AN: We've finally reached the end. I don't think I have much support for this story any longer, so I might as well end it here. It was fun while it lasted, for those of you still around, thanks for sticking by. I may write a third and final installment to this series, but it won't be for quite some time. Currently, I've found my new muse, and I'm working on another Shadamy series that I'm quite pleased with. Thank you to my readers, who leave me feedback and comments on my work. It's what keeps me going! Enjoy this final chapter.

Standing in the destruction of their house, Mighty stood before Amy, Sally, Sonic, Caleb, Shadow, and Silver. Keeping his arms tucked behind his back, he looked saddened by their current position. "This thing has been haunting the world for centuries. It's eternal evil, and its appetite for power is insatiable. And that's why-"

"—You said there was a way to save her," Shadow cut off, growing impatient by his long-winded speech.

"There is," Mighty rebutted. "But I'm going to tell you right now. You are not going to like my plan," he foreshadowed gravely.

Amy linked an arm with her husband, looking eager to hear more. "Go on, Mighty. Let's hear it."

He held up his right hand, holding up his index finger. "Step one; we pull Infinite out of Faith." He held up his index and middle finger. "Step two, we find somewhere else to put him. Sadly, with the book gone, I need a place that's both powerful and eternal in order to make the transition work. I'm going to need something that's connected to Faith through blood."

"You'll need a vampire, then" Blaze deduced. "I know exactly what your plan is. You want to put Infinite into one of Shadow, Amy, or Silver…"

"—That's not all of it," he announced lowering his held fingers. "One person is not going to cut it unfortunately…I'm going to need two of you."

Shadow's eyes widened by the reveal. "Why two?"

"Because 1500 years ago, the ancestors separated his power and divided them amongst the tribe and hid his power far apart so he could never rise again."

"That's right his power remained in his bones," Sonic reminded.

"…We'd have to stay a part, forever?" Silver breathed.

"Yes," Mighty nodded. "And you're going to have to stay that way for the rest of your eternity. You can never see each or go near each other again. This is the only way we're going to beat Infinite." The group looked amongst each other, wondering who would offer themselves up as sacrifice. Amy hid her face into Shadow's shoulder, dreading this option. She clutched at his arm as she remained close.

With no other response, Shadow's fists tightened by his sides in determination. "If it's going to save my daughter than we will make it happen."

•~•

Back with Infinite possessing Faith, the little pink hedgehog stood before her followers just as another group arrived at the abandoned hideaway. "We brought that delivery for you, sire."

Faith watched intently as a group of witches carried something on a plank of wood down the aisle. The sea of followers parted graciously allowing the delivery to make its way through the crowd. Once they lowered the arrival, the pulled a blanket away covering the item only to reveal a dead and decaying female purple wolf. It was none other than Lupe herself. Some `of the followers gasped as they caught scent of the rotting corpse. However, Faith was not fazed by the sight. She merely lifted her arms and clenched her fingers inward. Lupe's rotting body began to resurrect, and the color of her lavender fur became vibrant. Her injuries leading to her death faded and healed and within a few seconds, she gasped a breath of fresh air.

Lupe sat up and looked to her right and caught sight of Faith. She instantly recognized her power and smirked wickedly. Standing upright and walking towards the young girl as if her death had never happened, Lupe bowed. "Thank you for reviving me, my lord."

"Stand up," Faith ordered.

Lupe obliged and rose to her feet before resuming her post beside her young leader. "All of you have just witnessed the great and almighty power of Infinite. This is Infinite's power, bow before our great leader," she declared.

In unison, the legion of witches bowed down onto one knee before their great leader.

•~•

Back at home, Blaze, Caleb, Sally, Sonic, Shadow, and Amy sat in the living room dreading their final hail Mary option. "There has to be another way," Blaze mouthed quietly.

"And what if there isn't," Shadow countered. "Faith is all that matters. We have to do whatever it takes to protect her."

"Boy, if I could volunteer myself for the job, I'd do it. I hope you guys know that," Sonic mentioned.

"Thank you, Sonic. That's very kind of you," Amy smiled softly. "But I really couldn't bear to see you take on such a burden…"

"There really are no other options then?" Sally questioned. "This seems so messed up."

"You heard Mighty, this is our last hope," Caleb reminded.

