Evan
A large bright orb shined ever so brightly against a starry night sky. Each little twinkle seemed so far away, yet Evan couldn't resist the urge to reach toward them. Each one had a different color, glowing ever so warmly. The only thing holding him back, from grabbing that warmth were the chains tieing him to an execution tower. It was an enormous platform that stretched high in the sky, casting a shadow on the citizens below. Evan's face was beaten and bloody, a stream of blood coating his face, his cheeks swollen from repeated strikes to the face. The young man was on his knees, bent over with his neck on a chopping block. He stared down at the crowd, all cosplaying his famous alter ego, the mage of lies. Every single person in that crowd had frowning faces and watery eyes, barely holding themselves back from breaking into tears.
"So this is what you saw... John," Evan said, making eye contact with a little boy. He was the first to start crying.
Never before had there been such an absolute power on its people. Even with the mage of lies and the full force of the rebellion, it wasn't enough. The hero of the people had been captured, and his executioner was none other than the leader of that horrible organization.
A hand wrapped itself around the back of his head. "You know, you were a real annoying gnat for a little while. I wanted to sit around, see what you would do, thought maybe you would grow to threaten my power, give me a little challenge. I was so disappointed when I found out you just wanted to help grannys. What was that one woman's name, Jerald?"
"Jannet."
"DEAD! SHE'S DEAD!"
The man stared into the crowd. "John.... why did you smile. How could you smile in a situation like this?"
20 Years Ago
"Why don't we have any money Ty!?"
"I don't know, why is Thomas always over Serra?"
"Don't change the subject! What are we going to do about the bills?!"
A young Evan walked into the room, holding a white top hat. He was wearing a mini suit with the word magician stickered onto his chest. "Mom.. Dad... I'm ready. Can you listen to my show now?"
The two looked at each other, then sat down on the couch. This was Evan's most charished memory. He could still remember their smiling faces as he pulled pigeons from his hat and cloth from his wrists. It was all fake, every aspect of it. He wasn't a real magician, they knew that. It wasn't magic that he was preforming. It was tricks. Those smiles. He thought for years about whether or not those smiles were real. When his parents watched him, they were in utter awe, oooing, ahhing and laughing. Their laughter in unison was the most beautiful thing in the world to him, especially since they spent every other moment fighting it felt like. Even that was a lie.
When someone goes to a magician's performance, they desire a fantasy where one man convinces them they are a magician. Magic isn't real, everyone knows that. Yet, for an twenty minutes to an hour, they let all of that fall away and live in a lie. They believe a lie so they can smile.
Evan's parents divorced many years later. That lie of happiness. Maybe I could give that to someone else.
That thought was what made him don the cape. One by one he helped people. Their smiles.... they were the same as his smile when he was a kid. They were similar to the ones his parents had back then. Maybe their happiness was a lie but their joy was real. The magic was fake, but the smiles were real. In the end, his parents couldn't find their own happiness in that cruel world. However, in the future, he was able to give others those same smiles. That was the true mission of the mage of lies.
Present Day
The man was holding Evan by his head, suspended in the air. "This is the fate of your hero, a fool who dared rise against my proud country. Let it be reminded that you don't live in a world shared by all but my world. A world I rightfully earned through conquest."
Evan's eyes were barely open, unable to really see much but the crowd was tearing up, crying. Evan's own eyes began to water, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "I... I don't want to die yet."
The chopping block split into dozens of pieces as Evan's head was slammed into the platform. The axe was raised, ready to come down on his neck. In that moment, he couldn't help but think back to that moment so long ago. "Why... did you smile? Why can't I-"
The axe came down, a collective gasp from the crowd filling the air. The mage of lies's mouth twisted from a distraught fearful frown to a joyful grin, the tears of despair twisted into ones of happiness from the framing of that grin. Thats when everything went black.
Evan
The young man laid on the ground, his arms sprawled out and his gaze facing the sky. The sky was different, clouds obscuring the heavens. He turned to the side, allowing him to see simple ordinary houses and street lights. Heaven was either a ordinary suburban neighborhood or he wasn't in Kansas anymore. Evan took a deep breath, savoring the simple joy of having air come in and out.
"Heheheheh......HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
