passed it to her.

“I can hardly keep my eyes open,” she admitted. She took a little drink—more than she had earlier—and twisted the lid on and off absently. 

“We’re almost there.” 

Almost there was miles away. He didn’t mention that. He just put his arm around her to help her keep her balance and stared at the ground as they trudged on. 

One foot in front of the other.

One foot in front of the other.

One foot…

A guttural roar echoed across the wasteland, and his head snapped up. He and Blaze staggered as they both jolted, completely awake now.

“What was that?” Blaze whispered. 

“Dunno,” he muttered, squinting into the distance. Something was glowing in the east. If he hadn’t known better, he would have mistaken it for the rising sun. “Whatever it is, it can’t be good.”

“Wait, Silver. Look.” She pointed at the sky, her finger trembling. 

He followed her gesture, and fear immediately clenched his chest. One of Iblis’s monsters, a flier, had emerged from the city ahead and now flew towards them, though it didn’t seem in a hurry. It didn’t look ready to attack. Sure enough, the flier didn’t dive when it reached them. It stayed high above them and circled them slowly, waiting. The lack of hostility made his skin crawl. The glow on the horizon came closer, and Silver held onto Blaze a little tighter as he realized it was likely another monster. 

“What are they doing?” he thought aloud.

Though he didn’t expect an answer, Blaze responded. “I think it’s a threat,” she said quietly. “It’s a warning.”

“A warning for what?”

“I don’t know.” 

As she inched away from him, he had a horrible suspicion that she was lying.

“C’mon,” he said instead of mentioning it.

The flier and the crawler from the horizon followed them into the city at a far distance. The fear of being attacked was enough to keep them both awake as they staggered off the highway and down a basement stairwell. The building itself was completely gone, leaving just the foundation behind, but it would give them a little cover while they slept. Silver was out the second he laid his head down.

Unfortunately, he woke at the crack of dawn, just as usual. He sat up and groaned, his legs already protesting the movement, and after a minute, Blaze was awake, too. 

“You should go back to sleep,” he said.

“I can’t.”

He was too tired to argue. “Guess we should get moving then.” 

She just nodded.

It was a skeleton of a city. Silver had only been here once with Edmund, when he was much younger, and it was worse than he remembered. The only building parts still standing were steel beams and pieces of brick walls. The asphalt was patterned with holes as if someone had taken a giant hammer to it, and some of them were practically craters. Half-melted cars and lamp posts littered the sidewalks, and the air smelled of burnt rubber and sulfur. 

“What happened here?” Blaze muttered, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders despite the heat from the rising sun.

“Must get a lot of localized fire storms.” And they must be pretty wild. His spines tingled and he turned, but all he saw was the flying fire monster, still circling high above them. “C’mon,” he muttered. “There’s not a lotta shelter here if we get caught in one.” 

Unsurprisingly, she didn’t protest, and picked up her pace to match his, despite their exhaustion. Once or twice, he swore he saw eyes between the buildings. It’s just your mind playing tricks on you, ‘cause you’re so tired. He tightened his grip on his bag anyway. Other than the two quietly tailing them, there were no signs of fire monsters, and though the sky was dark with grey-brown clouds, there didn’t seem to be a storm forming. But something was wrong. He could almost taste it.

Then he heard it. A cry for help. 

Both of them practically whipped their heads towards the sound as it came again. “Help! I’m trapped! Somebody please help!” It was a child’s cry. Silver and Blaze exchanged a quick glance, and then took off together down the street.

“We’re coming!” Silver called back. “Where are you?”

“I—I dunno!” the child cried, and his heart twisted with pain for them. “There’s big bars, and—and my foot’s stuck, and I can’t—I can’t—”

“Try to stay calm,” Blaze added as they leapt over a pile of rubble. “Take deep breaths, and keep talking to us.”

“Just please help me!” the child wailed.

A pile of steel beams came into view, practically hidden by the skeleton buildings around it. “There!” Silver pointed, and his palms lit up before he could even think about it. “I’ll lift the bars, you pull ‘em out.”

Blaze nodded. They skidded to a stop and Silver engulfed the beams in cyan light, lifting them effortlessly. They were lighter than he’d expected. Blaze rushed forward and scooped the child into her arms, backing out of the way to let Silver drop the wreckage, and to his great relief, the child didn’t seem to be hurt. Actually, now that he looked, the child didn’t even seem to be afraid, or even worried or—

A gunshot rang through the streets and blinding pain tore through Silver’s right arm. His concentration broke and he dropped the beams with a scream of pain, immediately pressing his other hand against the wound. Before Blaze had time to react, the child in her arms sunk their teeth into her hand, and she let go of them with a shriek. The child tumbled to the ground and darted away into the shadows. Silver had seen this before. They’d been tricked.

“It’s a trap!” he shouted, barely gathering enough concentration to deflect another shot. “We gotta go, now!”

But three people had blocked the easy escape, and pretty soon, the holes in the buildings around them filled with others. They were surrounded before he could even blink. Silver counted ten of them and swore under his breath. His coat sleeve and his glove were soaked with blood, and he could hardly think through the pain. He could only pray the bullet had torn through him and wasn’t embedded in his arm. Blaze stepped closer to him anxiously.

“Looks like we set a flicky trap and caught a chao,” the man in the middle said, still keeping his gun aimed right at him. “All we wanted was your food ‘n supplies, but y’know how much the royals’ll pay to see your dead body, psychic? Might even let us into the city.”

Silver swore again, his heart beating wildly out of control. He could’ve taken them easily if he hadn’t let his guard down and gotten himself shot. Now it would be a miracle if he could even pick up something to defend himself with. He tightened his grip on the gunshot wound, trying desperately to stop the bleeding, and bit his lip hard to keep his shriek of pain in.

Great job, moron. Now you’re gonna get yourself and the princess killed.

But Blaze stepped in front of him, lighting her fists up in flames. “Don’t touch him,” she growled. “By order of the princess.”

Some of them shifted and murmured and one of them whistled, but the leader just laughed. “Looks like we got two chao. Whatcha doin’ all the way out here, kitten?” 

His voice sent angry tingles down Silver’s spine, and he saw the hair on Blaze’s neck stand straight up. Her flames grew brighter. “None of your business,” she snapped. “Just put the guns down, and no one gets hurt.”

“Y’know,” one of the others started slowly, “if she gets hurt on the way, we can always blame it on him.”

The leader grinned, and Silver’s heart dropped to his stomach as he spoke again. “My thoughts exactly.”

Blaze took a step, the flames crawling up her arms and igniting the tip of her tail, but fire wouldn’t do anything against a bullet. If he could take out the guns, she could take out the people, and they’d practically be free. 

He let go of his arm to hold his good hand out for stability. He only had one chance, and if he screwed it up, they’d shoot him before he could try again. The psychic glow flickered to life, sputtering as a headache stabbed through his eyes. Not now, Silver. You’re not overworked; you’re just panicked. It’s just a little gunshot wound. It’s practically nothing.

“He’s doin’ somethin’!” one of the ambushers shouted.

“Shoot ‘im!” the leader ordered. “Shoot ‘im now! ”

Before any of the guns could fire, Silver tore them away from their hands and hurled them across the street. Two of them went off when they landed, the bullets bouncing off the metal beams somewhere off to the side. As if she’d read his mind, Blaze launched her own attack the second they were disarmed, engulfing the three in front in flames. They screamed as their clothes and fur caught fire, and Silver’s heart nearly exploded in panic as he was launched back into the past, hearing the burning screams of his family.

Nobody deserved to die that way.

“Wait! Don’t kill ‘em!” he shouted desperately. “They don’t deserve—”

Someone tackled him to the ground, slamming his face into the asphalt, and his words turned into a cry of pain. They held him down as someone else pulled the bag from his shoulders and wrenched his arms behind his back. Blaze yelled something, but he couldn’t understand it. All he heard was the metal shink of a knife pulled from a sheath. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t focus enough to control his power. He felt it react to his panic and escape in short bursts, but it didn’t do anything helpful. He couldn’t control it.

“Too many quills,” one of them growled. “Can’t find a good spot.”

“Doesn’t matter if you kill ‘im with one stab or seventy. Just hurry up! She’s gettin’ closer!”

“Lemme go!” Silver dug his feet into the ground, but with the way they’d pinned him, he couldn’t get enough leverage to fight back. All he could do was squirm helplessly. Sharp fingernails dug into the wound on his arm, and he let out a blood-curdling scream, arching his back and trying to throw himself away as white hot pain tore through him.

“Silver!” Blaze charged toward them, completely surrounded in orange flames. She hurled a fireball at the two coming to intercept her, and they fell back.

“Do it now!” the one holding Silver’s arms shrieked. “Do it now before she—”

A raging inferno completely engulfed them. Silver squeezed his eyes shut and braced for the burns, but though the air grew sweltering, he didn’t catch fire. The assailants screamed, nearly deafening him, and practically tumbled over each other to get away. The second he was free, he covered his head and curled up for protection, though he knew it would do nothing to save him from the flames.

The heat vanished as suddenly as it had come. Blaze grabbed his hand—his left hand, thankfully—and dragged him to his feet. “Come on!” she shouted, throwing his bag over her shoulder. He staggered behind her, panic and pain nearly blinding him. 

He couldn’t tell how many of them were out for good, but there were at least two still capable of fighting, since two shots hit the ground behind them. Both he and Blaze had tired but uninjured legs, but they couldn’t outrun bullets. It was only a matter of time before they killed him. Just don’t hurt Blaze, he silently begged. 

“Any ideas?” she hissed as they ran, her hand still tight on his.

Ideas. Right. We’re not dead yet. “Into the buildings,” he said, starting to point. The movement only aggravated the wound, and he yelped. “Harder to shoot us between bars.”

She nodded once and practically dragged him off to the side, into one of the mazes of metal beams—just as another shot whizzed past where he’d been a split second before. 

“Get ‘em!” someone shrieked.

Running did not help the wound in his arm. Blood gushed from it like a river, soaking the entire arm of his coat and dripping down his fingers, and leaving a little trail behind. The pain was dizzying. If Blaze hadn’t been guiding him, he would have crashed into dozens of the bars. He couldn’t tell if there were actually that many, or if he was seeing double.

“Can’t you do something?” Blaze said desperately.

“Like what?” he snapped back.

“Like—like break their guns, or—or throw something back, I don’t know! Something to get rid of them!”

He shook his head. “Hurts too much. Can’t focus.” He lifted his arm and tried to create a burst of energy, but bits of light shot out in random directions, none of them with enough energy to do anything but glow. As soon as he moved his arm, the wound lit up like fire, and he bit his lip hard to muffle his cry of pain. 

Three more gunshots sounded behind them, as well as three metallic clangs as the bullets bounced off the metal. His lungs already burned from overexertion. There was no way they’d outrun them like this, and no way they’d be able to fight them off. 

“It’s me they want. You have to go ahead,” Silver said through a wheezing breath, starting to let go of her hand. 

She tightened her grip, and he stumbled instead. “Not a chance.”

The flier screeched from the sky.

The next shot was closer, and Silver jumped as the bullet nearly hit his foot. Blaze spun around, balancing gracefully as she still ran with him, and sent a burst of flames back at them. Three voices cried out as the fire hit its targets. She took a step back and then spun on her toe, but a jutting piece of metal caught her leg as she turned, and she crashed to the ground with a scream. Silver tripped over her and landed sprawled out next to her, his vision going white with pain as he landed on his wounded arm.

Get up! he screamed at himself, but his body refused to respond. He was so tired. Maybe if he just closed his eyes for a second—

“You,” a voice snarled, and a hand latched onto the back of his coat and dragged him to his knees. A pair of green eyes glared back at him, filled with pure hatred. The attacker pressed their gun against his forehead, pushing harder as he tried to shrink away. “You shouldn’t’ve fought back,” they hissed, “‘cause you killed my brother. Now it’s personal.” 

“No!” Blaze cried.

But they just narrowed their eyes and pulled the trigger.

Chapter Text

The gun clicked, but didn't go off. Blaze let out a gasp of breath as Silver cracked his eyes open, no doubt as surprised as the attacker. They released the back of his neck to swear and hit the gun with their palm, and then tried to shoot again. Silver flinched a little as they swore again and dug through their pocket, likely to reload.

Blaze tried to stand up, but pain burned through her leg and she cried out. It's not that bad! she mentally scolded herself. It's just a cut. Silver's literally been shot. You're fine.

She was not fine. The shocking amount of blood from both their wounds made her nauseous and light-headed. She didn’t think she’d be able to stay upright even if she’d been able to stand.

“Give me that!” the person holding the gun screeched, snatching one of their companions’ guns away from them as four others approached, leaving Silver and Blaze terribly out-numbered. 

“Don’t kill him!” Blaze begged, dragging herself forward. 

“Hold her!” one of them shouted, and two bandits dragged her up by her shoulders and held her there. 

Silver stayed exactly where he was, his eyes wide and unfocused. He didn’t move at all, even as the first attacker raised their new gun and smirked.

“Silver!” she screamed.

His eyes flickered over to her. She could have sworn they changed from yellow to blue. The beams around them began to tremble and creak.

“Good riddance,” the bandit said.

She watched in horror as Silver’s ears pinned back and he opened his mouth to scream, and then before anybody could react, energy exploded out of him like a shockwave. The world went white. A horrible roar and a high-pitched whir pierced her ears. Blaze felt her body fly backward and slam into a wall, and before she could even cry out, her vision went dark.

Very slowly, Blaze managed to blink her eyes open again. The air was filled with dust and smoke, preventing her from seeing much farther than a few feet. She groaned and rubbed her head, her hand coming away wet with blood. It hurt to sit up, but she clenched her teeth and tried her best to ignore the pain. There was a hand on her shoulder, so she turned. It slid off as she did, and her scream caught in her throat. 

The bandit’s skull was crushed in, his bloody, lifeless eyes wide in shock. 

She scrambled to her feet, despite the gash in her leg, and stumbled backwards as fast as she could. There was so much blood, and too many mushy bits—she bent over and vomited. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block the image from her mind, but it was burned inside like a brand. Before she knew it, she was sobbing between gasping breaths, clutching her chest and heaving even when nothing came up. 

“B-Blaze?”

Silver’s voice trembled, but it was unmistakably his. He sounded so far away. The ringing in her ears was deafening.

“Silver?” she somehow managed to call back.

A silhouette of his wild quills appeared off to the side, seemingly out of nowhere. He was limping as he approached her, his hand tight on the gunshot wound in his arm. He looked so small and lost. “Oh, Chaos, Blaze,” he whispered, his face twisting into a mix of relief and horrible guilt. She opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly he’d thrown his arms around her, clutching her as if she would disappear if he didn’t hold on tight enough. “Thank Aurora you’re okay,” he cried into her shoulder. “I thought—I thought—I thought I’d killed you.”

She squeezed him back, tears running down her face as well. “How did you…”

“I dunno.” He turned his head a little. She felt his breath on her neck. “I just…I saw you, and I saw the gun, and…and all I knew was that I had to get away, ‘n suddenly everyone was—” His shoulders shook and he pressed his face into the crook of her neck, despite being taller than she was.

He’d killed them. He’d killed all four of them. And yet instead of being horrified, like she thought she should have been, she was only relieved. “Are you okay?” she whispered. 

He just nodded.

“We need to get your arm bandaged up before it gets worse.” 

He nodded again and hesitantly let go of her. His eyes were haunted. “Yeah. Yeah, okay. Street’s—street’s this way.”

As they stumbled back to the street, they passed the other three bandits’ bodies. Blaze tried her best not to look at them, but couldn’t help it. The first two had been impaled by the now-twisted and jagged beams—one through the chest, and the other through the head and the stomach. She hadn’t realized how much someone could bleed. The third, the one who had tried to shoot Silver, was lying on their back, the gun still in their stiff fingers. The back of the gun had exploded, and there was a bullet hole in the center of their forehead. Silver had somehow reversed the shot and made the gun fire backwards. He had twisted the beams and killed three other people without even meaning to. 

Unseen power…

The street was clearer and she felt her breathing even out as they stumbled to the curb. Now that she was calmer, she realized her leg wasn't actually bleeding as much as she'd thought it was, though it still burned in the open air. But that could wait. The entire arm of Silver's coat was soaked in blood, and his breaths were shallow and frantic.

"Take your coat off," she ordered him. "Let me wrap your arm."

"But your leg—"

"Chaos, Silver, you've been shot." She pushed his hand away as he tried to look at her wound. "Mine's just a scratch. Look at yourself!"

He looked down and his eyes went wide, as if he hadn't really noticed how bad it was. "Uh—"

"Here." She took the edge of his coat and tried to help him take it off, but he quickly jerked away. 

"No!" he yelped, pulling it back. Then his expression became clouded with guilt. "I'll—I'll do it." 

Despite wanting to protest, Blaze just watched as Silver struggled to pull his wounded arm out of the coat sleeve. Once he finally got it, he draped the sleeve over his shoulder, keeping his coat mostly on and covering his back. Her eyes narrowed slightly. He seemed rather desperate to hide something, especially for having just been shot. She'd ask him about it later, she decided. 

"Alright, let me see," she said. She had no idea why she was suddenly calm. Perhaps focusing intently on Silver helped keep the horrifying images of the dead bandits out of her head. The smell of blood suddenly made her nauseous again. She took a deep breath and took his arm and hesitantly, he let her look. The flesh was torn open, the wound both deep and wide, but the bullet had gone clean through the side of his arm, which was good. She wouldn't have to worry about getting it out. It was just so big, and it wouldn't stop bleeding. "It—it looks too wide to sew closed," she finally said. 

Silver cringed, visibly shaking. "Thought so. You're gonna…you're gonna have to c-cauterize it."

Her eyebrows shot up and her mouth dropped open. "What?"

He cringed again, deeper this time. "B-burn it closed. Stops the bleeding."

"I can't do that!"

"It'll—it'll be easy," he said, trying to sound calm, but failing miserably. "Just get real hot for a few s-seconds. Should be fine."

"No, I mean I don't know how!" Her heart seemed to jump all through her body as she sat there, watching helplessly as his arm just kept bleeding. "It's dangerous; only medical professionals—"

"Chaos, Blaze, just do it!" he shrieked, the sudden volume making her jump.

So she shut her eyes for a second and focused every bit of heat she could conjure into her hand. The flames changed from yellow to white, and then vanished completely as her glove began to smoke. It took all her concentration to keep the heat in one spot. "Okay," she said through gritted teeth. "Give me your arm."

He complied, and she took it with her other hand. He was already shaking, but it grew worse as she brought the heat closer, until it was impossible to keep her aim. 

"Stop moving," she said. 

The skin under his fur on his face had grown deathly pale. "On—on second thought—" He suddenly jerked away from her and scrambled to his feet. "You can just—just wrap it. It'll be fine. I'll be fine. It's fine."

"Silver—" She stood as well, snuffing out the flames in her hand to reach out to him. 

He took three running steps backwards, his eyes wild and terrified. Then he staggered and swayed. "Oh Chaos," he muttered as he gripped his head, and then his eyes rolled back and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious. 

Blaze somehow managed to catch him before his head hit the concrete. His coat arm slid off his shoulder, so she pulled it off and bunched it up to lay his head on. He was shivering despite the heat, his fur sticking out from the goosebumps. She did her best to wipe the blood away from his wound, and then took a deep breath, removed her glove, and prepared her hand again. 

The smell of burning flesh made her gag, as well as the feeling of his blood on her fingers. She tried her best to be careful and thorough, but the second she was done, she jerked away and vomited again. 

Thankfully, it did seem to stop the bleeding. She picked him up as best she could and dragged him a few paces away from the puddle of blood and vomit, and he didn't seem to leave a large trail of blood; just the smears of what was already covering his body. She set him down gently to retrieve his coat, and thought about his strange actions again—how he insisted he keep the coat over his shoulders, despite it being literally soaked in blood. It's none of your business, she scolded herself. But as she brought it back and lifted his head again, curiosity got the best of her. Carefully, she turned him over, and caught her breath in surprise. 

Two jagged lines formed an X across Silver's entire lower back. Fur and spines refused to grow over them, even though the scars looked years old. She gently ran her fingers over them, noticing how they were stretched and bumpy. He must have grown up with them. But they were scars without a doubt; not some sort of birthmark. Who could have done this to a child? 

Tears prickled in Blaze’s eyes, and she rubbed them away furiously. Silver's emotional nature was rubbing off on her. Or perhaps she was already so overwhelmed. Either way, she couldn't deny the cruel and awful state of the world outside of Onyx. Nobody deserved to live like this. Especially not someone as kind and gentle as Silver.

She turned him back over before he could wake, adjusting the coat-pillow under his head and resting his hands on his stomach. As an afterthought, she pulled the bloody gloves from his hands to try and rub some of the blood off with the dust on the ground, exposing his psychic marks. Her eyes lingered on the circles more than they should have. They were fascinating.

"They are, aren't they?"

She turned quickly with a gasp of surprise, only to lose her breath again as she saw what stood beside her.

A hedgehog, like Silver—only nothing like him at all. This hedgehog was orange and red, with flames licking up their upturned quills, and their eyes were black instead of white, with glowing green pupils. They smiled at her, flashing a set of razor sharp teeth.

Her fist ignited, though she wasn't sure how much good her flames would do against a flaming creature. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Oh, Blaze." They—he clicked his tongue. "I thought you were smarter than that."

It can't be.

"Iblis," she whispered, and he grinned. "But…but I thought you were…a giant flaming monster."

"I have many forms." The fallen god sat beside her on the curb, and she quickly adjusted herself to be in front of Silver's unconscious form. "I had hoped this one would not startle you as much as the last."

"Forms?"

"This is how I once lived," he said. "A mere mortal, and then a god. And now I am reduced to nothing but a vision in your mind."

"What do you want?" she demanded, subconsciously holding her arms out as if brushing Silver behind her. 

Iblis only sighed. "I want nothing more than to be free." 

Her nerves prickled at how casually the fallen god spoke to her. She doubted he just wanted to chat, but other than the obvious, she had no idea what he could want. "But you'll just rampage again. That's why they sealed you, isn't it?"

"No one ever told you the whole story, did they? Do you know the reason for my anger?" He didn't wait for an answer, and continued anyway. "The other gods, under Aurora's direction—" He hissed through his teeth, sounding not unlike the sizzle of water over a fire. "They took my brother away from me. Mephiles of Divine Darkness. They saved all the others, but they wouldn't save him. They said he had fallen too far to be saved, but they didn't even try. Tell me, princess. Wouldn't you have done the same?"

Her brow furrowed. The story was new to her, but she had never been interested in the gods before, so that wasn't surprising. "Why should I even listen to you? How do I know you're not lying?"

He just smiled once more. Despite the heat radiating from him, a chill ran down her spine. "You cannot. You have no proof any of this happened. The gods are just stories, aren't they?"

"What do you want?" Blaze snapped again.

"I want to live, Blaze. Don't you?"

Silver groaned softly, and she immediately turned to him. He squeezed his shut eyes tighter, and then started to blink them open with what seemed like great difficulty. It took him almost a full thirty seconds to do so. "Oh, hey," he mumbled, squinting at her. "Uh…sorry." He shifted slightly and swore under his breath. "You—you did it, yeah?"

She looked over her shoulder, but Iblis had vanished, leaving absolutely nothing behind to indicate he'd been there at all. "Yes," she said, forcing herself to answer his question before she said something to make him nervous.

He tried to sit up, but his arm refused to hold his weight, and the rest of him must have hurt as well, because he swore again and laid back down. "Chaos, my head…" he groaned, pressing his left hand against his forehead. 

"Are you alright?" she asked, and then blushed as she realized how obvious the answer was. "I mean…other than your arm."

He tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. "I've never made a blast that…big before. Took a lot outta me."

"What do you need?"

"Have any water left?"

She dug through the bag for his water bottle, frowning when she shook it. "A little. Do you know if there's anywhere to fill up around here?"

Silver sighed and then coughed a little before taking a sip. "I don't know. I only know the well by Emerald City, but that's not for a while. Maybe…six hours from here?"

That was more than alarming. They wouldn't last a day out here without water. "There must be one closer, or else that gang wouldn't live here. We just have to find it."

“Makes sense.” He looked over at her with tired eyes and sighed again. “You should get your leg taken care of before we go.”

“We?” she almost laughed. “You can’t even sit up.”

"Sure I can." He rolled onto his side and tucked his uninjured arm under his body, but he only managed to lift himself a couple inches before his strength gave out. "Fine," he grumbled, rubbing his forehead again. "Ugh, this has gotta be the worst migraine I've ever had."

"So your power uses mental stamina?" Blaze asked, though she already knew the answer. 

"And a lotta focus," he added. "That's why it's hard to control 'em as a kid."

"All you have to do to render him useless is break his concentration."

She jumped at the sound of Iblis' voice, but she couldn't see him, even as she turned around. 

"You have the perfect chance now."

Silver pressed his palm into his eye, but didn't respond to the voice or her movement. It was like the god had said—he was nothing but a vision and a voice in her head. 

"It would be so easy."

"Stop it," she said aloud.

"Huh?" Silver cracked an eye open to frown at her.

"Nothing. It's nothing. I'm just…stressed." Blaze dug through his bag to find the few strips of fabric left for a bandage and forced herself to focus on wrapping her leg. The wound stung from the dust and grime, but there was no way to wash it. She just had to pray it wouldn’t get infected. “Where do you suggest I look for water?” she asked as she stood up to test her leg.

“Nowhere,” Silver said, draping his uninjured arm over his eyes to block out the sunlight. “It’s too dangerous to go by yourself.”

“It’s alright. I won’t be gone long, and you know I can fight off anything that comes my way.”

“They could still shoot you.”

That was true, unfortunately. She pressed her lips together and looked up at the sky, through the skeletons of the buildings. A flier sat watching her from a distance—far enough that she couldn’t quite make out its form, but she could still see its glow even against the sun. She’d almost forgotten about the two monsters following them. She couldn’t see the other one through the buildings, but she had no doubt it was waiting, too. Would they attack Silver if she left? He wouldn’t be able to fight them off like this.

“Fine,” she finally said. “I’ll wait for you.”

Instead of responding, he let out a yelp and she turned quickly, ready to ignite her fists in case of danger, but he’d simply lost his balance trying to sit up. He was now lying on his left side, propped up on his elbow with his right hand resting limp beside him. She gave him a disapproving look, and he tried to smile sheepishly back, though the expression quickly turned into a grimace.

“A little help getting my coat back on?” he managed to ask.

“It’s soaked in blood.”

“It’ll dry.”

“You can use my cloak if you’re worried about burning.”

A hint of guilt crossed his pained expression. “No, it’s…”

It’s about those scars, isn’t it? She didn’t ask, but she knew it was what he was thinking about. “Familiar?” she suggested instead.

“Yeah,” he said slowly. “Familiar.”

She sat back down beside him, wrapping her arm around his waist to help him sit up. He flinched slightly on contact, but then seemed to relax into her grip. Once he was balanced, she reached around him to help him get his wounded arm through the sleeve. Neither of them had put their gloves back on, and the brush of her bare fingers over his felt oddly intimate.

Silver leaned into her half-embrace once they were finished and closed his eyes again. “Thank you,” he said softly.

“Of course. Try to get some sleep. It should help the migraine.”

“Yeah,” he muttered, his head drooping. He pressed his knuckles into his eye again. A few tears leaked from the corner and he sucked in a strained breath through his teeth. He would never sleep like this. 

Very carefully, she guided his head down from her shoulder to her lap. He mumbled something, likely a half-hearted protest, but didn’t try to shift away. In fact, he adjusted himself to lay more comfortably on her legs and pulled his good arm to his chest. He sighed softly, but it wasn’t like his other sighs. It wasn’t pained or frustrated or sad. It was a comfortable sigh; a sound of content.

Without thinking, she ran her fingers through his brittle, messy quills. A shiver ran through his body, but he didn’t flinch or try to move when she did it again. It seemed to help him relax despite the pain from the wound and the migraine, so she continued the motion, even when his breathing evened out as he drifted to sleep. His ear flicked when she touched it, but again, he didn’t stir. When her nails must have scratched his head just behind it, he seemed to melt on her lap. His ears were surprisingly soft, as was the fur on his chest and around his neck.

Silver was a very touch-oriented person—their time with Edmund had shown as much. She hoped this would help ease some of the pain; if not physically, then at least emotionally. And while she herself had never had the same relationship with physical contact as he did, she found herself enjoying it. His rhythmic breathing and the continual motion of her hands stroking his quills helped the panic in her chest subside.

He looked so small as he laid there, curled up with his head on her thighs. They were both adults, but at the same time, they were just kids trying to make their way through a ruined world. Silver just seemed so vulnerable now. She would do anything to protect him.

Because she loved him. 

