NEON is not an ordinary place. It is an entire planet. It is a beautiful world, a place where the laws of nature are different and everything is possible, everything has its own, unique form. NEON is a futuristic world, placed in a very distant timeline, in a totally different Universe. It was believed that before the power of its Core created the life on it, NEON was once a star itself. Now, it was a planet orbited by its two stars: the N3o Star, which was the day star and a symbol of peace and protection, and the Nex Star, which was the night star. No one knew how stars ended up orbiting planets in the Neon Universe, but they were certain that it was a world bounded by chaos and every strange phenomenon that seemed practically unachievable or impossible for us humans were something natural or even very normal for the people on planet NEON.

People on NEON, also known as neons, have a unique energy and they are born with specific powers that make them special. The Neon power system is very well-determined and it is composed of 8 Power Natures, officially recognized by the Governments. Those are: Neon, Darkness, Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Techno and Toxi. The first two, Neon and Darkness are the rarest and hardest to control; all neons born with those power natures were known to have been extremely strong.

Now, for each of these big factions there are specific powers that define it. The Powers are an under-class of the Power Nature diagram. There are a lot of them corresponding to each faction, but one neon is born with a maximum of three Powers. Of course, through hard training, one might master some from a different Power Nature as well.

Now come the Abilities, which are different ways a neon uses his Powers. For example, one may use his flame powers to clone, another may use them to create weapons.

Something similar to an Ability is the Skill. The Skills are developed through training and everyone can learn to master them regardless of their powers.

These unique traits helped those people evolve fast and build a modern society where everything is easier and very comfortable.

The world was divided into three Platforms: 002, X01 and K03. They were each under the control of three, independent Governments that had been at peace with each other for a very long time since the last conflict. Each Platform was holding up many Cities and Sky Cities, also known as states. In each state, there was an Organization that was leading the people; an Organization composed of powerful and trustworthy members of the Government or in service to them. One such organization was in the City of Kaara03, in 002 and it was the Devil Killers’ Association.

Every City was divided into Regions, and eventually, Regions were divided into Sections, or simply cities and towns. But they were not anything old fashioned…

The neons were actually living in such an advanced world; not only did they have full access to the resources from their two stars- the N3o and the Nex, that were orbiting the planet on opposite sides- but also to their entire Galaxy. They had very modern technology that helped them in so many ways and made their lives so much easier. Not just the very humanoid cyborgs living among them and helping them with their everyday lives, but also means of transport and weapons. Technically, nothing in the neon society was too impressive to the people; seeing trains that seemed to go upside down or through passages built through buildings, all sorts of flying vehicles- that were glowing in neon colors once night fell-, such fancy sports cars all over the incredibly wide roads. The sidewalks were filled with cheerful people, all dressed in what are known as neon suits- a special fabric that was imbued with a certain amount of neon energy based on what the outfit was designed for; for the casual suits, the neon energy would only allow the fabric to adapt to the shape of the body of the person wearing it. The neon suits didn’t look like anything particularly interesting, they were just normal looking clothes with neon patterns all over them.

Aside from that, some people were carrying around all sorts of technological devices that seemed straight out of a futuristic, sci-fi movie; in reality, they were just another piece in the neons’ everyday lives. Some of them were even surrounded by holographic screens, continuously typing or swiping left and right through the images or information they had there.

The cities were especially crowded, but not too noisy. The immense, futuristic buildings were towering over the busy roads. The light of the N3o star was reflecting onto the glass windows on the grand centers and office buildings, making them shine brightly. At that point, the most impressive and attractive structures were the Hero Schools, Academies and Training Fields. (To maintain the order in society, all Governments agreed that they should help young people use their powers properly to ensure a bright future for themselves and the community they were living in.)

All the other structures, like apartments, houses and shopping centers were quite noticeable as well. There were crowds of people waiting at clothing stores or at a fancy bakery, and in the big, beautiful gardens around each house there were so many children playing all sorts of fun games.

That was what led the neons to believe that they had created the “perfect world”. A world with no political conflicts, a world full of next-level technology, a world where everything is possible. Yet it was not exactly like that. Things did not go as planned. Darkness took over and the vicious and the powerful rose against the whole world. Demons escaped the realm of Hell and began to roam the planet and terrorize the people; mercilessly slaughtering every single person in their way. Then, the War Era began and chaos dominated. The evil had come out of the shadows, thirsty for power, thirsty for the blood of the innocents.

Everything happened just because they had been inspired by all the legends about the Neon Gods and the evil Deities that were said to have attacked NEON in the distant past. To every evil force in the Neon Universe, NEON became just a source of unlimited power that had to be destroyed in order to grant the destroyer all the powerful energy and the immortality they all longed for. There were so many legends about such things. How many thousands of years into the past, the God of Destruction took on a human form and brought chaos and curses to the planet. They said he had so many subordinates, like demons and all sorts of horrifying creatures. Yet the most terrifying had been Xiaomi, the Desert Witch, possessor of the Darkness Power Nature. It was said she rose to the God’s level. Legend said that one day, a new war broke out and Xiaomi went on with cursing the innocent once again. But then, a mysterious girl no one had known of showed up to the battlefield and single-handedly defeated Xiaomi, freeing everyone from their suffering. They said she had the eyes of the Goddess of Heaven and the face of an angel; her long, white hair was shining in the light of the Nex like a galaxy of stars. And her name was Jia. It was said she was the Chosen One; reincarnation of Kamisama herself, born to defeat the God of Destruction for a second time… Since then, Jia became a very used name for girls; their parents associated it with bravery, kindness and power, more likely with the heroine herself.

