Summary: Sonic the Hedgehog has many qualities attributed to him from his almost obnoxious confidence to his fierce loyalty to the people he cares about.
But all of that falls apart when the Cyber corruption starts taking his memories alongside making his body sicker. Can he save the day if he doesn't remember what he's saving from? Who he's saving it for?
What his name even is?

Sonic: Frontiers (Final Horizon) AU that really amps up the memory loss aspect. Also, more friendship between Sonic and Sage because I like their dynamic

Warning: Rewrite/filled with headcanons

Trigger Warnings :
- Self-harm Attempt (burning)
- Mentions of canon-typical violence (fighting the robots)

Ships: None

Part 1 of 1

—

A hedgehog with quills as blue as the midmorning sky walks through the tall grass. His striking silhouette is broken apart by black and red glitches that ripple across the edges of his form. The glitches stretch across his quills and fur before snapping back to the size of stains. The hedgehog pointedly does not look at these glitches. He ignores them as his emerald eyes scan the area immediately in front of him. He is predominately searching for threats to his safety, but he can't deny that he's looking for other bits of information in the warm wind whipping around his body. Information that the air could never provide him, so why does he keep staring like he can hear the hollow whispers of the island stretching across time?

The ground beneath his red-and-white shoes transforms from grass to a half-broken platform. Chunks of the stone are entirely missing, and there are a dozen weeds expanding the chasms. Darkness slides into these cracks. If he isn't careful, they will cause him to trip and land roughly on the ground. He wouldn't mind that so much. He's crashed in way worse and more spectacular fashions in the past, and the pain from those occurrences has yet to teach him a lesson about slowing down. Still, he doesn't speed through as he normally would for reasons he can't quite understand himself.

At the opposite end of the stone platform, an obelisk juts from the ground. While it is made from the same stone as the platform it is attached to, there are a lot less cracks spreading across the surface. It stands tall and proud with a strength that even time could touch. He moves a gloved hand to touch the side. A yellow-brown residue smears onto his white gloves, and he knows that the preservation of this stone is nothing more than an illusion. It— like everything else on these forsaken islands— will be broken down. It will return to the earth that once gave it purpose. Time truly is the one force that no one can escape.

He does not muse very long on the nature of this island's destruction. He turns his attention to the jewel held aloft inside the pillar's extraction chamber. He reaches a hand toward the force field keeping the jewel separated from the rest of the world. His experiences in Cyberspace gave him enough keys to open the force field. He watches as the force field crumples. The chaos energy in the jewel recognizes the chaos energy inside his body. Like attracts like, and the jewel floats gently into the palm of his glove. His fingers wrap around the side. He brings the red chaos emerald to his chest. He feels his and its energy mix together, connecting like two magnets forming an electromagnetic field.

When the energy in the air around them settles, he moves the chaos emerald away from his chest. He lifts it to his face. He peers into the smooth surface. The emeralds were all cut with such precision that even someone as uncultured as him acknowledges how beautiful they are. Even if they weren't filled to the brim with chaos energy, he would understand why they are highly sought after.

He tilts the chaos emerald to the side. The sunlight pours into one facet, refracting inside the Chaos emerald. This light causes shadows to splash on the edges. Parts of the emerald look redder than usual while others slide back into a near-black color. His appreciation ends as swiftly as it rose in his thoughts. Something inside his mind decides to stab him with pain. The chaos emerald slips from his hand as he drops onto his knees. He lowers his face into his hands, covering his vision with darkness. He can still see the red light of the chaos emerald filtering through his fingertips, so he squeezes his eyes as tightly as he possibly can. It does very little to alleviate his pain, but it does prevent it from getting any worse.

"Chaos Control!" The voice echoes through his mind. It makes him want to vomit. He almost does, but he manages to temper it into a terrible hacking fit. His spit falls onto the stone. He gasps for breath as soon as he's finished. His entire chest heaves as he shoves his hands onto the stone ground. He holds his upper body up with every last scrap of strength in his body. He realizes only then that he's trembling. He would have noticed it sooner if his head wasn't burning and howling and recklessly stabbing his skull with the sharpest blade it could find. With each stab, however, the still image in his mind becomes a little clearer. A different hedgehog, one with quills that were black and red. That's all he knows about their appearance, but the emotions that swirl inside his chest are much clearer. Rivalry, admiration, amusement, hope, fondness.

