March 12, 2021
On a train departing from Milan and bound for Rome, a nineteen-year-old girl made her way among the people to look for a place to sit, carried two suitcases with her and kept bumping right and left with all the passengers asking every time sorry. She looked for a wagon to get into and when she reached the third she thought to proceed but the next one was full, for fear of entering that forest of people that was abnormal, she clung to a train pole and remained standing with suitcases. The train left.
The voices of the passengers mingled with the noise of the engine and sometimes the cry of a child or the ringing of a telephone was added; laughter and chatter constantly clashed and the poor girl could not bear all that confusion and so, without thinking about it, she passed into the fourth wagon in the hope of finding some free space later on. She opened the door and passed but as soon as she entered the carriage she felt dizzy, a cold breeze hit her face and forced her to close her eyes for a moment, she fell to the ground and her eyeglasses hit the floor; she quickly retrieved them and made sure the lenses hadn't broken; she heaved a sigh of relief and then, raising her head, was shocked to learn that the wagon was completely empty. The one ahead was full, the one behind was full, yet no one had thought of that car she was in. No one had entered and no one seemed to be intending to enter.
"Why?" she wondered, perplexed.
"Because they think it's fully occupied, as you thought it before." It was the voice of a boy who was near an open window with a book in his hands. "Take a seat, you don't bother me. If you managed to get in here it means you're special."
"Sorry, what?"
"You didn't understand? You can sit down if you want."
"Ah," she said, blushing. "Sorry, thanks."
The girl sat in front of the boy.
He didn't give any further explanation and she didn't want to be rude and so they were both silent for five full minutes; the boy was not even looking at her yet she was anxious and was constantly putting her hair in order; she noticed that one shoe was untied and so she bent down to fasten it but her glasses fell to the floor near the boy's feet.
With sweaty and trembling hands she retrieved her glasses and put them back in front of her eyes and then, when she realized that he had seen her, she exclaimed:
"Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you!"
"No bother," he replied, noting that her ears had turned redder than her face.
"Ah ... oh ... sorry ..."
"For what?"
"I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Ina. Ina Shandilya."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Alessandro Serpi. Are you from India?"
"Do you understand so much?"
"Not that much," he replied sarcastically. "Why are you traveling?"
"Family. I'm going to stay with my aunt in Rome. The plan was to arrive directly in Rome but I was wrong with the booking and I had taken a ticket to Milan. I'm a fool, I know."
"No, no, it happens to be wrong. You don't have to make a tragedy of it."
"The problem is that I'm wrong too many times. My mother says I can't help it."
"You shouldn't listen to her."
"If it were that easy," she murmured. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." She looked around. "How come nobody gets into this wagon?"
"Magic. Like this one: Ignis." Alessandro snapped his fingers and a flame lit in the palm of his hand.
The girl jumped with fright and exclaimed:
"How did you do?!"
"Because they think it's fully occupied, as you thought it before." It was the voice of a boy who was near an open window with a book in his hands. "Take a seat, you don't bother me. If you managed to get in here it means you're special."
"Sorry, what?"
"You didn't understand? You can sit down if you want."
"Ah," she said, blushing. "Sorry, thanks."
The girl sat in front of the boy.
He didn't give any further explanation and she didn't want to be rude and so they were both silent for five full minutes; the boy was not even looking at her yet she was anxious and was constantly putting her hair in order; she noticed that one shoe was untied and so she bent down to fasten it but her glasses fell to the floor near the boy's feet.
With sweaty and trembling hands she retrieved her glasses and put them back in front of her eyes and then, when she realized that he had seen her, she exclaimed:
"Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you!"
"No bother," he replied, noting that her ears had turned redder than her face.
"Ah ... oh ... sorry ..."
"For what?"
"I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Ina. Ina Shandilya."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Alessandro Serpi. Are you from India?"
"Do you understand so much?"
"Not that much," he replied sarcastically. "Why are you traveling?"
"Family. I'm going to stay with my aunt in Rome. The plan was to arrive directly in Rome but I was wrong with the booking and I had taken a ticket to Milan. I'm a fool, I know."
"No, no, it happens to be wrong. You don't have to make a tragedy of it."
"The problem is that I'm wrong too many times. My mother says I can't help it."
"You shouldn't listen to her."