Suddenly, hearing enough, Blaze stood up abruptly from her place on the couch. "This is not happening," she declared. "I refuse to let this family be split apart. That's why I'm going to go upstairs and study your mother's grimoire for another option."

Shadow watched as Blaze stormed out of the room. "Blaze…"

"Being forced to separate feels like torture," Amy sighed sullenly.

Shadow turned slightly and took her hands in his. "Amy, I'm not going to force you to do this. You're her mother. You need to remain with her. Silver and I will be the ones to take on Infinite's soul."

Amy shook her head woefully. "No, you can't do that…she needs her father in her life, too." Caleb, Sally, and Sonic watched on sadly at the scene unfold before them. It was heartbreaking to watch the family be torn apart.

He stroked the side of her face, watching a tear escape. "We don't have many options, it's either you or me."

"He's right," Silver piped in. "Allow Shadow and I to take on the burden of this curse. Faith needs to have at least one of her parents with her."

"Hey, Amy, if it helps any," Sally butted in. "Sonic and I can help you with raising Faith."

Amy blinked a few times. "You'd do that?"

The blue hedgehog and chipmunk got up from their seat and sat on either side of Amy. "Of course, Ames," Sonic smiled. "You're as much of our family as we are a part of yours."

Amy embraced the couple and they embraced her back. "I love you, guys."

The couple smiled. "And we love you too, Amy," Sally replied.

"Hey, sorry for the interruption, I know this is hard, but have you guys come to your decision?" another voice added from the living room entrance. The family looked only to spot Mighty re-entering the living room with a satchel bag around him.

Shadow stood upright. "We have," he nodded. "Both Silver and I will become the new vessels for Infinite."

Mighty nodded solemnly. "Very well, I just got back from collecting some supplies from my house. "Where is Blaze?"

"She's upstairs trying to find another loophole as always," Silver answered.

Mighty looked towards the staircase. "I'll go talk to her."

•~•

Upstairs, Mighty found Blaze in her bedroom. His eyes widened as she spotted her sitting on the carpet floor with scrolls, open books, and other witchcraft spells scattered all over the floor. Getting frustrated with another dead end, Blaze shoved all the books to the side and pounded her first against the floor. "Blaze?" he called softly.

Blaze turned her head with frustrated tears pricking her eyes. "Ma-mighty?"

The armadillo flocked towards her and knelt down to her level. "Give it a rest, Blaze. There is no other option, for real this time…"

She remained in her knelt position and wiped at her eyes. "I can't allow this to happen, Mighty. This isn't right."

"I know, Blaze," he agreed. "But it's our only option left."

There was a long pause before she finally caved into the idea. "…What do we have to next then?" she questioned.

Mighty glanced around the messy room. "We need to figure out how to capture Faith and keep her magic contained until I can perform the ritual. Any ideas?"

Blaze looked deep in thought as she scoured her brain for ideas. She slowly rose to her feet when a light bulb went off. "I know what we can do."

•~•

Mighty and Blaze came back downstairs holding boxes of assorted dark objects. "Alright, we've got a plan set in motion but everyone going to need to take on a roll."

The group stood up from their seats and watched as Blaze and Mighty set the boxes down on the coffee table. "What's this?" Caleb pointed.

"Dark objects," Shadow deduced, recognizing some familiar objects. "Some of which we used on Rosy Rascal back then…"

"That's right," Blaze nodded and picked up a pair of handcuffs. "Remember these?"

"Of course, those are used to hinder any type of witch from using magic," he reminded.

"Exactly," Mighty pointed. "As long as we can get these on Faith, we should be able to immobilize Infinite for the time being."

"And how exactly do you plan getting close enough to putting on those things," Sonic pointed skeptically. "It's not like he's just going to let us put 'em on."

"We know, which is why we're also going to be using these," Blaze explained pulling out a weird looking snow globe and brown sack containing some powder.

"What are those used for?" Sally questioned.

"This sack contains some knock out powder. Someone will need to get close enough to blow this in Faith's face," she answered. "And this," she said holding up the snow globe, can trap a witch or group of witches into a room. This will come in useful for Infinite's followers who will try to come after you once you've detained Faith."

"Ahem," Caleb coughed. "And who is getting this lucky job?"