"What are you doing?" A voice from outside of his head calls out. He gathers his thoughts and emotions to move his eyes away from the stone ground beneath his hands. Sage is floating beside the pillar from where he extracted the chaos emerald. Like him, her digital form is starting to become corrupted by the red and black glitches that have been spreading across his body. The colors look better on her than they ever would him. It accentuates her harsh stare. Although he's pretty certain he's taller than her, she floats above the ground so that she can stare at him from the bottom of her eyes. She is purposefully looking down at him.

"I remembered someone," He answers Sage. He pushes one hand off the ground. He twists over. His butt lands on the stone. He leans against a nearby chunk. It supports his weight as his head falls back. He looks toward the cloudy sky. He continues breathing heavily. The hand on his chest allows him to feel the rapid beating of his heart. His grip tightens against the fur against his chest. He tugs on it gently, unsure what he's trying to achieve by doing this. "Another hedgehog. Black quills. Red highlights. Red eyes, too. They could use chaos abilities. I think we were... rivals. Maybe friends. Maybe something else entirely."

"Do you remember their name?" Sage prompts. She lifts her fist into the air in front of her. She expands her fingers. A blue quill cackling with electricity rises from her palm to the air between her fingers. It is not a real quill, fortunately. It is only a digital representation of a program Sage created specifically for him. She taps on the quill. Screens shoot up from the edges, each one outlined in electric blue. She moves through the screens until she finds the one she is looking for. While most of the program is designed to monitor him and search for weaknesses, she opened a special notes page just for him. Whenever he shared something he remembered with her, she would write it down. He still isn't sure why she is doing this, but he's extremely grateful. It's nice to know that his memories aren't being completely abandoned.

"No. That's nothing new, though," He snorts humorlessly. "But you can add that the chaos emerald is what made me remember."

"Noted," Sage nods. She moves her fingers across the notes page. She doesn't need to type for the words to suddenly appear on the screen. It is a bit difficult for him to read because of his lingering headache and the fact that he's reading it backward, but it doesn't take him long to figure out what she's writing. A frown instantly appears on his face. Whoever this red and black hedgehog is, he has apparently remembered them before. Sage already has notes about them. He tears his eyes away from her and the notes page with gritted teeth.

"I have compiled the information. You may return to your previous objectives," Sage informs him. She closes her fingers around the quill. Everything disappears in an instant. Her arm falls to her side. She turns away from him. Before she disappears back into Cyberspace, she glances over her shoulder at him. There is something in her gaze that he doesn't completely understand. "Do you remember your name?"

He hesitates. She moves her head away from him quickly. He immediately shifts forward, attracting her attention once more as he stumbles to his feet. He holds the chaos emerald in one hand, and he reaches out to her with his other hand. He gives her a smile that surprisingly reaches his eyes. "Sonic. My name is Sonic the Hedgehog, the fastest Mobian alive."

Sage hums in response. She disappears. The moment she's gone, the smile drops from his face. Sonic turns his gaze toward the chaos emerald. He sees his reflection on the emerald's surface. A sigh leaves his lips, heavier than it has ever been. He repeats his mantra: my name is Sonic. I'm here to save Amy, Knuckles, and Tails.

With his mantra repeated, the chaos emerald disappears into his quills. He shakes his body. The encroaching coldness in his limbs disappears for a few seconds as he starts running forward, a blue blur left in his wake.

—

There is a lot a person could say about Sonic the Hedgehog, but one of the truest things a person could say is that once he's on a roll, there's almost no way to stop him. He is a Mobian characterized by his speed and perseverance. Stubbornness, some of his friends would call it, but Sonic doesn't mind being called stubborn. As often as it is a character flaw, it is also a strength for Sonic. Without it, he's certain the world would have already been destroyed. defined

Without it, the End is going to destroy the world, so Sonic keeps moving no matter what. He tries not to rest on these islands. Every hour spent on the ground makes him feel like his friends are slipping away from him. Literally, in the case of the subjects of his mantra, and figuratively, as the Cyber corruption creeps into his mind to steal away his precious memories. Sonic can't afford to lose his friends or himself, so he needs to hurry along and finish finding all the chaos emeralds and defeating the Titans protecting each island.