"If it were that easy," she murmured. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." She looked around. "How come nobody gets into this wagon?"
"Magic. Like this one: Ignis." Alessandro snapped his fingers and a flame lit in the palm of his hand.
The girl jumped with fright and exclaimed:
"How did you do?!"
"As I said: magic. Do you know what magic is?"
"I heard about it, my grandfather was part of some kind of organization or a cult but my father always told me they were things for scoundrels." Then the girl put her hand in front of her mouth as if she had just noticed what he had said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you."
"I'm not offended. However, the correct term is magus."
"And what exactly did you do with the wagon?"
"It doesn't exist. This wagon doesn't exist, people cannot perceive it."
"What if one passes by here?"
"I heard about it, my grandfather was part of some kind of organization or a cult but my father always told me they were things for scoundrels." Then the girl put her hand in front of her mouth as if she had just noticed what he had said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you."
"I'm not offended. However, the correct term is magus."
"And what exactly did you do with the wagon?"
"It doesn't exist. This wagon doesn't exist, people cannot perceive it."
"What if one passes by here?"
"They wouldn't stop. Their brain would give them contradictory signals and the aforementioned person would think they was still in the previous wagon."
"So you acted on their minds?"
"No, I actually acted on the wagon" he replied smiling.
"Excuse my question: how does this magic work? Is it like that of fantasy books?"
Ina's expression was genuinely curious, her glasses were slipping from her nose and she didn't notice.
"The glasses" said Alessandro pointing.
"Oh sorry." She put them back on and blushed.
"Do you really want to know how magic works?" Alessandro asked closing the book.
"I would like to, yes."
"Magic presupposes laws and forces that run the universe, which the operator can use if he knows how to capture them. Magic is the exercise of power through actions that have a direct influence on man, nature and the divine. It is very ancient and the name mageia means "Art of the Magi", or the art of the priests of Zoroaster, the wisest man in Persia. Magus means "wise", so to be a magician you must first know, having knowledge is the only way to do magic, without knowledge there's no magic. Like everything, after all."
"So you acted on their minds?"
"No, I actually acted on the wagon" he replied smiling.
"Excuse my question: how does this magic work? Is it like that of fantasy books?"
Ina's expression was genuinely curious, her glasses were slipping from her nose and she didn't notice.
"The glasses" said Alessandro pointing.
"Oh sorry." She put them back on and blushed.
"Do you really want to know how magic works?" Alessandro asked closing the book.
"I would like to, yes."
"Magic presupposes laws and forces that run the universe, which the operator can use if he knows how to capture them. Magic is the exercise of power through actions that have a direct influence on man, nature and the divine. It is very ancient and the name mageia means "Art of the Magi", or the art of the priests of Zoroaster, the wisest man in Persia. Magus means "wise", so to be a magician you must first know, having knowledge is the only way to do magic, without knowledge there's no magic. Like everything, after all."
"So it's like doing a job, right? Without the right knowledge you can't do it."
"Yes, right."
"But… if a mage, sorry, a magus does magic, it means he's like a kind of divinity among men, right? Because nobody can do those things."
"It's not that easy. There are two types of magic: High Magic and Low Magic. The first is what we today call True Magic, it's the attempt to achieve total self-control and to obtain the highest degree of knowledge in order to transcend all human limits and become supernatural or divine beings; the second is what we call Magecraft, and it's a more mechanical magic used for earthly advantages such as getting money, love or winning a battle. Such a distinction, in the past, didn't exist but with the end of paganism not only magic was buried in the past but was also torn apart."
"What do you mean?"
"Paganism had the characteristic of uniting man with nature and the divine. These three elements were considered a whole but when this mentality disappeared and the bond with the divine was broken, High Magic dissolved."
"But didn't the magicians leave a trace of their work?"
"Of course. You know some of them, after all. Name me a famous magus. The most famous."
"Um ... Merlin?"
"Merlin?"
"Sorry is that ... I saw the legend of King Arthur and the Round Table in a film and ..."
"Yes, Merlin is certainly a very famous wizard but he was not the first nor the last. There have been many magicians who have practiced High Magic: Pythagoras, Epimenides, Empedocles, Orpheus, Apollonius, Guliano the Chaldean and many others."
"Pythagoras?"
"Yes, right."
