♪ ~ [A Waterdrop in the Dark ~ Falcom Sound Team jdk ~ Ys VIII -Lacrimosa of DANA- Original Soundtrack Complete Vol.1]

         “So, this is it then?”

         “According to my cards,” Rosy confirmed as she tightly clutched the card case in the puffy sleeve of her leotard.

         “Then let’s go.”

Stone blocks covered in glowing blue geometric lines.
So massive as to be full of chambers and caverns.
A whole ever shifting labyrinth.
The perpetual gaze of the sun eclipsing Yoluku blocked.
Grass and trees of white color in the ancient structure.
Golems of stone, waiting to challenge all who entered.

          ~For a change I was the one leading. Normally Sonic led, or chose where we went at least. In this labyrinth where my cards led us in search of the Yolk Device, Sonic trusted me. It’s thrilling really, but it’s not easy.

          ~Dowsing is a lot of fun, and you can find all sorts of things if you just attune yourself to the world around you. But it also requires paying a lot of attention. With the ever-shifting blocks here it’s easy to get distracted. The golems aren’t helping either. Especially since there are a lot more interesting ones now than just the anchor like ones from before. Like there are stone gears with the green gems of the other golems at their center like eyes.

          ~Oops! That’s exactly what I mean. The golems are distracting. But Sonic is relying on me, so I have to let him fend off the golems so I can find us a way through. I hope there’ll be an easier way out once we get through. Otherwise, I’ll have to rely on just finding flowing water to get us out, and I know Sonic can’t swim. Ooh~! If only he’d let me teach him!

♪ ~ [Dance Macabre ~ INTI CREATES ~ MEGAMAN ZERO/ZX SOUND BOX]

         With Rosy’s talent for the mystical, she and Sonic found their way through the labyrinth. Regarding the treasure they sought at least. One that Rosy was not expecting.

A five-pointed star, red in color.
Two points touching where a Ring met cogwheel.
The red wheel turning through the decayed Ring.
A crystal rose encasing the device.
A swirling gyroscope of great complexity.
Blue glowing eyes of great intensity.

         “Ix!” Sonic shouted as he skidded to a halt and caught Rosy on his outstretched arm.

         “I’ve been waiting for you, Sonic the Hedgehog,” Ix stated, the purple robed, white echidna autogolem rising to his feet.

         Lifting his staff, adorned with a half cog wheel head in which rested a crystal rose, Ix proceeded to slam its base into the ground. In response, petals fell from the rose.

         “Wah~! Rosy shouted, as the reaction proved much greater than that, the entire ruin beginning to shake and tremble. The blue glow of the geometric lines turning vermillion.

         “I hope you don’t plan on bringing this whole place down, Ix,” Sonic took on a cocky tone, calling out what he read as bluff.

         “And risk destroying Benedict’s Medium?” Ix scoffed at the idea. “No, you foolish Ring Mage, I am merely setting the stage so that Benedict might see my victory.”

         Adding exclamation to his words where he did not, the ruins above Ix opened into a round shaft that served as a chimney and skylight. A skylight through which Yoluku and sunlight could be seen through clearly. And not just Yoluku, but also several stone golems that pulled themselves free of the walls and fell into the chamber with Ix and the hedgehogs.

         “Sonic, I’ve only seen him in a vision, but–”

         “I know,” Sonic nodded as he shifted his stance to prepare for the coming golems. “He’s Yolk’s right-hand flunky.”

         “You demean my relationship with Benedict, Ring Mage. But it matters not. You will die here, and I will claim Benedict’s Medium.”

         “I don’t belong to that creep!” Rosy shouted and jumped back from a golem that reached for her. As she landed, she uncurled to keep herself from bouncing, but promptly curled again to perform her best Spin Dash and send the golem flying as she shattered the green gem that gave it life.

         Bouncing back from the force of the impact, she landed and gave Sonic a pleading look. “They’re after me Sonic, so I’ll distract them while you destroy that awful Ring.”

         “You’re just forgetting one thing, Amy,” Sonic smirked as a drop of sweat ran down his face. “Ix hasn’t moved from in front of it.”

         “Oh. Well then… We’ll just have to bash him too if he doesn’t want to let us save the people of this Zone!”

         “Heh! Works for me!”

         “I welcome your challenge.”

         Twiring his staff about, Ix slammed it into the ground again, splintering the ground and sending rocks and spikes flying. From the splintered ground, Rings also erupted and fell to the ground, golems rising from wherever they vanished.

