Soul Eater but it's Sonic

Chapter 51

The vision began with Zero approaching the front of the ARK facility, much in the same way that Sonic and Shadow had. The weather was overcast and chilly. Zero was accompanied by four other jackals who wore black combat gear. The group stopped once they noticed the entrance was damaged.

"There really is a hidden lab here. Something seems off, though. You guys better weapon up. I'll go first since, you know," Zero gestured at his chest while smirking.

The other four members of his squad chuckled in response. One member shifted into a serrated combat knife, while the other became a red sword with a curved blade. The two meisters grabbed their respective weapons and walked cautiously behind Zero.

Noticeable damage had been inflicted on the facility. When a branching path came, Zero directed the two meisters to take one path each, while he entered the final one on his own. After proceeding, he heard the slightest noise come from a nearby room. Zero didn't see much in the room at first, just a table, chairs and various forms of cabinets. Moving further in made him see someone.

It was the girl from Shadow's past; the one he had nearly remembered. She looked exactly the same as the image Zero had first shown, although she was entirely frightened now.

"You don't need to hide like that. I won't hurt you," Zero saw no change, so he tried asking questions to prompt a response. "What is this place? Did something happen?"

Still nothing.

Before Zero could think of a plan, he heard a distant crash. Hasty footsteps entered the hall just outside.

"Zero!"

It was one of the meisters of his team. They had been trying to reach him and warn him of something. A wet ripping noise came from the hall, and they yelled in pain.

Zero hurried to the doorway, but just when he peered down the hall he felt a sharp blade drag across his chest. Blood gushed from his open torso. The resulting drop in blood pressure made his balance fail immediately. Zero felt someone step over him before his wound healed and his veins refilled. He got a good look at the figure once they proceeded into the room.

A black hedgehog was now peering around with sunken, bloodshot eyes. He wore a gray jumpsuit reserved for test subjects inside this facility, although numerous fresh blood stains were tainting this jumpsuit's color. Shackles were placed on each of the hedgehog's ankles and wrists, with a few links of chain still dangling from them. His unkempt fur contained several streaks of red that were lost among all the blood.

Zero got up. "Who are you?"

The startled hedgehog reacted quickly. He stabbed the jackal with a bladed hand. Zero stumbled backward, but kept himself from falling this time.

"Stop, please," Zero coughed from the pain. "I'm just trying to figure out what's going on here,"

"Shut up!" The hedgehog snarled. He clawed at Zero again. A grunt of frustration came when he observed the jackal heal. "Why won't you die?"

A blob of magical energy crashed into the hedgehog before Zero replied.

"I'm sorry to hurt you, but you aren't listening to reason,"

The black hedgehog growled while righting himself. "I can't kill you. Not without more power," The monster's eyes widened when he noticed Maria, who had peered too far out of her hiding place. "There you are!"

"Shadow, no!" The girl protested upon having her arm grabbed.

"Leave her alone!" Zero pleaded.

"Shut up, both of you!," Shadow pulled the girl near, then began glowing. His body became a warped light that wrested its way into her grasp. The terrified girl soon found herself wielding a black scythe with a red streak on the blade.