Burning Flames That Bring Hope to Crisis City

☄️⯮ "Huh?"

Comet looked over at the lavender feline, ears perked up with interest. He knew where the library in Green Hills was; he often went there himself to check out the comic books they had.

However, he had no idea who this 'Iblis' was at all...

☄️⯮ "Uhh... well I know where th'library is! No idea who Iblis is though..."

The hedgehog's head canted to the side as he observed Blaze; he'd never seen her before...

"...I expected as much."

Seemed like no matter where she went, nobody knew a thing. It was like searching for a needle in the great wide ocean. How many different places had she and her companion been now? It always ended the same way, nothing. Yet she knew she couldn't give up. If for nothing else, for Silver's sake.

If nothing was done, nothing would change.

"Don't concern yourself, then."

It would be better that those from the past not know what Iblis would do.

"Blaze. I'm not from around here, I'm sure you could tell. If you would prefer I call you Comet, I will do so."

Hands resting at her sides, her heels could be faintly heard against the grass.

If only their own world could be the same.

“I can do that. Maybe I’ll come across some data that will help you.” While he wasn’t sure how he would send Blaze the information he found, he’d figure something out. The last few bites of his ice cream was taken and one of the napkins was used to clean his hand, then Gibbous’ muzzle since she was sitting so close.

He even returned the smile. “I’ll be sure to remember his name in case we ever meet. I can’t promise she’s going to be as friendly at the first meeting, but hopefully by then she’ll have a bit more socialization in.”

One hand was extended towards her, since it seemed like they would be parting ways. It was polite to at least leave with a handshake between friends. Or at least that was what he had always assumed when it came to acquaintances.

Every little bit counted. As it stood, she and Silver did not know anything about the demon, other than it was released at some point, and that it destroyed the world with fire, and lava. The release, even why he existed, neither of them knew. Silver especially had been asking what happened, to anyone in their timeline who would listen. The feline wasn't nearly as curious.

All she cared about was putting an end to the destruction. By any means necessary.

"I guarantee you, he's much more friendly than I am."

The handshake was accepted. Blaze wasn't really the type to make friends, it was almost strange how they got along so well. Maybe it came from how they were both often feared, or ridiculed for things out of their control. Who knew? Maybe next time they came across each other, he'll have found some kind of data on Iblis.

His answer came before he could really think about it, but despite the slightly sheepish laugh he gave afterwards his words were genuine. His eyes said as much as he merely smiled. He gladly would have gushed over his family had they not had a mission to see to.

Even so, he waved a hand nonchalantly at her apology. He hadn't taken her distrust as anything bad, per se. Had they been in opposite positions he would have been cautious too.

"'S alright, I'm kind of used t' it anyway"

Seemed he wasn't going to elaborate on that and merely followed after her, turning to grab the ring as it shrunk down to its original size and fell. While he wasn't a grand fan of water, he did have a soft spot for this zone. It was beautiful, he couldn't deny, but it did dredge up certain memories he wished he could forget as well. Such was life.

He would admit the change in the feline's demeanor helped his own, and he smiled back before giving a small bow.

"Happily." He had planned to anyway since he hadn't dropped him in any noticeably busy area. He still had a hard time explaining to some people why he seemed to pop in and out of places in the blink of an eye, and half the time it was only due to his speed not the other tools at his disposal.

The world she'd lived in the past ten years, everyone misjudged her even more than they did Silver. All because of her power to control the flames. She was marked to be just as demonic as Iblis himself, in spite of how she always fought against that overwhelming demon. No matter what she did, Blaze was still considered a monster by everyone's standards.

Everyone but Silver's. Maybe that was why she cherished him so much.

"I'd like to believe that learning from the past is something to take very seriously."

Maybe it was because, by the current time's standards, Blaze was from the future. Two hundred years, if old records were anything to go by. Even if they did stop Iblis, that wouldn't stop people from destroying things in another way. Blaze didn't have the heart to tell Silver about that. How, even if they saved the world, people could still destroy it.

