Fear overtook me as the sirens grew louder. Within seconds I could see the National Guard and SWAT vehicles come into view. “Forget the bags and get on the jet!” I screamed, dropping everything and racing towards the stairs. If they catch me everything would be lost; they would either have me make weapons or kill me. I had to flee before that happened; I had to take the ten steps to freedom…

It had been three years since I broke reality. During those three years the world experienced a rate of change that eclipsed the technological era completely.

It was a time when the expected lifespan rose to 150 due to the changes in medicine. No longer were doctors attempting to cure the flesh, we could actually heal the life-force of an individual. The world’s energy shortage was coming to a close since fuel sources were being used with 100% efficiency. It was the era of magick, and it was my doing.

Despite that, the world had never been darker. Nations across the world were terrified of a power that seemed to have no limits. The weapons had never been more efficient; an entire city could be destroyed in seconds, and unlike the bombs before it, it could be fired again. World War III had begun and everyone felt its effects. It was the era of death, and it was my doing.

The war began by accident when a couple bought their first magic sphere. They were on vacation in Osaka Japan when they tried to use it to heat their room. Typically it would have acted as an efficient heater, exciting the air molecules and generating heat. However, it overreacted melting five blocks, including the Osaka government building and two embassies. On 12 January 2020, ten days after the Osaka meltdown, diplomacy failed and war was declared.

Within months the death count was over 20 million. However, the true horror didn’t begin until June. A Rosenberg Sphere was converted into a weapon allowing prana to be harnessed in a truly terrifying way. The first time the world had seen a magical weapon was in the South China Sea. A naval conflict between the British and the Chinese began normally; jets battled for air supremacy while submarines and destroyers fought on the surface. The British quickly proved dominant, destroying an aircraft carrier and several submarines. Sensing defeat, a Chinese destroyer fired a weaponized Rosenberg Sphere. The bright blue beam obliterated the entire British fleet and the nearby islands.

Nations across the world began trying to create their own Rosenberg Spheres and weaponizing the 10,000 I had already made. Fortunately, no one was able to create their own; they could only modify the ones I had already made. That’s why I was the most wanted man in the world; rather I was wanted as a scientist or a war criminal every nation was after me.

I shut the door behind me after I had climbed the ten steps. The jet had already begun accelerating on the runway as I took my seat. “Sir, they are blockading the runway; we won’t make it.” said the pilot.
“But we have to, don’t stop.”
The jet accelerated as fast as possible while the National Guard drove towards us and SWAT blockaded the runway. By the time we were travelling fast enough for rotation they were just yards away. The pilot pulled back on the stick as the plane began to lift; the blockade proved to be just far enough away as our back wheel scraped the top of the SWAT truck. Despite the victory, the pressure wasn’t gone as I began to wonder if they would shoot us out of the sky.

I didn’t have to wait long for an answer though. My pilot requested I come to the cockpit to deal with a situation. I wondered if the landing gear got damaged during takeoff, but when he told me to put on a headset I knew what the situation was. “Return your aircraft to the runway.” the fighter pilot said.
“I will stall them; you need to get us to 18,000 feet.” I said while covering the mic. “We would love to return to the runway but our landing gear got damaged during takeoff.” It took nearly two minutes for him to respond.
“Land your aircraft or we will engage.”
“And how should we land the jet?” I asked, hoping the question would buy us enough time.
“This is your final warning, land now.”

We were only at 15,000 feet which wasn’t high enough, but it would have to work. I took the co-pilots seat, turned off the radio, and cut the transponder. “Don’t touch the stick or we will die.” I told the pilot. I put the jet in a hard nosedive, praying it would work out. The fighter pilots were quick to pursue, shooting missiles after getting missile lock. Keeping the plane in a full dive, I released flares and took out my Rosenberg Sphere. 4,000 feet… 3,000 feet… 2,000 feet “We’re going to die!” the other pilot screamed. 1,000 feet… 500 feet I activated the sphere and pulled hard on the stick. Normally this maneuver would be impossible, but the Rosenberg Sphere allowed us to not only avoid the ground, but reach Mach 10 within seconds. By the time the fighter pilots could react we had vanished into the night sky.

