“The world and Rings are the same.
So too is Gaia and the Rings.
Then so to must be Chaos and the Rings.
If Chaos is life and Gaia form, then Rings are what join us as one.”

···

♪ ~ [Pilgrim Snow ~ Yokko Kanno ~ WOLF’S RAIN]

A large stone bridge twisted by the influence of Rings
Covered in moss and skirting above treetops
Joining two facing cliffs garbed in waterfall curtains
Stone orbs with green gem irises drifting about
A circle engraved in the ground glowing gold
A holographic star floating above its center

         The five-pointed star began to spin along its axis and the Ring engraving in the ground spun up onto its edge revealing it was an actual Ring. It was much too large to be a normal Ring, easily over two meters in diameter, yet it spun about on its axis for a moment like its smaller counterparts. Then, with a flash of light, Sonic and Rosy were standing where it was, it having returned to its rest on the ground at their feet.

         “Well, that didn’t work,” Sonic laughed and flopped onto his back with a laugh.

         “Well, what were we supposed to do?” Rosy asked as she checked herself over and fussed about with her leotard.

         “It doesn’t matter now,” Sonic sat up and rested his arms on his knees. “The Golems will have wiped out that whole cliff by now. We’ll need to find another way up there.

         “…What are you doing exactly?”

         Sonic’s question did little to draw Rosy’s attention as she hopped around the holographic star and the oversized Ring stuck in the ground. She was obviously curious and wanted to know. With a sigh, Sonic obliged Rosy a little.

         “It’s called a Star Ring Post. Adventurers like me use them so we can stay safe if we get in over our heads.”

         “Like we just did when the golems destroyed the cliff by turning it into Rings?”

         “Exactly,” Sonic confirmed as he looked away from Rosy before she noticed he was watching her. “That saying–”

         “The Rings will always remember?” Rosy finished for Sonic with a question and stopped her investigating to finally look at Sonic. “Does that work with Star Ring Posts?”

         “Ugh, it’s kind of how they work,” Sonic stood up and strolled over to Rosy.

         “There are a lot of different types of Rings. Most aren’t as versatile as normal Rings, or as troublesome as the one in your eye.”

         Pointing a finger at Rosy’s left eye, Sonic watched the turning gear that passed through the two-fifth chunk remnant of a red Ring that encircled a matching star. The Red Gear Ring replaced Rosy’s left iris, though it did not seem to interfere with her sight. Though unlike her right iris, still a shade of blue that matched his quills, Sonic could not see Rosy in it.

         “You know, regular Red Star Rings are actually useful compared to the mind controlling properties of this thing,” Sonic continued, making a face as though he hoped someone else could see him through Rosy’s eye.

         “Tee-hee~♥” Rosy giggled and stepped back from Sonic, squatting down as she perched on the giant Ring in the ground. “Well, that’s what our Ring Bond is for. It keeps that creep from being able to possess me. Though, I like the one where you shared your speed with me too Sonic~♥ I’d say that’s my favorite~♥”

         “You’re making it sound like I’ve made a bunch of Ring bonds with you,” Sonic teased Rosy with a toothy smirk as he stepped past her. “But you’re out of luck if you’re having any of your silly daydreams about the Ring Bond.”

         “They aren’t silly!” Rosy whined as she threw a tiny tantrum.

          ~Really, it was amazing Sonic talked so much about Rings at all in that moment, especially the Ring Bond. He typically avoids talking about the Ring Bond. It’s obvious he doesn’t like it, but I tease him about it from time to time to help him understand it’s a good thing. He doesn’t seem to take that heart, or maybe it feels too intimate to Sonic. He really isn’t good with matters of the heart, but he’s so cute when I tease him about them~♥

          ~Teasing Sonic aside, I learned a lot about Rings today, though I wonder if I haven’t already, and more than once too. Here in the Far Lands, Rings steal away your memories. It says how important my love for Sonic is as I’ve never forgotten it all! If we stay here too long though the whole world will share my feelings for Sonic. It already may too~♥

          ~The Rings will always remember.

          ~Golden Rings remember our memories and have memories of the world. Through a Ring Bond those can be shared. Red Star Rings hold onto physical objects and keep them safe as precious mementos. But they get split up into five separate Rings and have to all be collected to get what’s inside. According to Sonic it’s how Star Ring Posts work too.

          ~When you pass a Star Ring Post, the star will spin and start to glow brightly. It means it’s shared the memories Rings have with you. If a bunch of Rings have a strong memory of you it’ll call you back to it if something happens to you like if you get really hurt or worse. And when you come out of one it’ll have removed all of your injuries and the sort too, just like collecting a hundred Rings will. Sonic says it’s a good idea to collect another hundred after being saved by a Star Ring Post just to be on the safe side and make sure it has a good strong memory to use again.

          ~The thing is though, it’s the Red Star Ring similarity that has me feeling kind of funny thinking about it…

♪ ~ [The Riders Boon ~ Tsuyoshi Sekito ~ A REALM REBORN: FINAL FANTASY XIV Original Soundtrack]

From clifftops unreachable, waterfalls fell like curtains
From sources unknown a great scar drank deep
From its depth an outcropping jutting forward
A waterfall alcove hiding ancient stone ruins
Drifting golems and floating platforms adorning it
A Red Star Ring its prized possession.