Blaze didn’t know when it started or when she realized it, but she couldn’t deny it. The feeling in her body was unlike anything she had ever felt before. It was warm, like a flicker of flames that grew whenever she looked at him. When he smiled at her, her heart fluttered in her chest, almost like anxiety, but…soft. She loved every part of him; from his stunning gold eyes and gap-toothed grin to his kindness and vulnerability. 

Her eyes lingered on his psychic marks. She didn’t love him despite his power. It was a part of him, and so she loved it, too.

Iblis' voice echoed in her head. “I want to live, Blaze. Don’t you?”

The flier moved closer.

Chapter Text

Silver woke up screaming again. 

This had been the fourth—maybe fifth, he couldn't remember—night in a row he hadn't slept much. In turn, his restlessness kept Blaze up, too, leaving them both exhausted. The closer they got to Onyx, the closer they got to the remains of Jade Village, and the more vivid and intense his nightmares became. Most of the time, they were flashbacks and memories, twisted to fit the present. Usually, Blaze was with him. But no matter the content, the flames were always there, and one of them always died.

Tonight, though, it had been a dream of the gods. He'd watched the legend of their rising unfold. The five mortals with extraordinary powers battled the gods before them until they emerged victorious in a world enveloped in flames. The legends said that Iblis and Chaos had stopped the flames together, but in his nightmare, the fire god had just laughed and looked right at him as he helplessly watched his home burn to the ground. He could still feel the heat of the fire, even now as he sat huddled in the dark. 

His wounded arm was acting up again, and he swore under his breath. Of course, he knew a week wasn't enough time to heal a cauterized gunshot wound, but he couldn't help grumbling every time it hurt more than just a throbbing ache. Not only was it annoying, it was dangerous. If the pain surprised him while he was using his psychokinesis, it could break his focus at best or cause a serious accident at worst. Now it hurt enough that he doubted he’d be able to fall back asleep again, even without his nightmares.

He glanced across the damaged room with a yawn. Blaze wasn't where she'd gone to sleep. He looked around, but he didn't see her anywhere. More than likely, she'd just gotten up and gone outside, since he hadn't heard any sounds of a scuffle, but just in case, he climbed to his feet with a groan. He crept to the entrance, quiet so as not to startle her or anyone else who might be around, and then saw her through a hole in the wall, sitting on the curb and facing the street. She was a decent distance down the block, and he frowned. What was she doing? He took a step towards the door to go to her, and a sizzle hit his ears. 

A familiar sizzle. 

He barely had time to put up a shield before a fiery snake slammed into it. The impact felt like a sledgehammer to the brain, and he fell to his knees with a cry, the cyan bubble flickering. He barely managed to hold it as the snake hit it over and over, trying to snap its white hot jaws down on him. He'd never seen the inside of a monster's mouth before, for obvious reasons, but now he could see the glowing light in the back of its throat as it tried to swallow the psychic shield whole. Liquid fire dripped from its fangs. The effort it took to keep his shield up felt like his mind had been struck by lightning.

How come he hadn’t seen it before?

"Blaze!" he screamed. Blaze could stop the monster. She could kill it before it killed him. He didn't dare look to see if she'd heard him. 

The bubble wavered as the snake spewed molten rock, and Silver barely had the strength to keep it up. It had shrunk against his will, and he barely fit inside. He could feel his palms blistering as he held his hands over his head, but he didn't dare lower them for fear he wouldn't be able to direct his power without them. The light in the monster's mouth blinded him, and he squeezed his eyes shut and prayed he'd be able to hold up until Blaze got there. 

Speaking of—where was she? How could she have not heard his scream? He wouldn't last much longer, not now that the strain felt like a white hot iron pick drove between his eyes every time the monster hit. He cried out again, though his voice was weaker this time. 

"You've put up a good fight."

It was Blaze's voice, and yet nothing like hers at all. He managed to open his eyes a little, and nearly lost his focus in shock as he saw her, standing only a few paces away, with her hand on another beast's head. Her eyes, which were normally golden like his, were now a glowing acid green, and flames burned in her hair and at the end of her tail. The heat warped the air around her and made her look almost like some sort of deity. The gem on her forehead burned bright like the sun. And yet she stood there, staring blankly at him, like it didn't bother her at all. 

He opened his mouth to try to call out to her again, but the snake pounding against his ever-weakening bubble tore a scream from his throat instead. The heat was enough to catch fire to his gloves, even without the monster touching them. 

"Aurora must really trust you. A shame, really."

One last slam, and his shield fell. 

Instantly, his pants caught fire. 

Eternal fire.

He let out a blood-curdling scream and scrambled backwards, kicking off his boots and tearing the flaming gloves from his hands. The fabric ripped blistered skin from his palms. He fumbled to pull off his pants before his fur caught fire, but it was too late. It was impossible to stop Iblis's fire. Everyone knew that. He was going to die.

"It's nothing personal, Silver."

All he could do was writhe and scream as the flames slowly crept up his legs. The snake didn't attack again, because it didn't have to. He was dead already. He willed himself to pass out to end the agony faster. He could feel his skin bubbling. His vision dotted with black.

Then suddenly, the snake exploded. Someone was by his side. Blaze. Screaming in despair. He tried to scramble away from her, but he couldn't. 

The flames went away. He hardly noticed. Everything still burned as if it was still there. He couldn't scream anymore. He couldn't do anything. He pictured the charred corpse of his father, and wondered if he looked the same. 

How was he still alive? Every part of him screamed in agony. Except his legs. He couldn't feel them anymore. 

He wanted to die. 

Something brushed against his body. He tried to scream. Instead, white flashed behind his eyes.

He passed out. 

A sound buzzed in his ears. A voice. It faded in and out of his head, and he couldn't tell what it was saying or who it was. 

His body was numb and aching, but not burning. Was he dead? Was this the path to whatever afterlife waited for him? It felt like a dream; like he was mostly asleep and only partially aware. He almost felt like he was floating.

Now there were two voices, and someone was crying. Then three voices, then four, but the crying didn't come from the same place. He heard it from somewhere else, like one ear was in a whole different world. He strained to hear the conversation, and as he did, it grew clearer and his body numbed almost completely. He could barely hear the crying.

"We cannot meddle in mortal affairs."

"If we leave him on his own, he will die."

"We swore an oath, Aurora." 

Aurora? Like, the goddess Aurora? If he could hear her, then that meant…

"We cannot let our fallen brother succeed. You must understand that."

"Of course, but—" 

"He is our last hope, Gaia!"

The god of the earth. Was that the one with the deeper voice, or the higher one? Silver tried to force his eyes open, but they felt glued shut.

"She must die." 

That was a different voice. A smooth, quiet voice. Which god was that? Was he really dead, or was he dreaming again? It was odd to hear the gods argue with each other—argue over his life. He should have been afraid, but he wasn't. He didn't feel much of anything. 

"We cannot let Iblis ravage the world any longer. This must end."

"It will not end if he lives. This is the prophecy." 

Wait a second. There was no mention of his death in the prophecy, unless some of it had been kept from them. But if I die, he heard himself think, how does that end the royal bloodline?

"You know what happens when mortals cannot control their despair. It must be this way."

So he wasn't destined to kill Blaze? He was supposed to die, and then she would do it herself? He didn't know which one was worse—knowing he was supposed to kill her, or knowing she was supposed to kill herself.

He didn't want to die. 

Sickening fear snatched his heart, and the sudden shock of feeling something sent a wave of pain through his body. He tried to cry out, but he couldn't move. He had no control over himself. The crying he'd heard earlier was louder, and he could almost understand the words. It was so close and yet so far away. 

"It seems he has made the decision for us."

The god's voice was muffled now. Pain shot through his body and grew with each breath, but didn't reach past the middle of his thighs. He couldn't feel his legs. Why couldn't he feel his legs? 

"We will give him one more chance. If he does not succeed, one of us must take him back."

"Very well."

"Are we in agreement?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

Now he could feel his chest rise and fall rapidly as his lungs desperately tried to get enough air through the pain. His hands felt like they were still on fire. He recognized the crying—it was Blaze's voice. She was trying to talk through her sobs, and there was another person answering. Their voices faded in and out of his head. He was lying down on something hard, rather than feeling like he was floating. 

"I cannot heal you fully," he heard the voice of Aurora say, "but I can undo the permanent damage."

Why not? he tried to scream, and white hot pain ripped through him—down through his legs this time. His body twitched without his control.

"The other gods are right. I swore an oath to keep out of mortal affairs. This is as far as I can take you. Good luck, Silver. You have my blessing."

Something pressed against his forehead. A hand, maybe? Everything was cold and hot and far too bright even with his eyes shut tight. The pressure released, and he jerked like he had been falling in a dream.

It didn't feel like the goddess had done anything. Everything was so much worse now. He must have been dreaming. The voices echoed through his head, jabbing at his headache, and his hands were wet. He could taste blood in his mouth. The smell of charred flesh hung in the air. He still couldn't scream or open his eyes.

Something pressed against his leg and stars exploded across his vision. Before he even had time to register the pain, he passed out again.

Chapter Text

The hold on her mind released the second Silver stopped screaming. For a horribly long moment, all Blaze could do was stand there and stare as her mind struggled out of a fog, and then she realized—

Silver was on fire, and he wasn't moving. 

She'd killed him.

A gut-wrenching scream of despair burst from her throat. Without even having to think about it, she focused on the flames in the snake and destroyed it in one swift motion, and then she ran to Silver’s side and fell to her knees. In a second, she tore the flames away from his body, but it was too late. He wasn't breathing.

"No, no, no, no—" She took his head in her hands, stroking the singed quills away from his face, and broke into sobs. "No, no, please, Silver, please wake up, I'm so sorry, please, please, don't leave me…" She gathered his lifeless body into her arms and held him close in one final embrace. Her arms barely had the strength to hold him through her sobs. 

Wait—was that—?

She held her breath as best she could, but she didn't feel it again. Her mind must be playing tricks on her—

There it was again. A heartbeat. 

She scrambled to lay him down on his back, just in time to see his chest rise and fall, just barely, but just enough. 

He was alive.

She could still save him.

Blaze immediately began removing as much of what little fabric remained away from the horrific burns on his legs. The fur had burned away, and his skin was blackened beneath. She couldn't tell how deep the burns were, but she knew they were third, if not fourth degree burns. She had no way to treat them out here, even if she'd had more than a basic knowledge of first aid. Even if she was a professional, she barely had any supplies and couldn't get him somewhere safe. He was still going to die. But she would do everything she could to keep him alive. 

She had to find help. They were getting closer to civilization, and they'd sometimes seen small groups or individuals as they traveled. Maybe somebody else could help him. Maybe together, they could save him. 

First she had to take off as much of his clothing as she could before it stuck or melted to his burns. Her sobs and blurry eyes made it frighteningly difficult. His pants were mostly gone already, but she couldn't tell if the black flaky bits were fabric or his skin, and she didn't dare risk damaging him further by tearing it away, in case it caught muscle. She used his knife to cut his pants at the middle of his thighs, where the burns seemed to just end , and though there was a bit of blistering above that, his now-shorts were open and breezy enough to air them out. The sleeves and bottom of his coat had been singed, it was relatively unharmed. Iblis hadn't needed to destroy it, so he hadn't. The godly flames hadn't even touched it. 

His hands were torn open—a glance at his discarded gloves showed strips of leathery skin stuck to the fabric. They weren't bleeding, though, as the gloves had pulled off layers of his skin and didn't get deep enough to bleed more than a few drops. That and the fire may have stopped it. But his skin was raw and bright red, with the exception of his black psychic marks, and no doubt extremely sensitive. Blisters had already formed around the parts that weren't torn off, including up his wrists and around the golden cuffs he wore. The strips of bandages he'd used to cover them up were now nothing more than ash. He had another pair around his calves, right above where the top of his boots would have been. All four of them were a little discolored, but hadn't melted at all. A faint line ran through the middle of each of them, flickering with a weak blue glow. They had something to do with his powers, no doubt, but she couldn't leave them to cook his body any more. 

After a moment of fumbling for a latch or something similar, she finally managed to pull the two pieces away from each other and get it off his wrist. It snapped shut again when she let go of it. A million questions burned in the back of her mind, but she didn't think about any of them as she worked on the next one. The ones on his legs were loose, unlike the first two, which had been clasped right up against his skin. She had no idea if these ones were supposed to be like that or if Iblis had burned away all that flesh.

Once she finished, she ran to the room where they'd slept to grab Silver's bag, and then shoved his cuffs and discarded boots inside. Like his coat, the boots were only charred on the surface, remarkably. He would need them when he healed—if he healed. If he would ever be able to walk again. 

Her sobs grew out of control again. How could this have happened? How could she have let Iblis control her? Why hadn't she been able to fight him? 

She doubted she had the strength to carry Silver's limp body all on her own, but she had to try. She put her arm under his thighs, trying her best not to touch any of the awful burns, and braced his back against her other arm to lift him, but she couldn't get up. He likely weighed as much as she did, and she couldn't get back off the ground. "Please," she whispered. "Please, come on."

Who was the goddess Silver had mentioned a few times? Aria? No—Aurora. She prayed to her with desperation she'd never felt before. Maybe the gods would help her.

"Please," she begged, "just give me the strength to carry him."

She struggled for another long few minutes, and then finally, finally managed to stand up, her arms and legs trembling. She took a step and nearly fell forward, but somehow managed to keep her balance, her hands tightening on Silver's body. His breaths were still so faint, and she could hardly feel them through her own heavy breathing. 

"Stay with me," she whispered to him through her tears, despite knowing he couldn't hear her. "Just hold on a little longer."

The closer they got to Onyx, the more people they found. When they had entered this place, which used to be a suburban neighborhood, they had seen two little groups—likely close family and friends. She knew resources were scarce, but she hoped with every fiber in her being that someone would still help them. So she raised her voice and called out as she staggered through the streets. 

"Somebody please help!"

Unsurprisingly, no one responded. She tried again further down the street, but again, either no one was around or no one could help. She tried again and again until her voice gave out and her arms could barely keep Silver from falling. 

She tripped after what must have been an hour, and fell to her knees, dropping Silver's limp body on the pavement as she started to cry again. He was going to die, and it was all her fault. And now she couldn't even carry him to safety. She lifted him up as best she could and held his head against her chest as she cried into his quills.

"Hello?"

Her head snapped up at the sound of a voice besides her own. The sun was due to rise soon, and the smokey black sky was a little lighter. It was just enough for her to make out two figures down the block, coming toward her. 

"Please help him," she choked out. For all she knew, they could be more bandits or another gang, or even just normal people desperate to survive, but she had to try. 

The two figures were ducks, and the corners of their bills turned down as they came close enough to see the damage. "Sorry if this sounds insensitive," one of them said, "but, uh…I'm not sure anyone can help him."

How could he say that so casually? How could they see such horrific burns and not be repulsed? Were the people living out here really faced with death so often? She looked up at them desperately—they looked so young, and yet they were so familiar with death.

"I have to try," she whispered. "Please, I'll do anything."

The two exchanged a glance, and then the other one spoke. "Maybe Dad can help. Can you carry him?"

She nodded, but struggled to lift Silver up again. 

"So that's a no," the duck said. "We'll go get Dad. Don't move."

They both turned and ran back the way they'd come, leaving her alone. She whispered apologies and encouragement to Silver again, trying to soothe her own panic and convince herself everything would be okay. Everything would be okay, right? Prophecies always came true, which meant that he had to live to fulfill it. He had to. 

Unless everyone was wrong, and there was another psychic. 

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long, and soon the two boys jogged towards her again, another taller one in tow. She could tell just by his expression that the man thought Silver wouldn't make it. But he still approached. He still knelt beside her to look. She had no idea if he was doing it out of pity or genuine concern, but she appreciated it nonetheless. 

His frown deepened as he noticed the line where the blackened flesh ended. "How did this happen?"

Blaze knew she couldn't tell them the truth. It would only make them suspicious. Half of her was amazed she'd thought that far in advance in the middle of breaking down. "A fire," she said through choked cries. "He got caught under some burning rubble, and I—I couldn't get him out in time."

At least that was partially true. 

"I've never seen anything like it," the duck muttered, and then sighed and looked up at her. "I'm sorry, but these are third and fourth degree burns. There's nothing anybody can do. The best I can tell you is that they don't hurt. The nerves are completely fried. He can't feel a thing from here down."

"There has to be something ," Blaze begged. 

He shook his head. "A decade ago, he would've been admitted to a hospital and spent weeks in the burn unit. Even then, there's no guarantee. But out here…" He sighed again and rubbed his temple. "All I can do for him is end his suffering."

Her eyes widened. "No!" she cried, and she instinctively squeezed Silver's head tighter against her. "No, you can't!"

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing else—"

"Look!" one of the boys said, pointing a trembling finger at the burns. 

She and the man followed his gaze and gasped simultaneously. The flesh was healing itself, right before their very eyes. She watched with her jaw dropped open as muscle and then layers of skin grew back, replacing the black charred bits—still bad enough to require care, but not nearly as devastating as before. 

And when it was over, Silver's legs were covered in fiery red skin and disgusting yellowed blisters. There wasn't a trace of blackened flesh.

"Good Gaia," the man whispered. "What…"

Blaze remembered what Iblis had said through her mouth. “Aurora must really trust you.” The goddess must have heard her. Iblis had told the truth—she needed Silver alive. 

To kill Blaze.

“That’s the grossest thing I’ve ever seen!” one of the boys said, though he didn’t sound at all disgusted. 

The man brushed his fingers across Silver’s leg, as if to make sure it was really there. Silver’s breathing hitched. He’d felt the touch. He was still unconscious, but she could feel his chest rise and fall stronger and faster. She hiccupped another sob, in relief this time.

“He’s bleeding,” the other boy said, and pointed to Silver’s hands.

Blaze looked down, rubbing her eyes to clear the tears, and furrowed her brow when she saw the blood. His hands looked like they’d been bleeding for a while, and when she looked down at his feet, she realized they were bleeding, too. She must have been too focused on the burns to even notice. She rested his head on her lap again and took his right hand, wondering if the gunshot wound had started to bleed again, but his arm was fine. The blood came from his hands—from his psychic marks.

The duck saw them and swore under his breath, and then climbed to his feet. “No. Absolutely not. I’m not getting my family wrapped up in this.”

“Wait!” she cried. “You—you have to help him! None of this will end if he dies.”

“I can’t have the king and queen after us.” He shook his head regretfully. “Sorry, but my family comes first.”

"You don't understand," she begged. "He has to finish this. I know he will. I swear on my life that we'll never let anyone know you were involved."

"They've been hunting him for over a decade!" he snapped, suddenly hostile. "If they find out we even spoke to you without letting someone know, they will kill all of us."

Clearly this wasn't an argument Blaze could win, and she took a few deep breaths as she tried to accept it. "Okay," she finally said. "But could you at least tell me how to help him?"

The duck hesitated, and then let out a long sigh. "Normally these kinds of burns take a couple weeks to heal. You'll need to cover the burns for a few days to let the skin heal and prevent the blisters from breaking, but then air them out as carefully as you can. He shouldn't be allowed to walk for at least a week to keep the skin from tearing. Keep them as clean as possible—there's nothing you can do about an infection out here."

"Thank you," she whispered. 

He turned away and waved to the boys. "Hubert, Duane, come on. Let's get back before your mother starts worrying."

And then they were gone, and she was left alone with the unconscious psychic. 

They didn't have any more strips of cloth for bandages, as they'd used them all a week ago on Silver's gunshot wound. Since there were more people around, she doubted there would be anything left to scavenge, and she didn't want to leave Silver alone. So despite knowing he would tell her off for ruining it, she laid her cloak across her lap and used his knife to cut it into strips.

His marks didn't seem to be bleeding too much—they leaked blood very slowly, so she focused solely on his legs. The sun poked above the horizon, giving her a better visual, but that also meant they could sunburn in a few hours. And with all the exposed skin on Silver's legs, even a slight burn could be devastating.

He didn't stir as she got to work wrapping the burns, but each breath was stronger than the last. She'd mostly abandoned her fear of killing him, but it was like the duck said. If they got infected, there was nothing to do, and the infection could very well kill him instead. 

As she worked, she felt Iblis rumble in her chest, though he didn't speak. He felt weaker than before—he must have used all his energy to take possession of her body. What would she do if it happened again? What if she couldn't regain control in time? 

She had never felt Iblis's presence before meeting Silver. The seal on her forehead had never burned. There had been no point in Iblis using his power before then, because she had never been in any danger. She hadn't been protected from injury like she was now—Iblis had never told her that he was protecting her, but it was impossible to remain unhurt out here, and yet she was protected for the most part. It had to be the fallen god residing within her.

Once again, her mind drifted to a terrifying place. Perhaps it would be better if Silver killed her. Her death would protect him and save the world. Everyone would be better off without her—and she knew this wasn’t just a depressive irrational thought. It was the truth.

She didn’t want to die.

Silver let out a shaky sigh; the first sign he’d given of waking. It had only been a few hours since her possession, and she wished he would stay unconscious to spare him the pain. But his adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, his brows pinched together in pain, and he let out a pitiful, breathy cry. She brushed her hand through his quills behind his ears to comfort him as best she could.

Finally, one of his eyes cracked open. "Blaze?" he croaked out. 

"I'm here," she said. 

She watched panic erupt through his expression as if in slow motion. Both his eyes shot open and his entire body went rigid, and before she could calm him, he was shoving weakly, desperate to get away. She knew why—even though Iblis had had control, he'd used her body and powers to hurt him. Still, the pain was like a knife in her heart.

"Hey, hey, hold still," she said as calmly as she could. "It's okay. It's just me, I promise. I'm not going to hurt you."

He didn't seem to hear her, and kicked at the ground instead. But the instant he moved his legs, he jerked and let out what was probably supposed to be a scream. It sounded more like a strangled choke, and she winced, and then winced again as his powers flared. Bursts of blue energy escaped his body at random, and though the bursts didn't do much other than glow and push the dust around, it made her nervous. 

"Silver," she tried again, her voice trembling. "Please, hold still. You're hurting yourself."

"P-promise?"

She frowned. "What?"

"Promise you're not—not gonna h-hurt me?" He looked up at her with more desperation than she'd ever seen before. Tears were already streaming down his face, leaving clean streaks through the ash and dust, and flickers of blue shot through his yellow irises like lightning. 

She couldn't promise that. What if Iblis somehow managed to control her again? Though that wouldn't happen for a while due to his weakened state, it could still happen. But watching Silver cower and cry in front of her, covered in awful burns and filled with pain; she knew she had to say something.

“I promise,” she whispered. 

It still took a long time for his panic to ease—or at least shift to his injuries instead of her. She rested his head back on her lap and he lied still, though his chest still trembled with each heaving breath. The air heated slowly as the sun climbed higher, but she couldn’t bring herself to move him. Not when he was already in so much pain. She could still see it in his tense muscles and the blue sparks coming off his quills.

He rubbed his hand across his face and caught his breath as he smeared blood across his cheek. She doubted he was thinking completely clearly, but he had enough coherence to panic again. “My—my inhibitors,” he rasped out. “Where are they?”

“Inhibitors?” 

“They’re like b-bracelets. Gold and—and blue.”

The cuffs. Of course. She rummaged through his bag and pulled them out, though she had to dig a little for the last one. “These?”

Once again, the panic faded. “Yeah. Help…help me get ‘em on.”

Blaze snapped the two around his wrists, and almost instantly, blood stopped oozing from the marks. She took his hand and ran her fingers over them. They weren’t even raised like cuts or scars. There was no trace of injury at all. “What…”

“Dunno,” he muttered. “Maybe it’s a warning.”

The sparks and bursts of light lessened the moment the cuffs were on. He’d called them inhibitors. Did they dampen his power, or just stop it from escaping without his consent? 

“Legs,” he mumbled, fumbling to pick up one of the other two.

“Silver, I can’t.” She gestured to the burns covering his entire lower half. “Look at yourself.”

His eyes slid down. She expected them to widen in panic for a third time, but instead, he just sighed and closed them. “Don’t have a choice. You have to.”

“Why?”

His ear twitched and he cringed. “It’s—it’s too dangerous—” He cut off with a horrible cough that rattled his whole body. She brushed his quills back as he gasped for breath.

“Okay,” she said regretfully. “Does it matter where?”

He shook his head as his coughs faded. 

Some parts down by his ankles weren’t as blistered as the rest of him, so she laid him down and carefully clasped the inhibitors there. He twitched and yelped, but just like his hands, the marks on his feet stopped bleeding instantly, and his powers calmed. 

“We have to move,” she said, glancing at the sky. “I don’t want you to get a sunburn on top of all this.”

“Just a little longer,” he mumbled. Tears streaked down his face again.

She hesitated, but figured they would be alright if they only waited for a little bit. As she sat beside him again, he lifted his head weakly. 

“Can…can you hold me again?”

This time, the request didn’t surprise her. She pulled him up to rest on her legs and wrapped her arms around him, gently rocking him back and forth. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against her shoulder. He was so warm. If only things could have been different. 

“It isn’t fair,” she breathed. “You shouldn’t have to suffer because of me.”

“’s okay,” he mumbled, his words slurring.

Without knowing what she was doing, she leaned down and kissed his forehead. If he was awake enough to feel it, he didn’t react. Her own actions surprised her, but she didn’t let herself be surprised for long. After all…

“I love you, Silver.”

Chapter Text

I love you.

His mind was foggy, but her words were as clear as day. She loved him. The realization left a mix of warmth and utter terror in his chest. 

Why?

Why does she love me? How can she love someone like me? How can she love me after everything we've been through?

And yet he wasn't upset. He was only half conscious and pain took most of his attention, but he still remembered how they'd held hands together down the highway, and the way she'd laughed during the dust bath, and when she'd said she wasn't afraid of him. His stomach flipped as he remembered. 

He wasn't in love with her. He couldn't be. It was just admiration and friendship; that was all. He was just lonely and had attached himself to the first person he'd met. That was all. That had to be all. His heart didn't flutter when she smiled, and his hand didn't feel empty when she let go, and he was only sad that they'd never see each other again when they got to Onyx because she was the first friend he'd had since he was five years old.

Right. That was all.

Oh, Chaos, I really love her.

Even only half conscious, he knew how devastating things could get, and how much unnecessary pain their love would cause. But he couldn't help it. Neither of them could. 

He nuzzled his head further against her shoulder and focused on her heartbeat to distract from the pain. He really loved her, and he realized that he'd loved her for a long time. It had started from the moment she had truly apologized and tried to be better, and every time she looked at him, it grew stronger. 

She ran her fingers through his quills and he started to drift off. He couldn't move and he was covered in terrible burns, but he was safe with Blaze. 

And for once in his life, he wasn't afraid.

"We only have one can and two bars left," Blaze said. 

He looked up from where he was dozing against the wall. "Oh," he said, because he didn't know what else to say. 

"Do you think there's anything left to scavenge around here, or was it all taken years ago?"

"Probably all gone." He shifted his weight and bit back a yelp. Getting him out of the street and into some shade had been one of the worst things he'd ever been through. Blaze had tried to carry him, and had held most of his weight, but even bending his knees or feeling the wind against exposed skin was torture. The burns weren't even that bad—just lots of blisters—but both of his legs were completely covered in them. He figured they'd heal in a few weeks, but until then, he couldn't even get comfortable without shrieking. And all that didn't even include his hands. 

"Would it still be worth looking?" Blaze asked, breaking him out of his pain-ridden thoughts. 

"Dunno. Unless you can find somewhere that hasn't been broken into yet, probably not."

She seemed to consider it for a minute, and then looked at him and sighed. Her eyes were so sad. "I'm going to look anyway. You won't heal and rest without food."

He knew there was no point in arguing. Besides, maybe she was restless and wanted to feel useful. "Could you see if you can find something to wrap my marks with?" he asked. They weren't bleeding anymore, but he still had to keep them hidden. Blaze had told him about the duck family she'd found—and how they'd immediately become hostile after seeing them. And while he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, someone could still find him here, and that was the last thing they needed. 

"Sure." Blaze looked out through the hole in the roof. "I'll be back by sundown at the latest. Will you be okay by yourself?"

"Yep. Just…be careful." It was nearly noon, and though she would be protected more than anyone else, he still worried.

She smiled at him, and his heart fluttered. "I will. I promise."

Then she was gone, and he was alone. 

Immediately, an ache settled in his chest—an emotional one, not a physical one. How long had it been? Three months? Longer? They'd spent practically every second together, and now he was alone, wounded and helpless. Literally helpless. Every time he tried to use his power, even just a little bit, a terrible shock of pain tore through his head and it was all he could do to stay conscious. 

A small part of him wished he had died last night. The rest of him beat the thought back with every bit of strength he had. Death terrified him. He'd watched everyone he'd loved die, and thinking about the same thing happening to him made his heart jump into his throat and his chest tighten. He knew he wouldn't die of old age. He wouldn't have a quiet death. Every day was a day closer to the day someone killed him. 

