While your conversation with Shadow may have shed light on a few things... it's obvious he doesn't think you all are up to the task of saving the universe from Eggman. Which also means that now you're dealing with his test, starting immediately. Some of you may be whisked away with no time to even blink, while others may find themselves wandering the Void aimlessly. Regardless, it seems this week won't be a particularly easy one.
THE VOID
Nothing has changed in the Void. Nothing ever changes in the Void. It's impossible to track the passage of time in here, and your only escape are the rings... though you should be careful with them, as there's far fewer this week. You're free to travel between worlds as you see fit - Shadow won't stop you - but you can be snatched up from wherever you are at any given moment and pulled back into the Void. Maybe don't plan on spending to long anywhere else, because it won't end well for you if you do.
The hexagonal shards will still show you visions of other worlds... but this time they all show the same thing. You'll see worlds - maybe even your own - taken over by robots and Eggman's chroma, reduced to smoldering ashes or being rebuilt in Eggman's image. Your friends, allies, and enemies may even be going about their lives just as listlessly and dutifully, heedless of their surroundings. You may even see alternate versions of yourself among them. Regardless, it seems all these shards have to show you this week are all the possibilities of failure - that other versions of shardbearers in other timelines have already lost.
MINDSCAPES
Shadow's usage of the Phantom Ruby and his own fake Chaos Emerald shard have caused quite the problem for you all - namely, you'll find yourselves traversing each other's innermost thoughts and dreams. Exactly how this mindscape manifests depends on the individual, but one thing will always remain true: you won't be able to find the owner of the mindscape easily.
As a reflection of these inner thoughts, mindscapes can be any sort of place. Perhaps they are a reflection of the owner's inner demons and fear, or perhaps they showcase a bright future they want to work towards. Regardless, this is a dream and one the owner must be awoken from... which means finding them and bringing them back to reality. That's easier said than done when traversing through this dream-like state, where the rules are made up by the owner and you're a foreign being that the dream recognizes as a threat (even if you aren't).
You may encounter familiar places or people within these mindscapes. You may not. You may end up fighting for your life in here... or you may not. Each one is individual, and the experience can vary wildly from person to person. No matter what you face, you must find the owner of the mindscape and bring them back. You must ensure you're strong enough to support them... and protect yourself.
Curiously, you can activate your shared shard power with the owner of the mindscape at any time - or bolster your own power if you share shard colors - even without them being present. Will this make it easier or harder to help bring them back? It depends on the person, your bond, and the mindscape itself...
Waking them up is as simple as convincing them that they're dreaming - that this isn't real and that they still have things to return to - but that may be easier said than done depending on the person... or the mindscape itself. There's no telling what you'll encounter, after all.
SHARDS
You'll find you're capable of more now than you were before. You're really adapting to using your shard powers and fighting with others. Those of you who share shard colors will feel the strength of your shards increasing even more when working together.
As you fight with your allies - particularly those you have a close bond with, positive or negative - you may feel the tug of something in the back of your head; it tells you that you can do more. Together, you can become more powerful. You can use your shards together. Doing so will grant you a new power, or strengthen the one you already have. The more you trust one another, the easier this power will be to use.
It might be good to experiment with these new powers; after all, you never know when you may need them.
TAILS' TASKS
Given that your allies are being pulled into mindscapes and are unable to break free of their own, your task this week is to help your friends. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are off dealing with their own mindscapes, but whenever they are around, they're adamant about the importance of making sure everyone is freed and prepared for whatever comes next.
ENEMIES
Like last week, you will not encounter any of Eggman's robots. The Void is still free of enemies, though other worlds may possess their own threats. Mindscapes are a bit of a different beast; each one varies, and you may or may not encounter threats of any sort in them. Best be on your guard.
[Well, the dress does have that standard medieval fantasy vibe, at least, so you could expect said mindscape to someone who might be wearing medieval-ish armor all the time. The faces are... well, they're hazy. Like they're half-remembered or someone didn't really pay attention to the details of the faces of people around them. It's not enough to suggest some sort of problem with facial recognition, and there might be a few whose faces are clearer-like perhaps an older lady heading to the kitchens, for example-but... yeah it's just kind of weird.]
[That is strange! Turo's own memory is perfect, video-like; he's never known what it might be like to forget something or have an uncertain memory. The woman with the sharper image catches his attention, and he'll turn to follow her.]
[That's sort of funny, though? Turo will watch for a minute, but if this doesn't seem to be anything interesting, he'll move on to explore more of the area.]
[Well... the scenery does change to the Dark Castle, and suddenly the old lady is replaced with a spooky scary skeleton!
...except the skeleton also appears to be baking. Instead of a helmet they're wearing a chef's hat, and instead of swords they're holding. like. a rolling pin. a whisk. a cooking knife. you get the drill...
...they don't seem to have noticed Turo, at least. Also, one of the cabinets seems to be moved aside a little bit from where it was in the Light Castle?]
[Slightly alarming, but...the skeleton is just baking. No need to bother it, then. Her? Turo isn't sure how gender might operate with skeletons.
Anyway, he turns to look at the other differences, and with his analytical abilities he's able to notice the cabinet pretty quickly! He walks over to see if there's anything there, maybe behind it.]
[Why, there seems to be a staircase behind the cupboard! How neat. It might require moving the cupboard a bit to go up, but the skeleton is very involved in baking some monster munchies...]
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...d... does Jasper just remember her more clearly because she's the one who makes the sweet treats...............]
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...except the skeleton also appears to be baking. Instead of a helmet they're wearing a chef's hat, and instead of swords they're holding. like. a rolling pin. a whisk. a cooking knife. you get the drill...
...they don't seem to have noticed Turo, at least. Also, one of the cabinets seems to be moved aside a little bit from where it was in the Light Castle?]
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Anyway, he turns to look at the other differences, and with his analytical abilities he's able to notice the cabinet pretty quickly! He walks over to see if there's anything there, maybe behind it.]
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