Chapter 0: Ember

My father used to beat me for not studying hard enoughEven though I had perfect grades.Sometimes he drank.Sometimes he gambled.Sometimes he punched me.Then he drank more, like the alcohol would wash away the guilt he never really had.He once said to me, 

"I'm the most pragmatic man you'll ever know."

And he meant it.He beat me pragmatically.If he wanted me to do something, he beat me.If he didn’t want me to do something, he beat me.Simple logic. No emotions. Just cold execution.He bribed people like it was nothing.He slept with my teachers, hot or not, didn’t matter just to make sure I stayed on top.Not because he cared about me. But because I was his project.His legacy. His tool.By the time I turned 18, the games changed.He started telling me to seduce people.

“Charm them,” he said. “Bend them.”“It’s how power works.”

Sometimes I listened.
Other times, I didn’t.And when I didn’tHe'd punch me across the face so hard I’d taste blood for a week.When I turned 23, he died.Official cause? Liver failure.But I’m not sure that’s the full story.Maybe I had something to do with it.Maybe I didn’t.I sleep just fine either way.Now?Now I lead a few organizations. We promote art. We support charities.That’s the pretty side.I also advise a few companies, businesses with long shadows and deeper interests.Some of them sell weapons.Some move things that shouldn't be moved.Sometimes I help. Sometimes I watch.I’m a jack of all trades.I make my money through powerful connections.Some of them could burn cities with a phone call.Some try to seduce me. Others try to blackmail me.I do the same.It’s war, just without the bulletsMost of the time.I’m lucky I live in an age where World War III is close.Closer than most people think.And maybe, just maybeI want to be the one who starts it.Not for revenge.Not for justice.For fun.For chaos.For something new.And maybeJust maybeFor the money.