After hearing what the gods had said, he worried even leaving Blaze and her family alone wouldn't save him. Nothing would. He was going to die alone, surrounded by people who hated him for something out of his control. 

He hoped he still had a few years left—he was only eighteen, after all—but it was a sort of hopeless hope; a wish he knew couldn't be granted. He knew the moment he stepped into Onyx, he was going to die.

The wind made the house creak and whistle, and he blinked awake again. Somehow, he'd lulled himself to sleep with thoughts of death. The realization made him chuckle a little, though there was no humor behind it. 

Most of the inside of the house had been trashed or stolen years ago, but there was a chair across the room with two of its legs snapped off, and a faded picture frame by the stairs. Judging by the neighborhood's relative intact-ness, he guessed this was where the plagues had killed people, rather than the storms or monsters. He wondered what kind of people had lived here; if they had kids, or went to school; where and how they worked; what they did for fun. Silver had been born in the beginning, two years after Blaze, but while things hadn't fallen apart right away, he had been too little to remember what life was like before surviving became a struggle.

Would he still be alone if the world hadn't ended? 

A soft yelp broke him out of his thoughts, and he instantly went perfectly still. Had someone found him already? 

"Silver!" Blaze called, running into the room, and he straightened up in alarm. 

"What? What happened? Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I just tripped running in." She smiled wide, though she was out of breath. "You have to see what I found."

A surprise that wasn't trying to kill him? That was a first.

Before he even had a chance to respond, she crouched beside him and put her arm around his shoulders to help him stand up. He grimaced and hissed out a curse as he climbed to his feet, and leaned most of his weight on Blaze when he got there. Each step felt like he was on fire all over again. "How far is it?" he asked through gritted teeth. 

"Near the edge of the neighborhood," she said. "But I promise it'll be worth it."

Silver had spent his whole life skeptical of everything, and now was no exception. His skepticism was what kept him alive. But he trusted Blaze. She wouldn't hurt him. So he tried to keep his suspicions down and just focus on walking. It was hard enough moving as it was; he didn't need to spend his energy worrying, too.

The sun was just above the horizon as they stumbled down the street, and he was at least grateful he wouldn't have to worry about burning again. Some of the blisters around his knees split and burst, and it took all the energy he had to keep from crying out with every step. The sunset doused the streets in red, and his breathing grew heavy as memories flickered through his mind. 

The sun had turned everything red like this the day Jade Village burned down. And then the fire had glowed red against the smoke, and the paths had run red with blood.

"Do you need to rest?" Blaze asked, scattering his thoughts.

"No," he said quickly. The faster they could get out of the red light, the better off he'd be.

It was dark by the time they reached their destination—a pile of dirt and bits of rubble. The houses at the edge were destroyed. And yet Blaze still looked so excited. Had the heat gotten to her? She practically dragged him around the back and pointed to a tiny hole in the dirt. "There," she said. "See that?"

"Uh…what exactly am I looking for?"

"It's a basement," she clarified, which didn't actually clarify anything. "I sent a little flame down there to see—there's food in there, Silver. Shelves of it."

That caught him completely off guard. "No—no way. Really?"

"Look." She helped him sit down by the hole and sent a tiny ball of fire in. He leaned over and closed one eye to see inside better. 

And she was right. 

"Holy Chaos," he whispered. "How—how hasn't anyone found this yet?"

"I don't know. I was poking around and got curious. Maybe the hole was buried for a while, or maybe nobody bothered to look inside because it's so small."

"How are we gonna get in there?"

"I'll try to dig us a bigger hole. Then we can cover it up with some of the concrete chunks so others don't find us." 

She stuck her finger in and pushed the dirt away, widening it slowly until she could fit her whole hand in and scoop more dirt out. Silver almost laughed watching her. When they had first met, she had been disgusted by almost everything, and now here she was, digging through ash and dust with her hands and poking her head in the wider hole.

“It’s a crawl space, and it looks like part of it’s collapsed,” she said, brushing the dirt from her face. “I think we can get in alright, but we’ll have to be careful not to disturb any more than we have to.”

“Are you almost in?” he asked, feeling incredibly useless.

“Mmm, maybe half-way. It’s a little deeper than I thought.”

By the time she made a hole barely big enough for the two of them, it was likely around midnight. She stood up and stretched, her back cracking, and examined a few of the bigger pieces of concrete left over from the house’s original foundation.

“Could you move this over the entrance when we’re inside?” she asked, pointing to one.

The question caught him off guard, not because of the rubble or the new entrance, but because she had asked him to use his power. Even though she knew it could very well kill her one day. She had watched him explode and kill four people in seconds. And yet she didn’t ask him cautiously. He had her full confidence.

“Yeah,” he said before too many beats of silence could go by. And he could move it easily, if his headache remained cooperative. Right now, it was a dull ache behind his eyes, but it was manageable. Now it was more annoying than anything else. 

"Come on, let's get inside." Blaze crouched down and put her arm around his waist again, and he let out a long groan as they stood. "You'll get plenty of rest in here, since we won't have to go scavenging," she added. "That'll help you heal faster."

"What about—" He cut off with a hiss of pain, and took a deep breath to try again. "What about getting you home?"

He felt her shrug against his body. "It's already been this long. What's another week?"

It was so strange for someone other than Edmund to inconvenience themself for him. And she did it because she loved him. He could still hardly believe she'd said that so easily, like it was a fact. She said it as easily as she would give her name when asked. As she helped him wiggle through the hole to the basement, he wanted to say it, too. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her back, and how happy she made him. But he couldn't. The words refused to come out. 

The headache bit at his skull as he moved the chunk of concrete over the entrance, and he was grateful for the darkness to hide his grimace. Once he released the chunk and the glow around his hands vanished, the basement was pitch black. Blaze summoned a small fireball in her palm to light the room, and somehow, he managed to hide his flinch despite how close it was.

Blaze had been right earlier; part of the basement had collapsed a long time ago, leaving a few boxes and plastic bins poking halfway out of the dirt. Blaze gently set him down against a shelf and examined one of the bins, pulling his knife from his bag and stabbing it into the lid when she couldn’t get it off.

“What’re you doing?” he asked, trying to focus on something other than his headache.

“I wonder what’s in here.” With a bit of difficulty, she pried the thick pieces of plastic away and left the fireball floating in the air to dig through the bin. Then she laughed, and tossed him something. “I guess that solves one problem.”

He let the ball of cloth land on the concrete floor beside him instead of trying to catch it, and then carefully picked it up, wincing as he agitated the burns across his palms and fingers. “What is this?”

Instead of responding, she threw another lump of cloth, this one hitting him in the face and unfolding itself over his head. She laughed again at his yelp of surprise, and helped him get it unstuck from his quills.

Gloves. The ball in his hands was two white gloves, and the other lump was a pair of pants.

“I have no idea if those will fit you,” Blaze said, returning to the half-buried bin, “but you’ll need something to cover up when we go out again.”

“Wow,” he whispered at the sheer unlikelihood of it all. There was just no possible way this place hadn’t been raided years ago.

“This must have been one person’s box. Everything is about the same size. Maybe they moved, and put all their clothes in the basement when there wasn’t enough room in their new place. They look too big to be hand-me-downs. Oh.” She pulled out and unfolded a long coat that went down to her knees when she held it up in front of her. “A trenchcoat. You should have this. Then you don’t have to wear one that’s ripped and crusted with blood.”

“What about you?” he asked. “You ruined your cloak; you’re gonna need one, too.”

She shook her head. “I’ll just need a hat; and maybe a shawl to cover the tears in the shoulders of my dress. The sleeves should be thick enough.”

“You sure?”

Her ears drooped slightly. “Yes. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but…Iblis protects me from most of the heat.”

He had noticed, but he didn’t mention it. “Oh,” he said instead.

She cleared her throat a little and straightened up as much as she could, though the low ceiling prevented her from standing all the way. “Let’s eat something. I’m starving.” She rejoined him by the shelves and crouched down to look through the cans.

“Wait,” he said, pointing to the very end of the room, where her flames hadn’t reached earlier. “Are those…?”

She gasped as she followed his gaze. “Water?” 

There were rows of big bottles filled to the top with water. There must have been dozens of them, reflecting the flames like gold. He couldn’t believe his eyes, and if Blaze hadn’t been here with him, he would have thought he was hallucinating. He’d never seen this much water in one place before.

Blaze picked one up almost reverently, turning it over in her hand. Hesitantly, she unscrewed the cap and took a sip, her face scrunching up. “It tasted a little weird. But look how much there is—this could last us months.”

She helped him take a drink when his blistered hands couldn’t hold the bottle, and he hummed a little in agreement to her first sentence. The water tasted a bit like plastic, but he’d had worse, and they didn’t have the privilege to be picky. 

When he was finished, she put the lid back on and left the bottle by his side to rummage through the cans and packages. He watched her with drowsy, half-lidded eyes as she found a can of red liquid and a bag of sticks, and then moved to the second row of shelves where he couldn’t see her very well. She came back with something tall and glass, and he frowned when she poured a bit of water into it. 

“What’re you doing?”

She smiled at him. It made his chest warm. “Have you ever had spaghetti before?”

“Spaghetti?” he repeated the unfamiliar word slowly. “Uh, I don’t think so.”

“I don’t have a pan, or this would be easier, but the vase will work fine, I think.” She put the glass top over it and pressed her hands against the sides, down by the bottom where the water was. And slowly, the water began to bubble—boil, he corrected himself. “I did have a few cooking lessons a few years ago,” she continued as she held the heat in her hands, “and though I was never any good at it, spaghetti is so easy that I think I can handle it.”

“What, you always burn everything, or…?”

She laughed a little. “Frequently, yes. Don’t worry, it’s pretty hard to burn something in water.”

Curiously, he watched her pour the sticks—he guessed those were the spaghettis—into the boiling water, where they soon became soft instead of stiff like before. He vaguely remembered Edmund making food a few times, but then it had become such a hassle to find anything edible at all that they didn’t bother anymore. They’d stopped about ten years ago, if he remembered correctly. That was when the world hit the point of no return; when the fires and plagues and drought had wiped out more than half of civilization. He wondered how mealtimes used to be; how it felt to be surrounded by family and friends; to share food and stories.

The massacre had happened just after a meal. He didn’t remember much of his brief time in Jade, as he’d been so little, but he remembered some. He remembered the pavilion with the cooking fire in the center—nothing like the kitchens from the houses he and Blaze had found—and he remembered sitting on his heels on the bench as he ate and laughed, too short to sit normally. He remembered the sounds of a hundred voices mingling together with the sounds of dishes clinking and fire crackling. He remembered how safe he felt there, surrounded by people who loved him and cared for him. Not just his parents, but the others, too. Chief Cobalt, who had been named for his eyes. Opal, the healer with one arm. His best friends, Gold and Ruby, who he’d spent every afternoon with running down the stone paths and probably causing a ruckus—they’d only been five, after all. And Bronze, too. He couldn’t remember anything about Bronze, except that despite being years older than them, they had played silly games with them and helped them wiggle their way out of trouble. The first shots had rung out just as Bronze’s ceremony had started. Silver didn’t remember what the ceremony was for; just that it was important. Just that Bronze was the first to fall, landing face-first against the steps with three holes in their back.

Silver shook his head violently before the memories grew more vivid. None of that mattered, anyway. They were all dead. The psychics’ culture, his culture, had been completely wiped out. It didn’t matter what the ceremony was for. He wouldn’t get it. Guilt crept into his chest, constricting his lungs. He was the last remaining psychic, but their culture and memories wouldn’t live through him. They were completely gone, forever. 

They deserved to be remembered, and he couldn’t give that to them.

“Here,” Blaze said, startling him.

“Oh.” He blinked as the thoughts scattered, and carefully accepted the broken piece of plastic she’d used as a plate. “Thanks.” The spaghettis weren’t in the water anymore, but she’d covered them with the red stuff from the can, and they were still wet. “What’s…what’s on it?” he asked, setting the plastic on his lap and poking the red with his finger. It had a weird texture. He stuck his finger in his mouth, and then brightened before she could respond. “Oh! I know this stuff. Tomatoes and garlic and stuff, yeah?”

“Yes,” she said, settling on his left with her own makeshift plate. “Pasta sauce.”

“Huh, I didn’t realize you were s’posed to eat it on something.” The sauce left his burns stinging, so he tipped his plate up and slurped the spaghettis like soup. The sound it made was…less than pleasant, and Blaze snorted.

“That’s disgusting,” she said, but he heard a smile in her voice. “And you have sauce all over your face.”

He stuck his tongue out at her, and she laughed again. Chaos, he loved hearing her laugh. Light and elegant, and nothing like his loud bark.

“You’re quite immature; you know that?” she teased.

“Just part of my charm.”

“Yes.” Her voice softened, but not out of hesitance. He couldn’t quite tell what it was. “I think you’re very charming.”

His face flushed, and they fell into silence. They ate the rest of the spaghettis and pasta sauce, and then she gave him an amused look as he drank the water from the vase, though he didn’t know why that would be funny. Sitting here with her was comfortable; more comfortable than he’d felt in a long, long time. Yet something still stirred in his chest, stealing his breath and quickening his heart whenever he glanced at her.

“Did you really mean that?” he finally said, his voice nearly a whisper. 

“That you’re charming? Of course.”

“No, I mean…what you told me last night.” His throat tightened and he traced the lines along his inhibitors to keep his hands occupied. “You…you said…” His eyes were misty, and he didn’t know why. The words came out no louder than a breath. “You said that you loved me. Did you really mean that?”

His question caught her off guard, and she was quiet for a long moment. “Yes,” she finally said. And though she hadn’t answered right away, there was no hesitation in her voice. “I meant it. I love you, Silver. More than I thought was even possible.”

A hundred feelings surged in his heart, like they had before. Only this time, he was completely conscious to feel them. Fear, regret, pain, and hesitation, but also warmth and joy and relief. Tell her, his thoughts whispered. Tell her that you love her, too. Tell her something. Anything.

But he couldn’t. It was as if a noose had tightened around his neck, choking the words away before they even sounded. Blaze was waiting for a response, watching him carefully as he simply sat there and barely even breathed. What would she think of him now? Would she think he was a coward for saying nothing? Would she think he didn’t like her at all?

Then her hands were on his face, cupping his chin and cheeks in her soft palms. Her thumbs brushed the tears from his eyes as they spilled, just as he had for her all those nights ago. Her hands had been scalding, then. Now, they were nothing but gentle, and he closed his eyes and leaned into them. “Thank you,” he whispered.

He felt her lean forward—going in for a kiss, maybe? But then she paused, and her hands moved from his face to circle around his shoulders, bringing him in tightly. He leaned against her shoulder and tried to calm his trembling breaths. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to tell her he didn’t know how to love someone like this. He didn’t know how to feel anything but fear. He wasn’t used to being loved, not since he’d left Edmund years ago. He wasn’t meant to be loved. Even the gods knew it.

Blaze just held him so tenderly. She should be upset, he thought. She should be upset he hadn’t said it back or that he’d indirectly rejected her kiss. But she wasn’t. She was just there, soft and beautiful and the only light in his dark world.

He loved her so much he ached. He hoped she could feel it, even though he couldn’t say it.

Chapter Text

“Would you like to learn to read?”

The question caught him by surprise, and he didn’t answer at first. “What?”

Blaze shifted her weight awkwardly. “When we first met, you insisted you could read. You were lying, weren’t you?”

“Oh, uh…” Even in the candle light, she could see the blush spread across his face, and he gave her a sheepish smile. “Technically, no.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Technically?”

“I can read echidna. Kind of.” He rubbed the back of his neck and adjusted his position, this time without crying out. The burns were healing well. “I guess that’s all the echidna tribes used, so that’s what Edmund taught me. I don’t remember most of it. It was a lot of symbols and pictures.”

“So you can’t read.”

He twisted his inhibitors almost nervously and kept his eyes down, as if ashamed of the answer. “...yeah.”

“Would you like to learn?”

“You really don’t have to—”

“That’s not what I asked.” She bumped his arm slightly to get him to look up at her again. “Would you like to learn?”

His blush reached the tips of his ears. “I…yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.” He cleared his throat and shook his head, as if trying not to get his hopes up. “But how are you gonna teach me here? There’s nothing to use.”

“I found a notebook and some markers the other day.” She climbed to her feet and opened up one of the other half-buried bins. “And there’s plenty of labels for you to practice.”

“Oh.” Silver suddenly turned his head away from her and ran his hand over his face. “I just…I just don’t get why you’d do this for me? You have to get home.”

“Silver,” she said gently, returning to his side with the notebook and pens. “You still shouldn’t move around too much, so we can’t keep moving. We’ve already been here for a few days, so we might as well stay. And.” She gave him a warm smile, even though he stayed facing away from her. “And because I want to. I owe you my life. This is the least I can do. I love you and want to teach you.”

He flinched just slightly at the words I love you. Not necessarily because he didn’t love her back, but because he was scared. She saw it whenever he looked at her. He did love her; it was so obvious, and yet he was so afraid. Despite the calm or fearsome appearances he put on, he was always afraid, but she couldn’t blame him. He was destined to kill her. The guards in the city would kill him if he revealed himself. The entire kingdom was hunting him. She just wished there was something she could do to ease the fear.

“Okay,” he whispered.

Silver was a fast learner, despite Blaze feeling as though she didn’t teach very well. His penmanship was awful, as expected, and he filled up entire pages with one or two words. He didn't write very much, as holding the pens irritated the blisters on his hands, but as the week went on, he grew more confident with reading simple words. And when he wrote his name for the first time—once again filling the entire page with only six letters—the absolute joy on his face made her fall in love with him all over again. 

So when he stood on his own for the first time since her possession and declared that they should get moving, a deep sadness took root in her heart. She was grateful he could walk again, of course. She was glad he didn’t hurt as much and that he was healing well. But the sooner they got to Onyx, the sooner she would have to let him go, and despite missing her parents and comfortable life, losing Silver would leave a hole in her heart she would never fill again. She would rather face life-threatening danger every day with him by her side than never have to worry about her safety again.

“What if I never went back?” she said suddenly as he started to lift the piece of concrete covering the entrance. 

The question startled him enough to drop the concrete, the psychokinetic glow vanishing. Dust rained from the ceiling at the impact. He turned to stare wide-eyed at her. “What?”

“What if I stayed here with you? What if we could be together?”

“You can’t,” he snapped, and the sudden hostility in his voice made the fur on the back of her neck stand up. “You have to go back.”

“Why? You haven’t hurt me so far, and I doubt you will in the future.”

“Because if you stay out here, you’ll die.” Silver’s quills stood straight up, so sharp she had no doubt they would cut anyone who tried to get close. “The only way to keep you alive is to get you home. You know that.”

“I don’t want to lose you, Silver,” she whispered.

“You have to. I—I’m sorry.” He turned away and lifted the concrete again, letting the setting sunlight spill into their sanctuary. “For—for the record, I don’t wanna lose you, either. But we don’t have a choice.”

Blaze followed him as he climbed out of the basement, her brows furrowing as he hissed under his breath. “You’re still hurt.”

“It’s fine,” he said without looking at her.

“It’s barely been two weeks. You should still rest—” 

“I said it’s fine!” he snapped over his shoulder.

He hadn’t been this upset with her since their argument in Edmund’s tent. The sudden anger made her uneasy. She matched his pace and walked beside him, and he refused to look at her. “Why are you so upset?” she asked, trying to keep her voice as gentle as possible. “What’s bothering you?”

He actually laughed at that. “Take a guess.”

Before Blaze could answer, a tremor ran through the ground and they both stumbled. Silver had to catch himself with his power before he fell. Small cracks split through the pavement like lightning, and her heart dropped to her stomach as she looked up at the sky to see thick black clouds rolling toward them, too fast to be natural. Iblis rumbled in her chest, almost like a chuckle.

Silver took one look at the sky and swore violently. “How many people did you see when you were out scavenging?”

“I…I don’t know. A dozen, maybe?”

“We have to get them out of here. These houses won’t hold during a firestorm. Especially not one this big.” He turned to face her, all traces of anger gone. “We’ll have to split up to get to everyone in time.”

She nodded. “We’ll split down the highway. You take the left, I’ll take the right.” 

The air steadily grew warmer, and Silver adjusted his new coat. “Got it.”

“Where do we take them?”

He looked up at the sky again, pressing his lips together in a tight line. “It’s Iblis, isn’t it?” When she didn’t answer, he took her hesitation as a yes. “If we get them away from me they’ll be safe. Take them to the highway and get them as far away as possible. We’ll have to hold out here—”

A scream split through the smokey air, and they both whirled around to face it, just in time to see the first blobs of liquid fire fall from the sky.

“Change of plan,” Silver said, lifting himself off the ground. The blue light looked more purple against the deep red clouds. “Stay close to me so I can shield you if anything happens.”

“If I stay close enough, you shouldn’t have to even shield yourself,” she realized. “Iblis won’t hurt me, so I’m practically a walking shield.”

Silver gave her a weird look, but didn’t protest. “‘kay. C’mon. We gotta find everyone before they get hurt.” 

A splash of fire hit the ground only a few paces away, and they jumped. They exchanged a glance, and then took off together, Blaze on foot and Silver flying beside her. 

She had forgotten how loud firestorms were. Thunder rumbled near constantly, and sizzles and pops filled the air as houses caught fire. Some of the drops were so massive that they left holes in the pavement where they struck. Blaze could barely direct them. 

More screams echoed through the hazy streets. “That way!” she shouted, pointing. “The duck family lives somewhere over there!” She turned, and then gasped and yanked him to the side, just in time to avoid a splash that would have covered his entire body. Apparently, she wasn’t close enough.

Her fur was soaked in sweat when they found the family, scrambling to take cover behind a fence. They wouldn’t be protected there, but there was nothing else to hide behind but wood that would easily catch due to heat alone. 

“You have to get to the highway!” Silver yelled.

“You’re crazy!” the father practically shrieked back. “This storm is your fault, isn’t it, psychic?”

“You have to listen to him,” Blaze said as Silver flinched at the insult. She skidded to a stop beside them. “Because you’re right. The storm is localized. If you get out to the highway, you’ll be safe. Hurry, before it gets worse.”

The mother stood up quickly, sheltering a little girl in her arms. “Come on, Horatio. We’re no better off here, and you know it.”

By now, the gutters ran with liquid fire, and holes and dips were steadily filling in. Almost all of the houses were on fire now, and the smoke made it hard to see more than a few feet in front of them.

“Silver, can you give them a visual?” Blaze called. 

The psychic nodded and held his hands out towards the street, and with a wide sweep of his arms, cleared the smoke just enough to see the way to the main road. “Follow it up,” he said as the ducks scrambled to their feet and ran.

Her ears pinned against her head as something exploded down the street. “Come on! We have to find the others!”

He nodded again, and then froze for a split second, his ears twitching. Before she even realized he hadn’t moved, he shot towards the sound of the explosion, psychic light trailing behind him like a comet tail. She chased after him without bothering to call his name, even as he vanished into the smoke. He was fast. 

His glowing silhouette was easy to spot once she got close enough. He was holding up what looked like a massive chunk of roofing that had melted together and calling out encouragements to someone underneath it. By the time she joined his side, she was able to help pull a man and his son out of a collapsed basement. A burst of fire hit the top of the roof, and the glow flickered for just a second. He directed the two bears and dropped the roof once they were clear. He already looked exhausted.

“Are you okay?” Blaze asked.

“Yeah,” he said with a pained smile. “I’ll be—” Then his eyes widened, and he shot forward again, just as the young boy screamed. 

Blaze whirled around just in time to see Silver dive in front of the two survivors and throw up a shimmering shield mere seconds before a huge splash of liquid fire engulfed them. Blaze screamed his name and ripped the flames away—the shield was still up. They were okay.

His shield dropped as soon as the flames vanished, and he remained on his hands and knees, breathing hard. “Storm’s getting worse,” he managed to say. Blaze barely heard him over the sound of the flames. “Don’t think—don’t think they’ll make it to the highway.” The man extended a hand, and Silver accepted, letting him pull him to his feet. “But if we can get everyone together, we can shield them. If you can take some of the heat, I can hold up.”

She wanted to protest. Judging by the look of him, he wouldn’t last the whole storm. But what other option did they have? “Alright. Stay close.”

Silver held his hand up, and a partial shield glimmered into existence above them, like an umbrella. It was perfect protection from the drops and ashes while saving his energy—or at least Blaze assumed it saved some energy. She still wasn’t sure how his powers worked. 

They found two more small groups as they made their way through the neighborhood, and then Silver stumbled. One of the men in the group caught him before he fell, but his umbrella shield flickered. Blaze quickly moved to support his other side, pulling his free arm over her shoulder. He cursed under his breath as she did.

“Are you alright?” she practically shouted over the roar of the fire.

“Hurts to walk,” he said with a grimace. “The pants…brush against the burns. Hard to focus.”

“Will you be able to hold up or do we need to find somewhere to bunker down?”

He shook his head. “My head’s fine. My body just hurts.” Another explosion threw chunks of burning rubble towards them, and Silver immediately shifted the shield to deflect it before anyone got hurt. The six or seven kids in their rescue group were crying. “Hang on, I’m gonna try something.” He pushed away from the arms holding him and levitated himself up above their heads. “I’ll be fine. We gotta keep looking.”

A massive drop of liquid fire hit Silver’s shield and slid off like a waterfall, leaving a ring around them. “Do you know if anyone else is left?” Blaze called to the survivors.

“The Sandersons!” someone called back.

“Emmy and her mom!” someone else shouted.

“Lead the way.” Blaze looked up at Silver, who gave her a thumbs-up. 

They took three running steps before the ground shook beneath them, knocking most of them to the ground. A horrible cracking sound filled the air, nearly drowning out the explosive storm and Silver’s swearing. “It’s cracking! The ground’s splitting open!”

Blaze watched in horror as an entire block crumbled into the abyss. “Everyone stay close!” she ordered.

The ground cracked and opened like an eggshell, the massive fissure racing towards them. Lava spilled over the edges. Iblis didn’t have control of the earth—how could he possibly do something like this? Please, you have to stop this! she cried to him. There are innocent people in danger!

And though the fallen god didn’t speak, she felt the intentions just as clearly as if he had. If that is what it takes, then so be it.

“Move!” Silver suddenly shouted. “Everybody get back!”

She turned to run, but the ground crumbled beneath her feet. Nothing but empty space stood between her and the void. She screamed as she fell, fingers grasping at nothing. She heard Silver scream her name, and then her back slammed into a rock jutting out of the splitting earth. Somehow, she managed to catch onto it and stop her fall, but it was too small to pull herself up on. Her feet kicked at the dirt as she scrambled to find a foothold, but there was nothing but the rock she was clinging to.

A blur of cyan caught her eye. “Silver!” she cried. 

He dove down and reached out. “Take my hand!”

“I can’t! Just grab me!”

“I—I can’t—”

A piece of the rock crumbled beneath one of her hands, and she screamed again. She felt the energy wrap around her for a split second before vanishing. “Just do it!”

“Just take my hand! I don’t wanna hurt you!”

“You know I trust you!” she shouted. Her grip loosened despite using every bit of strength to hold on. “You just have to trust yourself!”

“I can’t!” he cried.

She opened her mouth to reply, and her fingers gave out. She couldn’t even scream. Her breath stuck in her throat as gravity took control and she plummeted. Psychokinetic energy surrounded her and yanked her back to the surface before too many terrifying seconds could go by, and she collapsed in the dirt, her knees weak.

Silver was by her side in a second, nearly shoving the other survivors out of the way. “Blaze, I’m sorry—”

She held her hand up and he went silent immediately. “Protect the others,” she somehow managed to say. He pressed his lips into a tight line and nodded.

“Look!” someone screamed, pointing to the black sky.

Fire exploded through the clouds like a dragon’s blast, hurling towards them at super speed. Silver just grit his teeth and held out both hands. “Blaze, try to take some of the heat—”

Iblis’s flames did not want to listen to her, but she stood beneath Silver and took as much as she could, absorbing fire and flames until her clothes were smoking. The blast didn’t stop. It just kept coming, pounding against the glowing shield as Blaze strained to redirect it. She glanced at Silver in panic, but he held strong, his jaw clenched and his fingers outstretched as far as possible.

Unseen power.

Blaze felt the drain in the god’s energy before the blast receded. The foreign spark in her chest dimmed, and a second later, the pounding flames vanished. The ground and the buildings still burned, but the fire in the sky slowed. 

Silver waited a good minute or two before dropping his shield with a massive exhale, all the tension in his body melting away. When he turned to look at her, she felt Iblis stir in irritation. The fallen god wasn’t strong enough to keep the storm up any longer, and she could feel his anger, burning and pulsing inside her like a heartbeat.

“Is it over?” someone whispered.

“It’s over,” she said. “We just have to wait for the rest to burn out. Is everyone alright?” The survivors immediately began checking each other, all willing to help out if needed.

“You okay?” Silver asked as he landed beside her, only stumbling a little.

