SNT: Shattered Dimensions

Chapter 9 Part 1: Fantasy vs Reality

A long time ago...

A viridian forest maze filled everything in sight, the sound of crumbled leaves accompanied by heavy breathing engrossed the atmosphere as Maria the hedgehog ran past this neck of the woods. She knew not of whom she ran from, only that her life was in danger.

"What do you think you're doing, Maria?" A raspy yet sinister voice echoed with dulled static within the vast emptiness of this naturally grown maze. Maria's eyes shrank in peril as her heart beat faster in response to the voice's words.

"No... please! Leave me alone!" She pleaded.

"What did he tell you? Answer me!" The voice barked. Maria closed her eyes and covered her ears to block out the noise, tears streamed down her cheeks.

"No... who are you? Why are you doing this?" She cried. All of her fur stood erect as they were covered in tree sap and dirt. Only fear and anxiety remained present within her mind as the sound of snapped branches and crumpled leaves chased after her.

"What, have you forgotten about our cause?" The voice questioned. Maria quickly opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings to find her pursuer. The voice seemed to be coming from all directions while simultaneously sounding like it's owner was right next to her. Maria backed away in fear that there was no escape.

"Ca... cause? I... I have no idea what you're talking about," she spoke amidst the peril. She held her head which seemed to be suffering from a migraine, the entire world seemingly swirled around her like an endless abyss of isolation. The sound of someone approaching grew louder which intensified the hedgehog's heart rate, even the image of her own shadow seemed to worry her.

Where... am I? How did I get here? She wondered, but no matter how much she tried to remember, nothing seemed to come back to her. She took a step back, only hesitating when she realized that she almost walked off the edge of a cliff.

"Listen to me, Maria. Calm down and tell me where you are. The fact that you don't remember who I am could only mean one thing," the seemingly omnipresent voice advised. Maria took a deep breath as she tried to listen to the voice, her attackers however made themselves known by walking into the light. They were humanoid monsters dawned in medieval armor that emanated darkness like a fog. They carelessly revealed their sharp claws which glistened in the narrow sunlight amidst the cloudy sky.

"Please... don't hurt me..." Maria begged. Her eyes widened by an annoyed growl from the seemingly omnipresent voice.

"Don't test my patience, Maria. Tell me where you are, NOW!" It demanded impatiently. The voice caught the hedgehog off guard which prompted her to subconsciously take a step back. Her heart sank upon the sudden realization that she was about to fall.

"EEEEEEK!" Maria yelled as she plummeted off the cliff side. Her body crashed against the cliff's downward slope which built up speed for the hedgehog's downward spiral. Maria flinched at the pain of small pebbles digging into her skin until she was thrown off the slope where she fell onto the grassy meadow with an uncomfortable snap.

The clouds casted a shadow over the hedgehog's body as she was motionless, her eyes grayed without a single spark of life. Soon after, a communicator wristband crashed next to the body, damaged beyond repair.

"Ma-zzt ri-zzt a..." The voice called from the communicator until its speaker finally ceased function. Maria just laid there, unresponsive to the world that moved on without her. Days turned to night, weeks to months, spring time to winter. As months passed by, the hedgehog's quills dulled away from a rich gold to a more tinted brown.