After a brief joint-reign by CodeName Zero and Centuria, the villain led a coup to oust the hero, and eventually created a dictatorship. A rebellion aided by the return of Captain Infinity, however, thwarted CodeName Zero, and eventually led to his destruction. But this was not the end of the new war that come to be known as the War for Eternity, as Madam Zero took over, and became the new leader of the Army of Shadows.

For the next several quantics the war raged on, with many hypers joining the two respective sides. Kade the Keeper was one of the hypers who joined Captain Infinity and the Infinity Force. He was born many quantics after the Hyper-Human War and the rise of Madam Zero, however, like all hypers, he was well aware of her message – that she could save Super Earth One from the supposedly inevitable demise, prophesied to Captain Infinity while he was in exile. The prophecy stated that anyone who followed Captain Infinity, and turned to The Light, would be migrated to a new world, while all who followed the shadows would be destroyed with Super Earth One.

Kade was sympathetic to Super Earth One and he loved his birth planet, but he understood and believed in the prophecy Captain Infinity had received, and thus he threw his full support and considerable power behind the Infinity Force. His incredible durability and strength was developed out of necessity, as he was born in the city of Brandt (named for one of Super Earth One’s original settlers, Danny Brandt), an area that was found to have massive amounts of natural electrical energy surging beneath it. After Brandt was settled, however, an earthquake rocked the city, leaving it in ruins. Because of the extremely useful energy sources, several individuals and families remained in Brandt, and rebuilt it in a way to withstand earthquakes, but would still allow them to harness the energy. Those who stayed had to be able to endure powerful energy surges, so very few were able to make Brandt home.

One of those few was Kade’s father, Locke, who was one of the most skilled energy-harvesters on the planet. Locke’s work allowed Super Earth One to be filled with super-advanced technology, and as Kade matured, he followed in his father’s footsteps. As he spent day after day working in the energy mines, his body became more and more adaptable to the surges. As he reached adulthood, he became one of the most reliable harvesters, and in an effort to protect some of his more vulnerable coworkers, he would carry a massive sword on his back that attracted energy surges to him, and away from the others. His sword also came in handy for labor in the mines, and it was extremely useful when the mines were attacked by hyper-villains, which happened from time to time.

Most people of Brandt chose to follow The Light, so it was no surprise that the Infinity Force would come to the city to recruit some of the most powerful hypers to join them for special missions. It was quite a surprise, however, when Captain Infinity himself arrived in Brandt to specifically ask Kade for his help. The thing is, it had been many quantics, and there were signs that the War for Eternity was coming to end, which meant Super Earth One would soon be coming to an end. The greatest sign was the discovery of the Eternity Key.

The Eternity Key was an extremely powerful object that had a number of purposes and uses. Its greatest purpose and use, however, was to open a doorway that would bring all followers of The Light into the new world, thus saving them from Super Earth One’s terrible fate at the War’s conclusion. Madam Zero and the Army of Shadows, of course, were hellbent on getting the Key for themselves, and Captain Infinity needed someone to guard it. The energy surges coming off the Key made the job impossible for the vast majority of Infinity Force members to take that post. But the job was utterly perfect for Kade.

He accepted Captain Infinity’s offer to join the Infinity Force, and his family and friends watched proudly as he left Brandt for the Southern Continent. He was taken to a facility a few miles away from the Infinity Fortress, where the Key was housed and placed in charge of a small team of other energy-resistant heroes – Radiance, Kilp Tech, and Verge. Over the next few months they monitored the Key, and successfully fought off a number of hyper-villain attacks.

That success streak, however, was broken when Madam Zero herself showed up! Her powers had been continuing to grow and grow, and at this point she was not only energy-resistant, but she could also absorb energy and redirect it from her hands, eyes, and zero-ax. She used all of these powers as she engaged Kade and his team. Radiance unleashed blasts of light, which were easily deflected by the queen villainess. Klip’s ability to transform himself into energy surges was also handled swiftly by the Madam, and Verge’s invisibility skills were squashed by the skillful use of her darklight-infused ax.

Kade would put up much more of a fight, as his ability to absorb a portion of Madam Zero’s energy blasts, along with his broadsword skills and strength gave him a temporary advantage. But after exchanging a series of thunderous blows, the leader of the Army of Shadows performed an intricate series of attacks that disarmed Kade, and brought him to his knees. She then hit him with a powerful blast, that sent him crashing through the energy barrier protecting the Eternity Key. She walked through, grabbed the object, laughed diabolically, and escaped, just as Captain Infinity and other heroes showed up to assist. Kade made it to his feet, and briefed the others on what had happened. He was disappointed in himself for failing to protect the Key, but Captain Infinity reassured him and the rest of his team, calling their effort valiant and brave.

Kade then vowed to do whatever it took to get the Key back, and with that, the Infinity Force set out to find Madam Zero and the Army of Shadows. The final stages of the War for Eternity were now at hand…

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