Shadow: Awakening

Shadow: Something about Chaos

I land and frantically try to smother my hand on the ground. It won't go out!!! Ahhhhhh!!! My heart's rates are higher than I knew they could be, and the multiple beats make my entire body vibrate. Ahhhh!!! My hand is going to burn off!!! I can't put it out!!! Ahhhh!!!

"Shadow!!! Oh my gosh!!! Stop, roll, and drop! Wait, no, drop, roll, and stop! No, wait, stop, drop, and roll!" Maria clamours. Wait, what did Maria say to do?! Maria is shrieking now, and the added level of panic freaks me out more. What do I even do?! My hand is melting!!! The agony! It burns! Then, right in the middle of my terror, I realize something. Wait. Wait, wait, wait. The fire doesn't hurt. My hand isn't burning. It's not melting; I can see it through the flames. Even my fur is fine! How is that possible? I now stare at my hand, still blazing with emerald green fire, and try to move it. My fingers move fine. My wrist still works. My claw slips through the flames to arch itself above my knuckles. Now I'm sure. Now I know what this fire is. Another one of my powers. Maria stops sobbing to stare at me, as I stand gazing into the flames. I caused this fire. I can put it out. I grimace in concentration and imagine the fire getting sucked into my wrist joint, away from my hand. Slowly the fire spirals into nothingness.

" *Huff* " My breath is crushed out of me as Maria wraps me in a tear-filled hug. What the--I

"Oh Shadow! Are you okay?!" Maria wept into my shoulder.

"Yeah." I whispered, and I can feel myself shaking. Stupid adrenaline rush.

"Good job, Shadow. " Gerald comments smugly, "I knew you would learn about your powers quickly. After all, a weapon wastes no time in recoiling after firing."

"What?" I say, totally confused. What on ARK is that supposed to mean?

"If I had warned you of what would happen, your reaction would not have been so illuminating."

"Or I wouldn't have run around screaming because my hand was on fire." I suggest sarcastically. "There was no way THAT could have been avoided; I wouldn't have learned anything if I had been given even the slightest heads up about my fire power."

"Shadow," Gerald warns, "I chose not to inform you of this for a reason, and there's no sense in griping about it."

"Well, then tell me why." I glare upwards at the speaker, not at all satisfied by his vague answer.

"Huh..." Gerald sighs, his breath crackling over the speaker. "I knew this day would come, the day I would have to explain to you the nature and origins of your powers."

"What?" I start, "My power's origins? Their nature? What does this have to do with you neglecting to warn me of my powers?"

"Everything." I can hear the smile in Gerald's tone as he gently replies to my surprised inquiry. "You see, Shadow, your powers are born from energy, a special energy called Chaos. This energy is affected by your emotions and actions. When you were panicking, your emotions fueled the Chaos fire you created. When you calmed down, you were able to control it."

"But..." I say, still confused, "how did I create fire? Why did the fire listen to me?"

"The Chaos fire you discovered is not truly fire, Shadow, but a release of energy in the guise of flames. There are many ways to release Chaos, and 'fire' is one of them. You can also release it as energy attacks, use it to reshape the world around you, and teleport from place to place using it."

"I..." My mind is still trying to wrap around that last sentence of Gerald's. Can I really do all of that? Is Chaos Energy really that powerful?

"You can teleport?!" I jump at Maria's shrill inquiry. "That is SO awesome!"

"Awesome? Really?" I ask, turning towards her.

"Yeah!" Maria beams. "You sure are lucky, Shadow! I wish that I could teleport, or that I had some sort of super power. Then I could have fun like no one else, even if I was alone."

"But you're not alone," I grin up at her, "you've got me, after all. Unless I don't count...?"

"Of course you count!" Maria giggles, her pale, fair skin red from all of the excitement. "I was just being hypothetical."

"Good," I smile, "I would hate to think I'm not a worthy playmate for you."

"Haha!" Maria laughs gaily. "Well, I think you're a wonderful friend." Happily, I turn my attention back to Gerald.

"Okay," I begin, "I get that I have powers, and that I get them from an energy force called Chaos, and that they are controlled by my emotions. But, how is it possible for me to utilize Chaos? Maria doesn't seem to have Chaos powers, and you talk about them as if they're not common. What makes me able to use them and not other people?"

"Ahh," Gerald answers, "that is a very good question, Shadow. The difference between Maria and yourself lies in the matter of evolution, and your creation. Shadow, you were created using the DNA of the two most powerful Chaos species known to the universe. The positive and neutral Chaos Energy fueled hedgehogs, and the negative, not quite so neutral Chaos Energy fueled Black Arms. Due to the different spectrums of their powers, you have control over all forms of Chaos energy. A human such as Maria or myself does not utilize Chaos Energy, but you, Shadow...you live on it."

I know this chapter is long and full of explanations, but I'm attempting to explain Shadow's powers the way I see them. I know the title is weird, but when I was working on the chapter I just titled it "(something about Chaos)," and it just fit. Hope you enjoyed! I'm going to be putting up a LOT of chapters in the next few days, so keep reading!