THE SHADOWVERSE

Ultimatum, Part I

It had all begun that night in the parking lot—one of those moments that would go down in history. Johnny Sparks and his friends were imbued with superpowers from the mysterious Z. The journey of a lifetime was set into motion. And now, the end neared.

Johnny had never wished to witness a glaring Titan on Earth soil, the world he had called home since birth. Yet, Ryan, Rose, Jane, Sam, and Dustin felt the same. But that very reaction spurred something fresh: a global patriotism.

Head held high, Titan scowled at The Shadowforce. "So, the heroes found a way back home. Incredible! Your power is unprecedented!"

"You know what we've come for, Titan," responded Johnny, scowling. "You think you can take away the free will of the universe? I believe you are mistaken."

"You can recollect what I said about free will, can you not? Free will is an illusion. A mirage. Take this place, for example. A beautiful planet, yet its inhabitants cannot control their evil. Even now, a murder is taking place. Even now, someone starves to death. Even now, something terrible ensues.

"The political leaders of this planet are naïve, corrupt, greedy, and inhumane. They only seek to do evil—to better their lives. Fakes! Don't you understand? Give a species free will and they will destroy themselves. Your world will fail, like all the others."

"I believe in humanity. We may hurt each other, but if we work together, we can achieve anything," replied Johnny.

"No. Humans are too weak to do as you say. This world—this society—is far beyond repair. Won't you agree, Adia? Or may I say, Justice? Did your time with me not show you the truth?"

Rose glared at him and ignored his question. "You will pay dearly for my parents. You will wish you stayed in the Shadowverse."

"I miss you, my dear," Titan said.

Her jaw clenched. "I never wanted you as my lord."

Sighing with a feigned sadness, he continued, "Don't you see? This civilization is too weak! They say 'I believe in humanity' yet continue their evil deeds. And now it has reached the point of irony. The politicians, and so-called good people, condemn the acts of treason and murder, yet take part in them. In their little huddles—their sects of debauchery—they secretly condone the very acts they would condemn. Irony! So, since humanity is too weak to change, I will do it for them."

"You're right, Titan. You're right. But while people fail in so many areas, I still believe in hope. Hope that humanity will one day choose the right path."

Sonovan nodded, as did the others. "You must have faith and hope, my old enemy. You must have faith. Not everyone is evil."

Titan shook his head. "Then, since they are too slow to improve—to change—I will speed it up. No longer will there be death, chaos, or war, for all will be me. All will be me." Johnny flinched under the chilling declaration. The others gulped. "And I will rule with an iron rod for all the days that remain."

But Sonovan was fearless, for he had been through this before and knew Titan better than anyone. "So be it," he challenged. "Time tends to repeat itself. What has happened before . . . will happen again."

Titan chuckled aloud. "When I win, your powers will be mine as well, and there will be no Shadows to stop me this time. Orslon, Venarian, Zydok. They truly became legends. But they are now dead. I will inhabit your bodies, and your powers will be spread across all of us. Think of it! Speed, wind, ice, absorption. All mine!"

Sonovan shook his head. "It was I who masked our location," he said. "You may think it was an extraordinary act of your faith, but it was me. You failed."