Reverie (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
weaponizedhope) wrote2018-10-21 05:56 pm
weaponizedhope) wrote2018-10-21 05:56 pm
History of the Setting: How Did This Happen?
And now for the vastly more wordy version of the setting, in this post we'll go into the setting itself and how we got to present time! But first, here's a short list of Relevant Names!
Country This Shit Went Down In: Denestvia
Most Important Corporation Involved: Zen Dynamics
Before Magic - How'd This Start Anyways:
The full story how the various Mega Corporations rose to such power is a long, complicated tale for another time, all one really needs to know is that they did, obtaining vast power of both financial and military means that allowed them to largely take over, most governments being reduced to little more than puppet states assuming you were lucky enough to live some place that even still pretended to have one. After a while, the Mega Corps went as far as to set off and start building their own cities for various purposes, the most powerful of them becoming effectively sovereign entities in their own right. The most powerful of which and arguably the only one to rightfully call themselves a "Giga" Corporation was Zen Dynamics, a merging of one of the most powerful arms manufacturers and an equally powerful private military contractor at a point in time when both wielded a great deal of political power due to a combination of financial interests, political ties and just plain being terrifyingly powerful. This gave them the power they needed to effectively usurp the existing government of Denestvia, the country they were originally based out of, paving the way for the "glorious" corporate revolution that saw a large scale transfer of general authority from the proper government to privately controlled corporate entities, and freed from restrictive oversight and laws keeping them in check, technology advanced rapidly to a state considerably beyond that of our world. Aided however slightly by Zen Dynamics itself being a power hungry but ultimately not evil entity, with little interest in oppressing and tormenting for its own sake or anything quite so mustache-twirlingly evil. That said the result was still a far cry from anything one would call a "utopia", nor was the transition of power exactly a peaceful one.
When Zen Dynamics led the charge, stating that they would sweep away the old corrupt governments that so often treated their own citizens as little more than an annoyance, a nuisance or simply a resource to be exploited, not everybody was exactly on board with this and when legal measures to oppose this were exhausted the use of force entered the picture. What ensued next was... messy, as with all other measures exhausted the Dnestvian government took to simply using force, to which the newly born Zen Dynamics responded with everything they had. The resulting armed conflict for control of the country was an ugly affair, effectively an all out revolution that stretched resources on both sides thin and resulted in no small amount of general societal upheaval. But the finer details of the war aren't especially important, what is important was a development during the war that would prove to be a turning point for history itself.
The discovery of an ancient power many once called "Magic".
The Rediscovery Of Magic - Dawn Of A New Age:
Important Name: Magi = Those who study and wield magic!
That magic was something which existed thousands of years ago was not by itself a revelation, at least not entirely. There were plenty of tales of seemingly impossible feats having been preformed in ancient times, as well as evidence scattered here and there of accomplishments that simply should not have been possible at the time creating plenty of debate as to if such a power really did exist and if so, what happened to it and what the full extent of it even was. Nobody's entirely sure how exactly The Rediscovery actually happened though if the official version of events is to be believed, an especially large blast caused by a bunker-piercing bomb being misfired out over the desert uncovered an unexpectedly large ruin of what appeared to once be an ancient temple complex, built under the ground and dedicated to the study of magic. It wasn't long before an expedition was sent in to explore it, initially to see if the location would serve as a useful base only to discover something infinitely more important.
For within this temple was bar none the most complete set of instructions for instructing a beginner in the arts of magic yet recovered, and far moreso than simply another fairy tale these proved cohesive enough to actually be effective. Two months of study later and the first magical spell to be cast in a thousand years was completed, a simple cantrip to ignite a latern that would pave the way for far grander things. It wasn't long before they began to discover other uses for this, an organized branch being formed for the study and resurrection of the ancient art of magic, a group that would eventually become known as the Magi so named after the title ancient mages once took on.
Magic was clunky. It required focus, time, often bizarre materials and no small amount of preparation. But it could do wonderful things, seemingly in defiance of the laws of reality as they were understood, and with this power on their side the tide of the war rapidly shifted and it was not long before Zen Dynamics stood victorious, the Denestvian government reduced to a vestigial state with the Directors of Zen Dynamics assuming true power. But that wasn't the end of things, if anything it was merely the beginning. To put it simply, the war had taken a terrible toll on resources with many sources of easily accessible energy beginning to simply run out entirely, which helped drive research into the concept of if a viable source of magical energy could somehow be harnessed. It wasn't long before they found their answer.