The feline followed his lead. It really was a beautiful place. While there were no bodies of water in Crisis City, the Sol Dimension had been a string of islands. Blaze grew up around the ocean, she was skilled in sailing, and fishing. Those were happier times.

Even if it did mean he was most likely going to have to hang around the library until the feline was done. Not the worse prospect, he mused, but he was suddenly glad they had a decent cafe if he recalled correctly. Which really showed where his priorities where, and none of them even landed close to the idea of abandoning the feline.

Whether Blaze chose to trust him or not, the hero wasn't that kind of person.

"Promise. We can leave whenever you want. Er...provided 's not too late. My wife tends t' worry if I'm gone too long, an' I like t' be there when our daughter goes down for the night."

He would help but he still had a family to think about and get back to, lest that same mongoose coming looking for them. He hadn't been kidding when he said she would worry, a fear that had come about just a few years ago when the hedgehog had been abducted, and rightfully so.

Nonetheless, he shook her hand in a firm shake. No qualms, no ulterior motives, just honesty before he motioned to the ring.

She wasn't sure she'd ever have that opportunity. Saving the world came first. It came before everything other than alliances. The only person thus far she'd willingly call her friend, was Silver. He'd dealt with her when she was at her cruelest, years ago, and still showed a smile. He was... endearing.

Not that she'd ever admit that out loud.

"Such a gentleman. I'm beginning to believe I misjudged you entirely, and for that, I am sorry."

Blaze stepped through, happy, that such a convenient technology could exist in the world. It wasn't her own, but maybe if she and her companion stopped the world from ending, it could become a future with the ability to warp places, rather than travel by foot, or flight.

What a beautiful world.

Upon reaching the other side... is she... smiling? Absolutely, and once Arrow had joined her, it was evident on her face.

They sounded just as bad as Robotnik.

He didn’t say that part out loud, but it was probably somewhat clear on his face what he thought of them. Although while he worked on trying to get his heart rate under control, he listened to Blaze and shook his head. “It’s not the power you hold but how you use it that defines who you are.”

Looking back over, now that he could focus better, the former soldier offered her a soft smile while continuing to absently pet Gibbous’ bangs. “You said it yourself. You use your powers to help and it sounds like you can meet the enemies on an even battleground. It doesn’t make you one of them.”

For a moment, he thought things over and continued to entertain Gibbous’ want for affection until she finally just climbed up to sit in his lap. Mainly to remind him to continue eating, but he wouldn’t stop their conversation. Just spoke between bites or licks.

Strong, incredibly strong as she was, mentally, even the most powerful people could be brought down by years, and years of the same harsh treatment. She would continue looking for a solution to save the world. She would continue fighting that demonic presence, until a day came that it ended. Or until she drew her last breath, one of the two.

"Well, we definitely know that's not true."

These two were nothing like some terrible person who built deadly machines. That must have meant they were artificial, in a matter of speaking. Such technology didn't exist, not in Crisis City, but also not back in the Sol Dimension. The only reason Blaze found herself in that apocalyptic world was because the scientists who invented the machine hadn't perfected the technology yet.

"Maybe you can keep your ears open for me. Anything you hear about Iblis could prove crucial."

He'd gotten a smile out of her. Rather uncommon.

"My companion, his name is Silver. I hope you'll keep him in mind, as well, should you ever meet him. Unlike me, he lived in that world of fire his entire life."

Yes, she felt much better now.

Jester ends up tilting his head, ears flicking every so often as he listens on the occasional phrases from the book. Sounds like another name for Iblis. Probably a fancier or one more dramatic for the world destroyer.

" Can't say which royal family or how royal. But it sounds like a royal blood situation. "

"I know no one of royal blood, and I wouldn't know the first place to look for the royal family referenced in the book."

Little does she realize, that she is, in fact, of royal blood.

With disappointment, she closes the book. That got her absolutely nowhere, long term. But short term, it gave some insight into the origin of Iblis.

