The space between dimensions had no name.
It existed outside of reality, beyond time, in the gaps between what was and what could be. Most beings couldn't perceive it, let alone enter it. Even cosmic entities rarely ventured here—the emptiness was too vast, too lonely, too fundamentally OTHER for minds designed to exist within creation.
But for the being known only as the Cosmic Voice, it was home.
They floated in the void, formless and infinite, reviewing the events of the past months with something approaching satisfaction. The Shadic experiment had been a success. Against all odds, a dead human from an unremarkable dimension had been inserted into a fusion of two legendary heroes and had somehow managed to not only survive but THRIVE.
Nazo was destroyed.
The multiverse was safe.
And the Voice had proven, once again, that their methods worked.
"A satisfactory outcome," they mused to themselves. "Unorthodox, perhaps, but effective. The Council will have to acknowledge—"
"THE COUNCIL ACKNOWLEDGES NOTHING."
The Voice froze.
That voice. THOSE voices.
They weren't alone anymore.
Light erupted around them—not the gentle glow of dimensional energy, but the BLAZE of beings far more powerful than any mortal could comprehend. Five presences materialized in the void, each one radiating authority that made the Cosmic Voice feel suddenly, uncomfortably small.
The Gods of the Multiverse.
The five entities who stood above all others, who maintained the fundamental laws of existence, who rarely—if EVER—descended to address lesser beings directly.
And they were all staring at the Voice.
"Oh," the Voice said, and for the first time in eons, they sounded nervous. "This is... unexpected."
The first God to speak was ORDER.
They appeared as a being of perfect geometry—lines and angles and shapes that fit together with mathematical precision. Their voice was cold, measured, devoid of emotion.
"YOU HAVE VIOLATED SEVENTEEN MULTIVERSAL PROTOCOLS," Order declared. "UNAUTHORIZED SOUL TRANSFER. CROSS-DIMENSIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS INSERTION. MANIPULATION OF CHAOS ENERGY BEYOND SANCTIONED PARAMETERS."
"In my defense—" the Voice started.
"WE ARE NOT FINISHED."
The second God was CHAOS—and despite the name, they were nothing like Nazo. Where Nazo had been destruction given form, this Chaos was POSSIBILITY. Infinite potential, constantly shifting, never the same from moment to moment.
"You played with forces you don't fully understand," Chaos said, their voice a symphony of overlapping tones. "The fusion you created—Shadic—he's something NEW. Something that wasn't supposed to exist. Do you have any idea what happens when you introduce a genuinely novel variable into the multiverse?"
"Innovation?" the Voice suggested weakly.
"INSTABILITY," Order corrected. "UNPREDICTABILITY. RISK."
The third God was BALANCE—a being who existed as the perfect equilibrium between all forces. Light and dark. Creation and destruction. Order and Chaos. They spoke rarely, but when they did, everyone listened.
"The being you created disrupted the natural flow of multiple dimensions," Balance said. "He sacrificed pieces of himself to stabilize realities. He left fragments of his consciousness scattered across the multiverse. He has become, intentionally or not, a nexus point for cosmic forces that should never intersect."
"But he SAVED those dimensions," the Voice protested. "He stopped Nazo. He prevented—"
"NAZO WAS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY."
The fourth God was TIME—ancient beyond measure, existing at every moment simultaneously. They appeared as a figure constantly shifting between youth and age, birth and death.
"Nazo was a consequence of YOUR previous intervention," Time said. "Three hundred years ago, OUR time. You attempted a similar experiment—inserted an outside consciousness into a being of pure Chaos Energy. The experiment failed. The consciousness went mad. Became Nazo."
The Voice went very, very still.
"That's... that's not..."
"Don't lie to us." The fifth God spoke at last.
TRUTH.
They had no form—no visible presence at all. They were simply a voice, clear and absolute, impossible to deceive.
"We know what you did. We know why you did it. We know the guilt you've carried for three centuries, watching the monster you accidentally created threaten reality after reality."
