Scepter of Darkness

The Scepter of Darkness, as seen after Shadow's Aquatic Base level.

The Scepter of Darkness is a mysterious artefact from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). It is used as a means of containing Mephiles the Dark, one of the component consciousnesses of Solaris.

Of unknown historical origin and uncertain eventual fate, the Scepter is of great interest to Robotnik, GUN, and Shadow throughout the game.

Story Role

Making its first (chronological) appearence when Shadow and Silver travel back in time to see the destruction of the Solaris Project in Aquatic Base, the Scepter is handed to Shadow by the mortally wounded Duke of Soleanna, who instructs him to use it to seal away Mephiles. After chasing the black fog through the base, Shadow uses Chaos Control to do precisely that, with Mephiles vowing revenge even as his mists are being sucked into the artefact. When the demigod is locked inside, the Scepter exhibits a distorted, black-pink glow. Shadow goes on to leave the artefact with a young Princess Elise, thereby being far more careful to avoid paradoxes than Silver, who causes at least two in the same cutscene.

At some point during the next ten years, Dr. Ivo Robotnik steals the Scepter from Soleanna, taking it to his base in White Acropolis. Rouge the Bat is assigned by GUN to steal it again off the Doctor, and assisting the sassy secret agent forms the opening to Shadow's story. Robotnik attempts to recover the item from Shadow and Rouge in an ambush at Kingdom Valley, but during the battle Mephiles is broken out of the Scepter. Understandably displeased at Shadow for his decade-long imprisonment, the malicious demigod sends him centuries into the future.

During Shadow's subsequent future-present-past-present time travel shenanigans, the Scepter has somehow transited from its resting place on the flagstones of Kingdom Valley to being hidden inside a fountain in Soleanna Castle Town. Using Chaos Spear, the hedgehog retrieves the artefact and chases down Mephiles in Dusty Desert. After the boss fight against Mephiles Phase 2, Shadow attempts to re-seal the being - but this time Mephiles breaks out, shattering the Scepter of Darkness in the process.

At the end of the game, Sonic and Elise extinguish the Flame of Hope, preventing Mephiles' scission from Solaris in the first place. In this "final" timeline, the Scepter is never destroyed or even used in the first place.

Trivia

• Oddly, the Scepter of Darkness was mistakenly referred to as the "Book of Darkness during one of the cutscenes in Shadow's story.

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