Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King or any of the Shaman King characters that will be shown in this story. I do, however, own Era as she is my own character.

Note: This story is based off of the English Anime.

Prologue

"To truly become powerful, you must understand not only your own emotions and how you think, but how your opponents think, as well."

My bare feet dangled over the edge of the low-hanging bridge and my toes dipped into the water. Shutting my eyes, I crossed my arms over the railing and recalled my father's words; he had had much to say before I left on my journey. Last minute advice and well-wishes, hoping I would accomplish my goal.

"Understanding how your opponent thinks and what they feel is the key to foreseeing their attacks. If you can do that, victory is almost certain."

I snorted and reopened my eyes. I stared down at the water; my vibrant green eyes glanced back at me. Victory? Foreseeing attacks hardly ensured victory; it merely made it easier. Battle skills were needed to win, or else a loss would soon follow. I did not want to lose - I could not lose.

"Believe in yourself, Era. Believe in yourself and go forth - the time is nearly upon us. You must rise up to the challenge and ensnare your destiny. Life is in your hands now; do well, my daughter."

Lifting my feet from the cool liquid, I pulled myself up and slid into my sandals. Belief, destiny… Those were but two of the important things in life; I would not let my father down. I'd never forgive myself if I did. To let him down would be like ripping my soul into a million pieces and that was something I could not afford to do.

"Believe in yourself…"

As I turned around, a flash of blue caught my attention from the corner of my eye. Craning my neck to see, the slightest hint of a smile crossed my expression at the sight of the destiny star. The sacred blue object flew through the sky, bringing with it, its opposite, hidden in the shadows: The star of destruction.

My smile faded to a frown as realization hit me. The time for the tournament had arrived and the fate of the world lay in the hands of many young shamans. But only one could be the savior. As the star faded in the distance, I shook my head and walked, soon hitting firm land instead of the wooden bridge. The presence of the destiny star meant the battles would soon begin; I needed to prepare myself.

"I must win," I murmured, heading to the hotel I took residence in. "I must…"

My fate depends on it.

I recently posted a short piece which was a snippet of this story, because I was unsure of if I would write out the entire story. I have decided to do so; I will try my best to bring out new chapters within a decent timespan - my plan is to try to get one chapter written and posted every week, but I cannot guarantee it. I do, however, promise that I will do my best, no matter what.

The main Shaman King character in this will be Hao Asakura, but he will not appear until a bit later in the story. I have major plans for this story, so I hope you enjoy this prologue and will enjoy more once I have posted it.