“The End of the Golden Age” Alexander the Great and the Decision to Nullify Magic

Old ages end and new ones begin.

Alexander the Great is one of the most significant men in history. His accomplishments were so critical to shaping the modern world that historians point to his destruction of the Golden Age of Magic as the sole reason the magical monarchy ended. However, a great man is not without a great aide. While Alexander the Great's accomplishments are jaw-dropping, they did not happen without the help of his magical advisor.

According to historical texts, after Alexander's death, his magical advisor earned the name Alexios (Αλέξιος), as it meant the one who defends. His birth-given name was lost to time, sadly. Alexios is also the origin of the magical cabinet position names worldwide, with the Department of Alexios for the United States of America being an example. Before earning this name, he was seen almost as a nobody, a typical, nameless male during King Philip II's conquest.

Upon King Philip II's death in 464 R.C. (336 BCE), Greece was in a precarious situation. Many were planning a rebellion to gain their independence back. The Hellenistic world stared at this young boy, Alexander, to take the throne, ready to pounce at the simplest mistake. However, after showing off the army's efficiency he commanded, many gave up on these hopes.

During this time, after the Peloponnesian War, magic was much larger than in the early days of Sirius and Achelous. Many demigods had existed, and because of parvucule exposure, more and more women were birthing magicians. It was clear to the world that magic was the future, and those without it would either be purged or put into intense slave labor.

Magicians were undeniably strong, and Achelous' bloodline as the superstars of this era made it feel like Gods were living amongst men.

In combat, non-magician soldiers ran the Phalanx, Peltasts, and Taxis, guided by generals who had parvucules to spend. The hypaspists were weaker magicians, according to studies by the National Council of Magic Historians; soldiers in the hypaspists would have a relatively low parvucule count of 45 micromoles per liter. This is still high compared to non-magicians with a parvucule count of 15 micromoles per liter. They could perform strength-enhancing and simple mending spells. In the highest ranks of the Hypaspists would be the strongest magicians. While he had a long and lengthy campaign to rise, Alexios would be found at the top of this when Alexander the Great took him as a magical advisor.

The reason for this was a cardinal choice. Around this time, King Philip II's unification of Greece was almost complete, with Sparta left over. At first, because of how insignificant Sparta was at this point, they would decisively leave the city-state alone. Until some of the previous demigods and gods from the past would use Sparta as their home. These were typically those who hated the rule of King Philip II.

Rebellion was the name of the game, and while Alexander would quell these flames as peacefully as possible, Sparta was looked upon by the people as a test. Could rebellion be worth it? Was the toppling of this presumably young and spoiled brat as ruler a path to sovereignty?

The odds were…stacked against Sparta, and Alexander could have gone through with his army and crushed them. However, he wanted to recruit and use the Gods in his future dreams of conquest. So, he sought a solution.

According to Arrian (Ἀρριανός), who wrote one of the most detailed accounts of Alexander the Great's life: "He [Alexander] was in deep thought for five days and nights. He asked all his men for a solution. From this five-night academic expedition came an answer from Alexios. A co-leader in the Hypaspists."

The solution was simple and is still used today. Anti-Magic barriers. The only records of the development of Anti-magic during this era were found in a Greek archeological site, dating around 670 R.C. (130 BCE).

Parvucules act both as a particle and a wave. Like how most waves behave, parvucules could become canceled out with the correct frequencies bouncing around, causing destructive interference. Thus Alexios would grift the first known version of an AMD (Anti-Magic Device.) Which essentially is the opposite of what an acoustic insulator would do. These devices would change the frequency of emitted parvuwaves and cause them to destructively dampen or even cancel out the magic in the area. It seems almost impossible for these men to have an idea of such a significant shift. Still, the concept of specific shapes and materials dampening magic was known, albeit scarcely. In 'Notes About the Natural World' by Athena, there are astute observations of the wavering flow of magic. A detailed proof is laid inside, showing that magic is not constant.

This decision was cardinal, and Alexander, given this information by Alexios, had the power in his hand to forever change history. He knew that this development would cause many to overthrow the systems of magicians in place. He deduced that his own men wouldn't be able to use magic in the fields affected.

