I, Minoru Kagenou, 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...
-----
"Ugh... my head..."
I wake up with a pounding headache, my head resting on what feels like sand. Groaning, I sit up, squinting against the disorientation. My body aches all over, and there's a strange sensation, like the world is tilting.
As I lift my head, the first thing I see is a white star in the sky. It's not just any star; it's like nothing I've ever seen before. The mere act of looking at it sends waves of indescribable pain through me, as if it's attacking my very soul. I quickly avert my eyes, panting heavily, trying to comprehend what just happened.
Blinking through the pain, I take in my surroundings. I'm inside what appears to be a massive sphere. The star is at its center, glowing ominously. This can't be real, I think to myself, but the grains of sand under my fingers and the sharp, acrid smell in the air tell me otherwise. It's like a Dyson sphere straight out of sci-fi, but the more I look, the more bizarre it becomes.
What really shocks me is what I see when I glance to my right. There, standing tall and unmistakable, is the Tokyo Tower. Its red and white structure is an almost surreal contrast to the alien landscape around me. How the hell did I get here? I ask myself, my mind racing.
My head throbs as I try to piece together the events that led to this moment. The last thing I remember is running toward those lights in the forest, chanting about magic. I touch my head, feeling a bruise where I must have collided with something. Or someone.
Slowly, I get to my feet, swaying slightly as I do. The sand shifts under my weight, and I feel the strange compulsion to look back at the red star, but I resist. Instead, I focus on the Tokyo Tower. It's a familiar sight, a beacon of normalcy in this otherwise alien world.
I take a deep breath and start walking toward it, my mind racing with questions. Where am I? How did I get here? And most importantly, what is that star, and why does it hurt so much to look at it?
Each step is heavy, my body still aching from whatever brought me here. But I keep moving, driven by a mix of curiosity and the sheer need to understand. The Tokyo Tower seems as good a place as any to start finding answers.
As I walk, I can't shake the feeling that something has fundamentally changed. The air feels charged with a strange energy, and there's a sense of foreboding that I can't quite place. Whatever this place is, it's not just another part of Earth. And that star... I shudder to think what it really is.
I don't know what lies ahead, but I have to find out. I have to understand. And maybe, just maybe, I'll find the magic I've been searching for all this time.
-----
I arrive in Shibuya, noticing that there's less sand here compared to when I first arrived in this Dyson sphere. It's unsettling how quiet it is; not a single living being in sight, yet I can feel eyes on me, watching from unseen places.
Suddenly, a figure limps out from an alleyway. At first, I hear grunts and then catch sight of the person. It's like something out of a horror movie, with decaying flesh and an insatiable hunger in its eyes. The word "zombie" flashes through my mind as I stumble back in shock.
Without warning, the zombie jerks its head towards me and sprints at me with the speed of a professional athlete. I consider fighting back, but when I see ten more zombies appear from the shadows, I know I have no choice. Even though fleeing isn't worthy of a shadowbroker, survival is my only option.
Ten minutes later, after a relentless chase through the deserted streets of Shibuya, I manage to lose most of the zombies. Only one remains on my tail. Desperate, I grab a crowbar lying on the ground. Turning to face my pursuer, I swing the crowbar down with all my might. To my shock, it passes through the zombie as if it were a ghost, only to suddenly stop at its abdomen, snapping the crowbar in two.
What the fuck?!
Before I can process what just happened, the other zombies catch up to me. There's no time to dwell on this bizarre phenomenon, so I take off running again. Despite the terror, a part of me is excited by the supernatural implications of what I just witnessed. This world is full of mysteries, and I intend to uncover them.
Finally, desperate and nearly out of breath, I burst into the sanctuary of Meiji Shrine. The zombies skids to a stop just outside the sacred grounds, hesitating to cross the threshold. I collapse to my knees, sweat pouring down my face, gasping for air.
"I've never run that fast in my life," I mutter aloud, my voice shaky with relief and disbelief. "25 kilometers per hour, in a city with this kind of terrain."
As I catch my breath, I ponder the zombie's seemingly infinite endurance. Why did it stop chasing me at the shrine? Could it be some kind of barrier or sacred ground that repels it? Or perhaps there's something about this place that even the undead fear.
I sit there for a while longer, trying to make sense of what just happened. The encounter with the zombie and its relentless pursuit has shaken me to my core. Whatever this place is, it's clear that I'm not alone, and the rules of reality seem to have been rewritten.
With a deep breath, I steel myself.
The presence of the supernatural here means there's magic, I remind myself excitedly. This could be the breakthrough I've been searching for.
Pushing aside my initial thrill, I scan my surroundings cautiously. Near where I had stumbled into the Meiji Shrine's sanctuary, I spot an old-fashioned police uniform. Its arm badge catches my eye-it bears the symbol of two serpents biting each other's tails, forming an infinity symbol. The emblem is layered over a six-pointed star and enclosed by a ring, an insignia that exudes an eerie coolness. Beside it lies a katana and a pistol, and adjacent to these weapons rests a white gauntlet adorned with a screen.
I examine my own attire,which is made of nothing... Ah, I forgot that I took everything off to become one with the universe. Without hesitation, I don the police uniform. The fabric feels strange against my skin, but it's a practical choice given the circumstances. I strap on the katana at my side and tuck the pistol into a holster, in order to protect myself in this unfamiliar world I must take whatever that can help me survive.
Pausing for a moment, I pick up the stylish white gauntlet. It looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie-a marvel of technology. Intrigued by its design, I slide it onto my left hand and I realize it's a little big for me. As soon as I put it on entirely, a robotic female voice resonates from the gauntlet.
"Previous user deceased. New user found. Touch the screen to confirm new ownership," the voice intones.
My heart races as I process this information. With a mixture of curiosity and determination, I reach out and touch the screen. Almost immediately, the voice returns.
"Automatic adjustment."
I feel a brief, subtle shift as the gauntlet conforms perfectly to my hand and arm, fitting more snugly and comfortably than before. It now feels like a natural extension of my body.
"A lineage of summoners detected in the owner's DNA."
I freeze, trying to comprehend what I just heard. Summoners? In my DNA? The revelation sends my mind racing. Does this mean I have some inherent magical ability? My lifelong quest for magic might finally have some basis in reality.
Taking a deep breath, I try to steady myself. The gauntlet's voice interrupts my thoughts.
"Initialization of the awakening."
Before I can react, a wave of energy surges through me. My vision blurs, and a powerful sensation, like electricity coursing through my veins, overwhelms me. The last thing I hear is the voice fading into the background as darkness overtakes me.