"Any volunteers?" Mighty wagered.

Sonic raised a hand. "I'll do it," he volunteered.

Sally was quick to join him. "Me too."

Mighty nodded slowly. "Alright then, it's showtime…"

•~•

Back at the warehouse, Sonic and Sally entered the warehouse where most of Infinite's followers still stood in wait for his next order. "Wow, this is quite the party," Sonic announced loudly. All of Infinite's followers turned to look for the unannounced voice. Sonic and Sally made their way through the party crowd and received death glares. Eventually, they got up to the front of the crowd, but weren't surprised when a boundary spell prevented them from getting any closer to Faith.

Standing beside her leader, Lupe looked on at the blue hedgehog skeptically. "Sonic the Hedgehog king of the werewolves accompanied by his queen Sally Acorn…I trust you've come to grovel and bow before Infinite himself?"

Sally placed her hands on her hips. "Actually, we came to make a truce…You see, the way we see it, we both have the same enemy. Shadow the Hedgehog."

"I believe I've heard this before," Faith spoke suspiciously.

Sonic waved his hand out before him. "No, we're for real this time," he swore. "He keeps pulling us into his world of chaos and we're through with it. We're hoping we can come out of this in some sort of peace."

"Diplomacy," Lupe noted. "A wise choice." The wolf looked down at the little pink hedgehog. "What do you think my lord, shall we let them pass?"

Faith looked down momentarily in thought before nodding in silence. Seeing her nod, Lupe lifted up one hand allowing for both Sonic and Sally to pass through the invisible force field keeping them out. Once it was lifted, both Sonic and Sally walked side by side slowly towards Faith and Lupe. Once they reached the front of the stage where Faith and Lupe stood, Faith smiled wickedly. "I want to see the king and queen bow before me," she ordered.

Sonic gulped and cautiously got down on both of his knees. Sally mimicked him and knelt before her next to Sonic. Both of them bowed their heads to Faith.

Lupe also seemed to take pleasure in the cowardice. "Behold, even the great leaders of the werewolf packs of Mercia have bowed in the presence of Infinite!"

"Lift up your head, hedgehog," Faith ordered.

Slowly, Sonic lifted his head but the moment his eyes met with Faith, he brought up his right hand containing some white dust and blew it up into her face. Faith felt the world begin to spin and fell forward into Sonic's arms. Sally quickly whipped out the chains she had hidden inside her jacket and clipped them onto Faith's wrist. Using his vampire agility, Sonic wrapped one arm around Sally while he held Faith in his other and quickly whisked them out of the room in the blink of an eye.

The followers in the room along with Lupe began to panic. "We must find our lord!" one screamed.

"We must kill those who betray him!" another shouted.

"Shut your mouths," another voice proclaimed from above. "Now that your lord has been subdued, all the power he's promised you has been whisked away."

"Shadow," Lupe growled. "We should've known you'd put those two up to this!"

"Your mistake," he chuckled pulling out a small snow globe from inside his jacket pocket. "Now, let's get down to business."

"What the hell is that?" Lupe pointed as he held it out in front of him.

"Oh this? This is a dark object that has the ability to seal you inside a room." He carelessly allowed it to fall from his hand and shatter onto the floor activating its spell. The witches inside the room began to panic. They tried to run for each exit but found an invisible force barrier preventing them from leaving the room. Shadow whisked himself away and came back with a large jug of gasoline and began to make a perimeter with its contents around the large encased group of witches.

Lupe watched on in anger. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"How inconvenient," another voice chimed in. The witches looked to the back exit where Silver stood holding a bottle of alcohol with a rag pouring out the side of the spout. "It's even more inconvenient when you have a small fire outbreak. He lit the rag with a match and dropped it down into the puddle of gasoline. The witches instantly combusted into flames and the two vampire brothers walked out of the building in no rush.

•~•

The next morning, Shadow stood by Faith's bed as she remained tucked in with the inhibitor handcuffs still on. Shadow held one of her hands as she slept soundly. "I know you can hear me," he spoke. "So, just listen, okay?" Just as was starting to talk to her, Amy stopped at the entrance of Faith's door and peeked in on her husband with her daughter. "You are my daughter and you are strong. You taught me something that Silver once told me and that is that family is power." He stroked her hand with his thumb softly. "We're going to get you out of this bind, just you wait…"

Amy slowly entered the room, looking touched by his words. Shadow turned to look at his wife slowly ambling into the room. "You're a good father, Shadow. I know you'll do anything for her…even if that means never seeing her again."