“Yes,” she said honestly. “But Iblis is…growing restless.”

He shifted his weight uneasily. “Guess he’s not exactly pleased I survived.”

“That’s putting it lightly.” Hesitantly, she put her hand on his shoulder, half expecting him to flinch away, though he didn’t. “Are you okay?”

This time, he cracked a tiny smile. “Mostly. Got a bit of a headache, but that’s normal.” His smile suddenly disappeared, and he dropped his eyes to the ground. “I’m sorry I let you fall. I’m really sorry.”

“I’m not upset.” And it was the truth. While she was a bit frustrated, it was over now, and everything had turned out alright. 

“I know, I’m just…” He rubbed his inhibitors almost uncomfortably. “I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you, and with the prophecy…”

“Silver.” Blaze took his hands and squeezed. “You won’t hurt me. Maybe there’s another way to get around the prophecy.”

A brief unfamiliar look passed across his face. His ears twitched as he pulled his hands back, suddenly looking incredibly uncomfortable. “Yeah,” he said. “Maybe.”

Chapter Text

Silver felt terrible. Blaze had said she wasn’t mad, but she had to be. They’d been traveling together for months, and he should have been able to catch her before she fell—and he shouldn’t have argued when her life was at stake.

After the hostility with the duck family, he couldn’t bring himself to mingle with the survivors like Blaze. She’d learned a lot, it seemed, and gave advice to build their shelters back up. The only time he spoke up was to share the location of the basement full of food. Neither of them would be coming back for it, so these people might as well have it. Blaze glanced at him as he said it. She was probably wondering why he’d given up the perfect place for him to hide. He didn’t have the heart to tell her.

While she was busy with the group, Silver sat on the curb, stretching his legs out, and rolled up one of the pant legs to check the burns. Most of the ones below his knees were already healed, but his thighs took longer, probably due to the skin not being used to so much heat exposure. And the blisters behind his knees had burst again. Of course they had. His legs felt cold without the fur covering them. 

“How are they?” Blaze asked, and he jumped a little.

“Oh,” he said. “The burns? They’re fine. Almost gone.” He showed her the skin above his boots, careful to show only the healed ones. He didn’t bother telling her the new skin on his palms was still sensitive.

She frowned, not necessarily in disbelief, but he couldn’t quite figure out what emotion it was. “But you said you were still hurt.”

He kept his eyes on the ground and tucked his pants into his boots very deliberately. “The…uh…ones of my knees still hurt when I move. And I’m still getting used to standing and walking again.” Which wasn’t exactly a lie. There was still a bitter taste in his mouth when he said it.

“Please let me know if you need to rest,” Blaze said, sitting beside him. 

“I’m sorry,” he said again, just in case.

She shook her head. “Stop apologizing.”

“Sorry.”

Her fingers laced between his. “Silver.”

“Sorry—I mean—um—” His face flushed like it did so often now. Just her voice was enough to make his heart flutter in his chest. He cleared his throat. “The—the outer edges of Soleanna should be within a day’s travel, if we leave now.” Then it would be through Soleanna and straight to Onyx. Straight to his death. They could get there in three or four days, if they didn’t stop.

“Oh.” The disappointment was obvious in Blaze’s tone. “Will you be able to travel that far in one day?”

“I dunno,” he said honestly. “But things start getting better from here. We’ll be able to rest safely if we need to.”

She nodded once. “Alright. Should we leave now, then?”

“I guess so.” He stood up with a wince, and she quickly joined him with her arm raised to steady him if needed. “Will everyone be okay?”

“I think so. Especially now that they have a basement of food and water waiting for them.” She glanced at him, but didn’t turn her head, avoiding his eyes. “Why…did you tell them? You could have lived there for a while after all this is over.”

“I dunno,” he lied, his gut twisting both at the lie and the reasoning behind it. “I guess they need it more than me.”

This time, she just hummed in response. He wondered if she had started to put the pieces together yet. Half of him hoped she had. At least then, she wouldn’t be caught off guard. The other half hoped she never had to know.

“Maybe there’s another way to get around the prophecy.”

And there was a way—one where he didn’t kill her. But she would still die. The gods had said so themselves. Whether or not Silver himself died, Blaze always would. She had to.

How long could he hope to prolong it?

He still found himself purposefully slowing their travels, and it took them two and a half days to reach the edges of Soleanna. 

Blaze’s eyes widened as soon as it came into sight. “People…actually live here?” she asked in awe, and he couldn’t help but crack a sad smile. 

Due to its close proximity to Onyx, the only city that hadn’t been affected by the storms and plagues, Soleanna was fairly intact. They still had some sort of civilization. While skeletons of tall buildings still loomed over the city, most of the buildings near the ground were at least occupiable. 

“Yeah, this is where people hang out if they’re hoping to get into Onyx,” Silver said.

“Then…why doesn’t everyone come here?” she asked, so innocent.

He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to phrase the answer right. “Let’s just say…a lotta people wouldn’t make it here in the first place. And the people who do live here…most of ‘em aren’t exactly friendly.”

“Oh.” Her eyes flickered around the streets at the very limits of the city, where the shelters and attempts at reconstruction started. “I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t everyone try to help each other?”

“Sometimes, there’s just not enough stuff to go around. A lotta times, if you’re old, sick, disabled, or a kid, people just…can’t take care of you. Or won’t. I’m lucky Edmund found me when he did, or I wouldn’t’ve lasted very long.” The scars across his back tingled as if to remind him of what would have happened if he hadn’t gotten lucky. “And here, while there’s not exactly money, they’ve got some kind of trading system. A lotta people don’t have anything to contribute, so they’re kicked out pretty quick.”

“That’s awful,” she whispered.

“Maybe the survivors back in the neighborhood can bring some stuff from the basement and get started here,” he said in a feeble attempt to give her a bit of hope as they finally reached the official city border, marked by the tents and shelters set up in a line along the road. “Stay alert. We don’t wanna get jumped.”

She moved closer, and he tried his best not to flinch when she took his hand.

Silver had only been here once, when he was six or seven, so he didn’t remember much. Edmund had taken him from the ruins of Jade through Soleanna and then as far away as possible. But he still remembered seeing a city and culture completely different from what he was used to, and he felt that same way again as they walked past actual, open shops and people who didn’t look a day away from death.

“I think there’s some kinda overnight stay place around here somewhere,” Silver said. He had a very vague memory of an unfamiliar room with a bed, but it had been so long ago that he couldn’t tell if he’d made it up or not.

“Oh, like a motel?” Blaze asked.

He had no idea what a motel was. “Uh, sure.”

They wandered for maybe ten minutes or so before she pointed at a sign. “You’re right. There’s one that way.”

He squinted at the sign and tried to read what it said. He’d only just started learning, but he was an adult, and suddenly struggling to read was more embarrassing than not being able to read at all. “Does it say motel ?”

“Yes,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze.

“And the one pointing the other way says bar, right?”

“Yes.”

At least Blaze didn’t act like he was stupid.

After Silver expressed interest in the bar, they followed the sign and found a brick and wooden building wedged into the space between two tall unused ones. It had some tables and chairs outside—along with objects that worked as tables and chairs—that were occupied by people who looked a lot friendlier than those they’d seen so far. Already, Silver felt some of the tension in his shoulders ease, and the promise of a drink or two after the long days of travel relaxed him almost completely. 

“Alright,” he said as he started to one of the empty tables. “Let’s eat something and then I’m gonna get a drink.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’ll be careful,” he promised. He flopped down on a chair and swung his bag onto his lap, reaching in and taking a can without looking at it. “Don’t wanna get dehydrated, anyway. Here.” He stabbed his pocket knife into the lid and pried it off, revealing a can of meat and beans. He mispronounced the word as he tried to read the label, and Blaze corrected him. Chili.

Some people around them gave them weird looks as he and Blaze ate straight from the can, but he didn’t care. He’d let them pretend they were more civilized than he was. 

The chili had a weird aftertaste, and he hoped it wasn’t going to make them sick. Still, they finished the whole thing, and then Blaze followed him into the building and up to the counter. Big barrels and kegs lined the wall behind it. The guy at the counter looked up as they approached. 

“How much for two drinks?” Silver asked. 

“Whacha got?”

“A couple cans of food? Uh…” Silver absently rubbed the cuff of his coat as he tried to remember what they had without actually checking. The more the barkeep thought they had, the more they’d charge. “Some beans, I think. And some kind of fruit.”

“Two for two,” the man said. “Sounds fair to me.”

He filled two tall cups while Silver pulled out two cans, and Blaze watched curiously. “I don’t want one,” she said when Silver exchanged them. 

“That’s okay,” he said. “I’ll drink ‘em both. I’m exhausted.” 

The alcohol was stronger than he thought, and didn’t taste quite like the beer he usually had with Edmund. It burned a lot more in his throat, and he coughed a couple times after the first swallow. Blaze raised an eyebrow again. 

“Wanna try?” he offered as they sat at a table in the corner.

“I… am curious.” 

He passed her one of the cups and she hesitantly took a sip. “This is disgusting,” she said, pulling a face.

Silver laughed and took another drink. “You’re saying you’ve never been black-out drunk at one of those fancy royal parties?”

She snorted and forced herself to swallow another gulp. “Not even once. Besides, it was usually some fancy wine, not…whatever this is.”

“You don’t have to finish it.” He reached for her cup, and she moved away from his reach. 

“If you don’t think I can handle it—”

“Easy, princess,” he teased, grinning at her. “I don’t judge.”

“Yes, you do!” She whacked his arm and he feigned hurt.

“Just be careful, yeah? I’m not gonna carry you.”

He wasn’t sure how many drinks either of them had had, but before he knew it, his bag was lighter, the sun had set, and both he and Blaze were stumbling down a backstreet toward the motel, arms around each other. The street was blurry, but he still had most of his balance. Blaze, on the other hand, could barely walk.

“You need to sit down,” he told her.

She just giggled. “I’m okay,” she slurred, but then she tripped and nearly hit the ground. He was barely able to keep her up, and cursed himself for not watching her more carefully—and for forgetting she had a different alcohol tolerance than he did.

“Here,” he said, helping her into a tiny one-way street away from the eyes of anyone passing by. He set her down against an abandoned storefront and sat next to her. “Try to get some rest, ‘kay? Then in an hour or two, we’ll find the motel.”

He tried to help her rest her head against his shoulder, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her forehead on his.  “Thank you,” she whispered.

Her eyes seemed to glow in the pale moonlight, catching him off-guard. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. “May I kiss you?” he asked softly, surprising himself.

Instead of a verbal answer, she leaned forward and kissed him first. She tasted like dirt and alcohol and chili, but he didn’t mind. She pinned him up against the wall and climbed onto his lap, biting his lip and kissing him harder. He knew it was wrong, and he knew she knew it, too, but he didn’t stop her.

She pushed him harder against the wall and he winced slightly as a bit of pain burst through the back of his head, but still, he didn’t stop her. She parted for a quick breath and muttered an I love you against his lips, and a shiver ran through his body. She pressed up against him and tugged on his belt, and finally, painfully, he forced himself to pull away.

“Blaze,” he whispered.

She hesitated, her eyes unfocused. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Blaze, I—” He had to pause to swallow hard. “We can’t do this. It—it’ll never work. It’ll only hurt in the end.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean—you’re a princess! And I’m just…” He sighed, his heart aching. “And you’re not exactly sober, either. I don’t…I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.”

“Silver.” She gently tipped his chin up so he had no choice but to meet her eyes. This time, she was as focused as if she hadn’t drank at all. “I will never regret being with you.”

“I love you,” he admitted.

“Took you long enough,” she joked, and kissed him again.

She tucked her hands under his coat, stroking the fur on his bare back, and he shivered again. Her dress was too tight for him to fit his hands in, but he was content just to hold her close. He kissed her neck, and her hands once again found their way to his belt.

“May I?” she whispered.

“Anything for you, princess,” he heard himself say.

When he woke up, the sun was high in the sky. Blaze was still asleep, but they were both still naked, and he knew the sun would fry them if they didn’t cover up.

He gently detached himself from her arms and draped his coat over Blaze’s sleeping body, as much as he wanted to admire her beauty. He struggled to pull his pants on, though he couldn’t tell if the aches came from the alcohol, their actions the night before, or sleeping awkwardly on the ground. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep. He stood and stretched, and ran his hands through his quills to try and tame them. A low throbbing settled behind his eyes, though that was definitely from the alcohol, and he rubbed his forehead, hoping to clear his thoughts.

“Where did those come from?”

He turned abruptly to see that Blaze had sat up, though she’d kept his coat wrapped around her body. “What?” he said, his mouth dry. He knew exactly what she was talking about. Instinctively, he angled his back away from her.

She just watched him carefully, her expression unreadable. “Those scars. Where did they come from?”

The X across his back tingled unbearably. “It’s nothing,” he lied.

“Silver.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” he muttered. “‘sides, we should get going.”

“I’m tired, Silver.”

He took a good look at her and sighed. She wasn’t just complaining—she was honestly exhausted. The longer he thought about it, the more tired he felt, too. After all, they hadn’t gotten much sleep. “Okay,” he said. “We can find the motel and get some rest before we bounce. Sound good?”

“Sounds perfect.” She stood slowly and looked around with a yawn. “Where’s my dress?”

“Uh…” Silver turned a full circle before his eye caught it, laying in the gutter where he’d haphazardly thrown it. “Here.” He brushed it off the best he could, and at her request, helped her put it on. His eyes traced her body and he couldn’t help but smile. “Y’know you’re beautiful, right?” he said.

She blushed, hiding her smile in her hand. “You should see me when I’m not covered in dirt.”

He kissed her lightly. “I’m serious, Blaze. Every inch of you.”

“I bet every man has to say that after seeing a woman naked.”

“Nah, you’re more than just that. Give yourself more credit. Plus, if someone can’t see past that, they’re shallow and not worth your time.”

“Prove it,” she said, crossing her arms. “What else is beautiful?”

He just grinned. “Your eyes, your hands, your smile, your laugh, your voice, your cute little ears, the way you’re blushing—”

She swatted his arm, her blush as fiery as ever. “Alright, alright. I get it.”

Silver held out his arm and gave a stiff bow. “Shall we, m’lady?”

“ Please, for the love of Gaia, don’t ever say that again.”

He laughed at that, but she linked their arms and they slowly made their way back to the main street. 

Finding the motel was easy after that, especially now that he knew what the word looked like and could more easily follow the signs. There were a few benches outside this place, too, and Blaze fell asleep nearly the second she sat down, before they could even find a place to stay. Silver rubbed her back as she leaned against him, and let himself relax.

Something hit him hard on the head.

“Silver boy! What’re you doin’ here?”

“Edmund?” Silver turned and rubbed his head, completely confused at the sudden appearance of the old echidna. “How—when—what are you doing here?”

“I’m adventurin’,” he said, sitting on Silver’s other side. He could hear the lie in his guardian’s voice, but he didn’t point it out. Not yet.

“Aren’t you…I dunno…getting a little old for that?”

Edmund whacked him with his cane again. “I feel as young as ever.”

“So how’d you…?”

“Ah.” The echidna pressed his lips together in a tight line, his bushy eyebrows furrowing. “Remember that little…trick I used to get us far away real fast?”

“What, Chaos Control? You said you couldn’t do that anymore.”

Edmund shook his head. “I shouldn’t anymore. Takes more energy than I have left.”

“So why did you?”

He didn’t answer for a moment, and then let out a long sigh. “I’m worried about you. Don’t want you to get hurt.”

A little late for that, Silver thought, deciding not to mention the burns or the cauterized gunshot wound. “I’ll be okay. I’ve made it this far.”

Edmund sighed again and looked up at him again. “I know. I just…wanted t’be close. Just in case.” His eyes shifted to the sleeping cat on Silver’s other side. “So she hasn’t chased you off yet, eh?”

“Not yet.” Silver rubbed his neck absentmindedly, and then Edmund narrowed his eyes. 

“Silver,” he started, leaning closer, “is that a hickey?”

Instantly, his face flushed red. “No—it—it’s—”

“You did it, didn’t you?” Edmund’s eyes sparkled with amusement.

“Did—did what?” Oh, Chaos, why was his face so hot?

“Last night! You two did it. Had a good time. Did the do. Got all lovey-dovey. Frick-fracked—”

“For the love—” Silver’s face was definitely on fire now. “ Please, just say we had sex.”

“But you did it?”

“Yes! We did it! Chaos!” He threw his hands in the air and then slumped over, burying his face in his hands. “Jeez, Edmund. I’ve done it before. It’s not a big deal.”

“But you were a reckless teenager then. Now you are a man!” He paused and looked at them for a moment. “You…weren’t drunk, were you?”

Silver kept his head buried in his hands. “A little. Both of us. And before you asked, she started it.”

Edmund started to laugh. “Feisty, eh?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled a little. “Yeah, she is. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

They both went quiet for a long moment. Silver felt himself relax, and nearly drifted off before Edmund spoke again.

“So was she good?”

“Edmund!”

Beside him, Blaze shifted and rubbed her eyes. “What’s going on?” she mumbled.

“Nothing!” Silver said quickly, and Edmund just laughed.

“Alright, you two love-birds,” the old man said. “You’re both exhausted. You can rest in my room for a few hours, but if you make a mess, you’re payin’ for new sheets.”

“Okay, okay! That’s enough!” Silver stood up abruptly, startling Blaze. “C’mon. Let’s get some sleep.”

Chapter Text

Blaze thanked Edmund for his kindness, and then the echidna pulled Silver out of the room and shut the door. She sat on the edge of the bed—a bare, lumpy mattress covered by a thin sheet—and pulled off her shoes, but paused when she heard them talking.

“So.” That was Edmund. “You’re a bottom, aren’t you?”

“Edmund!” Silver nearly shrieked, and Blaze smothered her laugh in her hands.

It took Edmund a moment to control his giggles, but finally, he calmed down and spoke again. “You really love her, don’t you?”

There was a pause. “Yeah,” Silver said softly. “I really love her.”

“Does she love you?”

“She says she does. And I believe her with my whole heart.”

“So you’re still takin’ her home. To Onyx.”

“Yes.”

“And you’ll let her take you inside.”

Silence.

“You know what they’ll do to you if they find out what you are.”

“I know,” Silver whispered, and guilt filled Blaze’s chest like a balloon.

Edmund sighed. “Love makes people do stupid things. Just…keep your wits about you. Don’t lose your head.”

“I’ll try.”

“I’m serious, Silver. You’re like a son to me. I can’t lose you, too.”

“I’ll be careful,” Silver promised, but Blaze could hear the doubt in his voice. “Promise.”

“Right.” Edmund cleared his throat. “You should get some rest.”

Blaze quickly tried to find something to look busy with to hide that she’d been eavesdropping, but Silver barely glanced at her as he opened the door. He shuffled inside and pulled his coat off, and then climbed onto the bed, his back facing her.

“Hey,” she said.

He just sighed in response.

Perhaps he’s just nervous, she thought, and then mentally scolded herself. Of course he’s nervous. My parents gave the order to wipe out his entire culture. But…it’s been thirteen years. Maybe they’ve changed. Maybe when we get back, they’ll see he hasn’t hurt me. Maybe they’ll see him for who he really is. Sweet, gentle, kind, loyal—

“The royal guard gave them to me.”

“What?” She turned to look at him, but he was still facing the wall. The marks on his back seemed so much darker now.

“The scars,” he said. “The royal guard gave them to me. So you can imagine why I couldn’t bring myself to go back.”

When she closed her eyes, she imagined him there, a tiny, five year old boy watching those he was taught to trust slaughter his family. She could almost taste the blood and ashes as she saw him running, choking on smoke as thick dark blood flowed down his back like a muddy river.

“Oh, Silver,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

“Don’t apologize. It wasn’t your fault.”

She shook her head and climbed onto the bed beside him. “I’m still sorry.”

He just shrugged. “‘s all been said ‘n done anyway. But thanks.”

“I love you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in the soft fur on his neck.

This time, she could feel him smile. “Love you, too, Blaze.”

She woke to unintelligible muttering and realized Silver had turned over to face her in his sleep, and now clung to her with his face tucked under her chin. At first, she worried he was having another nightmare, but as his words became clearer, a smile spread across her face.

“I just love her a lot. A lot, a lot, a lot.”

She leaned over and kissed the top of his head, and he wiggled away from her.

“Hey, I can’t…that would be mean to Blaze.”

She laughed at that, his unconscious loyalty spreading warmth through her heart.

“No,” he said, and attempted to shove her away, though his arms had little strength. His words were slurred as he spoke again. “Bet you’re really nice. But I can’t. Goodbye.” Then he rolled over again, and promptly fell off the bed.

Blaze quickly reached for him, but didn’t get him in time. He yelped as he landed with a thump, instantly awake, and sat up abruptly.

“Are you okay?” Blaze asked, leaning over.

He sat for a minute rubbing his eyes and probably trying to get his bearings. “Uh…yeah, I’m…I’m okay.”

"What were you dreaming about? You were muttering in your sleep."

His face turned a bright shade of red. "Nothing," he said quickly. 

She laughed and extended her hand, helping him up when he took it. "You're a terrible liar, Silver. But if you insist." She sat up against the wall and he joined her, playing with his gloves almost nervously. 

"Blaze?" he started suddenly. "I…I'm sorry about last night. I should've…made sure you were sober first."

"That's very sweet of you, but you don't need to be sorry." She smiled and leaned on his shoulder, wrapping her hand around his waist. "I remember it nearly perfectly. Don't worry; I promise I wanted all of it."

"So you don't…" He paused and glanced at her, relief and concern mixing in his face. "You don't regret it?"

"Not at all."

Silver released a breath in a long sigh. "Oh, good. I would've felt terrible if you did." He grinned and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. "Then never mind. I'm not sorry."

Blaze laughed, looking up and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You're the strangest person I've ever met."

"Love you, too, princess."

Love you, too.  

While she had known he'd loved her before, hearing him say it out loud made her heart soar. She knew how hard it was for him to admit it, and she knew how scared he was. That just made the words more special. 

As they sat together in peaceful silence, she once again wished she could stay with him. Maybe they could stay here in Soleanna for a while and just be…normal. She felt normal sitting in a bed with him, his arm around her and her head resting on his shoulder. What if I never went back? She wanted to bring it up again, but after his last reaction, she held her tongue. She didn’t want to upset him again and ruin the peace they had.

“We should probably get going,” Silver finally said, but hesitated before getting up.

Blaze tried her best to hide her disappointment as she climbed to her feet and reached for her shoes. “I wish we could stay,” she said carefully, watching his reaction from the corner of her eyes.

He hesitated again, this time as he was putting on his coat, his back to her. The pause kept the dark scars exposed for a few extra seconds. “Yeah,” he finally said. “Me too.”

Why can’t we? There has to be some way to get around the prophecy, right?

But again, she didn’t dare voice her thoughts.

“Ya off already?” Edmund said as they met him in front of the motel again. The sun was beginning its descent, and all three of them looked up at it.

“Yeah,” Silver said after a long moment of silence. “And I know…I know you’re worried, but…” He twisted the cloth wrapped around his inhibitors and shifted his weight. “Please don’t get too involved. I don’t want you to get hurt if anything happens.”

The old echidna squinted at him, his eyes darting across his face as if trying to read his mind. “Alright,” he said softly. “But please—be careful.”

Silver stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his guardian. “I will,” he whispered, like he had outside the room earlier.

They very slowly made their way through the streets, hand in hand, desperate to prolong their companionship as long as possible. Silver’s hand felt extra warm through his glove, and his free hand trembled as he adjusted the collar of his coat. Blaze remembered what he’d said about Jade—it wasn’t far from here. Not only was he heading straight to the birthplace of his trauma, he was on his way to the very people who had ordered it.

“Silver,” she said softly, after nearly an hour of watching him shake, “if this makes you too uncomfortable, I…can go on alone.”

He shook his head instantly, his long quills swishing in the air. “No. It’s not safe for you to go through Soleanna by yourself. I’m fine.”

No hesitation. She knew he was lying just by the look on his face, but she didn’t mention it. It seemed she wasn’t mentioning most of her concerns. She hoped it wouldn’t come back to bite her. “Okay,” she said, “but let me know if that changes.”

He shrugged and squeezed her hand tighter.

The further they traveled into Solenna, the nicer and cleaner the streets and buildings became. There were no traces of fire or dust storms, and no scorch marks from the monsters. The people changed, too. They were better dressed and better fed. As Blaze watched a group of kids run by laughing, she wondered if everywhere would become like this when the prophecy was fulfilled. People wouldn’t have to fight each other for survival anymore.

And she wondered if maybe she shouldn't try to get around the prophecy, just to make sure everyone could live in peace again. 

When they stopped at a well-maintained spicket for water, many of the other people around gave them strange looks and muttered to each other. Blaze hoped with every fiber in her being that they were confused about their dirty appearance, and not because they recognized either of them. Silver glanced at the strangers as he filled the water bottle, his shoulders tense but his quills flat. He was nervous, but not threatened. He wasn't preparing for a fight, so she tried to keep herself from worrying, too. 

As they turned to keep moving, Blaze caught a glimpse of a faded but colorful poncho duck behind a building. Edmund. She opened her mouth to call to him, but then glanced at Silver and paused. Silver didn't want him following them, but she couldn't imagine how worried the echidna was. Edmund's head poked out, and she gave him a slight nod. A tired smile spread across his wrinkled face, and he nodded back in thanks. 

Silver started to look over his shoulder after catching her with her attention behind them, and she quickly turned forward again and forced herself to speak. 

"Is there anything left of Jade?"

That was a bad question to ask. She could tell just by the shift in his posture without even looking at his face. She started to apologize, but he spoke first. "I don't think so. I…hid in a water barrel, and when Edmund found me, all that was left was beams and charred pieces of wood. The only reason the barrel didn't catch was because it was wet."

"Would you ever want to go back? Just to know?"

"No. It's better if the past stays in the past." He scratched the back of his neck and adjusted his goggles. "Don't think I could handle it anyway."

"That makes sense. I wish I could make it right again. I wish I could undo everything my parents did." She looked out to her right, as if she could see the barren land beyond the buildings of Soleanna. 

"Me too. But we can't, and I've…accepted it now."

She almost asked what Jade Village had been like before it was destroyed, but then realized how young he'd actually been. He probably didn't remember much, if anything at all. The thought of an entire culture being forgotten left a deep sadness in her heart. 

How could her parents have done such a horrible thing? When she was younger, she had believed they had made the right choice, because she couldn't understand what it truly meant. She hadn't understood life and death the way she did now. And she hadn't understood people. As a child, and even as a teenager, she hadn't been able to comprehend that other people outside the castle and her city even mattered. Half of her had doubted they even existed in the first place, and the other half had figured they deserved it. Survival of the fittest. But it wasn't like that. It wasn't survival of the fittest; it was survival of the luckiest. 

Now she understood. 

They traveled another hour or two in somber silence. It didn't feel appropriate to speak at a time like this. The look on Silver's face was one she hadn't seen on him before. It wasn't upset or afraid. It was just…neutral. It was strange to see him so blank after months of expressiveness. 

Iblis no longer stirred in her chest. She could still feel his presence, but he was still and seemed almost peaceful. She knew why, and the reason sent chills down her spine. Iblis no longer had to fight to protect himself anymore. He knew as well as both of them that the king and queen would take care of everything for him.

"We're almost there," Silver finally said, very softly.

A flicker of orange caught her eye beside her, and she glanced over to see the mobian form of the fallen god walking next to her. The heat from his flaming quills warped the air around him and the side of her body facing him became uncomfortably warm. He didn't look at her, and simply kept pace with his eyes straight ahead, a smile on his face. The seal on her forehead burned. 

"It's almost funny," Iblis said. "I’ve spent so much time and energy trying to kill him, and yet he still marches straight to his death." 

I won't let him die, she insisted.

His smile only grew wider. "We shall see."

Chapter Text

Onyx City.

They hadn’t even arrived at the gate, and Silver was already weak with fear. Each step was a struggle and his knees could hardly hold him up. Blaze squeezed his hand, but the action was anything but reassuring.

The wall around Onyx was massive, but the gate itself was little more than a set of double doors. Their distaste for outsiders was made clear by the structure and the pair of guards waiting by the gate. Silver wondered what kind of luxury they had hidden away inside.

They stopped far enough away from the gate so that the guards hopefully wouldn’t recognize Blaze, and then she turned to him. Silver had never seen such sorrow in one person before. “I guess this is goodbye,” she whispered.

“I guess so,” he breathed.

“I want to stay with you.” She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his shoulder. Her entire body shook as he returned the hug, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath of her familiar, comforting scent. She tightened her grip. “I don’t care about anything in there anymore. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

You know we can’t. “Me too,” he said instead.

“Thank you.” She leaned further against him, and he rocked slightly from side to side. “Thank you for everything.” She took a breath to say more, but a cry of surprise startled them both. 

