Mobius Destiny (A Sonic Boom Fanfic)

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Being able to finally speak to Nikōru with Tomoya's assistance instantly made the energy between them much more positive. Not that it had been negative before, but knowing more about one another helped their chemistry together grow substantially. Kay was able to learn that her friend was sixteen years old, and was one of the lowest-ranking warriors of her clan. She had mastered the bow and arrow because her close combat skills were not very strong, though she could hold her own against a couple of enemies if she needed to. She held firm to the belief that her first loyalty was to the crown, not to her Bride, which was why when the Storm clan had allied itself with Aurora, Nikōru had gone rogue and stayed loyal to the prince.

"We were to become the next ruling clan," she said, Tomoya translating. "Our kingdom has been at peace for generations. I don't understand why my Bride sought to ruin it for no apparent reason."

"Your Bride has her reasons," Kay replied. "They are misguided, but she does have motivation behind what she's doing."

"Do you know why this is all happening, Kay?"

Kay hesitated, but only for a moment. She reminded herself that she couldn't play dumb anymore, for the sake of all the dimensions. "I do. Aurora – the rebel leader – spoke with me when we raided the palace. I was separated from the others; she tried to persuade me to her side as well."

Nikōru leaned forward, and Tomoya also eyed her with interest. He translated for the lynx again. "Please, explain what is going on."

So, to the best of her ability, Kay told them both about Mobius Prime; how it was the starting point for all other Mobian dimensions, including this one, and how Aurora – through some means or other – had been able to glimpse it long enough to understand that it contained an energy source unlike anything this world was accustomed to.

"That's what she's really after," Kay finished her short briefing. "She's hoping that introducing Chaos here will make this Mobius like the one she saw. And if she does that, that means that your clan, Nikōru, would be the most powerful and formidable one of them all. Everyone in the Dragon Kingdom fears your clan's Bride on Mobius Prime; I suspect the increase in power and status is what truly spurred your Bride to join Aurora's side."

Nikōru muttered something, but Tomoya didn't translate it this time. Kay had a suspicion it was something she didn't want to hear anyway. After a moment the lynx said, "What a dishonorable thing to do. I am ashamed to call her my Bride."

"I'm only speculating, Nikōru," Kay replied quickly. "I don't know for sure what her intentions were. I only know what Aurora wants, and what she has already promised others in her quest to get it."

Nikōru muttered something again, which again, Tomoya didn't translate. After a tense silence, Kay glanced at him, then at her. "Nikōru ...if you don't mind my asking...do you happen to know which of your clan members was to marry the late Princess Shinobi?"

"May the heavens give her rest," Nikōru murmured, lowering her eyes. She nodded. "Yes. His name is Arashi Raitoningu – Lightning Storm."

Kay's eyes widened. Will wonders never cease? She thought. At least that lines up with the Lightning Lynx back on Prime. He was technically part of a Dragon Kingdom clan there, too. "What happened to him after the rebellion started?"

"As the chosen Son of Storm, Lightning is second in command only to our Bride. Since she is unable to stand on the frontlines because of her position, Lightning is the one who has led all the attacks against the prince so far."

It was at that moment that Kay realized. The lynx on the bridge – the same lynx that Espio had attacked so viciously just this morning. That was Lightning. That was the one who had been intended for his sister. The one who had betrayed his family most viciously.

The first one Nikōru had shot at that night she rescued them and joined their troupe.

"What about you, Kay?" Tomoya asked after a pause, speaking for himself now. "How did a hedgehog from the west get caught up in our war?"

Kay smiled slightly. "Oh, I was practically asking for it, I suppose. I wanted to get away from where I was, and I didn't care if I was entering a war zone to do so." She shrugged. "But it's all right. I'm committed to helping the prince now, especially since I know that what Aurora is after will affect the entire planet, not just your kingdom."

He nodded just as a sudden flurry of motion rippled through the crowd of four dozen soldiers. In a wave they all stood up at once, leaving Kay and Nikōru to scramble to their feet after them. Shouts were coming from the opposite side of the allotted eating grounds.

"What's going on?" Kay asked, automatically reaching for a weapon but remembering at the last second that she'd left her broken broom handle in the tent.

Tomoya listened for a moment, then replied, "The camp's defenses have been breached. There are enemies just over there."

"How many?"

"I cannot tell yet."

Before anything more could be said, Shadow the Hedgehog materialized in front of her. Kay gasped and staggered back, but he snatched her arm before she could get away. Tomoya and Nikōru reached for him at the same time, attempting to pry him off of her, but he held fast, pushed them away, and then that familiar feeling of being unable to breathe assaulted Kay. In the next moment, her surroundings were entirely different, and the noise of the crowd was coming from somewhere in the near distance.

Gasping, she pushed him away. "You can't keep doing that!" she snapped. "What do you want now? How do you even keep finding me?"

"Aurora has eyes everywhere, Chosen One," he spat back, his eyes ablaze with a fury she was at least used to out of him. "You are never out of her sight. And she wants to talk to you."

"We've already talked." Kay stepped back. "I have nothing more to say to her."

"She has more to say to you, Chosen One. As do I." He reached for her again, but on instinct she pushed his hand away and settled into a loose fighting stance.

Shadow growled, his fur actually bristling. "I may not be the all-powerful Shadow you remember," he said in a low, dangerous voice, "but I can still take you out without breaking a sweat if you force me to. So we can either do this the easy way, or I can bring you to Aurora by force. And if you choose the latter route, I'll make sure to come back and have a word with your beloved prince next."

Kay frowned. "If you're so determined to bring me to Aurora, why didn't you just teleport us directly to her?"

Shadow leveled a gaze on her that was at once chilling and uncertain, but the expression vanished just as quickly as it had come. He snatched up her wrist again faster than she could blink. The next thing she knew, they were standing in the throne room of Espio's palace.