In the Grand Empire of the North Sea, in its main academy of magic, one of the most important mages in all of history is giving a class about the difficulty and almost impossibility of predicting the future for the majority of magic practitioners…
“The prediction of the future is an extremely inaccurate practice, timelines are infinite, an event that has the possibility of occurring means that it exists in one or more timelines; the closer it gets to infinity, the more likely it is to happen. In general, the extreme difficulty of carrying out these predictions means that only five mages in the world are known to be able to accomplish them, and not only that, the required equipment and materials come with an extremely high cost. Luckily for all of you, as you are in the foremost academy in the world and are in the presence of one of the foremost mages in the world, you will be able to witness how I do it,” said the mage as he prepared the necessary materials for the demonstration.
“What’s the use of learning this if we won’t even be able to use it?” said one of the students aloud.
“Damn it, don’t be ungrateful!” said the mage, clearly annoyed by the students’ attitude.
“Well, stop interrupting and let’s begin. The selection of a target for prediction can be random or specific, depending on the amount of energy required, among other requirements. Interestingly, contrary to what you might think, the random selection requires a much higher level of energy. I’ll start with the most difficult and work our way to the simpler ones. Therefore, it will be a random selection…”
“MMM, the predictions are about someone south of the United Provinces of Wilmington Empire, a child under 15 years old. Let me find an interesting prediction…” commented the mage to his students as he examined a great number of possibilities.
“I’ll share some that I’m seeing. In one, he dies attacked by a beast; in another, he dies due to… a magical explosion? Oh, in another, he dies in a great war that might happen in the future. Wait, I found a very interesting one. I’ll project it for you to see…”
This comment was made by the mage as he prepared a projection spell.
“It’s about to start. Get ready, we’ll see it from a first-person perspective and hear his thoughts.”
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“How should I have acted to prevent this catastrophe? What should I have said or done to calm the wave of rebellion? How must I proceed to prevent this nation from destroying itself?” A common man, absentmindedly ignoring his surroundings, internally grapples with the most complex existential questions that a statesman faces in the midst of the worst political and social crisis that threatens the very existence of a nation, the nation that elected him as a leader and trusts him to guide them from turbulent waters to calmer ones.
He transitions from pondering existential questions on a general level to contemplating more specific ones that truly matter to him.
“What will be my legacy?”
“How will my fellow countrymen remember me?”
In the background, far removed from the psychological plane he finds himself in, a faint voice can be heard…
“Darling? Darling!?”
“How will my fellow countrymen remember me in the future as they judge the work I am doing today?”
Faintly in the background, “Darling!!”
“How will history judge me?… The most ruthless judge that exists.”
This train of thought likely would have continued for several more minutes if not for a noisy and wet interruption that compelled the common man to exit the realm of ideas and return to reality.
“Create water!”
“You don’t have to shout at me, and definitely not get me wet! I can hear you clearly!” The president exclaimed after being viciously attacked.
“Oh, really? What was I saying?” Asked the wife, with a pair of eyes that would intimidate any beast.
“Hmm, good question,” the president responded, trying to remember what they were talking about.
“You’re right… I wasn’t paying attention to you.”
“”ARGH! You were definitely thinking about your job. You know the rule perfectly well, no politics or work-related matters at the table!”
“And you know the rule of no magic! The public would devour me if they saw the President’s wife using magic! After all those speeches and demagification and industrialization laws I’ve pushed for!”
“All that effort trying to speed up the destruction of the past, and for what? Oh, dear, when will you get over your inferiority complex about having so little magic? You’re already the most powerful man in the country, what comes after this? Declaring yourself a perpetual dictator?” The wife said, being quite straightforward in her statements.
“What do you want, to make me feel down? Do you have to be so direct? Don’t joke about that, a meteor would have to fall on Wilmington for me to even consider that.
” And I don’t know what you’re talking about with feeling inferior. I might have little archaic magic, but I have plenty of real magic in these two places,” said the president, lifting his chin and pointing one of his index finger to his head and the other to his p****….”
The conversation continued as it usually does with those two, jokes and light teasing that allows an extremely stressed man to lower his defenses and relax with his wife… but this didn’t last long… from the table where the couple is sitting, loud and fast footsteps approaching can be heard…
The door opens and an extremely anxious person rushes into the room.
“Mr. President, Mr. President!”
“What have I said about not interrupting us? You people have him all day; at least let me enjoy lunch with him!” The wife said exasperated.