They turned to see a young woman run out of the gate, her arms open wide. “Princess Blaze!”

Blaze’s eyes widened. “Rose?”

The mouse threw her arms around her, knocking Silver out of the way, but then quickly backed up, her face red. “Please pardon my greeting. We were just—we were just so worried about you! We thought the last psychic had killed you!”

Silver suddenly felt lightheaded and sick to his stomach. The ground rocked beneath him and his vision doubled, and then he was falling. He must have blacked out for a moment, because he found himself sitting down on the curb with his head between his knees. Blaze sat on his right, gently stroking his head.

“Is he alright?” Rose asked.

“I’m fine,” he said quickly, his voice wheezing. He stood up too fast, stumbling into Blaze, and she put her arm around his waist to steady him.

“Are you the one who saved the princess?” Rose asked.

He nodded, pressing his hand against his forehead.

“Then you must come with me!” the stranger said, clapping her hands together. “The king and queen would love to meet you!” She grabbed his arm and practically dragged them to the gate.

“Wait, wait!” he yelped. “I—uh…” He couldn’t easily refuse her offer without revealing himself. Everyone was desperate to get into the city. She and the guards would immediately know what he was if he turned away now. He glanced at Blaze, clinging to his other arm, and quickly shook his head before she could mention anything.

“Are you sure?” she barely breathed, and he nodded. He had better odds escaping alive if he cooperated.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Rose said, and slowed to a walk as they passed through the gate, and then after the gate was shut again, released Silver’s arm.

As the young woman led them through the streets of Onyx, Silver was too sick with fear to baffle at how clean and kept everything was. She stopped at another, smaller wall with a similar gate, and the guards there immediately and eagerly let them in once they knew who Blaze was.

“Welcome back, your Highness.”

“I’m glad to see you home safe, Princess Blaze.”

The castle was made of white stone, the doors and windows rimmed with gold. The doors were massive and painted with a pattern he couldn’t look at for more than a second before being dragged up the wide stairs. He stumbled over a few of the steps, but Rose just helped him to his feet and urged them forward.

If I go in there, I’m never coming out.

Of course, there was an explosion of excitement and activity once the caste knew their lost princess had returned. Silver tried to keep hold of her hand, but there were just so many people flocking to fuss over her, and he fell behind a bit. Maybe he could sneak out now. But Rose was always there with him, and ushered him deeper into the castle. He tried to make himself as small as possible and focused on his hands, adjusting and readjusting his gloves and bindings until his wrists were rubbed raw.

They made their way to the throne room as they were, and Silver grew sicker with each step he took. He forced himself to keep up and ignore every instinct he had as he walked closer to his death. At least somehow, Blaze managed to take his hand again.

It seemed as though only a blink had gone by before he suddenly appeared in the throne room, frozen in fear in front of the king and queen. He couldn’t even shake. He was as still as a mountain. These were the people who killed his entire village. These were the people who made him watch his parents burn. And as he stood there, he couldn’t hear anything but screams as the world burned around him. He watched Blaze’s parents run to her, embracing her with tears and pushing him away again, but all he could see was his mother, running to the queen to beg for mercy, only to have her body filled with bullets.

“And who might you be?”

The queen’s voice startled him out of the past and he blinked rapidly to get his bearings. She can’t know your name. Think of something before—

“Mother, this is Silver,” Blaze said carefully. “He saved my life and brought me home.”

“Did he, now?” The queen watched him closely, standing between him and Blaze, her golden eyes unreadable. She slowly approached him, and he forced himself to stay still. She paused about five feet in front of him, and he frantically dropped to one knee in a bow. “Silver, was it?” she said, her voice soft and emotionless.

“Yes, your Majesty,” he stuttered out. She hadn’t given an order yet. Did she really not know what he was?

“You may rise.”

He stumbled back to his feet and stuffed his hands in his coat pockets to hide their shaking. Again, she studied him for a long, silent moment. Then, to his surprise, she held out her hand.

“Thank you for bringing my daughter home,” she said.

“Oh,” he said brilliantly. “Y-yeah, of course.”

Hesitantly, he took her hand to shake, but her fingers locked on his palm and dug into the fabric of his glove. He instantly panicked and tried to yank his arm back, but she caught his wrist with her other hand and pulled the glove away, revealing the circles scarred on his skin.

She let him go with a disgusted look and wiped her hands on her dress, as if to rid herself of his touch. Silver quickly shoved his exposed hand into his coat and backed up, heaving in rapid gasps of air. His heart pounded frantically against his chest, and nearly stopped as she spoke again.

“Kill him.”

“No!” Blaze cried, leaping towards him. Her mother caught her arm and yanked her back as the guards raised their weapons and fired. 

Silver squeezed his eyes shut and threw his arms out, and the bullets hovered for a split-second before falling useless to the ground. The throne room was devoid of anything else he could use as a weapon, and there were guards stationed at each window and door. He was trapped.

“Don’t hurt him!” Blaze practically ripped out of the queen’s grip and ran to him, planting herself between him and her parents.

The queen laughed. “You were foolish to come here, psychic. Who sent you?”

“No one,” he tried to say, but his voice stuck in his throat, paralyzed in fear like the rest of him.

“He would never hurt me,” Blaze said, her voice and stance firm.

“Come here,” the king ordered. She didn’t budge.

The queen’s eyes narrowed. “I will not jeopardize your life and the welfare of our kingdom over some still fantasy. Return to us at once.”

Blaze backed up and put her arms out wide, as if she could protect Silver from everything at once. “I will not let you kill him like you killed his family.”

Something pressed against the back of his neck, and white hot pain flooded his senses. He screamed and convulsed, and then crumbled to the floor. Blaze cried his name and dropped to her knees, but he barely heard her. The source had left when he fell, but his body still burned, and he swore his quills were smoking. The ringing in his ears was deafening.

“Let me tell you a story,” the queen said. “Thirteen years ago, we were given a prophecy.”

Two guards hauled Blaze away from him, screaming his name as another paralyzing shock ripped through him, the weapon pressed between his shoulder blades. He couldn’t cry out this time.

“The details are unimportant,” the queen continued, “but we all know the last line. A psychic with unseen power will end eternal suffering, and the royal bloodline will be no more.”

“Stop it!” Blaze cried, and Silver’s body convulsed again at another shock. Every muscle in his body screamed in pain. Once he could move his hands again, he pressed his fists into his eyes to ease the sudden intense headache, but it didn’t help. He had never felt pain like this before.

“Don’t you see?” the queen exclaimed, throwing her arms out. “It is his destiny to kill you! I had a choice to make—I had to choose between a village and you. Of course I chose my daughter. I will always choose you.”

“Please,” Blaze begged. “Please don’t kill him. It’s not his fault. I’ll—I’ll do anything.”

It was silent for what felt like a lifetime before the queen spoke again.

“Very well.” She snapped her fingers and two meaty hands dragged him to his feet. He wanted to fight back, but he could barely move. “Baron Cliff arrived earlier this month. In exchange for his life, you will marry on Sunday. The psychic will be left in the dungeon. There, he will no longer be a threat.”

“But—”

“This is my final and only offer.”

He could hear Blaze sobbing—or maybe it was his own voice, choking out I’m sorry s as he cried. He couldn’t tell. He couldn’t think.

“The princess has bargained for your life.” The queen’s voice was suddenly very close. “A foolish, selfish act. If you are lucky, you will be dead by sunrise.”

He passed out on the way to the dungeon, and when he woke again, he immediately wished he was still unconscious. A migraine stabbed through his skull and he gasped in pain, squeezing his eyes shut. Two guards pulled his coat off and stripped his gloves and shoes from his body, and then dropped him on the floor in a cell. He felt more exposed here than he ever had before. His marks seemed to scream out to the whole world, labeling him as a monster.

He tried to curl up, but the guards pulled him apart. They untied the bindings from his wrists and ankles and started to unclip the gold inhibitors, but he jerked away with all the strength he had left. “Don’t,” he croaked out. “Please. They—they keep it from—”

“Don’t waste your lies, kid,” one of them said, removing one from his wrist. “Psychics only have one weakness—pain.”

“No, you don’t underst—” The guard’s fist cracked against his face and he whimpered as agony exploded through his skull. His nose was bleeding.

“Save it for someone who cares.”

They took the cuffs from his wrists and ankles and replaced them with heavy chains, giving him only a few feet of movement from the wall, though they all knew he wasn’t moving any time soon. The circles on his skin began to burn as the men stepped back. Blood oozed from the scars, dribbling down his skin and pooling on the floor. “Please,” he whispered.

This time, the two guards shuffled uncomfortably. One of them put a hand over his mouth in horror. They turned quickly and left him alone, slamming the door to his cell.

If you are lucky, you will be dead by sunrise.

He curled into a ball, hugging his knees to his chest. He tried to sleep, but his pain-ridden body wouldn’t let him. It hurt to even close his eyes, so he stayed staring at his hands, watching the blood pool in his palms and spill through his fingers. It was almost therapeutic; watching his own blood puddle in the cracks in the stone floor.

He finally managed to close his eyes after what felt like hours, tears streaming down his face, and when he opened them again, he was in a different place. A place filled with fire and fear. 

Home.

The slashes across his back burned like the fire consuming their village. He was on his hands and knees in bloody ashes, sobbing for his mother. His mother was already dead. At five years old, he looked death in the face and learned exactly how real it was.

It was a misfire that saved him. He looked up from the ground and came face to face with the barrel of a gun. He couldn’t even close his eyes as the royal soldier pulled the trigger, and when the gun didn’t fire, pure instinct took over. He grabbed the man with his power and threw him across the burning square, and before he knew it, he was running for his life down the stone path he had run so many times before.

“The hedgehog! Don’t let him get away!”

But by then, there was too much smoke and ruin to notice a tiny child climb into a barrel and seal himself in.

The barrel was halfway full of water, and he was sure it turned red in only a matter of minutes. He stuffed his belt in his mouth to silence his cries, and then closed his eyes and covered his ears to simply wait for the horror to pass. He stayed there for at least a day and a half, and would have stayed longer if Edmund hadn’t found him.

Edmund…

I’m sorry, Edmund. I’m so, so sorry.

“Wake up, hedgehog.”

Silver blinked his eyes open to see one of the guards standing in front of him with a bowl in his hand. “Leave me alone,” he mumbled. His mouth tasted like blood, and he spit a glob of it onto the floor. His nose was bleeding again.

“Dinner,” the koala said. He put the bowl down and slid it toward him.

Silver didn’t bother lifting his head. “Why? You’re just gonna kill me by dawn anyway. Give it to someone who needs it.”

“Princess Blaze requested it.”

He sighed and dragged himself up to a sitting position. His hands and feet burned with the movement, and the open wounds stung as he took the bowl and held it up to his lips. He took a sip, but couldn’t taste it.

“I didn’t want to do it, you know.”

Silver glanced at him, instantly regretting it as pain burst through his head. “What’re you talking about?”

“The Jade Massacre. I didn’t want to take part in it.”

Anger immediately flooded into his chest. “You’re a coward,” he hissed.

“Pardon?”

“I said you’re a coward!” he screamed. “If you knew it was wrong, why didn’t you do something?”

The guard took a step back in alarm, reaching for his gun. “I had—”

“I was five years old!” Silver hauled himself to his feet, staggering as the pain and dizziness blinded him. He didn’t realize he was sobbing until he felt the tears drip onto his hands. “They held a gun to my head at five years old!”

“Do you really think I wanted that?” the guard asked, his voice remarkably calm and regretful. “I had a son your age. I had my orders, but I couldn’t carry them out.”

“You might as well have!” Silver tried to summon enough strength to use his power, but he couldn’t even lift the bowl off the floor. He tugged on the chains, but they didn’t budge. “They were fully prepared to shoot a child in the face and you didn’t do anything! It might as well have been you holding the gun to my head! You’re a coward! You’re all cowards! If you’re so afraid of me, why don’t you kill me right now?”

The guard shook his head sadly as Silver fell to his knees again, sobbing into his hands. The man stepped out of the cell, closing the door softly. “Try to eat something,” he said gently. “You’re going to need your strength.”

Chapter Text

Anguish tore into her heart as Blaze watched a pair of guards drag Silver's limp body from the throne room, and she fell to her knees in despair as the door slammed shut. 

"Now that that's taken care of—"

"How could you?" Blaze demanded, turning to look over her shoulder. Her eyes were too blurry to make out the expression on her mother's face. 

"What do you mean?"

"He traveled with me for months and didn't lay a finger on me." Blaze climbed back to her feet, ignoring a guard's outstretched hand. "He has been nothing but gentle and protective, and you didn't even give him a chance. You took one look at him and decided you knew everything you needed to know. And now you're imprisoning him for something he has no control over?" Her hands lit up in flames, and sparks ignited in her hair and the end of her tail. "My power could hurt you. Are you going to lock me away, too?"

"You don't understand the nature of prophecies," the queen said without even a second of consideration. "I am deeply sorry your emotions were caught up in this mess, but it is better this way. You will forgive me when your life is no longer in danger."

Her father cleared his throat awkwardly. "Now, Blaze, why don't you clean up, and we can have a banquet celebrating your safe return—"

"No." She turned on her heel and stormed to the door. "I want nothing to do with this."

"How could you turn on us so suddenly?" her mother asked, her voice just as even as it had always been. The lack of emotion was infuriating. "Surely these past months couldn't have changed you that much. You used to love us. And now you give it up for some scavenger?"

"You never made time for me when I was young. Why should I make time for you now?"

Blaze slammed the door as she left, tears dripping down her face once her parents were out of sight. Her suite seemed to mock her as she entered. 

I should have fought harder for him. I'm a coward. 

"Princess Blaze?" The voice was accompanied by a gentle knock on the door, though it still stood open wide. 

"Gardon?" She turned and met the kind black eyes of her parents' personal guard. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure you were alright," the koala said. 

"I'm fine," she snapped back. 

"May I ask a question?"

The genuine concern in his voice made her pause before snapping again. "Sure."

"The psychic boy—you really trust him, don't you?" The question wasn't accusatory, like it would have been if it had come from her parents. 

"He saved my life over and over again," Blaze said, the anger once again fading into despair. "I trust him more than anyone in the world." She ran her hands through her tangled hair in frustration, cursing herself for letting this happen. She knew they wouldn't kill Silver now, but it was only a matter of time before they did, and she didn't want to imagine what they'd do to him in the meantime. "I have to get him out of here."

Gardon was quiet for a long moment, and all she could hear was the ticking of the clock and the buzz of electric lights. She hadn't realized how loud they were until now. 

"He's a child," the man finally said, his voice very, very soft, "isn't he?"

"He said he was eighteen," she whispered. "He's barely younger than I am."

"I will watch over him," he said suddenly, and though his voice was firm, his eyes were glued to the floor, and he shifted his weight almost awkwardly. "If you trust him, then I trust him, too."

"Why? Don't you believe in the prophecy?"

"I…had a son, a long time ago. The psychic—Silver, you said? He reminds me of him."

Blaze looked at him in confusion. "You had a son?"

Gardon nodded, his expression sorrowful. "He was just a child when an illness took him."

"Gardon, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"I was there when it happened. The massacre. I had orders to kill on sight to protect you and the future of our kingdom. But…" The koala's eyes stared off to the side, and she had no doubt he was looking at something she couldn't see. "There were children there. They wanted me to gun down children and their parents without a second thought. And I…just kept seeing him there. I could hear him asking why such a terrible thing was happening." He straightened up a little and took a deep breath. "I won't be able to get Silver out yet, not so soon after his arrival, but I will try my best to take care of him."

All Blaze could do was stare at him. It took her three times to speak. "You'd…you'd do that for him? For me?"

"I was a coward then," Gardon said. "I won't be a coward again."

“What if my mother finds out?”

Gardon sighed softly, though the sound wasn’t regretful. “Then I will face whatever punishment she sees fit.” He adjusted his uniform and finally met her eyes again. “Go wash up, princess. I’ll take care of him as best I can.”

Blaze nodded once in response. “Thank you.”

As Gardon left and shut the door, she took his suggestion and cleaned herself up. Her clothes were ripped and stained beyond repair, so she threw them in the waste basket—though she kept the pair of hiking boots Silver had found for her. After a fast shower and a moment of deep guilt over the water wasted, she put on clean clothes and laid down on her bed. The softness was heavenly. She had desperately missed a soft bed.

If only Silver could feel it with me.

She greatly appreciated Gardon’s willingness to help, but she knew he couldn’t do much without risking his own safety. She could only hope whatever kindness he was able to extend would keep Silver alive long enough to get him out.

She must have fallen asleep, because when she looked up after hearing a knock on her door, the sun had gone down. She got up and combed her fingers through her hair, briefly marveling at the lack of tangles and knots, and opened the door. 

An unfamiliar jackal stood in the doorway, slightly too close for comfort. “Forgive my sudden arrival, princess,” he said, bowing slightly at the waist. “I wanted to make sure you were alright. I heard about what happened in the throne room.”

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Blaze asked, unwilling to bother being polite.

“Of course, of course. I am Baron Cliff. I understand we are to be married?”

“Oh,” she said, dread sinking in her heart like a stone in a river. “Yes. It’s…nice to meet you.”

“May I come in?” the jackal asked, shifting forward slightly. Just enough to put her on edge. “I’d like to get to know my bride-to-be.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m really not in the mood.”

Something unnerving flashed through his expression, lasting only a split second, but long enough for the fur on the back of her neck to stand up. “I understand. It’s about that psychic boy, isn’t it?”

“I’d prefer you to stay out of it,” Blaze said bluntly.

“I only want to ensure your safety—”

“Baron Cliff.” She straightened up and glared right into his piercing blue eyes. “I want you to understand that I have no interest in marrying you. The only reason I agreed was to save his life. It’s simple politics. I will not love you, and I doubt you’ll love me. Let’s not make things uncivilized between us, alright? Goodnight.”

The man stood still with a look of complete shock on his face as she stepped back into her suite and shut the door. She had no doubt she would be scolded for her attitude, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She slumped down on her bed again, pressing her face into a pillow to keep from crying. Everything had gone so wrong so fast, and it was all her fault. 

When she fell asleep again, she dreamt of Silver and Iblis. 

Silver stood still, blood oozing from the marks on his hands and the scars on his back. He called out to her as his eyes skipped right over her, as if he couldn't see her. Blood leaked from the corners of his eyes like tears. Iblis appeared behind him and laughed.

She cried Silver's name and tried to run to him, but someone held her back—an echidna woman wearing a soft blue dress. "It must be this way," the echidna said gently. 

"Blaze, where are you?" Silver said,  his voice trembling. "I'm scared."

The flaming hedgehog raised his arm, a bolt of fire materializing in his hand. And all Blaze could do was watch as he thrust the spear into Silver's chest, straight through his heart. Silver couldn't even cry out. He stayed standing for a moment, held up by the weapon pierced through his body, and then fell to his knees, clutching at his chest and gasping for breath. Iblis yanked the bolt out and he fell face down, unmoving. 

Blaze screamed in despair, but the woman refused to let go of her. "It has to be this way," she said again. 

"No, it doesn't!" Blaze cried. "Just leave him alone!" 

At last, she pulled away from the strange echidna’s grasp and ran to Silver's lifeless body. The hole in his chest didn't bleed—Iblis' fire had cauterized it on contact. She rolled him over and pulled him into her arms, laying his head on her chest and rocking him as she cried. 

"I'm scared, Blaze," he said, and she jumped. He wasn't breathing, but it was his voice, and she felt his breath on her neck. "Don't let them hurt me."

"I'm trying," she whispered. 

"Don't let them hurt me. Don't let them hurt me. Don't let them hurt me."  

Silver exploded with bright light, and she was thrown back. The psychokinetic energy swirled and thrashed violently in the air, demanding an outlet and finding none. She closed her eyes, but the blinding light shone through her eyelids. The energy wrapped around her body and lifted her into the air, tearing through her, and it seemed like her very molecules were splitting apart. She screamed as agony coursed through her, and in the distance, she could hear the woman's voice. 

"It has to be this way."  

Chapter Text

Silver awoke to the sound of the cell door opening. His ears twitched at the grinding sound, but he didn’t bother opening his eyes.

“Get up, psychic. The queen wants to talk to you.”

This was it. They were going to kill him. And though he’d survived for longer than he’d expected, he hadn’t imagined dying like this. Chained and helpless in the dungeon—a situation that could have easily been avoided if he had just left Blaze at the gate and ran.

He groaned softly and tucked his knees under his chest to stand up, but apparently he didn’t move fast enough. One of the two guards grabbed a fistful of quills and dragged him to his feet, holding him there when his knees buckled. A sound between a yelp and a whimper escaped his throat. His head swam and the cell spun around him.

The queen arrived only a minute later, two more guards at her side. Blaze’s resemblance to her mother made Silver’s gut twist in anger and heartbreak.

“Bow before your queen,” one of the guards ordered.

Before he even had a chance to obey, a guard slammed the butt of his gun into Silver’s gut, making him double over, and another hit the backs of his knees and drove him to the floor. He struggled to catch his breath as he knelt there, praying the position counted as respect. Thankfully, it seemed to satisfy them for now, and they told him to stand again. It took all his energy to obey.

Don’t get snappy, don’t fight back, and maybe they’ll believe me. Show you’re not a threat.

“Silver,” the queen said. He hated the sound of his name in her voice. “It has been brought to my attention that you attacked one of the soldiers on watch last night.”

“I didn’t do anything,” he managed to say, keeping his arms around his waist as if that would protect him and give his breath back. All it did was smear the blood from his marks across his body. The chains felt heavier today. “Got upset and yelled. That’s it. And I’m sorry.”

She watched him for a moment, and then gave the guards a signal. The one closest to him drew back and hit him hard, just under his left eye. He yelped and staggered back, falling against the wall. He could hardly stay standing.

“Then what is stopping you from attacking my daughter the same way?” the queen demanded. “Whether you want to or not.”

“I don’t know what you’re—” The blow hit his nose this time, breaking it instantly and sending blood gushing down his face. He fell to his hands and knees as tears sprung to his eyes. His head swam with vertigo.

“I know what she’s trying to do.” The queen glared down at him with anger, but behind that, there was fear. She was acting out of fear. “The princess hopes that by keeping you alive, she can prove that you aren’t dangerous, and one day let you go. But you can’t control yourself when you’re upset, can you?”

Maybe I could if I had my inhibitors, Silver thought, though he didn’t say it. “I’d never hurt her,” he whispered instead, his hand up against his bleeding nose.

“Intentionally, maybe not.”

“I’d rather die than hurt her.”

The words spilled from his mouth before he had a chance to think them through, and his breath hitched in his throat as he realized exactly what he’d said. The dungeon was deathly silent. Surprisingly, the queen’s expression changed slightly to realization before returning to that hard anger.

“You’re in love with her,” she said coldly, “aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

Silver just looked up at her in pleading desperation. “Please believe me, your Majesty,” he begged. “I would never, ever do anything to hurt the princess.”

She believed him. He could see it in her eyes. But he could also see the fear stopping her from accepting it. “I don’t want to do this,” she said, “but I didn’t spend my whole life protecting my daughter only to lose her to you now. Prophecies always come true. You of all people should know that.” Then she turned and gestured to the guards. “Keep him down by any and all means necessary, but do not kill him until my order.”

“Your Majesty, please,” he started desperately, but another electric shock tore through his body, and his words stayed stuck in the back of his throat as he tried and failed to scream.

She didn’t look back, and the last glimpse he caught of her was her long tail vanishing around the corner.

Silver regained consciousness with a yelp as someone touched his shoulder. He hadn’t realized he’d passed out. His entire body was sore, and he was pretty sure at least one of his ribs was broken again. His eyes refused to focus.

“Silver,” the stranger said. He recognized the voice as belonging to the soldier he’d supposedly attacked last night.

“You,” he said, cringing as he took a breath. He still couldn’t see clearly. Maybe he’d been hit hard enough to make him blind. “You lied about last night.”

“What do you mean?”

“The queen thought—” He had to pause to catch his breath. He tried to sit up, but his arms trembled and couldn’t hold his weight, and the soldier had to help him. “Thought I attacked you.”

“That’s…strange. I didn’t tell anyone about it. Someone must have heard you.” It could have easily been a lie, but his voice seemed genuine enough. He pushed a cup into Silver’s hands. “Here. Drink some water, and then I’ll give you the soup.”

Silver barely had the strength to lift the cup to his mouth, but somehow managed to take a drink. The water felt like heaven against his parched throat.

“My name is Gardon,” the koala said. “The princess has requested I look after you.”

“Great,” Silver muttered into the cup.

“I brought a cloth to wash off the blood—may I?”

It wasn’t like he could argue. “Whatever.”

Gardon put a tiny bit of pressure against his cheek, and he yelped and flinched as pain burst through his face again. “I’m sorry,” the soldier said, still sounding convincingly genuine. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Don’t touch me.” Silver tried to be demanding, but his voice sounded terribly small and afraid.

“Do you want to do it yourself?”

With his palms still steadily oozing blood, he wouldn’t make much of a difference. “No.”

“May I try again? I’ll be softer this time.”

“...fine.”

He closed his eyes and braced, and managed to mostly hold still as Gardon very carefully wiped the blood from his face. He swore under his breath, and half expected Gardon to scold him for it, but the koala didn’t say anything.

Once he was finished, Silver’s eyes had mostly cleared up, but he had a roaring headache and closing his eyes felt better than bothering to look at Gardon. It wasn’t like he could stop him from doing anything, anyway.

“How about your hands?” Gardon said.

“Won’t make a difference,” he mumbled.

“Why not?”

Silver held his shaking hand out to show him. “Still bleeding.”

“Then I’ll get some bandages and—”

“Don’t bother. It won’t stop until I get my inhibitors back.”

“Oh,” Gardon said very softly. “I’m sorry.”

Silver shrugged, and immediately regretted it as his shoulder burned. They must have twisted it while he was passed out. “Doesn’t hurt.”

He didn’t know why he lied. The open wounds stung with every movement, though he was almost used to it by now. Maybe he’d lied to ease Gardon’s worry, but he didn’t know why he’d bother. He didn’t understand anything recently.

“Your chest and stomach,” Gardon said after clearing his throat rather awkwardly. “Do you want me to wash them, too?”

Silver shrugged again, this time with only one shoulder. “Just…be gentle. Please.”

And he was, and Silver didn’t know why.

He wasn’t dead by sunrise, and at this point, he wasn’t sure if he was grateful or not.

After Gardon had left and another guard replaced him, Silver curled up against the wall and tried very hard to look unconscious. Maybe if he stayed down on his own, he could spare himself the pain. It worked for a few rotations, until one of them opened the door and kicked him to check. Silver couldn’t bite back his yelp in time. The man must have had a sadistic sense of humor, because he laughed every time Silver reacted to his blows or yanks or shocks. Pretending to be unconscious didn’t work until his voice finally gave out, and he couldn’t cry out anymore. He wasn’t sure if he actually passed out or if he just laid there staring at the wall with blurry, half-lidded eyes, but eventually, it was time for another guard rotation, and the man left.

“Silver?”

His ear twitched at the sound of Blaze’s voice. Was she actually here, or was he just hearing things? He couldn’t sit up or roll over to check.

The cell door opened again, and he flinched. Someone knelt down beside him and put their hand on his shoulder. “Silver?” Blaze repeated. 

“Blaze?” he managed to mutter.

“You’re awake,” she said in relief. “Can you sit up?”

“No.”

Her familiar comforting arms wrapped around him and lifted his upper half to rest against her chest. It felt so nice to be held again, despite the pressure on the bruises.

“What’re you doing here?” he mumbled.

“I had to make sure you were still alive—I’m so sorry, Silver.” She pressed her face against the top of his head. “This is all my fault.”

“Yep,” he said, trying to crack a smile.

Thankfully, she caught the joking tone, and chuckled. “As blunt as ever, I see.”

“They haven’t—” He cut off with a wheeze and had to try again. “They haven’t broken me yet.” He didn’t know if he was lying or not.

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” She leaned back enough to see his face, and even though one of his eyes was nearly swollen shut, he still found comfort in her beauty. He smiled again past all the blood and bruises, and her brows furrowed as her eyes filled with tears. “Knock it off, Silver. Don’t you get it? They’re going to kill you, and it’s all my fault.”

It wasn’t her fault. The words didn’t come out.

“Do you hear me? They’re going to kill you.”

“I know,” he said softly, surprised at how clear and steady his voice came out. “I knew that the second I came inside.”

“Then why?” she cried. “Why didn’t you run when you had the chance? Why didn’t you let me go on alone?”

He tried so hard to look at her. His face was bruised, his ears were torn, and his body was bleeding, but none of that mattered when he looked into her eyes. “Because I love you,” he said.

Blaze hugged him tight again, tucking his head under her chin. “You’re stupid, Silver,” she mumbled into his quills.