An Endlessly Renewable Source Of Energy - What Could Go Wrong:
Important Name: Extradimensional Generator = A safe, clean and reliable source of infinite energy with absolutely no drawbacks whatsoever! Really. We promise.
The solution probably sounded insane at first. There were theories of course that worlds other than this one existed, but the first one to actually be discovered was slightly more extreme than expected. A universe that as far as anybody was able to tell, was essentially an entire dimension of nothing but nonstop explosions being fueled by an entirely unknown source, and it was an especially eccentric Magi who came up with the idea to attempt to harness this. Through careful control of portals tied to this dimension, they could harness the sheer kinetic force behind these explosions into a tangible source of energy, one that would theoretically only be limited by their control of the portals and the generators designed to harness this energy.
The initial tests were perilous to put it lightly, more than a few worryingly large blasts were attributed to this research but it ultimately proved to be worth it as a new kind of magical generator was developed which paved the way to an effectively endlessly renewable source of power. If there were any doubts as to Zen Dynamics authority left, they were squashed when they were the ones to solve the energy crisis on top of everything else they'd accomplished so far. What could possibly throw a wrench in it all? They seemed on top of the world coming off of multiple historical successes, a period of time that would surely cement their name in history. Furthermore, with the knowledge that other universes exist came the theory that other worlds might exist out there with some manner of life upon them, other realities similar enough to their own to support their own civilizations, their own life and history. Something perhaps worth looking into, another step forwards.
And then they came.
Nightmares - What Do You Mean Our Neighbors Aren't Friendly:
Important Name: Nightmares = Actually Literally Monsters That Will Eat Your Children
As it turns out, tunneling random portals into the fabric of space and time with only a vague idea of what you're doing is a bit like drilling holes into your wall at random and hoping you don't hit anything too terribly important. And when you do hit something important, well...
There's a number of theories on what exactly happened, if the boundaries between dimensions simply weakened enough to let something through from a third universe or if this universe populated entirely by endless explosions happened to also be populated by horrors from beyond the veil but regardless of the how or the why, the important thing is that it did happen. Something not of this world came through, a critter a little less than half the size of a human, made of a strange mix of what seemed to be darkness and some kind of magical energy. Was it sentient? Friendly? Simply wandering on its own or part of something greater? The first question remains something of a mystery but the next two were answered swiftly when it proceeded to devour the first human it came across, and upon being put down was promptly followed by several more before the Magi. were able to close the rogue portal. A tragic accident, but hopefully that would be that and the public had no need to know of what happened.
And then it happened again. And again. And again once more, all in different places and with a greater variety of the creatures to boot, all heavily resistant against conventional arms and all hostile. These creatures would become known as Nightmares, a fitting name for the realization that the treasured source of limitless energy now carried with it a steep price, the very same means of accessing it paving the way for otherworldly horrors to enter their own world. This created no small amount of controversy, was this really a price worth paying for energy? But having grown reliant upon this source of power and with other measures lacking or simply exhausted entirely to simply shut the generators down altogether would create an enormous crisis, and what was to say the monsters would even stop at that point? It was entirely possible that the damage had already been done and they would need to find another way to stop them.
With Nightmare attacks on the rise and the monsters growing ever larger and more destructive, it seemed the world was poised to enter a new age of darkness...
Beginning of the End - Ah Crap It's All Going Wrong:
Things got pretty ugly for a while, an armed subdivision of the Magi was created with the hopes of developing and using magically enhanced arms that would be capable of fighting against Nightmares but only with limited success, battles often proving to be costly both in terms of resources as well as lives. Though enhanced munitions were reasonably effective against Nightmares compared to mundane means, there were still few ways of keeping pace with their supernatural strength or agility and magic was by and far a clunky tool to try to use in a fight, actual spells being ill-suited for the frantic pace of a pitched battle. Efforts to streamline magic into something more suitable for combat were largely a failure, either failing to produce a useful spell or bypassing too many safety measures, resulting in more than one Magi simply frying themselves with their own power. To make matters worse, even in places that had begun to scale down their reliance on the Extradimensional Generators attacks had not abated, cementing the idea that it was too late to simply cut off the threat by shutting down the generators.
