♪ ~ [Secret Green Passage ~ Falcom Sound Team jdk ~ Original Soundtrack the Legend of Heroes: Sora no Kiseki]

“Before we get too deep into this adventure, I want to be sure of something. Just don’t ask me to explain it.”

~Sonic surprised me as he presented me a Ring and asked me to take hold of it. He surprised me even more when I did, and he looked me directly in the eyes! My heart is beating so fast I can’t think clearly! EEE~! It’s so romantic~♥

~Oh?

~To my surprise the Ring suddenly burst into the same motes of twinkling golden light they leave behind when Sonic collects them. But there are so many more and they flood into me and Sonic both.

~There is a golden light in me I can just feel, like it links me to Sonic, and this new light…~

“A Ring Bond?” Rosy asks, unsure of herself.

“So, you remember that much?” Sonic asks eying Rosy speculatively.

“Kind of,” Rosy tries to answer. “It’s more like I remembered when that light came into me.

“Oh!” Rosy suddenly exclaimed excitedly. “I know! I know! Do it again, Sonic! Maybe making Ring Bonds with me will bring back my memory! You said Rings remember things so maybe they remember my memories and you can share them with me too!”

“Not happening,” Sonic refused and turned his back on Rosy, sticking a finger in his ear and scratching around. Rosy thrust her fists down and stuck her butt up as her cheeks puffed at Sonic’s attitude, but he cut her off as he explained. “A Ring Bond is a way to share abilities or gain knowledge. But I don’t like making them. And you’re not getting more of an explanation than that from me.”

“Ooh~! Then what was that Ring Bond for?”

“I just shared my speed with you. I’m not going to be carrying you for this entire adventure. So, you better do your best to keep up.”

Rolling hills covered in muted green grass.
Watched on high by the small sun eclipsing planet.
Gentle grey clouds drifting over the land.
Villages of dome topped domes.
Overgrown train tracks spiderwebbed across and through the scenery.
Giant satellite dishes sitting long abandoned
Artificial flowers of steel long having forgotten their purpose.

~Wee~!

~Running with Sonic’s speed is amazing! He makes me look bad at it, but I can’t believe I can actually do it! Rings are amazing! Well, Kind of…

~Sonic said he wasn’t going to explain the Ring Bond in more detail, but he’s so sweet of course he told me more. And it’s kind of sad. When Sonic makes a Ring Bond, it uses up the Ring. It doesn’t become a part of the world again. It’s a memory that becomes a part of the two of us. So, it’s super special, but also not good for recovering my memories.

~Ooh~! Now I’m growing worried. Sonic said that the planet in the sky is called Yoluku, but I can’t really say it so I’m going to call it Yolk. But that’s not the point. Sonic said that while I was sleeping that he had to make a Ring Bond with me so I could resist its power. I don’t understand, but that means that there are at least two Rings that are no longer part of the world. If they held any of my memories, they could be gone for good.

~I hope they weren’t special ones, so I’m going to collect as many Rings as I can and try to talk them into giving me back my memories! I have special cards I can use to read the future and talk to spirits and the sort, so I’m sure I can talk to Rings too. For some reason Sonic had my cards though, but now I’ve stored them in the puffy sleeve of my leotard. Hee-hee! It’s such a perfect hiding place!

~Ah–!~

Running about without a care in the world, Rosy was unprepared as she slipped off the edge of a small cliff and right onto a collection of spikes for all extents and purposes. She was absolutely terrified, and immediately bewildered as instead of being skewered on them she bounced off of them, the Rings she had been gathering scattering all around her.

“Oh no~!” Rosy cried out as she tried to collect as many of the lost Rings as she could, but she stopped as she watched the bouncing loops of gold perform a disheartening act. “They’re… disappearing?”

“That’s what they do,” Sonic laughed as he hopped down and joined Rosy, collecting a few as he did.

Rosy watched the Rings disappear, both the ones that simply faded out as well as the ones that were absorbed into Sonic’s body. They disappeared with a twinkle of golden motes of light and left Rosy wanting to know more about the odd objects that she held in her body in the same way. Sonic was already explaining though and easily held Rosy’s full attention.

“I don’t know how it works, but if you’re holding a Ring, even just one, it’ll protect you from all kinds of harm Heh! You’ll drop them all any time you would get hurt though.”

“Ooh~! Don’t laugh at me Sonic! I was terrified! And now they’re all gone. Do you think they become a part of the world again when they protect us from harm?”

“No doubt about it,” Sonic shook a finger and moved to find a way out of the spike lined gulley he had followed Rosy into. “Though if you don’t lose them, and don’t keep them to yourself, you can use them for all sorts of things. Repairing clothes and structures. Fueling my plane, the Tornado. Probably a lot more too. Tails would know a lot more than I do.”

“Tails?” Rosy asked and looked at Sonic quizzically. He did not look back though.

“A friend of ours. A really close friend of ours. The best friend a couple of adventurous hedgehogs like us could ask for.”

“Really!” Rosy lit up and chased after Sonic. “I want to meet them! Maybe meeting them will jog my memories. Where are they now?”

“Dunno,” Sonic admitted with a shrug. “I don’t really keep track of my friends that well.”

“Soni~c! That’s horrible!”

“Live and let live I say. Besides, run around as much as we do, and we’re bound to bump into each other. Now come on. Let’s get out of this prickly place before you do get hurt and we have to round up a hundred more Rings just to tend to your injuries.”

“Rings can do that!”

“Get a hundred of them and they’ll get rid of any injury you have. Well, almost.”

~Sonic didn’t go into too much more detail, but he made it clear that’s it more like Rings restore you to the last state you remember yourself as healthy. So, they can’t cure sickness or grow back long-lost limbs. I’ll have to make sure I never put myself in more danger than Rings can keep me safe in. But I’m sure following Sonic I’ll be perfectly fine! After all, he’s my hero and will never let anything happen to me. And before he knows it, I’ll master his speed and he won’t have too either. Then… Then we can enjoy this adventure to Yolk and finding my memories together! And Sonic will realize how much he loves me sooner or later!

~Hee-hee! I know he does! He’s just no good at facing it. I’m sure of it. But if I can run with him everywhere, he’ll have all the time in the world to learn how, and I’ll be sure to help him! That’s what friends and destined lovers are for~♥