By: Ruyi Lin

In a small town in Paoli, 9-year-old Lily, picking raspberries in a forest, stumbled upon a glowing rock-like seed. Hinting at the existence of magic, the rock was a seed for manifesting power. Touching it made Lily feel a sense of awakening an unfamiliar power. When the knowledge of spells reached into her consciousness, she decided to try a simple spell of enhancing life on a wilted raspberry plant nearby. To her amazement, it worked; the plant bloomed back to life. With her newfound power, she utilized magic to produce enough raspberries to eat and be full.

The year was 1707. Because of connections, word of this newfound magic spread quickly in Paoli, Despite its small size, Paoli was diverse and not a quiet town, causing power to spread to various spots of Earth. Soon, the entire town was experimenting with spells, reveling in their new, elementary powers. People healed the sick from plagues, transformed into mundane objects, and brought joy to their everyday lives. Thriving, Paoli became the strongest beacon of magic and wonder.

With the consumption of food, nutrients nourished the seed, causing concentration of magical power significantly increased, some becoming weapons of destruction. Naturally, conflicts were checked with widespread, more powerful magic. Significant contributions to the development of society were made with abilities such as object levitation and teleportation met. The world was more connected, and vehicles became obsolete. Industries were fast growing, only requiring one levitation user to assemble all parts.

Unbeknownst to the people, far beyond Earth, aliens monitored the world’s growing magic. These beings planted the seed on Earth intending to harness the magic that humans would unknowingly amplify to surpass magic power limits in their bodies. Despite their immense power, these beings were characterized by imperialistic instincts, using it to thrive and satisfy their greed and domination for other galaxies. Lacking emotional awareness, their only instinct was greed.

As the townspeople continued to wield magic, the aliens initiated their plan. Due to the travel increase caused by magic, the aliens optimized magical extraction by acting before travel-induced diseases could spread. Swiftly, they began siphoning the magic energy from Earth.

Lily was the first to notice the change. The vibrant town seemed like an extraterrestrial paradise: plants glowed, and humans perceived colors never seen before. Lily associated these signs with the seed she had found before the manifestation of her great power. Despite her warnings to the villagers of Paoli, the allure of magic was too strong, and no one took her concerns seriously.

One fateful night, the sky turned ominously dark, and the light descended, drastically restricting motion on earth. Taking advantage of the speed of light, the Omnipotent Alien, the alien with the most power, utilized his magic to freeze humanity, allowing extraction to be effortless. With the power absorbed, the Omnipotent Alien’s existence transcended reality, disappearing without a trace.

The townspeople, including Lily, fell to the ground, drained of their vitality. The aliens absorbed the magic given by the Omnipotent Alien, leaving Earth desolate.

In the aftermath, earth lay in ruins, a tragic reminder of the cost of unchecked power. The magic that had once brought joy now left only silence and despair, the devastating consequences of the aliens’ treacherous plan.