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I enter the north west building on the campus dedicated to teaching the laws of magic. The halls span with many large doorways, but the first pair of large doors to the right as soon as you enter the building is where I was instructed to go for my first class. I was issued four books for this class. Alcamaic Balances, Atheric Theory, Elemental Alignments, and Energy Flow and Networking.
Entering the classroom I see a huge chalkboard at the head of the class. The seating descends towards the head of the class row by row. The seating isn't assigned so I make my way to the front. When I was a kid I always thought those who sat in the back didn't want to be noticed even if they were there to learn, and I didn’t want anyone to think that’s what I’m trying to do. Sitting in the middle seems like a like a mediocre thing to do. I want this school to know I mean business so I sit in the front row, besides, it makes it easier to hear what the teacher is saying. When sitting in the middle to back row of a class, something as simple as the shuffling of papers can drown out the teacher's voice. It's like trying to hear a whisper through the dull roar of a crowd.
I place my books on the table next to my chair, settling myself in. I sit in my chair for about a good fifteen minutes and no one sits next to me let alone looks at me. I'm sure word has spread throughout the school already about who I am and why I’m here to start with. All I can think about is one of the few things my father did say to me as a kid that made sense. I once complained to him about a kid at school that was always obsessing over the teacher's attention. When he heard this all he had to say was ‘Worry about you and let someone else worry about them’. What I took from it was I’m the only factor I can ever truly control in a given situation.
A bell chimes marking the beginning of class but there is no teacher in sight. Seconds after the bell chimes a door located on the back wall behind the teachers desk clicks as it swings open. A man made completely out of clay walks through the door and up to the teachers desk. His features are squared and a few Hebrew letters are written upon his forehead. When I first see him I think he is Eld Earth, but it’s the Hebrew writing on his head that causes me to do a double take and realize it isn't him.
“Good morning class and welcome to your intro class into the laws of magic. Now since you’re all first year students, let's get a few things out of the way so I don't have to answer questions every five minutes. The construct you see before you is a clay golem created through Jewish practices. I myself am not Jewish, just the body is...”
The golem pauses like he’s expecting the students to laugh but no one in the class makes a noise. I know for at least myself it would have felt taboo to laugh or say anything because we are all here to learn about magic and we get met by a golem of Jewish folklore. No one wants to seem like they’re laughing at someone's religion, and no one has a place to say anything besides that because we are all here just barely learning what magic is.
“All jokes aside, you may call me Mr. Marslow. I was human and my body was ready to die so I had this golem created to house my soul so I could continue to teach the principles of magic long after my original body had expired. I am a little over twelve hundred years and yes I can still cast magic. As you go through your schooling over the next six years you will all come to understand how my existence is even possible. Some of you may even go on to be accepted into advanced student programs and go beyond those six years.
In this class we will cover all the basics of magic and the rest of the year will be hands-on training to show you how to apply those basics. You will always have your books to reference back to when things feel difficult, or when they just don’t make sense in the moment. A connection to magic is very personal, the connection you form with magic will be very influential on what elements of magic you connect with naturally. This connection will not pose as a limiting factor, but more of a starting point. So let us begin!
The first thing you need to know is that all magic is powered by the soul. Now this statement in itself means quite a bit. Soulless beings can not perform magic and just because a being has a soul doesn't mean that it will be effective at casting magic. The soul is the power source behind all magic but shouldn't be treated like it’s infinite in nature. A skilled mage can make a soul act like it’s infinite and an unskilled mage will make a soul look very limited in nature and casting with that skill level will most likely result in the death of the caster.
The more complex the feat you wish to perform, the more power it will take, and needing more power requires more skill from its caster to be performed. The soul is a very robust force and can be almost diminished to just a flicker of its energy and it can recuperate and be restored to its full power, and even expanded with proper training. One thing you must also keep in mind is that the elements are resistant to direct control and require two to three times more power than most other acts of magic. Now if you manipulate them indirectly you can achieve a similar result. An example of this is telling a flame to extinguish itself through direct command of the flame versus extinguishing a flame by reducing oxygen to it or condensing the moisture in the room to build up around the flame. Some of this will sound conflicting at first, but once you get into the finer mechanics of magic, you will begin to understand what rules can bend and what rules when pushed will push back.
Let's start with covering the four levels of casting. All spells can be performed on all four levels but it will always come down to two factors, skill level, and power needed to complete the casting. The first level is ritual magic. Creating a ritual for a spell is a great way for building up power slowly but safely. Ritual magic is also used in more complex spellwork because it is easier to control elements and create safety nets, barriers, and etcetera. Ritual magic is also a popular medium for multi-caster cooperative spells. Using more than one mage in casting a spell is also a good way to relieve the stress of the soul of the caster by sharing the burden with multiple casters.
The next level of spell casting is incantations. Incantation spells share a lot of the same traits as ritual spells, but ritual spells tend to use inregidaints or objects where incantations are purely spoken. You can still use more than one mage with incantation spells to help power a spell or decrease spell casting stress. Advanced mages can use spells in only a few words once they have mastered the intent of a spell.
