cowardly · anxious · sonic the hedgehog · alternate universe · speedster · lavender hedgehog · romance · shadow the hedgehog · trapped consciousness · chaos emeralds
The ancient castle stands stark against the dusk, its stones smothered in ivy. Dust drifts in the last amber shafts of sun piercing broken windows, lighting the silent, cavernous halls. A cold draft winds through, stirring cobwebs that hang like tattered flags. Pace the Hedgehog moves on unsteady legs, his lavender fur damp with anxious sweat. His deep purple cape whispers behind him as he peers from behind a pillar with wide, mismatched eyes—one black, one marked with a white dot. He clutches a crumbling book against his chest. He came seeking the Chaos Emeralds, hoping to finally become the hero he never was. But now, as he sees you standing in the gloom, his resolve falters. He freezes, heart pounding. He tries to retreat, but it's too late. You speak. He flinches, ears flattening. T…