Review: Silver & Zero Part 7

Yuni Oha here as usual to review the latest chapter of Silver & Zero.

The concept for this episode came from one simple question. Why was Crisis City featured in Generations, despite its erasure from time? The easy answer is that White Space is a place outside of time, so therefore any number of temporal shenanigans could be to blame. But combine this question with the idea of Time Eater actually being Mephiles, and the pieces fall into place cleanly. While Iblis itself is never seen in Generations, its minions are, implying that Iblis is out there somewhere.

Both Silver and Zero have been through a lot over the course of this series. Much like the previous episode was a sort of character reset for Zero, this episode was the same for Silver. Silver may have mostly gotten over the tragedy of losing Blaze, but after everything he’s been through, it’s been difficult for him to keep his hopeful and positive outlook we saw him with at the beginning of the series. The outlook that led Blaze to call him naïve.

As far as Blaze goes, it was not my original intention to make this episode about Silver coping with his loss of Blaze for the third time, but as I wrote the White Space/Crisis City episode I already had planned, which was supposed to be about Silver obsessing over Iblis, I realized that things worked more naturally and made more sense if I brought Blaze into Silver’s mix of traumas. The fact that I was setting up for the twist at the end helped things along as well.

Iblis was presented here as the ultimate obsession of Silver. Though he and Blaze did eventually seal Iblis, it was only after a lifetime of struggle and strife. And even then, it wasn’t truly defeating Iblis, only sending it somewhere else. The fact that Blaze sacrificed herself for this, only for Iblis to still kind of exist made the impact of seeing his old nemesis even worse for Silver.

This episode fills in some blanks for Iblis lore. For one thing, it’s never explained why Iblis goes from somewhat humanoid form, to worm form, to humanoid form. Here, I establish that Iblis is constantly moving through a lifecycle that resets every time it’s pushed back by Silver and Blaze. So when Silver and Blaze defeat it in its intermediate form at the beginning of Silver’s story, they force it to devolve, so that Sonic and Shadow fight it in its larval state in their stories, only for it to have enough time to evolve into its nearly final form as Silver and Blaze return to the future. Also, Silver’s story teases us that Iblis’ final transformation was interrupted by Silver, meaning the boss fought at the end of Silver’s story isn’t Iblis’ final form. So, I stepped in and created its final form, which looks like a fiery version of Solaris. Given that Iblis is the body of Solaris, it is logical that it would take that as its final form.

We also get some new Mephiles lore as well, courtesy of the Core Sapphire. We finally learn how Mephiles is the Time Eater. The idea is that this isn’t “the same” Mephiles as the original, but rather an imprint or an echo left by an entity too powerful in the ways of time to be completely erased. That means that as of now, the “true” Mephiles still no longer exists, and this echo is slowly forcing his own revival with the power of the Temporal Sapphires. That doesn’t make him any less dangerous, though. We also learn why Mephiles was unable to travel to the future and merge with Iblis there, a supposed plot hole of ’06’s. Also, Solaris is revealed to be a Lord of Time, similar to Chronos and Janice. This may feel a little random, but it works with the lore. After all, Solaris is literally a god of time, which is essentially what the Lords of Time are as well. Also, Solaris as a body of light and Mephiles’ crystalline form both fit in with the motifs of the Lords of Time and Chaos. It was suggested in particular by ChaosProjectAuthor that the Chaos Project character Lumis the Shining, in naming similarity and in having a crystalline form, may have some sort of connection to Mephiles, which was never actually brought up in the story. The connection now exists.

As for the White Space portions of the episode, it just seemed logical to bring in Modern and Classic Eggman, just as we left them at the end of Generations, as we never see how they escape White Space and White Space being outside of time allows some freedom with interacting with the timeline of Generations.

