Magic (魔法, Mahō) is a paranormal power that alters mana passing through a being's gate into a form that has an effect on reality.

Information

Overview

Magic is a supernatural force of the world in which its users, whether they be warriors, mages, or spiritual arts users, weave mana from within themselves or from the atmosphere in order to create or manipulate natural phenomena. Mages and spiritual arts users use mana to create spells of varying elements or utility. The capabilities of those who can cast magic are limited only by the capacity of the mana that they can use, their talent, and their imagination. As such, with an immense amount of mana and a great imagination, one's potential utilization of magic could potentially extend to infinity, and for such users, anything could become possible.^[1] Though it is a misunderstood fact that had gone unwritten in books, just as spiritual arts, curse arts, and the activation of certain meteors require mana, the use of mana in the body is capable of allowing people strengthen themselves, increasing their physical capabilities, and to reproduce special techniques as well.^[2]

For a mage to cast a spell, they need to have a mental image of the effects and the construction of the technique; if either of these steps were missing, the magic would not be cast. The more complex the effort, the longer it would take to conceive a mental image of its effect.^[3] Regardless, an ordinary person is considered to be well off if they are compatible with any of the four main elements of magic.

The ordinary method by which a person casts magic is by chanting an incantation with an image of what they want to accomplish in their heads, and for most mages, they extend their arms from which to aim and fire their spells. However, according to Sphinx, it is a common misconception that just the hands and tools can be used to assist the invocation of magic;^[4] it can also come from other places, such as the eye, which Sphinx herself has displayed.^[5] The foremost mage in the present day, Roswaal L. Mathers, has even displayed using his magic from all four limbs and even his tongue. Though unusual, it is even possible for experienced users to combine magic spells with martial arts, using magic at various points and from various locations of the body, which can be used to great effect for those who are physically capable.^[6] It is also true that an incantation is not entirely necessary either, though it is typically only experienced users of magic who are shown to be capable of doing so.

In the past, magic was the specialty of demi-humans and spirits and seldom used by humans.^[7] However, with time, this began to change. During the era of the Great Calamity, the world's foremost marvel with magic of the time, the Witch of Greed, Echidna was responsible for creating numerous spells, including forbidden spells, and she was shown to be willing to teach others. Even before her presence was felt, there was also the first magician, Myonmyon, who is the only known sorcerer capable of performing spells equal to or greater than Echidna's,^[8][9] and likewise, she was also one who taught others how to use magic.^[10] Because of this, magic has become a relatively commonplace ability in the present day among both humans and demi-humans.

Types

Ordinary Magic

Magic is made up of six elements: Fire (火, Hi), Water (水, Mizu), Wind (風, Kaze), Earth (土, Tsuchi), Yin (陰, In), and Yang (陽, Yō). It is further classified into four categories: Fire covers temperature, which allows it to create flames and even ice;^[11] Water covers the interference of life force and healing, allowing it to save lives;^[12] Wind functions outside of the bodies of living things, interfering with the atmosphere and allowing one to secure habitable areas in inhospitable regions;^[13] Earth functions inside of the bodies of living things, and because this attribute also borrows the power of the earth beneath the user, it allows its users to fertilize and even starve out the lands.^[14][15] Some incantations for each affinity are Goa (ゴーア, Gōa) for fire, Shiha (シーハ, Shīha) for water, Fura (フーラ, Fūra) for wind, and Dona (ドーナ, Dōna) for earth. While most mages are capable of using one element, it is not uncommon for people to be able to use multiple elements.