Sonic lets a purple chaos emerald land in his hand. He smiles to himself as he peers into the emerald's surface. He spins around, ignoring the way his pained limbs make the motion awkward and uncoordinated. Sonic stops to keep from embarrassing himself further or falling flat onto his face. He does, unfortunately, still trip on the ground as a chill spreads from his ankle to his foot. The chaos emerald leaves his hand. It hovers above the stones. Sonic frowns, pulling himself onto his knees. He stares at the chaos emerald as splotches of purple light fall across the stone around it.

Sonic reaches his hand for the stone, but he suddenly hears laughter. He looks over his shoulder immediately. He searches for the source of the giggling. He finds nothing in his immediate vicinity. He knows he shouldn't leave the chaos emerald behind, but he finds himself drifting away from it as he searches the area for who's laughing at him. He doesn't mind being laughed at; he just wants to know who it is because they sound so familiar. Sonic finds nothing, though. The moment he decides to ignore the laughter, he sees motion in the corner of his vision. Sonic whirls to the side. Something keeps moving around in his peripheral vision. Someone is flying. Sonic jerks to the side quick enough to catch sight of turquoise-green eyes peering at him.

Sonic tears away from the platform to chase after the fleeing mocker. They are, unfortunately, always just out of sight. Sonic knows that he's fast, so he doesn't understand why he can't catch up to them. Is the numbness spreading through his body affecting him more than he thought it would? No, that can't be possible. Sonic has run at faster speeds while having worse injuries before. He just needs to keep trying. He will catch the strangely familiar figure. They might know more about him. They might know why he's on this forsaken island, or why he's trying to find all the chaos emeralds. They might be able to tell him who Amy, Knuckles, and Tails are, and why he's so deadset on remembering them.

"Stop!" Someone commands him. On instinct, Sonic slams on the brakes. He collapses to the ground from the force of it. He frowns, wondering why his internal chaos energy didn't absorb the shock. That is, unfortunately, the least of his problems as he realizes that he's right by the edge of a cliff. He was about to run off of it chasing after the figure in the corner of his vision. How did he not notice it before?

"Even with all my computing power, I cannot understand your actions," Sage continues, drawing Sonic out of his thoughts. He turns toward her as she floats above the ground. She slowly gets closer to him. One of her hands reaches out, but she doesn't touch him. She leaves it hanging in the air. Sonic doesn't understand what her intention is.

"I was chasing after someone. I heard giggling, and it was so familiar that I knew I needed to talk to them. I don't know where they went, though," Sonic mentions. He rises to his feet. He wants to look around the figure a little more, but one look at his legs lets him know why they are burning like he's being stabbed with pricks of hot iron. The red and black glitches are getting thicker. They are consuming his physical form. Sonic frowns. He reaches down to brush them off. It doesn't work, obviously, but the illusion of doing something eases his heart a little.

"There are no lifeforms in this area other than you and I. You were chasing after no one..." Sage tells him. She brings a radar up in front of her to show Sonic just what she means. There is a dot where Sonic is standing. It blinks faintly. Sage taps the radar to put a sticker of her face over where she is. Her radar might not register her since she isn't a biological being. She is, however, a living one, Sonic tells himself as he approaches her with good intentions and desperation in his gaze.

"No, that can't be. I was chasing after Rouge. She can help me. She's an acclaimed jewel thief and I—" Sonic cuts himself off with a wheeze. His hands immediately cross over his stomach. He squeezes so tightly that he forces the puke out of his system. It falls onto the grass. It smells disgusting, and it looks that way, too, other than the few splotches of red blood that make it more concerning than anything else. Sonic ignores the vomit as he wipes the back of his gloves against his forehead. Is he sick? He doesn't feel sick. At least, he doesn't feel sick in the traditional sense.

"Rouge? That is a new one," Sage addresses his words rather than his vomit. She brings her screens back up. An expression crosses her face that Sonic hesitates to call gentleness despite having no other words for it. "Fortunately, I have records of this... Rouge. She worked with Father in the past. The characteristic of a jewel thief aligns with what has been written. Would you like to see a picture of her appearance? There is a chance that it will bring back some more memories. If not, we can at least determine if she truly was the one you were hallucinating."

"I wasn't hallucinating," Sonic snaps.

"Yes, you were. The Cyber corruption is getting worse. I told you to leave this island while you had the chance," Sage argues with him. She is clearly unimpressed with his stubborn insistence that— Sonic feels like puking again. How could he have already forgotten her name? Who were they talking about just now? A jewel... collector?

