THE SHADOWVERSE

Brothers

Jane frowned in shock. "Converse? You? Him? About what?"

"Everything," he whispered. "I was able to understand his motives and his personality better. From time to time, Titan and I would even fight inside the Shadowverse itself, although it accomplished nothing. Sometimes, he wanted to prove his strength. Sometimes, I wanted to release my rage for what he had done.

"Then one day, I saw there was more to it. I had to let go of my anger or it would destroy me. So, I did, and we have not met since. It is sad we ended up being so different, for I believe we are ultimately after the same thing." He smiled at the thought of that, closing his eyes and turning his head. His hair blew like a flag in the wind. He sighed deeply, eyes glistening in melancholy. "I wish . . . I wish the circumstances had been different. I never uncovered what made him this way, but if only the circumstances had been different . . ."

"What do you mean?"

"We could have been brothers," he muttered. In his mind, he forced himself back to reality, away from the imagination he had found himself briefly lost inside. He shook it off.

But he felt him. Since they had been gifted with the purest form of Ooris from the Shadowverse itself, Sonovan and Titan were connected. Though their places in the universe lay separated by thousands of light-years of cold, empty space, they would always be linked—their destinies intertwined.

At that very moment, in his ship, Titan stared out into the vastness of the universe pensively. The two ancient legends sensed each other—out there among the stars—Titan in a massive ship, Emperor of the Tetra, while Sonovan meditated in exile on an almost-uninhabited, yet beautiful, world.

And yet, despite his status as the most powerful being in the universe, Titan had never found the peace a peasant-like Sonovan had. It was truly ironic.

Sonovan looked at Jane. "I am surprised you did not become a vengeful individual due to your past," he stated.

"Yeah, pills do a good job," she mumbled. "And maybe the years of heartache have toughened me."

Sonovan nodded. "You are strong. Stronger than I was."

Like many, she glanced toward the ground, unsure of what to say next. After a minute, she ventured, "Do you think we will win?"

"I don't know. Just know we will protect you. United, we will be unstoppable."

She frowned, turning back to the view. "And I will too." Sonovan smiled once again. It made her smile too.

HOURS LATER

"I am grateful that after being marooned on some planet far from here, I was able to hitch many rides across space as I wandered for years," Sonovan said. "I visited many worlds, many civilizations. Nobody even recognized who I was. But soon, I was found, and everyone was after me. So, I found a refuge here, and have been in this place ever since." The group sat in one of the bedrooms of the hideout. "I still have some leftover tech. Do you know anyone we could contact?"

"No, not really," Johnny replied.

"Only Ledarius Wepon," Dustin responded.

"What planet was he from?" Sonovan asked.

"Oh, uh, I think it was called Nexon," Dustin answered.

"Ah, yes! Nexon. I have been there! An advanced civilization."

"You can say that again," Dustin replied.

"And yet nobody can help us. I've begun to feel we might be stuck here," Ryan whined.

"No, we have a purpose," Johnny said. "Something sent us here. Z said we had to save the world, so that's what we will do."

"Wait, are there any command stations on this planet?" Sam asked Sonovan.

"Actually, there are. But far from here. The soldiers who took out earlier? They reside at one such research and exploration station. Scouting drones appear in the sky every few weeks. The place is uninhabited by native, intelligent peoples, but the Tetra has employed many bases around the globe, mostly used for training and mining. Thankfully, I have utilized the power of one of the invisibility suits and connected it to the hideout's mainframe. It allows me to cloak my place. It has proved enormously helpful."

"Well, that's neat," Johnny remarked.

"I suggest using those special suits of yours to get us to that location," Sonovan went on. "The only base on this planet is to the east, possibly three-hundred miles away, but there are numerous caves and crevasses in the terrain which would block that sort of journey by foot. The base keyword is CS0341. That code name alone should be enough information to get us there."

"OK, so once we get there, what happens?" Jane asked.

"Quite simple, actually. The first step is to cause a ruckus. This will attract attention and soldiers will come over. Johnny and Ryan will take them out. Jane, I want you with me. Sam and Dustin will freeze the other guards. Once they are taken out, the chief officer will likely recognize you, and most definitely, me. I will order him to contact the Titan. Knowing him, Titan will have a ship flown here immediately. It would not surprise me if he sends your friend. Once aboard, we go to face Titan."

Slowly and seriously they all nodded in agreement, then headed to get some rest in preparation for the confrontation ahead.