Mission 2: Unimportant God

"Mission 2: Unimportant God" (時間と空間の神 - Gods of Time and Space) is the 3rd chapter/episode of Lost. It is the first mission and chapter without any direct inspiration. It also signifies the first appearances of Estyn, Lara-Za and Volt, who join Shadow and Maria but also brings Sonic into the Sky of Time and he also joins the team to make the core Team Universe.

## Appearances

### Characters

* Team Universe
	+ Shadow the Hedgehog
	+ Maria Robotnik
	+ Sonic the Hedgehog
	+ Estyn
	+ Lara-Za
	+ Volt

* Shamrock Rebels
	+ Lordess Kasey
	+ Gabby
	+ Trixie
	+ Magenta
	+ Korey
	+ Jack Wolf
	+ Danielle
	+ Nin
	+ Vera
* Infinite (under the alias Hawkeye)
* Aeon
* Aethon
* Gruff
* Ms. Whiskers
* Zielo
* Princess Ginger (vision)
* Knight Amber (vision)
* Knight Azure (vision)
* Knight Jet (vision)
* Knight Dawn (vision)
* Knight Moss (vision)
* Knight Sun (vision)
* Tanya (mentioned)
* Ray the Flying Squirrel (mentioned)
* Amy-Rose (mentioned)
* Cream the Rabbit (mentioned)
* Bernadette Hedgehog (referred to)

### Locations

* Sky of Time
	+ Avaritia
		- Time Citadel
	+ Shamrock
		- Shamrock Rebel Base
* Kingdom of Oceania (vision)
	+ Oceania Palace (vision)
* Soulless Zone
	+ Wildlands of Heoh

## Themes

Opening Theme: "Goya no Machiawase" by Hello Sleepwalkers

Ending Theme: "Saigo Made II" by Aqua Timez

## Sypnosis

Shadow and Maria are given their next mission: to rescue Aeon's brother Aethon from rebels wanting to overthrow her and her brother. Along the way, they befriend Rebel misfits Estyn, Volt and Lara, who help them in their mission. However, Infinite is after Aethon's pendant that gives the user power over space itself but Shadow is about to suffer another bombshell, one that, in the end, might actually prove Infinite's downfall!

## Plot

Shadow is in the middle of a nightmare, where he is unable to see and is forced into hearing Sonic's screams of agony. They eventually stop, but Shadow sees Infinite who taunts him about the fact his cowardice, in which he didn't help Sonic during their initial encounter, has led to Sonic's demise and Shadow sees his dead body, only for a bloodied soul of Sonic to spit blame at Shadow for all the suffering he has gone though. Shadow wakes up eruptedly and goes onto one of the Citadel's balconies to clear his head, only to get interrupted mid-thought by Aeon, who asks him what is wrong. Shadow begins explaining about Infinite's earlier threat as well as his dream, but begins breaking down as he starts believing it was all his fault. Aeon allows him to get it out of his system before comforting him that her Time Spell prevents time from flowing, meaning Infinite can't enter their universe but also that Sonic's life was spared because he hadn't provoked Infinite further. Shadow also learns that the Phantom Ruby, Aqua Quartz and the Frost Diamonds (the jewels the previous zone's guards wore) are Soul Crystals and that the Ruby is a corrupted Crystal. Shadow eventually gets a grip on himself after a few more minutes of conversation and he learns more about Aethon's capture and promises Aeon he and Maria will rescue him, comparing his capture to Sonic's.

The next morning, Shadow and Maria witness a young girl get singled out by Gruff, a bear stallholder, after she tries stealing a bottle of water to help her friend Volt, who is sick. Gruff taunts her before Shadow intervenes and pays for the bottle himself to give to the girl, but Gruff grabs him by the quill and chews him out. Shadow retaliates by pulling out his Chaos Gun. While alerting shocked peasants that it only shoots air, he warns Gruff that it does shoot bullets when he wishes to, and Gruff backs down and allows them to take the water. The girl thanks them and introduces herself as Estyn. Shadow decides to use his blood to cure Volt, but is hesistant to tell her this, so he says he knows a way to cure him, exciting Estyn. She then retrieves some bread and leads them to where Volt and Lara are. Shadow then realizes that Maria feels uncomfortable around Volt and realizes she now has a crush on him, much to his annoyance. Upon seeing the two, Lara distrusts them but loosens up when Estyn assures her they're safe. Upon mentioning Aethon, the two girls explain more about the dimensional Rebels, who have set up their main base in Shamrock, a rural village a couple of miles away. Shadow explains how he is going to cure Volt: by injecting him with his own blood, as it can cure almost any illness. Estyn and Lara huddle on this but eventually allowing it. They also make a deal that, if the cure works, they'll help them rescue Aethon. Agreeing, Shadow injects himself with a syringe he took from the Time Citadel's infirmary room and gives it to Maria before passing out.

