The embers of resentment toward Strategic-Class Magic had been smoldering for a long time; this was no sudden flare-up. History has shown that the birth of anything new—not just magic—inevitably invites conflict with the old. Differences in religion, custom, culture, and language are all scars left behind by such clashes.
The anti-magic movement wasn't merely fueled by fear; it had become a convenient pressure valve for general social discontent. For those unable to use magic, the only acceptable premise was that magic should be a "weapon" strictly controlled by the government, much like the nuclear ornaments of the past.
However, the suspicion that the New Soviet Union had deployed a Strategic-Class Magic spell swept across the globe in an instant. The evidence was undeniable: Stratospheric platforms had detected the distinct after-effects and massive Psion signatures of large-scale magic. In rapid succession, high-ranking officials from Japan, the USNA, both East and West EU, the Indo-Persian Federation, the Arab Alliance, and the New South American Federation all released statements: "The New Soviet Union has deployed a large-scale spell equivalent to Strategic-Class Magic."
While such a coordinated global outcry was unprecedented, it was spurred by another seismic shift in geopolitics: the birth of a new sovereign power on the African continent, a land that had long languished in anarchy following the Global Winter.
"We shall never forget this day! Now is the time to restore the prosperity of Africa with our own hands!"
Integrating almost every territory except Egypt, Morocco, and the French-held lands west of the Niger Delta, the Federation of African Democratic Republics (FADR) was established. Choosing Cape Town as its capital—a nod to its 20th-century liberation—the new nation immediately announced a grand project to cultivate the Sahara Desert.
Not only was this technology provided through the full cooperation of Australia, but the world watched in real-time as the Australian Prime Minister—breaking a long-standing policy of isolationism—shook hands with the FADR leadership.
Simultaneously, a new alliance was forged: the Southern ocean Economic Partnership Agreement (SEPA), popularly known as the Yokohama Agreement. This pact between Japan, Taiwan, the Indo-Persian Federation, the Arab Alliance, the ASEAN, the New South American Federation, Australia, and the FADR focused on anti-piracy in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and South China Sea. Under this agreement, Australia joined ASEAN, and the FADR signed friendship treaties with the Arab Alliance and the Indo-Persian Federation, gaining full access to their magical technological secrets.
Between the shifting global tides and the NSU's use of forbidden power, the psychological barriers protecting the status quo finally crumbled. The public reaction was nothing short of hysterical.
Fortunately, in Japan, Yugen's sweeping reforms and the aggressive rooting out of terrorists had nipped the worst of the unrest in the bud. Following the Gu Jie incident, the country remained in a state of uneasy calm. But beyond Japan's borders, the situation was spiraling out of control.
April 2, 2097
Yugen had seen Tatsuya, Miyuki, and Minami off as they headed out to prepare for the school's entrance ceremony. He was readying the Shiba residence for a guest when the doorbell chimed. Opening the door, he found Lina standing there.
"Sorry for calling you out like this. Tatsuya and the others are at school," Yugen said, stepping aside.
"Celia mentioned it was that time of year. Anyway... excuse me," Lina replied, stepping into the house.
Yugen had already cleared this meeting with Tatsuya and Miyuki. He brewed a pot of coffee and placed a cup before her. Lina took a sip, set the cup down, and looked him in the eye.
"So, what is it? Something you didn't want Tatsuya and Miyuki to hear?"
"It's not that I'm hiding it from them, but I wanted you to have this information first. Cabinet, open code: Titan."
At Yugen's command, a monitor flickered to life, displaying USNA intelligence. Yugen had installed two distinct backdoors into the Shiba terminal: Ixion for monitoring domestic and National Defense Force movements, and Titan for international intelligence. Even if someone tried to peer in via 'Frizskjalv' or 'Echelon III,' the proprietary encryption would take at least a decade to crack.
Yugen pulled up a virtual console and began sorting through the data.
"Yesterday, just before 10:00 AM local time—midnight our time—a massive riot broke out in Monterrey, North Mexico, led by anti-magic radicals. The National Guard was deployed to suppress it, but a portion of the soldiers defected and opened fire. They've now joined the rioters. No fatalities from the gunfire have been reported yet."
North Mexico was an administrative district formed after the USNA absorbed Mexico, covering everything north of the Tropic of Cancer, including the Baja Peninsula.
"The National Guard joined the rioters?!" Lina stood up, shocked. "How did that happen?"
"It seems 'Wiz-Guard' was deployed alongside the National Guard."
"They sent Wiz-Guard to suppress an anti-magic riot? Those are low-level magicians! That's just throwing gasoline on a fire!"
The National Guard was a state-controlled peacekeeping force that excluded magicians. Wiz-Guard, however, was a federal unit comprised of low-level magicians who didn't make the cut for STARS. Sending them into an anti-magic protest was an act of staggering incompetence—or deliberate provocation.
"Who gave that order?" Lina fumed. "Even I would have stopped that. Celia would have blocked it even if it cost her her career."
"I haven't traced the specific source of the order yet. But it's clear they sent Wiz-Guard knowing it would cause a disaster."
After all, these were the same people willing to use terrorists to redirect American resentment toward their allies. While not everyone in the USNA government was corrupt, a faction within the military was still obsessed with eliminating Yugen and Tatsuya's Strategic-Class Magic. By stoking domestic anti-magic sentiment, they could play the victim.
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