Sonic paced the room again. He went back and forth and back and forth, moving between the window, the wall with the invisible door, and each corner of the chamber. I was slumped on a comfy sofa placed against the wall opposite the bed, listening as the hedgehog boy muttered to himself. For the past hour, Sonic had been trying to form a plan to get out of here. We knew that Mephiles had the Chaos Emerald hidden somewhere, but even if we were to get our hands on it, Sonic had said it would be very difficult for him to induce Chaos Control with only one.

        "Maybe," announced Sonic as he turned toward me. "Maybe you can use the emerald to teleport. We still don't know all that you can do—you've been full of surprises along the way. If you and Mephiles share the same energy, that might mean you'd also have the same power to travel with one Chaos Emerald."

        "I don't know if I'd be up to it just yet," I yawned. Ever since I had left the demon's side, I felt as if my energy was slowly leaking from deep inside my bones and exiting out the pores of my skin. Tiredness took hold of me. All I wanted to do now was lounge on the sofa for a few hours longer, listening to nothing but the quiet hum of the atmosphere, surrounded by crystalline forms.

        "You might be able to do it when you're stronger," Sonic said, nodding to himself. "It's not as if we have the emerald already, there's time to rest." The tap of his footsteps stopped in front of me. I looked at him, tired (eye color) irises meeting emerald green.

        "So, we just wait?" I wondered, and by the expression on his face it was obvious he didn't like the idea.

        "I think we at least need to get out of this 'palace,' where Mephiles won't have control," he said. Stepping toward the single window in the chamber, Sonic peered out with narrowed eyes, straining to see far into the distance. I wasn't sure what he thought was out there. Did he expect to find a place that would conceal us from the evil entity's sight?

        "Sonic," I drawled out, getting the boy to look at me. "Mephiles built this world. I think he has control everywhere. It doesn't matter if we stay in this palace or not—he'll know where we are at all times."

        The hedgehog furrowed his eyebrows out of annoyance. "Why are you putting down my plans? You're not even trying to find a way out. It's as if you're okay staying here!"

        My mouth hung open for a second as I grasped what he was accusing me of. Then I snapped my teeth together, top lip curling over them in a snarl. "How could you say that?" I growled, getting to my feet and towering angrily over the anthropomorphic creature that was almost two feet shorter than me. He looked up at me with gleaming eyes, the scowl on his face growing more prominent.

        "I don't want to be here anymore than you do, Sonic," I continued. "I know what Mephiles will do if he gets his way, and I don't want that. All this time, everything we've been through, we did it to stop him. When you and everyone else abandoned me, I still felt that way. You even came back for me. And now you're accusing me of joining him! Do you know how betrayed that makes me feel?"

        "I'm not accusing you of joining him," the hedgehog took a step back. "I'm just saying you could at least try to contribute a little more to making a plan. You've had plenty of time sitting around to do it. Mephiles even took you outside and showed you around the place, so, of course, the best person to look to for ideas is you." He spat out that last remark, spines bristling.

        An irate breath sucked into my lungs, and I stared at the boy with all the fury I could muster. "Well, maybe I don't have any ideas at the moment."

        We glared at each other, both feeling as fury began to envelop our bodies. The temperature seemed to rise between us, causing our skin to become damp with sweat. The air was rigid with intense emotion. Sonic and I had never gotten into such a heated fight before, it felt unnatural. It had gotten to the point where I wanted to plant my fist in his puny and pathetic face.

        Sonic stepped back further, as if he had read my mind, and the creases on his forehead lessened slightly. "Stop, stop. We shouldn't be arguing. Mephiles is making us feel this way. He's trying to tear us apart." He closed his eyes and allowed his face to go slack, depriving himself of the features that had caused my heart to race with hate. When those vibrant green irises looked back at me, now tainted with sadness and shame, the muscles in my shoulders started to loosen.

        "Sorry," I said in a breathy voice, still feeling as my heart beat a mile a minute. I was so close to hurting you, I wanted to say. The words never left my lips, but I knew Sonic had already realized the truth of them.

        "It's fine. I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have pushed you. It's just—my energy is getting pent up from being stuck in this room all day, and I will do anything to get out. Being trapped in a world Mephiles himself made doesn't help one bit." He chuckled just to lighten the mood a little, though we both continued to be on edge. How could we not when we were trapped in a strange land by a strange being that wanted to cause harm to our homeland?

        Sonic and I quickly turned around, alert, when the invisible door to our room suddenly creaked open by itself. Nobody stood on the other side. We looked at each other, confused, before the strong smell of food wafted into the room. "Guess it's dinner time?" questioned Sonic, cautiously approaching the door in case Mephiles decided to appear.

