Chapter Text
“Tell me about Enerjak.”
Knuckles paused, his breath catching. Outwardly, he didn’t show his shock at the question, but cast Silver a sidelong glance. The hedgehog was sitting near the trees of a little grove, feeding a chao as it sat perched in his lap. He didn’t look at Knuckles, but his ears were twisted in his direction, stiff and alert.
“How do you know that name?” Knuckles was surprised when his voice came out even, if not a little sharp. He yanked another chao fruit from a nearby tree, and tossed it to another few chao waiting by his side.
Silver shrugged. “Heard it somewhere. Some echidna legend, isn’t it?”
Silence settled between the two, and Knuckles felt his quills bristle. He pulled in a deep breath, letting it out in a long, controlled exhale. “The oldest story of my people. A kind of . . . bogeyman, of sorts.”
The chao in Silver’s lap tired of the fruit, and now pulled the hedgehog’s hand. They were familiar with Silver, he liked to visit Angel Island when he could, providing whatever had brought him back in time gave him the opportunity. It was always hit or miss if the timing worked out, but Knuckles didn’t mind his presence. This hedgehog was much less infuriating than Sonic, and genuinely appreciated Angel Island’s beauty.
Getting the hint, Silver lifted his hand, enveloping the chao in the cyan light of his power. The little creature lifted into the air, laughing as Silver made it fly around like a little bird.
“Why are you here?” Knuckles asked, turning to face Silver fully. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the hedgehog with furrowed brows. He was always a little fuzzy on what exactly brought Silver back—he didn’t know if Silver himself was in control of that, or if some higher power sent him where he needed to be. Far be it for Knuckles to question the otherworldly powers that be, but Silver’s sudden arrival, coupled with such a loaded question, made his tail twitch. “There is no danger to the planet that I’m aware of, and you don’t usually come for social visits. So, why?”
The little smile that had been on Silver’s lips faltered for a moment, his golden eyes flicking to meet Knuckles’ violet. After a moment, Silver looked away, focusing more on his play with the chao.
“I . . . sometimes have dreams,” Silver said, his voice soft. “Even when my time isn’t horrible, the dreams come. Possible futures, I guess. I’ve been having the same one a lot lately.”
The implication felt heavy between them, and Knuckles dipped his head, his expression dark.
“Enerjak . . . is more than a legend.” Knuckles’ voice was low. Cautious. “It’s more like a warning. Of what could become of an echidna who lets their own personal wants and desires taint the vow to their duty.”
Silver nodded slightly, sending the little chao flying higher, spinning it in a little loop-de-loop. “Absolute power corrupts, absolutely.”
Knuckles gave a little snort as he nodded. “Yeah, something like that. My ancestors tried to call upon Enerjak thousands of years ago, all in the name of protecting the clan. They thought summoning it with ‘good intentions’ would keep it under control. Prevent damnation and corruption.”
He trailed off, not wanting to finish. Not needing to.
“So it’s an echidna curse.”
Knuckles’ head whipped up to look at Silver. He still wasn’t looking in Knuckles’ direction, still focused on the little chao in the air. Knuckles watched the little creature laugh and fly, clapping its little bulbous arms together in glee.
A curse. That wasn’t how he’d thought of Enerjak before, but couldn’t deny the connotation. “Maybe.”
Silence once again, and Silver lifted two other chao up to join their friend in the air. “How can Enerjak be defeated?”
“Doesn’t matter.” The words snapped off Knuckles’ tongue before he was aware he’d spoken. “I don’t know what you’ve been dreaming, but it can’t be Enerjak. Only an echidna can summon that, and I’m the only one left, so . . .” He shrugged, trying to ease the way the fur on the back of his neck bristled.
The air felt heavier now. Silver watched the chao float in his power, and Knuckles watched him.
The silence stretched. Heavy. Expectant. Waiting.
“Only an echidna can summon Enerjak,” Knuckles said again, his voice softer. Edged with something that may have been worry. May have been pleading.
Silver blinked slowly, before turning his eyes to Knuckles. “I know.”
Flickies chirped in the trees around them. The floating chao slowly returned to the ground. Silver pushed himself to his feet and stood facing Knuckles, his face bearing an expression Knuckles couldn’t identify.
Sadness? Determination? Regret?
The two stared at each other for a long moment, unspoken worries and fears passing between them.
“How do I stop it?” Silver asked, his voice quiet, but even. He never looked away from Knuckles, his eyes almost boring into the echidna’s.
Knuckles faced him, his own expression softening to something more like resignation. His arms loosened, falling limp to his sides as he spoke in a voice he hardly recognized as his own.
“You can’t.” He swallowed. “Enerjak is . . . a god. A demon. Energy in its purest form, born of the Master Emerald. Once it inhabits a host, it . . .” He shook his head. “I don’t know of any way to separate them.”
Silver’s brow furrowed as he took a step closer. “There has to be a way.”
Knuckles shook his head. “Not once Enerjak takes form. You have to . . . to stop the host before it all starts.”
The chao, seemingly bored with the current conversation, and completely oblivious to the tension growing between the two, toddled off to find something more entertaining. Neither Silver nor Knuckles took notice.
“You have to stop . . . me before I hurt anyone.” Knuckles’ voice was soft. Pleading. “I don’t know why I would summon Enerjak, but if your dreams are true—“
“They might not be,” Silver said, moving closer. “They’re just dreams now. I just . . . I wanted to talk to you about it. Just in case. But I don’t think—“
“You have to stop me before I hurt anyone,” Knuckles repeated, his voice firmer. “And if that means you take me out before I even get the chance to summon Enerjak, then that’s what you do.”
“No.” Silver’s voice was sharp, and he closed the distance between them. “Knuckles, I didn’t come here to do anything like that.”
“Then why are you here? If not to stop me now, before I become Enerjak?”
“Because sometimes the future doesn’t change because of something big,” Silver said, locking his golden gaze with Knuckles’. “Sometimes you don’t have to fight giant robots, or use chaos emeralds, or do something huge and dangerous. Sometimes, all it takes is telling someone something they didn’t know before.”
Silver stepped closer, placing a gentle hand on Knuckles’ shoulder.
“Sometimes, a dream is just a dream. It doesn’t have to come true.”
Knuckles looked at Silver, a tiny sliver of hope piercing his tight chest. “You think telling me this will help me make a different choice in the future.”
A little smile curled Silver’s lips. “If you know about a bad choice before you make it, stands to reason you’ll make a better one when that choice comes up later, right?”
A beat of silence passed between them, before a small, hesitant smile pulled at Knuckles’ muzzle. “Makes sense to me.”
Silver gave Knuckles’ shoulder a little squeeze, before releasing him and stepping back. “I don’t know if my dream will come true. They don’t always. But I wanted you to know.”
Knuckles let out a soft exhale through his nose, some of the tension releasing from his shoulders. He nodded. “I appreciate the possible heads up. I’ll remember this.”
Silver returned the nod. “I hope so.” The two shared a quiet moment, before Silver’s smile turned a little shy. “Now, which way was that little grotto with the waterfall? I swear I think of that place every time I come back here.”
“This way,” Knuckles said with a little laugh, hooking a thumb over his shoulder. “The water lilies are in bloom right now, so you’re in luck.”
“Nice!”
The two headed deeper into the forest of Angel Island, conversation moving to lighter fare. But that deeper understanding still lurked beneath the surface. Of what may come to pass, and what would need done if it did.