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Radar was an experimental wizard, focused on mind magic’s. He started with hats or gadgets to enhance the mind being where he earnt money, but the main devices he worked on beyond getting funding was focused on trying to break into other peoples minds.
His magic strength is weak, so he’s got more powerful assistants to do the casting for him, under the guise of training them.
His company fronts as a publisher after a misunderstanding of what he meant when talking of revealing what’s inside people’s brains. Radar isn’t mad when that gets more willing minds to come in and let’s him invite people who interest him in.
He didn’t care when people scoffed at his invitations. Instead he broadened his search for people worth invading their brains. Storytellers were the easiest to convince to come, so that’s where he focused most often.
It was due to that that he encountered Zoe Foster’s work. Despite her studies remaining unpublished, her research and memory revealing magic was getting known.
~
Mio Hudson had multiple circles talking about how progression without magic could be made. She’s caused crowds in town squares and sold out theatres to talk about how magic limits imagination and restricts the progress healthcare would make if methodically challenged and tested.
Most publishers, even of pamphlets, viewed her works as too controversial to be worth releasing. To go so openly against the magic that made their world could easily get anyone connected to sharing them ostracised and it had only been diverted from happening to Mio so far thanks to the healers coming out with explanations of her father’s illness and calls for other specialists of magic on the body to offer aid.
That hadn’t been gratefully received either, as Mio viewed them as treating her father as a test subject instead of someone they should have healed already.
~
“You’re that memory historian, aren’t you?” Mio stated, hoping she could shut down more attempts at small talk by establishing how broad their difference in views was.
The other woman nodded, “Zoe Foster. You look familiar too. Have you been published before?”
“No, apparently saying we’d do better without magic is too much for most publishers.” She watched Zoe’s expression fall and hoped the expression wasn’t going to lead into a lecture on why she was wrong.
“Great, and we’re in this meeting together?” Reluctance seeped from Zoe’s words.
Mio shrugged, raising her hands, “Looks like it.”
There wasn’t enough of a wait before they were called in for Zoe to try talking again.
“Greetings, I’m glad you could both make it. I am Jonathan Radar and invited you here to discuss sharing your thoughts with the world.” Radar greeted, waving off the assistant that had led them through.
“Great. Why schedule us for the same time?” Mio challenged, then frowned again, “And what do you mean ‘sharing our thoughts’? I thought you were going to published my pamphlets, nothing more needed.”
~
Zoe had encountered magic similar to the spells Radar was describing. In the field of historical memory seeking you had to remain aware of what currently shares memories between living people and she was a half member of groups trying to get this kind banned.
Only her manners kept her seated and that gave him the chance to catch her, although, as she looked around the room she was now seemingly in, Zoe was certain someone else was the one to cast the spell impacting her.
Now, unless Mio could do something, history would have to help her find an escape or way to fight it. She wouldn’t let her parents lose another daughter.
~
Mio was moving as soon as Zoe was engulfed. The magic reserves she usually denied having sprang to attention as she got to a corner and started trying to manoeuvrer to the door.
“You can’t just cast spells on people!” She yelled, hoping her goal of escape wasn’t obvious. “It’s beyond illegal and-”
The spell was large enough that Mio’s lunge away from it wasn’t enough to dodge it.
“Please tell me we can break ourselves out of here.” She was pleading before she could see Zoe, having felt her magic reaching out to the one possible ally she had as the real world vanished.
The fire ball in Zoe’s hand, books surrounding them and confused expression on the other woman’s face didn’t give her much hope of that.
“Well this definitely shouldn’t have been possible. I think you managed to damaged the spell somehow.” Zoe stated.
Both of them hoped that whatever meant they were together now would also be the way for them to break the spells Radar’s assistant’s had cast.