“Yes, ma’am, I understand your annoyance, but this situation is more important than what you were doing.”
“Mr. President, the rebel troops attacked Fort of the Revolution.” Said the secretary with a clearly worried expression.
“Well, it’s something we knew would happen,” the president said, trying to remain calm.
The news impacted the president in a very effective way; he had hoped that the conflict could be resolved peacefully and diplomatically. The president continued to think about the situation for several minutes, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere among everyone present.
“Secession is inevitable, reconciliation is already impossible, they won’t retreat unless we force them by strength.” The president said assertively, mentally prepared for what is coming.
After receiving this complicated news, the visibly irritated wife says in a somewhat sorrowful tone.
“I told you they would, you always trying to be so conciliatory, if we had attacked first, we would have had the advantage.”
“The public opinion would have turned against us, they would have accused us of being conquerors.” The president, with his extensive political experience, said, attempting to steer the state’s policies in a direction that would cause the least harm.
“Could you leave for a moment, please? It’s time for you to start painting.” Said the president, pointing to the door.
“You don’t have the political experience for this, and you will probably just worry unnecessarily, knowing the information and the truth. And honestly, I’d prefer you didn’t witness me giving orders that make me appear evil. It’s part of my duty, but I want us to maintain the image we’ve always had with each other.”
A bit surprised, yet at the same time understanding her husband’s reasoning, the wife stands up and leaves the room, not without leaving a comment before departing…
“You worry too much. My image of you would never change. Besides, I could help them. I don’t just know about magic…”
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The president, with a concerned look and fully aware of what this means for the nation…
“Really? You’re not joking? They actually did it?”
“Why on earth would I joke about something like this? I’m not like you, our adversaries call you the ‘clown president,'” the Secretary said, somewhat annoyed by the commander in chief reaction.
The president, after collecting and organizing his disorderly and erratic emotional thoughts for a few seconds, gives a very clear order.
“Call the entire cabinet, we need to start taking action. Their making the first move finally allows us to break free from the passivity we’ve been in these last few weeks.”
“Mr. Secretary of Defense, I know I ask you this every time I see you, but how is the recruitment and rearmament going?” asked the president, curious about the progress of the demagification.
“Well, Mr. President, let me tell you that we still have a few battalions of magicians,” the Secretary said, to demonstrate that progress is still slow.
“All because of those damn old-timers resisting demagification! For the love of God, when George Wilmington walked this earth nearly 100 years ago, rifles already existed! We won our independence with technology, not with magic, and yet there are still people insisting on holding onto those old customs!” The president shouted, frustrated by the harsh resistance the opposition has put up against his programs, even on the brink of war.
“Do we have information about the states bordering the insurgents?” asked the president, concerned about their significant importance and the damage it would cause if they also seceded.
“No, Mr. President, and the secession assembly in Hessen is still ongoing,” the Secretary commented in a somewhat disappointed tone.
“I’ll send messages immediately to gather as much information as possible.”
“Excellent, inform them to prepare the boardroom with everything necessary, and have the Order and commission members come as well.”
With hurried steps, the Secretary left to make the necessary arrangements.
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After this conversation, the President walked to the window of his office and, lost in thought, wondered how this conflict would end. “The legacy of this country will depend on this, and undoubtedly my own legacy. I cannot allow myself to become the president under whose government the definitive failure of the greatest political experiment of our era occurred.”
The nation, fragmented and in the worst crisis of its history, with half the territory in a state of rebellion, and outside his window, the distant sounds of cannons, the president of the republic stood contemplating the mistakes that led to this, but especially the measures that will have to be taken to resolve it.
“History will judge my actions; I will strive for a future in which we can be proud to be citizens of this country, without the burden of committing such a great sin.”
But his true concern lay in a simple thought, one that repeated constantly in his mind: “How will they remember me in the future?”
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“Oh, a future where that person is the leader of their country.”
“That was interesting.”
“Master, create a future for me that is intriguing! But don’t mention the hardships!”
Various comments were heard in the classroom, but the magician ignored them as he was lost in thought about the child’s future.
“What an intriguing future. I might investigate this child further; from what I’ve noticed, he possess extraordinary intellectual abilities…” the magician thought silently.
“I’ll arrange for constant magical surveillance. By preventing and surviving the challenges that lie ahead, this child could become a tremendous ally…”
The magician continued pondering the possibilities and the incredible luck of having discovered a potential diamond in the rough…