Everyone was edgy so I tried making jokes about “my awesome flying” to ease the tension, but no one was in the mood. Since it would take 50 minutes to get to my island (even at Mach 10) I told them the plan. “We have to stop this war since a magick war could easily kill billions. Like the nuclear deterrent of the 20th century, we need an even greater weapon to stop this one. However, no mechanical weapon can beat magick as the world has seen, and nothing we’ve developed is powerful enough to deter. That leaves one option, to develop the next generation of Rosenberg Spheres.” I gave everyone a minute to think about what I was saying before continuing, “Some of you may say it’s impossible; others may say we shouldn’t after the horror we’ve seen. To those that say it’s impossible, know that I have already designed such a device; to those that say we shouldn’t, look at history and see how the atrocity of a weapon is quelled with a more powerful weapon. As much as I hate to see magick be used for violence, there isn’t a better alternative.”

The rest of the flight was silent as everyone recovered from the excitement of the flight and my announcement. The plane soon came to a landing and the seven of us made our way to the main house. There were the two pilots, my three research assistants, my personal assistant, and myself. The vibe was still morbid so I gave everyone a tour of the mansion. The home had: eight bedrooms, five bathrooms, a swimming pool, two living rooms, a kitchen, a dining room, and a screened-in parlor. Additionally, there was an underground bunker that included an indoor farm capable of feeding ten people, its own source of water, a lab, and living quarters.

After the tour we went to bed for the night, but I was restless. I couldn’t stop thinking about the day’s events and the upcoming trials. After an hour of lying in sleepless frustration I decided to start the project. Taylor was already in the lab; she was looking through the supplies. “Can’t sleep?” I asked as I opened the door.
“I can’t do this Alexander… I won’t work on something that will kill even more people.” Her voice wavered as she spoke.
“I won’t ask you to.” I held her as sorrow overcame her.

It took a while for her to calm down, but once Taylor did she asked, “On the jet you claimed you already designed such a device, what did you mean?”
“I call it E7. It isn’t a weapon per se, but it should be over 30 times more powerful than the current spheres. Also it isn’t designed for a purpose; it just interacts with prana in its purest form.” We continued to talk for hours about the potential of E7. By the time we finished talking we were both tired. Sleep overtook me quickly and somewhat peacefully after I went back to bed.

The researchers and I spent the next three weeks preparing the materials and revising the blueprints for E7. During this time the war raged on and the casualties grew exponentially. When the announcement that 500 million people had died in the war Taylor decided that the war wouldn’t resolve itself and began working in the lab. She was essential in identifying multiple wrong assumptions, any of which would have destroyed the sphere. It was day 37 when the materials were in order and the blueprint was complete, except for one problem. The complexity of E7 made it impossible to create by hand or machine. Its 2.9 million connections had to be precise and in a constant state of oscillation and rotation. This paradoxical motion is why no one could produce a Rosenberg Sphere that only had 103,000 connections.

After days of failing to solve the problem we all took a break. We had a feast to celebrate a temporary cease fire between the US and North Korea. Although war was still being fought, I thought it might be the start of peace. I decided to grill steaks with corn and baked potatoes on the side. I was checking to see how everyone wanted their steak when Taylor answered. She wrapped her arms around me, squeezing tightly, “I’ll take it hot and pink.” Needless to say, I was excited; I hadn’t been with anyone since my fiancée. Taylor held me while I finished grilling the steaks; we talked about normal things, our conversation drifted from music and movies we missed to the things we never did. “I always wanted to climb a mountain and jump off.” I said as I thought about skydiving.
“I’m a simple girl; I just want to backpack across Europe.”
“That’d be a blast, but you’re anything except simple; you are a woman of intrigue that I would need a lifetime to figure out.” I turned around cupping her chin with my hand. Her blue eyes gazed at mine, my heart raced as I thought about what I should do. The moments passed and I feared what may happen, it was the paralyzing excitement I always felt during romance. It was the one time I wished that I was the woman so I didn’t have to take the leap of faith; however, I wasn’t so I began to lean in for a kiss. Her gaze never leaving mine, the feelings growing as our lips neared.

