Magic’s story has changed a lot over the past few years, but we’re back to web fiction! Akemi Dawn Bowman wrote five engaging short stories for the latest set, all of which are on Magic’s official website. If you don’t have the time to check them out yourself, don’t worry! The rest of this article will get you up to speed on the story for Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.
A Stranger in Eiganjo
Our story begins in Eiganjo, the Imperial Palace of Kamigawa. We follow Kaito, an orphan training to serve the Emperor with his sister, Eiko. Despite the rigid rules of the Imperials, Kaito spends his days racing across rooftops and exploring the palace as he sees fit. During one of his exploits, he meets the Emperor of Kamigawa herself. She’s about the same age as Kaito, and the two quickly become friends.
Still, Kaito can’t imagine a future for himself inside Eiganjo. After he meets one of the Saiba Futurists, we learn that his ideals differ from Imperial teachings. He believes that tech should be accessible to everyone and that too many regulations lead to unjust deaths, including his mother’s.
Years later, an unknown man invades Eiganjo. When Kaito looks for the intruder, he finds Kyodai, the guardian spirit of Kamigawa, writhing in pain. The emperor is nowhere to be seen, but a man with a metal arm runs from the chamber. Kaito follows him onto the rooftops, but the invader uses magic to control Kaito’s tech and throw him to the ground. Afterwards, the Imperials seem more interested in finding a scapegoat than in pursuing Kaito’s lead. Knowing he has no place in Eiganjo, Kaito leaves to find both the invader and the Emperor.
Read episode one of the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty story here!
Lies, Promises, and Neon Flames
Ten years have passed since Kaito left the Imperial Palace. In that time, we learn that his spark ignited at Jukai Forest, and that his new drone, Himoto, represents his bond with the kami of the spark. He also found a mentor among the Saiba Futurists, a moonfolk named Tameshi. Despite all of this, he hasn’t learned much about the Emperor or the invader.
His next lead comes from Eiko, who he secretly meets in the metropolis of Towashi. She tells him that Tameshi has been seen with the metal-armed man, much to Kaito’s dismay. After spying on Tameshi for days, he confirms that his mentor is part of something illegal. He sneaks into Tameshi’s lab, finding a blueprint for a strange device and plans for a meeting in the Undercity.
Kaito tracks the meeting down to an Undercity warehouse. Inside, there seems to be some kind of lab filled with glowing beakers and various knives. Before long, a metallic monster orders his henchmen to move to a new location and destroy anything they leave behind. Kaito moves in before the warehouse is burned down, only to find Tameshi inside, bleeding out. He apologizes to Kaito, and whispers, “Tezzeret” with his dying breath.
Read episode two of the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty story here!
An Unexpected Alliance
Kaito’s search for Tezzeret takes him to Kamigawa’s swamps, where the nezumi live. He searches for a child named Nashi, who is one of the only people on Kamigawa who has seen Tezzeret. The nezumi don’t take kindly to humans, though, so he uses Himoto to spy on them and learn where Nashi lives. He finds out that Nashi is in Otawara, so he returns to the city in the sky.
He doesn’t get far in Otawara before meeting Nashi’s adoptive mother, a moonfolk woman. She tells him to end his search, but Kaito isn’t willing to give up so easily. The two fight, but the moonfolk gets the upper hand and paralyzes him with magic. She plans on erasing Kaito’s memory, but she yields after he mentions Tezzeret. She introduces herself as Tamiyo and agrees to help him.
Tamiyo explains that Tezzeret has been experimenting with kami and tried to use the Reality Chip on Kyodai ten years ago. That incident ignited the Emperor’s spark, but she has no control over this power. Tamiyo fears that there’s something much larger going on, and she wants to learn as much as she can about their enemy. Kaito, however, doesn’t have time to wait.
Kaito returns to Tameshi’s lab and finds The Reality Chip. He steals it just before running into the monster from the warehouse, who calls himself Jin-Gitaxias. Kaito fights his henchmen and flees into the city. Outside, he soon meets up with Tamiyo and the Wanderer: the Emperor of Kamigawa.
Read episode three of the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty story here!
The Break-In
The three planeswalkers return to Eiganjo to escape Jin-Gitaxias and his henchmen. Once there, the Emperor fights to stay on Kamigawa despite her unstable spark. Using the Reality Chip, they manage to keep her on the plane, but she becomes linked to the machines in Tameshi’s lab.
She has a vision which tells her that Jin-Gitaxias has told the Asari Uprisers that the Emperor has returned. The Emperor decides to stay and defend the Imperial Palace from the Uprisers, while Kaito and Tamiyo return to Tameshi’s lab.
The two hope to destroy any research about the Reality Chip, as well as the machine connected to it. Once they arrive, however, Tezzeret and Jin-Gitaxias ambush them. They reveal that their tests require planeswalkers and capture both Kaito and Tamiyo.
Luckily, the Emperor has another vision and learns that her allies were defeated. Using Kyodai to help stabilize her, she planeswalks into the lab and attacks Jin-Gitaxias. Before they can react, she frees her allies, and they prepare to fight off the invaders once and for all.
Read episode four of the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty story here!
Threads of War
The final chapter begins with our three heroes defeating their enemies. Jin-Gitaxias lies motionless on the floor, while Tamiyo has paralyzed the planeswalker. Despite this, Tezzeret can still use his magic to control the Reality Chip. He uses it to attack the Emperor, so Kaito promptly knocks him out.
The three have little time to celebrate, though: Eiganjo is under attack. Tamiyo uses the Reality Chip to enhance her telekenesis, and she uses a nearby mech to fly them back to the Imperial Palace. During the trip, Tezzeret regains consciousness and attacks, causing Tamiyo to lose focus on her magic. The mech falls to the ground, and the four get separated.
Kaito and Tamiyo meet up and try to stop Tezzeret from finding the Emperor. Once he realizes that Tamiyo has the Reality Chip, though, he’s perfectly willing to stay and fight. They almost defeat him, but he uses his magic one last time to control Tamiyo. He opens the Planar Bridge, taking Tamiyo and the Reality Chip with him.
The Emperor and Kaito stop the Uprisers from taking over Eiganjo, but their reunion is short-lived. Without the Reality Chip, the Emperor loses control of her spark again and disappears. Kaito begins his journey once again, searching for both his old friend and for Tamiyo.
In the epilogue, we learn that Tezzeret has taken Tamiyo to New Phyrexia. Jin-Gitaxias has succeeded in his experiment: he has created the first Phyrexian planeswalker. Tamiyo embraces her new home, and she is prepared to do anything to protect it.
Read episode five of the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty story here!
End Step
That’s all for the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty web fiction! Of course, the plot only gives you a part of the story. The cards show off the world and lore, and they serve a key role in Magic’s story. If you want to keep up with the characters and setting of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, check out our articles on all of this set’s awesome spoilers!
