prince shadow

When Sonic is sold to the Doom Empire, he finally realizes that he will never return to the life he had many years ago.
Driven by a long-standing promise and despite his emotional scars, Crown Prince Shadow wants to help those around him, regardless of the danger—and this includes the little hedgehog his father bought, who saved the prince's life.
The whole world is against them, and friendship seems unlikely. But everything in its own time—anything can happen.
"When Sonic is sold to the Doom Empire, he finally realizes that he will never return to the life he had many years ago. Then, he saves the crown prince and discovers that he is something more than he seems at first glance. Perhaps the prince is not so different from the blue hedgehog, but Sonic doesn't count on it—especially when his own inner demons seem insurmountable, and even simply singing can be very painful.
Driven by Maria's long-standing promise and despite his emotional scars, Crown Prince Shadow wants to help"

"You saved the prince," Cream chirps. "It was incredible!"

Sonic looks at his bandaged body, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

"Precautionary measures," Gray tells him. "Shadow healed the worst of your wounds, but you're still too weak, so you'll need to heal yourself," he leans closer. "Cream thought you were going to die, and to be honest, I thought so too. Even Shadow was worried, and he's not the type to worry often.

"Who is Shadow?" Sonic asks.

“It’s me,” another voice, deep and full of power, sounds in the room.

Sonic's heart skips a beat.

The Black Prince of the Doom Empire closes the door to his bedroom (his bedroom!) and approaches the bed. Gray and Cream step aside as a sign of respect.

The prince smiles at Sonic; he is wearing the same crimson jacket and button-down tunic (with gold fastenings on the chest) that he wore the day Sonic first arrived in the Empire, with black, red, and white shoes on his feet, red and black gloves on his hands, and gold rings glittering on his wrists and ankles. His demeanor and appearance do not seem to carry any threat. At least for now. “My name is Shadow. But I suppose you already know that, since I answered your question,” the prince places his palm on the white fur visible from the neckline of his tunic. “And what is your name?”

"You can call me whatever you want," Sonic replies, his training already underway. "I'll answer to any name."

Shadow touches his chin thoughtfully.

• Calling out to anyone other than your birth name or nickname is a crime. If you still remember, may I ask what your birth name was?

— B-at birth? — Sonic blinks. This… was the first time. No master had ever cared about his real name. It was usually kept quietly among slaves, a tiny part of their personality. From a young age, they were taught to accept whatever name their master chose for them.

“If you still remember, then yes,” Shadow simply answers.