Loop - Chapter 1

You know the old proverb that states that time passes quicker as you get older?

It's only partially true. I can attest to that.

Time is nothing more than a dimension. It doesn't shrink, expand or do anything a rubber band would do if it's new. It doesn't, and will never bend to anyone's will. It's just there, for all eternity.

Just like I am.

"Shadow! Mind giving me a hand?"

Yes, you've heard right. I'm Shadow, Shadow the Hedgehog. Ultimate Life Form. Immortal creature and Master of Chaos.

That last one is more of a self-appointed title than anything else, though.

Yeah, go ahead and laugh. Not only Sonic can come up with his own titles, you know. Besides, it's been a while since he's even worn the title, anyway.

"What do you need help with?"

Been a while since I've seen him, period.

"Someone messed up the classification of the spice pots. I really need to put a labeling on those things."

But, then again, even if he is important, he's not everything.

My current job proves that.

"If you can pull out the lasagna in the oven in 2 minutes, I can sort it back."

Which is cook at a local café. Sue me. Heroing doesn't pay the bills, G.U.N. disbanded years ago, and I've pretty much done everything I could at this point. Hell, I even learned how to handle a sword long enough to be able to master it. A lot can happen when you live for about five thousand years. Certainly when you keep looking for someone who still travels all around the world without knowing it.

Never thought Chaos Control would come in so handy.

"Sure can, can you label them at the same time? You know, while I'm thinking about it."

And never thought that every of my skills would actually become useful.

"Sure can, Anthony. Want some fries while I'm at it?"

Or Sonic's people skills, for that matter.

But hearing the owner chuckle while refusing the offer is always nice.

Before you say anything about my attitude, don't forget that I can stab you against a wall with a sword, put a bullet through your head and Chaos Blast you to smithereens. Yes, I am still the Shadow that worked for years with the late Hero of Mobius and had a sour personality. You try hanging around Sonic for five thousand years, see what it's like.

And now I suppose you're wondering if he's actually still alive. He's not. He might have been able to use Chaos Energy, but he was entirely biological. And when time called for him, he disappeared.

But that doesn't mean I haven't seen him since. That doesn't mean I haven't talked to him during all that time.

Tell me I'm insane, I dare you.

No, his conscience isn't in my head. No, he isn't a spirit that floats aimlessly around the world. And he isn't simply a wave in the Chaos Energy either.

He actually lives, breathes, and has blood running through his veins. He exists and blends into the crowds a lot easier than he used to. He is seen by everyone, and has a different life every time he is brought back to it.

Yes, he lives through reincarnation, and I seek him every time he returns.

Now you can call me insane.

Go ahead, I won't judge you. I also thought myself crazy the first time I saw him after two hundred years as a prince in a kingdom.

But when he came back another hundred years later as a traveler in search of food, I knew that I wasn't completely out of my mind.

And I knew that I couldn't step out, certainly when I was already so deeply intertwined in his life.

How long has it been since his last appearance? Probably around a hundred years?

Enough to perfect my technological skills and adapt to my surroundings, I'll say that.

I'm starting to miss him again, and that's when time starts to stretch.

Yes, time can still be compared to an elastic rubber-band. It's not one, as I have said earlier, but it can still stretch and contract.

And I think I'm about to enter a time when it's going to do just that.

Because I can see a blue hedgehog from the corner of my eye as I hand over the plate to the waitress.

"Can I have my break, Anthony?"