The Shadowverse

by Francesca Gallo

  “So, let us prove him wrong. Have faith in humanity, but never cease from doing your part in the greater story of life. I learned that. But most of all, no matter the cost, sacrifice what you want for the greater good. Maybe some of you are parents. Or you are a worker who dislikes someone or hates your employer. Sonovan Lung taught us the way of peace and goodness. If we all fol ow these simple ways of living, no one will ever feel compelled to pick up a weapon.

  “And so, I implore you to fol ow the way that leads to life. If we work together, love each other like we should love ourselves, but more importantly work together for the things that real y matter, humanity wil be inexorable. Love one another, but never forget to love what is lovely.” He gulped once, shot a glance at Sam, and finished, “Thank you, my fellow men and women.”

  A voice cried out from the crowd. “What do you call yourself?”

  Sam grabbed the microphone on the podium. “My brother, who was kil ed in battle, came up with this. We are the Shadowforce!”

  In conjunction with the exclamation, someone pulled a sheet out from behind where they stood. Underneath, the workers exposed the memorial of Sonovan Lung for every eye to see. Johnny turned to see the massive work of art. He exhaled a long breath, in awe of the workmanship. In fact, it actually resembled Sonovan more than he had imagined it would.

  In the sculpture, they portrayed him smiling wide with that wonderful twinkle in his eyes, standing at an angle, left arm behind his waist and right arm raised high in the air, sword in hand. Johnny had never observed something so ostentatious—so magnificent.

  “That is just…perfect,” he exclaimed.

  “It is,” Sam marveled. “It real y is.”

  The rest of the Shadowforce gasped at the sight. Even his bandana had been formed around his head to match the appearance they admired and deeply loved. If only Sonovan himself could witness this! Burned into his memory was that final look Sonovan gave him. The reassuring gaze that everything would be all right. The way the Sun and the Ooris had basked his figure in glory. And then, the words which had resonated deep, far deeper than the even the expanse of the universe itself.

  You are children of the light, children of the Shadowverse.

  He wiped a tear from his eye and smiled just a tad. “Enjoy the Shadowverse,”

  Johnny said aloud, though no one could hear him due to the ecstatic roar from the multitude.

  CHAPTER 47

  A NEW PATH

  Inside the parallel universe, the Shadowverse, the pure Ooran being Sonovan Lung had come across a new world with incredible geometric designs. Someone with great knowledge had generated this place inside the Yeonlo Zone, which constituted ninety percent of the Shadowverse itself. An intuitive mind had attentively built this world. With Aiko by his side, Sonovan explored.

  At once, a figure jumped out to greet them. Sonovan inspected his form and could not believe his eyes. The only other former member of The Shadows—Zydok.

  “Z-Zydok? Zy?” uttered Sonovan. This had to be him. The green, pointy-eared being smiled. In this sector, the ‘pure form’ of their bodies could be altered into their physical, original ones. Truly, Zydok resembled a human in more ways than one.

  “It is I, my friend!”

  “I f-found you!” he stuttered again. Sonovan ran to him and embraced tightly. “My f-friend! It is you!”

  “It is, Sonovan! It is!” replied Zydok.

  “What happened?” responded Sonovan in haste. “I…I couldn’t save you. But I succeeded. I defeated the Titan, with the help of six of the strongest people I ever met, besides you.”

  Nodding in understanding, Zydok laughed. “I always knew you had it in you.”

  Sonovan embraced him again and wept on his shoulder. “I have missed you dearly,”

  he whispered.

  “Ors and V would be so proud to see you now. We finally fulfilled The Shadows’

  promise: To eradicate evil, no matter the cost.”

  Easing out of the hug, Sonovan gripped Zydok’s shoulders tightly. “I could never have been what I had become if not for you, Ors, and V.”

  “I can believe that. Remember when we found you?” chuckled Zydok. “What a mess.”

  Sonovan laughed, words not able to express his joy. “That very same thing happened to me. In death, I created something beautiful. The Shadowforce, they are cal ed. One of them, Dustin Jones—my friend—is here as wel .”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes, I want you to meet him. I think V would have gotten along very wel with him.”