Sage floats beside Sonic. She shows him a file different than the one with his information inside of it. There is a lot of information inside this file, but Sage refuses to show any of that to him. Instead, she specifically shows an image of a bat Mobian with white fur and black wings. Those turquoise-green eyes are, unfortunately, familiar. Not because Sonic remembers them from his past, but because he remembers them from his 'hallucination.' Those eyes were staring at him as he ran haphazardly across the island. He knows that if Sage had a recording of this bat's laughter, Sonic would recognize it, too.

" Hello, Blue. How are we doing today? "

"Why are you crying? Has the pain gotten bad enough to cause a physical response?" Sage asks. Sonic blinks rapidly as he turns away from Rouge's picture to Sage's countenance. He realizes after a moment that Sage's observations weren't incorrect. He is crying. It's only a few tears without any whimpers or sobs, but it is far more than Sonic would ever allow himself while on these adventures. Sonic reaches his gloves to the fur beneath his eyes. He wipes his tears away immediately. He sniffles once, and after that, he is perfectly fine again. He doesn't know why he is crying. Rouge's voice was in his head for a moment, and it wasn't like she said anything heartbreaking or emotional. Still, hearing her voice while barely being able to remember her appearance and name makes him feel... bad.

"Come on, Sage. We have to finish collecting those chaos emeralds. Let's go get some robo-butt!" Sonic tells Sage. He forces a large smile to appear on his face. He turns around to jog backward. He meets Sage's eyes. "Rouge would be so proud of me for stealing all these jewels! I have to prove I'm the better thief!"

—

Sonic kneels in front of the small stone-like creatures. Sonic puts the back of his hand against the ground, letting his palm face the sky. One of the Koco wobbles over to land directly against his dirty glove. Sonic ignores the stains (especially the crimson ones) as he lifts the Koco to his eyes. The creature stares directly into his eyes. The leaf on top of its head fluctuates like Tails' namesake when he's nervous. No, actually, it reminds Sonic more of Cream's ears than his younger brother's twin-tails. Sonic also thinks the Koco is just as adorable as Cream is, and he knows that she would love them.

"Wouldn't you, Cream?" Sonic asks, looking over his shoulder. Surprise and worry flood his system when he doesn't find anyone there. He can only see the grass swaying in the breeze, and a few other Koco waddling over to him. Sonic's heart spikes with fear as he realizes that Vanilla is going to murder him for losing her daughter.

Sonic's feelings shift drastically when he remembers that Cream isn't here. The hand that isn't holding a Koco moves to touch the space between his eyes. He rubs it gently, wondering how he could have forgotten something like that. Why did he think she was here in the first place?

Sonic's other knee slides onto the ground. He brings his hands to the ground. The Koco in the palm of his hand remains there, however, staring up at him with worried eyes. The other Koco moves closer to Sonic's body. He recognizes that they are trying to comfort him. Sonic smiles gratefully at them. He moves a hand to briefly touch each of their heads as if he could give them his blessing or bring them some peace of mind. He hopes it works for them because he doesn't think the same is going to happen for him.

At least, however, his head doesn't hurt. He feels like he's drifting, sure, but the pain is negligible as he tries recalling everything he knows about Cream. Does she have a leaf on her head? He doesn't think so, but she must have something that moves like these little guys' leaves for Sonic to draw that comparison in the first place. It should also remind him of his little brother's tails, too. It would help if he knew what Cream looked like. He would even settle for knowing what kind of Mobian she was. Unfortunately, both Cream and her mother— what was her name again? It was a food, too, just like Cream's name, right?— are hazy memories in Sonic's head.

"I'm sorry, guys. Let's get you back to... Um... wherever I'm supposed to take you," Sonic murmurs. He starts to bring more of the Koco into his arms. He holds them tightly against his chest. Anyone that couldn't fit in his arms follows behind his heels. He leads them forward without having a single idea about where they're going or why they're going there. He frowns slightly. Why does the Koco trust him so much? Has he done anything special for them?

No, Sonic thinks, he's pretty certain that he's something important. He doesn't remember what, though. Is he a hero? He doesn't feel very much like a hero. He can't even remember who—

Sonic grumbles. Has he already forgotten who he was talking about? Gaia, he's forgotten why he was trying to remember in the first place! Sonic is getting really sick of his mind not cooperating with him. Thankfully, his mind does give him something else to grasp onto. "The Elder Koco! That's where I need to bring you guys! Oh my Gaia, we're going the wrong way. I'm sorry, everyone. Let's turn right here. Consider this a shortcut... Or a longcut since it's going to take us a little longer to get there. Scenic route probably sounds better."