         “What? How many can he make Sonic?”

         “Dunno,” Sonic admitted.

          ~Ix didn’t even bother talking. What a jerk. Even the creep at least talked when I met him, but Ix just started summoning golems to attack us. I mean, I guess I did mention bashing him if he didn’t let us save everyone, but he’s making me angry! And he keeps summoning more golems too! Every time Sonic and I break them he keeps summoning more and more unique ones, but at this rate we won’t be able to reach the Red Gear Ring.

          ~Oh right! I’m going to call them that now as it’s a lot easier than calling them Yolk Devices. But what they’re called doesn’t matter because as Ix keeps making more golems, we’re losing ground to run on that can reach it.~

         “You don’t seem to be enjoying yourself, Medium.”

         “Wha…?” Rosy asked quizzically as Ix pulled her from her thoughts.

         “Don’t listen to him,” Sonic warned as he danced around the green beams of energy fired off by the golems. “He’s just trying to distract you.”

         “But if he’s willing to talk…”

         “Amy!”

         “It matters little your thoughts, Ring Mage. I would know why the Medium does not seem to be enjoying herself. I forged countless Ring Bonds with the people of this Zone so that I might fulfill Benedict’s wish and tend to the problem of his Medium finding my golems boring.”

         “You did what,” Rosy stopped, trembling from the implications. Clutching at her heart she took an unsteady step towards Ix who looked down into the pit Sonic and Rosy’s fight had descended into. “Don’t you now if you make Ring Bonds, the Rings, they won’t ever come back! …that means, my memories…”

         “You do not know, Medium?” Ix queried under Rosy’s watery gaze. “I would never seek a permanent Ring Bond with the feeble masses who reject their place under Benedict’s rule.”

         “Ring Bonds aren’t permanent…?” Rosy breathed out in disbelief at Ix’s words, the light fading from her eyes. Until Ix continued to speak.

         “Not those forged by means of a Yoluku Device.

         “I see,” Ix remarked with a change of tone as he watched the light return to Rosy’s eyes. “I have made an error. You were ignorant of the nature of Ring Bonds. Had I not spoken prematurely… Yes. Your feelings for being able to travel with the Ring Mage. I see them on your face and regret wasting the opportunity to use them against you. To have made you willingly turn yourself over to Benedict.”

         “Now you’re going too far, I~X!”

         Ricocheting with fervent rage from one golem to the next. Sonic devastated the golems that had remained in the pit in an instant. “Playing with a girl’s feelings! I’m bringing you down now!”

         “Do not be so deluded,” Ix scoffed at Sonic as he again smashed his staff into the ground. “You’re useless flailing serves as the basis of the pit you grow trapped– ?!”

         “You! Really! Don’t! Know! Who! You’re! Talking! To!”

         “Sonic!” Rosy cried out in surprise at the anger apparent on Sonic’s face as he uncurled after smashing into Ix.

         Falling backwards, Ix’s glowing eyes widened in confusion at Sonic’s enraged scowl. “Impossible. The height… Unless. A Light Speed Dash. But performed by a mere mortal!”

         “Yeah, the jerk you call a friend said the same thing. Funny how you underestimate me just because I keep my feet on the ground.”

         “Sonic!” Rosy yelled at Sonic again. “Forget that jerk! You need to save everyone from Yolk! I’ll be fine! But you have to save everyone!”

          ~I don’t know what happened to Ix after that. When Sonic turned away from him, he fell off the platform that the Red Gear Ring was on. I thought he was going to come after me, but it was Sonic I saw next.

          ~Ooh~! That jerk Ix. He really upset Sonic. I mean, I’m happy that Sonic got that upset for my sake and was fussing over me. Really, it should make me even happier. But Sonic was really upset. I had to cheer him up. And while it took some convincing, with Ix gone we were free to try and climb the chimney he made in the ruins.

          ~Of course, Sonic could get out easily by running up the wall. But learning how to run on walls was new for me. But it was good practice. Sure, Sonic had to keep catching me every time I messed up and fell, but eventually I made it and we flopped side by side on the grass under the trees looking up at Yolk blocking the sky.

          ~Hmph! Even with those two jerks ruining everything, I had a lot of fun and we saved everyone in Archidemia Zone from Yolk’s control. I even got to lay beside Sonic for a while! Tee-hee~♥ I couldn’t be happier. It ended up being a wonderful day!~