         “Do you think it’s still possible to get up there?” Rosy queried as she spied several anchor-man stone golems floating about like ghosts, as well as more of the eyeball like stone spheres.

         “We probably don’t need to,” Sonic admitted. “I can’t tell for sure from here, but I’m positive it’s not a Red Gear Ring. Usually those are trapped inside crystal roses and big, complex gyroscopes. It really looks like it’s just a regular old Red Star Ring.”

         “Yet you’re saying that while smirking Sonic,” Rosy called out Sonic’s obvious desire to take on the challenge of getting to the Red Star Ring. “We’ve already collected four other Red Star Rings so we might as well see what was stored in them, right? It could be treasure or it could be something that can tell us about the Far Lands.”

         “Whatever it is, the challenge is more than worth the effort now,” Sonic’s toothy smirk grew into a full-on grin.

         Rosy expected Sonic to head out right away with that declaration, but to her surprise he stayed a moment longer watching the eye shaped golems. As had been the case when they had arrived at what had been a cliff the first time, from the green gems that served as their cores the golems fired green beams of light. Before it had been at a cliff, but now that cliff had been reduced by the golems into mere floating platforms. Platforms that when hit by the beams of light exploded into Rings which fell into the canyon below and vanished shortly afterward.

         “If we wait any longer Sonic–”

         “Look,” Sonic cut Rosy off and and pushed the inside of his arm against the side of her head. Rosy flushed at Sonic’s sudden closeness and the potential to be unexpectedly hugged by him, until she realized he was pointing at something.

         “Is that?”

         “Yup!” Sonic exclaimed confidently as he and Rosy watched an eyeball golem bump into a platform neither they nor the golem could see. “Rings can’t be seen by everyone and can’t be seen at all when they rejoin the planet. So, when they get close to becoming Rings as we know them again, sometimes you end up with invisible platforms.

         “Come on, Amy! Follow my lead!”

         “It’s Rosy!” Rosy cheerfully shouted after Sonic as she chased after him without need for invitation.

         Between their newfound knowledge of the invisible platforms and a few sneezes from Sonic and his peculiar danger sense, Sonic and Rosy soon stood upon the floating platform where the Red Star Ring awaited them. And as Sonic suspected, it was a normal Red Star Ring and not a Red Gear Ring.

         “Ooh~!” Rosy whined with playful disappointment, her hands clasped behind her back as she swayed her body to and fro. With any golem that could reach the platform taken down by her and Sonic during their approach, she could afford to be so playfully relaxed as she waited for Sonic to take hold of the Red Star Ring.

         In a flurry of red motes of light, the Red Star Ring vanished as Sonic touched it, and Sonic found himself in possession of a roll of parchment decorated with a beautiful painting of the Zone they ran through.

         “It’s so pretty,” Rosy remarked as Sonic looked at it with her. He then promptly put it away, the absorbed Red Star Rings in his body serving as its container again.

         “Not as pretty as actually seeing it in front of us,” Sonic downplayed the painting as he took in the view. To his surprise Rosy did not join him at his side and he looked back at her. “Amy?”

         “Hey, Sonic,” Rosy asked, having stepped backwards all the way to the edge of the floating platform where she kicked the ground thoughtfully. “I’ve been wondering because of my memory loss, what happens when only one of us needs to be called back by a Star Ring Post. I would think we would be separated, but that hasn’t happened yet. It’s really weird too since I know I’m not as good at using your speed as you. I’m sure I’ve slipped up and maybe even bad enough to need called back to one. But my memory isn’t very reliable right now. Yet you know Sonic, I think you lied earlier when you said you only had two Ring Bonds with me.”

         “I never said how many,” Sonic sighed and shook his head. “But I don’t like talking about them either. So come on, let’s drop it and get back to looking for that Red Gear Ring.”

          ~Sonic said to drop it, but I think I was being too fussy about it. I mean I tried to not ask Sonic about it again. When I slipped on a wet platform though and fell down a waterfall only to wake up at a new Star Ring Post, I couldn’t just let it be anymore. But at least I learned that Sonic is being super sweet~♥

         ~Naturally, he didn’t explain how it worked, but somehow Sonic has set it up that if a Star Ring Post has to call him back it’ll call us both back at once. If I mess up though it’s like I get put inside a Ring for storage like how Red Star Rings keep things safe. And though it’s kind of scary to think about, I stay there until Sonic goes to a Star Ring Post at which point it lets me out.

         ~Ooh~! Really thinking about it, it’s not fair! If Sonic thinks something is too dangerous for me, he can just put me away like a doll and keep all the fun to himself. It’s sweet he wants to keep me safe, but I can take care of myself too! I need to get better at using his speed and show him he doesn’t have to protect me so much no matter how sweet it is! It’s too much! I’d rather Sonic just hold me if it really is too dangerous so I don’t miss out on the fun and can help him enjoy a bigger challenge. Though my slip up today is showing me I’m not working hard enough yet.

          ~Ooh~! Just you wait Sonic! I’m going to get so good you’ll want me to carry you!~