—

Sage floats beside him as he races across the golden sand. More accurately, she will teleport beside him every few feet in order to speak with him. He refuses to slow down for her sake. There is something restless building in his body, and running helps him control his impulses. Additionally, he knows that he has to save these islands. He has to save other people, too. He thinks he has to save the world. He isn't sure about that last one, but Sage called the enemy they were facing 'The End,' so he doesn't think it's foolish to think the entire world was at stake right now. He— as someone who lives in said world— doesn't want that to happen, so he's going to keep pushing forward even when his body is on the brink of freezing.

"Do you think we could just ask The End not to attack?" He mentions. He glances over at Sage's annoyed expression. His lips twitch with a smile as he irritates her. He doesn't know why he likes annoying her. Maybe it isn't even specifically about her. Maybe it is just about annoying someone. "Someone I used to know told me once that asking is the best policy. It could work."

"It could work... in your dreams, Sonic," Sage tells him. Although she's only talking with an emotionless tone, he feels like he's been hit twice. The first hit comes in the form of that name, Sonic. He completely forgot about that. Remembering his name and realizing it was momentarily forgotten stuns him, and he ends up tripping over his own feet. His body falls forward. He rolls across the sand, slipping down the side of a large dune. He lands between two dunes. The wind is unkind as it tries to bury him in the sand while he lies flat on his back.

The second hit comes in the form of something else. Her words themselves draw a memory from the far reaches of Sonic's mind. He sits up immediately only to tuck his hand between his bent knees. He wraps his arms around his legs, drawing them closer to his chest. His breath is difficult to keep under control as he hears a voice echo in his mind. "In your dreams, Sonic!"

It wasn't said with a hint of malice. In fact, it was almost dorky the way he said it with so much confidence. Sonic knew he was upset by it at the time, but he could only smile wetly at it now. Sonic can almost see him in front of him. A large smile accompanied by bright eyes, hands reaching out to touch Sonic with all the reverence in the world. Someone who was stronger than Sonic (but not faster) looked up at the blue blur with such admiration. Sonic can remember now how he took those hands and was immediately drawn into a hug. It made him laugh at the time, and he returned the hug without any thought. He should have put more thought into it. He should have pressed those memories into his heart like turning the flowers — always gave him into bookmarks.

"Did you remember someone?" Sage asks. She lowers herself into the space between the dunes. Her digital feet even touch the sand as if she could feel it. She sits on her haunches as she stares into his emerald eyes.

"I-I did. Um... another hedgehog... White quills— no, no, that's not right. Silver. Silver? Silver! That's his name! Gaia, Silver! He looked up to me! He still does! He looks up to us. Me and... and Sha—" Sonic gags. He stares at the sand beneath him. He digs his fingers into it, trying to keep himself grounded. The memories are right inside his head. He remembers standing next to him as Silver came running towards them. Silver always wore his emotions front and center while the hedgehog beside Sonic hid them behind his gruff appearance. Despite the apparent differences between the three of them, Sonic knows they are his... Ugh, he's losing it. The memories are slipping through his grasp as easily as the sand against his gloves. Sonic needs to keep talking if he doesn't want them to disappear. "Silver... and... Gaia, there was someone else. Silver's friend. Someone... Her name was— She looked like— Warmth, that's what I remember. The air around her was always warm. She was my friend, too. She was stoic, but... She was easy to talk to. Why can't I remember her name!?"

Sonic's frustrations are taken out on the sand. He slams his fist against the golden grains. Sonic's chest heaves with all the pent-up emotions in his chest. All of these people he can barely remember. He doesn't know their names and he barely recalls their faces, but he knows how they made him feel. He knows that they were, at the very least, friends. Some of them feel like there was a deeper relationship there. But all of it is just out of reach, all because of this Cyber corruption consuming his body. Fuck, he isn't even on the last island yet. He still has a lot to finish on his adventure... but for what purpose?

