21st Century Magic: Prologue

Many of the stories I've written, or at least started, take place in a parallel Earth where magic returned in full force early in the 21st century. I call this my "21st Century Magic" setting. 

When I started my first story in this setting in 2004, I wrote a prologue with the intent of attaching it to the beginning of all my 21st Century Magic stories. I've since decided it's too long and unnecessary to bother. But I figure I'll share it here, anyway, just for reference.

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There have always been practitioners and believers in magic, but before Revelation Day, they were seen as frauds or dreamers. But since that historic day, the entire world has become believers.

That was the day, early in the 21^st Century, when a mage of incredible power tried to take over the Earth. He started by attacking the President of the United States in front of a live, global television audience. He was killed by a government agent possessing magic of her own.

The American government admitted that it had known about the magic for some time. They explained that magic goes through cycles, and after centuries of little or no magical energy in the world, it was rapidly returning. The government had been secretly recruiting and training magical agents to defend against criminals and terrorists who might use this power for their own nefarious schemes.

Since that day, more and more people around the world have gained magical abilities. Some develop innate powers without even trying, while others study arcane spells and rituals to bring out the magic that they hope is within them. Once they attain “the gift”, some rise in power quickly, learning new spells and developing wondrous new skills, while others seem forever limited to lower levels of ability.

Besides the rise of magic in people, some mythological animals have also been spotted. The best known is a dragon that appeared over Tokyo two years after Revelation Day. After destroying a commercial airplane, this real life “Godzilla” was killed by the Japanese military. There have also been numerous reported sightings of “Bigfoot”, unicorns, faeries, and other mythical creatures all over the world.

As the magic continues to spread, some trends have become obvious regarding those who gain magical powers. For one, most are healthy and physically fit. Very old, sick, or obese people almost never gain magical abilities, nor do children prior to puberty. Also, while there are quite a few powerful mages of both genders, the magically talented women seem to outnumber the men considerably.

It’s still a very small minority of people that are magically gifted, and there is much fear and prejudice against them. No two people have exactly the same abilities, or the same ideas for how to use them. Some use magic for fun, convenience, or to achieve honest goals, while others use it for mischief or crime. There are even those who use magic for war or terrorism, while others oppose them.

The Earth is a very different place since Revelation Day. Magic has returned to the world.