Wretched Blessing

Chapter 13

        This is a very bad idea, I thought as we made our way inside from the courtyard. I had told Sonic the same, but he wouldn't be deterred from his insane plan. "Mephiles will know we've left. Also, how can we get to the Chaos Emerald if we're so far away from it?" I asked him. Our footsteps echoed in the corridor, aiding my paranoia. Looking around, I made sure the demon hedgehog didn't linger nearby.

        "I don't know, (Name)," said Sonic, and his voice dropped to a whisper. "I just know we need to get away, where we can think up a plan in secret without Mephiles suddenly popping up to stop us. Plus, I really need to get out of here. The palace might be big and all, but it doesn't distract me from the fact that we're surrounded by walls."

        Glancing at him from the corner of my eye, I couldn't help but agree. The palace was a huge and beautiful place with high-rising ceilings and windows scattered to look outside—but it wasn't the same as being outside where one could see for miles in each direction and actually be able to get there. But, at the same time, I knew escaping would be futile. How could Sonic be so persistent when Mephiles possibly knew every nook and cranny in this dimension? I sighed, knowing I either had to be supportive or get left behind.

        "Before we go, we need food and I need clothes," I said to the hedgehog as the tall palace doors came into view. "Who knows how long we'll be out there."

        Sonic looked up at me with gratitude. "How about you go back to our room and pack up some clothes while I scrounge around the kitchen for something," he suggested. "I haven't seen any backpacks lying around, so you might need to use a blanket, or bed sheets, or even the pillowcases to carry your stuff. Mind bringing down one of those for me?"

        I nodded, feeling as my heart thumped against my chest. We were really doing this. We were leaving Mephiles' palace. "I'll meet you in the kitchen," I said. Then with thumbs up for good luck we parted ways.

        As I journeyed upward to our chamber, the once-invisible door remained unlocked and wide open. Rushing into the room, I made a beeline for the dresser and pulled out the drawers. Most of the clothes were the purple and black robes that Sonic and I currently wore. I sorted through the smaller robes, meant to fit the anthro hedgehog's frame, and kept those in my size in a messy pile on the floor. Afterward, I added socks and underwear to the pile, not forgetting Sonic's unnaturally-large foot size. He wouldn't be too happy if I forgot about him. I would leave behind his robes, though, since I knew he didn't care for most clothes. Unfortunately, there weren't any new pairs of gloves for him.

        When I had gathered enough clothes in the pile, I searched the room for something to carry them with. Just as Sonic had noted, there were no backpacks or any sort of bag that could have been useful. Turning to the bed, I stared at it a few long moments before climbing atop it and snatching two bulky pillows. I pried off their cases and determined they'd be sufficient for holding the amount of clothing and food Sonic and I would bring. Even if they overflowed, we could always leave behind supplies. I didn't think we'd be outside for very long as either our friends would find us, or we'd have hatched a plan to steal back the emerald and return to Earth.

        There was also that one other scenario where Mephiles would find us before we had a plan put together. I didn't want to think about it even though the possibility of it happening was much higher than the previous two.

        The hairs on my neck prickled as I thought of the dark entity. Suddenly, I felt watched. Twisting around to look behind me, there was nobody, but that feeling persisted. Though I could not see him I knew Mephiles saw me. I couldn't begin to imagine what he thought.

        I stuffed a pillowcase with the clothes and hefted it over my shoulder, only needing to leave out a couple robes to get it all to fit. With the empty pillowcase in my other hand I raced down the stairs, nearly slipping, to meet Sonic in the kitchen.