Now that the release is near, I figure it's a good time to share a preview of what to expect in the finished product. I hope that by sharing the more polished prologue and first chapter, you may be drawn in to purchase the full book. If you are still uncertain, you can read through the earlier draft I posted earlier to get a feel for the plot.
Enjoy,
J. D. Nyle
Prologue
Long ago, there was an island
somewhere in the Atlantic. On the island were two kingdoms: a good one and a
bad one. These two kingdoms were at war a good deal of time and because of
this, technology advanced leagues faster than in Europe.
In the good kingdom, there was a
young boy of around fifteen with a mortal illness. He decided to give himself
up to science to test a new theory that had arisen. The scientists had created
a new technology that would make a mortal man into a great warrior. The youth
had his arms and legs amputated, and they were fitted with mechanical
replacements. The torso was equipped with a metallic armor that was made to
fuse with the body to give life support, provide protection, and generate
energy.
The operation was a success, and
the concept actually made the youth potentially immortal as the armor was
stronger than anything in the known world and capable of generating a barrier.
The legs also provided boosters that permitted the youth to fly as well as run
at great speeds. The arm could shift into a handless cannon that could fire
destructive energy blasts. The youth was able to adapt to many environments and
even use attacks based on the different elements. Flexibility was added,
providing the skill to be able to do flips and other movements flawlessly. A
sword of a great power and energy was granted to the test subject, and he could
generate other weapons such as spears and explosives.
The young boy was given a helmet
that attached to his head, allowing him to control these abilities with his
thoughts. The researchers saw that the potential of this warrior and his
abilities that were beyond man’s limits and gave him the name “Xagem.” The
scientists rejoiced at the success their project produced. However, they
decided it would be better if they could make the armor without needing to
amputate and forever mutate a body, and so they began research on a wearable
version.
Unfortunately, a fire emerged and
destroyed most of the research and plans, and killed the main geniuses working
on the project, leaving the remaining researchers close to square one. To make
matters worse, there was a researcher with malicious intent. He somehow was
able to produce most of the data and attach a black copy of the armor to
himself, making himself almost equal of Xagem. The bad scientist then
mass-produced his findings with the addition of hollow forms. These forms came
in many shapes but there was nothing except the dark substance inside. The
wicked scientist provided all of this to the evil kingdom, and the war ensued.
Xagem was a hero for the good
kingdom; he was even more powerful than the treacherous researcher.
Unfortunately, because of the mass-produced forms, the enemy had a greater
number of troops and more power to spread. The youth saw that he could not
protect everyone everywhere, and the good king was considering surrender.
However, Xagem realized that his
harnessed energy could provide the scientists what they needed to produce more
forms. He split his power and contained it in objects such as stones and cards.
His elemental powers were segregated into eight clear hexagonal rocks that were
distinguished by things such as a flame inside. These rocks were known as
“elite stones.” His weapon abilities were harnessed into cards called
“neocards.” The rest of his energy and powers was then used to provide the stimulus
to make new forms based on his design. These forms were not as powerful as
Xagem, but they were stronger than those in the opposing army, only fewer in
number. Xagem also gave a vast amount of his power to the king, who already had
great power. When the king’s power was mixed with Xagem’s, a strong energy was
made that was able to eliminate the dark substance.
The evil scientist, seeing that his
defeat was at hand, also decided to split his power into five orbs, and with
them sources of the dark substance. He had them spread out to far distances so
that his evil might spread and corrupt the rest of the world and thus defeat
the good kingdom. The good king took his strongest warriors, and they fought a
brave and long battle against the opposing kingdom. At one point, the evil
scientist sneakily reached the king and was about to slay him, but the youth
intervened. With the last of his energy, Xagem fought to the death and greatly
weakened the evil warrior. The king, with the chance he had, used his powers to
seal the evil warrior away, and the virtuous army won the battle. The king did
what he could and sealed what was left of Xagem’s power so that it might be
used again if ever needed to fight the evil scientist.
At least this is what was in the
mind of young David.
