“Titan, I beg you. Take me instead! Please!”
“You are quoting Sonovan Lung, Sparks. When I killed his wife, Aiko, he begged me to do the opposite—to take him instead. How alike the two of you are!” he spat, turning to Sonovan. “Incredible!”
Johnny glanced at Sam, who was in severe unrest. “Please. I don’t care. Just take me,” Sam replied.
“A man cannot be broken unless he is kept alive and the thing he cherishes most is taken away.”
“I will kil you.”
“So be it,” Titan replied.
“I love you, buddy,” Dustin responded.
Nothing in all their lives could prepare them for this. Snapping his fingers, Irene was kil ed instantly. Johnny could see her fall in slow motion. The moment extended into eternity. Then, Titan backed up and speared Dustin in the chest with a blade choosing to watch the hero die slowly.
“No!” screamed Sam in horror. The others could not even speak, their mouths locked, squirming in their places. “No! Dustin!”
“Mom! Dustin!” screamed Johnny in the same way. “What have you done?!”
“That which is necessary. Equilibrium.”
Johnny and Sam sank to their knees, frozen, gaping, sweat and blood dripping off like a leaking faucet.
Coughing up blood, Dustin gripped the handle of the knife. “Hurricane…is what I have become,” he muttered. Titan furrowed his brow, unsure of the words he spoke.
His anger far outweighed his pain, for he realized the end was near. Pushing the knife out of his chest, Dustin stood up, a bloody hole in his heart. “It wil be your downfall.” At that very second, Ooris accumulated around him, swirling in every direction. His eye color disappeared and gave way to a pure, glowing white, while his body shifted black.
Titan’s eyes widened, amazed at the will and power of this human. He stepped back, now fearing it had al been for naught. The Energy was with him—the ful power of the Oora. “And now, I seek revenge and justice for all the atrocities this one has committed!” boomed Dustin, now having become something so much more powerful than he had been. He could now feel the power Sonovan had spoken of. The untainted, pure Ooris. He would be the last to ever possess such untold power.
For Titan, it was happening all over again. The winds fell upon the remnant of the army. They were obliterated—ripped into three pieces. Solis too was thrown across the ground next to Titan, who was still standing.
Leaping into the air, Dustin flew like a bird. Hovering over them, he beckoned Titan closer. The two fought from a distance. This would be Titan’s last resort—nearly the full capacity of his power which he would now expel, only minutes before the Justification could begin. Grabbing a telekinetic hold of Dustin, Titan rammed the now formidable adversary into the ground, smashing his head twice. Picking him up by the neck, Titan attempted to wipe his mind, but he could not, for Ooris had pervaded Dustin’s mind completely. Only a few cuts appeared on Dustin’s celestial body.
Frustrated, Titan roared in anger. “You will kneel!” he bel owed, bringing him nearer to his face. “You must realize you and your pathetic al iance are doomed to fail!” In the midst of his rage, Titan flung Dustin into the air and slammed him back into the ground, triggering a blast of dirt as if a grenade detonated.
Limping from the hole, Dustin looked more pissed than paralyzed. Sure, the brutal assaults had weakened this new form, but not enough. “Will you ever learn?” Titan exclaimed, attempting to force his mind and body onto Dustin. But he would have none of it.
“Your time is over,” coughed Dustin. Truthfully, he was hurting. Everywhere.
Nevertheless, the Energy and the winds clutched onto Titan, throwing him into the air.
Dustin clapped his hands together, and the winds invaded every square inch of Titan’s body, ripping his dark armor clean off. Titan fell with a loud crash. At the same time, the rest of the team was freed from their prison, for the third time now.
Completely naked, Titan col apsed onto his knees, the Shadowforce surrounding him. Their eyes burned in anger. Solis stood and engaged his scythe. He sprinted to them to attack, and that he did. He slammed the weapon into the ground, which cracked it and sent an eruption of energy through the earth.
