Shadows of a Broken Future

Chapter 5

Then, what he said about pushing him away...

I frown. He's right. I did pushed him away, but it wasn't intentional. It was just instinct. And besides I can't tell him what I know. Being the hero he is, he'd try to fix it-and end up putting himself in danger. What if he gets hurt...

I shake my head. Focus Shadow.

I turn to Silver, who's standing a few feet away, looking a little nervous. I don't blame him though, I don't think we've ever had a civil conversation.

I clear my throat. "Where's Blaze?" I ask, noticing she's not around.

Silver hesitates, glancing to the side. "Uh, she probably went to Tails' house as well. We were heading there before I got... distracted by something." He shifts awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "I heard some noises and ended up wandering off. Got lost."

I nod, slightly skeptical but brush it off. "That was probably me and Sonic's fight with Eggman. Wasn't exactly a quiet battle."

I then cross my arms, eyeing him closely. "What were you saying about your timeline? Something about being kicked out?"

Silver's face grows more solemn. "Yeah, it was... weird. Everything changed and looked different. But before I could search around for answers I was suddenly transported here."

I tilt my head slightly, trying to make sense of the situation. "You know what happens in the future, don't you?"

Silver looks hesitant, his eyes searching mine for a moment before he finally nods. "I do. I've seen what's coming. It's why I came to warn you all, to stop things from happening the way they do."

I furrow my brows. "What's exactly is going to happen?"

Silver hesitates again, shifting uncomfortably. There's something almost... guarded in his expression now.

"I already know what's going to happen Silver" I murmur, my voice quieter now. "I've been there. I've seen it. The future...It's something I had to live through. And now I'm here, back before that disaster happens, trying to make sure it doesn't end up the same way."

I end up explaining everything to him-everything from the final battle with Eggman, to Sonic's sacrifice. I tell him about how he and Blaze failed, along with the rest of us, and how me and Omega were the only ones to survive. And now, how I'm back here-back in this world, trying to change that outcome.

Silver opens his mouth, but then closes it, his discomfort evident. But then he sighs and folds his arms, glaring at me now, a hint of anger creeping into his tone. "You can't just tell people about the future Shadow! It could mess everything up. It could make things worse."

I stand there, momentarily stunned, before narrowing my eyes at him. "Didn't you already know?"

"Not exactly!" he snaps, his frustration rising. "If I knew everything, that could be really bad. No one should know everything about their future."

I roll my eyes, my tone flat. "Is that why you're always so vague? Always warning us about bad things happening in the future, but never explaining exactly what's going to happen?"

Silver glares at me, his voice rising a little. "You really thought I was doing that for fun? Because I like being annoyingly vague?"

I shrug, a small smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. "It wouldn't surprise me. You are good at it."

Silver sighs, clearly frustrated. "Whatever. I do it to protect you all, not to play games."

I roll my eyes and ignore him, along with the strong urge to kick him in the back of the head. Instead I reach into my quills, pulling out the shard I've been keeping hidden there-the same shard Omega and I found. The one that shouldn't even be here.

Silver's eyes widen, and I watch him tense up. "You... brought something back from the future?" he asks, his voice unsure.

I look down at the shard, feeling a strange weight in my chest. "I didn't mean to. It just happened. I woke up with it."

Silver takes a step closer, his voice shaking a little. "Shadow, do you know what this means?"

I raise an eyebrow, not sure where he's going with this.

Silver's voice grows serious. "This shard is proof that the future is gonna play out just as it did before. As long as it's here, the future is still set in stone. But if it starts to disappear..." He trails off, looking at me with a mixture of concern and urgency. "You can't lose it Shadow! Keep it close at all times. If it fades away you have to let me know right away! We need it to disappear on its own, if it does it means the future is changing. Which is a good thing-it means we still have a chance to save it and change everyone's fate! But if it doesn't disappear and stays here in this timeline, then the future remains the same. There will be no changing it. Everything will unfold just like last time..."

I glare at the shard. And I will be alone again.

~~~

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