Prologue

Do you want to hear a story? I can tell you a story. This is a story of how heroes are made, how they fight evil, how they do their best to stop the villains, and…how they lose.

Our story begins with the acknowledgement of the existence of multiple universes. Our main focus here will be exactly two universes, one parallel to each other, though some question the existence of the other, whether it be true or not. Regardless, these two universes share a different history, however, what makes both of them similarly alike, is that both of these universes are still struggling with their own age-old conflict of good versus evil. But however, in one universe, the heroes are triumphant, almost winning any battle their respective villains can throw at them. In the other, it is the exact opposite. Yes, in that world, the battle for good and evil rages on, yet however, the forces of evil greatly overwhelm the likes of that of the other universe; in other words, the villains gain the upper hand in everything that the heroes do. To be fair, there are 'heroes' on both sides, and now, these people are still struggling to fight for the truth, justice, and freedom of that world.

But wait…how did it all come to that in the first place? How did the heroes lose and villains win? How did this universe suffer all of this?

The answer dates back to the early days of heroes, who protected the then-recovering city of Japan. Having survived the nuclear attacks brought about by the Allied Powers in 1945, several Japanese people who supported the Nazi movement led by Adolf Hitler during World War 2 decided to continue their evil doings, eventually forming a new organization that spreads fear into the hearts of people up to this very day, the organization known as the Sacred Hegemony Of Cycle Kindred Evolutionary Realm….SHOCKER.

Shocker was one of that world's biggest evil groups that had ever existed, dominating over the world using their advanced knowledge of different sciences in different fields. Through this, they managed to create one of their most prized creations, and, one of their most brutal weapons ever created: kaijin (meaning humanoid monsters). They were created using the Shocker scientists' top knowledge, and with them, they wrecked havoc throughout the 1950s. The first person they tested these abominations on is…one of the first superheroes in Japan that pre-dated Riders, Sentai, and Ultraman. His name was…Gekko Kamen.

Gekko Kamen (known in English as Moonlight Mask) was one of the first superheroes in duty that protected the Earth for many years. He began operating around 1958 and supposedly defeated his enemy around 1959. However, on that same year…he vanished, never to be seen again. But, after many years of speculation, the confusion ended when Gekko Kamen…died.

His death would spell bad luck not just for the heroes protecting the Earth, but for the forces of good itself…

The bad luck comes from nearly most of the numbers associated with Gekko Kamen's death. Every number plays a role.

On the 3rd day of September, 1959, Shocker had been working on a new kaijin that will soon destroy any hero that comes in its path. Doctor Shinigami ordered the scientists to continure giving life to this kaijin. Through advanced molecular genetics, they've selected the perfect traits to be added for its purpose, such as razor-sharp claws, bulletproof skin, and invisibility. After two hours, on the exact time of 8 o'clock in the morning, the kaijin known as Yugros was given life. It had the appearance of a four-foot tall, black lizard, with a carapace of steel, claws extending from its fingers, razor sharp fangs, scales as strong as chain-link armor, and webbed legs, much like a flying lizard's, that gave it extreme speed. One of Shocker's elite generals, Colonel Zol, demanded that they should deploy it immediately into the battlefield, to lure Gekko Kamen into their advances, while Shinigami, however, decided for something more…superstitious. He planned it to use it on the next day, with superstitious chances.

Then…September 4, 1959, 8:00 AM, it happened. Shocker then sent Yugros to attack Kanazawa, a small town and the capital city of the Ishikawa Prefecture. Just as expected, Gekko Kamen showed up, and dealt with his with much ease, that is, until a stroke of bad luck came in and Yugros slit his elbow and used his strong feet to break the femurs on his two legs, bringing him down to his knees. Knowing that the villains had gained some luck, he shot him twice in order to break through his shell, but thanks to Shocker's genetic engineering, he managed to tank every single shot he took. He then uses up the last of his ammunition, but at that exact moment, Ambassador Hell of Shocker arrives just in time to take him to Shocker's custody. He, along with Yugros, brought him back to Shocker's base, around 10:00 AM.

