OC MAGIC SYSTEM TIME
So, I've always read fantasy. It's my favorite genre. But the magic systems always confused me. So often, magic was tied to emotion, so much so that it was something the characters had trouble controlling. That's a really common trope. Or it was about nature, some greater force that lives within everything. And YET, it was neatly spelled out. There were clear rules or categories, and things followed a structure. And I understand that from a world building standpoint. But, I always thought, if magic is tied to something so misunderstood, so unknown and unknowable, then how could it be? How could it be clear cut? That's why this system is hard to explain. So I'm going to explain it in three parts: What it really is, how the characters understand it, and how Anne is different.
1. What is Magic?
In this world, magic is an energy. It's not energy, it's AN energy. In the same way sound, electricity, motion, heat, and light are all kinds of natural energy, and so is magic. But it's more all-encompassing. Much like electricity, it is an energy that keeps all living things alive. But it is also PRODUCED by all living things, in different ways. To oversimplify, magic is existence. It is the physical manifestation of the meaning of life, of what it means to be alive. So how people, animals, plants, and energy interact with it are all different. For example, a plant might generate magic everytime it photosythesizes, releases a seed pod, or feeds an animal. A doe might prodice magic every time she tells her fawn to hide, or every time she eats. A person might generate magic every time they paint, cook, write, press a kiss to the cheek of their child, etc. Magic is everything, everywhere, and imbued within everything, everywhere.
2. How it’s Understood
The way characters understand magic can be different. For the most part, it is seen as what it is: a force. Something unknowable and instinctive, something inherent about being alive. Some see it as a god, of sorts, something sentient. Some see it as power (these are the worst people, in my opinion).
A common analogy often used for teaching magical children about magic in the past was the Tree of Life. Magic does not categorize itself, it refuses to be put into any box. But the ways that magically inclined people can harness it, often align with different parts of the tree.
Body: The body of the tree is its roots. They tether it to the ground and supply it with all of the nutrients and water it needs to survive. They're under the ground and often go unnoticed. Likewise, people 'with' magic of the body have magic that is rooted in their own or other's physicality. They are tethered to the living, and the ways they harness magic are rooted in what's real. For example, Maxima has magic of the body, which I explained in my previous post. So does her brother, whose powers I will not reveal for spoiler reasons. But there is no technical limit as to what they can do with their magic, because magic would never box itself in like that. Her specialty lies in the regeneration of cells and tissue, but she could do anything, within the capabilities of magic (which are unknown), that relates to the physicality of herself or others.
Mind: The branches of the tree. They reach out to the sun, splitting off from each other in a million different directions, endless new versions of themselves. They sprout leaves and flowers and fruit, they tangle and turn and twist. People with magic of the mind (people like King) have magic that reaches out. It is the widest and most diverse 'category' of magic users. Its limits are being tested every day, new capabilities being discovered. King's specialty is, or at least how he describes it, "Going into someone's mind, not taking something out." This makes him good at illusions, telepathic communication, body sharing (which is a new capability he discovers, no one knew it was possible before him), etc. Someone else with mind magic might be hyper-aware of the emotions of people around them, or be able to read minds. But they're not constricted to the brains of themselves or others, that's not why it's called magic of the mind. It's simply that it requires the utilization of the mind. This 'kind' of magic can only be harnessed by a few very intelligent animals (again, they're not separate categories of magic, just words to express similarities in the way magic behaves some of the time).
Soul: Some people say soul is the trunk of the tree, connecting the branches to the roots. Others say it's the wood, making up the branches and roots themselves. Either way, magic of the soul is the tree itself. It's magic in its purest form, truest form. It is what makes Body and Mind and what connects them. They are a part of it and it a part of them. Throughout history, a few people have been born with this harnessing ability. But it was too much. The longest anyone has survived with this ability is a year. Religions often say that people born with magic of the soul are magic incarnated, come to check up on the world and the magicians it blesses with its energy. Most see it as an unlikely occurence, pure chance. A living being who drew from the wrong well of energy for its creation. Neither are quite right, and neither is quite wrong.
Not all beings are born with the same amount of harnessing ability. And living things can also be harnessed FOR their magic as well. Plants can be ground into healing concoctions, animals butchered and eaten to provide energy for growing children, and people killed for their souls (although only a select few people know that last one is possible).
3. How is Anne different?
Long before the events of the story, something happened. This led to the persecution of magic practitioners for centuries, forcing the survivors underground. So many living things, so full of magical energy, being killed all at once. It threw the world out of balance. So, not quite sentient and not quite not, magic pushed back. It created a living being, a single living being, to harness all of the magic of those unjustly killed before him. It created someone who could survive magic of the soul. Anne wields a never before seen amount of magic and a never before seen 'power set'. His existence will bring long forgotten knowledge to the surface that changes anything, and hopefully restore balance to the world in the process.
Anne is like the fever sent to kill an infection. He is the unconcious response of magic to protect itself against the attacks on it's cells and blood, the living world it is and inhabits. He is only designed to exist long enough to destroy the threat, maybe a little longer if he's lucky. Like if you send an electrical current through a metal rod. The rod can tolerate a certain level of energy (this is most people). Magic pushed an immense current into Anne, to restore balance to the circuit and so that he would burn hot enough to nuetralize the threat. But he'll melt, eventually. Like the wax of a candle.
I know that this description was ENTIRELY metaphors and analogies, and for that I'm sorry. But in truth, this magic system is not supposed to be understood. It's supposed to be felt. So if you're still confused, so is everyone else. So is Anne, Max, and King. So are the greatest magical scholars. So am I. But we all feel what it's supposed to be.