In a time so close yet so distant,
there was a junior in high school named David. He loved to play sports,
especially soccer and tennis. It was winter and soccer season was in. The team
so far had lost every game, and the student saw that the team just did not
care. In school, the students broke the rules and took advantage of their
privileges and thus lost them for everyone in the end. Now, some of us would
look at it all and say that this was just small stuff. But the part that made
it all hell for David was the death of his beloved grandfather. Since then,
David’s world had been upside down, and any problem became a big deal.
Episode 1: Dream into
Reality
As the sun rose one day, David was
in his room playing around before school, living out a dream in his head. In
this action, cannons were being fired amid a close combat duel.
“I shall destroy you, guardian.”
“No you won’t. As long as I have my
friends, I will never give up! I won’t lose. Falcon’s blast!”
“Noooooooo.”
After such movements, David finally
landed on his bed, gazing up as if he could see through the ceiling to envision
the sky. He fell into reverie. “Man, how I wish Neostriker really existed. Then
I could use that power for good and make a difference in this place. Or at
least get away far from here. That would just be awesome. Then again, I hope it
wouldn’t be as cliché as I just made it out to be.”
Such were the thoughts of the young
David Reese Gallaback, a high school junior, a dreamer. With the sound of the
bell, this dreamer went to classes for another miserable day. On the way, David
encountered a big upperclassman abusing some freshmen and decided to intervene.
Now this upperclassman was big in every aspect, especially around the waist. He
and David always were at each other’s necks. Personally, David never hated the
guy. He just couldn’t stand all the things he would do such as cheat or hide
his books or make things difficult at soccer practice.
“Dude, l-leave them alone.”
“Why should I?” replied the bully.
“In fact, why should I listen to a guy who cries in class when given a paper?”
“You know very well I wasn’t
crying, just upset.”
“You cried, stutterer.”
“Whatever, Nero. By the way, why
don’t you lose some weight, slowpoke?”
This comment struck a nerve in the
round bully, who instantly threw a punch, but David easily evaded it. This
benefit he was grateful for. He was much faster than his adversary, and so he
ran off to class as he heard Nero yell the all-too-common threatening words,
“You better watch your back, crybaby! I know where you sleep!”
Throughout the day, David
encountered more and more troubles, and while a normal teen would just dismiss
them eventually, they never seemed to disappear from David’s mind. And so how
it remained for the rest of the year. One night, however, young Gallaback had a
dream. In this particular dream, the junior envisioned an angel calling his
name.
“David, David.”
“What is it?”
“The Divine Maker has heard your
wish. He is willing to grant it to you for Neostriker to exist. Do you want
that to happen?”
“Hah! This must be a dream or
something. There is no such thing as a Divine Maker.”
“David, whether you believe in him
is your choice. But either way, he has chosen to bless you with Neostriker. Do
you wish this?”
“Of course,” the youth heartily
responded. “It would definitely be better than this life.”
The angel smiled as if he knew the
results of such a choice. “You shall see if you truly do think so. It shall be
confined to the limits of California, and your wish shall be granted, but when
the time comes, you will be given a choice concerning its fate, whether you are
dead or alive.”
“What do you mean?” David asked,
confused.
“You will know.” Those were the
last words of the angel before he departed, and David awoke, shaking his head.
Noting the time to be three in the morning, he simply concluded it was just a dream,
as much as he hoped that it was true.
A few months later, summer vacation
started, and David returned to his home in Kelinor. He could not really recall
the past few months. It could have been that there was nothing worth
remembering. Either way, as he entered his home, his sister was watching the
news about a discovery in the Sahara that sparked his interest.
“This is an amazing find,” began
the reporter on the TV. “An excavation here has struck archeological gold,
artifacts from an ancient civilization. However, the one that has received the
most attention is a scroll. On the scroll are paintings along with the text.
And here to talk with us more on the subject is the professor leading the
excavation, Professor Lokaf. Professor, tell us about the scroll.”
