Just like all things that man has a hand in, the emergence of magic was a constructed event. To many, it was the natural progression of things: first there were tools made from the earth, then these tools combined into bigger and better objects, followed by the creation of fuel and electric powered tools. It was only logical that the next step in the evolution of our tools would be making tools out of the molecules in the air.
It was maintained as a secret for a long time. The public was distracted with the war, believing it was a simple threat on their freedoms. This was not true. World War 3 was fought over the secrets of magic - some countries believed that if they could not have it, then no one should. They failed to eliminate the research that had been done. They failed to stop the natural progression of humanity.
As with all things man deals with, the secret was not to be kept for long. With the reappearance of public executions after the war, a controlled test was to be done. It was intended to be for a small audience of potential investors, but as with all things in the age of magic, news traveled fast.
Men were killed with but a string of words. No, it was a trick of the eye - a magic trick! They were injected with something. There were no tubes. Then they were injected with a slower reacting chemical before the show! No chemical would have allowed them to walk onto stage, looking so healthy. Then a microscopic robot was used to kill them! The arguments reigned on and on until eventually, the sponsors of the execution stepped forward to make an annoucement. It was the day the world changed. It was the day the new calendar began. It was the day magic was born.
The video was shown world-wide with a narrator walking everyone through the events. He gave a brief history of magic - the same I have provided before my story - and then went into great detail about the events at the execution. Ten men had been brought forth for crimes against humanity. All of them were war criminals. All of them had been voted for death by the general public. All of them were to be provided a quick, painless death.
The executioner was a priest. A tall, gauntly man who could have served as death himself. His attempt at a beard was thin and spotty, his skin more wrinkled and worn than old leather. The robe he wore was all black, save for a large white cross on his back. He walked back and forth before those to be executed, asking them all to repent their sins. The first spat on the priest, but the priest only bowed and gestured for a guard to put something in the man's ears.
The second man cried, giving a large speech about how his family had only wanted the world to be safe, and that the were all now doomed to die. The priest bowed, and again the nearest guard inserted something into the prisoners ears. The remaining eight proceeded in much the same way. Some cried, some struggled against their captors, and some accepted their fate quietly - but all had a tiny device inserted into their ears.
The narrator described them as small, one way radios. It seemed odd, at first, but the no one struggled against the devices. By the time the priest was done with them, it appeared that many had accepted their fate. It was around here that I realized I was holding my breath. Everyone in the room was, listening close for what the narrator would say next. I like to imagine that the world was holding their breath, everyone leaning in close to their public delivery device.
But the narrator said no more. All were silent with anticipation. The priest gave a bow to the audience and reached into his robe, pulling out what appeared to be a tiny microphone. His eyes burrowed into the camera and his crusty old face stretched in an all too pleasant smile. Nodding, he reached one hand up over his mouth, and spoke the words.
The video ended there. We did not need to see the corpses of those executed to know that they were dead. It had been all the world talked about. We were told that the priest had sent the men to hell with but a simple phrase. I do not know what those words were. I only know that he spoke, as I watched his cheeks move up and down in a way that only speech would allow. They were the words that brought death; they were the words that brought magic.
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