"I, living at the University of Magic Technology..."

The Pacific Ocean was immense. For thousands of kilometers there was nothing but water, sky and the constant sound of the waves crashing against the hull of the flagship.On the bridge, men were engaged in their usual tasks. Radars controlled the surroundings, magical systems analyzed the environment, and operators communicated with each other through devices that,just a few decades earlier, would have seemed like science fiction.Magic was no longer a mystery.It became science.Researchers studied the particles’ behavior through magic. Engineers designed devices able to amplify the magic’s effects, while doctors used it to heal faster. Even everyday life was now full of magic.And, of course, the armies had learned how to use it, too.“Sir”The officer looked up from the monitor“What’s going on?”“We have detected an anomaly”“What kind?”The operator hesitated for a few seconds.“magical.”The officer approached the console.An abnormal reading appeared on the display, that didn’t seem to be coming from a ship, an airplane or any known equipment.It was just... there.“Coordinates?”“I can’t pinpoint them”“What does it mean you can’t pinpoint them?”“The magic signature keeps changing”The officer remained silent.“How big is it?”“We don’t know that”“Power?”The operator started typing frantically.Then he stopped.“Sir..”“Speak.”“I can’t measure it.”For a few seconds, nobody spoke.Another operator turned to them“Possible interference?”“No.”“The systems are working perfectly.”“Identify the source then”“I’m trying”Several signals appeared on the radarThen they disappeared.One by one.The officer stiffened.“What the hell..”An alarm rang throughout the shipMAGICAL ALERT.“Raise the barriers!”The fleet reacted immediatelyDozens of defensive systems turned on, while magical barriers overlapped the ships’ armour, giving birth to an invisible network, specifically designed to withstand the attacks of even high-level military magicians.It was a modern fleeet.One of the most advanced ever built.He should have had nothing to fear.And then, it happened.For a second, the sky seemed to warp.There was no explosion. There was no flash. One of the ships just.. disappeared.The officer stood motionless. “What?”The radar showed the ship was still there.“Contact it!”“No answer!”“Maximum barriers!”“They’re already at the maximum level!”A second signal appeared on the radar. Then a third. Then a quarter.The same thing happened again.The ships weren’t hit, they were erased.“Where does the attack come from?!”No reply.The operators desperately tried to locate the magic signature responsible, but every attempt was a failure.It was as if the attack was coming from nowhere.As if space itself was its point of origin.“Sir!”An operator shouted.“We have detected a huge concentration of energy!”The officer looked at the monitor and for the first time he saw something.A series of coordinates. A dot. Right above the fleet.“Get down everybody!”The sky lit up. It wasn’t fire. It was light.A huge discharge shot through the atmosphere and hit the ocean’s surface.The sea rose for thousands of meters, turning the waves into a gigantic wall of water.At the same time the barriers collapsed. Communications broke down. Radars went off.The ships began to explode.In the midst of that chaos, for a moment, someone could see something.A distant figure, up in the sky. Impossibile to be identify.Then another explosion lit up the ocean.Everything went dark.-September 1, 2027 - Milan, Italy“...and today marks the sixth month since the pacific incident”The television broadcast images of the destroyed fleet.Satellite photographs showed only a huge, completely devastated area of the ocean.“The attack, still considered to be one of the most mysterious military events in modern history, caused the complete destruction of the Japanese fleet engaged in the area.No organization has officially avenged the operation.The images changed.Some graphics appeared and reconstructions of the attack were on the big screen.“Experts believe that the operation was carried out by a group of highly qualified wizards.The amount of magical energy required to cause such destruction makes it, according to experts, virtually impossible for a single individual to have been responsible.”The boy sitting on the couch kept looking at the screen.“The international authorities keep going on with the investigations to identify those responsible. At the moment, however, no concrete evidence has been found, none that can lead to a specific organization or nation”click.The television switched off.The boy got up from the sofa and went up to his room.The house was quiet. Elegant, spacious and definitely bigger than the necessary for a single person.It was given to him by the Vermillion family.To him it was simply home.He took the bag, prepared the night before, and quickly checked if what he needed was inside.Documents. Phone. Lessons material.Not much.A new phase of his life would begin that day.The Magical University of Milan was waiting for him.He tucked his jacket in front of the mirror.And then left the house.Milan was already awake.The streets were full of cars, trams, and people on their way to work.Next to the normal luminous signs of the shops appeared magical devices used to power up the commercial activities.Some cars used magical energy conversion systems, while people walked on the sidewalks who used small spells for the most mundane activities.For most of the people, this was normal. Magic wasn’t scary anymore. It was part of everyday life.The boy walked through the crowd keeping a low profile.Around him, students and workers were heading to their destinations, immersed in the frenzy of the morning.After a few minutes, the imposing entrance to the Magical University of Milan appeared in front of him.The gate was already open.Students of all nationalities walked through the courtyard, some talking to each other, others checking their magic devices.It was the first day of the new academic year.For some it would be the first step towards a career in research. For others towards medicine, engineering, magical technology or the military world.The boy stopped in front of the entrance. He looked at the building. He took a step closer.“Luca Vermilion.”A voice from the entrance said his name.He looked up.He had officially started his first day at the Magical University of Milan.“Magic gave man the power to change the world.”But no one ever wondered what would happen when man changed the magic.