Chapter 1: The Shockwave
The year was 2097, and humanity had changed. Ever since the discovery of superpowers in 2030, every newborn had been blessed—or cursed—with the ability to manipulate the elements. Some controlled fire, others water, wind, or earth. Some were more peculiar, like the ability to bend light or twist shadows. The world had advanced to astonishing heights of science, merging technology and power in a way that had reshaped society. Cities towered in the sky, and human ambition knew no bounds.
Parallel universes, once a theory confined to the fringes of scientific thought, were now playgrounds for the curious and the reckless. But with progress came peril.
Jason Falls was born in 2080, an unfortunate child in a world that didn't care for mercy. His power wasn't as flashy as others—he couldn't throw flames or summon storms. He had something more subtle but infinitely more dangerous: super senses. His awareness stretched far beyond the average person, allowing him to see, hear, and react in ways no one else could. Unfortunately, even heightened awareness couldn't prepare a 9-year-old to watch his father's head get punched clean off by a stranger.
Since then, the world had never felt safe.
Jason lived in Sector 13, a lawless district of New Manhattan, where crime wasn't just a part of life—it was life. Murder, theft, corruption—these were the things you grew up learning to navigate, and Jason was no stranger to any of it. He had survived more close calls than he could count, using his heightened awareness to avoid danger at every turn. But today, his luck had run out.
He was running. His breath came in ragged gasps, every muscle in his body on fire as he sprinted down an alleyway. Behind him, the footsteps of the cops echoed, their shouts of "Stop!" falling on deaf ears. He'd been caught up in something he hadn't even started—a dead body in a bar, an unlucky place to be, and now the authorities had marked him as the prime suspect.
Jason's awareness flared. He sensed the cop's presence before he saw him, a figure bursting from a side alley, reaching out to grab him. Jason ducked low, his reflexes sharp, dodging the grasp just in time. But he wasn't fast enough.
Another cop. Behind him. The awareness kicked in again—move!—but the punch came too fast. A heavy fist slammed into his ribs, knocking the wind out of him, sending him sprawling onto the grimy ground.
No, no, no!
Before he could recover, cold metal snapped around his wrists. Handcuffs. He cursed under his breath, struggling against them as the cops dragged him to his feet. His senses buzzed with frustration and panic. He hadn't done anything!
"Looks like you're coming with us, kid," one of the cops sneered.
Jason grit his teeth, preparing to protest when it happened.
The shockwave.
It came without warning, a sudden, deafening crack that split the air. The world around him seemed to tremble, the ground vibrating beneath his feet. His senses, usually so attuned to everything, were overwhelmed. He felt his ears ringing, his vision blurring. The cops froze, their grips slackening in confusion.
"What the hell is that?" one of them muttered.
Jason felt the strange pull. It was like the air itself had changed, as if the fabric of reality was being torn apart. His awareness screamed at him to run, but it was too late. The shockwave intensified, a brilliant flash of light engulfing everything around them.
And then—darkness.
Jason's senses went numb. For the first time in his life, he felt nothing. No sounds. No smells. No sights. Just an empty void where the world used to be.
When his senses returned, the first thing he felt was the ground beneath him. But it wasn't the hard, cold pavement of New Manhattan. No, this was soft, like dirt—or grass.
He opened his eyes.
The city was gone. The cops were gone. Everything was gone.
Jason pushed himself to his feet, the handcuffs still biting into his wrists, but that was the least of his concerns now. He looked around, and what he saw made his heart race.
He was standing in the middle of a vast, green jungle. Towering trees stretched toward the sky, their massive trunks twisted and gnarled. The air was thick with humidity, and the sounds of strange creatures echoed in the distance—creatures he had never heard before, but instinctively knew were dangerous.
Jason's heightened awareness kicked in again, sharper than ever. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. This wasn't Earth. At least, not the Earth he knew.
He wasn't alone, either. All around him, people were materializing out of thin air, just as he had. Civilians, soldiers, criminals—all of them bewildered, all of them looking as lost as he felt.
"What the hell is this place?" someone shouted.
Jason didn't have an answer, but one thing was clear. Wherever they were, this wasn't home.