The camera moved to show a scraggy
middle-aged man in an archeology outfit discussing something with a member of
his party. After the reporter obtained his attention, he simply responded with
a polite yes, but it was obvious from his face that he knew what the reporter
was to ask him, as if they had practiced this many a time.
“What do you think about this find?
Have you been able to translate the text on the scroll?”
“The scroll? Ah yes, the scroll.
The scroll was most likely written in the Middle Ages, maybe the Dark Ages at
that. The text itself I will want to look at more carefully to be sure. A great
deal of the writing is missing because of age. What we have noticed, though, is
that the text appears to be in some form of Latin. What we have been able to
translate on the spot mentions an island presumably in the Atlantic.”
The reporter’s eyes glistened with
excitement. “So this could very well be the mythical Atlantis?” she asked,
seeking the professor’s confirmation.
“That is the popular theory at the
moment. Anyway, there are a couple of interesting words here: ‘Nellenion’ and
‘Daelian.’ It appeared this island was subject to wars that lasted generations
and these were the primary combatants. With what we have been able to gather,
we can assume this scroll was written by a Nellenion, who perhaps fled to
escape the war. Unfortunately, with most of the text eroded, we won’t be able
to study it much more than we already have.”
“Professor, it is my understanding
that these artifacts will be going on display in the near future.”
“Ah yes. The main sponsor of this
excavation was Mr. Cower of the Cower’s Museum in Kelinor. As part of the deal,
these artifacts will be on display there. After that, I believe it’ll be…”
David did not stay to hear what the
professor had to say next. He went up to his room with his mind swirling. After
closing his door and lying on his bed, the student began to ask himself about
what was happening. “Nellenion? Daelian? Is this really happening? Those are
the two kingdoms of Neostriker. Nellenion is the good kingdom, and Daelian is
the enemy. Man, I need to get to that scroll and see if it’s true.”
Shortly after, his sister knocked
and came in. “Was there something weird about that?”
“You have no idea, sis.”
“Well, it is interesting to think
that this may be proof that something like Atlantis existed.”
“How about we go check it out?”
“I’m for it, but I don’t think
it’ll be at the museum for at least a week.”
“All right, then I’m going to take
a nap. It’s been a rough day.”
“Uh… sure. Talk to you later,
then.”
With that, David’s sister left, and
David’s mind continued to go wild over the whole affair. When the day finally
approached, David had no hesitation in getting his family to the museum so that
he might see if it was really what he thought it was. However, when they
finally got to the exhibit, fighting their way to see the scroll, David’s eyes
caught a glimpse of something else that interested him: a pretty teenage girl
around his age with beautiful, long hair and a small fringe on the right side
of her face. The teenage boy could not help but think about all of the possible
scenarios to talk to her.
“Whoa! She’s pretty cute. Hmm. I
wonder if I can take a picture with my phone? Then again, I’m probably never
going to see her again, so why bother? Wait! If I go up to her and ask, then
maybe I can get her number and then…But then what would I say when I got up to
her? She probably would consider me a dope and leave. She probably already has
a boyfriend—if not many—lined up.” With that thought racing through his head,
the young boy let out a sigh.
However, the boy decided to at
least try to snap a picture while pretending to really take it of the scroll.
Nevertheless, just as he focused the camera, moving while doing so, he tripped
over a cable. The phone flew into the scroll and dropped to the floor. If he
hadn’t known before, David sure learned how fast security could move.
Embarrassed, David quickly
retrieved his phone and raced to the bathroom to be alone. Inside, the splash of
water was still not enough to relieve his embarrassment, and he proceeded to
yell at his foolishness. “Great job, David! Now there is no chance at all to
get to know her. She must definitely think me a dope. Argh! I didn’t even get a
picture.” With that, he flipped open his phone and noticed something strange
streaming down the screen—binary code. “Great” the clumsy teenager
sarcastically thought. “Just another problem to add to my list—a broken phone.
I wonder if Dad can fix this.” He then slapped himself saying, “I must be
having some kind of nightmare.”