        Earlier, when I had first returned to the room after being shown around the palace, I had relayed everything that had happened to Sonic. Included in the description had been an invitation to dinner later that evening. I hadn't eaten anything in almost a week, and I wasn't sure how long ago Sonic had eaten—but I knew it had been at least two days since I had found him lying injured in the snowy mountains. Being two growing teenagers, we were bound to be absolutely starving at this point.

        I slipped past the hedgehog when Mephiles stayed absent, assuming we were to venture down to the dining hall ourselves. "I know where to go, follow me," I said to him, reaching out with my hand to touch the wall for balance as we descended the winding stairwell lit by white crystals. At the bottom we exited through the door that was also held wide by unseen hands. I smirked when Sonic gasped at the sight of the hall we walked into.

        Just as before, the walls and ceiling sparkled with iridescent swirls of color, illuminating itself with its natural light. Outside the tall and fancily-decorated windows, the crystal world we were in was only slightly darkened, with many of the crystals glowing softly. "Wow, I'd totally dig this place if I wasn't being kept here by Mephiles," said Sonic with a whistle.

        "Yeah, it really is pretty," I said with a small sigh.

        With our eyes scouring over each detail that passed us, I led Sonic through the palace and into the dining hall. As we tentatively stepped underneath the arching doorway, our gazes brightened at the sight of food platters laid out across a long, white table made of pure crystal that had ten seats on each side and a gigantic chandelier hanging above it. Seated at the head of the table was Mephiles. He rose to his feet at our entrance, wearing a silken robe with dark purple and black designs. Sonic and I shared a look, containing ourselves from either bursting out laughing or awkwardly groaning aloud.

        "Welcome, my guests. I see you did not dress appropriately for dinner," the demon stated, narrowing his eyes at the filthy clothes we had worn since being brought to this world. "It is possible you did not know I had provided clothing for you in the dressers of your chamber, so I shall tolerate your improper wear tonight. I do, however, expect you to dress accordingly in the days to come. For now, sit." He gestured to the two closest seats on either side of him.

        "Sheesh, we already messed up dinner. Who would've known Mephiles was into playing dress up?" I commented to Sonic telepathically. The boy's eyes widened as he held in a snicker, keeping his face slack.

        The dark entity's snake eyes followed me as I sat to his left, with Sonic to his right. I avoided his gaze, knowing that if I looked into it I would see the threatening question that lingered, unvoiced. He wanted me to help him change the world, but I didn't want to make a decision just yet—not when Sonic was right in front of me. I needed more time, and hopefully, before I gave my answer, Sonic and I would either have escaped or have been rescued from this realm.

        After we were settled into our chairs, staring longingly at our empty plates with a feast so near, Mephiles gave us permission to eat. Right away, Sonic began piling onto his plate numerous portions of seasoned meats, steaming vegetables, and small round loaves of buttered bread. I acted a bit more hesitant, even though the bloodcurdling cry of my stomach was loud enough for everyone to hear. The food looked so good, and it smelled positively delicious, but where did it come from?

        "Don't ponder over trivial matters, my dear," Mephiles droned, reading my mind. "Enjoy yourself. It is no good staving off hunger for so long."

        I lifted my eyes, meeting the demon's gaze. He nodded at me, smiling without the lips to do so. Turning away, I watched as Sonic dug into the food on his plate, and that encouraged me further to reach out and tear off a leg of chicken, setting it on my plate to grab up whatever else I could. The pit in my stomach was endless, and I had the need to devour the feast before Sonic laid his hands on anything more. It was a greedy thought, I know, but at that moment I didn't care. The ravenous (animal) inside urged me to consume all I could.

        Mephiles watched on, amused, not taking anything for himself.

        At the end of dinner, when Sonic and I had our fill, our host stood from his chair and bowed low, bidding us goodnight. He melted into the shadows, the strong pulse of his Dark Chaos energy getting further away. The feast disappeared as well, however, I still felt its weight inside my belly, so I knew it didn't all go away.

        My hedgehog friend and I walked back through the palace halls, heading toward our shared bedroom chamber. When we started to pass the giant doors that led outside to the stunning, gem-filled world, Sonic paused, tugging at my arm to get me to stop. "We should run away, get out of here while we can," he whispered in a rushed voice.

        "I don't know," I mumbled, looking around the spacious area we were in with all its connections to various floors. It reminded me of Hogwarts here, though the staircases stayed along the sides of the walls and allowed the center of the room to be clear of any obstruction as it towered high into the sky, seemingly endless. "It's too soon. Mephiles will know if we leave. He wouldn't let us walk around the palace without keeping an eye on us."

        Sonic sighed. "I guess you're right. From what he said, there will be more opportunities to plan an escape. What I'm confused about is why he's giving us all this time to get settled in. Why isn't he taking over the world now that we're outta the way? What's he waiting for?"