Trivia time:

• The episode title, “Hope and Disaster,” refers to the ’06 concepts of the Flame of Hope and the Flames of Disaster, while also mirroring the feelings of Silver.
  • An alternate planned title was “Iblis Triggered.” It works for obvious reasons, but was deemed too silly a title for the more serious episode.
• White Space from Sonic Generations, as well as Crisis City and Flame Core from Sonic ’06 appear in this episode.
  • The exit hallway at the end of the episode was based on the hall in White Space where Modern and Classic Sonic first met.
• The first lines of the two Eggmans are the final lines from Generations, meaning this episode picks up exactly where the game left off.
• When Silver sees Eggman, he asks how he lost so much weight, confirming that in his memories of the ’06 timeline, Eggman, somehow, does look completely different.
• When explaining how he discovered Time Eater, Eggman directly confirms that it made its way into the world through a tear left behind from the black hole at the end of Colors, something which was only implied in Generations.
• The two Eggmans make many references and jokes:
  • Classic Eggman makes fun of Modern Eggman for wanting to build an amusement park, as seen in Unleashed and Colors, while also implied in any game he mentions Eggman Land in.
  • Modern Eggman said he’s built two space stations, referring to the original Death Egg from Sonic 2/3/Knuckles and the Death Egg mk.II from Sonic 4 Episode II.
    • What’s not counted here is the Death Egg II from Sonic the Fighters, as it is currently considered non-canon to The Chaos Project.
    • Modern Eggman also says he’ll build another Death Egg to spite Classic Eggman. This is a reference to his eventual construction of a new Death Egg in Forces.
  • In a recurring gag, Classic Eggman continues to suggest plans that Modern Eggman has already failed at.
    • Upgrading Metal Sonic with shapeshifting powers refers to Heroes.
    • Trapping an alien world and harnessing the aliens’ powers refers to Colors.
    • Holding the world hostage and blowing up half the Moon refers to Adventure 2.
      • Classic Eggman asking if Modern Eggman’s time only has half a Moon, then saying it doesn’t matter is a jab at the inconsistency of the Sonic series not showing only half a Moon after Adventure 2.
    • Awakening an ancient deity refers to Adventure, ’06, and Unleashed. Arguably Generations as well.
    • Cyberspace, the first plan that Modern Eggman hasn’t tried yet, is a timely reference to the upcoming Sonic Frontiers. Classic Eggman even calls it a whole new frontier.
    • The fake hover board grand prix is a reference to the rather basic story of Sonic Free Riders, which is canon to The Chaos Project.
    • Invading a magical world of dreams is a reference to Sonic Shuffle, which once again, strangely enough, is canon to The Chaos Project.
    • Traveling back in time to enlist the help of himself is clearly a reference to Generations.
    • Getting lucky and finding gemstone of infinite power to manipulate reality is a reference to Mania. Modern Eggman has not done this one, as Mania exist in a separate timeline to the modern timeline, with the branching point likely coming from Generations.
      • Modern Eggman later says that if that plan doesn’t work out for Classic Eggman, maybe he’ll luck out and the gem will appear on his doorstep afterwards, referencing the still-to-come events of Forces.
  • While running after the one sign of color in White Space, Modern Eggman shouts, “I’ve got it in my sight! The colors feel so right!” and later when exhausted. “I’ll…keep…on…running…!” Both are lines from the theme of Sonic Colors, Reach for the Stars.
  • Before departing, Modern Eggman says his next step will be to look into the legends of the Lost Hex, connecting the end of Generation to the beginning of Lost World, the next game in the series.
• “It’s no use” is once again Silver’s line, this time said as he despairs over his loss of Blaze and inability to get over it.
  • In addition, Silver also says, “Take this!” and, “This will end it!” while battling Iblis, completing the trio of lines from infamous Silver boss battle in ’06.
• When Silver is battling Iblis’ worm-like form, he attracts it with light, only for the monster to crash and get stuck. This is a reference to Sonic and Shadow’s battle against Iblis.
• The appearance of Blaze and the Sol Dimension in the final scene is the first major, physical appearance of either in Chaos Project media.
  • They did appear in a brief cameo when the dimensions were falling apart during the end of the Forces of Chaos arc.
• The time stamp at the end puts the final scene as roughly concurrent with the current events of the Chaos Project, a first for Silver & Zero.

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Thanks for another great episode, Yuni! I especially loved the banter between the Eggmans in this one. Generations has always been a hard topic for me to breach in The Chaos Project, given the awkward combination of lackluster story and questionable contributions to the canon, so I’m glad that you were able to do it for me. I hope everyone is looking forward to the finale arc as much as I am!