"But… if a mage, sorry, a magus does magic, it means he's like a kind of divinity among men, right? Because nobody can do those things."
"It's not that easy. There are two types of magic: High Magic and Low Magic. The first is what we today call True Magic, it's the attempt to achieve total self-control and to obtain the highest degree of knowledge in order to transcend all human limits and become supernatural or divine beings; the second is what we call Magecraft, and it's a more mechanical magic used for earthly advantages such as getting money, love or winning a battle. Such a distinction, in the past, didn't exist but with the end of paganism not only magic was buried in the past but was also torn apart."
"What do you mean?"
"Paganism had the characteristic of uniting man with nature and the divine. These three elements were considered a whole but when this mentality disappeared and the bond with the divine was broken, High Magic dissolved."
"But didn't the magicians leave a trace of their work?"
"Of course. You know some of them, after all. Name me a famous magus. The most famous."
"Um ... Merlin?"
"Merlin?"
"Sorry is that ... I saw the legend of King Arthur and the Round Table in a film and ..."
"Yes, Merlin is certainly a very famous wizard but he was not the first nor the last. There have been many magicians who have practiced High Magic: Pythagoras, Epimenides, Empedocles, Orpheus, Apollonius, Guliano the Chaldean and many others."
"Pythagoras?"
"He created numerical magic, Orpheus instead created musical magic, Epimenides invented poetic magic, Empedocles was able to cure disease and could control wind and rain" explained Alessandro.
"What do you mean when you say 'numerical magic'? It doesn't make much sense to me."
"There are several ways to do magic: you can use combinations of numbers, musical notes, poems, talismans, herbs, particular words and so on. Magic is a labyrinth of roads, each road can lead you to the same goal."
"Which one do you use?"
"A form of musical magic combined with vocal magic is simply called 'harmonic magic'. When I say the word I also have to snap my fingers, but it's not as simple as it may seem because you have to snap them in a certain way, making a certain noise at the right moment or it won't work."
"So you practice High Magic?"
"No. I call it "magic" because that is its name but it's not High Magic. It's just Magecraft."
"And is it Lower Magic?"
"Yes and no. It's a mechanical magic that was born to replace High Magic, it was created by a man whose work could've made even Merlin pale: Giordano Bruno. He devised a unique system capable of making magical-mechanical laws act not externally but internally, the magical mechanisms designed by Bruno draw directly from the psyche and soul and allow magic to be translated into mathematical terms. He was the first to discover how to use what are called Magical Circuits, a necessary part to perform any magic."
"What do you mean when you say 'numerical magic'? It doesn't make much sense to me."
"There are several ways to do magic: you can use combinations of numbers, musical notes, poems, talismans, herbs, particular words and so on. Magic is a labyrinth of roads, each road can lead you to the same goal."
"Which one do you use?"
"A form of musical magic combined with vocal magic is simply called 'harmonic magic'. When I say the word I also have to snap my fingers, but it's not as simple as it may seem because you have to snap them in a certain way, making a certain noise at the right moment or it won't work."
"So you practice High Magic?"
"No. I call it "magic" because that is its name but it's not High Magic. It's just Magecraft."
"And is it Lower Magic?"
"Yes and no. It's a mechanical magic that was born to replace High Magic, it was created by a man whose work could've made even Merlin pale: Giordano Bruno. He devised a unique system capable of making magical-mechanical laws act not externally but internally, the magical mechanisms designed by Bruno draw directly from the psyche and soul and allow magic to be translated into mathematical terms. He was the first to discover how to use what are called Magical Circuits, a necessary part to perform any magic."
"Magical Circuits? What would they be? Type of threads?"
"They are part of our soul and psyche and allow the magus to do Magecraft. Each circuit has a certain amount of magical units that are used to do magic. The total set of magical units is often called magical energy. The more magical energy a magus has, the more spells he can do."
"So it's like a barter."
"The Romans simplified it into a formula: 'Do ut des' or 'I give to you so that you give to me'. The principle is that of thaumaturgy, an exchange that allows the magus to perform any magic."
"Like what you see in the movies?" she asked, ecstatic.
"Magicraft can allow you to do different things and different magi have specialized in a particular branch of magic and over time have also split into different organizations."
"But why don't you show yourself to the world? Thanks to magic, life in society would improve, different diseases could be cured and different problems could be solved and ..."