        I shrugged, swallowing down the bile that rose in my throat. I knew what Mephiles was waiting for, but I wasn't going to say it. If I let his words slip from my head, then maybe I wouldn't worry about them. "Come on. I'm getting really tired," I said. Side by side, Sonic and I moved at a crawling pace through the palace and to our chamber, being locked in the moment the magical door slammed shut and sealed itself.

        Soon after, the hedgehog and I traded our tattered outfits for the fresh and clean clothing found inside the provided dressers. Donned in purple robes, not too unlike the one Mephiles had worn at dinner, we climbed wearily into the giant bed and laid within an arm's reach of each other. I watched the long blue spines beside me flatten and relax while my own body began to shut down.

        And then I dreamed.

        The world was different—it was changing. Somehow, I knew I was placed in the future. Everything around me was so mystical, so strange, I wondered how it all came to be. As I walked soundlessly over dried, dead grass, I watched as the very land beneath my feet transformed into purple and black energy. A city in front of me was filled with citizens screaming and fleeing, terrified. A wave of the energy washed over the people, converting them, too, into more energy. They melded into the earth and became as one. Now, no one was scared. No one could be hurt. It was beautiful.

        "No, wait," I hazily said to myself, eyes opening to the truth. "This is wrong. This is very wrong."

        Countless lives had been lost to the energy, and still, darkness seeped into the ground and pulled and sucked at Earth's core, draining it. The power grew and grew, taking out the color of the sky and changing it into a pitch darkness as if a black hole was hovering above the planet. I screamed when the world, my home, began to crumble. It imploded and caved in on itself, turning everything—cities, mountains, deserts—into nothing but ash that blew away in a nonexistent breeze. Only the swirling purple and black energy remained, filling in the gaps of the destroyed Earth and forming its own ominous realm of darkness.

        I felt something grab me, sending sparks through my skin as my hand was held high at my side, entrapped in another's. Barely turning my head, I saw the outline of a spiky hedgehog-shaped creature floating next to me. It was Mephiles, but he looked different. Instead of black and grey fur, he had covering him a hard, crystalline material that sparkled deep purple and ice blue. His eyes were terrifying—still with those snake-like irises, but glowing and surrounded by vibrant red sclera.

        "This is our world now, (Name). Life can restart, and we will have complete control of it. By our rule, everything that is created will exist in absolute peace and harmony. Is that not what you want? Do you not want each individual life to be cherished and to belong? Do you not want a world where betrayal is but a fake concept and only love and friendship prevails? Tell me, what do you want?"

        "I want all of that," I whispered, gazing out across the horrible, yet beautiful, land. "I want everyone to be accepted for who they are and not have to fear anyone else's judgement. Nobody should have to pretend to be someone else, like I had done."

        The crystal demon nodded. "In this new world you can change that. I will teach you how." He drifted to the ground and lowered our hands, squeezing tightly before letting go. Right away I started to feel my energy dwindle. It saddened me, as I knew Mephiles still was far more powerful by himself than anything I had ever imagined. "In order to create a world where nothing is concealed by lies or trickery, you must first expose your inner-self. All your life you have been hiding behind a mask. It is time to let the true (Name) out. When you do, you will discover all the power I, myself, possess," the male said, softening his gaze at my downcast expression.

        There was something else inside me? Wasn't the (color) (animal) I turned into my inner-self? Mephiles' words confused me. He said there was even more to me, and if I let it out I'd have the same powers that he had. But, what was inside me that he wanted out so badly? What did he witness while he was trapped? The thought frightened me.

        "I...don't know if I'm ready to do that," I told Mephiles, shuffling away from him ever-so-slightly. A clawed hand began to raise itself toward me, but it quickly fell to the demon's side.

        "We have all the time in the world, young one," he said in a slow, wispy tone. "Whenever you are ready, seek me out. You'll know where to find me."

        The dream scene changed, and we were suddenly in the palace. Mephiles turned away, outstretching his arm and flicking his wrist. A door carved into the pink and purple crystal wall appeared, permitting the powerful entity to enter. The other side of the door was shrouded in darkness, as if Mephiles didn't want me to see what was inside. But I knew where we were. This was his personal chamber. Mephiles hadn't shown it to me during our tour of the palace—only by the implication in this dream did I now realize he had a place to stay and rest instead of endlessly roaming the world he made.

        If I wanted to find him, I'd have to find this chamber. The palace was so big, I didn't know how long it would take if I did end up finding it. And even then, would I go inside? I was afraid of what might happen. What would Mephiles bring out of me? I had always talked about how I hated having to hide myself from others—from the kids at school, from my friends, from virtually every person who didn't know about the existence of were(animal)s—but now, I was scared at what I could actually be.

        I woke up, weeping out of fear and confusion, with Sonic right there to whisper comforting words until I fell back to sleep. He didn't know his kindness was being wasted on a monster.