Prelude

The Apex Predator.

It was the concept I spent all sixteen years of my life chasing.There was only one purpose I ever understood in life.

To be the strongest.

That was the dream I conjured, and the only one. I never let go of it.

I trained every day, conditioning my body and honing my skills. I sharpened my reflexes, fractured bones, and sadly, ended up in the hospital more than once.

However, I excelled in martial arts—boxing, grappling, kicking, the full package. I took down anyone who tried to threaten me for money—

Well, anyone except my father strangely enough.

That was fine. It just meant there was still room to grow. The skill felt invaluable. Or at least… that’s what I believed.

Until the moment I had to use it.

It was supposed to be an easy job.

Save some random girl from a crook. Knock him out. Turn him in. End the day with my head held high and my ego satisfied.

Reality was cruel.

I spotted them on my way back from school. Her scream cut through the street—sharp, high-pitched, impossible to ignore.

I didn’t hesitate.

I sprinted into the alley, fist cocked and ready to strike.

When it landed, just like in my fantasies, the assailant went down.

Easy.

Or so I thought.

A deafening pop rang out. Strength even seemed to leave my body causing my knees to hit the floor.

The girl screamed again, louder this time, staring at me with wide, horrified eyes.

I didn’t understand, not at first. Then I looked down.

Red.

A spreading stain across my abdomen, warmth flooding my torso, heat spreading like a freshly dried t-shirt. My vision blurred. My breath hitched.

The girl ran.

A boot slammed into my ribs as the man I thought I’d beaten ran after her.

I’d been shot.

Instantly, everything I trained for collapsed into nothing.

I fell to my side as my vision flickered. Black spots littered my vision. But in that moment, ironically, my thoughts became clearer than ever.

This wasn’t some fantasy world. There was no such thing as “the strongest.”

I couldn’t even beat a man with a belt, let alone a gun. I had been delusional. How was I supposed to become an Apex Predator?

Pathetic.

Yet just as my eyelids fell and my body went numb, I heard something.

A voice.

Elegant yet alien. Smooth as silk in winter.

“Do you wish for power?”

Was that even a question?

My body felt colder by the second. My limbs wouldn’t move. But I could still think.

“Do you wish to be the strongest?”

Obviously.

No matter the cost. Whatever the catch is, I’ll take it. Whatever the task is, I’ll complete it. No question.

The title of “strongest” must be mine.

“Your wish has been granted.”

“Welcome. Magical girl, Ghamira De Rhaine.”

…What?

I felt myself leave my body.

I lost all senses, yet gained a strange one.

It felt like the sinking feeling of a plane landing, yet also floating up through water at the same time.

“You shall fight for justice, and embrace the power lying dormant within you.”

Wait.

Go back to what you just said to me.

“The absolute power you hold with the potential to unite the world.”

Just a second. We need to circle back.

“Embrace your true self and be reborn!”

My thoughts were cut short unwillingly as I felt myself get pulled roughly.

Light returned, and the world slowly came back into view.

However…

Didn’t he say magical girl?