It wasn't mass panic and chaos yet, though it did add another layer of fear to a society already sharply divided by class and wealth, despair taking root in many of the bleaker corners of society. Doomsaying, preachers claiming the apocalypse was upon them and a slowly growing sense of hopelessness began to become more and more commonplace. The rich began to gather resources, some seeking to have vast underground shelters built where they would theoretically wait this out, the poor simply huddled together and hoped something, anything would stop what was happening.
And then one day everything changed.
The First Mahou - And Then It Stopped Getting Worse:
Important Name: Mahou = Those chosen by a mysterious power to fight against Nightmares, gifted with the ability to naturally wield magic far beyond human limitations. The true origin of this power remains a mystery.
August 7th, 20XX - 7:53 PM Central Denestvian Time. The Magi detected an enormous portal- almost more of a flat out tear in reality itself as what could only be described as the king of all Nightmares simply tore a path into the universe and appeared, accompanied by a not insignificantly sized vangard in what many would speculate was proof of Nightmare sentience, something closer to an organized invasion than a simple monster attack, centered around a monster quite literally the size of a building with defenses thick enough to render it seemingly impervious to even the enhanced weaponry of the Magi. What ensued was, to date, the single largest battle against a Nightmare incursion ever and the first to approach what most people picture when they think of a full blown war. Despite scrambling everything they had and with full backing of the central armed forces, the Magi were simply unable to deal with a threat of that scale and were unable to keep it from approaching a densely populated city, one that simply hadn't had enough time to attempt a full scale evacuation. With the situation looking bleak, the entire country braced itself for what was likely to be one of the greatest disasters of the modern era, the potential loss of an entire city...
But that's not what happened.
Those present must have thought it to be madness, a young girl stepping forth alone through the chaos seemingly intent on staring down a monster a thousand times her size, dressed in a brightly colored frilly outfit that wouldn't have been out of place at some kind of a convention. Hardly old enough to be a soldier and hardly equipped for any sort of battle, death seemed a certainty as a horde of smaller Nightmares descended upon her...
... and were promptly cut to ribbons by a blade of shimmering crystal, expertly wielded and seemingly capable of piercing their defenses effortlessly. With that the battle was joined by this mysterious heroine, and for the first time? It was humanity who held the upper hand. The titanic Nightmare was slow and plodding, built to simply trample through anything in its path shrug off nearly any level of mundane firepower, using sheer bulk to shrug off the limited magical power being leveled at it. But its defenses were not built to deal with a high powered magical threat and it was a mere minute or two before it was cut down entirely. And in the wake of the battle it was clear something incredible had just happened.
A human with the ability to use magic as easily as most people breathe, and at a far greater scale as well. She herself didn't know how she'd attained this power, by her own account it had simply awakened during the chaos and destruction, a sense of power and a need to make things right boiling over until it triggered some kind of transformation.
The first Mahou had awakened and things were never going to be the same again.
The Rise Of Mahou - Oh Crap They Don't Have To Be Goodguys:
Nobody was entirely sure what to make of this, a mysterious girl with the power to defeat Nightmares was the sort of thing that sounded like it was straight out of a fairy tale, but many applauded her as a hero. In the upper echelons of society though, some worried. Somebody with that kind of power could be a potential threat as well, with much of society feeling more than a little oppressed and the massive imbalance of power towards the rich and powerful, if she were to turn on them... that could cause problems. After all, someone that powerful would be incredibly difficult to stop conventionally.
Things rapidly grew more complicated from here though as others soon followed, what was initially the rise of the First Mahou was swiftly followed by others awakening to a similar power, equally capable of fighting back Nightmares. This surge of renewed hope wasn't all sunshine and rainbows though, as it seemed there was little rhyme or reason to who was chosen. Men and women alike of all ages and backgrounds, and an equally diverse range of motivations to come with them. With time, a sole unifying factor was discovered... Hope. They all hoped for something, and that hope seemed to be what fueled their power. Some hoped for a better world for the downtrodden and hopeless, some hoped they could save those who couldn't save themselves, some hoped for a world free of the Nightmares.