Meanwhile, Yin and Yang magic, which are both considered rare for one to have as an affinity, are unique in that they govern less tangible and more abstract concepts relating to dark and light; Yin magic's capabilities even extend to the manipulation of time and space, the separation of the senses and the self, and even gravity, greatly expanding their repertoire and variety for both attack and support. Although Yin and Yang magic are capable of hampering and enhancing the body respectively, because of the misconception that that is all they can do and the unclear envisioning of the respective attributes, the development of Yin and Yang magic are lacking.^[16][17] Not only are the two attributes considered rare, but the yin and yang attributes have a conflicting relationship; if a mage advances in one attribute, the acquisition of the other will also be affected.^[18] Because of this and their difficulty to study, the exploration and study into both Yin and Yang magic are neglected. In particular, Yang magic is by far the least utilized type of magic from among the six, and despite being capable of enhancing the performance of those affected by it, it is considered out of place and useless.^[19] The main problem associated with being enhanced is that those affected are incapable of controlling their enhanced bodies, and they feel as though they are controlling someone else’s body, something which often leads to the complete defeat of the enhanced when faced with an enemy.^[20][21] Furthermore, the use of Yang magic is heavily susceptible to the caster’s mental state, mana usage, and various other factors.^[22] As such, even if one could master using an enhanced body via Yang magic, since the enhancements themselves tend to be entirely inconsistent, those affected will instead be incapable of demonstrating their usual capabilities.^[23] That is why Yang magic is considered a cursed practice, and it is seldomly used barring self-enhancement.^[24] However, on the contrary, if used appropriately, using Yang magic can boost a person to help resist damage, and can allow certain people, such as Otto Suwen, to use their own respective powers to a greater extent with a lesser drawback. Likewise, even ignoring the enhancement aspect of Yang magic, it is capable of being used for attacks, being particularly effective as a means to both pierce and sever matter. Incantations for Yin and Yang magic include Shamak (シャマク, Shamaku) for Yin and Jiwald (ジワルド, Jiwarudo) for Yang.

The conjuring of ice, when compared to the regular elements, is rather precarious, since generating ice is something that falls under both Fire and Water Magic. In the case of Fire Magic, it is created by using mana to lower the temperature of already existing moisture in the air in order to create icicles. Ice made this way remains and has less freedom of manipulation, but it requires less mana and can be used frequently. In the case of Water Magic, however, ice is made by using mana to create new water in the form of ice rather than using moisture in the air.^[25] This is more costly, but it grants the user more freedom in shaping the ice and its placement on the battlefield. Unlike ice created through Fire Magic, ice made through Water Magic will not remain frozen after its use has expired. Likewise, if one has no need of this ice, they can merely disperse the mana forming the ice to make it vanish, granting more possible options in order to trip up opponents.^[26] This being said, ice made by Fire Magic can still break down into mana when its purpose has been served. Practitioners of both Fire and Water Magic are also capable of combining their respective elements to increase the size and scale of their respective spells. The Huma (ヒューマ, Hyūma) spell, which is the incantation responsible for the conjuration of ice, is shared between the fire and water affinities, and both can be used to freeze and weaponize blood or the environment around them.

The strength of spells starts from the original incantation and increases by adding El (エル, Eru), Ul (ウル, Uru), or Al (アル, Aru). For example, fire magic starts with Goa, then goes to El Goa, Ul Goa, and finally, Al Goa.^[27] Typically, the weakest version of the spells, those without a prefix, have simple effects, whether that is creating a simple fireball, a single stone projectile, or covering a small area around the user in darkness. However, as the spell advances in strength, the larger and more complex the spell becomes. For more simple and physical spells, the increase in strength is rather visible and simple to understand; for Huma, each prefix is represented by more ice spikes that become significantly larger than its weaker counterparts. For more conceptual spells, however, the increase in strength become significantly more complex; for Shamak, which covers the concept of separation from the world, each prefixed spell separates more and more off the target from the world: first the senses of their surroundings, then the senses of their own body, while the strongest Shamak spell, Al Shamak, literally removes a target from the world by opening a rift to an alternate plane of space. It should be noted that although incantations are generally used to cast spells, if the user is experienced enough, they can cast them without saying anything.^[28]

Healing Magic

One of the unique aspects of Water Magic is its connection to life. While Water Magic can easily be used for combat, whether for binding, attacks, or in creating ice, its greatest application comes in its ability to be applied in healing the body. Healing Magic (治癒魔法, Chiyu Mahō) is a form of magic that is trained by nearly all Water Magic users, and in the Kingdom of Lugunica, it is specifically trained in the Royal Treatment Center alongside other methods used by doctors, like surgeries. Water Magic can be used to stimulate a person's natural healing capabilities in order to close wounds and speed up one's recovery. Not only is it capable of healing injuries, but it is capable of curing targets of various ailments. The greatest aspect to this magic is that it is capable of working in moments, greatly reducing the likelihood of someone dying of these injuries or ailments.