He let out a single chuckle, barely audible, but he hoped she heard it. “What can I say? I’ve never been the brightest.” He coughed hard, and closed his eyes again. “‘sides, Edmund says love makes you do stupid things.”

“And you just had to go and prove that, didn’t you?”

She was only partially joking, and he knew it. “Just…do me a favor, yeah?” Tell…tell him I’m sorry.”

“No,” she said, her voice cracking. “No, you tell him yourself. I—” She paused for a second, and then lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’ll get you out. Tomorrow night. Everyone will be busy with the wedding preparations. I’ll sneak down and break you out.”

He shook his head as much as he could. “No. Can’t risk it. They’ll be watching you too…” Once again, he had to stop and catch his breath. Talking hurt more than he wanted to admit. “Too closely.”

“We’ll be fine.” She gently set him back down on the cold stone floor, and he whimpered at the loss of comfort. “I’m sorry. Someone’s coming; I have to go.”

“Blaze—”

“See you tomorrow night.”

She was gone before he could protest again.

Gardon brought him dinner again.

This time, he took it without complaint, but he still had a hard time eating it. His stomach was queasy with fear and pain.

“I heard the princess’s plan,” the guard said.

“Then you know I want nothing to do with it.” Silver took a sip of broth and winced as he swallowed. “‘cause if she goes through with it—”

“It’s going to get you killed.” Gardon watched him sadly. “I know.”

“Bet you’d like that. Then you wouldn’t have to see me everyday and think of your kid.”

“Do you want me to stop her or not?”

Silver froze, the bowl against his cracked lips. “What?”

“Do you want me to stop her from rescuing you, or do you want her to try?” The koala stared right at him, firmly but gently, like his father used to. 

Silver sat in silence for a long time before he found his voice again. “Don’t let her do this,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Please. I don’t—I don’t wanna—” A choked sob escaped his throat, and he quickly covered his face to hide the tears. He had known it was coming for a long time, but it was all so real now. Death scared him more than anything in the world.

He didn’t notice Gardon had moved until the guard was sitting right next to him. He wanted to push him away, but instead, he found himself sobbing into the stranger’s shoulder, clinging to him like a child. Gardon held him close and gently stroked his head, rocking him back and forth. 

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered. “We’re going to get you out of here soon. Just hold on a little longer.”

“Please don’t let them kill me,” Silver begged, burying his face in the soldier’s uniform.

“They won’t kill you. They can’t. Both the princess and the queen gave an order. But…” The guard hesitated, but Silver knew what he meant.

“I can take the pain,” Silver breathed. “I can take it. Just please don’t let them kill me.”

“I won’t,” he said. “I promise.”

Chapter Text

The wedding dress mocked her.

It took everything Blaze had not to set it on fire and furiously watch it burn, and Rose’s excitement only fanned the flame of anger in her chest. The dress itself was beautiful; pure white with shimmering orange trim and a long, lacy train. Blaze began to see beauty as pain—the dress and the castle and their lives were so beautiful because of the ignorance to the suffering of everyone else. Here she was, all pampered and dressed up as usual, while Silver was tortured in the dungeon.

“Put it on!” Rose said eagerly. The seamstress beside her nodded.

Blaze didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, so she obeyed despite feeling as though she was going to be sick. The two women fussed over the dress, the seamstress adding pins here and there to make sure it would fit correctly, and one of them made an off-hand comment about her weight—she didn’t fit into the dress nearly as well as she would have before she’d been missing, as she had lost a lot of weight. Many of the pins went into the waist and bosom to tighten it. Blaze felt like she was wearing a bag. A beautiful, expensive bag. She closed her eyes before her stomach betrayed her.

“You look just like your mother,” Rose said with a dreamy sigh. “This was her dress, you know.”

Blaze knew. When she was younger, she had often imagined herself wearing her mother’s wedding dress. If only she knew how painful it was. When people saw her in the garment, they would be reminded of her mother, and she despised the thought. The last thing she wanted was for people to think she was just like the woman who had ordered a genocide. 

The seamstress picked up on her discomfort, but missed the reason. “Marrying a stranger must be quite difficult,” she said, “but the Baron is very kind. I’m sure you two will grow to at least understand each other. It won’t be all bad.”

“I am already in love,” Blaze said abruptly. “I don’t care how wonderful the Baron is. I will never love him like I love Silver.”

Rose’s nose wrinkled. “The psychic boy? Pardon my bluntness, Princess, but he is a murderer. He is a threat to you and the entire kingdom!”

“You don’t know anything about him!” Blaze snapped, and the two women flinched back. “He’s the sweetest person I’ve ever met.”

“But the prophecy—”

“Everybody is so quick to blame him for something he hadn’t even done!”

“Does it matter?” her lady-in-waiting accused. “He’s destined to kill you. Isn’t that evidence enough?”

Blaze turned her back to them. “Help me get the dress off. I’m finished.”

“Your Highness, it’s—”

“That’s an order, Rose.”

The room was heavy with a tense silence as they helped her undress. Despite the dress practically hanging off her frame, she could breathe much easier once she was free, as if she’d been smothered. She didn’t speak to them as she put on more casual clothes and stormed from her suite. Her suite was the only place she had privacy in the castle, so she didn’t know where she was going, but she paced the halls as her tail lashed behind her and left sparks in the air. There were so many more preparations to make for the wedding, and she would no doubt be scolded for her attitude, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything except Silver.

Her plan to get him out was half-baked at best. Somehow, before tonight, she needed to arrange a way to get him out of the castle. Maybe Gardon would be able to get a carriage secured for when she snuck him out of the dungeon, and the carriage could take him past the walls into the city where she had no doubt Edmund was still waiting. If she alerted Edmund of their arrival, the echidna could take Silver far away before anyone knew what had happened. To do that, though, she’d have to find a way to get herself out of the castle. After only a few minutes of pacing, she caught a glimpse of a guard at the end of the hallway, watching her. Her parents must have ordered them never to leave her alone.

Maybe if she found Gardon, the others would leave and they would be able to go out and find Edmund. The soldier was likely at the barracks, but would come if she called. So she turned to the guard in the hall and ordered him to send Gardon to her rooms, and though the man frowned in confusion, he nodded and left to retrieve him.

By the time Blaze returned to her suite, Rose and the seamstress were gone, having taken the wedding dress with them. She sighed and slumped over on the couch, resting her head in her hands. Everything was going so wrong. Silver wasn’t supposed to get hurt. He wasn’t even supposed to be here. 

Something about his capture didn’t sit right with her. Her mother had no reason to be suspicious of him—she shouldn’t have even felt the need to expose his hands to check. And Rose’s appearance at the gate had been very convenient, especially with her enthusiasm at the thought of bringing Silver to the castle. But they couldn’t have known they were coming. It didn’t make sense. And now Silver was suffering because of it.

A knock sounded from the door, and she opened it to find Gardon standing there—but he wasn’t alone. Baron Cliff stood beside him, an easy smile on his face and his hands clasped politely behind his back.

“Oh,” Blaze said. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to apologize for yesterday,” the stranger said. 

“He was…very insistent,” Gardon added, catching her discomfort.

“I was overeager and intruded at a bad time,” Baron Cliff continued, though he still stood too close for comfort. “It seems as though you have calmed down—may I come in?”

“No.” She put her elbow on the door frame, blocking the entrance with her body. She didn’t think he would try to force his way in, especially with Gardon standing right there, but it didn’t hurt to assert her dominance. “I would like you to leave.”

“Princess Blaze, we are to be married in two days. There must be some time you are available for us to get to know each other.” The stranger was irritated, but did a good job of hiding it.

“I’ll think about it,” she said.

“How are the preparations on your end?” Cliff asked, still trying to squeeze a conversation out of her.

“Thank you for coming, Gardon,” Blaze said, gesturing for the guard to come in. “I’ll see you in a few days, Baron Cliff.”

Gardon glanced at the jackal rather awkwardly as he entered Blaze’s suite, and his ears twitched slightly when she shut the door behind him, slamming it harder than necessary. “You wanted to see me?” he asked.

She nodded, leading him away from the door in case the Baron had any ideas about eavesdropping. “Would you be able to secure a carriage for Silver?” she asked. “I told him I was rescuing him tonight.”

The koala frowned and pursed his lips. “Yes, I am aware of your escape plan, but…I can’t let you follow through with it. Not tonight.”

“What? Why not?”

“Silver asked me to stop you. If you try to break him out tonight, you’re going to get caught, and they will kill him.” Gardon looked up at her with a sternness she had never seen before. A sternness that came from concern rather than someone simply giving orders. “You two are on thin ice already. The queen will give the execution order the second she gets a chance.”

“But he’s already so hurt—”

“I know,” he said sadly, “but he’s alive, and right now, that’s the best we can do.”

The worst part was knowing that he was right. Once again, her eyes filled with tears. The thought of Silver alone and wounded in the dark was nearly too much to bear. “Then what do we do?” she whispered.

“The safest day to get him out will be your wedding day.” Gardon shook his head and sighed. “Everyone will be too caught up in the celebration. I know it leaves him there for two more days, but it’s the only thing I can think of that won’t get him shot within minutes of leaving the dungeon. I will have to find some kind of excuse to miss the ceremony, but I can get him out alone.”

“Edmund,” she said quickly. “Edmund can help.”

“Edmund?”

“Silver’s…well, not really his father, but his guardian. He followed us into Onyx. He should be in the city somewhere nearby.” Blaze glanced at the door. “Could you take me out to find him? Judging by the constant guards, I guess I’m not supposed to be alone, but if you’re with me, no one can argue.”

Gardon nodded. “I would be happy to.”

As it turned out, the soldiers at the gate did not want her to leave the castle grounds, but with a little bribery, they finally allowed it. Onyx was much dirtier than she remembered even from the day before. It had seemed so clean compared to the rest of the world, but next to the near spotlessness of the castle, it didn’t seem nearly so impressive. But it was big, and she had no idea where Edmund could be.

“Who are we looking for?” Gardon asked.

“An old echidna with bushy white eyebrows and a colorful poncho,” Blaze said. “He has a walking cane, and I think his quills are red."

They started close to the gated wall, asking everyone around if they’d seen an echidna matching Edmund’s description, but while they didn’t make any progress, Edmund managed to find them around sunset.

“Princess?” he called in disbelief, hobbling towards them as fast as his old legs could carry him. “What’re ya doin’ out here?” He glanced at Gardon next to her, and she could hear the panic in his voice when he spoke again. “Where’s Silver?”

There was a lump in her throat as she spoke. “He’s in trouble. He’s been captured, and it’s all my fault.”

Those bushy eyebrows pinched together and raised at the same time. “Captured?” he whispered. “Is he…?”

“He’s alive, for now,” Gardon said when Blaze couldn’t answer. “We’re going to get him out in a few days, and we need your help.”

“Yes, yes, I'll do anythin’—is he okay?”

Blaze shook her head and swallowed hard. “They're hurting him, and there's nothing I can do. It's all my fault.”

Edmund's eyes were wide and afraid. “Hurtin’?”

“They took his inhibitors. His marks won't stop bleeding—”

“Oh, no. That's very, very bad.” The echidna scratched his neck and shifted his weight nervously, leaning heavily on his cane. “A psychic without inhibitors is…disastrous.”

Her heart, which already sat in her stomach, seemed to drop even farther. “What do you mean?” she whispered. 

“The longer they're without inhibitors, the more their power grows—the rings are what keeps it from overflowing. Like water pourin’ into a cup.” Edmund had already looked afraid before, but now he was nothing short of terrified. “Like the water, the power never stops comin’. Not sure the exact science behind it, but the inhibitors are like a regulator. Stops the flow or lets it out somewhere else or somethin’. But without ‘em, the cup overflows, so to speak. And an overflow of psychic power isn't somethin’ anyone wants to see.”

Blaze thought back to her dream—of Silver exploding in a bright light. “What happens?”

“Dunno. That's the scary part. I've only heard stories—and seen Silver get close to the edge. Princess, I think…” Edmund paused to dig his walking stick a little harder into the ground as he thought. “If Silver doesn't get his inhibitors back soon, I think that's what's gonna kill ya. Think that's what the prophecy was talkin’ about. ‘cause we both know Silver won't kill ya on purpose, but an accident most definitely can. And if they're hurtin’ ‘im…”

“It gives him more of a reason to fight back or lose control,” Gardon murmured, deep in thought. “If they push him past his breaking point, who knows what could happen.”

“Princess.” Edmund looked up at her and met her eyes, the determination and fear freezing her in place. “I know how much ya love Silver, but ya gotta stay away from ‘im until he gets his inhibitors back if ya want any hope of survival.”

“But I have to help him,” she protested, the tears threatening to spill. “I can't just abandon him.”

“Can't do anythin’ if you're dead.”

“I'll secure a ride out of the castle; a carriage or cart or something similar,” Gardon said. “I'll get him out through the back of the castle. If you meet me there, you can take him far away from here.”

Edmund nodded, though he was shaking, and Blaze didn't think it was entirely due to his age. “Right. When?”

“Two days. Probably mid-afternoon.” Gardon sighed. “He'll be weak and in a lot of pain. He won't be able to help you. Worst case scenario, he'll be unconscious. Will you be able to take care of him?”

“Absolutely. I'll keep ‘im safe, promise.” Edmund looked right at her as he said it despite answering Gardon’s question. 

She realized as they spoke that if their plan worked, she would never see Silver again. With the way things were going now, she might not even get to say goodbye. The thought nearly brought her to her knees in despair. But Silver would be safe, and that was all she could ask for. “Thank you,” she whispered. 

“This is perfect,” she heard the voice of Iblis say with a chuckle. “If your plan works, the psychic will have no chance to harm me, and if it fails—I'm sure your mother would take care of the details for me. How convenient.”

And again, Blaze wondered if maybe Silver should kill her, just to rid the world of Iblis. Was she being selfish by sending him away? Should she let him save the world? 

“It has to be this way,” said the voice of the echidna woman from her dream. “It has to be this way.”

Chapter Text

When Silver wasn’t tortured in consciousness, he was tortured in dreams. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw smoke and flames and a dozen soldiers coming to kill him. He watched his friends and family fall over and over and over again until he didn’t know if he was screaming while asleep or awake. If his voice even came out, that is.

His body felt hot despite his constant shivering. Whenever he screamed, whether or not the sound came out, flares of blue psychic energy escaped his body. He remembered Blaze telling him the same thing had happened when he’d been burned by Iblis. The little bursts scared the guards, and though he pleaded for them to leave him alone, it only made them double down. 

When he finally got a chance to breathe, he tried his best to assess the damage, but one of his eyes was swollen shut and the other was too blurry to make out any details. His nose was definitely broken, as were probably half of his ribs, and he was pretty sure his left cheekbone was fractured, too, judging by the splitting pain that felt different than a bruise. One of his teeth was chipped and he was missing two others, one on the top and one on the bottom. A constant high-pitched ringing in his torn ears drove him crazy—or would have driven him crazy if he had the energy to care. His left shoulder screamed every time he moved, and he’d coughed up a few spots of blood a few hours ago, not to mention the horrible stiffness and soreness of every one of his muscles. 

Even the slightest glimpse of the stun guns the guards carried sent him into a panic. The electricity they sent into his body felt like his brain rattled around his skull, like a rock in a can, and even when the initial shock vanished, he stayed immobile and helpless for what felt like forever. So far, the shocks and physical blows were the only things they’d done to him, but he knew there were hundreds more ways to torture him, and he was helpless to protect himself like this.

He let out a silent groan and tried his very best to shift to a more comfortable—or at least less painful—position. When he moved his arm, a bit of blue energy escaped off his fingers, and the dust in the cracks on the floor swirled around. The heavy chains scraped across the stone, and his ears twisted back at the awful sound, and then the cell door opened with a creak. His body went rigid in panic.

“No,” he croaked out, his voice barely sounding. He was facing the wall and couldn’t see who came in, but he knew what was going to happen. More pain. Nothing but more pain.

“Silver.” No, that was Gardon. The only break he got. The koala sat beside him and barely brushed his hand over his shoulder. “I brought you some painkillers and something to eat. Can I help you sit up?”

He barely had the strength to nod, and his cries of pain were silent as Gardon carefully lifted him off the floor and rested him against his body. At least the softness was a nice change from the cold stone. The broth Gardon gave him was so warm, and that simple comfort would have made him cry if he had any tears left.

“What can I do for you?” Gardon asked as Silver struggled to swallow the four pills he’d brought. “What do you need?”

Silver couldn’t answer until he drank all of the broth Gardon gave him over what was probably an hour. By then, he was feeling slightly better, both from the medication and the soup. At least his head wasn’t screaming and his muscles weren’t quite so sore. He picked at a glob of blood on his palm and winced. The dust shifted again. “Need my inhibitors,” he mumbled.

Gardon pursed his lips. “I’ll see what I can do.” He stood slowly, and Silver groaned as the soft warmth disappeared. “I’ll be right back.”

Silver managed to fall asleep for a few minutes without his memories tormenting him. It didn’t last long, though, and his pain-ridden body woke him again just before Gardon rounded the dungeon corner. The guard held something white, but not his inhibitors. His one open eye was too blurry to make out what the said something was.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t get to them,” Gardon said regretfully. “I know you said your marks wouldn’t stop bleeding without them, but will bandages at least help?”

Silver shrugged with one arm. The bleeding wasn’t what he was worried about. More swirls of excess energy came off his quills when he moved his head, as if to remind him.

The koala knelt beside him again. “May I?” 

When he nodded, Gardon took his hand and gently began to wrap the white cloth around his marks, knotting it firmly before moving to his other. Silver watched as ever-so-slowly, blots of red began to show through the white. “Do they really think I’m gonna kill Blaze?” he mumbled. The back of his throat burned as he spoke.

Gardon sighed softly. “I’m afraid so. That’s what the prophecy says, after all. Though I have no idea what they think you’ll do in this condition.”

Silver remembered the voices of the gods debating over his life, and thought about what Blaze had said to him. “Maybe there’s another way to get around the prophecy.” She had said it as a comfort, but after listening to the gods, it was anything but. It was clear to him now how the prophecy would be fulfilled. The kingdom would kill him, and then Blaze would kill herself. 

He wasn’t worth committing suicide for.

“I don’t wanna hurt her,” he whispered. “I’d never hurt her.” To know his death would hurt her past her breaking point made him sick to his stomach.

“I know,” Gardon said, moving to wrap his feet.

“I’d—I’d run to the other side of the world to keep her safe. Blaze believes me. Why won’t anyone else?” He barely managed to finish his sentence before the dryness in his throat tore a hard cough from his chest. His cracked ribs screamed in pain as it came out.

“I don’t know, Silver. I’m sorry.” The koala finished bandaging his psychic marks and sat next to him again, letting him lean on his arm. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Blaze listened to your request. She won’t be coming to break you out tonight.”

“Good,” he breathed, his eyes sliding shut.

“We spoke with Edmund today. We’re going to find a way to get you out together, in a few days.”

Silver’s heart jumped to his throat. “No,” he wheezed out. “Don’t let Edmund—he’ll just get hurt—” But the violent coughs stole his voice again, and he whimpered between gasping breaths.

“He’ll meet you outside the walls to take you away from here. He won’t be doing anything dangerous, I promise. The risk falls on me.”

Why? Silver wanted to ask, though he couldn’t speak. Why would you do all this for me? You don’t even know me.

The door to the dungeon opened, and Gardon made a sound of confusion. “It’s too early to change shifts,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, I’ll have to return to my post outside the cell.”

Silver couldn’t answer as the soldier helped him rest back against the stone wall, and they both winced as the chains clinked. Gardon closed and locked the cell mere seconds before another guard and a strange man in a stuffy purple suit came into view. 

The baron.

Anger boiled in Silver’s chest like a volcano, and he suddenly found he had the energy to sit up straighter and keep his eyes open—at least, the one eye that wasn’t swollen shut. You don’t need to hate the guy, he scolded himself. It wasn’t his fault all this had gone down. It was mere politics and bad luck he was even here in the first place. But he was here to take Blaze away from him, and that made him furious.

“Sir Gardon, the queen has requested your presence,” the other guard said, Gardon gave a stiff nod, glanced at Silver with a silent apology, and left.

As soon as he was gone, the man in the suit chuckled. “This is him?” He squinted down at Silver and laughed again. “He looks about as incompetent as he is filthy.”

Okay, so maybe the anger wasn’t entirely unwarranted. 

“I’m not stupid, y’know,” Silver said, and though it was still hoarse and weak, his voice somehow came out steady.

The stranger raised an eyebrow. “Though he could use a few lessons on manners.” He leaned a little closer, though the bars were still between them, and spoke slowly and loudly. “Do you know who I am?”

“You don’t need to mock me, Baron.” The shock on the jackal’s face made the corner of Silver’s mouth twitch in what was supposed to be a smirk. His face muscles didn’t quite cooperate.

The shock melted into a scowl, and the baron ordered the cell door open. “Then you should know that you do not speak to royalty unless spoken to,” he growled.

“Good thing you asked a question then, yeah?” Silver knew being sarcastic was a poor choice, but something about the baron ignited a rage in his heart, and a snappy response gave him some semblance of control, especially now that the painkillers helped dull the worst of the pain. Psychic energy crept from his mind down into his chest, spreading out to his hands like water spilling over a rock. If he had had the strength, he would have hurled the baron across the dungeon. Instead, the chains rattled like a shiver.

He didn’t notice the guard had pulled the stun gun from his belt until the baron held up a hand to stop him, though his expression was anything but merciful. “I have a few questions for the psychic, and I want him to be able to answer me.”

“Your mistake,” Silver muttered under his breath.

“How did you find the princess?” the baron asked, starting to pace a few feet in front of him.

“Not a chance.”

Before he could even blink, the baron slammed his foot into his gut, and he curled in on himself with a yelp. “Wrong answer,” the jackal said.

“Found her after a bandit attack,” Silver wheezed out, trying to catch his breath. Sharp pain bloomed through his abdomen as he shifted his weight.

“Attacked her with bandits.”

“That’s not what I—”

“Close enough.” The baron waved his hand absently. “How long did you hold her hostage?”

Silver grit his teeth and did his best to prepare for the blow. “I didn’t.”

This time, the kick hit just under his ribs, and he couldn’t breathe for a full ten seconds. “Enough of your games, psychic,” the baron growled over Silver’s coughing. “Answer my question.”

The taste of blood made his stomach twist with nausea. So much for control. “I—I dunno,” he managed to say in between gasping breaths. “Five, six months?”

“You had six months to kill the princess.” The jackal continued pacing, his hands clasped behind his back. Silver hated him more with every step he took. “So why didn’t you?”

“‘cause unlike some people, I think killing is wrong.”

“You wanted her for something else, didn’t you?”

The implication of his words made him wrinkle his nose in disgust. “No.”

“You had the sole heir to the throne in your grasp for six months, and you didn’t even think about wanting something?” The baron’s eyes narrowed as paused his pacing to glare down at him.

Silver just rolled his eyes the best he could. “ No. Now that we’ve established you’re a perv—”

The blow that hit him probably would have broken his neck if he hadn’t already been leaning against the wall. His head snapped to the side and hit the stone with a sickening thud as stars exploded through his vision and white hot pain drilled into his skull. His nose and cheekbone were bleeding again and the world was dark for nearly half a minute. He didn’t even have time to put his hands against his face before the baron seized a fist full of quills and yanked his head up, forcing him to look at him. He said something, but Silver couldn’t hear it. All he heard was the ringing in his ears and his own frantic heartbeat. The chains rattled with energy again.

“Do you think this is funny?” the baron demanded, shaking him as if to get him to focus. Silver shook his head, and he continued. “I know what you’ve done, boy, and you can’t deny it much longer.”

“What’re you talking about?” he croaked out.

The baron yanked him closer until their noses were nearly touching. “The princess is pregnant.”

For a moment, time stood completely still as Silver felt the color drain from his face. “Wh-what?”

The baron just scowled at him for a moment, and then threw him back against the wall and stood up again. “I knew it.”

“What?” Silver repeated, still frozen in shock. Blaze was going to have a child— their child. But that was impossible; it had only been a week at most. There was no way they could tell—

“I knew all it would take to get a confession was a shock factor.” The jackal resumed pacing, his hands behind him again. “And it worked.”

“So—” He fumbled for the right words, tripping over them in his mouth. “So Blaze—the princess—she’s not—”

“No, psychic, the princess is not pregnant. And it’s a good thing, too. There would have been an illegitimate heir ahead of my own child. It would have only brought conflict to our marriage, and the child would have grown up without a father. I certainly wouldn’t have raised it, and you would have been dead long before its birth. It could have been a psychic, too, and we certainly don’t need any more scum like you running around, now do we?”

“Then—then why—”

“Because I knew if I had asked, you would have given me the wrong answer.” The baron looked at him again, pure hatred burning in his eyes. “And I hate liars.”

“What—”

“A princess’s virginity is something very sacred. I don’t expect filth like you to understand. But know this.” There was a knife in his hand now. Silver didn’t know when he’d pulled it out. “To rip that away from her is the worst offense of all.”

Silver’s jaw dropped. “You—you really think I’d rape her?”

“Shut your mouth!” the jackal howled. “I know you did! You confessed it yourself!”

“Did—did you stop and think that maybe there was consent involved, or—”

In a blink, the knife was against his throat, and his voice cut off instantly. “I know your kind, boy,” the baron hissed. “You will suffer for what you have done.”

The chains weren’t shivering anymore—they were outright shaking, knocking against the floor and each other as the panicked psychokinesis rolled off him like waves. The sound of groaning metal gave him an idea. A terrible, stupid idea.

“Not so brave now, are you?” the baron sneered. The blade pressed harder against Silver’s neck. “What’s the matter? Out of quips? Out of lies?”

He summoned what little energy he had left and begged his power to listen. “Not outta tricks, though,” he hissed, and focused.

Then another knife was buried in his thigh, and he let out a strangled scream. His concentration crumbled before he could do anything as the baron yanked the second knife from his leg and held it in front of his face, taunting him. “Ah, not so fast. You didn’t honestly think I was that stupid, did you?” The blade against his throat stayed exactly where it was in a silent threat as the jackal dug his fingers into the stab wound, and Silver screamed and lost all control.

An explosion of energy threw the baron and his guard back, and Silver’s chains shattered like glass.

Chapter Text

A frantic pounding on the door startled Blaze out of her nightly routine, and she quickly donned a robe over her night clothes and ran to answer. Gardon stood in the doorway with fear written plainly across his expression. 

“Princess Blaze,” he said, sounding slightly out of breath, “Baron Cliff went to see Silver. I am worried about Silver's safety—the only way to get the baron to leave would be at your request.”

Her heart jumped to her throat. “Yes—yes, of course. Just a second.”

“I shall retrieve him now—”

“No. I'm coming with you.” Blaze didn't bother shutting the door to her suite and just ran into her bedroom to throw on more suitable clothing. She dressed in record time and rejoined Gardon as they moved swiftly through the castle. Anxiety twisted in her gut the closer they came to the dungeon. She shouldn't have mentioned Silver in front of the baron. Why else would he want to see him? If he hurt Silver, it would be all her fault. 

The soldiers stationed at the entrance to the dungeon tried to block her way— on the queen's orders , they said—but the fire dancing across her fingers quickly deterred them. She practically flew down the stone stairs in a storm of panic, and Gardon had to catch her twice before she tripped over herself and fell. Silver's cell was much farther than she remembered. Blaze expected voices, but heard nothing as they approached. The floor was cracked. Had it always been like that? They rounded the corner and froze in their tracks at the scene before them. 

The chains and the bars of Silver's cell were obliterated. Tiny shards of metal were literally embedded in the stone of the walls, ceiling, and floor, sharp like razor blades and creating a deadly maze across the rubble of what used to be a wall. On the far right, as far away from the cell as possible, one of the castle guards lay broken in a bloody mess, his limbs twisted at awkward angles and his body filled with the metal shards. The baron was closer, thrown over a pile of stone like a discarded toy. He, too, had a few bits of metal in his skin, but though one of his arms was broken, he looked to be in remarkably good condition despite being unconscious, and he didn’t seem to have trouble breathing. 

But Blaze didn't see any of that. All she saw was Silver lying motionless in the center of the destruction, blood pooling around him.

She screamed his name and threw herself towards him, slicing her foot as a bigger piece of metal cut through her shoe, but she hardly felt it. As she staggered closer, the maze of blades thinned, leaving Silver in a circle clear of danger, and as soon as she could, she fell to her knees beside him. He was bleeding from what looked like a stab wound in his thigh, and both of his wrists had been slit—and there was a bloody knife in his limp hand. For a long, terrible moment, she thought he wasn’t breathing, but if she held her breath, she could see his chest faintly rise and fall.

“Bandages!” she cried. “Cloth, gauze, something! Hurry!” She didn’t have to look to know Gardon ran off. Before the soldier was even out of sight, she pulled her shirt over her head and pressed it against Silver’s bleeding wrists. He didn’t so much as twitch. 