Others were driven for themselves. Hoping for a better future for themselves, to rise in society and seek wealth and fame far beyond anything they could have hoped for before. To be rich and famous, to be heroes adored by the masses, to even rise above the Mega Corps and their all-encompassing grasp upon the world. And others still, well...
It's a simple fact money buys loyalty in many circles, and for that among other reasons there were those who chose to wield their power for the likes of Zen Dynamics and others, either seeing working with the system and the Magi as the most effective way of dealing with Nightmares or simply because they were fascinated by just how many zeroes Zen Dynamics could put on a check, others still believing in the need for the masses to be controlled, kept down so that the good and the great had the authority they need to continue driving society forwards.
Present Time - An Uneasy Balance, But At Least We're Not Getting Eaten Anymore (Mostly):
And that brings us to the situation right now! Nightmares still exist, by no means has that threat vanished although now there exist those who can fight them. But the world is still a tense place, with Mahou existing on all sides fighting for all reasons there exists an uneasy balance between the common masses and the upper classes, those who live in sprawling slums and run down streets and those who call the multi-hundred story tall pristine skyscrapers home. Many would like to rise up, many would prefer to keep them down and the rise of Mahou has only added to the tension. They're powerful, incredibly so and exceedingly difficult to take down with conventional means alone. And with there being those who have no issue seeing their power as proof of their superiority over those beneath them, for some it's simply another measure of control over others. With so little truly understood about them, many continue to feel uneasy about their existence and what it could truly mean...
... but just as many continue to see them as heroes, those who rise up and refuse to let the world simply be destroyed by an unfathomable evil, those who choose to use their power to aid those without, those willing to keep those without restraint in check. Some of these would-be "heroes" rise to positions to fame and power, renowned for showing up to dramatically take down the latest Nightmare to threaten civilization, effectively becoming celebrities even as they seek to further their own wealth and power. Others work more quietly, preferring to avoid the spotlight and the glamour of the high-flying heroic life. Others still wait in the shadows, seeking the right time to rise bring this corrupt society crashing down or to sweep away the lesser filth entirely...
One thing's for sure though. Nobody can say it's a boring time to be alive.
Country This Shit Went Down In: Denestvia
Most Important Corporation Involved: Zen Dynamics
Before Magic - How'd This Start Anyways:
The full story how the various Mega Corporations rose to such power is a long, complicated tale for another time, all one really needs to know is that they did, obtaining vast power of both financial and military means that allowed them to largely take over, most governments being reduced to little more than puppet states assuming you were lucky enough to live some place that even still pretended to have one. After a while, the Mega Corps went as far as to set off and start building their own cities for various purposes, the most powerful of them becoming effectively sovereign entities in their own right. The most powerful of which and arguably the only one to rightfully call themselves a "Giga" Corporation was Zen Dynamics, a merging of one of the most powerful arms manufacturers and an equally powerful private military contractor at a point in time when both wielded a great deal of political power due to a combination of financial interests, political ties and just plain being terrifyingly powerful. This gave them the power they needed to effectively usurp the existing government of Denestvia, the country they were originally based out of, paving the way for the "glorious" corporate revolution that saw a large scale transfer of general authority from the proper government to privately controlled corporate entities, and freed from restrictive oversight and laws keeping them in check, technology advanced rapidly to a state considerably beyond that of our world. Aided however slightly by Zen Dynamics itself being a power hungry but ultimately not evil entity, with little interest in oppressing and tormenting for its own sake or anything quite so mustache-twirlingly evil. That said the result was still a far cry from anything one would call a "utopia", nor was the transition of power exactly a peaceful one.
When Zen Dynamics led the charge, stating that they would sweep away the old corrupt governments that so often treated their own citizens as little more than an annoyance, a nuisance or simply a resource to be exploited, not everybody was exactly on board with this and when legal measures to oppose this were exhausted the use of force entered the picture. What ensued next was... messy, as with all other measures exhausted the Dnestvian government took to simply using force, to which the newly born Zen Dynamics responded with everything they had. The resulting armed conflict for control of the country was an ugly affair, effectively an all out revolution that stretched resources on both sides thin and resulted in no small amount of general societal upheaval. But the finer details of the war aren't especially important, what is important was a development during the war that would prove to be a turning point for history itself.