The Shadowforce, except for Dustin and Sonovan, was thrown back. But Sonovan would have none of it. The ancient warrior turned and blocked another attack with his
swords. Following it, he impaled Solis with the one of the Vorson Swords—the weapons of Orslon and Zydok. “You brought him upon us. Now suffer.” Solis collapsed to his knees and fell face first to the dusty ground. Groaning, the downed soldier wheezed as he grabbed his chest. For the first time, Sonovan could actually make out a small piece of his face underneath the cracked helmet—dark purple skin and striking gold eyes.
Taking hold of his shoulder, he pressed a silver button. “There is nothing left, my lord! We must surrender!”
“Then do what must be done,” responded his lord. “Order for the annihilation.” Solis vanished in an instant, a portal consuming his body.
The team stood up as Dustin levitated Titan off the ground. He violently threw the ruler of the Tetra into the wheelhouse of Ryan, who punched forward so that Johnny might let out his anger on him. He unleashed a frenzy of punches and kicks, landing a strike on every conceivable spot on Titan’s body. Jane picked him up and slammed him back, while Rose burned the armor he had worn, the frenzy of attacks ceased.
Completely naked, Titan lay on his knees, amazed these humans had overcome even him. They could see metal ic formations on his sides and on his leg. His skin was just about white as snow.
Only minutes remained before the Justification. No longer connected to his suit, he had no Energy left to defend himself. But there was just enough. Growling, he took out a smal object. Before they could retaliate, space col apsed around Titan and he vanished.
“Where the hell did he go?” exclaimed Johnny, turning to the others. “Tel me! Where did he go?!” In concordance, Sam searched everywhere, the spot now abandoned.
Only several seconds passed before Titan reappeared. “No more jumps left,” the object informed. Despite the circumstances, Titan was laughing.
“I broke you,” he began. “I might have lost, but I won. The winds of change will arrive here in time. You did not real y think I would just lose the fight for the soul of the universe in a battle with you, did you?” Rose punched him across his face. “And today, I finally discovered the identity of Z, by the way. A token from the past, if you will. Thus, I will not spoil it for you, because he will be here soon enough. The winds of change will come.”
“Shut up!” Johnny and Sam screamed simultaneously.
“We don’t care who Z is! And after al , he is nowhere near as vile as you!” Rose exclaimed in anger.
“I beg to differ.” On his knees, Titan sneered and began to speak, but he spoke so low in volume they considered it a whisper. “Within the next fifty years, when humanity destroys itself through war, corruption, hatred, and insanity, you will remember this moment and reconsider what your motives really were. And in that moment, you will realize you kil ed the prophet—the messenger—the only one who could save them from themselves. You wil be rulers of nothing. Then, and only then, you will know I was right al along. But it shall be too late, for Earth wil die in your hands. I, Titan, have done something behind the scenes. Something no one can ever take away from my record of accomplishments.”
Sonovan approached him. “No, just…no. You will not be around to see anything. The heroes I have band together will stop anything you have ever planned.”
“I will always return, old enemy. Forever opposites, you and I.”
“Forever equals,” Sonovan finished. “But this time, you are never coming back.”
“And how can you be sure of this?”
“Because I am going with you.”
Titan’s eyes widened, fear clouding his vision. Dustin, now cal ing himself Hurricane, shoved Titan to a s
tanding position. “Congratulations, Sonovan Lung.”
“No, do not congratulate me. I am in deep sorrow, for I know I will not be able to stay with my friends and the world I was born into.”
“A necessary recompense for your action al those years ago.”
“Yes, and this is my redemption.”
Titan did not respond. Sonovan grabbed a hold of him. The musky sky opened, and a black sphere popped into the sky. The monstrous dark clouds made way for the Ooris Energy, the Sun’s rays shining through like a pathway to Heaven. Sonovan turned to the Shadowforce. “It was an honor to serve you, Shadowforce.”
Each member surrounded Titan and Sonovan, as if a small church assembly.
Rose walked up to them both. “Thank you, Sonovan.” Then she faced Titan, her former master. “And you, I hope the Shadowverse has a place for you.”
She turned and walked away, but Titan called her. “Adia, I want you to know something. Your real father, Ta-Vir, was a great man. In my defeat, he told me to remember him on the day of my passing, and I have kept my word. Not a day goes by when I do not think of him. And because of that, cherish your name. Do not throw it away.”
