VOLTSTRIKE: DAWN OF THE STORMChapter 2: SHADOW RISING š¹ THE SILENCE AFTER THE STORM
The city had never been this quiet.
Neonspire, once buzzing with neon signs and electric chatter, now lay cloaked in darkness. No power. No signal. No sound. Just a suffocating silenceāand one name whispered across the streets.
Voltstrike.
But Mark Draven wasn't standing tall anymore.
He was lying in the alley behind his apartment, smoke rising off his skin, suit damaged, heartbeat slow. The last thing he rememberedā¦ was him.
Dr. Abyss.
A man of shadows who moved like mist and spoke like prophecy.
"Where there's lightning, there's always a shadowā¦"
Mark sat up slowly, his muscles twitching with residual electricity. He clenched his fists, and sparks flickeredābut they were weak. His powerā¦ drained.
And the city was falling.
š¹ WHO IS DR. ABYSS?
Lia helped patch up Mark's wounds. While the world above panicked, the Draven siblings worked in the shadows.
"He cut the grid," Lia said. "Like he knew how it all worked. And Markā¦ he said your name."
"He wasn't human," Mark replied. "Or worseā¦ maybe he was."
Mark dove into NovaCore's secret archives using a hacked link. What he found was buried deep: Project VANTAāa failed experiment from 15 years ago. A scientist named Dr. Kael Vantros had tried to tap into dark energy fields to rival solar and electric power.
It went wrong. Terribly wrong.
They said he died in the blast.
But the shadows said otherwise.
"He didn't die," Mark whispered. "He became something else."
Dr. Abyss.
š¹ A CITY UNDER SIEGE
In the absence of power, chaos took over.
Gang wars broke out. Drones fell from the skies. NovaCore's security system crashed. People looted, panicked, and ran.
But something worse stalked the streets: Wraithsāblack, smoky humanoid shadows with violet eyes. Creatures made from corrupted dark energy. Silent. Deadly. Controlled by Abyss.
Mark, even weakened, knew he couldn't hide.
He suited up.
Voltstrike returned.
š¹ THE FIRST SHOWDOWN
At the city's central substation, a swarm of Wraiths gatheredācutting off the last chance to restore power. Mark leaped into the storm.
The battle was brutal.
He moved like a blur of light, fists sparking, body crackling.
He discharged a chain-lightning blast through five Wraiths.
He overloaded a powerline to create an electric barrier.
But for every shadow he fried, another replaced it.
And thenā¦ he appeared.
Dr. Abyss hovered above the chaos, cloak of shadows swirling.
"Still clinging to the light, boy? You don't even understand what you are."
"I'm the spark," Mark growled. "And I'll burn you down."
Their powers collidedālight vs. shadow.
Energy rippled across the district. Sparks and void tore through the sky.
But Mark wasn't ready.
Dr. Abyss threw him through a building and vanished.
š¹ THE STORM WITHIN
Bruised, bleeding, but burning with fury, Mark crawled back to his lab. His suit was damaged. His powers flickering. But his will? Stronger than ever.
"He's faster. Stronger. Smarter," he said. "I need more."
Lia stepped forward.
"Then let's give you more."
They activated the Thunder Coreāa prototype energy amplifier Mark had never dared test. It could kill himā¦ or awaken something far greater.
He stepped inside.
Pain screamed through every nerve.
His heart raced.
His eyes went white.
The lights in the entire building surged back to life.
And then... he rose.
A new suit, glowing with pure energy, forged onto his body. His lightning now golden.
"This city isn't yours, Abyss," he said.
"It's mine to protect."
š¹ FINAL SCENE ā THE VILLAIN'S MOVE
Far beneath the city, inside an underground temple of wires and shadows, Dr. Abyss stood before a massive dark crystal. He whispered ancient words as shadow energy swirled into his hands.
Behind him stood a council of cloaked figuresāmonsters, fallen scientists, and dark beings. His army.
"He awakens," one said.
"He glows brighter," another hissed.
Dr. Abyss smiled coldly.
"Let him shine. Lightning always burns out."
He raised his hands.
And across the city, the skies cracked openāblack thunder rolling in.
ā” END OF CHAPTER 2
Next: Chapter 3 ā WAR OF THE ELEMENTS