The discovery of an ancient power many once called "Magic".
The Rediscovery Of Magic - Dawn Of A New Age:
Important Name: Magi = Those who study and wield magic!
That magic was something which existed thousands of years ago was not by itself a revelation, at least not entirely. There were plenty of tales of seemingly impossible feats having been preformed in ancient times, as well as evidence scattered here and there of accomplishments that simply should not have been possible at the time creating plenty of debate as to if such a power really did exist and if so, what happened to it and what the full extent of it even was. Nobody's entirely sure how exactly The Rediscovery actually happened though if the official version of events is to be believed, an especially large blast caused by a bunker-piercing bomb being misfired out over the desert uncovered an unexpectedly large ruin of what appeared to once be an ancient temple complex, built under the ground and dedicated to the study of magic. It wasn't long before an expedition was sent in to explore it, initially to see if the location would serve as a useful base only to discover something infinitely more important.
For within this temple was bar none the most complete set of instructions for instructing a beginner in the arts of magic yet recovered, and far moreso than simply another fairy tale these proved cohesive enough to actually be effective. Two months of study later and the first magical spell to be cast in a thousand years was completed, a simple cantrip to ignite a latern that would pave the way for far grander things. It wasn't long before they began to discover other uses for this, an organized branch being formed for the study and resurrection of the ancient art of magic, a group that would eventually become known as the Magi so named after the title ancient mages once took on.
Magic was clunky. It required focus, time, often bizarre materials and no small amount of preparation. But it could do wonderful things, seemingly in defiance of the laws of reality as they were understood, and with this power on their side the tide of the war rapidly shifted and it was not long before Zen Dynamics stood victorious, the Denestvian government reduced to a vestigial state with the Directors of Zen Dynamics assuming true power. But that wasn't the end of things, if anything it was merely the beginning. To put it simply, the war had taken a terrible toll on resources with many sources of easily accessible energy beginning to simply run out entirely, which helped drive research into the concept of if a viable source of magical energy could somehow be harnessed. It wasn't long before they found their answer.
An Endlessly Renewable Source Of Energy - What Could Go Wrong:
Important Name: Extradimensional Generator = A safe, clean and reliable source of infinite energy with absolutely no drawbacks whatsoever! Really. We promise.
The solution probably sounded insane at first. There were theories of course that worlds other than this one existed, but the first one to actually be discovered was slightly more extreme than expected. A universe that as far as anybody was able to tell, was essentially an entire dimension of nothing but nonstop explosions being fueled by an entirely unknown source, and it was an especially eccentric Magi who came up with the idea to attempt to harness this. Through careful control of portals tied to this dimension, they could harness the sheer kinetic force behind these explosions into a tangible source of energy, one that would theoretically only be limited by their control of the portals and the generators designed to harness this energy.
The initial tests were perilous to put it lightly, more than a few worryingly large blasts were attributed to this research but it ultimately proved to be worth it as a new kind of magical generator was developed which paved the way to an effectively endlessly renewable source of power. If there were any doubts as to Zen Dynamics authority left, they were squashed when they were the ones to solve the energy crisis on top of everything else they'd accomplished so far. What could possibly throw a wrench in it all? They seemed on top of the world coming off of multiple historical successes, a period of time that would surely cement their name in history. Furthermore, with the knowledge that other universes exist came the theory that other worlds might exist out there with some manner of life upon them, other realities similar enough to their own to support their own civilizations, their own life and history. Something perhaps worth looking into, another step forwards.
And then they came.
Nightmares - What Do You Mean Our Neighbors Aren't Friendly:
Important Name: Nightmares = Actually Literally Monsters That Will Eat Your Children
As it turns out, tunneling random portals into the fabric of space and time with only a vague idea of what you're doing is a bit like drilling holes into your wall at random and hoping you don't hit anything too terribly important. And when you do hit something important, well...