Astounded by the brief statement, she nodded once but did not give him the satisfaction of a response.
“I wish I could say something, Sonovan. I wish I could say something that could summarize my time with you,” Johnny said. “I—”
Sonovan held up his finger to signal Johnny to cease speaking. “No, Johnny. You do not need to. We will see each other again. I promise. In my departure, I wil bestow upon you all my Energy. This will al ow you to contact me, so please, set aside some time to visit me every once in a while?” Sonovan asked, the Ooris coming closer.
“We can visit you?” Jane replied.
“Of course,” Sonovan replied. “Now, there is little time. I must go.” In his mind, he remembered al the places he had been and people he had met. Aiko came to mind—
when he had first met her. She pleaded with him to let her help him, and after becoming a bit of a pest, he obliged.
The Shadows came to mind as well. Orslon. Zydok. Venarian. How incredible were those days!
“In whatever you do, never stop believing. Be the heroes, Shadowforce. Never give up. Never relent from seeking out the evils. For when you do, you wil lose. The evil can never find you. You must find it. Do not be like how I was. Remember the lessons I have taught you. You will find another way to defeat anything, I promise you.”
Titan turned to them. “I underestimated you, Sparks. But he will finish what I started.
I promise you.”
“You killed my mother!” retorted Johnny, crying al the while attempting with al his might to land a punch—something, anything—to show his rage. Nonetheless, the Ooris surrounding Titan and Sonovan held him fast.
“It had to be done. And in death, I have become something more than just one being.
I have become an ideal.” Out of breath and nearly totally void of Ooris, he turned to the
entire team, his last statement. “You think you prevailed, my heroes, but you are wrong.” Johnny narrowed his eyes through the tears, wiped the dirt, tears, and snot off his face, and listened to the words Titan spoke. “You truly might think you won, and yes, your victory is yours…but your humanity, what it means to be human? That’s mine.
Forever.”
“How? What the hel are you even talking about?!” He felt… dread.
Titan remained silent.
“That which is necessary, Titan,” Sonovan said, the Ooris just about arriving.
“Through action, a man becomes a hero. Through death, I have become a legend.
Through time, my legend will become a myth. Through hearing that very myth, another will take action. No matter what happens, this is my redemption.” Johnny, along with the rest, watched the man he admired greatly, along with the greatest threat the universe has ever known, depart. The Energy grabbed a hold of the twosome, and it sucked Sonovan Lung and Titan into the rip in space-time, forever living inside the Shadowverse. Sonovan only smiled with a reassuring gaze at the team he had constructed. The clouds separated like a pathway to the beyond. As the Ooris grasped them one last time, and the rays of the Sun basked Sonovan in glory, he uttered his final words. “Never forget, Shadowforce. You are children of the light, children of the Shadowverse.” Both disappeared in an instant, and the rip shut.
They were left standing there, wishing, wondering, confused. The shield around the Justification Machine faded, so Ryan destroyed it with his bare hands. Rose finished the job by bathing it in fire. The dark sky faded, and the Earth was free from the tyranny of Titan and his Justification Machine.
Johnny ran to his mother, but Irene was already dead—kil ed instantly by Titan’s snap. He held her tight, wanting so badly to wake up from a nightmare—a long, terrible, but at times an awesome nightmare. He wanted to be back in his bedroom, the past month a figment of his imagination. But it was not so. He wept as he cradled her in his arms. “I was not strong enough to save you. I was not strong enough.”
The others gathered around him, including Dustin. His form was dark and intimidating. Without warning, though, he collapsed as well. The pure Ooris was no longer with him. He fel right into Sam’s arms. “Dusty!” he cried.
“No one lives forever, brother.”
“You cannot go! Please! No!”
“I love you guys. I love al of you like family. Tell Dad and Mom I did what was necessary. I-I always wanted to be the hero, and now I am.”
“Dustin, just so you know, you’re awesome,” Ryan replied. Despite the big man he was, he was in tears. Jane and Rose were too.