"We should go," Sonic tells Sage. He starts climbing to the zenith of the nearest dune. When he stands at the top, the sunlight breaks through the crowds. A hot wind blows sand through his quills. He would hate it if the warmth of the natural world wasn't soaking into the ice freezing over inside his body. He appreciates the heat even when he knows it would have frustrated him in any other context. The only thing that frustrates him now is how he's sweating when he feels like he's standing in the middle of a blizzard.

"Wait, we should talk more about Silver," Sage calls out, flickering into existence right beside him.

He gives her a funny look. "Why would we talk about silver? I always go for gold! Oh, hey, you should come to the Olympics with us next time."

"I wasn't talking about—" Sage starts. She stops suddenly. If Sonic didn't know any better, he would think she looked a little saddened. "Nevermind. Keep pressing forward."

Sage disappears. He frowns at where she once was. He shakes his head. He doesn't have time to worry about Sage. He repeats his mantra as he stretches his legs. My name is Sonic. I'm here to save Amy, Knuckles, and Tails.

—

He sits inside a cave on Ares Island. Although the island was blistering hot during the day, it descended into something terribly cold. Normally, he would be able to press forward without any trouble. This time, however, the cold inside his body is agreeing too much with the cold outside of his body. He physically cannot stop himself from shaking. Running is out of the question when he cannot stand up straight. He had to throw in the towel— at least for a night. He crawled into the nearest cave and he built himself a fire to camp around. It isn't the first time he's gone camping in the wild, of course. He does this all the time. Nothing is different from then and now other than the affliction he's dealing with right now.

The fire cackles directly at him as if mocking his pain. He narrows his eyes at the moving blobs of orange and yellow with a hint of red along the edges. The flames are radiating with heat. It is so much warmer than the cold wind threatening to drag him down into the sand. It is so much warmer than the corruption spreading through his veins. He tolerates listening to the fire laugh at him for one more second before he starts moving his hand closer. Even through his glove, he can feel the heat from the flames. It is seeping into his body to fight off the desperate chill. He leans forward more, shifting on his knees. His hands approach the flames. He is a second away from sticking his arms directly in the fire when someone calls out, "What are you doing?"

He stops. He doesn't pull his arms away, though. He doesn't even move his eyes away from the flames. He continues staring into the fire. His body is tense. He huddles over his knees. He's shaking something fierce. He is so terribly cold that every breath feels like he's shattering the ice growing across his chest. The fire is going to help him, but he doesn't immediately plunge himself into the flames as he answers, "I'm cold."

"You are going to burn yourself," Sage reminds him.

"I know."

"Sonic," Sage says with a harshness that he knows without recognizing. He doesn't recognize the word, either. Well, he does, but he doesn't know why that's the word she would choose. Does that word have any significance to him?

"I remember her name now. Blaze the Cat. A princess. A priestess. Or shrine maiden. Maybe both. I don't know the difference. I think she told me what it was once. I can't recall. But I do remember her name. I remember how she has fire powers. I thought it was the coolest thing ever... Well, not the coolest," He snorts. Blaze's friend (his friend?) made the same joke. He wishes he could give credit, but he doesn't remember what Blaze's friend's name is. "I wish she was here. I wouldn't be so fucking cold."

Sage doesn't immediately start writing down everything he told her. Instead, she hovers across the fire from him. She stares down at him. He can't tell what expression is on her face because he can't tear his eyes away from the fire. He is still a few inches away from throwing his entire body against the wood. "I... I'm not someone who gets scared. At least, I don't think I am. I can't remember for certain, but I have this feeling that I don't. So, why am I terrified right now? I can't remember my name. I can't remember if I'm someone who gets scared or not. I can't remember what I'm doing or why I'm here or... Anything."

He wretches his body away from the fire. He stumbles to his feet. He moves deeper into the cave. The darkness grows around him, overtaking the firelight that splashes the cave walls with a saturated orange color. He whirls around to look at Sage. "But do you know what's worse than the fear? It's the guilt. I know there are people I care about and they care about me, and I can't remember who they are. I don't know their names. I don't know what they look like. I don't know how we first met or why we even became friends. Gaia, I don't even remember if the people I have some passing awareness of are my friends. I think I had a sibling, but I can't even remember if it was a brother or a sister. How shitty of a brother I must be that I can't remember someone who must be waiting for me to come home? If I'm even right about having a sibling... If I even have a home to return to..."