“I don’t think so,” said a voice
from nowhere.
“Who’s there?” The startled junior
looked around.
“Here, in your phone,” was the
reply David got. When he checked, he saw the figure of a man. It was not an
ordinary man, but a knight. He had on a green tunic, but chain mail could be
seen beneath it. He had on a brown belt with matching boots and gloves. His
hair was golden blond, and he possessed aquamarine eyes.
“The name is Zel. I am an
asen, a Neostriker warrior.”
“Did you say a ‘Neostriker’?”
inquired the seventeen-year-old.
“Yes, I did. Do you have a problem
with that?”
“Uh, no…” replied David, but in his
mind he added, “Maybe it’s a dream instead of a nightmare. Wait. I’d probably
better not indicate that I know what a Neostriker is.” And so, he commented,
“How should I know? I don’t know what a Neostriker is, even though it sounds
kinda cool if not cliché.”
“A Neostriker,” said the mysterious
figure, “is a warrior with great power, able to generate certain weapons at
will and use them to fight. In the Neostriker realm there are two forces. There
are those who use the power for good, the Nellenions, and those who use it for
evil intent, the Daelians.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I am in search of someone who can
fight for the Nellenions.”
“Why, might I ask?”
“I am what you might call a highly
advanced program, but my nature is spirit. I am not able to fight Daelians who
materialize. However, I can serve as an operator and aid someone deemed
worthy,” explained the asen.
“So me…” the boy realized. “Why
me?”
“Because there is potential in
you.”
“This is sounding suspicious.”
“It is certainly your call whether
or not you accept this offer. The powers that come from this are great, from
the ability to fly to withstanding projectiles.”
“Flying, eh? So all I need is to be
willing to fight for the Nellenion kingdom? And they are the good guys, so why
not?” decided the dreamer.
A smirk came across Zel’s face as
he proceeded with this warning. “Heh. Take note that the tide of war is
approaching. If you want though, the powers can be taken away from you anytime.
So if you want to give up, just say so, or if you do evil with them then they
will be taken away with no problem.”
“That’s fine. I’ll just have to be
responsible.”
“Very well then. Your phone has
been given a new program and thus made into a neot. This will permit you to
transform into a great warrior. All you need to do is bring up the program,
press the send button, and say ‘Neoformation.’” Just as he finished, though,
Zel’s composure changed, as if he had sensed something. “You may be put to your
first test right now. I think the Daelians are here. So transform and I’ll
inform you with more details.”
David performed the required steps.
He said, “Neoformation,” and the phone emitted a bright light that enveloped
David. A dark-blue breastplate was put on and then heavily shaded gray arms,
legs, and a helmet with a black visor. On the back, a blue jetpack attached.
Then a dark-brown cloak wrapped around the neck. All of this in the frame of
two seconds.
“Wow. Is this really happening?”
said the excited teenager. Just then, though, a thought came up and he asked
Zel, “Wait! What about the cameras?” to which the asen replied simply, “Who
puts cameras in the restroom? Perverts? That’s just plain wrong.”
“That’s true…. Then I guess I don’t
have to worry,” the boy replied, though growing curious about the way Zel
spoke.
“I can also disable cameras for a
temporary time. Anyway, this form has been made custom for you.”
“Form?”
“Neostriker armor made for humans.
Its name is—”
“Neocyx,” blurted the
excited boy, forgetting about his situation and only to remember it when Zel
asked, “How did you know?” Thinking fast, David said, “Since it was made for
me, I should be able to give it a name.”
Zel shrugged off this answer and
merely continued saying that in forms, David was to be known as Neocyx the
shadow fox, which David liked. After this, Zel ordered, “Now, go! The Daelians
are here. I’ll instruct you on how to use this form.”
“But it wouldn’t it seem strange
for people to hear your voice from me?” asked the new warrior.
“Only you can hear me in forms.
Also, if you think to me instead of talking, you can keep it so other people
won’t hear you. That way, the conversation is private. Got it?”
