The Void (Sonic the Hedgehog)
The Void, also known as the Zone of Silence and the Special Zone, is a fictional dimension that appears in Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series and the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon series. It was either created or discovered by the wizard Ixis Naugus, depending on the continuity.
Effects
The Void and the Zone of Silence share the quality of being nearly impossible to escape. In The Cartoon, it was discovered that Sonic's SUPER speed allowed him to escape a Void portal, and he could also pull others through with him. However, prolonged imprisonment in the Void led to side effects, the most obvious being a slow crystallization effect of the body that prevented anyone from escaping the Void for long. Any land in the Void was made from strange crystals, which Naugus could mold into any shape using his magic. An identically named dimension was also featured in the comics, but the name actually applied to a dimension completely separate from where King Acorn and Ixis Naugus were imprisoned. Snively Kintobor briefly used this dimension to hold Sonic and Dr. Robotnik prisoner, though they of course managed to escape, and it is also the reported destination of the Original Freedom Fighters after they were Roboticized.
The Zone of Silence has similar qualities in the comic, including the crystallization effect. However, victims of this began to resemble sculptures made from Chaos Emeralds. Naugus, while in the Zone, was also omnipotent, making it impossible to defeat him inside. Other side effect on long-term captives of the Zone of Silence included insanity and apparent amnesia, and the only protection from worse effects was Naugus' crystallization of his minions, or being a native of the Zone. In addition, Naugus was later permanently freed from the Zone thanks to the use of the Sword of Acorns. The Zone of Silence changed to resemble 32-bit levels from the Sonic the Hedgehog games following the teleportation of every Chaos Emerald in the universe into it, and was renamed the Special Zone.
History
Sonic the Hedgehog (cartoon)
In the cartoon, the Void was discovered by Ixis Naugus. Going inside to investigate, he was betrayed by his associate Dr. Robotnik and sealed inside. From that point onward, the Void served Robotnik as a place to dump his most unwanted enemies. This was the fate of King Acorn, and Sonic himself would have been imprisoned here if not for the actions of another Freedom Fighter, a ram named Ari who himself was a leader of a group until they were roboticized due to Robotnik's treachery.
Towards the end of the series, Naugus was able to open a portal connecting Mobius and the Void, allowing him to send an artifact that pulled Sally Acorn and Bunnie Rabbot in. Similarly drawing in Sonic, Naugus was able to escape the Void temporarily, followed shortly by King Acorn, but as they started to crystalize after being inside the Void too long, they both went back inside through the portal, but not before Sally receives a list of freedom fighter groups from the king.
If the series would have continued, Naugus would eventually escape from the Void along with King Acorn and Robotnik, thanks to Snively.
Sonic the Hedgehog (comics)
The comic book features a plot similar to that of the cartoon, the main difference being that Naugus created the Zone of Silence rather than discovering it. Together with King Acorn, he was also locked inside with several other characters, including: Warlord Kodos, Uma Arachnis, and the malevolent Feist.
Sonic and Princess Sally managed to enter the Zone via a gateway invented by Rotor, with the intention of freeing King Max. Unfortunately, by the time they found him, Max had already lost his mind and was fighting imaginary wars while dressed as a sinister knight, commanding an army of goblins. Attempts to rescue the King from this environment failed until after Robotnik Prime's demise.
The Zone of Silence demonstrates some ability to WarP space and time, as seen when Sonic and Sally make a second attempt to break the King out; They witness their first encounter with King Max take place just as it happened months before. The landscape of the Zone changes to reflect Max's delusions. Sonic finally manages to rescue Max and bring him back to the real world, but as a price, Max is trapped in a coma and his body begins to crystallize. Sonic was able to fully heal him using the Sword of Acorns, but not before Ixis Naugus tried to possess the King's body and pose as him.
All the original prisoners of the Egg Grape Chamber-consisting mainly of captured inhabitants of Angel Island and members of the Dark Legion-were drawn into the Zone when the Arachne freed Ixis Naugus using the Sword of Acorns. It is unknown whether or not they were still alive when they were drawn inside, or if they are alive within the Zone. One of these, Echidna Security Team Constable Remington, may have somehow escaped, as he appears to have taken control of the Frost Legion faction opposite Lien-Da, having adopted the bionic left claw arm and wardrobe of his father Kragok.
After Robotnik's computer virus "son" A.D.A.M. was defeated, the Zone became the resting place of every known Chaos Emerald in the universe. The Master Emerald was saved from this, having been held in place by Locke and Dr. Finitevus. All these Chaos Emeralds were then fused together into seven gems by Feist, who following Naugus' escape became the ruler of the Zone of Silence. Using the immense energy, Feist also reshaped the Zone of Silence into the Special Zone.