  Zydok laughed again as Aiko watched the two. “That is a surprise indeed. He was an interesting fellow, but a formidable, genius warrior.”

  “So is Dustin.”

  “I want to meet this Dustin, but please, let us not hurry. The Shadowverse has expanded far beyond its previous size. We must learn everything about this netherworld. And we only have eternity.” Sonovan wrapped his arm around Zydok’s neck, who reciprocated. Clearly hearing their conversation, Oora scooped them up, the

  two still interlocked as its polychromatic, vibrant energies surrounded them in its embrace. And so, Aiko fol owing, the two legends passed on into the unknown.

  ~~~

  In his apartment, Sam had finished packing up his things. All his stuff would be moved to the new Headquarters several miles away. He found an empty corner of his room and sat. Sinking onto the floor, Sam spied something he had not fiddled with in a long time—Dustin’s Rubik’s Cube. Gathering it in his hands, he had a flashback of the very first time Dustin had shown it to him. The memory returned as vivid as it was at the time.

  ~~~

  “Dude, check this out! I succeeded in forcing Mom to buy one!” Dustin shouted, bursting into Sam’s room. Only fourteen, Dustin enjoyed things not many would find interesting, no less entertaining.

  “What’s this?” asked Sam, a particle disinterested.

  “How can you even ask that? You should be ashamed bro. It’s a Rubik’s Cube! Ever heard of it?”

  Sitting up, fourteen-year-old Sam placed his laptop computer on the side. “Huh.”

  “Yeah, and check this out!” Fiddling with it, Dustin gradual y aligned the colored cubes together. Sam watched intently as his usual y ecstatic brother patiently concentrated on the cube. “There!” he exclaimed, handing it over to his brother. “Now you try.”