An extension of this is the ability to manipulate bodily functions. In the hands of experienced Water Magic users, they are capable of using their magic to interfere with their targets' sense of pain, effectively functioning as an anesthetic. Ultimately, this is meant for medical purposes, but it can also allow someone to keep fighting while ignoring their injuries. However, if the injuries themselves were not completely healed, then this action is merely a stopgap. Further experience will allow someone to completely destroy the circulatory system of their Gate, effectively paralyzing the target as well. Though often gone unused, this is something that is more meant for the purpose of offense.

The proficiency of Healing Magic is wholly determined by the skill, talent, and raw power of the mage. Whereas ordinary mages are capable of handling most ordinary wounds, particularly skilled or prodigious wielders of Healing Magic are capable of connecting severed limbs back onto the body or even restoring entire chunks of missing flesh, blood, and bone from where it was lost. Ferris, for example, who is lauded as the Blue in the Kingdom, is perhaps the greatest user of Healing Magic the world over, in part owing to his Divine Protection of Water, which enhances his aptitude for healing magic.^[29] Ferris displays every such ability listed prior, and he can do all of this with an insurmountable speed without leaving scars behind; he is so exceptional with healing magic that, in his desperation to heal his master, he had elevated the field of healing magic in the Kingdom of Lugunica by three whole levels.^[30]

This being said, there also seems to be another factor for people to be able to use Healing Magic. Roswaal, who is considered one of if not the most accomplished mages in the world who has mastered nearly every form of magic, is entirely incapable of using Healing Magic, even though he shares the same blood as the previous Blue, Garitch Fabless. Because of this, Roswaal speculates that his inability to heal likely stems from his personality and his distrust of others, which in turn prevents him from being able to heal other people.

While Healing Magic is particularly powerful, there are things that it has no effect on. It cannot rejuvenate a body whose soul has already left it. It does not cure mental afflictions. Curses, such as the Dragon's Blood Curse on Crusch Karsten and Natsuki Subaru, cannot be healed or removed by Healing Magic. It cannot reverse transformations of the body either; those afflicted with such a transformation by the Sin Archbishop of Lust are technically not injured, meaning that there is nothing to heal in the first place, and the only means of removing such a transformation is likely the Authority of Lust. Healing Magic also does not work on injuries caused by the Divine Protection of the Death God, as said Divine Protection prevents Healing Magic from working. There is one known physical affliction that is not confirmed to be afflicted by an Authority, Divine Protection, or curse that Healing Magic does not work on: the disease that plagued the Lugunican Royal Family. It also does not seem to be capable of restoring blood to one's body.

Advanced Techniques

Some mages, if they are talented enough, are able to combine multiple elements at once. Roswaal L. Mathers and Ezzo Cadner, best mages in the Kingdom of Lugunica, have been shown to do this, with Roswaal in particular having made various spells that require the use of several elements at once, such as Flight Magic, which requires Earth, Wind, and Yang Magics, or a multi-elemental barrier, which requires all six elements at once. Likewise, experienced masters of magic, such as Sphinx, can combine the different unique aspects of different elements to work with each other, such as using the reflectiveness of ice to bounce light attacks off of it. If one is knowledgeable of earthen sciences like physics, the user is capable of triggering chain reactions between elements. Aldebaran utilized this in order to create a steam bomb from a combination of ice, fire, and concentrated light, as well as creating lightning with wind, earth, fire, and water. Some magic users are also capable of repetitive, alternating chanting, something which is claimed to be akin to threading a needle with one's eyes closed and hands tied, or putting the self-same thread through countless lumen simultaneously.^[31] Though not technically impossible, it would take an impossible level of skill for someone to use magic on somebody that they could not see.^[32]

Experienced mages possess the ability to disguise their spells by using a different incantation. This functions as a faux-incantation that alters the actual magic invoked.^[33] For certain people, like Rachins Hoffman, they can even disguise spells by thinning or expanding their spells or calling out a false incantation. In the case for Fire Magic, for example, he could expand an ordinary Goa to give off the impression that he was casting Al Goa. Conversely, by thinning out an Al Goa to appear like a meager flame no bigger than a candle's, smaller than Goa, it is possible to create a trap for an enemy by tricking them into snuffing out the flame. It is also possible to rewrite the composition of any spell someone casts. However, doing so requires that the caster makes physical contact with the spell itself, either in the middle of casting or by touching the spell of another mage. This can allow the user to disassemble a spell into mana, absorbing it through their own gate, and even circumvent the effects of Reinhard van Astrea's Excess Mana Circulation Constitution.