Arrian described this conflict as "Alexander had been faced with a burden no man before him could fathom. With a single decision, we [humanity] could be reversed back to the era of animals. However, this same decision could help him conquer the world by having his men train physically to survive without magic. [Alexander] was found sitting silently for a full day. He would come out brazenly and, without stoppage, walked to Alexios."

The deal was sealed, and by 464 R.C. (336 BCE), Alexios was officially Alexander's right-hand man as he oversaw this project. Like the Greek Fire project in 1472 R.C. (672 BCE), this was kept a secret while building. Each step in developing anti-magic was with separate groups of people. Even if one knew how a single part worked, one wouldn't say the whole process.

Progress was slow. First, craftsmen couldn't get the shapes correct, and with the project's secrecy, they weren't told much. Alexios and Alexander would be the only ones who would know the full extent of his project. Some generals knew multiple parts, but never enough to lead to a conclusion and create this independently.

It was expensive too, Arrian stating that around 5,000 talents of silver, considering that talents were roughly the weight of a man. In today's money, that would be above $5 billion.

Even with its slow start, the AMD would eventually be developed in 466 R.C. (334 BCE). There was a small problem, with its intended use being for Sparta, which was well out of the way. By this time, Alexander and Alexios were in Asia Minor, and the battle of Issus was occurring. According to Arrion's writing, the device was not used in this battle. It was given a name, however.

HECATE'S VOID (κενό της Εκάτης)

Today, an unseen trait that was especially common back then was the complete trust bond between leaders and their magic advisors. As magical advisors were usually the ones with the highest parvucule count by a large margin. The level of scrutiny they had was low compared to today. As we can see, Alexander and Alexios had an excellent relationship. These two warriors went into combat together and, while leading, would charge head-on and support each other. Another significant factor is budget. Alexios had all the gold he needed to fulfill the project.

Alexander would continue his conquest, going further from Issus to Tyre to Arbela to Ecbatana, going well into the Indus Valley and back around to Egypt.

However, there is a pattern that many remember today about his conquest. He had named over twenty cities after himself and one after his horse. Arrian named these cities not after significant battles he had won but rather the killing or capture of gods. Because around this era, some Gods had smelled the allure of other nations, greater riches, and a more level playing field. The Greek world had become too pungent in terms of competition. The end of the Golden Age began with the Great Migration.

The best examples of this are three out of Alexandria's twenty cities. At Asiana, Babylon, and Prophthasia.

This unstoppable army continued to march, taking more land and conquering the Persian Empire. In 466 R.C. (334 BC), stop at a city he would call Alexandria Asiana, located in modern-day Iran. The modern name is the Alexandrian Rural District. Here would lie Zagreus, taking on his old Greek word rather than adapting to local religion. Legends would speak about him escaping the underworld to find his mother, Persephone. Zagreus was a brilliant mage and would be Alexander's most challenging opponent at the time. Even with the H.V., Zagreus was a force to be reckoned with. He was the only force to stand against his army.

After his defeat, Alexander recruited him into his army rather than kill him before taking the city and calling it his own. Soon after, Alexander conquered the Achaemenid Empire with the help of this God, Alexios, and the H.V.

Historians debate Alexios' role in the founding of this city. Some state that he was the sole reason for Alexander's victory. In contrast, others dismiss his contributions as there are some contradictions with the primary text of that era.

Babylon had a God residing in the area. While they had their own deities, such as Marduk, there were those to claim to be the son of him and Gilgamesh, and names such as Nabu would appear. While the legend dated further back than the Greek's existence, Nabu had a Greek presence, Erichthonius, who Archon Sirius had claimed to be his divine guidance. Nabu was a powerful magician, a man who was only bested by Achelous during his time. Alexander had marched into Babylon on October 22nd, 469 R.C. (331 BCE).

Due to Nabu's exploits, the soon-to-be conquered city had become quite magic-dependent. The simple usage of the H.V. rendered almost all magicians in the city useless. Alexios had the idea of leaving the Hypaspists outside of the town, capturing any escaping men while being able to use magic. Babylon would be the only city in this anti-magic campaign that no one person escaped from.