Shadow released his hold on his daughter and walked towards Amy. "That also means I'll never see you again, either…"

Amy nodded slowly, already feeling tears prick at her eyes. Shadow placed his hands on her arms and they slowly slid up her shoulders and eventually cupped her face. At this point, Amy could no longer remain strong as tears poured down her cheeks and onto Shadow's fingers grazing her cheeks. "I love you, Shadow. I've never loved anyone this strongly before. I-I don't know how I'm going to do this without you here…"

Shadow looked lovingly into her eyes. "I know you'll be able to manage. It may not feel like it in a couple of weeks, months, or years but you'll find your stride," he avowed. "You and Faith are the greatest things to happen to me in my entire thousand years of living." He leaned down and brought her into a kiss. Amy threw her arms around Shadow's neck pulling herself flush with him. They remained in their kiss for a few moments and Amy wished it could last an eternity. This would be the last time she'd ever be in Shadow's embrace, feel his warmth, or experience his love. They pulled apart and Shadow smiled down at her. "Now then, let's get our daughter back."

•~•

Out on their balcony, Blaze found Silver looking out at the sunrise in silence. She stepped further out onto the balcony and cleared her throat. Silver slowly turned around to face her. "Can we talk?" she spoke softly.

Silver softened. "You're actually talking to me again?"

She slowly approached him. "Yes, I wanted to speak before this ritual happens. I'm never going to see you again after all…"

His eyes drifted to the side in thought. "Maybe that's for the best," Silver shrugged.

Blaze tilted her head, shocked to hear his thoughts. "What do you mean?"

He looked back at her and sighed. "I know it's over—we're over," he specified. "The two of us have been drifting apart ever since you saw the real me."

Blaze looked away sadly and Silver lifted her chin up with his finger, forcing her to look at him. "It appears we were always doomed. I could never be what you needed me to be," he admitted. "The best thing I could do for you is disappear."

"No…" Blaze felt her eyes well up with tears and shook her head. "I-I love you, Silver," she whispered out in a croak.

"I love you, too," he admitted bringing her into an embrace. The two kissed and Silver held the back of her head as he deepened the kiss. He wished he could have been a better husband for her, he wished she had never seen the true version of himself. They pulled apart from their kiss and Blaze looked up at her husband. "Despite all the ugliness and terror, I've seen from you, I still love you, Silver. Just know that. Don't feel you weren't a good fit for me."

He blinked in surprise. "…Really?"

"Yes," she smiled weakly. "I don't regret marrying you. The only thing I regret is learning how to love you even more."

•~•

Back out behind the house, Mighty, Sonic, Caleb, and Sally finished preparing the ground for the ritual to take place. The four turned when they heard the back door open and spotted the family heading outdoors. Shadow, Amy, Silver, and Blaze eventually came outside together. Shadow was carrying Faith who was still passed out in his arms. "Where do you want us?" Shadow questioned staring at the armadillo.

"…Right," Mighty said rubbing his hands together. "Well, I need Amy in the center. She'll be holding Faith during this ritual," he instructed. Shadow turned to his wife and lowered their daughter into Amy's arms. Amy carried Faith over to the pentagon circle. "Sit right there, Amy," Mighty pointed.

Amy knelt down holding Faith in her arms. Mighty turned to look at Shadow. "Stand over at that corner," he instructed. "And you, Silver, go over to the opposite side and face your brother," he gestured.

The two brothers did as they were instructed and stood at opposite ends facing each other across the garden. Amy looked between the two and sniffled, feeling her emotions begin to hit her again.

Blaze stood off to the side with Sonic, Caleb, and Sally and put a hand to her mouth. She too was beginning to become overcome with emotions herself. Mighty stood off to the side and allowed for the moment to set in before speaking. "I just want to say that what you guys are doing is going to really be a great benefit to your daughter and this city. I just want to thank you."

"Let's get this over with," Shadow groaned.

"Very well," Mighty glanced over to feline. "Blaze, are you ready?"