Finally, there are some casters that are capable of casting multiple spells at the same time as well. However, unlike combining elements, the utilization of more than one spell is significantly more difficult. Being able to cast multiple spells has been compared to being akin to using multiple brains at once. While Ezzo is capable of performing this, casting two spells simultaneously, Roswaal has been shown to be able to use up to six spells all at the same time, something that could be considered encroaching upon the realm of gods. As of the present, Ezzo and Roswaal are the only people in the current world who are capable of casting any form of multi-fold magic.

Mediums

There are various spells that can either be assisted or require mediums in order to cast. One such example is a Magic Circle (魔法陣, Mahō-jin). Technically, they are not necessary to perform, and spells can be cast without them. However, they can expand the scope of spells depending on the location and the size of the magic circles used. They can even be used on the body. Of course, in the present, they are seldom used. Likewise, other objects, like large crystals or glintstones, can also be used as mediums to cast or amplify spells. This is especially the case in terms of large and particularly difficult or powerful spells, such as weather manipulation magic. Such crystals are also used in the creation of Magicreation Tools (魔造具, Mazō-gu), serving almost like batteries. Should someone have a Gate, whether or not someone is capable of using magic, they are capable of using these tools.

Other such mediums are meteors (ミーティア, mītia), once made by the Witch of Greed, Echidna. Although they serve similar roles to magicreation tools in that they are objects that can be used by nearly anybody, they provide much different effects, and some meteors have a direct link to one's magic. A meteor used by Leip Barielle, for example, amplified the use of his Fire Magic, whereas the Star Staff allows its wielder to fire a blast of the light of Shario at their opponent, likewise draining the user of a large amount of their mana, to the point that some people have to take a drug in order to actually use it.

It is also possible to use a person's body as a catalyst to cast certain spells. In particular, the barrier of the Sanctuary was connected not just to a large crystal, but also to the bodies of Ryuzu Meyer, whose body was within the crystal, and Echidna.

Of course, difficult spells, large spells, and barriers are not the only kinds of spells that can use mediums. Even regular elemental spells can be cast with a piece of the environment as a medium. For example, Aldebaran, who often makes use of earth magic, can use pre-existing earth, pebbles, and even scales instead of creating them from nothing and mold them into various shapes. Doing so reduces the mana cost that he needs in order to cast his spells, effectively giving him more options than would ordinarily be available to him.^[34]

Forbidden Arts and Lost Magic

There are also some magics that are referred to as forbidden arts (禁術, kinjutsu), a classification shared between magic and curse arts. Many forbidden of which are lost to time or known to an extremely limited few, while some of which have been erased by Od Lagna simply because nobody could use them. Echidna is known to have made such spells before. However, as of yet, very few forbidden spells have been shown in the story thus far. Several of these forbidden arts have wide spanning and very dangerous effects overall, such as Al Shario which can slaughter many Dragons in a moment, or Ol Shamak which is specifically made for combat against Witch Factor wielders. According to the author at a talk show on March 30, 2024, he stated that the majority of the remaining practitioners of forbidden arts typically learn them via their lineage, certain items that were passed down or protected, such as the book that details the Sacrament of the Immortal King that was passed through the Argyle family, or if they happen to be geniuses.

Likewise, there are also certain types of magics that are mostly lost to the world. While there may be documents which describe such spells that once existed in the past, in the present, very few, if any, practitioners of these spells are left. One such example of lost magic is a forbidden art known as dream arts (夢法, yume-hō), which even the Witch of Greed had not completely mastered. The uniqueness of this magic is the ability to trap targets within dreams of their own making and creating worlds such as the Castle of Dreams in which specified souls can inhabit. A dream arts user (夢幻術師, mugen-jutsushi) is even able to create phantoms of themselves if their proficiency reaches a certain level. Aside from the Witch herself, there is only one known practitioner in the present day.