"War. Many practitioners of magic simply prefer not to share this knowledge to avoid new conflicts. The organizations that exist today are fighting each other in an attempt to gain supremacy. I bet you have heard of the atrocities that took place in London."
"Yes ... but according to the reports, these were terrorist cells that grew over time and organized a large-scale attack against the British which was then carried out."
"And you believe it?"
Alessandro's question surprised Ina who blushed. Her ears turned red like a tomato.
"I ... um ... I know that ... the terrorists have confessed."
"Sure, they confessed, but they weren't conscious. Those 'terrorists' were mere criminals captured in the Middle East and used as a scapegoat. How many have 'withdrawn'? One hundred and two, if I remember correctly. However, it was the work of the organizations of magi who, in order to avoid guilt, elaborated the greatest plot ever: they erased the memory of the witnesses and manipulated the minds of those one hundred and two wretches. Problem solved. Nobody will blame the magi."
Silence. Ina had an estranged look, the words that Alessandro had just professed seemed unknown to her. In a slightly higher tone of voice she said:
"I do not believe it. You're making a fool of me."
"I'm not joking about these things."
"They are part of our soul and psyche and allow the magus to do Magecraft. Each circuit has a certain amount of magical units that are used to do magic. The total set of magical units is often called magical energy. The more magical energy a magus has, the more spells he can do."
"So it's like a barter."
"The Romans simplified it into a formula: 'Do ut des' or 'I give to you so that you give to me'. The principle is that of thaumaturgy, an exchange that allows the magus to perform any magic."
"Like what you see in the movies?" she asked, ecstatic.
"Magicraft can allow you to do different things and different magi have specialized in a particular branch of magic and over time have also split into different organizations."
"But why don't you show yourself to the world? Thanks to magic, life in society would improve, different diseases could be cured and different problems could be solved and ..."
"War. Many practitioners of magic simply prefer not to share this knowledge to avoid new conflicts. The organizations that exist today are fighting each other in an attempt to gain supremacy. I bet you have heard of the atrocities that took place in London."
"Yes ... but according to the reports, these were terrorist cells that grew over time and organized a large-scale attack against the British which was then carried out."
"And you believe it?"
Alessandro's question surprised Ina who blushed. Her ears turned red like a tomato.
"I ... um ... I know that ... the terrorists have confessed."
"Sure, they confessed, but they weren't conscious. Those 'terrorists' were mere criminals captured in the Middle East and used as a scapegoat. How many have 'withdrawn'? One hundred and two, if I remember correctly. However, it was the work of the organizations of magi who, in order to avoid guilt, elaborated the greatest plot ever: they erased the memory of the witnesses and manipulated the minds of those one hundred and two wretches. Problem solved. Nobody will blame the magi."
Silence. Ina had an estranged look, the words that Alessandro had just professed seemed unknown to her. In a slightly higher tone of voice she said:
"I do not believe it. You're making a fool of me."
"I'm not joking about these things."
"But if that were true it would be terrible."
"In reality it's pure and simple pragmatism at work. They manipulated the prejudice of the many to resolve the matter in a short time. You can't do anything about it ... now that's the truth. One hundred and two sacrifices were offered to appease the anger of humanity. Do ut des."
Ina stood up, shocked by that sad truth. She didn't say a word more and didn't look Alessandro in the face. Her desire was only to get away from him.
"Your bags," he said.
She turned, embarrassed. With her head bowed she approached and took the suitcases but before leaving again she was struck by a strong doubt. She looked at Alessandro and asked:
"Why did you tell me this?"
"Because I know you won't tell anyone anything. I also know that maybe you will try to change the system."
"Sorry, what?"
"I told you before: you're special. If you have managed to enter this wagon it means that your Magical Circuits are developed. You're not just a human. You're more like me than them. You should practice using Magecraft, I bet you would go a long way."
"I …"
"You don't need to answer me, words are useless." Alessandro got up, went over to Ina and gave her the book he was reading. "Many of us don't know which path to take in life, the fear of getting lost is constant and the choices we make are always painful, but we must go ahead with our heads held high and never stop. There are those who go slow and there are those who go fast, but like water, we always blur somewhere."
"How did you know we were going to meet?"