"I was trying to FIX it," the Voice whispered. "Shadic was supposed to be my redemption. My way of undoing the damage I caused."
"And in doing so, you violated every protocol designed to prevent exactly this kind of situation." Order's geometric form pulsed with disapproval. "Your intentions are irrelevant. Your methods were reckless. Your actions have consequences."
"What kind of consequences?"
The five Gods exchanged glances—or whatever passed for glances among beings without conventional eyes.
Balance spoke.
"That is what we are here to determine."
The trial—because that's what this was, a TRIAL—proceeded in a manner that defied mortal understanding.
The Gods didn't argue. They didn't debate. They simply... processed. Each one examining the situation from their unique perspective, weighing factors that the Voice couldn't even perceive.
Order catalogued every rule that had been broken.
Chaos calculated every possibility that had been created.
Balance measured the overall impact on multiversal stability.
Time traced the ripples forward and backward, seeing consequences that hadn't happened yet.
And Truth ensured that no deception, no rationalization, no convenient omission could cloud the proceedings.
Finally, after what felt like eternities, they spoke in unison.
"WE HAVE REACHED A DECISION."
The Voice braced themselves.
"YOUR ACTIONS WERE RECKLESS."
"I know."
"YOUR METHODS WERE UNSANCTIONED."
"I know."
"YOUR EXPERIMENT CREATED LASTING CHANGES TO THE FABRIC OF REALITY THAT CANNOT BE UNDONE."
"I... know."
Silence.
Then:
"AND YET."
The Voice looked up.
"Your experiment also destroyed a threat that had plagued the multiverse for three centuries," Balance said. "A threat that WE failed to address. A threat born from your mistake, yes—but one that we allowed to persist."
"The being you created—Shadic—has proven to be genuinely heroic," Chaos added, and there was something like respect in their voice. "Not because of the power you gave him, but because of the choices he made. He sacrificed pieces of himself to save strangers. He faced his fears and integrated them. He did what needed to be done, even when it hurt."
"He represents something we haven't seen in a long time," Time observed. "Genuine novelty. True growth. A being who is more than the sum of his parts."
"These factors must be weighed," Order acknowledged reluctantly.
Truth spoke last.
"The question before us is not whether you broke rules. You did. The question is whether the outcome justifies the violation. Whether the good you accomplished outweighs the harm you caused."
The Voice waited.
"Our verdict is... conditional."
"Conditional?" the Voice repeated. "What does that mean?"
"It means you are not absolved," Order said. "But neither are you condemned. Your fate—and the fate of your creation—depends on what happens next."
"Shadic is a nexus point," Balance explained. "His existence has created connections between dimensions that never should have touched. Realities are bleeding into each other through the fragments he left behind. The multiverse is... adapting. Changing in ways we cannot fully predict."
"This could be catastrophic," Time added. "Or it could be beneficial. We genuinely don't know."
"So here is our judgment," Chaos declared. "You will continue to observe Shadic. To guide him, when necessary. To ensure that the changes he's causing trend toward stability rather than collapse."
"If the multiverse adapts successfully—if the new connections strengthen reality rather than weaken it—your violation will be forgiven. You will be restored to full standing among the cosmic hierarchy."
"And if it doesn't?"
Silence.
"Then you will be unmade," Truth said simply. "And Shadic with you. Every trace of your experiment erased from existence."
"That's... that's not fair. HE didn't do anything wrong. He just existed. Made the best of a situation I forced him into."
"Fairness is not our concern," Order replied. "Stability is. The multiverse must endure. Individual lives—even exceptional ones—are secondary to that imperative."
"You have your assignment," Balance concluded. "Watch over your creation. Help him navigate the changes he's causing. And pray—if beings like us can pray—that the outcome is favorable."
The Gods began to fade, their presences withdrawing back to whatever realm they normally inhabited.
But before they vanished entirely, Chaos paused.
