Johnny backtracked to when he and the others were in their psychic battle with Titan.
That conjured up enough of the memory. What in the hell? he thought. Indeed, this room closely resembled the one he had been punched into during the nightmare of a conflict. But…what had been the purpose? He had not even ventured here yet.
Then, seemingly out of a plethora of different thoughts competing for dominance, something steamrol ed to the forefront of his mind. He had forgotten the words. The team had not mentioned it either, and when he brought it up, not one had recollected.
Had Titan made them forget?
Your victory is yours, but your humanity? That’s mine.
Those words. What was it in those words? How could he win but lose his humanity?
It didn’t make sense. Johnny mulled it over for the next ten minutes. What the hel was even trying to say just then? he agonized. Though Dustin’s and his mother’s death had easily been the most traumatic event of his life, he couldn’t help but feel something else happened. Something he could not lay a finger on.
He hated to leave things unsolved. Nevertheless, collecting it, he slid the broken pair into his pocket, walking out but leaving the door open just a crack.
Jane had been at work for nearly three hours by noon. A figure walked into the smal store, initiating the bel . He was dressed in a Cricket Wireless uniform, and her jaw dropped with glee. “Johnny?!” she lowly shrieked.
Smiling wide, he sauntered to her, giving a brief but soft hug. “What are you doing here? And what’s that outfit for?” she quickly asked in curiosity, smiling wide.
“I’m working here. Wel , at least for a bit.”
Her eyes widened in delight as she cleared the raven-colored bangs off her forehead. “Real y?!”
“Yes really.”
“Oh my gosh! Yes!” she exclaimed. Customers whipped around to see what the fuss was al about. “Oh, sorry. My bad.”
“So, uh, how about we get started?”
“Let me show you the ropes, superhero.”
Johnny smiled at the remark.
~~~
Once Johnny had completed his first day, he and Jane both left together. “How’d I do?” he asked, very interested in her personal opinion.
“Fantastic!” she replied, again that damn smile from ear to ear. Her dimples were notably more obvious and salient.
Gulping deep, Johnny mustered the wil to ask the paramount question he doubted he could ask. “Uh, w-would you like to…uh…go on a date? Y-You don’t have to! Just putting it out there.”
Jane’s eyes broadened, and she looked shocked. A ful minute passed by before she had the courage to respond. “Oh! I-I…I don’t know what to say.”
“W-What do you mean?”
“You’re the first to ever say that to me.”
“What? How? That’s impossible. Just look at you!” He had not meant to say the last sentence, but it blurted out.
Her eyes widened even more than before. “On t-that note, where shall w-we go?”
Smiling, Johnny placed her hand in his and they strode off, wandering by many businesses in the heart of Manhattan. “Wherever you would like,” he responded.
“Let’s see where it takes us,” she replied.
Barely thirty seconds into their peaceful strol , they passed the alley adjacent to the Cricket store. The couple stopped to look. “That’s where it al started,” Jane said.
“Yeah, and this is where it all begins,” he replied, and, as if the moment had been primed for it, turned her toward him. His eyes gazed into hers as they turned glassy. He was ready—finally. He closed the distance between them as she stood on her tip-toes.
And there, like how he had imagined Sonovan and Aiko once did, kissed her. She shivered as he desperately tried to summon the skills he had learned from all the previous hopeful-turned-rotten dates he had ever been on. But this one felt different. It felt like destiny. His lips moved in perfect sync with hers for only three timeless, undying seconds. At the end, he pul ed away. Was he dreaming?
Thank God he wasn’t. She fell back onto her heels. “That was amazing,” she said, looking like someone stunned her with a blaster.
“I agree,” he responded, not tearing his gaze away. It truly felt like time had stopped, that the bustling city streets, millions of people, and sounds of cars and taxis faded away.
She turned back after a few minutes to spur him on to stroll. They both kept quiet for a bit. But then Johnny broke the silence despite the subject change. He’d have plenty of time for that anyways. “You know, walking through these streets, how did we ever
survive all that? Sometimes I sense like I am in many places at once. Herook, Nexon, Titan’s ship.”
“I know the feeling,” she replied, a nod to prove her concurrence. “It’s crazy. And we’re walking by people who would never know what we’ve been through.”
“And that’s the point. A hero can be anyone.”
“You are right,” she responded, grinning. He smiled back, thankful he had made sense for once.
“Defeating Titan, saving Sonovan Lung, and freeing the Shadowverse and us from his tyranny was only the beginning. You know, I think our best days are ahead of us.”
Jane nodded once more and held his hand tight.
Unbeknownst to them, a certain someone had been watching and listening intently from the infamous al ey. Leaning on the wall, Z unhinged the scribbled white mask from his face, unhampering his angel white hair. “Oh, you have no idea,” Z said despite their absence. “Yes, they are.” With those words, he zoomed away like a rocket, toward a future no one could predict.
THE SHADOWFORCE WILL RETURN
The Heroes
Johnny Sparks
Johnny Sparks is a 21-year-old college student living in New York. He is six feet tal , with medium long dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. His best friends are Ryan Slade, Dustin Jones, and Sam Jones, and he met them at a martial arts school when he was young. Currently, he works at that very studio and is a second-degree black belt. After the Encounter, Johnny receives the power of super speed.