"I can only wonder if there's something I can do about it."

With a snap of her fingers, there was a flame in her hand.

"My soul is alit with flames. Perhaps I could put it out."

"Uh?" She didn't have the time for that but to just admire the place? What was she here for then? It was strange to hear someone talk like that. She seemed serious yet Tadano couldn't understand. He had no idea that she was connected to Silver, in a way.

"You could say that."

The business was learning more about Iblis, and how to stop him from destroying the world. However, respectful people like Tadano were definitely the kinds of people she gravitated towards. People who were outwardly positive.

Even if she knew, nobody could be happy all the time. It was hard getting Silver to show his sadness. Hopefully Tadano wasn't the same.

"You remind me of my Baba when he tells stories of his youth. And you also remind me of this girl I know." He gave a small, fond smile. "She just looks a lot like you and you both act similar so I was just wondering if you were related."

"I am honored."

To bring back a memory of happy times, that was enough to put a smile on her face. Maybe in another timeline, she existed with a sibling. Blaze wasn't too knowledgeable on timelines, neither was her companion, for that matter. He just held the power to travel through time.

"There is no need for apologies. Any positive memory is one worth remembering, and any positive person is someone worth thinking about."

Did she dare say, it made her happy?

"... Wow... your caretaker must be incredible, haha. Blaze, huh? That's a pretty name. Nice to meet you." Tadano replied with a smile.

"I'm afraid I just don't have the time for more than admiration of the buildings. However, a library would be nice."

Somewhere she could look for information about Iblis. That was her true goal, and both her and her companion were traveling the world over until they found something. Truth be told, she was a little worried about Silver in such a big city on his own. But they had a spot to meet up, once it was time to go back to their home timeline.

"You don't have a sister?" There was a hum. "But you two look so related and act so similarly..." A mystery on his hands. "...Wait, I never got your name."

"You may call me Blaze. No, I do not have a sister."

It was hard enough leaving her caretaker when she was told she'd be sent to another dimension. To leave a sister would have been difficult as well, so in reality, she was thankful that she had been born an only child. She'd always been kind of a loner, even now.

She did, however, have one very close friend. Silver.

"Age is just a number. My caretaker was doing acrobatics in her sixties."

At least he didn't push the idea of a birthday party. He got bonus points for that. The only person who generally didn't push her boundaries was Silver, so this was a breath of fresh air.

"You may call me Blaze. I'm from somewhere very far away."

Not a lie. Not only was she from the future of the Earth, but she was from a different dimension entirely.

Instead he held up both hands, a mock defense given the amused smile on his face. He knew the feline wasn't to be taken lightly, but he also didn't think she would really attack him in any way. Except maybe verbally if he got too cocky.

"Alright, alright. Just follow me and we'll be there before you know it. Though after...we'll have t' find a way t' get you back home. Unless you already have a way, that is."

No harm in thinking ahead, but for the moment that ring was tossed into the air where it expanded. Granting them access to the area in question, dense with vegetation but broken up by beige and orange ruins and berry bushes all around. To say nothing of the several waterfalls that were a trademark of the zone and the water that trickled from the areas above.

"...I hadn't even thought of that. How improper of me."

To leave the area, would mean to leave Silver by himself. That hedgehog didn't do well by himself, he needed to be surrounded by positivity. Not that Blaze was the most positive person. She was a realist, through and through. No rose colored glasses on this feline's ears.

"I suppose I have to trust you to take me back here, once I've found the information I seek."

That was a scary thought. He could heave her abandoned, in some foreign timeline, with no hope of ever finding her best friend again. The ball was in his court. Eyes close, and she shakes her head. Silver was the only person in the multiverse that had earned her complete trust.

"Before I step through, can you make the promise that I will be safely returned?"

"Really, it's not necessary."

She didn't generally celebrate birthdays. She didn't even celebrate Silver's birthday. It just wasn't part of culture in the Sol Dimension, so she'd grown up believing it was just another day.