There's a number of theories on what exactly happened, if the boundaries between dimensions simply weakened enough to let something through from a third universe or if this universe populated entirely by endless explosions happened to also be populated by horrors from beyond the veil but regardless of the how or the why, the important thing is that it did happen. Something not of this world came through, a critter a little less than half the size of a human, made of a strange mix of what seemed to be darkness and some kind of magical energy. Was it sentient? Friendly? Simply wandering on its own or part of something greater? The first question remains something of a mystery but the next two were answered swiftly when it proceeded to devour the first human it came across, and upon being put down was promptly followed by several more before the Magi. were able to close the rogue portal. A tragic accident, but hopefully that would be that and the public had no need to know of what happened.
And then it happened again. And again. And again once more, all in different places and with a greater variety of the creatures to boot, all heavily resistant against conventional arms and all hostile. These creatures would become known as Nightmares, a fitting name for the realization that the treasured source of limitless energy now carried with it a steep price, the very same means of accessing it paving the way for otherworldly horrors to enter their own world. This created no small amount of controversy, was this really a price worth paying for energy? But having grown reliant upon this source of power and with other measures lacking or simply exhausted entirely to simply shut the generators down altogether would create an enormous crisis, and what was to say the monsters would even stop at that point? It was entirely possible that the damage had already been done and they would need to find another way to stop them.
With Nightmare attacks on the rise and the monsters growing ever larger and more destructive, it seemed the world was poised to enter a new age of darkness...
Beginning of the End - Ah Crap It's All Going Wrong:
Things got pretty ugly for a while, an armed subdivision of the Magi was created with the hopes of developing and using magically enhanced arms that would be capable of fighting against Nightmares but only with limited success, battles often proving to be costly both in terms of resources as well as lives. Though enhanced munitions were reasonably effective against Nightmares compared to mundane means, there were still few ways of keeping pace with their supernatural strength or agility and magic was by and far a clunky tool to try to use in a fight, actual spells being ill-suited for the frantic pace of a pitched battle. Efforts to streamline magic into something more suitable for combat were largely a failure, either failing to produce a useful spell or bypassing too many safety measures, resulting in more than one Magi simply frying themselves with their own power. To make matters worse, even in places that had begun to scale down their reliance on the Extradimensional Generators attacks had not abated, cementing the idea that it was too late to simply cut off the threat by shutting down the generators.
It wasn't mass panic and chaos yet, though it did add another layer of fear to a society already sharply divided by class and wealth, despair taking root in many of the bleaker corners of society. Doomsaying, preachers claiming the apocalypse was upon them and a slowly growing sense of hopelessness began to become more and more commonplace. The rich began to gather resources, some seeking to have vast underground shelters built where they would theoretically wait this out, the poor simply huddled together and hoped something, anything would stop what was happening.
And then one day everything changed.
The First Mahou - And Then It Stopped Getting Worse:
Important Name: Mahou = Those chosen by a mysterious power to fight against Nightmares, gifted with the ability to naturally wield magic far beyond human limitations. The true origin of this power remains a mystery.
August 7th, 20XX - 7:53 PM Central Denestvian Time. The Magi detected an enormous portal- almost more of a flat out tear in reality itself as what could only be described as the king of all Nightmares simply tore a path into the universe and appeared, accompanied by a not insignificantly sized vangard in what many would speculate was proof of Nightmare sentience, something closer to an organized invasion than a simple monster attack, centered around a monster quite literally the size of a building with defenses thick enough to render it seemingly impervious to even the enhanced weaponry of the Magi. What ensued was, to date, the single largest battle against a Nightmare incursion ever and the first to approach what most people picture when they think of a full blown war. Despite scrambling everything they had and with full backing of the central armed forces, the Magi were simply unable to deal with a threat of that scale and were unable to keep it from approaching a densely populated city, one that simply hadn't had enough time to attempt a full scale evacuation. With the situation looking bleak, the entire country braced itself for what was likely to be one of the greatest disasters of the modern era, the potential loss of an entire city...
But that's not what happened.
Those present must have thought it to be madness, a young girl stepping forth alone through the chaos seemingly intent on staring down a monster a thousand times her size, dressed in a brightly colored frilly outfit that wouldn't have been out of place at some kind of a convention. Hardly old enough to be a soldier and hardly equipped for any sort of battle, death seemed a certainty as a horde of smaller Nightmares descended upon her...
