As the carriage rattled down the winding roads, the air was thick with tension. Sonic gripped the reins tightly, his eyes darting between the path ahead and the occasional glance toward Knuckles, who was rummaging through the various bags and crates in the back of the carriage.

Knuckles was clearly annoyed. "Great, nothing to eat around here," he muttered, tossing aside a bundle of scraps from one of the bags. The discarded wrappers flew out of the open carriage, landing in the dirt behind them. He grumbled again, digging further.

Sonic's frustration began to grow. He looked back at the mess piling up around Knuckles. "Hey, stop throwing that stuff out of the carriage!" he snapped, his voice more irritated than usual. "We're not in the middle of nowhere, you know! People have to clean up after your trash!"

Knuckles barely looked up from his search, his sharp eyes still scanning the bags for something edible. "Relax, horse trainer," he scoffed, tossing a half-empty can out of the carriage. "This place is a dump anyway. Who cares about some trash?"

You shot a look at Sonic, who was clearly trying to hold back his annoyance but was struggling. "I think we have bigger problems than the trash right now," you pointed out, though you couldn't suppress a small grin at how Sonic was reacting to Knuckles' antics.

Sonic exhaled sharply, his temper flaring. "We're in the middle of town, Knuckles! You're just making a mess!"

"Quit complaining," Knuckles grunted. "I'm not the one driving, am I? You're the one in charge of getting us out of here." He finally found a bag of dried meat and opened it with a sigh of satisfaction. "This will do for now." He bit into the jerky, seemingly unconcerned with the mess around him.

Sonic shook his head, looking both exhausted and exasperated. "This is insane..."

You leaned back, trying to stay calm amidst the chaos. "I guess we'll just have to deal with him for now," you said dryly, glancing at Sonic, whose mood was clearly deteriorating with every moment. "But I think it's safe to say Knuckles isn't going to change anytime soon."

"Tell me about it," Sonic muttered under his breath.

Knuckles, unfazed by the tension building around him, continued chewing loudly, blissfully unaware of the effect his actions were having on Sonic. "This is the life," he said with a content smirk, ignoring Sonic's complaints. "Out here on the road, away from all that boring hero stuff."

Sonic shot a look at Knuckles, his eye twitching. "You're impossible."

In the dark, grand halls of Nazo's castle, the air was thick with tension as the king of this broken world stood before his loyal Knights. His eyes burned with fury, and a sense of unyielding power emanated from him. The Chaos Emeralds-especially the dark ones-pulsed with energy, adding an ominous glow to the room.

"Nazo, my lord, we have not yet found her," Shadow spoke, his voice calm, but his crimson eyes were filled with purpose. His dark cloak fluttered in the air as he stepped forward, a silent authority radiating from him. "The girl you seek... she's proven elusive."

Nazo's lips curled into a malicious grin as he glanced at his most trusted Knight. "Yes, Shadow. I know she's clever. But there's no escaping me forever." His voice was low and filled with dark intent. He turned to his other Knights, their faces hidden beneath their dark armor. "You will leave no stone unturned. Find Y/N. She will come back to me-whether she likes it or not."

Shadow bowed his head slightly, his eyes narrowing with a hint of something dark and calculating. "I will bring her to you, my king," he said, his voice unwavering. "No one defies the will of Nazo."

Nazo raised a hand, gesturing for the Knights to prepare. "Time is of the essence. We will not allow her to disrupt my plans any longer. This world is mine, and it will remain mine. Bring her to me, or suffer the consequences."

The Knights, silent and stoic, began to ready themselves, adjusting their weapons and preparing for the hunt. Their armor clanged as they moved into formation, ready to carry out their king's orders.

As Nazo watched them, his smirk deepened. "She will regret running from me. I'll make sure of it."

Shadow, who had already turned toward the exit, paused for a moment, looking back at his king. "What if she proves difficult, my lord?"

Nazo's eyes flashed dangerously, and his hand clenched into a fist. "Do not fail me, Shadow. If she is difficult, remind her why she should have stayed in the dungeon. And if she resists..." His voice trailed off ominously, the dark energy around him intensifying. "Make her understand."

With a final nod from Nazo, Shadow led his Knights out of the room, their footsteps echoing in the corridors as they prepared to track down Y/N and bring her back.

Nazo turned to gaze out of the massive window of his throne room, the chaos outside matching the turmoil brewing within him. "I will make her mine. No one can stop me now."

Meanwhile with you and the others,

The carriage rolled on through the barren, desolate landscape, the only sounds coming from the creaking wheels and the occasional wind blowing past. Sonic was focused on guiding the horses, his eyes darting nervously around, while Knuckles, still grumbling about the lack of food and throwing trash out of the carriage, finally broke the silence.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Knuckles asked, his arms crossed as he leaned back in his seat, eyeing you with suspicion. He was trying to piece together the situation, but something didn't sit right with him. "You didn't say anything about a destination earlier. You just wanted me to help stop Nazo. How exactly do you expect me to do that?"

You glanced at Sonic, who was still driving the carriage, and then back at Knuckles. "I don't know where we're going yet," you admitted, your voice steady despite the uncertainty. "I just know we can't sit back and let Nazo rule like this. But for now, we need to figure out what's next."

Knuckles raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You don't even know where you're going? So what, you just expect us to follow you blindly?" He scoffed, clearly not convinced. "You want my help, but you don't have a plan. You're either crazy or just playing hero."

You met his gaze, not backing down. "I'm not playing hero, Knuckles. I'm just trying to find a way to stop Nazo, and that means getting the others to remember who they are."

Knuckles chuckled darkly, the sound edged with disbelief. "Stop Nazo? No one can stop Nazo. You really think you can just waltz up to him and change everything? You don't even know who you're dealing with."

Sonic, overhearing the conversation, shot a glance back at Knuckles. "Not that you'd know anything about trying to stop him, right?" He snorted. "You're just worried about yourself and your treasures."

Knuckles shot Sonic a glare. "Mind your business, coward horse trainer," he grumbled, his eyes darting back to you. "But you... how do you know my name? How do you even know who I am? We've never met before."

You froze, your mind racing as you realized you had never truly explained to Knuckles how you knew him. Your heart pounded as you tried to come up with an answer. "I-" You hesitated for a moment before speaking again, your voice quiet but firm. "I just know, Knuckles. I don't have all the answers right now, but I know you're important in all of this. You can be more than just a thief. You can help us."

Knuckles narrowed his eyes, still skeptical. "I'm not some 'hero,' girl. I take care of myself, and that's all I need to do."

Sonic, eager to change the subject, clicked his tongue. "Well, if we're gonna stop Nazo, we need to figure out where we're going first. Any ideas, Y/N?"

You sighed, looking out over the horizon. "Not yet. But I'll figure it out... somehow."

Knuckles just leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, muttering under his breath about 'heroes' and 'ridiculous plans.' Despite the tension in the air, it was clear to you that convincing Knuckles to help would take time-if it was even possible.

What's gonna happen next? Find out on Chapter 8. Have a good day! Author out ❤️❤️❤️