A Familiar Stranger

I suddenly opened my eyes, sitting up swiftly, sweating from an unknown panic. Cold. I was so cold, yet... I didn't really feel it. The black jacket I was wearing bore my family crest over my heart, on the shoulders, and on the buckle of the belt that sat atop of my jacket. Assuring it was zipped up completely, I pulled the hood over my head, my ears popping out the slits in the top of the hood. I took in my surroundings as I looked around. I was in an empty field, it was midnight at the earliest, and I was alone.

I gathered my strength and carefully stood, a bit weak and shaky. I wandered aimlessly as I told myself everything I could think of. "My name is Hazen Dione, I am 18, my girlfriend is Talia, I should be king, it's late, cold, and I am alone..." I saw a glistening from a distance, the distraction interrupting my thoughts as I approached it.

I stumbled as I almost fell into a pond, which was the source of the light that had caught my eye. I crouched down onto my hands and knees and splashed water onto my face. I gazed into my dripping reflection only to find a familiar stranger. My quills were still black and the same length as before, long bangs that hung into my face and short in the back, my eyes were still green, and I was still a hedgehog. Despite this, I looked strange. My muzzle was a ghostly, pasty white, my pupils had vanished, and my eyes were actually glowing. Soulless, I looked dead. Literally.

Suddenly, I heard maniacal laughter, but the source was nowhere to be seen. I stood and decided to hold my ground confidently. "Who are you?! Show yourself at once!" The voice laughed once more and I realized the burning truth, deep in the back of my mind. This voice was almost TOO much like my own, yet, it didn't feel the same. "Who are you?! I demand that you speak at once!" I shouted into the night. Silence. It was deafening. I carefully watched my surroundings under the light of the full moon. Then he spoke.

"I am thou... Thou art I... From the sea of thy soul... I come..." Small green orbs began to flow my jacket and circle me. They gathered a few feet away from me into a figure. Honestly, this would be scary, but I already knew that everything he had spoken was the truth. I knew not how, but it made sense to me. He looked like an entirely perfect copy of me, but every detail of him was completely glowing green.

"So tell me... WHAT are you? Am I ill? Have I gone insane?" So far, those were reasonable explanations to me. That, or it's all a dream. I watched him float around me. Observing me. "And I mean aside from the fact that you and I seem to be one and the same." He seemed to float freely, not a care in the world.

"Ah, but I AM you. More specifically, I am your SOUL. We're dead, Hazen. Talia killed us." The green figure smirked sadistically. "Call me Haze." He watched me place my hand over my heart and felt for any signs of life. Any movement at all. Nothing. The sole movement in my torso being my lungs filling with air as I breathed quietly.

I began walking home. "And what of my siblings? My family? My people? What became of Talia? According to you, she had killed me, but even though my heart does not beat, it breaks to think this could be true. Perhaps it's a matter of choice, but I feel as if there is more to Talia's attack. Sure, I may be gullible, but I still love her." I said more to myself than my permanent companion.

The specter shook his head. "Naïve fool..." Haze sighed as I shrugged in response. He flew by my side. "Valerie remembers the truth, but I erased TJ's memories. Your people know Talia has murdered you and she has turned completely evil. She has placed herself at the throne and destroys villages for her amusement." Haze spoke testily and I rolled my eyes as I threw a rock at him. The rock flew through him harmlessly and he scattered into orbs that flowed into my jacket.

I opened the iron wrought gate that led to Dione Manor. It had become dark and dreary in my leave, though I have no clue how long I was gone. As I passed through the gate, I noticed a small shrine illuminated by eighteen, multi-colored, scented candles. Their combined aroma brought fourth warm feelings. Childhood memories of playing in the floor with my siblings by a lit fireplace. My parents sitting in their chairs reading and watching us play. I let out a sad, shaky sigh as I looked at my photo in the center. Shaking my head and pulling my hood down further as I entered what I once called my home.