London.
Through the streets of the city, heading toward its heart, a motorcade of black cars and security vehicles surged forward with sirens blaring, drawing curious glances. Heads turned, fingers pointed, and more than a few people's eyes brightened before they lifted their new mobile phones to capture the moment on camera.
wee-ooo, wee-ooo...
The long procession of vehicles and their collective sirens was quite the spectacle on an otherwise quiet and ordinary Tuesday afternoon. Of course, it was not something to lose one's mind over, but at least it was the kind of sight that would find its way into dinner conversations, something parents or grandparents could casually recount to their children.
And until recently, people could only do just that, talk about it, but now that cameras could be carried in their pockets, some naturally would want to capture the spectacle and share.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the middle of the convoy, inside one of the cars with tinted windows, Maverick watched the scene outside. Here and there, people raised their phones, the result of his company's hard work, and a small smile curled on his lips.
He could not help but think back to his previous life, where the reaction would have been many times greater, people's first instinct being to pull out their phones and point their cameras at even the smallest of happenings.
"What's with the smug, kid?"
He was drawn back to the present by his father's voice at his side. They were on their way back from Buckingham Palace, and he chose to travel the old-fashioned way today.
"Which eye of yours saw me smug?" Rolling his eyes, he faced forward and leaned back. It had indeed been a while since he had sat in the back seat of a good old-fashioned four-wheeled vehicle.
And yes... a motorcade was absolutely old-fashioned for a mage.
Anyways, he wanted to stop by and visit his mother and sister, have the family together... because usually, when he visited, his father was not around, always busy with government affairs.
"Then I am guessing the meeting with Her Majesty went about as expected?"
"You were literally there..." He sighed, then turned slightly toward him as a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "By the way, Dad... do you think what I am about to do is, you know, the right thing?"
"The right thing?" Michael turned as well and met his son's eyes, a brow raised. "Why... having second thoughts?"
"No..." Maverick replied, looking ahead again. "I mean... about exposing the wizarding world. What would you have done?"
"Hmm..." Michael gave a thoughtful hum and looked ahead as well. He had not expected to be asked something like that, and in fact, he found it a little odd that his son was suddenly showing uncertainty.
Ever since Maverick became a wizard, he had always seen him confident in everything he did. Even when Maverick first revealed the plan, there had not been a hint of doubt on his face. So he decided to address that first.
Turning slightly, he asked, "Are you... having second thoughts?"
"Second thoughts? No. I am fully committed to seeing it through. I just wanted your opinion on it... you know, if I were not your son... what would you have told me?"
Michael chuckled. "Even if you were not my son, do you think I could negotiate with an archmage?"
"That is not what I mean, Dad. Be serious."
"Alright, fine." Michael waved a hand, then fell into thought again. A moment later, he spoke. "Well, if you are asking whether I would have agreed, then my answer is no. I cannot trust just anyone claiming that something as absurd as a battle between two people who could destroy a city would not end up affecting innocent people in the aftermath..."
He paused, then continued, "But if your question is what I would have done if I were in your position, then my plan would be much simpler than yours."
He turned slightly toward his son, a faint smile forming. "You said you are currently the most powerful mage on record. You have Edward, Dumbledore, and that French woman on your side, along with a number of Great Magi... so instead of going through all the trouble of staging this entire spectacle, reviving some dark wizard and all that, I would simply storm the wizarding congress and force them to agree to reveal the wizarding world..."
His hand went to his chin as he continued, "Forget about who is the most powerful... with half the archmages already backing you, you already hold a political advantage. So why go through all the trouble?" He chuckled again, then shrugged. "But hey... that is just me."
Maverick raised a brow at his father, seeing him in a new light. "I figured you would stick to something more... diplomatic, and less aggressive..." he chuckled.
"Aggressive? No. Practical." Michael gave a small shrug. "At the end of the day, the decision still goes through their council. That is close enough to democratic."
"Storming the ICW and forcing their hand is not exactly what I would call democratic."
"Maybe not." Michael let out a short chuckle as well. "But atleast it sounds a lot cleaner than whatever grand show you are planning."
"Alright, alright... I get it." Maverick waved a hand, cutting him off. Seeing the man smiling, he smiled as well. In fact, what his father said made complete sense, and honestly, it did sound far less troublesome.
However, that thought only lasted a moment.
"You're right... sort of."
"Oh? Alright then, wise guy... explain to me why your plan makes more sense than mine. Since you started this, I might as well play the critic..." he smirked. If anything, it had been a while since he had a proper back-and-forth with his son, and found it amusing.
Maverick also put on a smile. Their thinking was actually not very different. To Maverick, his father was one of the few people in the world he could speak to without any filters, even before the system's appearance.
With Michael, he was not some overpowered mage who could level a country, or a businessman in charge of a growing multi-million dollar company, he was just Maverick, his son.
Then, after taking a moment to think, Maverick tried to explain his reasoning. "You are right, of course. I could storm the ICW and try the diplomatic route, and there is a chance that if all of us insisted, we would eventually be able to convince them. However, while that process would be quieter, the aftermath, in my opinion, would last much longer than my plan..."
"The aftermath?"
"Yes. The aftermath. You see, by staging the exposure, what I am doing is revealing the wizarding world with the greatest impact, in the shortest amount of time. Every major news outlet would pick it up at once, and with the public witnessing it firsthand and word spreading uncontrollably, within a very short time, everyone would know about us, and more importantly, what we are truly capable of."
"Will that not cause more chaos?"
"It will," Maverick admitted with a nod. "But it is chaos we can control, and it will not last long. The information will spread first through word of mouth, then be confirmed by the authorities. In my opinion, that will lead people to accept it in the shortest amount of time."
"On the other hand," he continued, "if the wizarding world is exposed the way you suggested, through a formal decision driven by politicians, then how exactly is that news supposed to reach the wider world? It will waste a great deal of time just for them to come up with a plan, years, even decades..."
"And then... one morning, people wake up and see the news, turns out magic is real, that witches and wizards have been living among us all this time. Do you really think people will just accept that?"
"Even if governments cooperate, hold press conferences, and demonstrate magic live on television, it would still take time for people to accept it. At the very least, the process of accepting witches and wizards as part of everyday life would take far longer than if the exposure happened through a controlled incident."
He paused, then added, "The initial shock would be far greater, yes, but people would come to accept it much faster..."
A small smile formed on his lips. "Most importantly, you have to understand the opportunities that come with the two worlds eventually merging. The examples you brought up in the meeting, for starters... I want to be the first to reap those opportunities."
He turned, still smiling, and looked at his father. "You tell me, Dad... why should I let a group of politicians take all the benefits?"
Michael opened his mouth to respond but found himself at a loss for words. To be honest, he still did not fully understand it, but the general idea was clear, his son intended to secure every advantage for himself once the magical world was revealed and integrated into the wider world.
"Whatever." He sighed in the end. "But you are going to have to tell your mother too..."
"Heh... that is why I am going with you today. We will have a proper talk after dinner tonight, all of us. There is still a lot I have not told you, but I will come clean to both of you tonight."
"Oh? Even grander than your plan to reveal something that has been hidden for thousands of years and change the world as we know it?"
"You will know soon enough..." Maverick said with a grin. He planned to tell them about the Mars project as well tonight, and truth be told, he was looking forward to seeing their reaction.
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Author's Note:
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