... and were promptly cut to ribbons by a blade of shimmering crystal, expertly wielded and seemingly capable of piercing their defenses effortlessly. With that the battle was joined by this mysterious heroine, and for the first time? It was humanity who held the upper hand. The titanic Nightmare was slow and plodding, built to simply trample through anything in its path shrug off nearly any level of mundane firepower, using sheer bulk to shrug off the limited magical power being leveled at it. But its defenses were not built to deal with a high powered magical threat and it was a mere minute or two before it was cut down entirely. And in the wake of the battle it was clear something incredible had just happened.
A human with the ability to use magic as easily as most people breathe, and at a far greater scale as well. She herself didn't know how she'd attained this power, by her own account it had simply awakened during the chaos and destruction, a sense of power and a need to make things right boiling over until it triggered some kind of transformation.
The first Mahou had awakened and things were never going to be the same again.
The Rise Of Mahou - Oh Crap They Don't Have To Be Goodguys:
Nobody was entirely sure what to make of this, a mysterious girl with the power to defeat Nightmares was the sort of thing that sounded like it was straight out of a fairy tale, but many applauded her as a hero. In the upper echelons of society though, some worried. Somebody with that kind of power could be a potential threat as well, with much of society feeling more than a little oppressed and the massive imbalance of power towards the rich and powerful, if she were to turn on them... that could cause problems. After all, someone that powerful would be incredibly difficult to stop conventionally.
Things rapidly grew more complicated from here though as others soon followed, what was initially the rise of the First Mahou was swiftly followed by others awakening to a similar power, equally capable of fighting back Nightmares. This surge of renewed hope wasn't all sunshine and rainbows though, as it seemed there was little rhyme or reason to who was chosen. Men and women alike of all ages and backgrounds, and an equally diverse range of motivations to come with them. With time, a sole unifying factor was discovered... Hope. They all hoped for something, and that hope seemed to be what fueled their power. Some hoped for a better world for the downtrodden and hopeless, some hoped they could save those who couldn't save themselves, some hoped for a world free of the Nightmares.
Others were driven for themselves. Hoping for a better future for themselves, to rise in society and seek wealth and fame far beyond anything they could have hoped for before. To be rich and famous, to be heroes adored by the masses, to even rise above the Mega Corps and their all-encompassing grasp upon the world. And others still, well...
It's a simple fact money buys loyalty in many circles, and for that among other reasons there were those who chose to wield their power for the likes of Zen Dynamics and others, either seeing working with the system and the Magi as the most effective way of dealing with Nightmares or simply because they were fascinated by just how many zeroes Zen Dynamics could put on a check, others still believing in the need for the masses to be controlled, kept down so that the good and the great had the authority they need to continue driving society forwards.
Present Time - An Uneasy Balance, But At Least We're Not Getting Eaten Anymore (Mostly):
And that brings us to the situation right now! Nightmares still exist, by no means has that threat vanished although now there exist those who can fight them. But the world is still a tense place, with Mahou existing on all sides fighting for all reasons there exists an uneasy balance between the common masses and the upper classes, those who live in sprawling slums and run down streets and those who call the multi-hundred story tall pristine skyscrapers home. Many would like to rise up, many would prefer to keep them down and the rise of Mahou has only added to the tension. They're powerful, incredibly so and exceedingly difficult to take down with conventional means alone. And with there being those who have no issue seeing their power as proof of their superiority over those beneath them, for some it's simply another measure of control over others. With so little truly understood about them, many continue to feel uneasy about their existence and what it could truly mean...
... but just as many continue to see them as heroes, those who rise up and refuse to let the world simply be destroyed by an unfathomable evil, those who choose to use their power to aid those without, those willing to keep those without restraint in check. Some of these would-be "heroes" rise to positions to fame and power, renowned for showing up to dramatically take down the latest Nightmare to threaten civilization, effectively becoming celebrities even as they seek to further their own wealth and power. Others work more quietly, preferring to avoid the spotlight and the glamour of the high-flying heroic life. Others still wait in the shadows, seeking the right time to rise bring this corrupt society crashing down or to sweep away the lesser filth entirely...
One thing's for sure though. Nobody can say it's a boring time to be alive.