It was right before our lonely lips met one another that she rubbed her finger on my nose. She had dipped it in barbeque sauce while I was admiring her. “Save it for tonight Romeo.” she winked as she pulled apart and skipped away. I could only stand there watching in utter confusion. I wondered if I should have been quicker or said something else, or perhaps it was foreplay. I was lost in thought until I nearly fell with a thud on my back. “Women, you can only hope to understand them.” Eric, the pilot said. Laughing I told him that I don’t even hope for something that impossible. We talked about love and romance until the steaks were done.

Eric helped me put everyone’s plate on the table in the parlor overlooking the backyard. We all took our seats and began to eat. Around three bites in Eric tapped his knife to his glass, “It’s been a pleasure to be with everyone on Fantasy Island and I look forward to the weeks to come. I pray that we can continue to live in peace and happiness and that we may all meet that special someone.” He looked at me while he said the last part. Everyone agreed as we toasted to peace, love, and happiness. I knew the meals were excellent since no one left a bite.

After dinner we went for a late night swim in the pool. We all played around seeing who could make the biggest splash. It was a much needed break from the usual work, and it gave Taylor and me a chance to enjoy each others company. When we grew tired of jumping around we started a game of water volleyball. Between points I caught Taylor looking at me, but she would always look away when I noticed, and she caught me doing the same. This allowed the passion to grow while I thought of ideas to woo her. The score was 18-16, and it was my serve. I hit it in the deep corner and Eric could barely return it. Taylor took the chance to set me up for a slam, but I let it fall untouched. I was too distracted by the light show beyond.

I guess light show is misleading; it was actually the explosions of a battle no more than 100 miles away. The battle was an awful reminder of what we were here for; we were refugees dreaming that we could stop the horror. “Let’s get to the bunker in case it heads this way.” I said as I got out of the water. Talk about a buzz kill I thought with a little disappointment and a lot of resent. Before we could get to the bunker we saw the bright blue lights that meant this wasn’t any battle; it was a battle of magick. My friends became somber knowing that we were mostly to blame for the people about to die, but I actually got excited. I was inspired with an idea that would either work or kill me. I began running to the lab because I had thought of a way to make something that was impossible to build.

I looked through the supplies grabbing my Rosenberg Sphere and the blueprints. I examined them again to make sure they looked accurate. A working E7 Sphere would be impossible to make due to its complexity. However, I could create a flat, fixed sphere and then animate it with my Rosenberg sphere. The design, although complex was possible for me. (The 2 dimensional blueprint of an E7 Sphere is shown below)

By the time the others got to the lab I was smiling with excitement. “Are you mad?” Taylor asked me.
“Probably, but I figured out how to make the E7. I know I shouldn’t be excited, but the thought of stopping the horror we just saw…” It took several hours of debating before everyone agreed that we should try it.

Even creating it as a flat disc took four days since each connection had to be lined up within a fraction of a micrometer or it wouldn’t work. Thankfully, the work wasn’t that complicated so the pilots were able to help. We expedited the process by each constructing sections that I combined in the proper way. To give you an idea of what that was like, imagine a puzzle with three million pieces that all have the same shape, but only make the picture one way. Furthermore, if you assemble it wrong, you’ll probably die, or at least destroy the puzzle. Therefore, it took two more days to combine all the parts together. During this time my island was fire bombed by the military. I don’t think they realized anyone was here, let alone me, or even the bunker would have been destroyed.

Day seven was the most stressful. Taylor checked my work before I asked them to leave the bunker. The military had already moved northwest so the island was safe for now, and I didn’t want them in here if things went wrong. I laid the disc in an airtight chamber so there wouldn’t be any airborne debris and got my Rosenberg Sphere ready. Taylor had waited in the room while I finished the preparations, “I’m staying to help.”
“I can’t lose you if this doesn’t work, please go for me.” Her frustration was apparent, but she agreed. Before leaving she pulled me to her, kissing me without reservation. The kiss lasted minutes, but time seemed to melt in the heat of the moment. “That’s how you kiss someone; now don’t die so you can try to do it right.” She said as she left, leaving me alone in the bleak lab.