Ryan Slade
The brute of the team, Ryan Slade is 22 years of age, living in New York. He is a firm and large build, standing just over six feet five inches. Further, he likes short hair, and is nearly bald except for a very thin crew cut. Alongside Johnny Sparks and the brothers Sam and Dustin Jones, he works at the same martial arts studio, where he acquired a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo and Hapkido. Currently, he and his mother live together after his father died. After the Encounter, Ryan acquires the ability of matter absorption.
Dustin Jones
As funny as he is deep, Dustin Jones is twenty years old. He lives in New York with his brother in an apartment. Standing just under six feet, Dustin Jones has a thinner build, with light brown eyes and long brown hair that reaches his ears. Considered the comedian of the group, his brother tries to keep up with him. Alongside Johnny Sparks, he is a second-degree black belt, the same as his brother. After the Encounter, he acquired the gift of air and wind control.
Sam Jones
The continually fresh and well-dressed of the group, Sam keeps cool most of the time. He lives in New York in an apartment with his brother Dustin, and has dark brown eyes and blonde hair. A funny man himself, he tries to emanate the liveliness of his brother. He stands just under six feet, and has a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo. After the Encounter, Sam acquired ice powers.
Jane Cooper
After her parents died in a mysterious car accident, 21-year-old Jane Cooper was forced to live with her grandparents, who took her in as their own before her grandmother died one year ago and her grandfather six months prior. She tries to hide her pain, and is very shy of other people. An average size, she is five feet seven inches tall, with chestnut colored hair and bright brown eyes. Her powers have been with her since she was a teenager—telekinesis.
Rose Johnson
As fiery as her hair
, 22-year-old Rose Johnson was taken in by a single man when she was only an infant. Being an alien from the planet Xalen, she has innate fire abilities, which accounts for her reddish eyes and tall frame, standing at six feet. Her father, Ta-Vir, and mother, Kira, sent her to Earth after their planet was invaded by the Titan.
Sonovan Lung
After coming in contact with a mysterious anomaly, Sonovan Lung became a being of pure Ooris. He is nearly one thousand years old, having been a samurai in Japan.
After he and three others, Venarian, Zydok, and Orslon defeated Titan a mil ennium prior, he returned to Earth victorious. Five hundred years later, though, Titan was resurrected by someone called Solis, Titan’s new second-in-command. After Titan killed everyone he loved, Sonovan was exiled to live in destitution and regret wherever he set foot across the universe. Sonovan is a virtuous albeit powerful foe, standing six feet four inches, with large arms and a strength unparalleled by anyone except the Titan. The pure Ooris running through his veins grants him the full power of the Shadowverse incarnate.
The Villains
Solis
Titan’s current second-in-command, known as a Voir. Of unknown origin, Solis’s real name is unspecified, and his face is as well, always hidden under an impervious helmet and armor. Solis resurrected the former ruler of the Tetra, Titan, Sonovan Lung’s nemesis.
Titan
A being of pure Ooris same as Sonovan Lung, Titan wields incredible power, now owning the abilities of telepathy and telekinesis, as well as the power of Ooris. His origins are unknown, thought to have been borne from a species pure in Ooris.
Standing over nine feet tal , the crimson-eyed Titan is massive with dark blue armor surrounding his body and usually one or two wires attaching to the back of his head.
Lord over his armies, Titan controls two dozen planets across the galaxy, and his motives are clear. He believes the creator of the omniverse has placed the burden upon him to bring justice and end free wil across the universe, aptly calling it his
“Justification.”
The Unknown Z
A mysterious individual, Z goes by no other alias. His known power is super speed, but it is possible he had amassed others. He stands over six feet and never goes anywhere except with a white mask and jacket. Aiding the heroes in several different points in time, he was also responsible for bestowing powers upon them. Currently unknown and a possible threat, Johnny Sparks will not rest until this masked individual is brought to the light.
About the Author
John-Clement Gallo is a 17-year-old Christian author of The Shadowverse, a Science-Fiction Superhero novel. He enjoys astronomy, astrophysics, ambient music, and ice hockey, while also a trumpet player. While living in Houston, Texas, he was the youngest person (11) to become a licensed RC pilot. On the other hand, he is ranked a black belt in Taekwondo and Hapkido, though he is very unassuming and tends to keep that accomplishment a cool secret. Currently, he lives in Orlando, Florida with his family, trying to outlive the constant heat.
Conclusion
Thank you for downloading this book and reading to the end!
I hope you enjoyed the journey, but most of all, I hope the lessons and themes of destiny, will, and courage resonate with you.
As of now, I am designing the next book in the series, Vengeance, as well as a prequel for this book, which wil be titled The Legend of Sonovan Lung. It will be Sonovan Lung’s background story, the beginning of the rivalry with Titan, and the formation of The Shadows. Can’t wait to get it started!
Still, I ask one favor. If you either liked or disliked this book, would you leave a review? No matter the kind, reviews help me since I am only 17 and quite new to writing books.
Much thanks if you leave a review and while you’re at it, fol ow my personal site.
There, you can join my email list and group, cal ed The Shadows (obviously). You can be kept up to date with how the upcoming instal ments are going, but, most importantly, you have an opportunity to provide feedback on possible storylines in the sequels and prequel to come! I hope you come along for the ride. Sign up below:
https://shadowversejc.com/
Thank you, and remember…
You are children of the light, children of the Shadowverse.
–Sonovan Lung
The Shadowverse: The Legend of Sonovan Lung
The Shadowverse
The Shadowverse Part II: Vengeance
Children of the Shadowverse
The Shadowverse Page 39