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new chapter of Memoria Evocata is out

PROLOGUE

Tuesday, March 14th, 2107

History has a way of making itself known. In the same vein as the discoveries of the Rosetta Stone and the Epic of Gilgamesh, historians are always digging for information to understand how things used to be and how they have impacted us in the modern day. The incredible advancements in technology of the Muggle world during the 20th century, followed by the Great Unification of Magic and Muggle in the 21st, have led to such an exponential increase in our knowledge of the past that our older historians are always stunned. We are now able to combine magic and science in a way that would have been declared impossible in the 2050s. A mere half century has done miracles for humanity. We now know a lot more about everything- we have solved mysteries that had stumped us for millennia.

The Great Unification was a very tough battle but once it was accomplished, humanity has only kept advancing. There is no question of stopping anymore. Yet, I have never been particularly interested in the future. Yes, the evolution of man from just the Earth to the Solar System is amazing. Much of the population of my age, the youth, are focused on what’s next… but I. I have always wanted to understand how we are here. What came before us. As such, I dedicated my life to studying history. It is quite an unusual career, probably strengthened by the fact that I am at least three decades younger than all my colleagues. Despite all this, the dusty libraries where we find archaic books- books! In this day and age!! There are still a lot of data not uploaded in the Universal Servers. The first time I touched a book was the most surreal day of my life till then. I never could have known that much more surreal days were to come hurtling at me. These libraries have given my life a very different charm.

My mentor and close colleague, Dr Terry Boot, is pushing into his 130s and witnessed the entire Unification. He tells me how much the world has changed since the time he was my age. It is his stories that sparked this particular curiosity in me- what is it that exactly happened with His Imperial Majesty The Emperor and His Highness The Military General? His Imperial Majesty and His Highness, the Rulers of Humanity, have done much for their people. They unified all of us the previous century and have built this prosperous civilisation. Dr Boot is an intimate friend of His Highness, they went to Hogwarts together in their youth. It was a really surprising fact for me when I first learned it- in fact, the entire situation was surprising. Three years ago, Dr Boot and I were discussing some ancient Greek classics over tea one evening and suddenly the Floo flared open and there skipped in His Highness. The readers can understand my absolute bewilderment. I immediately went down to my knees for I had never even conceived of the notion that something like this would happen to me. Dr Boot merely laughed and ushered His Highness onto a free seat and it took a while for me to hear anything over my thundering heart. His Highness, despite my initial rudeness, was very kind to me and seemed slightly amused at my awe. Believe it or not, His Highness agreed to give me an autograph. I do not know what induced me to ask His Highness for it but I am glad to have it.

This meeting awoke an incredible curiosity in me. We, the people, are aware of His Imperial Majesty and His Highness as our protectors and our benevolent rulers. They are incredible to administer such a vast empire so effectively. Their immortality is also just, a known fact. Yet, when I saw Dr Boot and His Highness laughing and bickering like old friends and saw the disparity in their bodies- Dr Boot is very old and frail while His Highness looks younger than me even! It was the first time I realised what immortality really means. Our advancements in technology have led us to know more about history than ever before. We now know exactly how the people of the Indus Valley Civilisation lived and have even discovered the details of the personal lives of the Incan Kings. So why do we not have such intimate information on the greatest event in the history of humanity? Why do we not know exactly what happened inside the lives of our Rulers when they were waging the war that would lead to the Great Unification?

My curiosity was deemed unnecessary at first by my elder colleagues. They didn’t really think it was important and they considered it too recent to matter. Yet, I persisted. I wanted to know. How did all this actually happen? How did the Great Unification take place? We all know the major political moves but this part of our history feels very incomplete. After many pleas, Dr Boot finally decided to concede. He told me that he would ask His Highness directly and I hoped that my wishes would not be shut down. Thankfully, they were not. His Highness was actually extremely agreeable and it seemed as though he was even more excited than me to have everything be documented. His Highness placed a very high trust in me and even advocated for my cause to His Imperial Majesty.

I was granted my wish and I set about collecting documents and interviewing people who lived in those times and documented everything. These past three years have been an absolutely incredible journey. I have uncovered things that I never knew could have even existed. Turns out, the Great Unification is far more murky and far messier than I could have imagined. I am extremely grateful of the trust His Highness has put in me, allowing me access to so many documents and talking with me about everything so honestly.

This book is a compilation of my work, of documenting the history of the Great Unification. I have been led down a dark rabbit hole and have uncovered truths that astound me. In the spirit of the honest historian that I am, I have complied all the truths without any form of censorship whatsoever. I do not know if this book will be published in the form it is present now but it is my hope that it shall. With complete transparency and surrender, I copy this first draft three times. I am sending one to His Imperial Majesty, one to His Highness and one to The Great Enemy, wherever they are. A mere muggle that I am, I know I cannot do much but I have put in a great deal of work here and I cannot unsee what I have seen.

The only hope that sustains me is that His Highness, reading these accounts from the outside, may understand what has happened. The hope is small yet it still kindles my cold heart.

History has a way of making itself known. Hope springs eternal.