WOWC-SV Chapter 5 part 4.2

The room they entered was dark and cold, and contained nothing but a large book seated on a pedestal in the center, a makeshift light shining down on it from the high ceiling.

They all stepped over to the pedestal and Shadow blew the thick layer of dust off the huge book, making his brothers cough like mad.

"Do you guys remember all those stories Mother used to read to us before bed when we were little?" he asked, opening the thick book carefully since it was old from wear and tear.

After their coughing fit, the triplets all sighed happily at the thought, "Good times…good times."

"I remember her starting 2 hours ahead of time just to make sure that we all had fallen asleep since it was so many of us," Shadow smiled.

"Yeah, all those urban legends and tall tales about knights in shining armor," Red then answered.

"And damsels in distress," Ty added.

"And aliens on faraway planets," Trigger jumped in.

"And Elites?" Shadow smirked. "Remember 'The Era of the Elites'?"

"Hmm?" they all asked, snapping out of their reminiscing. "What about it?"

"It's amazing how that one story… that one legend…is becoming a reality, isn't it?" he smiled, lost in thought, as he turned to the designated page.

"What do you mean?" Trigger asked.

"'Out of the nations, two beings shall rise,'" he quoted, reading the text aloud. His brothers listened intently as he continued on, "'One, of fire and chaos, demonic in nature, shall be born, whereas the other, being angelic in heart and mind shall, descend from the skies. Immortal and god-like in power, the two are bound to each other for all eternity. Once the mark of claim is received a new nation shall rise and will bring forth an empire that will never be destroyed. A sixth nation will rise and bring with it the dawning of a new era…the era of the Elites.'"

"Everyone thought it was a myth," Shadow added, running his fingers over the elaborate detail in the illustration depicting the Epsilonian cobalt angel and a black demon, their bodies intertwined in an ancient mating ritual. "But, that all changed when I was born."

"…That demon in the story is you, isn't it?" Ty asked.

"Precisely," Shadow answered, "which is why I'm called the Demon Prince. But the story says 'demonic in nature'. So, I'm not really a demon and you guys know that."

His brothers all crossed their arms and gave him a look.

"What?" he asked, raising a brow and trying his best to fake innocence.

"You're not a demon, alright," Ty said sarcastically, "That and I'm a woman."

"Ugh, alright," Shadow said rolling his crimson eyes in annoyance. "I guess that my attitude can be a bit demonic…but only when I'm pissed off or I have to be," he admitted.

"That's more like it," Red smirked.

"But when I came of the age to mate, I felt as if I was missing something, like I had to find something…or rather, someone. Our mother later told me this tale and said that it was my mate, my wife, that I was longing for. She never told me whether my mate was male or female, but said that I would recognize them instantly, even if we'd never met, and that they would bear an insignia that was similar to my own," he said, pulling off the fingerless white glove on his right hand to gaze at his birthmark, a large red symbol in his ebony palm that resembled a red spiral with spikes, the symbol on an Elite, just like the ones that the Elite angel and demon had emblazed on their foreheads in the picture. His brothers leaned against the wall and continued to listen.

"So, I set off," he sighed, "journeying to all five nations, searching for him…or her…but, sadly, no matter what person I encountered, no matter which one I chose to date… no matter how hard I tried, I never found them," he sighed miserably.

"Until now," the crimson-streaked male smiled. His brother's ears perked up at that.

With hands in his pockets and a proud smile on his face, Shadow replied:

"Guys, the reason why I bought Sonic is because he's my mate."