“I love you man,” Johnny said. The Shadowforce knelt onto the ground next to their fallen hero. They each placed a hand onto Dustin’s chest.
“So do I Johnny. So do I. Wil you visit me?”
“Bet your bottom dollar I will,” they replied concurrently.
“I’m scared, Sam. I’m scared.”
Sam was in complete shock and had no clue as to what to say. He wiped the blood off his chin and the tears off his brother’s cheek.
“You wil always be one of us, Dustin,” Ryan replied. “I wish it was I in your place.”
“I know, but this is the way it had to be.” At that moment, the sky opened once again.
“Guess that is my ride out of here. This world was never big enough for me.”
“Thanks for meeting us there,” Johnny replied.
Sam stil cradled him in arms. “I love you, bro. Never forget that.”
“You…have my word. Just remember what Sonovan said. We will…see each other again. I promise.” The mystical energy of the Oora surrounded Dustin, and he vanished.
It left the suit he had been given, the Aurora, in his place. A legend had passed on. Sam twitched as Dustin’s figure faded from his embrace. He was there, then not, for he had been taken away.
CHAPTER 43
AFTERMATH
Sam wept for what seemed an eternity. His cries were long and hard. In fact, the entire Shadowforce wept. For Irene. For Dustin. For Sonovan. Their lives had been turned upside down in the span of minutes.
Finally, Sam began to ease out of the cries. Replacing them was a burning rage. “I am going to destroy that God-forsaken ship right now!” He opened a portal and the Shadowforce jumped into it.
They landed inside the ship, now an utter state of col apse. In consequence of Titan’s passing, no one knew what would be done. Solis had disappeared. “Let me make that decision for you!” Sam screamed. The entire place fell prey to Sam’s true potential.
In essence, his power fil ed him, and he erupted into a fury of ice. Sam immersed the entire Navigation Department of the Titan in his icy rage. Every living thing froze. “Rose, I want you to destroy it.”
“Gladly,” she replied. She leapt into the air as Ryan smashed the floor in two. Upon her impact, the pure energy inside her surged into a wave of fire. It deto
nated with a blast so vehement it destroyed the electronic systems of the ship, and thus it began to fall out of the sky over the Gobi Desert.
“Now we can leave these screwed shits!” Sam yelled in anger. His demeanor was no longer the fun-loving and lively person they had come to know. In its place, a vengeful, rage-filled personality overtook him. Sam activated another portal to Megiddo just as the ship approached the sands at terrifying speed.
In Megiddo, Sam picked up Dustin’s suit, realizing his smel still pervaded it. He clung to it as if some treasure—an item he had long searched for and final y obtained.
“Titan!” Sam howled. The long, drawn-out cry originated from deep within his very being. He lay there on his knees, sobbing. Johnny, Ryan, Rose, and Jane comforted him. Johnny and Ryan were the hardest hit besides Sam. They had known Dustin for years and considered him family.
Johnny gathered his mother in his arms. Her eyes still shut, he too wept there, and as Sam had done, Johnny roared, “Titan!” In the aftermath of the Battle of Megiddo, the Shadowforce had lost three people. Irene Sparks, Dustin Jones, and the immortal warrior of old Sonovan Lung. He had final y achieved his redemption—the reward being eternity in the Shadowverse with Titan and Dustin.
In the aftermath, Titan was correct: He had broken them. And in death, I have become something more than one being, Sam recol ected, I have become an ideal.
Over the next several hours, news outlets and the Israeli Military arrived to survey the scene, except the Shadowforce had already vacated the battlefield. They only left the inactive remnant of Titan’s Special Forces and the heap of ruins that was once
Titan’s flagship in the Gobi. The impact generated a sea of inferno in the Gobi Desert, swelling across the fragments of the Titan.
On the other hand, the five war cruisers orbiting the Earth had exploded in space. In fact, their orders were to destroy everything in sight, but their warp drives were simultaneously hacked and separated, resulting in catastrophic failure. As a result, the Shadowforce was perplexed as to what had gone on, for the ten million soldiers on the ships were therefore annihilated. But they could never understand, and for now, were not meant to.
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