Upon waking up, Shadow sees Estyn, who is relieved he is alright since his faint lasted a few hours. Estyn also explains that Volt recovered almost instantly upon registering the injection, so she and Lara are in his debt. She then calls over Volt who meekly introduces himself and thanks Shadow. He compares Estyn to Amy, Lara to himself and Volt to Ray. He then learns the three are actually part of the Rebels, but are misfits and outcasts due to their unreliable record and doubt over their interest in their goals. Regardless, Lara keeps to the promise and says that she, Estyn and Volt will help the two rescue Aethon from the Rebels. However, the two get into an argument that Estyn is forced to intervene in, and Shadow expresses his dislike of Lara which is fine with him as he's sure the feeling is mutual. The 5 then travel to Shamrock, only to be stopped at a defense gate by guards Nin and Vera, though Nin immediately singles Maria out due to her "cute" appearance and starts acting in a perverted way. Annoyed, Maria knocks him out with her powers but it only makes his behaviour worse. Impressed, Vera goes to alert the leader, Lordess Kasey, of their arrival (with Shadow noting that "Lordess" is neither a proper title nor word). She then returns and allows them entry, dragging Nin off as she does with him still swooning over Maria, who she describes as creepy, with Shadow agreeing.

Upon entering a huge gathering room full of Rebel troops, they meet Kasey, who exhibits annoyance that the 3 have come to the base due to their reputation. Lara explains that Shadow and Maria wish to join the group, making Kasey go back on her comments out of acknowledgement of the idea of new members, seeing as campaigning and advertising is no longer bringing in new members. Kasey then gestures to two of the Core 5, the strongest 5 warriors, Jack and Korey, to inspect the two. Jack expresses doubt over Maria's usage to the group but she assures him at her strength. Korey, likewise, comments about Shadow and gets a threat disguised as a joke, but Korey is wise enough to stay quiet afterwards. Satisfied, Kasey has her younger sister and second-in-command Gabby escort Shadow and Maria to a bedroom complex while Estyn and her friends are turned out in disgrace despite their achievement. Pissed off, Estyn quickly slips a phone into Maria's dress pocket. Outside, Volt begins hacking the cameras while Lara goes off to hijack the security room to avoid alarms.

At the complex, Gabby asks if everything is as they want it to be, and Shadow replies yes. Maria then gets a secret message from Estyn on the plan and are told to stay put for the time being. The three get interrupted by Danielle, another of the Core 5 despite her brain injury, meaning she talks in broken English. She acquaints with Shadow and Maria before being ordered to return to her post, but she totters off due to a lapse in concentration, exasperating Gabby, who tells the two of an orientation the next morning before locking them in the room, much to Shadow's annoyance. The two try sleeping, but are kept mostly awake by the broken mattresses. Estyn then opens the vent and gestures to them to follow, though she is forced to go backwards. She uses an ability, called an Aura Light, to light the vent and explains she is psychic. At an intersection, she manages to turn around and they head below the base (with Shadow comically getting crushed by Maria at one point) to a sewer, where the dungeons are. Maria and Shadow expresses disgust at the water but Estyn seems to not notice. They come to a large door and Estyn gets a call from Lara who has control over the security room and the alarm on the door turns off. As it opens, a voice makes them jump. The man introduces himself as Hawkeye, a new member who only joined for fighting experience and wants to also rescue Aethon. Estyn expresses dismay at Hawkeye and questions his trustworthiness and is eventually accepted, though he is downhearted that he is being "victimized".

The four find Aethon sleeping in his cell. Estyn is forced to wake him by banging on the cell wall and he rolls off the bed in surprise, moaning about the noise before stopping mid-sentence when he notices the four aren't Rebel soldiers. Shadow asks if he is Aethon, which he confirms, but an alarm goes off before the conversation continues. Hawkeye ushers everyone out of the dungeons but they are intercepted by Kasey, Gabby and the Core 5. Estyn asks if Aethon can teleport them out, but he says he can't because Kasey has his Pendant, which she shows in triumph. Aethon angrily asks for it back by explaining that a "demon" is threatening all worlds. Hawkeye muses this carefully and fires a blast at Kasey's arm, gaining the pendant for himself. He then reveals himself to be Infinite in disguise. Estyn fearfully asks who he is but he denies to answer. He then reveals that he, too, is after the Soul Plates and says he is aware that all 300 will result in his defeat and doesn't mind Aethon's angry tone. He then reveals his plan: to create a new universe and rule as a God. Because Infinite is throwing the pendant up into the air and then catching it again, Estyn grabs it with her telekinesis mid-throw and gives it back to Aethon, who teleports everyone (excluding the Rebels and Infinite) back to Avaritia's entrance. Lara and Volt appear soon after, having also been teleported out. However, they only get a few seconds peace as Infinite escapes the base and finds them easily.