He squats. He wraps his arms around his bent knees. This far away from the fire, the cold is starting to consume him once more. Thankfully (or so he thinks because it definitely isn't good), some parts of his body are going numb. He can't feel his extremities, after all. He sighs disheartenedly. Sage moves closer to him. "You should not blame yourself. I believe what is happening is that your brain is purposefully suppressing your memories to keep the Cyber corruption from finding and tainting them. If it was anyone else, the Cyber corruption would have destroyed their memories already, but you are retaining your sense of self."

He doesn't respond. The words don't feel good enough to him, but at least she doesn't make him feel any worse than he already does. He moves closer to the flames. He keeps his distance from them this time, but he can see Sage making a note about his self-destructive habits. She has already commented on it multiple times after observing him fight, but this is the first time he's done something that's bordered on intentional self-harm rather than recklessness. He wonders which way he fell before all of this happened to him.

It doesn't matter, he thinks, as he curls into a ball to get some amount of rest. Since he doubts he'll fall asleep, he starts repeating his mantra. Eventually, he remembers the first part of it. My name is Sonic. I'm here to save Amy, Knuckles, and Tails .

—

Sonic hesitates. The fox— No, the kit with twin-tails is kneeling beside one of the pillars. The kit is working on it. He doesn't understand what exactly the kit is doing. Sonic could say that was why he was watching the kit instead of going to interact with him, but the truth is, he is over here because he knows he's supposed to know that kit's name and he simply cannot remember it. Sonic feels terrible about it. Somewhere deep inside his numbing body, he understands that this kit is extremely important to him. Not important enough, he wryly thinks, as the kit finally turns his gaze toward Sonic. Those baby blue eyes light up with joy and familiarity. Sonic is going to be sick. Unfortunately, there is nothing left in his stomach. He's running on pure chaos energy at this point.

Sonic moves toward the kit. He examines the kit as those twin-tails start moving around rapidly with excitement. A smile stretches across the kit's face. Sonic is struck with love so profound that he realizes immediately that this is the sibling he could barely remember when he was talking to Sage on the previous island. Sonic's lips twitch with a smile. So, he has a brother, not a sister. Good to know, he thinks, as the kit rushes over to his side instead of waiting for Sonic to reach him. The kit's eyes are twisted with slight confusion, and Sonic wishes he understood why. Is it because of how slow he's going or because of his lackluster reaction to seeing the kit? What would upset his brother more?

His older brother not remembering his name, probably.

Sonic swallows down the guilt as the kit starts talking to him about something or another. He mentions a few names and past adventures that Sonic struggles to recall or contextualize. The kit's attention swims away from Sonic towards the machines left behind by the Ancients. One of the kit's tails moves through Sonic's leg. The action is familiar enough that it calls forth an avalanche of memories. Sonic wraps an arm around his stomach. He bites back a pained groan, and his eyes widen as a single memory bursts out from the others. "Tails!"

The kit jumps in surprise. He turns around with a confused expression painting his face in every shade of adorable there is. "Yes, Sonic?"

His name. Sonic remembers his name. He feels like a fool for not realizing it sooner. Sonic's hands reach forward. Tails' eyes widen, but a pleasant smile appears on his face as he tries to move into his older brother's arms. Unfortunately, Sonic's arms pass right through Tails' digital form. The kit laughs awkwardly, waving his hand away like it doesn't matter. Maybe it doesn't to him. To Sonic, though, it matters so much. He just wants to hold his brother before he forgets that he even has one.

How unfair is it that his self is halfway gone because of the Cyber corruption but he can't touch any Cyber constructs? If it's going to numb his body and steal away his memories, shouldn't it at least allow him the simple pleasure of holding onto someone for a little while?

"My name is Sonic. I'm here to save Amy, Knuckles, and Tails," Sonic mutters to himself. Tails gives him an odd expression. Sonic doesn't explain himself. He only looks away and repeats his mantra one more time for good measure. He can't forget his name. He can't forget the people he's on this island for. Everything else can fade away, but his purpose must remain certain in his mind.

He doesn't want to lose himself... not again...

—

He stands in front of the first tower. His trial is about to begin. Soon, he will be able to control the Cyber corruption instead of letting it control him. The thought is exhilarating, sure, but it is one of the only ones inside his head. Everything else is fading like he's a lone island surrounded by an entire ocean. The thought sends a spike of fear through his body, and he isn't sure why. Does he not like the ocean? Maybe he doesn't. It doesn't matter, though. He has to focus on this trial.