There, he was kept in prison, had his limbs broken by Shocker Combatmen, who then beat him while he's in chains and is completely unable to control his extremities. Finally, at 3:57 PM, twenty seconds before the ill-fated moment, the Great Leader of Shocker arrives into the cell, where Gekko Kamen is battered and bleeding after the torture done to him by the Shocker Combatmen. In his right hand, he holds a 29-inch katana, and in his left hand, he holds a whetstone, coated with a thin layer of oil. The katana he holds on his hand is written with an inscription, written in kanji, and glowing green. The inscription reads:

地球の英雄たちが今、そして永遠に絶望の中に住んでいますように。

Chikyū no eiyū-tachi ga ima, soshite eien ni zetsubō no naka ni sunde imasu yō ni.

May Earth's Heroes live in Despair, now and for all eternity.

"With this cursed blade, every hero that will come after you will suffer extreme pain, suffering, agony, torment, and much more threats than what is to come. You will see why…we had to bring you here."

"As long as evil exists…good will always come to protect it!" he retaliates.

"Not anymore. With your death, the entire world will be ours to inherit! Everyone in the world will suffer under our wrath, and there will be no one there to stop it! Now then…"

He prepares the cursed blade, with it inscription glowing vibrantly.

"…PERISH!"

He thrusts his sword into Gekko Kamen's abdomen, puncturing its way through his weakened body. All he could do now is squirm scream, knowing that the end has come. It did not come just for him, but every single hero that will follow.

"Ichi" he announces as he stabs him for the first time. Soon, he stabs him yet again, this time in another region of the abdomen.

"Ni."

He counts in Japanese as he stabs him yet again.

"San."

"Shi."

"Go"

"Roku"

"Shichi"

"Hachi"

"Kyu!"

By the end of the counting, he has stabbed him nine times. As he loses blood fast, he says his last words.

"Heroes of Earth…I am dying…keep fighting…no matter what…for this planet…is ours to protect…"

And with that, he inhales one last time…

…and never exhales again.

The Great Leader of Shocker, now victorious for his first kill, raises the now bloody sword, blood dripping in small drops. As the first drop falls hits the ground, the clock finally gongs, announcing that the hour had come, for all the heroes of Earth to be doomed…

September 4, 1954, 4:00 PM. Gekko Kamen is dead…

…and his death would spell disaster for the rest of Earth's heroes…

…for all of them are doomed…

…doomed to defeat…

…villains win, heroes lose…

…and nothing will ever be the same again…

…but is there still hope?

…hope that everything will be back to normal?

…hope that heroes will rise back up to the challenge?

…hope that the people could still strive everyday too hard, just to fight for the sake of it?

…hope in the midst of darkness?

...

…..

….

…..

…

….

…

…..

SIXTY-THREE YEARS LATER

THE SIXTH OF JANUARY, THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-TWO

"So Dad…is that everything you know?"

This is the question asked by a young, teenage girl, around the age of sixteen. She had black hair; black, chinky eyes, and wore a black jacket over a red t-shirt, with grey, tattered jeans. The emblem on the left of her jacket is a bright, black-colored R, indicating that she is in some part of resistance force.

"That is all there is to know, sweetie." he replied.

He had black hair, black eyes, a roughly-shaved beard, and a rather round face. He wore a camouflage t-shirt, a black coat with the same emblem in it, and black pants suitable for an army soldier.

"How did you know all of this? How did you know about everything that happened back during the time of Gekko Kamen? Where did you pick up all those information?" asked the girl.

"Erika, your grandfather was nothing more than a pretty obsessed person. Every time he would see a Kamen Rider, riding the wind in his bike, or a team of Sentai summoning all their power to defeat monsters, or Ultramen, scaling up to gigantic sizes to help save us from kaiju, he would always be reminded of the good fight his foremen taught him."

