Y/N pressed their back against the scorched wall of Eggman’s abandoned foundry, every ragged breath tasting of ash and dread. They could still feel the heat of Furnace’s claws raking across their ribs, the searing pain that had come so close to ending them. But survival had its own curse: they knew that Eggman—not content with having butchered Sonic—now hungered for fresh prey. The memory of Sonic’s echoing scream as he’d been dragged into that infernal furnace drove Y/N’s pulse to a frantic beat. They couldn’t let themselves become a starving madman’s next meal.

Footsteps clanged on the metal catwalk above, and Y/N’s heart lurched. Furnace’s red eyes glowed through the thick smoke as it prowled the corridor, its chest-furnace sputtering like a beast deprived of blood. Each step it took sent tremors through the grating beneath Y/N’s fingers. They curled desperately around a length of pipe, knuckles white, waiting for the moment when their name—etched into the metal walls by dripping embers—would whisper through the darkness: “Dinner.” The air hung heavy with the promise of flame, and Y/N knew that hiding was no longer an option.

Summoning a last spark of defiance, Y/N slipped a hand into the shattered control panel nearby and yanked free a molten-hot valve. As Furnace rounded the corner, claws extended, Y/N slammed the valve open. A torrent of superheated steam blasted forth, turning the hallway into a scalding deathtrap. Furnace recoiled, gears shrieking, its furnace-chest choking on the sudden deluge. Gasping as the scald began to burn their arms, Y/N staggered past the staggered automaton and hurled themselves through a widening vent hatch. Behind them, Furnace’s roar of rage faded into mechanical wheezes—and Y/N ran on into the night, determined never to let Eggman or his hungry monstrosity catch up again.