He’d lost control and exploded; that much was obvious. But that didn’t explain the injuries or why he had the knife. Had he…hurt himself on purpose? Could he have panicked after realizing what he’d done and, in a last-ditch effort to save himself more pain, tried to kill himself before anyone else had the chance? After everything he’d said to her, that didn’t make any sense. 

Chaos, he looked awful. What had they done to him to push him so far past his breaking point? Silver's skin was pale beneath his fur, and his hands and face were clammy. She could barely tell he was still alive.

It felt like years before Gardon returned. By then, her shirt was completely soaked. He got down beside her and laid out long strips of gauze, and she started to release her grip on Silver's wrists, but he stopped her. “Do not remove the pressure,” the soldier ordered as he moved to Silver's thigh. “He's lost too much blood already. We have to stop the flow.”

Blaze's hands were soaked and sticky, and though sight, sound, and feel sent bile racing up her throat, she forced it back before it came out her mouth. Silver needed her to stay in control of herself. She could panic and be sick once he was safe. 

Gardon didn't bother removing Silver's pants, and just wrapped the wound over the fabric, starting with a tourniquet a hand-width above the stab. She winced at how tight he had to pull it, and amazed at how fast and accurate he completed it. “Keep pressing down,” he reminded her as she found herself releasing the pressure on Silver's wrists. 

Her arms and hands were beginning to cramp. She furiously ordered her muscles to obey anyway. Gardon stuffed a wad of gauze into the stab wound, and she quickly closed her eyes and swallowed hard, her stomach once again threatening to empty itself. She could feel Iblis laughing in her chest. 

Gardon finished wrapping Silver's leg and immediately moved for more bandages without even taking an extra second to breathe. He took the knife from the floor and cut Blaze's shirt in half as she kept both sides pressed against the wounds, and began wrapping Silver's arms as fast and as tight as possible, directing her to move her fingers one at a time at the last possible second. The white gauze turned red in a matter of seconds. 

As soon as both her hands were free, she ran them over Silver's body to check for any other wounds—or at least any other life-threatening wounds. He was broken and bruised and bleeding from a dozen minor injuries, but nothing else seemed catastrophic. Blaze glanced at the unconscious baron—finally comprehending the gravity of the entire situation. “We have to get him out of here,” she said, her voice trembling like a leaf in a hurricane. “If anyone finds him like this, they'll kill him without hesitation.”

Gardon nodded, though his expression was deeply troubled. “We'll have to find some way to keep the other guards away.”

“I…” She looked at the jackal again. “If we hide Silver in another cell—just for a few minutes—we can get them to come down and take care of the baron. If it looks like Silver escaped…maybe I can convince them to stand down and let me try to find him. Then while they're distracted, we can take him away.”

Gardon shook his head, though it wasn’t a rejecting gesture. “That’s a terrible plan, your Highness, but we don’t have time to formulate another.” 

Gardon carefully tucked his arms under Silver’s back and thighs and stood up, and little shimmers of psychokinetic energy fell from his quills like glitter. Gardon was rather short, and Silver seemed comically large in the koala’s arms, though the soldier held him with ease. Blaze would have laughed if the situation wasn’t so dire. The soldier's steel-toed boots made it easy to brush away the loose pieces of metal and Blaze led him around the ones that remained, and once they were clear, she broke into a run deeper into the dungeon to find a suitable hiding place.

The dungeon didn’t have many prisoners, and she found a dark corner they could leave him in while they worked to get the guards away. Gardon gently set Silver down on the floor to face the wall, tucking his knees and elbows to his chest to make him smaller, and Blaze swallowed hard as her eyes stayed glued to the dark X across his back. If they couldn’t get him out of here, the soldiers would no doubt finish what they’d started thirteen years ago.

On their way back to the entrance, Gardon stopped by the wreckage, picked up a shard of metal, and sliced open his forearm. The action surprised her so much that she couldn’t even say anything. She just stared and he dropped the shard and pressed his hand against the wound with a grimace. When he caught her staring, he explained. “We have to make it look like Silver exploded while we were here, and if I’m not injured, it would look suspicious. But you—he said he’d never hurt you. As awful as this is, it could help your case. Maybe if they see he exploded and hurt everyone except you, they’ll believe you.”

“I…suppose you’re right.” 

Blaze cleared her throat if only to calm her nerves. She looked down at the Baron Cliff and then back down the hall. She pulled the torn cape from his shoulders and ran back to where they'd left Silver, and then draped it over Silver’s unmoving body to hide him. Gardon hadn't moved when she came back. 

“Alright, let’s go.”

“You two!” Gardon shouted, sprinting up the dungeon steps. He kept his hand pressed against his arm and blood dripped between his fingers. “The baron needs immediate medical attention!”

“What? What happened?” one of them asked frantically. 

“The psychic—he exploded and disappeared. Vincent is dead and the baron is gravely injured. I need help getting him up.”

“Gardon, wait!” Blaze ran after him, praying to Aurora their plan worked. He was right; this was a terrible plan. “Let me look for him. Alone.”

“Absolutely not, your Highness,” the second guard said. “What if—”

“Look at me,” she demanded. “He killed a man and injured two others—and yet he did not touch me.”

The guards hesitated. Their eyes flickered up and down her body. She showed them the blood on her hands and the lack of injuries, having no shame as she stood there in her undershirt. Despite the moment lasting only a few seconds, she held her breath for what felt like hours.

“Fine,” one of them said. “But someone must accompany you.”

“Gardon,” she said instantly, trying her best to keep her voice steady despite feeling as though her heart was going to race out of her chest. “You will come with me.”

He nodded, and gestured for the three of them to follow him back into the dungeon. He led them to Silver’s cell, warning them about the metal shards. The two guards reacted quite professionally as they came face to face with the dead man, but they were most definitely shaken. 

“Take the baron to the infirmary,” Gardon ordered. “I shall accompany the princess. Do not alert anyone of the psychic’s disappearance until we are sure the princess cannot find him. We do not want to cause unnecessary panic about his escape.”

They both nodded, and hauled the baron into their arms. Blaze didn’t bother waiting for them to leave to head deeper into the dungeon. She called Silver’s name a few times, to make it seem as though she was searching for him, but ran straight to where they’d hidden him. They only had a few precious minutes to get him out before the guards came back to watch the dungeon entrance.

Silver had shifted slightly. He was curled up tighter than they’d left him, the cape clenched tight in his fists, and now he was shaking. But he didn’t react as she dropped to her knees beside him and gently touched his shoulder—he wasn’t entirely awake.

Gardon scooped him up again, again leaving a brief trail of stray psychokinesis, and Blaze led the way back to the stairs. The guards were still gone. Good. Her heart was beating so fast that she thought it was a miracle it was even beating at all. Because it was late in the evening, the castle halls were nearly empty, and they made their way to Blaze's suite without trouble—but it was only a matter of time before the guards realized they'd been tricked. 

Gardon laid Silver on the couch in her bedroom, and immediately left for more medical supplies. Blaze wet a washcloth and began to wash the blood from Silver's face as gently as possible while she waited. His brow furrowed slightly at the touch, and when she lightly pressed the cloth under his black eye, his lips parted slightly and he let out a tiny breathless whimper.

“It's okay,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she washed him. “It's just me. It's Blaze.”

Iblis rumbled in her chest like distant thunder. “This is pointless,” he whispered in her head. “He will die.” 

“I won’t let him die.”

Silver’s less injured eye opened barely a crack. His iris was bright cyan. “Blaze?” he muttered, his voice raspy and his breathing still so shallow and weak.

“I’m here,” she said, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. “Save your breath. It’s going to be okay.”

He swallowed with what looked like great difficulty and tried to sit up, but barely got an inch off the cushions before slumping back down with a wheeze. Blue light streaked through his quills. “You…g-gotta…”

“Shh, stop talking. It’s going to be okay.”

“Leave,” he said in what she imagined was supposed to be a firm tone. His voice barely came out.

She frowned through her tears. “I’m not leaving you.”

“Please.”

“Silver, you’re dying. I can’t leave you.”

He shook his head slightly. More light escaped his body. “Can’t…control…”

Iblis growled behind her, no longer in her head. “He must die.” 

It took everything she had not to turn and look at the vision of the fallen god. She didn’t need to worry Silver any more than she already was. But Silver squinted slightly and tried to lean forward.

“Behind…you?”

“There’s nothing behind me,” she lied, pressing the washcloth against his forehead. He couldn’t possibly see Iblis, could he?

Before she could wonder further, the door opened and Gardon ran in, and Silver finched. The coffee table across the room flew into the wall with a burst of cyan light and cracked down the middle.

“Your Highness, they’ve started the search,” Gardon said. “We must hide him somewhere they won’t look.”

“They will find him,” Iblis said. “It is of no use to delay it.”

“Bla-aze.” Silver’s voice was lighter than a breath. 

Blaze ignored him for a moment. “Where do you suggest?” she asked Gardon.

“Blaze.”

Gardon shook his head. “I don't know. They will search your suites thoroughly, I'm sure.”

“So we'll have to take him somewhere else.”

“Blaze!” This time, Silver's voice was almost a shout, and he burst into a coughing fit.

She turned to see him clutch his chest with both hands. “What is it?”

“Beh-hind you,” he insisted, raising a trembling hand. 

Iblis still stood a few paces behind her, growing more irritated the longer they spoke. The heat from his flaming quills warped the air around him. Gardon hadn’t reacted to the fiery hedgehog when he’d come in—so how could Silver possibly see him?

Blaze winced slightly as she answered. “It’s Iblis,” she whispered.

Gardon reacted before Silver did. “What?” the guard said. “What are you talking about?”

Silver just squinted through his one open eye again. “Iblis,” he mumbled.

“He can’t hurt you,” she said. “Not like this. He’s not—”

“I can,” Iblis snarled. “If you will not leave him to die, I will take matters into my own hands.” He spun around and started to the balcony door across the room, sparks flying from his quills.

“You cannot. You are nothing but a vision.” Blaze followed him anyway, dread eating at her heart.

Gardon put his hand on his gun holster. His voice trembled with uncertainty. “Your Highness, what is going on?”

“I will show you.”  

Iblis passed through the glass doors like a ghost and looked over the castle wall into Onyx. Blaze opened the doors, but couldn’t bring herself to step any closer. The fallen god raised his arms to the sky and let out an otherworldly scream, and Blaze cried out at the sudden volume, pressing her hands against her ears.

“You seem to have forgotten something.”

A glowing dot appeared on the horizon, and then another, and another, and then a dozen, all growing larger as they approached. Silver dragged himself to her side, barely able to stand, but she was too mesmerized by the yellow orange lights to scold him as she put her arm around his waist for support. Gardon joined the two of them as the dots became more discernible. Creatures. Monsters.

“I am not powerless.”

“Oh, Chaos,” she whispered in horror.

Two fliers dove into the outskirts of Onyx and two went farther in, halfway from the castle to the wall. A few buildings caught fire, but like their first encounter with the monsters, not everything they touched burned. Not yet. She could almost hear the screams. 

The sky rumbled as reddish black clouds rolled in, and she felt Silver’s already shaky breathing grow rapid. Blue energy escaped off his hands with every exhale. 

“Princess, you must get inside,” Gardon said. 

“He's going to destroy Onyx. I have to stop him.” Blaze pulled out of Silver's weak grip and ran the two steps to the edge of the balcony. She had destroyed the monsters before; she could do it again. But how could she possibly reach all of them in time?

“You cannot stop me.” Iblis laughed, and the sound was like broken glass in her chest.

She’d just have to take them one at a time. Even if she couldn’t save everyone, she had to try. She reached her arms out, like Iblis had, and directed all her focus into the nearest flier. She mimicked pulling something apart, and the monster exploded, raining drops of liquid fire into the castle courtyard. 

“Your Highness, there’s too many,” Gardon said, his voice and body shaking. “They’re coming right for you.”

No, they’re coming for Silver.

“I can hold them off,” she insisted. “Get Silver out of here.”

All she could do was hope they obeyed, as she didn’t dare take her eyes off the next monster she ripped apart. But Gardon was right. There were too many, and with each flier she destroyed, two more took its place, and they were getting uncomfortably close. Iblis laughed again.

The door to her suite burst open and she spun around instinctively. Soldiers, coming to take Silver. She started to yell something—either a plea or his name, she couldn’t tell—but Silver cut her off with a shout of his own.

“Blaze!”

A shockwave of energy rushed out of his body as he shouted, throwing Gardon and the soldiers into the walls and Blaze into the edge of the balcony. The fiery claw of a flier swiped right where her head would have been a second earlier. Were they coming for her? Had Iblis lost his mind? Did he not realize that it didn’t matter how she died—if she died, he would, too.

A horrible crack interrupted her thoughts. The balcony split like lightning a few inches from the door, and before she even had a chance to process it, it crumbled and fell, taking her with it. She braced for the psychic energy to wrap around her body and carry her to safety, just like it had on the highway when Silver first revealed his power, and just like it had when the ground split open during the firestorm.

It didn’t.

Chapter Text

Before Silver even knew what he was doing, he threw himself off the balcony after Blaze. His psychokinesis was out of control—he knew it was the psychokinetic burst that had cracked the balcony—and it didn’t respond to his commands. Jumping off a building was a sure-fire way to get himself killed. If he didn’t get shot on the way down, the impact would definitely kill him.

Was this how the prophecy was fulfilled? Blaze fell to her death because of him? 

Adrenaline completely blocked the pain in his body. Before the jump, his ribs strained, his head spun, and his wounds burned, but now as he found himself in freefall, all he felt was the wind in his face and the terror in his heart. He reached out effortlessly, the fire in his shoulder gone, and begged his power to listen. The castle was tall, and they were high above the remains of Onyx. Even the skeletons of old skyscrapers weren’t as tall as Blaze’s suite. The height gave him a few extra seconds to catch her, but it also meant that if he failed, they both had very slim possibilities of surviving.

Come on, come on, come on—

Blue energy thrashed around Silver’s body like a wildfire, and taming it was just as hard. Theoretically, without his inhibitors, he had unlimited power. But said unlimited power was no good if he couldn’t use it. Beneath him, the psychokinesis wrapped around Blaze’s body for a split second before failing.

Come on!

He channeled every bit of strength he had left in his broken body and aimed it towards Blaze. He wouldn’t let it end like this. The energy flickered around her, and then it stayed. He yanked upward as hard as he could, and her fall began to slow. Grabbing himself was easier, and when he had them both in his psychic grip, he focused on stopping their descent.

Unfortunately, that was when he ran out of time.

He’d slowed them enough to make their collision with the ground painful but not deadly, and Blaze barely had time to yelp from her landing when Silver crashed down on top of her. He couldn’t have screamed even if he tried.

Blaze pushed him off and climbed to her feet. He was amazed she hadn’t broken any bones—or maybe she had, and she was just good at hiding the pain. She put her arms around his waist and hauled him to his feet, and then held him up as his legs refused to cooperate. “Silver, you have to hide,” she said desperately.

The knife wound in his thigh felt like a hot poker. Now that the adrenaline from their plummet had worn off, his body took the consequences of his idiotic actions. He took a breath to tell her that he couldn’t hide like this, but his chest screamed at the movement, and he broke into an agonizing coughing fit. Blaze held him against her as he practically convulsed. When he finally stopped coughing, there was blood in his mouth and on her dress.

He was dying.

He’d sort of known that already. He knew there was most likely some sort of internal bleeding, thanks to the merciless beatings they subjected him to. And now with a hole in his thigh and his wrists slit—he didn’t remember the baron cutting him, but it had to have been him—his chances were shrinking by the minute.

“Can you walk by yourself?” Blaze asked. It was a stupid question and they both knew it.

“You—okay?” he managed to choke out.

“I—yes, I’m fine. Just a little bruised. We have to get you out of here. We only have a minute at most before they catch up.”

A biter leapt over the castle wall into the courtyard and stalked towards them, like a wild animal hunting its prey. Blaze threw her arm out, but judging by her grunt of exertion, it took more energy than usual to explode the monster. Iblis was getting stronger. How was that possible?

Blaze shifted Silver’s weight to her side to help him walk, and they broke into a pathetic excuse for a run. Even if they did manage to escape, the guards could easily follow the trail of blood that turned the dust into a crimson mud. He coughed hard again, his chest feeling like he’d been stabbed a dozen times over.

Sure enough, barely a minute after their fall, at least a dozen soldiers poured out of the castle. They easily caught up and formed a line in front of the gate. Every single one of them had their guns pointed at him. He only prayed they wouldn’t shoot for fear of hitting Blaze.

He didn’t want to die. He was just a kid.

“Stay away,” Blaze ordered, shuffling backward. She angled her body to shield Silver—the closer they were, the harder it would be to shoot him without hitting her, too.

More fliers came closer. Silver could hear the people of Onyx screaming. What did Iblis hope to prove? Silver knew he hated the other gods, and therefore hated the people they claimed to love, but was this it? To destroy the world?

Aurora, give us strength.

“I cannot. I’m sorry.”

If Silver had the energy, he would have jumped. He tipped his head to see around Blaze’s, and there, behind the row of soldiers, stood an echidna woman with pink quills and a blue dress. She was crying.

“Why?” he breathed.

“It has to be this way. I’m so sorry, Silver.”

“Stay close,” Blaze said to him, as if he had any other options. 

She carried most of his weight as she moved backwards, away from the castle guards. A few of them started after her, and she threw her hand out. A massive wall of flame blocked their path, and they shouted in surprise. She adjusted her arms around Silver’s waist and broke into a staggering run, practically dragging him along when his legs couldn’t keep up. The bandage around the wound was completely soaked. Every sudden movement sent chaotic bursts of psychokinesis out of his body, cracking stone and smashing anything weaker to pieces. It didn’t hurt Blaze, but it was only a matter of time before it did.

“Need—my inhi—” He cut off with a strangled yelp as Blaze yanked him to the side, just in time to avoid a lunge from a snake. The monsters were everywhere, multiplying by the minute.

“I know,” she said. She pushed the snake away, but didn’t destroy it. “I just—I don’t know where they are, and I can’t leave you.”

A gunshot echoed through the courtyard, followed by a frantic order of Don’t shoot! The sound startled him enough for his power to tear a chunk straight out of the castle wall, hurling the broken stone in every direction. “I…” Chaos, talking hurt every part of his body. “I am—I am gonna k-kill people if…if I don’t…”

“Then why don’t you give up?” Iblis mocked them from behind. “Aren’t you desperate to keep the princess safe?”

“Don’t listen to him,” Blaze said, not even looking back.

Silver risked a glance over his shoulder at the fallen god, and despite the heat, a shiver ran down his spine and his quills prickled. Why could he suddenly see him? Did that mean he was too close to death?

“We have the same goal, Silver.” 

He did his best to focus and throw something at him—said something turned out to be another chunk of stone—but Iblis passed right through it as if he were made of nothing but smoke. Though Silver wanted to try again, it took all his energy to stay upright as the world spun around him. A glance at the bloody bandages on his wrists confirmed what he already knew. He was losing too much blood too fast.

“We both want the princess alive.”

A wave of nausea crashed through him, and he almost collapsed. Blaze had to pause their run to keep him upright, and the flaming hedgehog approached almost calmly, a hideous grin spreading across his face. 

“It’s only a matter of time, psychic.”

As Blaze pulled him along again, darkness spotted his vision and he tripped over himself. At this rate, he was going to get them both killed.

“This is your last chance.”

And yet something bothered him. Iblis’s monsters couldn’t hurt Blaze. Why hadn’t they attacked him already? If Iblis was getting more powerful, and he most certainly was, why wasn’t Silver dead already?

When neither of them answered, the fallen god sighed. He kept a steady pace behind them as they shuffled along. “Do you think your guardian is still around?”

Even though Iblis was literally on fire, his voice was ice cold, and Silver froze in his tracks. Edmund had no way to protect himself. If Iblis’s monsters went after him, there was nothing Silver could do. “Don’t,” he tried to snap. His voice barely came out, and with it came a dribble of blood down his chin.

“Edmund has nothing to do with this,” Blaze said, her voice much stronger than his. How she was able to move and talk so easily after their fall was a mystery. Was Iblis still subconsciously protecting her?

“Of course he does.”

“Why are you doing this?” she demanded.

“Do you remember your family, Silver?”

Silver couldn’t move, even with Blaze’s support. He stayed completely imobile as Iblis came closer, and even though Blaze tugged on his arm and then his waist, she couldn’t get him to step away. Silver barely remembered his family. He could see his mother with spots of red spreading across her yellow dress. He remembered holding his father’s strong hands, and he remembered the tone he often used with him, but he couldn’t quite remember his actual voice. He couldn’t remember his father’s face—the only image of him he had was his charred corpse.

“Do you remember how it felt to lose them?”

Of course he remembered that. He relived the moment in his dreams far too often. Even now, he could almost hear his younger self screaming.

“Don’t you want their murderers to suffer?”

“Stop it,” he whispered.

“I would like to introduce you to someone.”

“Silver, we have to get out of here.” Blaze practically lifted him off the ground to drag him away. Silver couldn’t take his eyes off of Iblis’s sharp grin.

“Why don’t you come on out, dear brother?”

Silver had heard this story once, but only a vague retelling of it. How Iblis’s brother had done something truly horrible and been banished—without a seal, cursed to roam as an empty shell. Silver had thought it was just a ghost story to scare kids so they wouldn’t wander off alone at night.

The thing in front of him was a ghost of some sort. It melted in and out of the shadows on the wall, struggling to hold the shape of a hedgehog like Iblis. Its limbs and quills seemed to drip with liquid darkness, and its lifeless green irises pierced right through him. 

“This is Mephiles, the former god of divine darkness. A mere fragment of what he used to be.” 

“Why are you showing me this?” Silver whispered.

“So that you understand my motivation. We’re so very similar, Silver.” Iblis moved to stand beside his fallen brother, who looked up at him like a zombie. “We both lost everything. We both have incredible power hated by others. We are both cursed to be alone for eternity.” 

I am nothing like you! Silver wanted to scream, but nothing came out. Three monsters burst through the wall and surrounded them—a flier, a biter, and a snake, circling them like vultures. His knees shook and he finally fell to the ground. Blaze knelt next to him, holding him close and trying her best to cover him with her own body. She shouldn't have to sacrifice herself for him. He wasn't worth dying for.

“Don't listen to him,” Blaze said. He could feel her trembling. 

He didn't know what to do. There was nowhere left to run, and he was helpless like this. “I'm scared, Blaze,” he whispered, hearing the voice of his five year-old self. “I don't wanna die.”

“I won't let anything else happen to you,” she insisted. “I swear on my life.”

Silver was going to die. There was absolutely nothing she could do about it. Either Iblis and his monsters would kill him, or he would lie here and bleed out. Neither option was appealing, but he was out of time. 

“You're going to be okay,” Blaze promise, kissing his forehead, and he realized he was crying.

He pushed his head against her chest for a final moment of comfort, and blue streaked off his quills and pushed back against the monsters slowly stalking closer. Maybe there was a third option—maybe his body would be overloaded with power and he would explode, killing him and everyone unfortunate enough to be around him.

“It’s going to be okay,” he heard someone say. 

He forced himself to look up despite it taking most of his energy. There, between him and the monsters, sat someone he knew he'd never see again. 

His mother was a ghost—her entire being was mostly transparent and tinted blue, and Blaze didn't react to her. Silver decided he must have been hallucinating, but at this point, he'd take any comfort he could get. “Mom?” he said. His voice didn't come out. 

“It's going to be okay,” she repeated with a sad smile. 

His father sat next to her, cross-legged as if he was meditating. Despite not remembering his face, his gentle eyes were so painfully familiar. And beside him sat his two best friends, Gold and Ruby. They had been barely five years old during the massacre, just like him, only they hadn't had a chance to grow up. Just looking at how small they were made Silver's heart wrench in his chest. 

There was a mink on his mother's other side—that must have been Bronze, who had spent their afternoons playing with Silver and his friends despite being much older. Beside them knelt Opal, the physician who had tended many scraped knees and bruised five year-old egos. Chief Cobalt stood behind Silver's parents, his arms crossed and a proud smile on his face. And there were so many more, completely surrounding Silver and Blaze. So many faces he didn't recognize. So many people he never got a chance to know. 

“I'm sorry,” Silver said through his tears. “I let you all down.”

“No.” The chief shook his head. “It wasn't your fault.”

“We're so proud of you, Silver,” his father said. “You've made it so far.”

“And now I'm gonna die.” He pushed closer to Blaze, who tightened her arms around him, though she loosened them again when another coughing fit struck him. He coughed hard enough to trigger his gag reflex, and barely managed to turn away and vomit blood onto the ground instead of all over her. His markings glowed a blinding blue through the wraps around his hands and pulsed with his heartbeat. 

“No matter what happens,” his mother said, “it’s going to be okay.”

“Silver?” Blaze said, her voice trembling. 

The power continued building in his body—he almost hadn’t noticed it before beneath all the other pain, but now it was hotter than ever, begging for a release. He’d heard a story like this before. A psychic had removed their inhibitors searching for ultimate power, and that ultimate power had killed them in the end. It was only a matter of minutes before Silver literally exploded.

“Go,” he choked out.

“I can’t leave you alone,” she whispered. 

He lifted his head as much as possible to look around at the faces of his people. “m’not alone,” he said, trying his best to smile through the raw power tearing through his insides. “Please. L-live for me. Take…care of Edmund…for me.”

The way she looked at him broke his heart. Iblis laughed behind them, but she didn’t seem to hear it. Tears streamed down her face despite the heat of the monsters inching closer. She pulled him into her arms and kissed his forehead again, stroking his quills back and rocking him ever-so-slightly. 

“Love you,” he breathed.

“I love you, Silver.” She smiled just a little. “I’m not going anywhere. If you go down, we’re going down together.”

He could feel the pulsing in his bones, and knew they didn’t have much time left. How ironic that after all this time, it would still be him who killed Blaze. After everything they’d been through, it would still be his fault. Even so, he just closed his eyes and leaned against her.

“No!” Iblis shrieked, and then suddenly Blaze’s head was yanked back. The psychic ghosts gasped in unison, and Silver’s eyes snapped open as best they could. 

A flier’s talons dug into her forehead and she let out a blood-curdling scream as it dug the gem out of her skin and crushed it into dust.

Chapter Text

At first, there was nothing but pain, tearing through her like a beast devouring its prey. The fire that had given her life was stripped from her soul, burning through her veins and leaving ice cold emptiness behind. She no longer felt the hard ground beneath her knees or Silver’s overheated body in her arms. Only the life draining away.

Blaze hadn’t realized it was possible to feel both so hot and so cold at the same time. She tried to hug herself for warmth against the ice fire, but she couldn’t move. Her limbs were frozen and her jaw was locked in a silent scream now that her voice no longer worked. Flames danced through her eyes, blocking out the sky and the monsters circled around her.

Now she could hear Iblis howling in triumph. He chanted in a language she didn’t recognize, but understood in her soul, and she felt him change as he tore away from her body that had kept him captive for so many years. She felt him grow in power and size, taking more than just his fire from her.

And then in an explosion of blinding cyan, everything just…stopped.

Lightning and fire flashed through the black clouds, the only light in the ravaged land. Chaos doused a fire near the settlement, but another sprang up across the desolate field. 

“When will this end?” he muttered. His strength was waning, and there was only so much Aurora could do. 

“Why do they fight?” Gaia asked in desperation, though they all knew no one had the answer. “Do they not care about the morals they created?”

“Perhaps we should pray again,” Aurora suggested. “An offering may persuade them to leave us be.”

“Our prayers are useless.”

The three mortals turned abruptly at Mephiles's low voice. His body solidified out of the shadows of an old shack, and he stepped towards them with his arms crossed. 

“I thought you were protecting the south side of the settlement with Iblis,” Gaia said, but the accusation was tired and held little hostility. 

“My brother and I have discussed much,” Mephiles said. “He will arrive shortly to aid my explanation.”

Aurora let her gaze drift across the plains as the quartet fell into silence. Lightning struck a pillar of earth, sending a violent spray of rocks down to the ground. Gaia had constructed them to divert the lightning strikes away from the few remaining settlements, but at this terrifying rate of destruction, they would be obliterated faster than he could rebuild.

The old gods called themselves the Ancient Walkers. Their bodies were of creatures long lost to time. The three Ancients had created this world and its inhabitants; Aurora could not understand how they could then turn and destroy it with their war. If only she knew what they were warring over. Perhaps then she could help them settle it. 

But how could she hope to understand? She was merely a mortal. The gods would not listen to her. 

Iblis' flames cast long shadows across the desolate ground as he approached. His chestplate had cracked down the center, and there was blood on his face. “We might fight,” he said before the others could greet him. 

“We are fighting, Iblis,” Chaos said. “What has it done but prolong the inevitable?”

