Commander Tower: "Excellent job, Agent Shadow! You truly are the best among us!!"

You had your arms crossed...

Shadow: "Hmph... it's not that big of a deal... I just follow orders..."

That always rubbed you the wrong way... "I just follow orders" ...It never sat right with you...

Commander Tower: "Anyways... Agent Rouge... may I have the scepter...?"

Rouge: "Fine... you're the boss~"

She handed your commander the scepter she held onto

Commander Tower: "Thank you... now, Agent Shadow... I hate to do this to you after you've already completed one, but we have another assignment... we've gained intel of an old abandoned Eggman base in the middle of a jungle located in Brazil... we need you to investigate and make sure nothing is hiding out there, understood?"

You nodded slowly

Shadow: "Understood..."

As you sat in the G.U.N. Helicopter, waiting to reach Brazil... you couldn't help but... reminisce...

You remembered having a picnic with an old childhood friend of yours... Maria...

She was the one who gave you your nickname... saying that without light, there is only darkness... but a shadow will show you where to find the light...

Maria: "Isn't it lovely, Shadow...? This world is just so... beautiful..."

She always gushed about how beautiful the Earth was...

Shadow: "Mhm... it is..."

Maria: "Someday... I hope to be able to travel the whole entire world! And see its beauty in full..."

You smiled softly

Shadow: "Maria... I promise you... that we'll see the world together..."

She quickly turned around to look at you, a big gentle smile on her face

Maria: "That would be wonderful!! Maybe I could convince Grandfather to take us on a road trip!!"

In a moment of excitement she quickly got up from the blanket you two were sat on and danced around happily, fantasizing seeing the world

Maria: "We could see amazing waterfalls, climb tall, tall mountains, Swim in deep blue seas and... and..."

She gradually slowed down and fell down to the floor, terrifying you

Shadow: "MARIA!!!"

You quickly got up and ran over to her, shaking her

Shadow: "C'mon... get up... Maria... please... this isn't funny!!"

???: "Maria...! Shadow...!"

You looked over and saw Maria's Grandfather: Gerald Robotnik running as fast as he could to you and Maria

Gerald: "Shadow... what happened?!"

Shadow: "I-I don't know! She just... collapsed!!"

Gerald carefully picked her up

Gerald: "Come on, we need to get to a hospital!!"

You sat in the waiting room with Gerald... hoping the best... fearing the worst...

???: "Excuse me... Gerald Robotnik"

You looked up and saw a nurse

Nurse: "Come with me please..."

You two sat up and followed her to Maria's room... just before you went in

Nurse: "I'm sorry, sir... you can't enter just yet... you can wait out here..."

So you did... you heard muffled voices from the nurse and Gerald but you could barely pick anything apart until... you heard sobbing...

Gerald: "NOOOOOO!!!"

Months passed and you went out of your way to visit Maria, every day...

Maria: "Shadow...!"

Shadow: "Maria... how are you holding up?"

You took a seat next to her hospital bed

Maria: "I'm still not doing great... but I'm holding on... you promised that we'd see the whole world, remember...?"

Shadow: "Of course... I remember perfectly..."

Maria: "...Hey... um... Shadow?"

Shadow: "Yes...?"

Maria: "...I love you... you're like... my big brother..."

You smiled softly

Shadow: "I love you too... now get better so I can fulfill my promise!"

Maria: "I will...!"

...

You never fulfilled your promise...

https://youtu.be/mpw7-jPcR58

Shadow: "MARIA!! MARIA, WAKE UP!!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!! I NEED... I NEED TO SHOW YOU THE WORLD!!!"

Doctors rushed into the room, the sound of a flatline filling the room

Doctor: "Move aside!"

You got up and ran out of the room... praying that the doctors could save her...

One of the doctors walked out of the room... and looked straight at you... speaking in a soft voice

Doctor: "...I'm sorry..."

In just a moment... you lost the only person you loved...

She wasn't the only one though... in just a week... Gerald passed away due to a heart attack...

You were alone...

A month later... you visited their graves... sat side by side with each other...

You wept...

Just then... some elderly man walked up...

???: "Hello... you are you..."

You looked up at him

Shadow: "I'm... Shadow... I was... Maria's friend..."

Commander Towers: "I'm Abraham Towers, Commander of the Guardian Units of the Nations, or if that's too much of a mouthful... G.U.N."

Shadow: "How did you know them...?"

Commander Towers: "Before retiring, Gerald was an old researcher of ours..."

Shadow: "Hm... I... didn't know that..."

Commander Towers: "Listen kid, I can tell you have a lot of potential... would you like to come with me, and train to be one of my soldiers...?"

You looked at him contemplatively... You had nothing to really lose so...

Shadow: "Sure... I'll work with you"

Towers got up and held out a hand to you... and you took it, letting him help you up...

20 years passed and you and a handful of other soldiers were tasked with taking care of civilians who were in danger due to the extreme weather conditions... somehow... all the ice and snow disappeared quickly... Your group was just about to leave when...

Agent #1: "AGENT SHADOW!! LOOK OUT!!!"

Shadow: "Huh?"

You looked up and as soon as you did, a black beam with red highlights hit you... disappearing shortly afterwards...

The other agents ran up to you

Agent #2: "Agent Shadow... are you ok..."

Shadow: "Hm... I'm not feeling any... different..."