The secrecy rule is a prescribed guide to protect magic users from non-magicians. It states that the existence of magic and magic users must be kept secret from people who are not aware of it. It is not something that has been legislated by any government, but implicitly understood by the broader magic user community.
Centuries ago, humans were divided into those who could use magic and those who couldn’t. Those who couldn’t use magic viewed magicians with jealousy and suspicion. Tensions rose between them until one day an accident occurred resulting in the death of a non-magician.
This immediately sparked a witch-hunt. While the magicians could defend themselves, they were outnumbered. The wisest and most powerful among them hatched an ambitious plan to use the natural magic of the earth to create and take shelter in their own world. They cooperated with trusted guardians to protect them and determine when it’s safe to return.
Guardians understood that keeping the existence of magic a secret was important in preventing future witch-hunts. They made this an important rule for members of their communities to honor and uphold.
Actions to enforcing the secrecy rule fall under two categories: prevention and handling breaches.
Enforcement begins with education: no rule can be enforced if no one is aware of it. In particular, new members of the community like children or infrequent visitors are given standard lectures about the importance of the rule and the repercussions of violating it.
Some communities employ the use of gagging. In the event that someone tries to mention anything that would break this rule, the gagged person would find themselves unable to speak. This usually prevents most breaches from happening. However, this method isn’t perfect and can be sidestepped by non-verbal means, such as using sign language or text messaging.
If a guardian has sufficient resources, they can monitor their community and be notified upon any potential breaches. This method requires significant manpower and mana, so not many guardians can afford to use it.
The standard procedure to deal with breaches is wipe the memories of non-magicians. Memory wiping magic is commonly used, and there is not a single community who doesn’t use it. Care must be taken so that a person’s memories are wiped before they get the chance to spread knowledge of magic to others.
In rare cases, if non-magicians have a strong desire to learn about magic and if they’ve promised to follow the secrecy rule, then they may be inducted into the community. Cases under this category are typically composed of magicians falling in love with non-magicians.