Supposed To Be Me (Shadow x Reader)

Chapter 8 Utopia

 "Professor Gerald, I know you've been working hard to improve Maria's condition..., but she's getting sicker every day... I can see it! She won't be able to live long enough for you to find her a cure!"

The tall man in a white lab coat stroked his gray mustache with a sad expression on his face. "I know that it's hard for you to understand, Shadow... Sometimes humans get sick..., and sometimes, cures can't be made fast enough to help give them the life they deserved..."

Machines were making noises in the background as the hedgehog and the professor began to walk down a halfway full of inventions, creatures, and robots. Each of them an experiment to try and find a solution to Maria's illness. Shadow ignored them all. He was the only one out of all of them to actually have any promise in helping Maria.

"Gerald..., it's not fair. Humans born with an illness don't deserve to die so soon! Especially Maria! She's innocent and her life is being stolen from her. We've been doing almost nothing to stop it!" Shadow shouted with frustration.

Gerald stopped in front of a metallic door and entered the pass code. Once the door opened, he finally replied to Shadow. "On the contrary..., we've been doing everything to ensure Maria's life isn't stolen too soon. Observe!" he said as he held out a red gemstone to Shadow.

"How is a rock supposed to help her?"

Offended, the professor huffed with annoyance. "This isn't just some rock! This is the key to earning more time than we could ever have bargained for! Behold, the Phantom Ruby!"

Shadow skeptically looked over the Phantom Ruby. "So, what does the Phantom Ruby do?"

"It can create illusions using a power that's very similar to yours, Shadow. However, that part is not what I'm currently concerned with. An illusion is one thing..., but the Phantom Ruby has an infinite space inside of it where time is frozen and nothing ever happens. It's dark, cold, but anyone who enters the Null Space could potentially live forever and never age a second," Gerald explained. He grinned his scientific genius grin to Shadow. "Isn't it brilliant?!"

"Brilliant?!" Shadow demanded as he slammed the Phantom Ruby down onto a table harshly. His eyes burned with anger at the idea of Null Space. "You're going to banish your own granddaughter to a universe where nothing exists forever until you find a cure?! How long might that process take?! Maria will be all alone in Null Space for what could be eternity! Why would you even dare to do that to her?!"

Of course, Gerald expected an outburst from Shadow. The professor took back the Phantom Ruby and ran his fingers over the smooth surface. "Listen to me, Shadow... The Phantom Ruby can be programmed. I have the power to change Null Space however I please. Right now, it's an endless empty space... But if I seal Maria in this gem... It will be a sunny, natural world with flowers, rivers, trees... The Phantom Ruby can create friends for her in the world I'll make. It's true that they're illusions, but whenever they see Maria, they will talk and act like normal people. Inside of this Phantom Ruby is the life Maria always wished she could have down on the planet. Shadow..., this ruby might just give Maria... a normal life."

An astounded look came over Shadow in a heartbeat. He gazed at the Phantom Ruby now in wonder. "It could... do that?"

The professor nodded his head to Shadow. "Now, don't go slamming it into any more tables!" He took the ruby and put it back in its place of protection. Shadow and Gerald left the room safely locked and secured and went back to the research lab. Shadow had a distant expression on his face.

"Professor..., can I go into the Phantom Ruby with Maria when the time comes...?"

Gerald smiled at Shadow and nodded to him. "I fully intended for you and Maria to be together to the end."