Oliver the Desolate Soul

March, 22nd, 2019

One year had pass since The Great Disappearance occurred. I was let go from the Double A Batteries military program due to the death of Speedster and Colossus, they essentially just took away my home, education, and money so now I was going to live on the streets.

You may be asking, "Oliver why dont you just go to your family's house?" well I didn't have any family that I knew of since I was a orphan. I always knew being a hero wouldn't work out for me. I had no one to go to so now I had to fend for myself while I looked for that bastard Grin Scurvy, I swore to my dead friends that I would avenge them by any means necessary... maybe I should've learned was at stake first.

I found out who Grin Scurvy was through Interrogation, He's one of the gang disciples of Apex, He was blonde adult who had a Prothetic Hook on his left arm and scars on his face.

Months after trying to find Grin Scurvy I ended up finding a villain who worked with Grin at one point, his name was Robo-brain and... well I killed him, shot him through his glass dome that held his brain, it was my first time ever killing anyone and it was unpleasant, a wave of emotions hit me.

After I killed Robo-brain I had to flee the scene since being a vigilante isn't exactly legal especially when you commit your first murder ever.

I quickly ran into a dark alleyway to catch my breath, I could hear the police sirens nearby but they began to drive away. I was panting hard from the sprint I just did, as I was catching my breath, a voice suddenly came from the darkness of the alleyway, "Oliver Peddleton, I've been watching you for some time now." The voice said as it hid in the dark, I was frightened but quick to act, "Who's there, I'll shoot don't think I wont!" I said mainly as a bluff as I didn't want anymore deaths on my hand that day, "Do not freight friend." The voice said as it began to approach me, I could see the being clearly, it looked like a horned ghost wearing a hooded cloak, "I know what you've been through and I want to help you." The Demon said.

"You're a desolate soul looking for his teammate's killer but you lack any sort of power to continue your search." It continued to say to me, what he was saying was true, I never carried any sort of special ability unlike Speedster and Colossus, Speedster used a device which gave him super-speed and Colossus managed to make a mech-suit for himself but as for me... I had some skill in technology but not a lot, I was equipped with a holo-shield but it was quickly taken away from me since it was government property. I tried to recreate the holo-shield weeks ago but it ended overheating on my arm and left a burn mark and ever since I just used a pistol to get the job done.

Back to the topic at hand, "Why should I trust you?" I questioned the demon, "You aren't the only person that I have offered my power to them, four other souls worked alongside me to reach their goal using the power I give them." The demon explained to me, "and what's the catch?" I continued to question the demon as no one would take a demon's offer right then and there.

"All I ask for you is to find me a way back to my realm for I am not from this dimensional plane." The demon explained, "I am known as a shadow being, I was falsely accused by my two fellow shadowlords which caused me to get my physical body stripped from me by my Overlord and he sent me down to the multiverse to die but it turns out that if I make a link with a human's life force then I can continue to live as long as that human is alive too." The shadow being said to me but everything he said sounded really foreign.

I took a solid moment to contemplate the shadow-being's offer and decided on it, I held my hand out to form a bond with the shadow being, "Wonderful choice Oliver, the link will be sealed now." The Shadow being said in a joyful tone, there was still one thing on my mind, "so do you have a name?" I asked the shadow being, "oh, you can just call me Atom the Shadowlord!... i mean Atom the exiled... you can just call me Atom..." Atom disappointingly said, "Well you mysteriously know who I am, but still I'm Oliver Peddleton." I happily said to him.

Atom suddenly looked concerned at me, "hmm, it seems you've been through some rough times Oliver, it seems that you've seen a death of a person you cared about not too long ago." Atom said to me.

He was concerned about my well being but I had to lie to him, I didn't want anyone to know the trouble I had to endure to get to this point of my life, "I had to kill a supervillain for the first time." I lied to Atom as nonchalantly as possible hoping he will take the bait but he saw past it, "That isn't the source of the sadness Oliver, don't forget we share a mutual bond so I know your exact feelings right now." Atom said to me.

I didn't want to tell Atom about her... I lost her after the fight with Robo-brain which caused me to kill him out of rage and if it weren't for her I would've been dead days ago. "I don't want to talk about it." I said to Atom as serious as possible, its what she would've wanted me to say.

Atom glared at me very hard but finally spoke, "Very well then, I will not pry anymore but you humans are quite mysterious sometimes but I can't complain since I'm only alive because of you." Atom gratefully said to me, from there on out Atom and I continued to venture on my goal to find Grin Scurvy, we essentially became... friends.