The fear of dying now that I had something to lose was great. I prayed to whatever deity would listen as I poured my hopes into the Rosenberg Sphere. It hummed as it began channeling all the prana in the room, condensing it into the disc. The disc gained a light blue aura as more energy poured into it. The air in the room grew thin as the pressure grew around the disc. Although by now the disc looked like a deflated balloon, but it was quickly gaining size. Within a minute it had become a perfect sphere that slowly began to rotate and oscillate. The motion grew increasingly ornate as all the parts began moving in their own direction at a rapid speed. Soon the E7 Sphere was creating a high pitch whine before it went beyond human hearing; it shattered all of the glass in the room and was beginning to make the steel reinforced walls shake. Dust started raining from the ceiling as the pressure from the sphere grew to extraordinary levels. The pressure had already forced me to the ground, but I was still willing my Rosenberg Sphere to power the E7 Sphere. This continued for a few seconds before I was sure I would die as large parts of the ceiling began to fall around me. When I thought death was certain, the building quit shaking and the pressure disappeared. My Rosenberg Sphere shattered, turning into dust.

The E7 Sphere was rotating at such a high speed it looked solid. The question was now how to grab it without messing up its rotation or destroying whatever touched it. When I couldn’t think of any good ideas I decided to use my hands to pick it up. Surprisingly, I wasn’t able to touch it because it had generated a field around itself. The field was easy to interact with. It was like grabbing soft foam when I picked it up. The sphere looked like a dark metallic ball with a dim blue glow.

I grew increasingly excited about the accomplishment thinking about how Taylor would react. I ran to the elevator to get to the surface so I could show everyone, but it was destroyed by the ‘earthquake’ earlier. I didn’t get too concerned until I saw the stairs had collapsed. I yelled for the others but I had been buried too deep for them to hear me. I thought about possible escape options, but they all seemed futile. My only chance was to use the sphere and escape with magick. The stairwell seemed like a better alternative since it wouldn’t have a door as well. There was rubble three floors above me and the rest had collapsed below me. I tried moving the rubble by willing the sphere to move it, and then I tried to get it to destroy it, but nothing happened. I spent an hour trying unsuccessfully. I was so upset I started yelling at the sphere, “You stupid piece of crap, you were supposed to save the world and you can’t even save me.”
Surprisingly, I felt a presence in my mind, “To create does not certify control.”
“And what would.” I thought sarcastically.
“A trial and a tribulation; no less, no more for divine power.”

As discouraging as going crazy was, it did steel my determination to escape, even without magick. I went to the living quarters and broke the legs of the bed-frame into sharp spikes, undid the shoelaces of the extra shoes, and found a satchel to put the sphere in. I tied the longer bed-frame spikes on the sole of my shoes and planned my ascent. After I chose a route I stabbed the spikes into the wall that had developed some give from the shaking earlier. It took me several minutes to climb the three floors where the rubble was at. I tried dislodging a small bar so that it all didn’t crash down on me, but I could get through. It wouldn’t budge at first so I pulled harder; nothing happened so I pulled with all my strength, but still nothing. “This isn’t fair, if it would just move out of my way I could climb this.”
“Trials and tribulations; a brave act for a small sample.” The presence in my mind told me. I tried pulling on the same bar, but instead of struggling I ripped it clean out. The hole was small, but I was able to fit as I climbed the last two floors to daylight.

Before I could even get on my feet Eric had pulled me up, “I was sure you died when the ground shifted, what happened?” I briefly told them everything, except the voice in my head. Once I finished telling them, Taylor let me have it for making her worry like that, and I was too exhausted to argue. After she relaxed I asked how we could leave; fortunately, the jet survived because they didn’t destroy the hanger. We all began gathering our remaining supplies and clearing the debris on the runway. It took hours before everything was ready and the sun set.

I had another sleepless night as I planned how to stop the war with a sphere that didn’t work. Hours passed without any decent ideas. I was about to start shouting with frustration when the presence returned “Morale motivations, permits provisional power.”
“Does that mean you’ll help me?” I thought, but never got a response.

The sun rose too quickly as we got ready for today. The engines hummed as we took to the sky; our destination was Sri Lanka. A large battle would probably happen in the area since several military superpowers had moved to the area after India was conquered. It was a golden opportunity to prove to the world that they were outclassed and needed to cease fire. It was my chance to stop the war before it caused irreversible damage.

