Prologue

The young blue hedgehog slipped out of the shadows of the rock edifice into the dim light of the circular chamber. The granite walls rose a dozen or so meters to a pure crystal roof that was said to be cut specifically to amplify any and all light to hundreds of times it's brightness. The hedgehog looked up at the faintly glowing stone high above his head. Considering the pitch blackness outside tonight I believe them, he thought dryly.

"Come on Aisen, you said just a quick look. Now let's hurry up and get out of here," whispered a quiet and familiar voice behind him, "Dad will be really mad if he catches us, you know we're not allowed to come in here until we're 16." Aisen glanced back at his twin sister, Eise, a white hedgehog with silvery tones in her pale hair. Usually considered the more reasonable of the two, she was cowering near a rock as if she were a superstitious peasant ready to bolt at the slightest unidentified sound, "besides there are rumors that if a child that has not yet gained their true power enters and the crystal catches the moonlight while they are inside their power will leap out of control and kills the child."

"we're not gonna get caught," he said with a smirk, "Dad's to busy being buried in paperwork to care if we are in our bedroom or not. Besides you're going to be an adviser of the court soon, you can't keep a level headed opinion if you're gonna believe every rumor or story you here? We'll be out way before the moon gets high enough to light this place up. Now shush so I can actually look." Eise muttered something about recklessness being his undoing and proceeded to remain silent. Letting out an inward sigh of relief, Aisen scanned the chamber taking in a detailed picture of his surroundings. Although the walls were rough and jutted out precariously in some areas the floor was perfectly smooth, and the stone closer to ground level seemed to glow more brilliantly than those closer to the ceiling and the source of light. Just about to admit that he was done looking and say it was ok to go back, somewhere in the back of his head he heard, or rather felt, a ringing sensation.

"wha..." before Eise could even finish the sentence there was a blinding flash of light. Aisen looked up startled, shielding his eyes from the resounding glare, and tried to speak but no sound came out.

"We have to get out," cried Eise but he could not move. Dark forms began to rise from the floor, tendril like shapes reaching up to grab and devour any living thing unlucky enough to fall into their path. Feeling an unfamiliar pull begin to drag him backwards he looked desperately for his sister and saw the guards pulling her out of the darkness's grasp while priests and mages forced back the hoards of darkness. He reached out for help hoping someone would see him and save him. One of the guards cried out in dismay.

"The prince, they grabbed the prince," he shouted as tried to move forward to grab Aisen. Aisen fought vainly to escape the tendrils that had gripped him hoping for a pair of strong arms to wrap around him and rip him from the creatures hold. Heat washed over him as a priest made a final and desperate attempt to release him from the tendrils,but it was too late.

"Aisen" Eise screamed as he fell back dragged into cold pitch blackness feeling unable to breathe or think his sister's aggrieved cries the last thing he heard.

Sonic shot up in bed trying to catch is breath. Getting his heart rate under control, he looked slowly around his surroundings. Just a dream, a bad dream not what actually happened... but part of him was not in full agreement. It's what could of happened, what should of happened. The light had no reason to accept you so easily and should have never found a way to coexist with the darkness. You in your present form should not even exist. You cannot last and remain stable forever. Sonic shook the voice of doubt from his head and raised his hand to shoulder level palm up. When he opened his hand it exposed a glowing golden globe with a darkened center. The dark core had recently grown and now threatened attempts to escape his control and cause mayhem wherever they go; the the gold outer layer wobbled and flickered unstably which would only cause to add to the confusion if it did escape his control. He frowned at the byproduct of loosing his temper during a fight with the metarex and closed his palm extinguishing the orb. I need to take some time to draw it back under control before it gets out of hand. The last I want to do is loose my temper and hurt someone, but I can't just disappear for a week without people noticing this time. I really need some fresh air to think this out.

Upon a cliff overlooking the house stood a darkly clad figure, hardly a shadow against the predawn sky. Soon it will be time. You thought you could escape your duty to the kingdom. You thought you could evade your fate but you were wrong. Soon your days among peasants will end and you will fulfill the prophesy that was laid upon you at birth. You can no longer escape this path because... "I will bring you home alive no matter what the cost, little brother." He whispered the last words to the winds as a sworn vow that he could not break until it killed him.

"Come wise teacher, we must first observe his character. Let us see what complications we may have with taking him out of his so-called freedom," he said with a quiet snort of contempt. Out of the shadows of a small scraggy tree came an equally small and malformed man cloaked in dark gray. As he hobbled behind the tall and swiftly receding form of his master, the teacher could not resist one last look behind him at the house in which his prey now lived. He smirked. You need no longer worry about prophesies and duties young prince for you will die long before the darkness fully awakens... and so will the rest of your family. Then I will rule the kingdom. He resisted the urge to cackle as he wheezed heavily trying to hold a shambling trot. Far below Sonic opened a window and leaned out into the early breeze completely unaware of the exchange that had taken place above him.