Quickly wiping away her tears with the back of her left arm, she composed herself and strutted over to Mighty. Mighty outstretched his right hand and she took it in his. The two knelt down before the chalk drawn pentagon to begin.

"Amy," Mighty started. "When I tell you to, I want you to remove the chains from Faith's wrists. Hold onto her and do not let her go. Okay?"

Amy nodded, sniffling slightly. "Got it."

"Meanwhile, Silver, Shadow, once this spell is complete you need to get the hell out of here. I mean far, far, away where this magic can't affect Faith. Do not try to go near each other or it'll manifest into its strength again," he made explicit.

"Always and forever," Silver breathed. "We had a good run."

"We did indeed, brother," Shadow concurred.

"Alright, here we go," Mighty exhaled. "Divisir, Divisir, Divisir," he chanted, moving his free hand out in front of him before Faith and Amy.

Blaze kept her eyes shut and repeated the same mantra with Mighty. "Divisir, Divisir, Divisir." The candles that were laid out and around the pentagram began to flicker and fade and then grow in strength. The winds around them began to pick up and leaves started to encircle them in a vortex.

Sonic, Caleb, and Sally shielded their faces and backed up slightly from the wind intensity.

"Amy, do it now!" Mighty shouted over the whipping winds.

Amy quickly removed the chains as instructed. The moment the chains were removed this giant red orb flew out of Faith's chest and hovered high in the sky above the pentagram. Amy stared up at the red orb in awe along with the rest of the family.

Shadow and Silver stared up at the entity before it split into two halves and then quickly forced itself inside both Silver and Shadow's chest absorbing inside them. Shadow felt a chill run down his spine and felt nauseous. Silver felt the same side effects from the spirit entering his body and panted as he adjusted to the new sensation. Shadow placed a hand to his left ear as he heard faint audible whispers creeping in. "I can hear it. It's whispering…"

"Me too," Silver admitted, covering his ears as it started getting louder.

Mighty looked between the brothers. "Okay, you two need to go. Now!" he shouted.

Silver took one last look at Blaze before he used his vampire speed to whisk himself out of the backyard. Amy looked at Shadow as he slowly backed away, taking in the sight of his wife and daughter for the last time. "I love you, Amy. I love both of you. Don't let her forget me," he pointed.

"I love you, too." Amy bit on her lower lip. "I promise you I won't," she croaked through a sob.

Frowning, Shadow used his agility to whisk himself quickly out of there, leaving the rest of them alone. Blaze broke down into sobs. Mighty wrapped and arm around her trying to console her. Amy continued to cry herself as Sonic and Sally rushed into the pentagram and dropped to their knees to console her. Suddenly Faith began to stir and her eyes fluttered opened. She was a bit confused to see so many sad faces hovering over her. "Mommy?"

"Faith," Amy smiled despite having tears running down her face. "You're back!"

"Welcome back, kiddo. You gave us a scare back there," Sonic winked.

Faith pushed herself upright and looked around the room. "Where's daddy?"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Amy gulped. "He's gone…"

"What? Daddy? Dad!" She cried out, desperately looking for him.

•~•

A few days later, Sonic went into a rural part outside the city to meet with Mighty. When he got there, he was surprised to find Silver with Mighty. He cautiously approached the two, clearly confused. "Uh, okay, I wasn't expecting to see Silver here. What gives?"

"Yes, he should be far away from here, but he came to me asking for help. When he asked me what he needed help with I couldn't turn him down. However, I'm going to need your help too to complete his request," Mighty explained.

Sonic shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Sure…What kind of help?"

"I need you to help set me free," Silver replied simply.

Sonic cocked a brow. "Like what? Put you down or something?"

"No," Mighty cut in. "He wants you to compel him to forget about his family."

Sonic looked astonished by the request. "What? That's insane. Why would you want that?"

"Because Infinite will tempt him to reunite with Shadow, Amy, Blaze, or Faith. This is his weakness and Infinite knows all of his weaknesses right now. It'll only be a matter of time before he caves in," Mighty pointed.

Sonic sighed. "I guess I can see why, but I can't compel an original. They're immune to that."

"That's where I come in," Mighty smiled. "I've found a loophole spell to open up his mind and make him susceptible to that."