"For what it's worth," they said, "I hope he succeeds. It's been a long time since someone genuinely surprised me. Your Shadic... he's interesting."
Then they were gone.
And the Cosmic Voice was alone once again, floating in the void between dimensions, contemplating a future that was suddenly far more uncertain than they'd imagined.
The Voice found Shadic on the cliff overlooking the ocean.
He was alone—Amy had gone back to help with the workshop reconstruction—watching the waves crash against the rocks below. The seven Chaos Emeralds floated in a gentle orbit around him, their power slowly regenerating.
"SHADIC."
To his credit, the hedgehog didn't jump. Just sighed.
"I was wondering when you'd show up."
"I WANTED TO... CONGRATULATE YOU. ON YOUR VICTORY."
"Thanks. It only cost me my humanity, several pieces of my soul, and the mental scars of having killed someone. But sure. Victory."
The Voice was quiet for a moment.
"I OWE YOU AN APOLOGY."
That made Shadic turn.
"What?"
"I... HAVE NOT BEEN ENTIRELY HONEST WITH YOU. ABOUT SEVERAL THINGS."
"Several things like what?"
"LIKE NAZO. HE WASN'T JUST A RANDOM THREAT. HE WAS... MY FAULT. A PREVIOUS EXPERIMENT, CENTURIES AGO. I TRIED TO DO WHAT I DID WITH YOU—INSERT AN OUTSIDE CONSCIOUSNESS INTO A POWERFUL BEING—AND IT WENT WRONG. THE CONSCIOUSNESS WENT MAD. BECAME THE MONSTER YOU FOUGHT."
Shadic stared at him.
"You're telling me Nazo existed because of YOU?"
"YES."
"And you sent ME to clean up YOUR mess?"
"...YES."
"Wow." Shadic laughed—not a happy laugh, but not entirely bitter either. "That's... that's really something."
"I UNDERSTAND IF YOU'RE ANGRY."
"I'm not angry. I'm just..." He shook his head. "I don't know what I am. Tired, mostly. Tired of cosmic entities playing games with my existence."
"IT WASN'T A GAME. IT WAS... REDEMPTION. MY ATTEMPT TO FIX WHAT I BROKE."
"And did it work? Are you redeemed?"
The Voice hesitated.
"THE GODS OF THE MULTIVERSE HAVE PLACED ME ON... PROBATION. MY FATE DEPENDS ON YOURS. ON WHETHER THE CHANGES YOU'VE CAUSED—THE CONNECTIONS YOU'VE CREATED BETWEEN DIMENSIONS—HELP THE MULTIVERSE OR HARM IT."
Shadic was quiet for a long moment.
"So if I screw up, we both get erased?"
"ESSENTIALLY, YES."
"Cool. No pressure."
"I'M SORRY. I TRULY AM. YOU DESERVED BETTER THAN THIS."
Shadic turned back to the ocean.
"Maybe. But this is what I got." He watched a wave crash against the rocks. "You know what's funny? Back in my old life, I was nobody. Worked at a game store, lived in a tiny apartment, spent most of my time playing video games and eating junk food. I never did anything that mattered. Never made any real difference."
He held up his hand, watching Chaos Energy crackle between his fingers.
"Now I'm the lynchpin of multiversal stability. My existence is causing changes across infinite dimensions. Gods—actual GODS—are watching to see what I do next."
"IS THAT... INTIMIDATING?"
"It should be. But honestly?" Shadic smiled. "It kind of feels like the universe finally figured out what I was for. Like this is what I was always supposed to become—I just needed to die first to get here."
"THAT'S... A SURPRISINGLY HEALTHY PERSPECTIVE."
"Three weeks in a coma gives you time to think. Even if you don't remember most of it." He turned to face the Voice—or at least, the direction the Voice seemed to be coming from. "I'm not going to pretend I'm okay with everything you did. You manipulated me, used me, threw me into situations without proper explanation. That's not cool."
"I KNOW."