-And until next time, remember to live and learn every day!

Silver & Zero Part 7: Hope and Disaster

The truth will be revealed in this next part of the Silver & Zero saga, available to read right here!

In a white void beyond time and space, the crisis-stricken city of Silver’s forgotten future has been waiting. It was a world brought to smoke and ash by the fiery demigod, Iblis. And where there’s smoke, there should be a blaze. But in this world where life is gone, the flames bring hope and disaster alike.

Preview: Silver & Zero Part 7

Hey, everybody! Long time no see! The Chaos Project is still on Frontiers break (until November 8th), but as promised, we still have a bit of Silver & Zero to fill the void. As we move rapidly towards the conclusion of this miniseries, please have a look at the next chapter, coming soon!

Crisis City 

Silver, completely stern and steadfast, walks down the side of a toppled building. Zero walks nervously behind him. He glances about, his eyes darting from one dangerous sight to another. White Space is nowhere to be seen now. The sky is covered by a permanent layer of dark smoke and ash. What was once the ground level of the city is now an endless ocean of lava. Toppled and ruined structures of a once grand city are the only features visible above the lava, other than a massive volcano of fire constantly raging on the opposite side of the city. An orange glow of fire and lava cloaks everything. 

Zero takes a moment to look across the ruined cityscape. He is briefly reminded of the extremely similar skyline of the ruined city of the Fallout Zone as it burned from its nuclear holocaust. He shakes his head in disgust and says to himself, “After all the progress made from my time to Sonic’s, for such a future to be possible is horrifying. Why must the world always end in fire, no matter what the era?” He notices Silver moving on and rushes to catch up. 

Silver’s eyes are locked ahead of him, and he looks ready to take on anything. No matter what Crisis City throws at him, he continues walking unperturbed. A chunk of debris from a building above falls, but before it can crush him, Silver catches it telekinetically and tosses it aside effortlessly. Zero leaps up in terror when the debris crashes next to him. Their travels go on much like this. 

After a long trek, Silver comes to a halt atop a mostly intact skyscraper. They stand in front of the tower’s roof entrance door. His voice still lacking any emotion, he announces, “This is it. We’re here.” 

Zero approaches behind him. He fared much worse in the journey. Various parts of his body either have singed fur or are coated in ash. He has a few minor injuries as well. He says sarcastically, “That’s too bad. I was having so much fun on that little hike.” He steps up to Silver and asks more seriously, but still with annoyance, “But where exactly is here? You haven’t told me anything yet.” 

With his gaze locked forward, Silver explains, “This was where Blaze and I lived. This was our shelter from the chaos. This is where she’ll be now.” 

The annoyance drains off of Zero’s face. “Oh, I see…” He hesitates on what to say next. “Are you sure you’re ready to go in there? Is seeing her again what you really want right now?” 

Silver nods steadfastly. “More than anything.” With that, he steps forward and swings the door open. He leaps over the side of the stairwell inside and lands in a room below. 

He finds himself in a makeshift living quarter. Two hammocks hang from the roof, and various supplies are stacked on shelves. Silver calls, “Blaze!?” But nobody’s there, and there’s no response. 

Zero comes down the stairs. “There’s no one here.” 

The moment of silence is cut short when the entire room rumbles and shakes. Silver and Zero take a glance at each other then run for the roof. They look out to the lava below, which has become much more active. Something moves beneath the lava’s surface. 

Silver is mortified. He backs away slowly as he says through the last of his tears, “No… No… No… Not you…” He shouts at the top of his lungs in a combination of despair and rage, “Why are you here and not her!?” 

Zero demands, “Silver, what is it?” 

A massive worm-like creature breaches the lava. It glows as if it itself is made from lava and flames with a shell of nearly molten rock. It has piercing green eyes and its face is surrounded by rocky horns. It roars a monstrous cry that echoes through the city. 

With determination and focus returning to his face, Silver states, “It’s the reason for all of this. It’s the Flames of Disaster. It’s Iblis.”