  The flashback ended as Sam shed several tears in remembrance. Coming back to reality, he could not believe his eyes. He had successful y aligned all the cubes in color-coordinated fashion. “I did it, bro,” he whispered. “I did it.”

  ~~~

  Ryan awoke to his radio playing “Heroes” once again. At first, he could not figure out where he was, rubbing his eyes to make sense of the master bedroom he found himself in. At last, he remembered where he was and what had transpired.

  Two weeks had passed since The Event, and the Shadowforce had been officially designated property of the United Nations. Their current location was kept off the books.

  The scientific community, on the other hand, had scheduled conversations with the Shadowforce. Their knowledge and observations from Herook, Nexon, and Titan’s ship would be an immense kick start in human advancement across the stars. This truly would be the evolution of thinking as a whole. Remnants from the Titan were to be examined by the great minds of Earth.

  As for Titan’s empire, the Tetra, it began to crumble for the last time. With the destruction of half his fleet and its flagship, soldiers, commanders, and generals simply left the field. The power Titan had wielded on their will had been eradicated, just as Commander Zev, the one Justice kil ed, had predicted. Therefore, a new day had begun for all the planets Titan had conquered. Ironically led by Ledarius Wepon, a rebellion

  had stirred that was surprisingly faced with zero opposition. Within a few weeks, al systems were free from the tyranny of the Titan. The question was, could they retain peace and order? Only time wil tell.

  Word had spread amongst th
e galaxy that Sonovan Lung had returned, finally restoring peace. This would be his greatest achievement. Word also had it that his protégés had made Earth home, so no one dared to come near the blue marble. At least for now.

  On Earth, the wreckage from the Titan and the other half of his fleet was salvaged and in the process of being cleared. In the meantime, Jane had taken up her old job at Cricket Wireless. Though temporary, she decided to do it since she loved to work. It gave her purpose, even though her destiny had shifted from a nobody to something much larger than herself.

  Of course, Kevin Moon had been elected Chief Technology Officer, among other things. He had thus hired two fel ow FBI Intelligence members to be his right hand.

  Joseph, an African-American with a buzz-cut, and Christine, an Italian in her mid-20s, were both welcomed.

  Johnny had routinely visited his father, now a widower. Occasional y, he would stay over for a day or two. In the same way, Sam visited his own parents at least once every seven days.

  The Shadowforce trained five times a week. From time to time, they would practice in the subway tunnel, or they would be in the dojo Johnny had asked the President for permission to build. The banners Sonovan preserved and possessed were attached to the wal s. A smal er version of the monument of Sonovan Lung and an original, gorgeous one of Dustin Jones had been erected in the center of the main room.

  Before setting the dojo up, though, Johnny, Ryan, and Sam went to the bunker they had stayed. As they ambled toward the door, the scent of Sonovan pervaded. When they opened it, they found the room precisely how he had left it—clean, spotless, still.

  The trio, holding back a cry, gathered the banners, his sack, and final y, the pictures.

  There was one of Aiko, his great love, and lastly, the figures each member of the Shadowforce felt they knew, yet never met: The Shadows. They only knew their names: Sonovan Lung, Zydok, Orslon, and Venarian.

  Each possession was set up in the dojo—the pictures, the sack, and most of al , the Vorson Swords, the weapons of Zydok and Orslon, which hung like an ancient ornamental monument.

  Before they began training, Johnny and Ryan insisted on meditating for thirty minutes straight, much like how Sonovan had taught them. Day by day, the Shadowforce had increased their strength and connection to the Shadowverse, and it was only a matter of time before they could finally contact Dustin and Sonovan—and whoever else was there.

  Sauntering over to his closet, Ryan dressed after washing his hands and face.

  Opening his door, he crept over to Johnny’s room. Johnny was on the floor meditating per the new usual. Leave him be, Ryan thought.

  Walking over to the room Rose slept in, he peeked in. To his surprise, she was sound asleep. Finally.

  Lastly, he went over to Sam’s room and discovered that he was meditating as well.

  Newly framed photos of his family and Dustin were hung on the wall and randomly

  dispersed along the desks.

  Turning back, he tip-toed to the refrigerator, doing his best to keep quiet. His efforts were doomed to fail. Before he knew it, Rose was behind him. “What are you doing?”

  Ryan jumped in fright, knocking into the refrigerator. A few cans inside were displaced. “H-How did you hear me? I was being super quiet!”

  “Um, you are really loud.”

  “Damnit. I’ve been working on my Indian footwork!”

  She laughed, joining him in searching for something to eat. “What’ve we got in here?” she asked.

  “Let’s see. Tuna. Some fresh salad. Oh! How about some waffles? Kevin has kept buying them.”

  Smiling, she grabbed them immediately. “You don’t even know how much I adore waffles. My Dad used to make them al the time for me. He made them just how I liked it. Whip cream, chocolate chips, and a few cherries.”

  “What? That sounds really w—”

  “Yeah, it’s weird all right,” she interjected. “But I’m weird.”

  “Nah,” he replied, turning her around to face him. “You’re my kind of weird.”

  Just then, Johnny walked in. He coughed at the sight. “Oh, uh, am I interrupting anything?”

  “You said that last time.”

  “OK, sorry. I’m starving.”

  “Go to town,” Ryan motioned.

  In a jiffy, Johnny had zoomed around them and poured himself cereal for breakfast, completing the meal with a glass of orange juice. “I’m never going to get used to that,”

  Ryan said, blinking thrice.

  Once the twosome had picked a meal, they sat at the same table. Ryan ate cereal and Rose selected the waffles, cooking them to the best she could remember.

  “So, I’ve been thinking,” Johnny started. “It’s time to begin searching. It’s been two weeks. We’re in the swing now, I think.”

  Chewing, Ryan nodded. “OK,” he garbled.

  Confused, Johnny replied, “That’s it? Just ‘OK’?”

  “What am I supposed to say?”

  “Yeah, true. I don’t know.”

  “When do we start?” Rose questioned.

  “Well Jane is working again today, and I’m gonna surprise her,” he said, a mischievous face crawling onto his expression.

  “Hold up,” Ryan replied. “What bombastic idea do you have now? Let me just hear it so I can approve.”

  “Uh, no. It’s a secret, doofus.”