"But you also gave me something I never had before. Purpose. Power. A family that actually cares about me." He shrugged. "So I guess we're even. Or close enough."
"EVEN?"
"Don't push it."
"RIGHT. OF COURSE."
They stood together in silence—the cosmic entity and the fusion hedgehog, two beings who had been bound together by circumstance and desperation.
"So what happens now?" Shadic asked eventually. "You said my existence is causing changes. What kind of changes?"
"THE FRAGMENTS YOU LEFT BEHIND—IN THE LIGHT DIMENSION, IN THE VOID, IN THE OCEAN WORLD—THEY'RE CREATING CONNECTIONS. BRIDGES BETWEEN REALITIES THAT NEVER TOUCHED BEFORE. PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO CROSS OVER. IDEAS ARE SPREADING. THE MULTIVERSE IS BECOMING MORE... INTERCONNECTED."
"And that's either going to save everything or destroy everything."
"ESSENTIALLY, YES."
"Great. Love those odds."
"THE GODS BELIEVE IT COULD GO EITHER WAY. BUT I... I BELIEVE IN YOU, SHADIC. I'VE WATCHED YOU FROM THE BEGINNING. I'VE SEEN YOU FACE IMPOSSIBLE SITUATIONS AND FIND WAYS THROUGH. IF ANYONE CAN MAKE THIS WORK—CAN GUIDE THE MULTIVERSE TOWARD STABILITY INSTEAD OF CHAOS—IT'S YOU."
"No pressure, right?"
"ALL THE PRESSURE. BUT I THINK YOU'RE READY FOR IT."
Shadic considered this.
Well, Sonic-brain said, I always wanted to be important.
Be careful what you wish for, Shadow-brain replied dryly.
Hey, at least we're not bored.
There is that.
"Okay," Shadic said finally. "I'll do my best. That's all I can promise."
"THAT'S ALL ANYONE CAN ASK."
The Voice began to fade, but Shadic stopped them.
"Wait. One more question."
"YES?"
"My old life. My family back there. You said they were grieving. Are they... will they be okay?"
A pause.
"TIME FLOWS DIFFERENTLY BETWEEN DIMENSIONS. FOR THEM, ONLY A FEW MONTHS HAVE PASSED. BUT... YES. THEY'RE HEALING. MOVING FORWARD. YOUR MOTHER STARTED A CHARITY IN YOUR NAME—SOMETHING ABOUT GETTING KIDS INTO GAMING. YOUR SISTER GOT INTO THAT COLLEGE YOU ALWAYS SAID SHE WAS TOO GOOD FOR."
Shadic's eyes stung.
"Good. That's... that's good."
"THEY'LL BE OKAY, SHADIC. AND SOMEDAY—MAYBE—IF THE MULTIVERSE STABILIZES, IF THE CONNECTIONS YOU'RE CREATING BECOME PERMANENT AND SAFE... YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO VISIT. NOT AS THE PERSON YOU WERE, BUT AS THE PERSON YOU'VE BECOME."
"I'd like that."
"THEN LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN."
The Voice faded completely, leaving Shadic alone on the cliff with his thoughts and his Emeralds and the weight of infinite possibilities.
Amy found him there an hour later.
"Hey. You okay?"
"The cosmic voice showed up. Told me my existence is either going to save the multiverse or destroy it, and also that gods are watching my every move."
"...huh."
"Yeah."
Amy sat down beside him, leaning against his shoulder.
"You know what I think?"
"What?"
"I think the multiverse is lucky to have you. And if any gods have a problem with that, they can take it up with my hammer."
Shadic laughed—a real laugh, warm and genuine.
"I love you, Amy."
"I love you too, you ridiculous cosmic disaster."
They watched the sunset together.
And somewhere, in the spaces between dimensions, five Gods observed their creation and waited to see what would happen next.
Author's Note: The cosmic voice got called into the principal's office by LITERAL GODS. Shadic's existence is now officially a multiversal big deal. Epilogue next: Where do we go from here?