"—hey!" A voice finally grabs his attention. He turns around. A little girl is hovering above the ground. She is frowning at him. "Are you ready?"

"Of course, I'm ready!" Confidence comes easy. He thinks he's been confident for a long time. He thinks it's part of his personality. He is glad that something of himself is still there for him to grasp onto.

"Do you remember what you're doing this for?" She asks. His lips twitch with a frown. She knows about his lapses in memory. Why does she know? Did he tell her, or is there something about his appearance that gives it away? It might be the red and black chunks hovering around his silhouette. They are physical signs of the Cyber corruption. He thinks they're responsible for his mind being almost as numb as the rest of his body.

"Amy, Knuckles, Tails," He repeats. He knows those three words are important, but he doesn't know why. He just knows that his entire reason for being on these islands and fighting in these towers is because of those three words. One of them sounds like a name, so he supposes all three of them are names. They are people. Everything he's doing, he's doing it for them, and that thought gives him strength.

"Do you know what your name is?" She asks. He doesn't answer her. He turns away. He starts walking towards the tower. She calls out once more, "Your name is—"

He turns on his heel. He puts a finger over his lips to silence her. She frowns at him, but she doesn't finish her thought. She doesn't tell him what his name is. He smiles at her. He doesn't know what it is about his expression that causes her countenance to become marked with sorrow, but he doesn't mind it too much. He will figure out what his name is on his own. He will figure out who he is and what his purpose is, too. He doesn't want someone else to tell him because these are things he ought to know by himself without anyone's help.

Energy rushes through his numb body, alighting his nerves for one last run. Five towers, one enemy, three lives to save, and an entire self to remember once more. It is going to be a tiring day.

—

"Do you still wish to fight?"

He rises onto his feet to face the Koco who issued the question. His eyes narrow slightly at the stone-creature. He takes a deep breath. His entire body feels as if it is being torn apart. The majority of it is numb. Some parts are burning white-hot with pain while others are so cold he fears they will shatter with intense movement. His mind is a chaotic mess with thousands of thoughts moving a million miles per minute in every single direction. These thoughts are layered thick with spikes and thorns as they dig into the edges of his mind, tearing deep and causing immense pain. It makes his vision swirl with colors and shapes. His ears flick this way and that, trying to figure out if he's actually hearing noises or if he's hallucinating again. His senses of touch, sight, and hearing going away make it extremely difficult for him to figure out which way he's meant to be facing or concentrate long enough to fight the waves of enemies being thrown his way.

"Your body is severely weakened. Your mind is waning. You have been consumed once by the Cyber corruption. It is soon to happen again. This time, it will be permanent."

He moves his gloved hand to rub his nose. The chaos energy inside his body lives up to its title as it thunders through every vein and artery, completely ignoring how painful this process is for him. But he doesn't even try to stop it. Without the chaos energy fighting the Cyber corruption and keeping his body from falling uselessly to the ground, he would already be dead. Worse than that, he would have lost, and while he isn't entirely sure what victory is going to do for him, he knows that he needs to achieve it no matter the cost. His body? His mind? His memories? All of that is nothing compared to the fire burning inside his chest that commands him to— above all else— pass this trial.

"I may not remember my name."

His voice is scratchy. It hurts to use, but it doesn't hurt any worse than anything else in his body. He can ignore the pain. It's almost too easy to do it, but that is a series of questions he'll have to ask and answer later. Right now, he needs to prove himself worthy to the Master King.

"I may not remember the names of the people I care about... or what they look like... who they are to me..."

Vague impressions fill his head. More than that, emotions stretch across his body as if running alongside the pain and chaos energy. Or maybe his emotions are intertwined with the chaos energy. They are rooted so deeply inside of him that the chaos energy acknowledges them as another source of power.

"But I know that I have to do this! I have to protect them no matter what I do or don't remember! I refuse to give up. I refuse to lose. So, give me the challenge, and let me prove myself!"

For some reason, his words reach the Master King. The former leader of the Ancients begins the challenge. He smirks as the floor is flooded with enemies that must be conquered. He doesn't hesitate to throw himself into the battle. He might be imagining it, but it feels like everyone he cannot remember is pushing him forward. They are lending him their strength. He has to do this for them as an apology for completely forgetting who they are.

He has to do this for himself as an apology for forgetting who he is.