"Happy Ne—"

  I stopped cold in the middle of my celebration. All around me, no voices called out. No one moved a muscle. Their bodies were frozen in place as time stood still all around us. Only I was left unaffected.

  What the hell?! When did I activate my ability?

  I tried to resume the flow, but nothing happened. I tried to skip forward or jump back, still nothing. I looked at my watch which had long since continued to work when I activated my powers. The hands stood perfectly still.

  What the hell is happening? Am I even doing this? Of course I am! It's just a fluke, that's all... I just need to calm down and do the same thing I did when I froze time during the test.

  I sat on the floor and began to meditate. I focused on nothing but my breathing. Once I had it under control, I let my mind wander across my body trying to release anything that had been built up. Once I was fully relaxed, I opened my eyes, but the results were the same. Not a word had been spoken; no one had moved a single iota.

  I tried again and again, and with each failure, I grew more and more frustrated. Finally, I took a break and wandered the house to calm down. I walked into the bathroom and stared into the mirror where I renounced my former self. My own eyes stared back at me, confused and scared. I walked back out onto the balcony to feel the cold embrace of the wintery air. Outside, I could see fireworks climbing into the night sky.

  "And, so, here we are," an unknown voice spoke in a quiet tone, "in the final moments of the year."

  "Who's there?!" I spun around and pulled my hidden knife.

  No one stood behind me, but I felt drawn to look up. He sat on the edge of the roof looking down at me. The moon lit up his silhouette. A hoodie covered his head and his face was hidden behind a white mask. The crooked smile and squinting eyes of the mask added to his haunting demeanor. His leg swung from the ledge almost taunting me.

  "Good evening, Kazuma. Happy New Year's Eve." He looked off. "In mere moments, this entire year will be history, yet here we are outside of all of it."

  "How are you able to move around? How do you know who I am?" I asked, still gripping my knife. "Who the hell are you?"

  "It's ironic. You think that you can protect those people from other metas, from Eclipse," His eyes met mine, and his voice became more menacing. "From the Purge..." His gaze wandered off again. "Yet you can't even see the danger creeping right under your own nose."

  "What are you talking about? How do you know any of that?!" My grip on the knife tightened.

  "A little slow on the uptake, aren't you?" His tone shifted back to his original one and became more and more condescending. "Think about it: time is frozen around us, yet we alone are free to move around and do as we please. I know who you really are, Number 9, and I know things that even you don't know... yet."

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "You're... like me?" My voice almost broke from shock.

  "Right on the money," his head turned towards me. "I'm a Time Manipulator, just like you. The only difference between us is the level of control we have. As you can see, I'm much stronger than you. As a kindness, I'll even answer your question. My name is Damien. Damien Greene."

  "What do you want then, Greene?" I could feel my curiosity getting the best of me.

  "'Damien' is fine. I'm glad you asked. You see, when you jumped back, you started a domino effect. I'm here to make sure things don't get out of hand. Can't have—"

  "What are you talking about? I was just supposed to die there?!"

  In an instant, my own knife was at my throat. Damien wielded it as he stood behind me. I could feel his consuming malice as he breathed down my neck.

  "Don't interrupt me when I'm talking, kid." He pulled the knife away and hopped back up onto the roof. "Now, as I was saying. We can't have certain things going unchecked. Like you not going to Makarov Academy, like the Hiasaka siblings seeing the end of the school year, like you acting like a hero."

  My eyes grew wide. "It was you! You sent an application to Makarov! Why?! Why can't Nina and Natsu have a normal life?!" A hard punch landed in my stomach, and I buckled over.

  "What did I just say about interrupting me?"

  I struggled to look up. "Was Kawasaki just a tool to eliminate them?"

  I could tell that he was smiling under his mask. "Obviously, I thought he would provide a good amount of motivation for you, so I enlisted his help. I even went so far as to give him some connections at Makarov Academy. All for you to get that little..." He nudged a plant off of the balcony. "... push."

  "I'll never go back to that nightmare," I said defiantly as I stood up.

  "You say that now, Kazuma," he chuckled. "That life was more fitting of you than this one: a boring high school student trying to find love and your place in the world. Besides, I have even grander plans for you. All you need to do is listen to what I tell you."

  "Like hell I will!"

  I swiftly maneuvered to him and threw a string of solid punches. He dodged every one of them just as they were about to make contact. It seemed effortless to him, like I was the one moving in slow motion. Another solid blow landed at my stomach, then my face. I fell back against the sliding door.

  "Fight all you want, Kazuma. Your fate was sealed long ago." He hopped back to the roof and looked over his shoulder. "Go enjoy your little party. I'll be checking in from time to time." He stepped off the ledge, and, just like that, he was gone.

  I sat dazed and confused. Not only did I just get stomped, it was by someone significantly stronger than me with the same ability. I struggled to get up and hobbled downstairs. As I walked into the living room, I saw the living statues still in place.

  How do I explain any of this to them? What is there to explain? That there's an invisible threat under our noses? That someone is pulling strings that none of us can see? That it's all part of his plan? That our lives could come crashing down at any moment? No, I'll figure out a way to tell them that sounds hopeful. I owe them that much.

  As I walked over to where I stood at the end of the countdown, I felt time slowly resume. Their words and cheers crept out of their mouths, and the noises dragged on forever. Finally, they finished the celebration, and I reluctantly joined.

  For better or for worse, we're all a part of this now.

  "Happy New Year!"

  *** END OF BOOK 1***