Soul Eater but it's Sonic

Chapter 65

Shadow's form was embedded into a twisted spire. Strands of bent metal and wire punctured what was left of his body. He only had access to his right arm, which he used to try pushing against the steel encasing him. It didn't budge.

His mind was much clearer now, but saving this part of himself was costly. Mephiles's soul, mind and body had taken over the rest of him. All Shadow had left was this last fragment. Mephiles couldn't do anything without it, so Shadow grew calm.

"Dying like this is better than being a monster,"

He sensed a change far off in the distance, outside of this desolate haven. Another soul had entered into his standoff with Mephiles. The dreary peace that Shadow had accumulated vanished, and was replaced entirely by fear.

"No, you'll die in here!"

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Mephiles and Shadow's mindscape held some resemblance to the room where they usually met. The main difference now was that it had expanded across a vast distance. There seemingly were no curtains or furniture, only black and white tiles that stretched outward indefinitely. All that could be heard at first was Sonic's determined footsteps that came while he searched.

It was all so cold, barren. Stretched thin by all the years Mephiles had spent phasing in and out of consciousness. Observing the outside world; lying in wait for his reawakening. Sonic noticed the weight of Mephiles's desire bearing down on this place. What he didn't notice was the black blood pooling up from the floor while he continued onward.

The fluid shimmered strangely; it was being drawn to the hedgehog. Silently, it continued filling the spaces outside of the visitor's field of view, covering sections of the floor behind him until they were enveloped fully.

Conquering a significant distance made Sonic see that there really were curtains at the edge of this place, they had just been too far away to stand out until now. Sonic saw a colossal door breaking through the wall.

It appeared indestructible with how dense and wide its armor was. A circular mechanism protruded from its center. There was a chair next to the front of the vault. Sonic recognized it from visiting Shadow's mind before. The person sitting in it was familiar as well.

"Hello, Sonic,"

Speaking revealed the sharpened fangs inside his mouth. The person's voice resembled Shadow's but it was distorted. His appearance resembled Shadow's as well, but his fur held streaks of pale blue. That same color appeared in the thin lines that covered the person's suit. His eyes seemed burdened by sleeplessness, their green irises fixated completely on Sonic.

"What are you doing to Shadow?" Sonic asked.

Mephiles smiled as if Sonic's statement were quaint. "We're merging. My current body is limited, but it is good for helping me get into a better one," His smile faded into an artificial expression of hopelessness. "But Shadow gained the upper hand. I'm stuck, and so are you. You can't go back the way you came in. The only way forward is through this door,"

Sonic glanced behind, and saw that there was now a sea of black blood behind him. The spot he was standing on was raised enough to form a small peninsula in the dark ocean.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you freaks always trying to ruin Shadow's life?"

"He's the one who wanted to be the ultimate death scythe. It's no surprise that other people's attention is drawn toward those who rise above," Mephiles's aloof demeanor became more serious. "I'm not like them, though. For me, it's fate,"