2687

In the year 2594, Amelia and Shadow rested on a hill, the sun setting behind them. The air was still, but Amelia wasn’t.

“Ugh, I *need* a mission to go on!” she yelled, pacing in frustration.

Shadow, still lying down, raised an eyebrow. “Amelia, they’re not going to give you a mission. You do realize that, right?”

“I’m too goddamn strong! That’s why!” she shot back, throwing her arms in the air. “If a strong Yeager showed up, I could take it out in seconds!”

“Your yelling is killing me,” Shadow muttered, rubbing his temples.

Without hesitation, Amelia headbutted Shadow, sending him flying backwards. He crashed into the ground, groaning as he looked up at her.

“Why do you always hit me in the head?” he asked, wincing.

“That’s because you always say dumb crap about me,” she said, folding her arms and glaring down at him.

Before Shadow could respond, a soldier sprinted toward them, breathless. “Mrs. Amelia!” he shouted, clearly nervous.

Amelia turned to him, her annoyance still palpable. “What is it?” she snapped.

The soldier hesitated, then gathered his courage. “The higher-ups... they want to speak with you.”

Amelia let out an exaggerated sigh. “Fine, I’ll go,” she said, irritated. She turned to Shadow. “Don’t think I’m done with you yet.”

Shadow sat up, rubbing the back of his head. “Lucky me...” he muttered under his breath as Amelia stormed off.

As Amelia stormed into the meeting, she found herself in the center of a circle, surrounded by holograms of military officials. Her annoyance was already at its peak, and she wasted no time.

“What do you want?” she demanded.

One of the holograms, a stern-looking man, didn’t bother with pleasantries. “I’ll get to the point—Shadow killed an entire base of our soldiers. His family’s home is empty. He likely killed them, too.”

Amelia, who had been casually stretching, froze mid-motion. Her expression darkened. “What?”

“I said—” the man started, but Amelia cut him off.

“I heard you the first time,” she growled, stepping forward. “There’s *no way* my best friend is a traitor! Shadow would never kill the family he loves!” Her voice echoed with rage.

Suddenly, a soldier burst into the room, panting. “Ma’am, Shadow is missing!”

Without another word, Amelia vanished from the room. Her speed was so swift, none of the others could react. She bolted out of the base, racing toward LA City. Her heart pounded with both adrenaline and disbelief as she pushed herself faster.

When she reached the crowded streets of LA, she spotted him—Shadow, calmly walking through the crowd as if nothing had happened.

“I should’ve left earlier so you wouldn’t catch up to me,” he said without turning around.

Amelia, breathless but seething with fury, shouted after him. “What the hell, Shadow! What the higher-ups said... is it true? Did you really do it?”

Shadow finally stopped, but he didn’t turn to face her. “Do you believe them?”

Amelia’s voice cracked with emotion. “Of course I don’t! You’re my best friend!”

Shadow sighed, the weight of his next words pressing heavily on the air between them. “Then you’re an idiot.”

Amelia’s heart sank. “W-What?”

“I did it,” he said, his tone cold and devoid of any remorse. “You humans disgust me.”

Amelia stood frozen, unable to comprehend his words.

Shadow continued, his voice steady but hollow. “Humans betray each other, kill each other, all for greed. Just like the mess with the Yeagers. And you, Amelia Locke... you’re just another weapon—created and used by humans, like the rest of us.”

Amelia’s mind raced, struggling to process the reality of her closest friend’s betrayal. She clenched her fists, her body trembling. “You’re wrong, Shadow... I’m not just a weapon. And neither are you.”

As Shadow walked away from Amelia, her heart raced, torn between loyalty to her friend and the burning rage that welled up inside her. She wanted to believe that somewhere beneath his twisted words, the friend she once knew still existed. But the Shadow that stood before her now was a man consumed by hatred and a thirst for destruction.

"Shadow!" she yelled, her voice thick with emotion. But he kept walking, not even glancing back. Her fists clenched, and dark flames began to swirl around her hands, the energy threatening to explode outward.

For a moment, she contemplated ending it all right there. With her flames, she could burn him to ash and stop whatever madness had taken over him. But something held her back—some flicker of the past, of the bond they once shared.

“If you kill me now, Amelia,” he said, without turning, “at least it’ll be for a reason. A meaning. But you know better. You're too human for that."

His words stung, and Amelia’s flames flickered, but they didn’t die out. She knew this wasn’t just about Shadow or his betrayal—it was about the bigger battle between the Yeagers, humanity, and everything in between. As much as she hated it, there was no easy way to fix things now.

She watched as Shadow disappeared into the crowd, her heart heavy with the knowledge that their paths would cross again, but next time, they would be on opposite sides.

The last glimpse she had of him was his silhouette fading into the distance, and with it, the last remnants of the friend she once knew.

In the present, as Shadow and Ash broke away from their headbutting clash, the air between them crackled with tension. Shadow’s eyes briefly darkened as memories of Amelia flashed before him, but he quickly shoved them aside, focusing on the fight at hand.

"You’re so annoying," Shadow muttered, trying to banish the echoes of his past. His irritation fueled him, and in an instant, he charged at Ash with blinding speed.

Ash braced himself for another punch, but Shadow vanished before he could land his blow. Suddenly, a powerful kick connected with Ash’s back, sending him stumbling forward.

“*Yeager ability, Shadow Dance,*” Shadow thought, as his form began to shift, melting into the darkness around them. His body became an intangible shadow, flickering in and out of sight. Ash swung his fists, but every punch passed harmlessly through the shadow, unable to land a hit.

From the shadows, fists appeared, pummeling Ash from all directions. The hits came fast and hard, each one more disorienting than the last.

“*Shockwave style, Shockwave Flash,*” Ash thought. He swung his leg in a wide arc, generating a burst of pressure aimed at Shadow, but it was too late. Shadow's leg emerged from the darkness and slammed into Ash’s side, tearing through his armor and leaving a deep gash along his stomach. Blood sprayed from the wound, but Ash gritted his teeth, refusing to show weakness.

"Is that all you got, human?" Shadow taunted, his voice echoing from the surrounding shadows.

Ash stepped back, his breath heavy. His muscles flexed as he used his flux energy to seal the wound, his expression turning from pained to determined. “What a pain,” he said with a grin, despite the searing pain in his side. "But now it’s time for you to feel the shockwave."

Ash raised his fists, ready for whatever Shadow had next, but his grin was unwavering, as if he relished the challenge.