His watch then beeped, indicating that had received a message. He knew where it was from. He then swiped the touchscreen phone, revealing it to be a video call. The video then showed a man of American descent, appearing to be in his mid-forties, wearing a green beret with the same letter R in it, and is wearing a black army uniform.

"General, I'll be there in a jiffy."

"Good day, Mr. Ikamoto. We've got a serious mission today. I know you're aware of that."

"Yes, I know. I was just…"

"Spending time with your teenage daughter again? Should you be focused on today's mission?"

"Come on, Commander Jefferson. Shouldn't we have a bit of leisure time before we go to war?"

"What you and your people are doing is for the sake of the entire world. If you want to take down the Conglomerate's ass, you better get ready every single damn second. Do you understand?"

"Yes, commander, I'll be right there, copy that."

"Over and out."

As soon as the call ended, he then stood up and went to the door outside the room. Erika then turned to greet her father goodbye.

"So the big boss called you up again."

"Yes, and it is an important mission, because your mother is involved in this as well."

"You mean…"

"Yes."

"Is it good or bad?"

"Good. Mom's recovered some sort of technology that could help us win this war. We'll just hop that Hero's Luck doesn't come by us any minute, because what she found deemed so much interest into the Resistance leaders' brains."

"Just like every day, eh? Stealing from the Conglomerate."

"Look, sweetie, this is an urgent matter right now. You know she is the Hope of this Resistance force, and I, being her all-loving husband, would take any risk just to save her. I've got to go right now, a this urgent moment, because at any time, the Conglomerate's lackeys will catch up to her."

"Well, if that is that, then goodbye then. Good luck on the mission."

"Like always."

She then waved her father goodbye, knowing that by any time…he may or may not see his father again, considering every risk there is with anything involving stealing from the Conglomerate. She knows how hard it is for someone to get something that crucial from the damn organization, she hoped, and that it may help the Resistance win the war.

She then walked towards a desk with a laptop on it, and she opened it up. The laptop contained information every single hero that had ever lived on this planet. Besides, all of it is public knowledge. Everyone in the Resistance must have information this sufficient in order to combat what could be the Conglomerate's biggest weapons: the old heroes.

"I know you are safe, dad." she says to herself.

Author's Note:

And that…is the start of what could possibly be my darkest story yet. Judging from how everything is turning out, with everyone living in some sort of dystopia, it would be a god setup for this story. Dark themes have practically been my favorite things to write about, that of which I could not write into my other fics…yet.

This chapter is also where I did some research over the internet. For the record, here's what I did research on:

The first Tokusatsu hero in Japan – Gekko Kamen, better known as Moonlight Mask, is a viable option. For those in the readers' circle unfamiliar, he is Japan's first superhero that appeared on television screens, and aired from the year 1958 to the year 1959 (which in the story, is the year of his death). Many sources cite him as the first ever Tokusatsu superhero, though not the first superhero, since that belongs to…wait…it is still in debate. Nevertheless, he is the first Tokusatsu superhero (pre-dating Ultraman) and this would set off a domino effet that would lead to the current dystopian sitation.

The superstitious numbers – First off, the number four. In Japan, four is considered an unlucky number as it is often pronounced as shi, which corresponds to death. Next is September, the 9thmonth. Nine, like four, is also an unlucky number in Japan, since it is pronounced as ku, which means pain, agony, or suffering, hence the pain, agony, and suffering of heroes' defeat. The last part is the year, 1959. If you add the last two digits together, you get 14, another unlucky number due to 4, again. Hence, all those superstitious numbers add up to a massive amount of bad luck, which led to the heroes' loss.

Now THAT was some large infodump. However, research, at times, is not that important to the story, but it's a matter of 'see, I didn't make most of it up', and this is kinda minor.

But still, I would want you to continue supporting my story and I hope that you like it. The Justice League and the rest of the DC superheroes aren't going up until around the next part.

I hope you enjoy!

-ItsMeVader, LOVE ONLY-

January 7, 2017