Infinite taunts that he could easily kill all of them in 5 minutes and Shadow learns that Infinite intentionally gave him that nightmare to destroy his fighting spirit, but ignores the "compliment" that Infinite gives him on how mentally strong he is. Shadow charges up two Chaos Guns and decides to end their score right here right now but Infinite reveals he has a hostage: Sonic. Shocked and not wanting to hurt Sonic, Shadow backs down. Infinite laughs and reveals he easily got through Aeon's Time Spell due to his "newfound Godhood" and calls her a fool. Despite this, Infinite reveals a cyan spherical pendant and wounds Sonic's arm instantly, musing that "his words rang truth after all". Shadow, angry, then resorts to reverse psychology and explains that Sonic is no use to either Infinite or him due to his psychological damage and Infinite, annoyed at the logic, releases Sonic and Shadow catches him before he makes fatal contact with the ground, noting that the wound is not fatal but serious. He also finds that Sonic is responsive in comparison to the coma he was in the last time he saw them but Infinite disappears before he can get any more information from him. Estyn expresses concern towards Sonic but Shadow assures her he's fine and Aethon teleports him, Sonic and Maria back to the Citadel while Lara, Estyn and Volt go to fight the remaining Rebel forces.

Back at the citadel, Aeon and Aethon blissfully reunite, but Aeon realizes Sonic's condition and directs Shadow back to the infirmary. Shadow goes to leave, only to get interrupted by Sonic who has regained consciousness and seems unaware of what has happened. Shadow asks if he is alright but he doesn't reply, which Shadow puts down to not being able to put his feelings into words. Sonic then asks where the others are, worrying Shadow as he doesn't want another meltdown. He mentions they are fine but Sonic asks to see them, busting his lie. He explains they are in another universe and that they are trying to defeat Infinite, though he doesn't mention him by name, but it seems to trigger something similar to a panic attack. After Sonic calms down, he bolts at the sight of Shadow. Momentarily stunned, Shadow follows and eventually manages to corner him, though Sonic is now extremely scared of Shadow, begging him not to hurt him, which Shadow is surprised about and asks why he would. Sonic calls him a demon, with Shadow's attempts to convince him otherwise failing. He then almost gets mocked because he hasn't "taken [Sonic's] soul" and Sonic explains that the place they are at is Hell and Shadow is a demon who took his shape to torture him more. Aeon sadly explains that his perception on reality has shifted due to a combination of hallucinogenic elements and a flashback to a illusion he was regularly subjected to during his 6-month confinement. Unable to take it anymore, Shadow breaks down and hugs Sonic, reminding him that hallucinations cannot be touched, which brings Sonic back to his senses, though he sobs an apology. Shadow explains that everything that Sonic has been through was indeed his fault (also learning that Sonic doesn't actually know Infinite by name) but Sonic denies this. Shadow then remembers something Sonic said and questions what he meant by the fact that he was the only person he could love.

Alarmed, Sonic turns away in embarrassment and refuses to answer the question, though he eventually admits he has had feelings for Shadow since they met during the ARK incident. Shadow realizes that the Sonic of the previous dimension's affections for his Shadow should have told him about his Sonic's feelings for him because the events that caused that Sonic's heartbreak was a "what if" scenario of his history. Sonic then asks if Shadow hates him because of his confession. Shadow is unsure about his feelings but after Sonic shouts the question again, Shadow responds by kissing him, taking him by shock, though he kisses back. They get interrupted by Lara who condemns the scene as gross but is outnumbered in opinion by Maria, who thought it sweet, Estyn, who says love is love regardless of gender and Volt, who is indifferent. She then storms off in a huff. Estyn sighs at this and introduces herself and the others to Sonic, who quickly makes friends with them (not Lara because she is not present). Shadow begins understanding Sonic's personality: normal when he is calm and happy but his traumatized personality only appears when he is under stress, scared or extremely angry. Aeon then asks if they want to see their next mission and Sonic begs Shadow to be a part of it but is denied the opportunity, making him angry. Shadow feels guilty and agrees to the idea, but Sonic apologizes for the outburst, unsure why he got so riled up over such a trivial manner. Estyn then brings Lara back, but the two and Sonic start arguing about the kissing scenario though Sonic leaves the argument early on, not understanding the fundamentals of "girl talk".

Aeon then shows them a vision of the next universe, where 6 knights in different coloured armour from a rich kingdom (red, orange, yellow, green, dark blue and black armour) enter different universes on black-furred Mobini horses and return with treasure, money and other luxury items in which to impress their child princess, who Shadow notes is that universe's Cream. They fail to impress her and she pulls a tantrum. One of the knights, the one in black armour, then pulls a sinister grin before the vision fades. Aeon explains that the kingdom is called Oceania and that its "dimensional knights" go to other universes to impress their child princess, Ginger, but she is unaware of the lengths they go to and time and space are starting to become stressed due to the amount of zone hopping. Sonic, Maria and Volt express excitement at the mission while Estyn and Lara begrudgingly put their argument aside as they all leap into the portal that Aeon opens.

Meanwhile, Infinite is in the middle of an exchange with a God called Zielo in his zone. Zielo questions if Infinite still has Sonic in his clutches and Infinite eventually realizes he was tricked through reverse psychology, which amuses Zielo as he mentions that he has been impressed by Shadow thus far, which annoys Infinite as he doesn't like commending his enemies. Zielo dismisses this and explains that once his own plan is enabled, Shadow and his friends would be defeated. Infinite notes a hedgehog woman watching them and notes her as Zielo's slave, or a Soulless. Zielo then asks if he can meet with Infinite again in 3 days time. Infinite agrees to this, demonstrating a smirk that Zielo is unable to see due to his face mask.