The digital mist cleared, revealing a version of Angel Island that shouldn't exist. The colorful jungle had turned a bruised purple, and the music—usually a triumphant beat—was a slowed, distorted heartbeat.
As Sonic.EXE touched the gem, a wave of pure chaos energy washed over him. The red eyes flickered and died. The jagged teeth smoothed out. The dark fur faded back to a familiar, bright cobalt blue. Sonic 3. EXE e Knuckles
Sonic.EXE let out a static-filled screech and vanished into a blur of black smoke. He reappeared instantly above Knuckles, diving down in a spindash that crackled with red electricity. Knuckles braced himself, his feet digging deep trenches into the sand. He caught the spinning nightmare with his bare hands, the friction smelling like ozone and burnt rubber. The digital mist cleared, revealing a version of
Sonic wasn't himself. His fur was darker, his eyes glowing with a jagged red light that leaked like spilled ink. He was , a glitch in the code that had grown teeth. The red eyes flickered and died
Sonic hit the ground, blinking rapidly. "Whoa... Knux? Why does my head feel like it was kicked by a Motobug?"
"Too slow," the glitch hissed, his voice echoing from everywhere at once.
Knuckles crossed his arms, a small smirk tugging at his mouth. "You had a bug in your system, Sonic. I just handled the debugging."