Legends speak of the God Nabu being killed by a torch to the eye. Which led historians to conclude that Alexander had eliminated the God by using the H.V. to stab him, as it was torch shaped to resemble weapons Hecate would use.

The consequence of Alexandria Prophthasia (now known as Farah) is with the Goddess that resided in the area. Artemis, the Goddess of the hunt, wielding her bow and notes, experimented with parvucule transfer for biological processes. She didn't know that the lizards she experimented with would become the first animal to evolve a fosogland.

Alexander and his generals would arrive in Prophthasia in 470 R.C. (330 BCE). Just like the whole world, Artemis heard about his atrocities against the Gods and magicians that ruled. Archeologists found a journal, mostly about her writings in her magical pursuits. In that book came a quote. "The King of Macedon is a threat to our very way of life. I must stop him."

Other than the battle at Sparta, this would be Alexander's most challenging battle yet. Alexios had the earliest form of instantaneous wired communication, but this battle wouldn't be ready. Even with the H.V., which was a terrible device compared to AMDs today, Artemis and her prodigal parvucule count could still produce magic. Like giant Komodo dragons, her mythical lizards could only take out half of Alexander's army, losing heavily against outside bombardment by Alexios' command. Artemis was killed by an explosive bombardment arrow through the eye aimed by Alexios.

The first flaw of the H.V. arrived, and Alexios had a hunch of the urgency of a fix. Their biggest battle was yet to come, and the constant travel made development nearly impossible. Still, the army's exceptional work ethic and efficiency gave the H.V. an upgrade. The upgrade was nothing new. Nothing had changed other than to smooth out rough surfaces on the original H.V. to dampen parvuwaves. The project was demanding, but it was complete in 475 R.C. (325 BCE).

The final stage was upon them, the haven of the Gods. Sparta. He was going to take this most significant landmark. There were almost a hundred Gods and Demigods residing in that area. The Great Migration was from Greece. Since Sparta was outside Alexander's current territorial reach, many Gods fled there to plot Alexander's demise. A revolution was brewing; however, news of the H.V. had not spread to Sparta.

476 R.C. (324 BCE), Alexander marched into the city, and fighting began. Their original strategy of Alexios holding the outside with the H.V. and Alexander raiding the inside seemed to work. Sudden bombardments gave them an early advantage. This advantage faded quickly once Alexios was faced with a challenge.

Ares and Eris had appeared along with fifty men behind them. In the ensuing combat, the H.V. would be temporarily disabled for three days, focused on fighting these Gods. At the end of the three-day battle, Eris would be captured, and the only remainder of Ares was his left arm. According to historians, Alexios had used a bombardment technique that would eat up his own life to defeat the two at the end of the second day.

Alexander had then to face many minor demigods with the guidance of Athena. While Alexander and his men could meet them well, Athena had a communication advantage, the same device that Alexios was working on. She had finished it. Espionage occurred, and during the communication project, some had leaked information to Athena. By the third day without the HV, Alexander was cornered, and he could see the end. Still, once the H.V. came back on, the Spartan demigods who had used parvucules to enhance their strength were rendered useless. The odds were tilted back into the conqueror's favor. The last lights of fighting ended after just a week, Athena was nowhere to be found, and hundreds of demigods were killed.

Now it isn't known if Alexander made his conquest to keep Greece as the strongest nation with its monopoly on magic or if it was 'for the glory of Greece.' Nonetheless, his actions caused some to be wary of his actions against the Gods and magicians. Some in his army would even despise this, hoping for his death. That wish was granted.

On June 13th, 477 R.C. (323 BCE), he would be found dead. Historians debate the actual cause. The prevailing theory is that Horkos silently cursed Alexander. While Alexander usually had a parvucule barrier around him to prevent curses, his men were exhausted. An unlucky slip caused a great man's death.

Alexios would become a dominant Diadochi after taking control of much of the Hellenistic world, being recruited by the Romans, and dying peacefully.

Now Rome was a different story. In the next chapter, one is not truly understood by the magical world. The next chapter will discuss the aftermath of the Roman Empire's fall and the dominant kingdoms and races that would rise.