THE SHADOWVERSE

The Beginning

It was deep in the night in New York City. Hiding away in an offset, empty room down an alley treated as abandoned, two men talked about destiny—about the events that were to take place. About the future of human civilization and thinking as a whole.

"I want you to stay here," said one of the men, dressed in a thick jacket and sweatpants. His black attire outlined his figure in the light of the blue-tinted bulb barely attached to the ceiling corner. "You never know when some beggar or runaway teenager might decide to explore every nook and cranny of this damned city. Make sure nobody comes near the alley."

"Sure thing, Z," the other answered, hustling to the door to lead the way. "Just make sure you notify me when you will be returning."

"I will," Z replied. "Remember: You do your job, and I do mine. You have the simple side of the coin. I'm the one who has to get things started."

"What things?"

"Destiny," he replied. "Oh, by the way, make sure you go for a headlock when she gets there, all right?"

The lackey's eyebrows furrowed. "Who's 'she'?"

"Trust me, you'll know." With that, he shuffled out into the sparsely lit alleyway like a man on a mission, for he was.

From that little corner of nowhere, among the thousands of buildings of New York, he was ready and thoroughly prepared to set in motion the future. His mind was rigorously focused as he stepped out into the cold, crisp November air, crowned with the unrelenting honks of The Bronx traffic. Everything needed to transpire as it always did. The time was at hand.

* * *

Johnny Sparks is anything but extraordinary. Growing up in a small town outside the Big Apple, he was a school regular and always tried to not get behind the eight ball. When his fellow classmates were out at parties, he would study meticulously, much to his friends' dismay. He had always disregarded his status at high school and now college: the 'cute guy everyone wanted to date.' There was more to life than that.

Johnny had just spent a few hours at his parents' home, a cute abode in a cozy neighborhood miles away from the bustling city. Though he liked the apartment he rented—its main attraction being closer to The Bronx and not too far from Manhattan—he could never tire of a visiting his childhood residence.

He and his father, Timothy, sat at the kitchen table, underneath a dim light. The conversation between the two, while his mother, Irene, watched television, turned to the subject of destinies. Today, Johnny felt the frustration of life creep up on him again. "I don't know, Dad. It's just . . . I feel like there should be more. It's as if I'm stuck in limbo."

His father kept a serious look, nodding faintly. "I understand, son."

"I should be on to better things," he sighed. "Sometimes, I marvel at people. They're so satisfied with this," he said, arms outstretched. "I want more."

Timothy chuckled lightly, "I remember when you wanted to be an astronaut when you were six. Remember that?"

"Yeah."

"You wanted to reach the stars. No, you wanted to go beyond them. I still hear that squeaky voice of yours saying it."

Johnny sighed again. "That didn't work out. Life hit."

Timothy pulled his chair up to Johnny, hand on his son's shoulder. "It still can. Maybe you won't be an astronaut, but you are special."

As he spoke, Johnny's eyes darted about, desperate to look anywhere else. "It's true. This world was never big enough for me."