The flight there was uneventful until we were 30 miles from Sri Lanka. Our jet was instructed to reroute because of a temporary no-fly zone, which meant that we were close. “Fly to where they tell you and be safe. I will see you soon.” I told the pilots before going to get ready. On the way to the cargo bay I saw Taylor. I tried to find the words to describe my feelings or to ease her worries, but they failed me. Instead I could only give her a smile that betrayed my intentions, “Come back to me.” she said more worried than before. I tried to think of something to say, but when I couldn’t I just waved while walking to the cargo bay.

I had stored several parachutes and a wingsuit in the cargo bay for skydiving purposes. I checked my gear and repacked the chute while the pilot lowered our altitude to 14,000 feet. “14,000 feet sir; go kick some ass.” I heard the pilot say on the intercom. I opened the door and prepared for war. I jumped out of the bay, and within seconds I was falling rapidly before I spread my arms and legs, gliding to where I needed to be. The beauty of the world from a 2.5 mile freefall is unmatched by anything else. The freedom of soaring through the air without a glider or a plane is indescribable. Unfortunately, I couldn’t waste time enjoying the beauty as I began looking for ships. This proved to be simple since the military had already started skirmishing for air superiority. I flew towards the ships they were coming from.

Everything changed when I deployed my parachute; I went from an invisible phantom to a target. Eight seconds passed until the anti-air guns targeted me. I put all my concentration into making a shield, but nothing had happened. I saw the shot leave the barrel and heads toward me, as it approached my fear turned to panic. “Please protect me!” I begged E7 pulling it close to my heart so it could feel my prayer. The flak exploded ten feet away as I clenched preparing for a gruesome death. Instead I felt nothing, when I opened my eyes there was fire swirling around me. This happened constantly for twenty seconds until a pair of fighter jets approached. As they flew towards me the flak stopped, but the jets fired missiles and machine guns. I prepared for the impact, but felt nothing; unlike the Rosenberg Spheres, the E7 didn’t conform to the assault, its defense felt impenetrable.

Feeling “comfortable” I grabbed my radio to announce that I was an American who had come to help. This didn’t change anything as the barrage of fire continued. I was at 3,000 feet when they stopped firing. Instead, the largest of their destroyers pointed a golden barrel at me. Its barrel was around four feet in diameter, and a blue light grew brighter as I prepared for chaos. I willed my sphere to fire towards the destroyer. Rather it was an American vessel or not, it was between me and it, so I steeled my resolve and tried to fire my own shot. It took around two seconds before the beam of light raced towards me to erase my existence. It was close, but before it reached me I had managed to fire a beam towards them. Unlike their solid blue beam, mine had layers; its inner layer was an inch in diameter and was a radiant white, and it was surrounded by a blue beam similar to theirs.

It was like a Dragon Ball Z fight with the blue beams struggling to gain dominance. Yet, the white inner beam effortlessly sliced through theirs, hitting the ship and creating a white bubble. The bubble was around a half mile that soon dissipated to reveal nothing. It was a massive implosion that caused the ships, the water, and the air to disappear. It was strange since one moment there was a battle between two navies and the next an entire fleet was gone leaving a crater in the water.

I watched the remaining fleet to see how they would react. I hoped they would flee and tell the world, but instead they made me their primary target. I reformed the shield before the missiles and flak reached me. The battle seemed similar to the other one, except for one key difference. The remaining fleet prepared to fire magic weapons at me, but instead of one they had three. I tried to destroy them before they could fire, but they were able to shoot at the same time as me. “Trials and tribulations precede divine power, perhaps next life.” the presence mocked as it failed to do what I needed. Instead of something that could block the three shots like I was hoping for, it fired the same shot as last time. Although the white beam created an implosion destroying the fleet, their shots hit me in the chest. The agony was excruciating, it only took a split second, but the pain felt like a millennia.

My last thought before the pain became too much was of Amelia, my late fiancée. Her green eyes seemed to be able to gaze into the depths of someone’s soul. Her wavy hair had a youthful elegance unlike any other, but it was her smile that I missed the most; it was so beautiful it could warm the coldest of hearts. At least she didn’t see the suffering I caused was my only consolation before I passed out from the pain.