[ WP ] Science and Magic are merely opposite sides to which the pendulum of time swings . It has leaned for the past few centuries towards the Laws of Science but even now it begins to return ever faster back towards the Laws of Magic .

Oh boy, a really nice prompt that I'm gon na respond to on mobile! Hope you enjoy! 
 
 
 It began with a crystal. One, sole crystal. It did n't fall from the sky. It did n't emerge from the ground. It was just a crystal. My crystal. 
 
 The crystal she gave to me. 
 
 She called herself Erin. Her name was a lie. I could tell she was hiding something. She did n't act like a human. She made strange comments. She was surprised at the smallest things. Energy Cells and Plasma Knives intrigued her. Teleporters surprised her. Science scared her. 
 
 I did n't understand her. Sure, there were people who did n't like what science had become, but nobody ever got scared of it. She was n't convinced that science was good. She was conflicted with its `` lack of natural power.'' At the time, I did n't care for what it meant. We would spend time away from the cities, in the woods and the plains. Enjoying the breeze and the time alone with each other. 
 
 There, she was calm. There, she was free. There, she was human. 
 
 `` Do you ever wonder why we're here?'' She would ask me. I would lie there with her, nuzzle her head and say `` Because we were meant to.'' 
 
 She would laugh, I would chuckle. Then she would stare at the sky, reaching out for it. She would close her hand, exhale and bring her hand to her chest. `` Yeah. I guess so.'' She would say, time and time again. 
 
 Then, she left. Gone, out of my apartment. She left a note, a crystal and a picture. The note talked about our time in the forest, the ways we would laugh and relax. Away from the world of science and tech. The note talked about hypotheticals. What if the world was just like the forest or the plains, free of technology and the darkness. What if we could spend an eternity together. What if we could be free. 
 
 They confused me. They worried me. They intrigued me. The note was cryptic, and at the time I thought it was poetic. 
 
 Clutch the picture, for time has stopped. Use the crystal for time makes haste. 
 Walk away, for time moves on. 
 
 And when confronted with the choice, I found it was far from that. 
 
 It was her. Erin. When I held onto the picture with everything I had, in hopes I could see her again, I did n't expect to teleport. 
 
 When I saw the crystal float and move, I followed it to its destination. And I saw Erin. 
 
 `` Lucas. I'm glad you came.'' She said. `` Help us make a choice.'' 
 
 She gestured to someone who was next to her. Another girl. She looked like Erin, but her hair was silver, not gold. Her eyes were blue, not red. She was clothed in laboratory gear, not a flowing dress. 
 
 `` This is Alyssa. She, in this world, is known as the Mother of Invention. She is whom brought this prosperous world into its age of technology. It's dark age.'' Erin said. 
 
 `` Lucas, yes? Please, do not listen to Erin. She comes from a primitive time. A time where they did n't have order, they had chaos. Magic was their craft. Magic destroyed their humanity. She was the Mother of the Mystic. She destroyed them because magic was her making. I rebuilt them. I made our lives possible. Lucas, you do n't know me, but think of the other lives. The other 14 billion lives of Aria that you'll destroy if you help her!'' Alyssa retaliated. 
 
 `` It's his choice Alyssa.'' Erin told her. She turned and looked at me. 
 
 `` Lucas my love, look over there. That is the Celestial Pendulum.'' She pointed to the center of the room. It was small and lackluster. A simple string with nothing on it. Two blocks stood on opposite sides. One was marked with a strange symbol, and the other was marked with the logo for Creova, the largest research company in Aria. 
 
 `` Tie the string to the crystal. Use the pendulum to knock over a block. Whichever one you knock over will determine the prevailing Age. A new Age of Magic, or you can continue this Age of Science.'' Alyssa said. 
 
 I walked to the string, attached the crystal and pulled it back. Once I let go, I could n't walk away. 
 
 `` Damnit.'' Was all Alyssa said. A bullet went straight through my head, and all that's left now is me. The soul of a man who changed the world for a while.
