MAGIC

Scholars and academicians who study magic have concluded that all magic in the world flows from the Titan Crystals. As a result, those who live on the Spine often refer to it as a gift from the Titan Crystals—or, for the pious, a gift from the gods. 

Magic is an integral part of Prism. Yet, outside of those who wield or study it, magic remains a largely mysterious force. Even wielders and scholars of magic admit to understanding only a fraction of its many mysteries, with each hard-won revelation uncovering a dozen more.

What evidence do those who dedicate their lives to the study of magic present to support the claim that all magic in the world flows from the Titan Crystals? 

While not even the most powerful magic users possess irrefutable proof that the Titan Crystals are the ultimate source of all magic in our world, two key points are frequently cited. 

The first is this: across the recorded histories of all the non-native races, there are no known instances of magic manifesting prior to their tapping into the power of their respective Titan Crystals.

And the second: the Novan Isles possess no Titan Crystal, and to this day, there have been no recorded instances of Novans wielding magic. 

Scholars and academicians of magic are well aware that these two points do not constitute irrefutable or ironclad evidence. Even so, they are widely considered compelling, and over time, the belief that the Titan Crystals are the source of all magic has become accepted wisdom. 

Until evidence emerges that can topple this prevailing view, it remains the dominant theory.

Once the ancestors of today’s non-native races tapped into their respective Titan Crystal’s power, magical abilities started manifesting among their people. 

But how do the Crystals bestow these magical abilities upon the people? 

It’s not through touch. Charles Bion, First King of the Kingdom of Kurestal, is the only known person to have gained magical abilities by simply touching a Crystal. 

Kurestal’s Aldor Scholars have come up with a theory, one that both their Aegle and Wyord counterparts concur with:

In our world, the Five Titan Crystals watch over their respective nations. 

Once the first of their secrets has been unlocked, a fraction of their power is then unleashed, in the form of continuous invisible ripples that spread across the land. 

Over time, each Titan Crystal’s power gives birth to “seeds of magical potential” within the people of their nation. 

In the early years, these seeds took root in only a portion of the population. But as generations passed, more and more were born carrying these seeds.

Today, everyone has this seed of magical potential within them. Does this mean that everyone is able to cast magic? 

No. Everyone has the potential to wield magic. The seed is just the spark. Just like how our hands can hold onto a sword, but it would take years of training to wield that sword effectively in battle. 

Only those whose seeds “bloom” gain the ability to wield magic. But how do these seeds of magical potential bloom? How is this hidden power awakened? 

Below are two possible paths.

This is the tried and tested path of formal training. It is the more common route magic users take to awaken the power within them. 

The Path of the Magus demands years upon years of rigorous, unrelenting study. And that’s just to cast the simplest of magics. For those who aspire to command the greater magics, a lifetime of devoted pursuit is the necessary sacrifice. 

But does this mean that two separate individuals who each dedicate their lives to the Path of the Magus will become equally adept at commanding magic?

No. It’s not merely about time spent poring over tomes and teachings. There are other factors that determines one’s mastery over magic. 

Aptitude for magic matters. Some simply have more of it than others. 

One also needs the intelligence to grasp the intricacies of magic and the complexities of spellcasting. 

To endure years—decades—of relentless study, especially in the face of failure, demands immense reserves of discipline.

Those who seek to master the greater magics must also possess a singular obsession—one that drives them beyond the limits of body and mind. 

Magic can consume the weak and unwary. A magic user must have the strength of will to keep the magic from burning them out hollow.

Formal study and training aren’t the only ways to awaken the magical potential within.  The Path of the Wilder eschews structured learning for a more unrestrained—and often unpredictable—approach to magic and spellcasting. Because of this, it is a far more dangerous path, one fraught with peril for those who fail to navigate its many risks. 

Wilders have a more instinctive aptitude for magic, enough that they learn to wield it without the need for formal training. They cast magic by instinct and intuition, learning through trial and error—and sometimes painful consequences—without necessarily understanding the intricacies of their spellcasting.

Owing to this lack of structured learning, most Wilders can command only the lesser magics. Of these, many can cast only a single spell, often a minor one at that. 

This lack of structured learning also frequently results in Wilders lacking control and discipline in their spellcasting, which leads to a greater risk of their spells manifesting in wild, unpredictable ways. In some cases, their spells may even backfire, injuring themselves or those around them. 

In the most severe instances, a Wilder’s uncontrolled spellcasting can lead to magic burnout, which has resulted in many a Wilder’s early demise.

There have been cases of Wilders who later chose to embrace formal study and training. Those rare few Wilders who have gone down this route often claim to have gained discipline and precision in their spellcasting, though some argue it came at the expense of raw power, a claim yet to be conclusively proven. 

The reverse—a magic user abandoning formal study and training to walk the Path of the Wilder—is virtually unheard of.

Whichever path a magic user takes in their quest for magical mastery, when the seed of magical potential within them blooms, the magical abilities they receive are heavily influenced by the unique power of their nation’s Titan Crystal. 

Take Quivtol’s Crystal of Lucidity, for example—it is far more likely to grant the Aegles wind magic than any other elemental magic. 

Kurestal’s Crystal of Vitality, on the other hand, is far more likely to grant Kurestians fire magic than any other elemental magic.

But that doesn’t preclude magic wielders in a nation with a Titan Crystal from gaining a type of magic not typically associated with that Titan Crystal. 

Although very rare, there are Aegle magic users who wield fire magic, and Kurestian magic users who wield wind magic. 

The majority of magic users wield just one type of magic. Those who can wield two types number far fewer. There have been a handful of individuals wielding three or more types—one of them being Charles Bion, the First King of the Kingdom of Kurestal, who was able to wield fire, light, and healing magic.

No one knows why this is so. Scholars of magic speculate that it may have something to do with an individual’s aptitude for magic. Mastering even a single magic type takes years upon years of relentless study, let alone two or three. 

Perhaps, in some individuals, the seed of magical potential takes root more deeply than in others.

In the rarefied heights of Regalle City, an enigmatic assembly of the Aegles’ most brilliant minds was tasked with formulating a grand, overarching Theory of Magic. 

Thanks to the Aegles’ long lifespans, they’ve been working on it for centuries. 

They are the Arcanum Collective, their individual members considered among the finest of the Aegles’ most gifted minds, revered for their understanding of the many aspects of magic. 

To better understand the intricacies of magic, the Arcanum Collective needed a framework—a way to explain all the finer details that come with wielding magic.

In the year 1835 AA, after centuries of relentless study and countless setbacks, the Arcanum Collective unveiled their unifying theory of magic, a groundbreaking framework designed to weave together the many diverse facets of magic in Prism. 

It was a working theory, one that had been subjected to years of rigorous testing. 

They called this magic framework: The Wheel of Magic 

Those who desire a more comprehensive look at this framework can find it in the chapter dedicated to The Wheel of Magic.