“Yeah,.” the teen responded as he
sprinted through the museum toward the scroll display. Along the way, Zel
informed David that forms allowed him to move in ways he wouldn’t have been
able to before. All that was needed was to think of what he wanted. If he had
it, it would come or be done, with limits, of course. This included flight for
about five seconds, but Zel also told David that as he grew more powerful, he
would be able to fly longer. Meanwhile, at the exhibit, three purple-armored
“men” had broken in.
“All right. Stay calm and nobody
gets hurt. All we want is the scroll,” said a Daelian soldier.
“You’re robbing the museum? Who are
you? A new gang?” said David’s father. He was always quick to voice his opinion
whenever he felt he was on the right side.
“We are Neostrikers. And this
pertains to us. Any more questions?”
Not taking the hint, David’s father
continued. “I don’t know who you are, but you are probably just some poor kids.
Just stop this nonsense and—”
“You’re trying my patience, old
man. Die! Neo-sword!”
At that instant, the Daelian’s hand
transformed into an energy blade, and it dashed toward Mr. Gallaback. Just as
he was about to swing, however, Neocyx jumped in the way with blades of his own
and pushed the robber back.
“Sorry, but you aren’t doing
anything here. You’re not taking the scroll, and you are especially not going
to kill anyone!”
“Who are you?”
“Neocyx’s the name, and it will be
the last thing you remember.”
Neocyx charged the Daelian and
slashed him up, causing the robber to vanish in a puff of purple smoke. Zel
would later reveal this process to be called “neofication,” in which the forms
were said to be neofied. Then the other Daelians attacked Neocyx, but he jumped
in the air and escaped the onslaught. After that, with the words “neo-gun,” one
of his swords became a hand-cannon and the shadow fox used it to fire at the
Daelians.
Zel rebuked David, “Be careful! You
might hit someone!”
“You’re right. Let’s limit
ourselves to sword combat at the moment,” said the shamed youth. He was risking
the people he was trying to defend.
Neocyx switched back to dual blades
and took out the Daelians while only taking a few hits himself. Just as he
finished, though, the glass roof broke, and the shadow fox just barely escaped.
However, the blazing blast that followed found its target. From the roof, an
anthropomorphic dragon-like figure with tough red-and-orange armor, wings on
his back, and a head with two horns sticking out the back, descended.
“Neocyx, eh?” said the dragon form.
“That’s interesting. I am Drafom, a sergeant in the Daelian army. I
believe you could rise through the ranks if you joined us.”
“Sorry, but I think I will decline
at the moment,” replied the young hero in a rebellious tone.
The Daelian sergeant laughed. “Ha!
You certainly have some spunk in you. However, I will now take the scroll.”
“I won’t let you!”
“Do you have a choice?” he asked
while preparing a blast. “I only need to target these fools that didn’t escape
when they had the chance.”
Realizing the situation and how
helpless he was, Neocyx stood down. Drafom grabbed the scroll and laughed, “Now
that I have this, I see no reason in keeping you alive.”
Neocyx responded quickly and
brought out his neo-gun again, aiming at the Daelian and saying, “You don’t?
How about I destroy that scroll with a blast? I’m sure your boss would be fine
with that seeing that he sent you to retrieve it.”
The Daelian lowered his hand,
thought for a second and replied, “Hmmm. You are a bit clever after all. Very
well then. You can live now, but I will certainly crush you next time you
oppose me.”
With that, the dragon form escaped.
Heeding Zel’s advice, David scrambled out and used de-formation when he finally reached solitude. At that moment, Zel
informed him that the forms he fought were “hollow forms” created by the Dark Power and they were not as
powerful as those with a human host. As a result, when defeated, they vanished.
He also explained how those with a human host acted a little different. In that
case, neofication just forced the process of de-formation.
Returning to the exhibit, David’s
father explained what just happened and how glad he was that David had just
missed it due to his mishap. He even went further, saying, to the dismay of his
son, that it must have been a divine intervention. From there they went home,
and along the way, David contemplated his impending future as a Neostriker.
