Chapter 1: The Awakening of Shadow
Neo Arcadia never truly slept.
The city buzzed with lights and noise, its heartbeat echoing through every rooftop and alley. It was a place where technology and mystery coexisted, where neon signs blinked above ancient ruins buried beneath steel, and where the veil between realms was far thinner than anyone knew.
Red was just a 17-year-old boy then — hot-headed, impulsive, but loyal to a fault. He wasn't a warrior. He wasn't special.
Until the day that changed everything.
That afternoon, Red and his four closest friends — Spartan, Cobra, Legend, and a loud-mouthed jokester known only as HE — had skipped class to explore the edge of the abandoned zone. It was supposed to be a harmless dare. Just boys being boys. But the earth there was different… fractured, humming.
And then they saw it.
A massive crater, glowing with an eerie light. At the center lay a pulsing shard — a crystal unlike anything they had ever seen. It floated above the ground, spinning slowly, whispering to each of them in a voice that wasn't quite sound.
They should've run.
But curiosity was a powerful thing.
Red was the first to reach for it. The instant his fingers touched the Clonex Crystal, the world exploded around him. His body seized, energy coursing through every vein, every bone. His scream echoed across the ruins. The others tried to pull him back, but it was too late.
The crystal shattered.
Five fragments — five destinies — split into the boys.
Red took the core. The largest shard. The raw, unstable heart of Clonex itself. The moment it entered him, his shadow twisted and became alive — a mirror of his rage, his thoughts, his fear.
When he collapsed, the world fell silent.
And everything was different.
The next morning, Red woke in a haze. His room felt colder. Time seemed to slow as he moved. His body was stronger. Faster. His thoughts clearer. But his shadow… it didn't behave like it used to.
It responded to his emotions. It lashed out when he was scared. It coiled protectively when he felt threatened. It had become a weapon, a guardian — or maybe something darker.
Red told no one at first.
But he wasn't the only one who'd changed.
Spartan had touched a fragment too — smaller, but darker. It had burned into his palm and vanished into his bloodstream. He said he felt fine… but Red noticed the way his brother looked at him differently now.
Legend was quieter than usual, spending hours meditating under the sun. Cobra flinched at every sound. And HE? He still cracked jokes — but even his eyes had lost some of their usual shine.
None of them were the same anymore.
And then the Jackpotters came.
It started with a black car parked outside Red's home. Then strange figures tailing him through the city. And finally — the ambush.
Two of them appeared that night: Kayla, the cold-blooded strategist, and Ramos, the enforcer.
Red never saw them coming. One moment he was walking home from the arcade with HE — who had just bought spicy noodles and was mid-joke — and the next, Kayla had him by the throat, eyes glowing pink as illusions warped reality around them.
Ramos lunged from the shadows, fists like wrecking balls, eyes locked onto Red's chest.
They weren't here for Red.
They were here for what was inside him.
The Clonex Core.
But Red didn't run. Not this time. Something awakened inside him — a scream from his shadow that roared to life. It shot out like tendrils of black flame, striking Ramos and throwing him across the street.
Kayla hissed and vanished.
Red's heart thundered. He looked at HE — who had dropped his food and was staring, wide-eyed.
"You good?" Red panted.
"I think I peed a little," HE said. "Also… you just Shadow Hulked a guy into a wall. We need to go."
And just like that, the chase began.