The battle with Eggman had ended in fire and shattered steel—but peace never stayed long.

Knuckles stood alone beneath a dim sky, the weight of the Master Emerald no longer in his hands, yet never truly gone from his mind.

“I have entrusted it… to Wade Whipple,” he said earlier, voice steady, though something in it felt uncertain. “He is strange… but loyal.”

Sonic raised a brow. “You gave the most powerful gem in existence to Wade? The guy who calls bowling a combat sport?”

Tails crossed his arms gently. “Knuckles… you might be overthinking things again. Like the doctor you thought was a threat—he was literally holding a thermometer.”

“And the cleaning crew,” Sonic added. “They quit, by the way.”

“They wore uniforms. Uniforms imply allegiance.”

“And the mailman?” Tails pressed.

“He approached the house with purpose.”

“He was delivering mail,” Sonic deadpanned. “You made Ozzie try to ‘defend the territory.’”

Knuckles didn’t respond. His gaze drifted, distant—restless.

“I am the last of my kind,” he said quietly. “Relaxation is not a luxury I possess.”

---

He tried to leave Earth.

Tried to return home.

But something intercepted him.

A force. Calculated. Watching.

And then—

impact.

---

The ground split as Knuckles crashed back to Earth, his body shifting into human form as energy flickered and died around him.

“…Denied,” he muttered, rising slowly. “Someone… blocked my path.”

---

Inside the Wachowski home, the air felt wrong.

“You are all in danger,” Knuckles warned, standing rigid, eyes sharp. “This enemy seeks the Master Emerald. And me.”

Tom frowned. “Knuckles, we can help—”

“No. I will face this alone.”

Sonic stepped forward. “You don’t have to do everything alone.”

“I do.”

---

By the time he realized he was wrong—

it was already too late.

The house was empty.

No struggle. No sound.

Just absence.

Knuckles stood frozen, something deeper than anger creeping in.

“…I cannot feel them.”

For the first time—his instincts failed him.

---

Wade’s apartment felt too small for the silence Knuckles carried in with him.

“They’re gone,” Knuckles said flatly.

Wade swallowed, trying to stay steady. “Okay… okay, that’s bad. That’s really bad.”

Knuckles turned to him. “You are a warrior. Do you know another?”

Wade blinked. “…I mean, I win a lot at bowling—”

“Another.”

“…Yeah. Yeah, I do.” Wade nodded, more serious now. “She’s not like us. She’s… dangerous. The kind of person you call when things are already bad.”

“Good.”

Wade grabbed his jacket. “You’re not gonna like her methods.”

Knuckles stepped toward the door, fists tightening.

“I do not need to like them.”

The night outside felt heavier than before—as if something unseen was already closing in.

And somewhere out there—

the hunt had already begun.