Children of the First

Sorry for the short chapter; I've been running on empty and out of time, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
I may have to rethink the schedule, but we'll see how this week goes and whether I can keep it up.
On a different note, the comments on the last chapter were great, thanks guys!
And as always, thanks for reading. You rock.

Retis was gone by the time I woke up—probably to another class or to the dining hall; it was getting close to dinnertime, after all. I felt pretty refreshed after the nap, so I decided to take advantage of the empty room and get a jump on my homework.

I started with the reading I had to do for Magic Theory, hoping it would be more interesting than the class had been, though I didn’t expect much.

Fundamentals of Magic started with an asinine introduction about the importance of magic in society, its impact on your career, blah blah blah. Wow, I thought, magic’s a big deal, who would have guessed? Oh and Magic Theory is the study of magic? Shocking.

The first chapter was a bunch of stuff I already knew, but I read it anyhow; I figured, if I wasn’t going to pay attention in class, I might as well do the reading.

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We will begin by separating the three main types of magic: natural magic (the magic of plants, animals, and inanimate objects), racial or genetic magic, and constructed magic.

Natural magic is found throughout our world, giving it life and form. The overt magical properties of plants and animals are part of natural magic because they are passive or instinctual. A field of Winter Wheat doesn’t try to make it snow, it just does. Similarly, to a Shy Hare, turning invisible is as natural as walking.

Racial magic (also known as racial traits or racial abilities)is similar to natural magic in that it is present without being acquired, usually specific to a particular race of people. The difference is that racial magic refers only to the inborn magic of sapient creatures (i.e. people). When we (sapiens) use these abilities, we are aware that we are using magic. We may also choose further develop our abilities through practice and concentration; animals, on the other hand, lack the self-awareness such practice would require and rely on instinct. However, some forms of racial magic are involuntary, which we will discuss in chapter two.

Constructed magic (also called learned or acquired magic) must be learned before you can use it. Most spellcasting is a form of constructed magic, the caster studying to learn the spells rather than being born into them. Even magic drawing on racial talents can be constructed magic. For example, Dwarves have the racial ability to find deposits of certain metals, but would have to learn a spell in order to draw that metal out of a stone without mining.

The lines between these types of magic are often unclear, but a good understanding of them is essential. One cannot attempt to use constructed magic in the same way they would use a racial ability, nor can you respond to natural magic as you would a spell. The result would be an ineffective use of magic at best, and dangerous and unpredictable at worst.

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I’d learned all this in high school—I would hope everyone did—but it was probably good to have a refresher either way. The rest of the chapter talked about the different kinds of constructed magic—elemental, illusion, enchantment, et cetera—but there was one thing in the section on how spells are cast that I found particularly interesting.

When a person casts a spell, they draw from the magic within themselves to for the spell’s power. I knew that already, but I didn’t know that the magic you’re drawing on is the same energy that gives you life. You’re using part of what keeps you alive, which explains how people can die by over-exerting themselves. They just keep directing their energy into the spell until there isn’t enough left to keep their heart beating.

There were a couple of thaumaturge I remember hearing about when I was twelve or thirteen; apparently they were found dead in their lab after spending all night trying to create a new plane of existence inside a whiskey bottle (they claimed it would never run dry if they succeeded). I had thought they died from exhaustion, but apparently they were killed by an overabundance of stupid.

So even though I didn’t really understand it before, the end result was the same: you use too much magic, you die. The interesting part was how to use a butt-ton of magic and not die. I had thought that powerful magicians had more energy than most people, but I was wrong. Experienced magicians do use less energy per spell and recover it faster than others, but they have the same amount of magic as anyone else. Well, some people have more than others to begin with, but that amount never changes.

The really cool thing though, was what the best magicians do: they draw energy from their surroundings and channel it through themselves, allowing them to use more than energy than they actually have. It’s called circular spellcasting, and it’s kind of like draining a bathtub with the shower on; the tub can’t hold any more than it could have before and it is still draining, but it’s being replenished at the same time. The tub will have more water drain from it than it could contain, and without ever interrupting the flow.

The book said this usually takes decades to master, requiring intense study and intimate knowledge of magic, but I found myself wondering whether they offered a class on it at Raekos, or any university for that matter. Probably not, I thought, at least not in any real, useful way—it didn’t take most people decades to graduate. Then I got an idea for one of my other assignments: think of a practical use for a Pirouette. Lenis would be impressed.

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