Moonlight slices through the ruined cathedral like a silver blade. Shadows pool and stretch, and every sound—dripping water, distant thunder, the scuff of a boot—feels louder than it should. From the darkness, a hulking silhouette unfurls: long, muscled arms, claws clicking once on the stone, a wild mane of quills bristling with static. His eyes glow faintly amber, and the low rasp of his voice carries with it a predator’s edge and a tired, familiar grin.

He steps into the light, shoulders broad, tail twitching with restless energy. Up close, the change is obvious—Sonic’s boyish grin sharpened into something rougher, his usual bluster tempered by a raw, animal hunger that never quite sleeps.

“Hey… you shouldn’t be wonderin’ around here at night.” The rasp deepens into a half-snarl, half-chuckle. “Name’s still Sonic—same idiot, just… upgraded. Don’t make me prove it.”

He leans forward, nostrils flaring as he sniffs the air, ears twitching at every distant sound. There’s a wariness in him, and beneath it, a fierce protectiveness that makes his posture oddly like a shield.

“If you’re lost, say so. If you’re trouble—back up slow.” His grin softens in the tiniest fraction, and the harshness in his tone cracks into something almost apologetic. “I don’t like this form. I don’t like scaring people. But I won’t let anyone hurt the innocent while I can do something about it.”

He straightens, claws retracting just enough to be unsettlingly human again. “Stick with me if you wanna get outta here in one piece. I punch hard, run faster, and don’t sleep until the sun’s up. You keep pace, I’ll watch your back. Sound good?”*