40s

Into the Void

Volume 1
The principal character is a young man with no past, no name and several voices in his head. He is the last surviving member of an elite fighting force known as the Rangers, wiped out in a brutal war with the Vanquished Hunters. He is currently investigating mysterious robots terrorizing the countryside, when he is called on to visit the remains of Orbits, a town that has mysteriously been destroyed overnight. A trail of clues from there leads him to a magic sword that grants him the ability to wield "Yellow Nex", a Light-like energy. With his new weapon he battles the evil Machines, who gradually mount a full-scale invasion. Mostly a simple story of this "Ranger" defending Republic City from the Machines, with the help of Kaden (Young genius who had dreamed of being a Ranger) and Commander Jordan Littlefield (Long-suffering leader of the State Guard). The final chapter introduces "Code", an insane man who can use Black/Green Nex (Lightning) without a weapon. He is out to kill Ranger, and this stops him from saving Republic City from being destroyed by the Machines.

New Heroes: Ranger, Kaden, Jordan

Big Bad: The Machines

Volume 2
Jordan leads the survivors of Republic City, while Kaden (Seriously wounded and saved by Machine cybernetics) returns to his home town. Ranger tries to focus on the Machines, but is still pursued by Code, who reveals he is after the Yellow Nex, not Ranger himself. A group of mercenaries are also hunting him on behalf of a mysterious wizard, though their leader Sir Wulfric eventually decides to help the heroes and they are temporarily disbanded. Ranger also meets a mysterious woman in a mask, Tor, who helps him against the Machines. She eventually reveals that both she and Code were once heroes who used Nex, like Ranger. They worked with a third Nex user, Zero, but he was killed in the destruction of Orbits. This drove Code mad, who in turn drove Tor into hiding after he stole her Nex Artifact, robbing her of her Red Nex (Fire). Investigating further, Ranger and Tor discover that Zero sacrificed himself and Orbits to stop "The Nameless", the being who created the Artifacts. Uniting the Artifacts would bring The Nameless back, and Code agrees to stop his hunt to honor his fallen friend (Though he stays evil for now)

New Heroes: Wulfric, Tor

Big Bad: Code

Volume 3
In the very second Chapter, Ranger fails to save the life of a sick little girl. Through the Volume, Ranger battles Code and The Machines, often losing or only gaining bittersweet victories. He also faces the new threat of Dragons. He forms a Squad (That includes Wulfric and Kaden) to help him, but also to stop him if he goes mad like Code. Ranger discovers the Artifacts are not weapons like his Sword (Which is only a channel) but entire locations, that can transport themselves around. He recovers Tor's Artifact from Code, only to find she secretly was protecting his the entire time. She has connected with it, giving her Blue Nex (Ice) but severing his connection to it. His sword is actually channeling from Zero's Artifact, shattered and missing in the destruction of Orbits. In the final Chapter, Ranger abandons the desperate last stand against the Machines, confronting the Narrator himself over the increasing darkness in the story. The two battle, Ranger's sword is destroyed but he connects with Tor's Artifact and uses it to defeat the Narrator. He briefly gains his power over reality, but gives it too the little girl from earlier, now known as the Storyteller

New Heroes: Ranger's Squad (Amanda, Bug Guy?), The Storyteller

Big Bad: The Narrator

Volume 4
The Storyteller turns the Last Stand against the Machines in the Heroes favor. They begin forming an alliance with other armies/cities against the Machines, named the Last Line. Ranger now connected with an Artifact learns that the Nex is sentient, energy beings from outside reality enslaved by the Nameless in an attempt to gain true omnipotence. The Narrator, before becoming evil, stole the Artifacts and hid them, appointing the Nex-users as "Skyguards" to keep them from his "brother". The Storyteller decides to continue that mission, just as the Mercenaries reappear, lead by an honor-bound but combat obsessed gladiator. Ranger defeats him, but he is replaced by the ruthless student of the Wizard, who is also a Nex-user (Channeling corrupted Nex from the Shattered Artifact, just like Ranger's Sword). Ranger and the slightly-unbalanced Red Nex Entity finally resolve their differences, in time to stop the Mercenaries from stealing his ultimate weapon against the Machines. They're defeated for good, with particular effort from the Squad, who afterwards depart on their own quest.

New Heroes: The Nex Entities

Big Bad: The Mercenaries

Volume 5
As the Last Line begins the final stages of their war against the Machines, Jordan privately admits that his many wounds and advancing age are bringing him dangerously close to death. Ranger agrees to take command so his old friend can quietly retire, though he reluctantly discovers this means he has become leader of the newly formed Free Empire. Much attention is diverted by the No-Drakos (Dragons), who have began their own invasion of the surface world. Their powerful physic powers cause entire armies of the Free Empire to turn on each other, and disaster is only averted by Code being pushed to ally with the heroes by the Storyteller. Though uncontrollable and still insane, his "villainous connections" brings an end to the war with the Dragons, as the Skyguards convince the No-Drakos Emperor to bring his people in line, and destroy the rogue warlords who lead the attacks on the land. The final battle between the Free Empire and Machines is massive, though Ranger's secret weapon ultimately destroys the evil robots once and for all, except for a single unit that sneaks out through the carnage.

New Heroes: N/a

Big Bad: Cosmos

Volume 6
At the center of the Machines's former territory, the Skygaurds finally find the Shattered Artifact. Inside is a little girl, who becomes connected with the yellow Nex Entity just as the Artifact finally collapses. This Entity proves to be the most powerful, The Nex Empress, and Ranger and Code find their hands full caring for a girl with near world-ending power. With the war over, Ranger quickly abandons the throne of the Free Empire, and Tor takes his place alongside her husband, previously unknown to everyone else. Finding himself in the role of father, Code embarks on a quest to cure himself of his madness and eventually succeeds, becoming a pacifist in penance for his crimes, and choosing the new name of Bartholomew. This happens just in time for him, the girl (Little Lady Lucille, or Triple L/3L) and the other Skyguards to answer a call for help from the Storyteller. The Wizard behind the Mercenaries, revealed as a recovering Nameless, has discovered her village and attacked, hoping to draw out the Skyguards. He does, but with the help of the Nex Entities they win the final battle, freeing them from the Artifacts.

New Heroes: Bartholomew, Triple L, Nex Empress

Big Bad: The Nameless

Volume 7
Dragons once again invade the land. A quick meeting with the No-Drakos Emporer reveals the only reason he stopped his people the first time around was to put down his rival, the upstart warlord Cosmos. He fully intends Dragonkind to conquer the world. Things only grow worse when the last of the Machines, Sol, makes a dramatic return. A model made in the last days of the war specifically to battle Skyguards, he contained both the full might of the Machines hive mind and Nex powers of his own (Orange/Crystal). As Sol, the No-Drakos and even the Vanquished Hunters loom on the horizon, Ranger finds himself exploring a great nation of ruins and scrap-fields with a new ally. A courier in the dangerous wilderness, the young woman known as Stranger has survived and salvaged on her own for most of her life. She joins the experienced Skyguard as he follows a very personal quest. Like the Storyteller for the Narrator, The Secret has taken the place of The Nameless, and Ranger believes he may be one of the missing parents for the Skyguards, newly revealed as siblings.

New Heroes: Stranger

Big Bad: Sol