With that being said, let's briefly go over what spell intent is. If you decided you wanted to create a flame what would be the intent behind it? If a mage creates a flame with a poorly formed intent like I want to set something on fire they will most likely do that. The main question is what would be created from such a poorly thought out intent. They could set themselves on fire, random objects, and sometimes chaos effects will take hold, but more on that later. If I decide to create a flame and hold a sharp image in my mind of what I want to use the flame for like lighting a candle. The easier it will become to do just that and create a controlled flame just big enough to light a candle. You can also create a powerful intent with raw emotional power but this can work for you and against you. If you created a flame with the intention of saving someone's life, that flame would most likely be created exactly as you needed it to be created, but if you create a flame out of frustration there is a good chance the chaos effect would take hold. To summarize intent, it’s the caster clearly defining what they are seeking to create through holding a strong mental image or controlled emotional response that leads to the creation that is desired by the caster.
Before covering the other levels of spell casting let us discuss the chaos effect. The chaos effect takes hold in two scenarios mainly. When a caster has poor intent in casting form, spell creations, or casting from an emotional unbalanced state. What exactly is the chaos effect? When an intent is undefined it creates variables within the spell caster work. Think about all those stories you hear about genies and granting wishes. If your wish is too vague they can twist your words and turn your wish against you. Chaos effect does the same thing with spells with poorly defined intent because it creates variables. Going back to the flame, you have variables like the size of the flame, where you wish the flame to appear, how long you want the flame to last, if you want it to chase a target, or even stop after it has burned up its target. I could go on with the many variables that can appear when your spell intent is poorly defined, but I’ll save you from another lengthy lecture. Summery, know exactly what you want to create and you can close the door on the chaos effect.
The emotionally unbalanced state that causes the chaos effect the most is overreaching from ego casting. This will cause a mage to cast at a spell level they have little to no experience casting at. Ego casting happens to everyone and no one is completely safe from it. All other emotions when unchecked have a fifty fifty chance of having the chaos effect take hold. Seeing something like rage can make some people lose control when others are made to focus by it, so emotional casting still has some areas of sudo science to it.
The third level of spell casting is hand gestures. Hand gestures require a refined focusing allowing simple movements to create and hold the entire power of intent of the whole spell. This level of spell casting is also what has contributed to the popularity of wands and staffs aiding in spell casting. Wands and staffs can be enhanced for casting spells but all they really are in the end is a focal point to help the mage shape their intent. A spell casted with a wand has the same potential as a spell casted with a simple hand gesture, and the only thing that will really set them apart is the users ability to create and maintain intent.
Before moving onto the fourth level of spell casting, let's visit intent one more time and talk about maintaining the power of intent. Some spells require continual casting or maintenance. To create a gust of wind you simply pull enough power to fuel the manipulation of a small pocket of air, but to create a tornado you must continually feed that pocket of air, growing it in size and speed. As soon as you stop feeding the manipulation of air, the force of the tornado will lose power and fizzle out. This process is called maintaining intent, so keep in mind when creating spells or casting that this will be a factor to take into consideration for spells with longer lasting effects.
The most fascinating of all spell work is the fourth level of spell casting, thought. Only the most skilled of mages possess this ability. The ability to summarize a spell's working components, clear intent, and power summary in mere seconds with a single thought. The most common way of achieving this is to say an incantation within your mind clearly, but a mage with gridiron will can simply cast by willing it so. This level of spell casting is a true sign of a mage's discipline and understanding of the laws that govern magic.
Your books will cover the finer details that I have not mentioned and you should read them until those details become facts in your mind stored like fond memories. I'm sure you all think you have this great power that you will now use to move mountains and part seas, but the power you possess has many limitations and drawbacks.
I stress with great urgency that the soul can only power so much magic use in a single day before draining you into a weakened state, and to cast beyond this state is to choose to destroy your very soul by snuffing it out. No beings soul is great enough to unbalance the universe before they are destroyed. This is why you don't hear of wars fought by mages or powerful cosmic events being created by them as well. To be a mage is to live a fuller life, but to think of being a mage for power. Well you will live long enough to be destroyed by the power you seek to achieve. Burning up your soul is very real and even some of the students in the room with you today will die in this school accidently because they pushed when they should have practiced restraint. Some will die from using too many useful spells in a given day. Others will get too emotional and cast with no respect for their own well being. The key to being a great mage and living a long life is learning how to get the most out of every drop of energy you possess.
You will also get some pesky natural occurring materials that will interfere with your spell casting. Limestone tends to dampen spell casting like a grounding rod to lighting but nowhere near as useful. Iron does cause interference with the energies used in spell casting but can be useful when used with the right intentions. Crystals can cause energies to spike depending on the kind of crystal present. Now this is great when casting intentionally with the aid of a crystal but it can be quite catastrophic if you cast a spell with a natural crystal formation nearby that you are unaware of. You will be taught spells specifically for mapping these sorts of things out before casting a spell for safety reasons. It may seem like a hassle but this is one of those situations I mentioned that can lead to you accidentally burning your soul up because you were too lazy to check the surrounding conditions before casting.”
Being a mage doesn’t seem to be about powerful spells as it’s more about solving problems. Mr. Marslow painted a vivid picture, mages who pushed the universe tended to get push back that would leave them dead or wish they had been killed. The lecture leaves me feeling if I used magic to do something more than lighting a candle, it would result in a dangerous outcome
The mages that are known for creating magnificent events like earthquakes that swallowed cities, or setting the sky on fire are also known for the short lives they lived for in the end causing such events killed them every single time. I can use magic to make my life simple or I can use it to end my life with one big bang of a spell.
If I have any say in the matter, I would rather treat magic as a last resort. I don't want to dare risk forming some sort of dependency, or worse some sort of addiction to it. Overall, magic sounds like a gamble, and anyone who has ever gambled knows if you play long enough the house always wins.