"I did not know. It was fate, if you believe in these things. Now the rest is in your hands, Ina. In the book you will find the address of the library to which it must be reported. It is up to you to decide whether to go the way or to keep the book to yourself. Nobody will know anything."
"Sorry ... will I meet you again, Alessandro?"
"Maybe." He turned to her. "If you can find me, I'll be happy to help you."
The train stopped at Bologna Centrale station, Alessandro Serpi left the wagon and Ina remained with that book in hand. The girl, still amazed by that surreal moment, turned the book to read the title: 'De Umbris Idearum' by Giordano di Bruno.
The train left.
Alessandro Serpi, with his backpack on his shoulder, remained at the Bologna Centrale station isolated from the rest of the people to contemplate the city that was overflowing with noises of cars, occasionally you could hear the sound of a horn and the voices of the people trampled each other and then to be silenced by the unpleasant metallic thunder of the train rubbing on the rails; those ants disguised as people went out and entered the wagons, with dull eyes and their heads bent over their cell phones. Alessandro turned to the opposite side, there were only rails, but further on you could see the light, that light, which led away from the city and the noise.
Two pigeons landed on the asphalt to look for food: one had a clear, clean plumage, while the other was dirty, as if it had been soaked in petrol, and it was missing a leg. The first pigeon flew in the direction of the rails while the second flew into the city.
Alesandro snapped his fingers and said:
"Noli Aspicere."
He got off the asphalt and started walking following the rails, towards an unknown destination, never looking back, knowing that he would get lost along the way but, despite this, with eyes in love with the infinite.
"In reality it's pure and simple pragmatism at work. They manipulated the prejudice of the many to resolve the matter in a short time. You can't do anything about it ... now that's the truth. One hundred and two sacrifices were offered to appease the anger of humanity. Do ut des."
Ina stood up, shocked by that sad truth. She didn't say a word more and didn't look Alessandro in the face. Her desire was only to get away from him.
"Your bags," he said.
She turned, embarrassed. With her head bowed she approached and took the suitcases but before leaving again she was struck by a strong doubt. She looked at Alessandro and asked:
"Why did you tell me this?"
"Because I know you won't tell anyone anything. I also know that maybe you will try to change the system."
"Sorry, what?"
"I told you before: you're special. If you have managed to enter this wagon it means that your Magical Circuits are developed. You're not just a human. You're more like me than them. You should practice using Magecraft, I bet you would go a long way."
"I …"
"You don't need to answer me, words are useless." Alessandro got up, went over to Ina and gave her the book he was reading. "Many of us don't know which path to take in life, the fear of getting lost is constant and the choices we make are always painful, but we must go ahead with our heads held high and never stop. There are those who go slow and there are those who go fast, but like water, we always blur somewhere."
"How did you know we were going to meet?"
"I did not know. It was fate, if you believe in these things. Now the rest is in your hands, Ina. In the book you will find the address of the library to which it must be reported. It is up to you to decide whether to go the way or to keep the book to yourself. Nobody will know anything."
"Sorry ... will I meet you again, Alessandro?"
"Maybe." He turned to her. "If you can find me, I'll be happy to help you."
The train stopped at Bologna Centrale station, Alessandro Serpi left the wagon and Ina remained with that book in hand. The girl, still amazed by that surreal moment, turned the book to read the title: 'De Umbris Idearum' by Giordano di Bruno.
The train left.
Alessandro Serpi, with his backpack on his shoulder, remained at the Bologna Centrale station isolated from the rest of the people to contemplate the city that was overflowing with noises of cars, occasionally you could hear the sound of a horn and the voices of the people trampled each other and then to be silenced by the unpleasant metallic thunder of the train rubbing on the rails; those ants disguised as people went out and entered the wagons, with dull eyes and their heads bent over their cell phones. Alessandro turned to the opposite side, there were only rails, but further on you could see the light, that light, which led away from the city and the noise.
Two pigeons landed on the asphalt to look for food: one had a clear, clean plumage, while the other was dirty, as if it had been soaked in petrol, and it was missing a leg. The first pigeon flew in the direction of the rails while the second flew into the city.
Alesandro snapped his fingers and said:
"Noli Aspicere."
He got off the asphalt and started walking following the rails, towards an unknown destination, never looking back, knowing that he would get lost along the way but, despite this, with eyes in love with the infinite.
THE END
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