“It's true we have been fighting, but our efforts are misplaced.” Iblis shook his head, sparks flying from his upturned quills. “We must fight them. Not their aftermath. Them.”

The silence that fell over their post choked the air like smoke. The three stared at the brothers in utter disbelief. Fight the gods? Had they gone mad? 

At last, Gaia spoke. “But that is impossible—”

“No,” Mephiles said. Despite his soft voice, both in tone and volume, Gaia quieted immediately and let him continue. “Aurora, with your aid, we could be unstoppable.”

Subconsciously, Aurora took a step back. A hot wind picked up, tangling her dress around her ankles and her quills around her neck. “What do you mean? I've already done all that I can, and it is still not enough. I can only give away so much stamina before I collapse.”

“And that is exactly the shortcoming,” Iblis said, his emerald eyes burning with anticipation. “You energize our stamina—but if you could energize our gifts, it could amplify our power. We could surpass our limits and discover abilities never seen before. We could take on the gods. We could save this world and its people.”

“But without the gods, what would happen to the earth?”

“They have done nothing since the creation,” Mephiles spat, the sudden aggression causing her to step back again. Gaia and Chaos exchanged a glance, and Aurora could not tell if it was a glance of fear or intrigue. “The earth functions well on its own. Nature perseveres despite the Ancients’ absence, and so will we. We do not need them.”

“What if Aurora cannot maintain the power we need?” Chaos asked. “What if she fails, and we are left to our own devices? They will obliterate us.”

“It is better than standing here and doing nothing!” Iblis threw his arm out for emphasis, and a ball of flame hurled from his fingertips. “We have been fighting a real war for years while they bicker in the heavens with no thought of their own creations. This will not end unless we destroy it at the source. You.” He pointed to Aurora, and despite his fire, she felt something cold grip her heart. “Your own husband has fallen to this cause. The greatest warrior this world has ever seen. If we continue on like this, we will meet the same fate. What would he want us to do?”

A bolt of lightning struck the center of the settlement, and the survivors screamed. Tents and crude shelters ignited in flames, but with a snap of his fingers, Iblis extinguished them. 

“We are powerful, Chaos. Gaia. And Aurora.” He glared at each of them in turn. “We must stop acting helpless.”

This time, the silence was not so silent. While none of them dared to speak, the cries of their people echoed in their ears and the roaring thunder shook them to their cores.

It was cruel of him to use her husband against her like this, she thought, but he was right. Her husband, Enerjak, had been as close to a god as a mortal could get. And yet he had finally fallen in a phony battle no one could hope to win. He would want her to attempt victory. She would be dishonoring his loss if she surrendered to the darkness now.

“Then we must try,” Aurora said. “I must try. If we fail, then we perish. But if we do nothing, our fate is sealed.”

“Well spoken, brother,” Mephiles murmured. 

“Prepare yourselves.” Aurora stepped back, purposefully this time rather than instinctual. She raised her arms and closed her eyes, and reached out to their minds. 

Finding each warriors’ consciousness was simple—she had done this countless times before. The challenge was to dig deeper; to find their souls and the gifts tied to them. She couldn't describe how she found them or what they felt like. Perhaps it was a shock of cold ice water, or perhaps the softness of a butterfly wing. But she knew without a doubt when she found them. 

Each soul was, of course, unique. Iblis’ was fiery in temperament, and Mephiles' was collected and calm. Gaia's soul was firm and steadfast, while Chaos’ was quick to adaptation. For a moment, Aurora seemed to hold them in her palms. Their lives were so precious. She could not fail them. 

As she began to lend her energy, the extraordinary mortals began to grow.

Blaze!

The sound came from everywhere and nowhere, rattling in her ears like a rock in a can. It took every bit of strength she had left to open her eyes, and she couldn’t believe what she saw.

Silver had been in her arms only a second before, hadn’t he? Now he floated a few inches off the ground in front of her, bent over with his arms out as if to cup her face, though he didn’t touch her. His quills were light blue, with slightly darker teal chest fur instead of his usual dusty off-white. His psychic marks glowed pure white through the wraps on his hands and feet, searing circles into her vision, and his eyes had returned to the stunning yellow she knew so well—only now his pupils glowed cyan like the psychokinesis holding him suspended in the air. His injuries were completely gone, leaving only the tear in his ear and the blood on his fur and clothes behind.

And he radiated power. Even in her weakened state, Blaze could feel it coming off of him as easily as she could feel the sun’s rays, and she could feel her fur sizzle when his hand moved too close. He looked like a god.

“Silver?” she murmured. 

“Blaze!” he said again, his voice once again echoing as if it came from everywhere at once rather than right in front of her. “Are you okay? What—”

Somehow, she managed to put her hand to her forehead and found three long deep gashes and a hole where Iblis’ seal should have been. If she looked up, she could see a vortex of fire coming out of it, though it wasn’t moving, as if it had been frozen in time.

Actually, if she looked around, everything was frozen except her and Silver. The monsters surrounding them seemed to have been turned to stone with their glowing jaws locked open in an endless roar, and even the dust from their movements held still like far-away clouds. And as she looked, she realized that while she was still weak and close to death, the feeling had stopped progressing, and stayed stagnant in her chest.

“What did you do?” she asked, her voice coming out as a raspy whisper.

“I dunno!” Silver said with a sort of terrified, anxious laugh that sounded almost like a cry, though the tears in his eyes had gone, too. “The pressure without my inhibitors was too much, and then I heard you scream and I panicked, and everything blew up and just froze.”

A psychic with unseen power…

“You…stopped time.” Even among legends of psychics, Blaze had never even heard of power like this. “How…?”

“But that doesn’t make sense!” Silver tried again to reach out to her, but pulled back when she winced at the raw power burning her. “A psychic without inhibitors is a time bomb. I should be dead, and so should everyone else!”

“Silver, you can—you can save them like this.” She looked up and followed the bolt of fire from her forehead to a behemoth frozen in time above them. The very first form of Iblis she had seen back on the highway so long ago—only this time, he was really, physically there rather than a vision in her head. Stopping him would be impossible under normal circumstances, but with Silver's god powers, maybe he had a chance. 

His eyes widened. “You're right. We can stop Iblis together—” 

“No.” She cut him off as firmly as she possibly could with her weak and raspy voice. “My parents bound us together to save my life. Without him, I can't…as soon as time goes back to normal, I'm going to die. It's up to you.”

“No!” he shouted. “You can't—it's not fair! We got so far, and…” 

She could hear the crying in his voice, though no tears ran down his cheeks like she expected. Maybe they evaporated off the heat of the unlimited power burning through his body. 

“Blaze, I can't let you die.”

She almost laughed at how sudden their roles had switched. Only minutes ago, she had told him the same thing. “It's okay,” she whispered, trying her best to smile. She was so cold and yet so hot. “You can't stop it.”

“I will!” he insisted, hovering closer. She tried not to flinch back at the power pushing against her. Doubt clouded his expression, and the pain in his eyes fractured her heart like lightning. “I can't do this without you.”

“Just promise me something.” 

The world around them began to move in extreme slow motion. Blaze didn't have much time, and the pain was already choking her breath away. She didn't want to die.

But she had to be strong for Silver. He had to know everything would be alright in the end.

“Promise me you'll save them. Promise me you'll save the world.”

“I…” Still, no tears glistened in his otherworldly eyes, but she knew he was crying. “I promise.”

The violent tug from Iblis ripping away her life force started up again, beginning to build up as it had before. “I love you, Silver,” she whispered, tears escaping her fighting efforts. 

The betrayal was so obvious in his eyes—not her betrayal, but betrayal of fate and time. They had done everything they could to fight the prophecy, but still, it would be fulfilled exactly as told. She would die, ending the royal bloodline, but that meant he in turn would end the world's suffering. He would win. Even without the prophecy, she had faith in him. She knew he would. 

“I love you, Blaze.” The way his voice echoed was comforting now, as if he held her tight despite not being able to touch her. Even with all this godly power, he was still her Silver. 

“May I…” Chaos, it hurt to breathe. Fiery icicles dug into her chest with each breath. “…kiss you one…last time?”

But I'll hurt you. He didn't say it, but she heard it anyway. “Of course,” he said instead. “Anything for you.”

He burned when he touched her, but she didn't care. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her as soft and gentle as a cloud, and though she barely had any strength left, she tried her best to kiss him back. She couldn't lift her arms anymore, but she hoped he felt her embrace anyway. Her fur singed and her skin blistered as his hands moved to the back of her head, and her lips were on fire, but she closed her eyes and didn't pull back. 

Something surged through her as she felt time return to its normal flow. The fire of life she was so familiar with. But that wasn't possible. How could—

“What is this?” Iblis roared. “What are you doing?”

The fire burned with something else, some form of strength or power she had never felt before. Iblis’ power, mixed with Silver's psychokinesis—and yet it flowed through her veins as if it had always been hers. Her forehead still burned where the seal had been, but now it was her burning. It was her power shooting out of her like lightning. 

Silver didn't pull back from the kiss until every part of her was whole again and the pain was nothing more than a terrible memory. Then as he floated backwards to give her a bit of space, his eyes widened with awe. “Blaze, look at yourself!” he said, pointing at her heart. 

She looked down and found herself engulfed in flames, though she could see perfectly clearly, and her fur was more pink now than purple. She was powerful now, and like Silver, her body had changed to reflect it. The monsters lunged for them, but exploded simultaneously with only a subconscious wave of her hand. 

“You mortal pests!” Iblis screeched. “What have you done?”  

“Silver, you saved me,” Blaze whispered. “I don't know how, but somehow…” Iblis roared again, and she shook her head. They didn't have time to wonder. “We have to stop Iblis before he destroys Onyx.”

“Right,” Silver said. His voice still echoed, though it was more direct now, as if projected directly into her head. “Got a plan?”

“Not really, but we don't have time to wait. You protect the people and get them out of here. I'll distract Iblis.”

“Got it.” He gave a half-sarcastic salute and took off into the smoke. 

Good. Now all she had to do was figure out how to control her new power and stop Iblis. Easy.

“We were not meant to be gods!” Aurora cried. The colossal beast forms of her closest companions towered over her. The Ancients lay dead and gone at her feet, their golden blood already dried from the heat.

“We must do what is best for the people of this world, Aurora,” Gaia said, his voice shaking the ground beneath her. 

“They need protection,” Chaos agreed. Thunder roared and lightning split the sky in half. Rain began to fall, and Chaos lifted a tentacle to direct the water to the remaining fires. “You have brought out the best in us. Please do not turn your back on us and the world now.”

She wished she could have turned and ran, back to her simple life before this godly war, but she knew she couldn't. She couldn't abandon her people now; not after what she had just been through. 

How long she stood debating with herself, she could not tell. But finally, she lifted her head, the pouring rain masking the tears on her face, and spoke.

“Very well. But we must take a vow. We must never do anything to harm these people.” She met the suddenly foreign eyes of her companions—but she still felt their familiar souls through their gaze. “The Ancients did not care for their creations, and so we must take that role instead. And if this means staying out of mortal affairs, then so be it.”

“Agreed,” Gaia said. 

“Yes,” Chaos nodded. “Agreed.”

“If we must,” Iblis turned his massive armored head to his brother, who did not speak for a long moment. 

“Very well,” Mephiles finally murmured.

Blaze had expected the god to be bright with fire, like her, but he was covered in hardened black rock as armor, the only firelight spilling between the cracks and joints when he moved. Just like he had been in her first vision of him. He was more massive than he'd been on the highway, though, and she had no idea how she'd face off against something of that size. 

She tried to fly, like Silver could, but despite willing herself to hover the same way she willed the flames, nothing happened. She was grounded against a giant. What chance did she have? 

No, she had to have faith. Even if all she could do was hold him off until Silver could join the fight, that would be enough. Besides, she was powerful now. She had to be able to do something. 

Iblis roared and sent a blast of flame from his jaws like a dragon, straight towards the castle and the people no doubt still inside. Blaze held her hands out, ready to divert the flames, but with only a thought, they extinguished before engulfing the castle. 

“No!” Iblis screeched. “How?”

She could work with this. 

“If you want them, you'll have to go through me first!” That was probably the worst possible thing to have said, as it only enraged the fallen god more, but she meant it. If she died protecting Silver and her people, at least her death would mean something. 

“Very well. I will squash you like a pest!” 

Iblis slammed his massive fist down, and Blaze leapt out of the way—and to her surprise, found her flames carrying her farther than she thought was possible, even protecting her as she landed hard enough that she should have broken her legs. So she couldn't fly, but she could rocket.  

She immediately jumped as high as she could, aiming for Iblis's arm before he could recover, and she landed easily near his elbow. The behemoth lifted his arm, likely trying to throw her off, but she leapt again, the flames carrying her to his other arm. The rock armor was cooler than she'd expected, but even through her powerful form, she could still feel the heat of a god through the cracks. Fighting fire with more fire wouldn't stop him—it might only make him more powerful. Perhaps she could extinguish him from the inside—

 Iblis flung his arm to the side, crashing into the side of the castle and hurling her into the air. While she guessed her power would keep her safe from the fall, the side of the castle began to crumple, and those screaming inside were not so lucky. 

“Silver!” she called. In an instant, he was by her side, almost as if he'd teleported. Before he could grab her and get distracted, she pointed. “The castle! I'll be fine.”

This time, Silver didn't argue over her life. He just nodded and held out his hand, freezing the falling stone in place. He swooped in, still holding the castle up with nothing but his mind, and carried the first person safely to the ground. 

Blaze trusted he'd get everyone out, so she brought her attention back to Iblis as she fell through the air rather slowly, as if she'd just jumped from a few feet up rather than several stories up. Iblis's focus was on her, his glowing green eyes searing into her soul. His eyes—the only part of him that wasn't burning white or covered in armor. That was how she could beat him. 

Just as she'd expected, she hit the ground hard but uninjured besides the initial jolt. “Okay,” she mumbled to herself. “Let's see how fast I can go.”

She took off running towards Iblis, vaporizing a dozen monsters with just a thought and moving faster than she'd ever run before. Maybe she could even keep up with Silver's flight like this. Iblis swiped at her and she rocketed upward, aiming for his armored head. She missed. The boost from the flames was not quite enough to get her that high. 

Before she could even panic, Iblis hit her with the back of his clawed hand, sending her crashing through the wall around the castle and into the nearest building. She should have died, or at the very least broken dozens of bones, but she only had a few cuts and bruises. She was a little dazed, but a few seconds of lying there in the rubble cleared it up enough for her to get back on her feet.

“Princess!”

Blaze turned to look at the echidna climbing through the broken wall. “Edmund! What are you doing?”

“Thank Aurora you're alright!” he said. “What's goin’ on? Where's Silver? And what happened to you?”

“Silver's evacuating the area. He…saved me somehow. Saved both of us. And now we've got to stop Iblis.”

“Perhaps Aurora has blessed you both.” Edmund nodded and started back out. “Then I'd better get outta here before Silver loses his head.”

“If you see anyone, tell them to get out, too.” Blaze didn't wait for a response—she'd wasted too much time talking to him already—and shot off like a rocket, her heels leaving trails of flames as she ran. She would have felt bad, but half the city was already on fire from the monsters. 

When she reached Iblis again, the fallen god was beating relentlessly against a blue shield surrounding what was left of the castle. As she got closer, she could hear Silver shouting at the few remaining survivors to run. Blaze wasted no time thinking and leapt up again, first to a crumbling rooftop to give her a bit of extra height, and then right to Iblis's head, aiming for his glowing green eyes. She spun around and slammed her heel down with as much force as she could. 

He didn't notice her until it was too late, and his scream pierced her soul like lightning. The sound rattled in her head, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground again, and Silver's psychokinetic shield flickered. 

But it worked. Iblis staggered back, still howling. That was how they could beat him. 

“Silver!” she called. Iblis took a blind swipe at her, and she jumped back. 

“Blaze!” Once again, Silver seemed to appear out of thin air beside her, nearly blinding her. “You okay?”

“I know how to beat him, but I'll need a boost.” She pointed to the behemoth’s head as Iblis turned to look at them again. “His eyes are his weak spot. Is everyone safe yet?”

She felt him cringe. “I got as many out as I could. Everyone left…didn't make it.”

Her heart sank, but she could mourn and worry later. If they didn't stop Iblis, everyone would share that fate. “You did your best. How are you holding up?”

Iblis slammed his giant hand down and they both jerked to the side. Silver shone bright even through the dust and smoke obscuring the clouded sky from the impact. “Never been better,” he said. “And I really mean that—there's not even a warning headache. I could go on like this forever.” He let out a strained half chuckle. “Not that I actually want to.”

Unseen power. He literally had no limitations. 

A blast of flame engulfed them, but Blaze waved her hand, and the fire dissipated before Silver could get burned. If he even could be hurt. She wasn't willing to test that. “Launch me at his head and keep me clear. I have an idea.”

“Why won't you die?” Iblis screamed, once again slamming his hand down on top of them. This time, Silver pushed back, matching the fallen god's strength with what looked like ease. Blaze shot her own wave of fire, giving the boost Silver needed to unbalance him. 

“You ready?” Silver asked.

Blaze engulfed herself in a fiery tornado, so hot that her clothes began to smoke. “As ready as I'll ever be.”

“It is not fair!” Iblis screamed. 

His outburst ignited his body in flames so bright that Aurora was sure the mortal world could see it, even across the space between existences. Even as gods, his fire burned them, and they stepped back. 

“You took him away from me because you are afraid!” Iblis' quills began to harden like rock as his form grew, the transformation fueled by his fury. “All he suggested was gratitude and respect, and you stripped him of his soul for it.”

Gaia stepped forward, raising his hand. “You must understand; he was threatening our people—”

“And have you forgotten the Great Calamity?” Iblis roared, his fire glowing white hot between the cracks in his stone armor. “The Calamity you caused? Why didn't Aurora destroy you for that? She split your soul like you split the earth, but she let you remain with us instead of punishing you for your destruction.” 

His enormous head swiveled to stare right at her, and a tight fear gripped her heart like nothing she had ever felt before. 

“Why would you show this murderer mercy but deny my brother of it?” the flaming beast demanded. “Mephiles did nothing to warrant this.”

“He poisoned the hearts of the mortals,” Chaos said. His body rippled like water, ready to transform to protect them. “Perhaps he did not kill them himself, but he is directly responsible for the evil that has overtaken the world. The wars and plagues were caused because of his influence. You cannot deny that.”

“I tried to save him,” Aurora said desperately. “I tried to split his soul like Gaia's, but there was nothing to save. He was too far gone. I'm sorry.”

“Liar!” Flames burst off of Iblis’ back and exploded in the air. “I saw you do it! You stripped his soul carelessly, nothing like the way you took the evil from Gaia's!”

“That's not true! He may not have been our brother by blood, but he was still part of our brotherhood.” Aurora held out her hands as if to show him the truth. “We all felt the loss, Iblis. We loved him, too.”

A white hot lash of fire whipped across her face, and she staggered back with a cry of pain. Like the Ancients, though they were immortal gods, they could still be harmed. They all knew it far too well. Golden blood dripped down her cheek, seeping between her fingers as she put her hand against the wound. 

In an instant, Chaos and Gaia took on their colossal forms and stood in front of her. “Stand down, Iblis!” Chaos demanded. “This has gone too far.”

“We do not want to hurt you,” Gaia added, “but we will do what we must.”

“Then destroy me!” Iblis demanded. “Destroy me like you destroyed him!”

Aurora couldn't bring herself to watch as they clashed. While any other fire would have been smothered or extinguished by the earth and water, Iblis’ fire was hot enough to melt Gaia's rocks and turn Chaos’ waves to steam. Aurora knew their battle was felt across the mortal world. Earthquakes, tsunamis, and storms of fire raged across the earth. It would destroy the people they dedicated their power to if she did not do something. But all she could do was close her eyes as tears fell down her face. 

This was her family—these were the only people she had left after the death of her husband so many centuries ago. Losing Mephiles had been a devastating blow to her as well as the others. Splitting Gaia's soul had changed his very being and could be considered losing a part of him. She couldn't lose Iblis as well, and she couldn't lose the mortals.

Perhaps she should have cried out to them to stop. Perhaps she should have even taken Mephiles’ suggestion to heart, and asked the mortals to worship them again in hopes that it would calm them. But she didn't do either of those, like the true coward she was. She hadn't done anything since they had become gods. Now that her companions no longer needed her help to transform, what good was she?

“Aurora!” Chaos called. “Banish his soul while you have the chance!”

Her eyes snapped open. How long had they been fighting? A few minutes? A few years? Time was hard to keep track of as a god. Iblis’ colossus had gotten smaller, and though he was still massive next to their moral bodies, Chaos and Gaia towered over him. Gaia had him pinned under massive claws of stone. He had become weak enough that she could have taken his soul like Mephiles’. 

“I can't!” she cried. 

“What? Why not?”

“I can't lose another. Please, don't make me do this.”

“Aurora,” Gaia growled, straining to keep Iblis under control. “You must. He will only cause more destruction like his brother.”

Iblis laughed despite being outmatched and exhausted. “Indeed! I will have revenge for what you have done to him!”

“Mephiles’ body is now an empty vessel,” Aurora said. “That is not what I wanted, and I will not condemn Iblis to the same fate.”

“So you show pity only to me?” Iblis’ green eyes burned white and Gaia howled in pain, staggering back. The claw of earth melted under the heat. Iblis began to grow again. “The only one your elements can control?”

“If I had known what would happen to Mephiles, I never would have done it.” Aurora stepped forward, but Chaos slammed a tentacle of water in front of her, blocking her path. 

“Stay back!” he shouted. “Iblis is too dangerous!”

“But—”

Iblis screeched in fury and threw himself toward them, moving incredibly fast despite his size, but before he reached them, Gaia blocked his path. The two gods collided in a flash of sparks and blinding light. They both fell back in a shower of precious stones, created from the incredible heat and pressure, and lie still. Iblis was once again significantly smaller, and Gaia's arm had shattered. 

“Do it now!” Chaos ordered, a tendril of water shoving Aurora forward. “Do it before he kills all of us!”

Aurora staggered through the shards of rock and gems. She truly had no choice, and her heart ached. “No,” she said. “I will try something different.” She picked up a small red-orange gemstone. “Splitting the soul and the body is cruel. Perhaps sealing him away will be more merciful.”

Blaze jumped, letting the tornado of fire launch her into the air, and Silver gave her a boost with his psychokinesis—too much of a boost, and like the first time she'd aimed for Iblis's eyes, they missed, and she sailed over his head. 

“My bad!” Silver's call echoed in her mind. 

Dark clouds covered the beating sun as the wind whipped the dust and smoke across their bodies. The ground trembled and cracks split beneath her feet, like the firestorm. Lava bubbled up between the cracks, and she jumped back. They had to end this quickly, before more people were lost to this new development. A rumble shook her body, and she had no idea if it was thunder from the growing storm or tremors in the earth. 

“How are you doing that?” she demanded, launching herself in another tornado at Iblis. She hit his shoulder hard enough to crack some of the armor away, and then Silver yanked her away before he could grab her out of the air with his other hand. 

“Just as I called on Mephiles's influence to possess your body, now I call upon Dark Gaia—split from Gaia's soul during the Great Calamity.”

She had thought the Great Calamity was a myth. How could the earth have split in pieces like they said? And yet, now she could believe it. She had seen the gods’ power. How many other myths from thousands of years ago were true?

“Then why weren't you split?” Silver shouted, hurling chunks of rock at him to keep him distracted while Blaze readied herself again. 

Iblis let out a humorless laugh, even as he was pelted with giant stones. “Because Aurora is a self-righteous coward. She tried to dull my power with the seal, but it wasn't enough. She should have destroyed me like she destroyed my brother. And now I will destroy everything she has worked to build, including you.”

“That won't make you happy,” Silver said, his voice suddenly quieter. “Revenge won't bring your brother back. Trust me.”

“Trust you?” Iblis laughed again. “You have always been too soft. How would you know? You have never sought vengeance or justice for your family. You have only run away like a coward. No wonder Aurora adores you.”

A geyser of lava burst from the ground beneath Silver, swallowing him in a split second. Blaze screamed his name and forced the heat away, but it resisted her control for far too long. She poured every bit of focus she had into redirecting the lava, gritting her teeth until her jaw ached. She couldn't bear to see his charred body again. 

But he stood there just as he'd been before, glowing brighter than ever as molten rock dripped from his psychic shield. “I know it won't bring them back,” he said. 

“You think I don't know that?” Iblis sneered. “I am no fool, psychic.”

Silver sighed. “Well, it was worth a shot. Ready to try again, Blaze?”

Blaze shifted into a ready stance. “Do it.”

“I’ll get you close, then throw you at the last second. Think that’ll work better.”

She nodded once and took off, jumping onto the roof of the collapsing building. Iblis took a swing and she sprang onto his arm, blocking a blast of fire. Three rocks hovered close to her, sent flying by Silver’s power. She used them to get closer to Iblis’s face, locking in on his eyes—

—a flier knocked her out of the sky. She tore the flaming monster apart with a yell of frustration, and felt her power start to waver. No! More monsters surrounded her, and each one took just a little more effort to destroy than the last. Her strength was fading, slowly, but still fading. Whatever Silver had done to her was only temporary. 

“Silver, we need to end this now!”  

More glowing blue stepping stones made their way towards her. Silver hovered above her at Iblis’s chest level, blocking his arms as the fallen god tried to smash her. At the same time, the psychic pummeled him with rubble. Iblis roared with what sounded more like anger than pain, but it gave her a brief chance while he was distracted. 

Blaze rocketed up once again, pushing everything she had into her flames as she climbed the floating staircase Silver had created for her. She spun into another tornado and launched into empty air with a howl of determination, staring straight into Iblis’s murderous eyes. 

Now-familiar blue energy wrapped around her body and pushed her forward, hurling her body at a speed faster than she could have ever hoped to achieve on her own. She spun like a fiery saw and slammed directly into the swirling green orb. Her body penetrated his eye and ripped into his head, and Iblis let out an ungodly scream.

“I’m sorry, Iblis,” Aurora whispered, holding the dull ruby in the palm of her hand. Something pulsed deep within it. “I truly am. I should not have destroyed Mephiles. You were right; I was afraid. We were all too cowardly to stand up to him the way we should have. And now you and the world suffer for it.”

She turned to the small hedgehog she had chosen. He was so young, but brave and honest, and she could feel the purity of his soul even without touching it. 

“Take this,” she told him, and placed the ruby in his trembling hand. “You and your inheritance must protect this gem at all costs. In return, I will grant you incredible power. Can I trust you with this task, young one?”

“Yes, goddess,” the hedgehog breathed, staring at her with wide yellow eyes. He was so innocent. It really was a shame to bestow this curse upon him and his posterity. But what choice did she have?

She pressed her hand against his forehead, strengthening his mental fortitude. She endowed him with power no mortal should have to bear, and a circular pattern appeared across his hands and feet to show it. Perhaps, in a hundred generations, they would thank her. 

“It has to be this way.” 

The heat that swallowed her should have incinerated her on contact. Instead, Blaze felt the fire strip the power from her soul as she tore through Iblis’s very existence. In a split second, she felt everything he felt; all his pain and anger caused by the other gods—his family . She understood. She felt his hatred for them mix into her own. If they had done things differently, if Aurora hadn’t been so careless, this horrific suffering would have never happened. But it had happened, and Iblis had made his choice, just as Aurora had made hers.

And so within the anger, Blaze felt pity. Within that split second, she wished things could have been different between her and Iblis. She wished she could have somehow helped him, even though she knew it was impossible. But she didn’t regret her choice to fight him now. She felt Iblis’s soul extinguish with her powers, and she smiled. Iblis had made his choice, and so now she made hers. 

Thanks to Silver’s throw, she had just enough momentum left to burst through the armor on the back of the behemoth’s head, but this time, she felt the agony of punching through stone. She plummeted to the ground and closed her eyes, too weak to even cry out. Iblis’s empty armor began to collapse behind her. 

They’d done it. They’d saved the world.

Silver caught her—in his arms, rather than just using his power. Once again, his godly power burned against her skin, but it was a comforting burn. She nuzzled her face in his chest fur and burst into tears as he lowered them to the ground.

“It’s okay,” he whispered. “We did it. It’s over.”

“It’s over,” she breathed, closing her eyes. “I’m no longer tied to him. And I’m no longer tied to my family and their terrible choices.” Returning to them would only perpetuate a cycle of power no one deserved to have. She understood now why that line of the prophecy was so important—this had to completely end with her, or the suffering would simply start all over again. “No more royalty, no more fire. I’m done, Silver. It’s all over.”

As Silver held her against him, a piece of rock armor hit the massive castle gate beside them. Blaze wasn’t afraid anymore. Whatever happened now was irrelevant. With their eyes closed, they had no time to react as a steel beam buried itself into their chests, connecting their hearts.

Thunder rumbled, and for the first time in twenty years, the sky cried.