  ~~~

  A few hours passed by, and the day threatened to get away from him. Johnny sat everyone down, including Kevin, Joseph, and Christine. “Today we’re beginning the search for the man who calls himself Z. Titan said he would come. Sonovan said for us

  to never relent from finding where evil lies and destroying it. So that is what we’re going to do.”

  “Al-All right, what does he look like?” Kevin asked with a stutter, per the usual.

  “White mask, wears a jacket, and is unmistakable,” Sam replied.

  “Yeah, he’s basical y wherever someone shouldn’t be,” Johnny complemented.

  “And he’s quite tall,” Sam said.

  “Got it. W-Well that’s a s-start. I will begin b-by hacking some s-security feeds near the places you had encountered h-him.”

  “You can do that?”

  “Oh yeah. E-Easy p-peasy lemon s-squeezy.”

  “Wow, I underestimated you,” replied Ryan, raising his eyebrows. “You are smart.”

  “I told you that the first time, Rocky,” Rose replied, a twinkle in her eye.

  Ryan smirked, relaxing into his chair. “Oh yeah! I love that name. My new codename, by the way.”

  Sam shook his head and rol ed his eyes. “And I’m Mr. Freeze,” he said sarcastically.

  “Did J-Jane already leave?” Kevin asked.

  “Yeah. She’l be back later.”

  “What is it with her?” Sam wondered audibly. “Why does she insist on working still?”

  Johnny sprang to her defense. “I don’t know. If she likes it, I’m all for it. She needs an escape, as do we all. Cricket is hers.” The table went dead silent. “What?”

  “Nothing,” Sam replied, shaking his head. “It’s nothing.”

  “All right, so in closing, we start today. Z will be found.”

  “P-Perfect.”

  ~~~

  Later that day, Johnny opened the surreptitious back door and jumped onto the track. In one motion, he was gone. He was sure to be cautious, as one misstep would send him flying into something unbreakable. The darkness and wal s were but a blur.

  When he stopped, he was outside the Cricket Wireless on a stunning day, Christmas Day knocking on the door of life. Adjacent to it was the al ey where it all began. Slightly curious, Johnny stepped into the smelly and certainly dirty divide.

  He walked down the alley to the back wal , turning to his right to see if there was anything dubious. In front of him lay a door, which he assumed would be locked but tried the handle. To his bafflement, it actually opened, revealing a small room lit by a dim blue light on the ceiling
corner.

  Searching around the tiny offset chamber, he unfortunately found nothing except for a pair of broken sunglasses on the floor. Under the blue light, he inspected the pair, looking them over in bewilderment. Though clearly not the same, these sunglasses bore a resemblance to a pair his mother had given him in a Christmas stocking when he was ten. Though he had broken them after three years of usage, these dredged up the memory.

  ~~~

  “Here, son, this is yours,” said Irene, pointing to a stocking with the words “Johnny”

  inscribed. Rushing over, ten-year-old Johnny Sparks brought over a stepstool to reach the stocking. Closing his eyes, he placed his hands inside, rummaging through it. He liked to feel the ful surprise when he opened his eyes. His tongue stuck out to show his excitement.

  When his fingers grasped something out of the ordinary, he hastily yanked the mysterious present out of its stocking. In his hands, he had uncovered a small pair of white sunglasses shaded blue. In a moment, he had placed them over his eyes and took in the new hues of his purlieu. “I love them! I love them!” he shouted in delight.

  Running to his mother first, he stepped down the stepstool deftly before she embraced him with open arms. “Now I can look cool!” he added, looking up to her.

  “Now you are very cool, Johnny.”

  ~~~

  He slouched to the floor, forlorn. Why did it have to be him? Why was he thrown into this mess? Why? Why did Titan take her?

  Equilibrium.

  So, it truly was for what he had done to sever the connection between Rose and Titan’s mind. Burying his head in his hands, he cried there for a short time. But then something popped into his thoughts, a memory. As the tears dried on his facial skin, he glanced upward towards the blue light and furrowed his brow. He rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket to get a better look. He had been here before. This place reminded him of something, but he could not lay a finger on it.