But even so, Jia didn’t want to believe that she was the reincarnation of Kamisama. There were many reasons for it. The most important detail that proved it was her battle against the Witch- Xiaomi ripped the heart from her body and it was nothing but a normal heart soaked in crimson blood, beating slowly. And Jia managed to live by using her regeneration powers and having her little assistant get her heart back. (He was not that important in the story so there is no need to further describe his roles.) And now that it had been mentioned, if Jia was truly the reincarnation of Kamisama, she would have had the Goddess’ Core- the source of her powers and memories. It is said that she always refused to be praised like Kamisama. But the most intriguing part in the legend were her last words… After having lived a long, peaceful life, she transcended into the Realm of the Souls leaving behind a sort of message or prophecy:

“The world had not been saved yet. Whom I’ve defeated was nothing but a mere witch. The God of Destruction will return and along with him will follow all the evils and nightmares and the great End. But fear not, for Kamisama will rise and defeat him for good. She is out there somewhere in the body of a mere neon. The time will come when she will awaken… And you will all be saved from this world of chaos…”

And another legend unravels, going further into the past, when the civilizations of NEON were yet to be formed…

It was said that the God of Destruction and his evil dragon came with the selfish desire to destroy the planet and steal the powers of its Core. No one knew why that was and the mystery had never been unraveled. The people were preparing for the great apocalypse, but then, out of nowhere, she showed up; the protector of NEON, Goddess Kamisama. Legend has it that she fought for so long and never gave up, even on the brink of death. That was when they say that it gets dark and very suspicious rather… Just before dying, she used up all her strength to seal the dragon away and cast the God of Destruction into the Void of Suffering. And then, she self-destructed, leaving behind only a star. That was the N3o Star and that was why it became their symbol of peace and protection.

All these legends and stories gave some people ideas. Terrible ideas. It made them want to use their pain and anger to destroy the world and make innocents suffer as they did. Most of the evil people who had attempted mass destruction in the past said they were following the word of Slyraa, the Goddess of Hell.

Out of all calamities and great tragedies, the worst of them was the First Galactic War that only brought destruction and misery to all the world for centuries. The greatest super-villain in the history of the planet, nicknamed “NEON’s Destroyer”, attempted to dominate the Neon Universe by destroying the planet, yet she failed, like every single villain who tried… The War was said to have ended after her death, but nobody knew for sure.

Now, it is currently year 5183, one year after another great battle known as Night Raid. NEON became a peaceful place once again. The people in Kaara Region were celebrating. Millions of fireworks exploded in the starry, night sky. The atmosphere was joyful.

Above the abyss named Ethereal Depths, a strange woman who had her whole body covered by a long, black cloak walked out of the forest and stood on the edge of the cliff. The light of the fireworks was illuminating her pale face from time to time. Only the flicker from her white eyes and her creepy smirk were reflecting the evil in her heart. She was standing proudly, like she had just won a difficult battle. Yet that was not the intriguing part. She was muttering strange words to herself, like a summoning spell.

There was a man not too far behind her, watching in the distance at the brightly lit city. His neon green eyes were flickering with fear and regret.

The man looked up at the sky. The stars were slowly vanishing, one by one. The sky began to darken above the small Section from Kaara. A huge patch of dark matter suddenly formed in mid-air and the sky shook. A powerful laser of dark energy emerged from it and hit the small city. Then, a big explosion occurred. The chaos was unleashed and the powerful shockwave reduced the Section to nothingness.

It was just a brief moment… Not more than a minute. But it all felt like such a long time… So long that pain had time to settle within him… Pain, guilt, regret… It hurt. It hurt him to stand and watch it all sink into the darkness… To watch the ‘flames’ of dark energy slowly engulf the area, leaving nothing of what it once was behind…

The few moments passed quickly. The patch of dark matter evaporated in the sky, leaving behind the terrifying view of what was left of the Section. The horrifying view of pitch-black nothingness…

That woman watched the whole scene and giggled evilly. She was enjoying herself. Above all, gazing in the distance with an air of superiority, with those pearly orbs flickering with excitement at the sight.

As for the man, it was no longer even visible how he struggled to control his breathing, his overwhelming emotions… He wanted some rest. He wanted to retreat and catch a breath…

Suddenly, he heard leaves rustling from behind. He gazed at the glowing forest and distinguished a shadow lurking in the woods. He let out a soft grunt as his problems had now only began.

“Where are you going, little sister?” he whispered. He slowly walked towards the path that was leading deep into the Ethereal Forest, silently, hoping the woman would not notice…

But how couldn’t she…?