Spiritual Arts

Generally, there are two types of primary casters in the world: mages and spiritual arts users (精霊術師, seirei-jutsushi), which are largely differentiated by how they use mana to cast spells. The former draw on their internal mana through their gates while the latter uses the mana in the atmosphere with the aid of spirits to process spells directly.^[35] Spirits can also act as pseudo gates for their contractors if they are lacking the means to use magic on their own.

An advantage that spiritual arts users have over ordinary mages is that they are able to handle using multiple elements easier. A spiritual arts user can cast multiple elements of magic simultaneously and even combine them together, making use of spells such as Nect, which combines Yin and Yang, and Ul Gora, which combines Wind and Fire, as well as being able to combine them all to create even more unique spells. While ordinary mages are capable of this, they must bear a great burden on their body, as they are using their own mana to cast these spells; spiritual arts users do not need to bear this burden, as they can have different spirits focus on their own individual elements while the user merely assists or directs them. An example of this is the Spirit Knight Julius Juukulius and Roswaal's usage of a barrier spell made of all six elements: whereas Julius gives no issue in being able to create this spell with the assistance of his six spirits, Roswaal, despite being one of the most accomplished mages in the world, believed that the burden that comes with attempting to do so on one's own was not an endeavor that he should take often.

The main disadvantage to using spiritual arts (精霊術, Seirei-jutsu) over magic is that anyone who wishes to become a spiritual arts user must be able to make contracts with spirits in the first place, which may not be possible of someone cannot even speak with or find a spirit. Even when one does make a contract with a spirit, depending on the contract, they may not be able to bring them out whenever they want to, and furthermore, they need to have glintstones to use as anchors (依り代, Yorishiro) for their spirits, which makes contracting them significantly harder.

There are other unique cases. Todd Fang, for example, forced spirits into obedience, making him capable of temporarily accessing their magic. In the case of Spirit Eating (精霊喰らい, Seirei Kurai), however, after devouring spirits, the spirit eaters obtain the power of the spirits. In the case that someone successfully manages to devour a piece or even the entirety of a Great Spirit and survive, like in the case of Arakiya and Muspel, the range of their abilities expand, such as becoming the various elements of magic at will.

At present, most spiritual arts users reside within the Holy Kingdom of Gusteko, where a large number of spirits reside. Likewise, it is not uncommon for the country's Temple Knights to be given such spirits as their Blessings (祝福, Shukufuku). Besides them, the only known spiritual arts users outside of Gusteko's borders are Julius Juukulius, Emilia, and Natsuki Subaru.

Flow Method

Though not considered magic in the same sense that mages cast spells, physical fighters are capable of using mana to boost their own physical capabilities, such as speed, toughness, and strength, as well as to create and utilize special techniques.^[1] The Flow Method (流法, Nagare-hō), as it is called, is mostly utilized by warriors rather than by mages, and it is ordinarily trained for a long period of time before it can be used in proper combat. Once active, a person's body can become tough enough to withstand strikes from blades and shatter them, they can perform acrobatics that typically do not match their bodies' sizes, they can leap great bounds with ease, and they can dash over a long distance in seconds. Further improvement of the Flow Method gives a person access to unique techniques, such as Neiji Lockhart's Palm of the Fist King. In times of emergency, Gates that ordinarily go unused will open, resulting in a person entering the same state as those able to execute the Flow Method. It is possible that those with superior abilities were even capable of teaching themselves how to use it through such an experience as well.^[36]

Ordinarily, being able to use the Flow Method is considered to be the pinnacle of martial arts. There are some people, however, who are born with an innate mastery of the Flow Method, though they are seldom seen.^[37] Reinhard van Astrea and Cecilus Segmunt, for example, have been able to use the Flow Method since an early age, and they did not need to train to be able to use it.

The Flow Method is much different compared to boosts provided by Yang Magic, as the latter is heavily susceptible to numerous factors that can make its efficacy vary, and the inconsistency of the boosts provided by Yang Magic compared to the Flow Method makes the latter significantly more reliable.