"I don't know, man. What if we create a monster doing this?" Sonic feared.

"I already am a monster, Sonic," Silver replied dully.

Sonic rubbed the back of his head. "Okay…but are you sure you really want this, Silver? That means you'll forget about Blaze, too."

Silver swallowed the lump in his throat. "…Yes."

Sonic sighed. "Alright."

Mighty nodded and stepped behind Silver and placed his fingertips on either side of Silver's temple. Silver closed his eyes and relaxed momentarily as Mighty infiltrated his mind. "Louvri animo, Louvri animo," he chanted softly. After a few more times he pulled his fingers away from Silver's temple and guided them to the back of his head. He moved his thumbs in towards the back of Silver's head and pressed against it before allowing his hands to drop by his side. "He's all yours," Mighty signaled.

Silver opened his eyes meeting Sonic's jade ones. Sonic's eyes dilated immediately. "Your vow—the promise of always and forever. Forget it. All the love, the pain, the family you cherish, forget it."

All his memories flashed before him. The good, the bad, and the ugly and then everything went white. Silver blinked a few times in confusion as he stared back at Sonic.

•~•

A few weeks later in Station Square, Amy stood out in a school field with Knuckles as they watched Faith play with another group of children. The two had traveled quite far to reach their destination, but Amy believed the travel was worth it. Amy smiled as she watched her daughter talk to other girls her age in school uniforms. Knuckles nudged Amy playfully as they stood side by side. "Looks like she's fitting right in," he noted.

"She's adaptable," Amy admitted. "And honestly, I think this is what she's always wanted."

"What has she always wanted?" Knuckles questioned curiously.

"A normal life—friends her own age," Amy specified.

"Well, the kids here are pretty great," Knuckles bragged. "They're eager to learn and very accepting of others who are different."

In the distance, Faith smiled and waved at her mother and Amy smiled, waving back. Amy quickly whipped out her phone and snapped a photo of Faith waving cheerfully towards her mother in her school uniform. Faith was now attending boarding school for the "Mobian Exquisitely Gifted," a school Knuckles has co-founded and started up for children with supernatural abilities.

Amy texted the photo to a number and then placed her phone in her pocket and looked up at the sky. Knuckles felt the mood shift slightly and turned to look at her. "How's he doing then?" he questioned.

Amy kept her hands shoved in her jacket pockets. "He's doing the best he can. We have phone calls and facetimes now and then. He misses us dearly…"

"You never know—one of these kids may be able to solve your solution with their own magic concoction later down the line. We have some very gifted students here," he said, trying to sound optimistic. "However, what your husband and brother-in-law did were selfless and noble. You can't take that away from them," he pointed out.

"You're right about that," she agreed looking back at her daughter chasing a young hedgehog male around the courtyard. "I don't think this is the end of always and forever."

•~•

Meanwhile in Babylon, Shadow sat alone outside at an Arabian café. Busy Mobians walked up and down the sidewalks going in and out of stores. While others enjoyed dining in at the same café he sat at. Shadow sipped coffee but lowered his cup when he saw his phone screen light up with a text. He reached for her phone and opened up the text message seeing an image of Faith wearing a blue and white school uniform come up onto his screen. She looked happy as she waved at the camera. Shadow felt a smile tug at his lips as he stared at the image. However, his longing look at his beloved daughter was interrupted by a cough.

"Ahem," a feminine voice cleared. "Excuse me, but are you Shadow the Hedgehog?" Shadow lowered his phone and looked up only to see a pretty brown lynx with black hair in a purple dress standing behind the other empty chair at his table.

"Yes, that's me," he answered.

"I'm Nicole, I heard you were looking for my guidance," she continued.

Shadow quickly stood up from his seat and offered out his hand for her to shake. "Yes, that's correct," he nodded. The two exchanged a quick shake of hands. "I've heard you're quite an expert on possession and removal of ancient spirits."

Nicole smiled proudly. "You've heard correctly. Your case intrigued me, it sounds just like the challenge I'm up for."

Shadow looked pleased by her confidence. "That's just what I want to hear. Please, take a seat."

Nicole obliged and the two sat down at the table together. Nicole intertwined her fingers together and rested her hands under her chin as she leaned forward. "Now, I'm going to need you to start from the beginning…"