Report 1

From the Desk of the Head Historian of Magical Studies in New California, Jacob Reynolds.

Introduction:

This is a secret informal history of the two year reign of terror after the breaking of the Bastion seals which held the Earth's magic for eons. At this moment in history, nobody had named the time preceding the spilling of magic and I, Professor Jacobs, have gathered historical accounts and important data from the many interviews people have given during that time. I would want to call it the time of the Calling or the Breaking of the Earth, but I don't have a suitable way to express those times except by laying out my research. The next page is an excerpt from a top secret document given to all the Presidents and World Leaders of each country when they take the mantle of Power. My hope for this small report is to clear the time of upheaval and create a lasting record of the events that followed the Great Catastrophe. 

** Top Secret: For your eyes only **

Project Guardian:

To all new government heads of each nation. We, the secret society of the Illuminati, have been the guardians to the Bastions. (See photos in the attached folder). 

In the beginning of time, there was real magic. Not the kind magicians use for mere illusions, but the kind where powerful individuals used to manipulate and control the forces of nature, time and space. In each of your lands and the lands of the other countries, Bastions held these magics underground in a controlled area, away from the general public and from prying eyes. It was necessary to guard these magics because the powers held by the Bastions could enslave or destroy our world and peace would never have reigned (See history section attached in a separate folio) for example, the Dark Ages. 

We, the Illuminati, were given the task to guard the Bastions by the true magical beings of our world, the elves. Yes, elves are real, but they do not live among us (see the Great Purge). You will understand this information is Top Secret and can never be divulged to anybody, including your spouse, parents or other relatives...

***

The excerpt above was added to this file to show the absolute secrecy Project Guardian had before the breaking of the seals and how these Bastions that are now merely relics were part of our history. The next series of works are interviews gathered by individuals, found in the archives of the Historical College in New California. 

Breaking of the Seals: Survivors

Interview 1

Survivor: Marla Helms.

Interviewer: John Haskins. 

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

Digital Audio: Recorded two years after the Breaking of the Bastions

John: How did you survive the Breaking of the Bastions? It is fine to talk here. Nobody will come after you. 

Marla: Are you sure? An agent of the new government came to me and threatened me if I talk. 

John: That was the old regime. We now want to record the stories of the survivors. This will be confidential. (The sounds of rustling paper.) Marla, you were a nurse at Los Angeles Memorial Hospital. 

Marla: Yes, I was covering the morning shift when he came in. 

John: Please state what you are doing now. 

Marla: I am now the principal teacher at Water Dynamics and Magics at the Magical Studies Center. 

John: Thank you. Describe the Alpha. 

Marla: He didn't look like much. The police brought him in and placed him in the mental ward for violent individuals. That was my station. He was sedated and was malnourished. We gave him fluids and medicine for schizophrenia, clozapine. I administered the medicine. 

John: Did you know he was the Alpha when you saw him?

Marla: No, the Alpha didn't look like much. He was a bum, a man living on the streets. He was also going through a schizophrenic episode. He was shouting about his quest and such. 

John: This was on Day Zero, the day of devastation. 

Marla: Yes, I remember while I was working, watching on TV the giant wave that came toward us. We thought, I mean the hospital staff, the giant wave would not reach us since we were inland. But it did. I was checking on the patients and making my rounds when the wave hit. I was one of the lucky ones.

John: Because your magic manifested at that moment. 

Marla: Yes, but it didn't happen at first. I was thrown by the first wave. But there was another wave behind it. The first wave hit the hospital and everything went black. I found myself floating in a pocket of water. People and things were all around me. 

John: We have read that magics manifest after a tragic event. 

Marla: Yes, I thought I was dying and then something changed. I felt strong and powerful. I awoke on the ground far away from the hospital. John: (Sounds of rustling paper) You saw your first Grog around that same time.

Marla: Yes, but I must have been unconscious for several hours because it was dusk. I remember the taste of the seawater in my mouth. I couldn't describe how I felt. Too many things have happened. 

John: Your magic manifested with the death of your colleagues and friends. 

Marla: I believe in God and have been a practicing Catholic since I was a child, but at that moment I felt betrayed. God existed. I was sure about that. Yet he was laughing at me and my plight. So when I saw the bodies I almost cried.

John: So your belief system was questioned? This is where you saw your first transformation. 

Marla: Yes, the man was a few feet away from me. He was still breathing. I quickly went over to him to try CPR. But when I pushed him over he suddenly stood up and contorted violently. I thought he was in shock and I tried to make him sit, but the man trembled all over and transformed. The man said over and over the word, Grog. This is when I knew I was in hell. The man turned into a large hideous beast. Heck, all the bodies around me started to change. Some of the people changed into large wolves and others changed into insects. They attacked me and I merely reacted. My powers came forth. I destroyed the creatures with water magic. 

John: Did you know the Alpha was near you?

Marla: No. I was trying to survive. If I knew he was close, I would have gone to him. He would have saved me like he saved the others. 

John: What do you miss of the old world?

Marla: Technology, air conditioning, cell phones. You name it. Soda.