Shadow sucked in the air, saturated with smoke and the smell of superheated metal. The battle with Eggman, as usual, dragged on beyond measure. Chaos is Control... How many times has he used this technique today? Each time, Shadow felt a part of his power drain away, something valuable that was hard to explain. Spit. Victory always justifies the means.

The energy spear sliced another drone in two, and Shadow looked around the battlefield. But this time he wasn't looking for enemies. My instinct told me that something was wrong. That's right.

There was no sign of Sonic.

Usually, the blue hedgehog loomed at the forefront, spreading panic in the ranks of Eggman's mechanical soldiers. But now... it's empty. Shadow frowned, his wariness heightened. Where is this idiot?

Finally, breaking through the rubble of twisted metal, Shadow saw him. Sonic cowered in some kind of shelter, pressing his back against a fragment of the wall. He looked... broken.

The explosions tearing through the ground didn't seem to bother Sonic. He didn't move, as if petrified. Only if you looked closely could you notice how hard and ragged he was breathing. His eyes are wide open, his gaze empty. He was suffocating, as if he was drowning without even being in the water.

Something inside Shadow pricked. Not pity, of course. But... anxiety? He hated that feeling. But something was wrong here. Sonic never hid, never gave up. It contradicted everything he represented.

— Oh shit.. Shadow growled, feeling irritation building inside. Some part of him, which he stubbornly tried to ignore, demanded to figure out what was happening. "We'll have to find out what's going on..."