Prologue

Preparing the Perfect Stage!

I honestly can’t remember what catalyzed this desire. All I know is I’ve admired shadowbrokers for as long as I can remember.

Was it a certain anime? Or was it a manga—or a movie? Eh, I guess it doesn’t matter. I was all in for anything that featured a mastermind, or an eminence in shadow as I like to call them. These characters were never the protagonists or final bosses but were relegated to a role behind the scenes where they flaunted their powers and meddled in the affairs of others. I’ve always looked up to the men in the shadows. I wanted to be one of them.

Think of children who worship their favorite superheroes. That was me but with master puppeteers.

Well, there was one thing that set us apart: My reverence for them wasn’t short-lived. In fact, it buried itself deeper in my heart, never dying out and always guiding me through life. To become stronger, I learned everything from karate to boxing, from swordplay to mixed martial arts. I hammed it up during all my practices, concealing my true power from the world and preparing for the fated day.

At school, I played the part of being pleasantly mediocre, an unassuming face in the crowd. Like an NPC in a game or a part of the mob. I didn’t do any harm. But behind this facade of normalcy, I was training full throttle. That’s how I spent my entire youth.

But as time passed, an uneasy feeling started to haunt me: I was due for a reality check.

Yeah, that’s right.

This was all for nothing.

I realized I’d never become as powerful as shadow commanders in the stories. It didn’t matter how hard I trained in martial arts. Sure, I could clobber a few punks…but that was it. It’d be a tough fight if anyone drew a gun, and if I was surrounded by soldiers in full gear, I’d be toast, donezo, old news.

The idea of a shadowbroker getting curb stomped by some soldiers… Ha! Ridiculous! Let’s say I trained for ten more years—or that I became the greatest martial artist in the world. I’d still get rekt by a gang of commandos.

Or maybe I’d manage to escape by the skin of my teeth or train hard enough to fight back. It’s all in the realm of possibility. But even if I somehow managed to do that, these guys could set off a nuke and vaporize me in an instant. There is a limit to the human body. That much I know.

That said, my master puppeteers would never be taken down by a nuke. Which means I needed to be impervious to them, too.

What does one need to survive a nuclear attack?

Is it the ability to pack a punch?

Could it be a body of steel?

How about unlimited stamina?

Wrong, wrong, and wrong again. You need a totally different kind of power.

Some call it magic. Others, mana. Or chi, or aura, or…you get the point. Anything will do. I needed to obtain this clandestine ability. I’d managed to reach this conclusion when I finally confronted reality head-on.

I’ll try to explain. Let’s say someone is on a quest for magical powers. Anyone would think they’re nuts. Hell, I know I would. I’d think they’d gone bonkers.

But consider this: No one in the world has proved that magic exists—or disproved it.

I couldn’t find these powers with my sanity intact. I had to dive to the depths of lunacy.

I started training in a new way that was damn near impossible.

After all, no one knows how to acquire magic, mana, chi, auras, or what have you.

I practiced Zen meditation; I braved the purification ceremony of standing under waterfalls; I focused my entire being inward; I fasted; I mastered the art of yoga; I converted religions; I searched for holy spirits; I prayed to god; I strapped myself to a cross. There was no right answer, which meant I groped my way through the darkness and sprinted down my chosen path.

Which brings us here. I’m just about ready to start my final summer as a high schooler, and I’ve yet to discover magic or mana or chi or auras…

***

It is already dark by the time I finish my daily training session.

I pick up and put on my underwear, which I’d chucked to the side, and wiggle my arms through the sleeves of my school uniform. I have yet to pick up these secret magical skills, but I’ve been starting to feel the effects of my training, I think, of late.

Like right now.

I can see flashing lights going off in my mind and sense the world is spinning.

It could be magic…or auras… In either case, I’m feeling its effects—that’s for sure. I’m proud to announce that I’ve completed another successful session.

When I’m in the thick of it, I rip off every single article of clothing and get buck naked in the forest. It makes me one with the universe. I bash my skull into the trunk of a giant tree to physically force out my worldly thoughts. Plus, it stimulates my brain and urges my latent powers to awaken.

You know, I’m all about logic when it comes to these things.

Yeah, everything’s beginning to get all blurry right about now. It’s a sensation comparable to giving myself a concussion. I make my way out of the forest with the lightest of footsteps, feeling like I’m treading on clouds.

Just then, I see light—two beams floating in the air and slicing through space. How strange. They’re beckoning me, guiding me somewhere.

“Ma-magic…?” I whisper, tiptoeing toward the illumination.

It must be… It’s gotta be! I finally found the powers of the unknown!

I notice that I’ve gone from walking to sprinting, tripping over the roots of trees and continuing to stagger forward—on and on like a beast in the forest.

“Magic! Magic! Magic! MAGIC, MAGIC, MAGIC!!!!!” I chant, bounding toward the lights and ready to snatch them out of midair…

“Hmm…?”

As a pair of headlights flood my vision with a blinding whiteness, I hear the shrill whine of a sudden brake ringing and ringing.

And then a collision. Its impact pierces through my body… And my magic…

***

In conclusion, I was able to find magical powers.

When I open my eyes, I sense that I’m surrounded by its energy, though I gotta admit it looks different from the two lights. Eh, no biggie.

Oh, and one other small detail: As a side effect, I manage to reincarnate. I bet I opened a door to another world when I found magic or something. Whatever.

As for right now, I’m a baby boy, a few months old. I only recently started forming thoughts, but it’s still hard for me to guess how much time has elapsed at any given moment. Plus, I don’t know any words, but I guess it’s plenty to recognize that this civilization is more or less the same as Europe in the Middle Ages.

But none of that’s important. I’ve acquired magical powers. That’s the end-all be-all. I couldn’t care less about how it happened or any bonus features.

I notice magic as soon as I start displaying glimmers of consciousness. All around me, I can see minuscule grains of light floating and shimmering. It reminds me of those times in my past life when I frolicked through a field of flowers stark naked—to train and find spirits, obviously.

As it turns out, my training wasn’t a total waste after all. I mean, my ability to detect this energy is proof enough, and I can control it as easily as my limbs. It’s comparable to when I strapped my naked body to a cross, a nod to Jesus…or maybe when I flip-flopped religions and danced around in prayer in my birthday suit… I bet every little thing in my training sessions helped me in the long run. It’s already taught me that I can get stronger.

Plus, time is of no consequence for a baby. I’m ready to use these years to train and become an eminence in shadow, once and for all… Oops, I think I’ve made a doodie.

Which reminds me. I heard somewhere that birds let their droppings dribble out involuntarily, and I think human babies are the same. I can fight the good fight with logic and reasoning, but it feels as though my instincts take over, whispering Just do it in my ear.

That said, this is me we’re talking about. I spent my waking hours training in my past life. Pooling together all the strength in my body, I tighten my sphincter, buying me some time…

“Wwwaaaahhhhh!”

…to summon people.