The Body in Relation to Magic

Organs and Conditions

In order for a person to cast magic, they must use the mana that passes through their Gate (ゲート, Gēto). The Gate is a type of invisible pseudo-organ that acts as a portal for mana to pass through and be stored in the Od. Whether or not a person can use magic is entirely dependent on whether this Gate is fully or partly open, with the latter making the use of magic impossible. How much mana each Gate can handle varies from person to person. In the case of Subaru, the amount of mana he could pass through his Gate was considered less than average, whereas there are other people like Roswaal or Emilia who can pass an immense amount of mana through their Gates, with Emilia's own Gate likely being the one that can handle the most amount of mana of anyone introduced in the story. Of course, if one is not used to casting magic or exerting their mana, this can still quickly lead to brief physical and mental fatigue, regardless of their Gate's size. According to Beatrice, a Gate is an organ that is not present in someone originally, and it is acquired by someone later.^[38]

It is possible to damage the Gate via the overuse of magic. In this case, it requires a professional healer to attempt to mend this, though the one with the damaged Gate must not use magic for a period of time after this happens, else they completely destroy their Gate, leaving them not only incapable of casting magic on their own, but also making them unable to exert mana from their body at all. This is referred to as having a defective Gate. In the case that this happens or someone has not exerted their mana from their body due to the lack of magical knowledge, this could lead to Mana Poisoning (マナ酔い, Mana Yoi). In this case, the body will continue to take in mana without any way of removing it from the body, leading to the eventual breakdown of the Od, and consequently, death. However, it is possible to circumvent this by making contracts with spirits, allowing them to act as a medium that can remove the excess mana from their bodies.

No matter what the being is, whether it is a human, demi-human, or beings made of mana such as Dragons or spirits, mana (マナ, mana) is required to use magic. Mana is a type of colorless, supernatural energy that exists in the world as part of nature, and all living things naturally have mana in their body. When mana is exerted by a person, no matter how slight, their emotions are contained within it. Those sensitive to mana, such as members of the Oni Tribe with their horns exposed, are capable of sensing emotion and intent through their mana, allowing them to respond and act appropriately towards another person. It is for this reason that spirits are said to vaguely sense the thoughts of other people.^[39] Each person has a unique magic signature (魔紋, ma mon), which is akin to a fingerprint. In the event that two beings share the same magic signature, they would have a link that allows them to borrow the mana of the other. This has been utilized by Aldebaran, who transcribed his ego into a second vessel, allowing the other body with his ego within to tap into the same magic signature as him.

Mana can be found everywhere in nature and can be naturally absorbed into the body. However, there is a type of contaminated mana known as Miasma (瘴気, Shōki), typically exerted by beings with the powers of Witches, that is not safe to take into the body. While it will not take immediate effects depending on the amount taken in, if one absorbs too much miasma into their body, it will heavily affect the minds of everyone affected, including animals,^[40] making them paranoid and murderous. In the worst cases, overexposure can drive people into madness, resulting in them causing harm to themselves and eventually killing themselves, which can take as long as thirty seconds. Not only is this true for humans and demi-humans, but this is even true for artificial spirits and even earth dragons. Enough miasma can even lead to the contamination of food, and plant life can also die when exposed. This is one of the primary reasons, excluding witchbeasts, that the Augria Sand Dunes are considered so dangerous.

It is possible to cast magic through the Od (オド, Odo), life energy synonymous with the soul. However, doing so can be dangerous, as casting mana this way can easily shave off one's lifespan; while they won't die after running out of Od, they will no longer be themselves either.

Some people are born with conditions related to the absorption of mana. For people like Anastasia Hoshin, they are unable to absorb mana from the atmosphere, effectively cutting magic out of their lives. Should they wish to use magic, it will be taken from their Od, essentially risking their lives. According to Beatrice, this is likely due to a problem that comes with the body's later acquisition of a Gate.^[38] The opposite is also true. For people like Reinhard van Astrea, they are unable to release the mana stored that is absorbed in their body at all; it should be noted that Reinhard is unique in the way his body handles his Excess Mana Circulation Constitution (マナ過剰循環体質, Mana Kajō Junkan Taishitsu).

There are some beings that go through a Magic Release Period (発魔期, Hatsumaki), in which beings who have a condition where they take in more mana than they let out spill mana out of their bodies as it overflows from their Od. This can cause mana poisoning in beings like this, and in certain cases, it can even cause changes in the environment. When one of the Four Great Spirits, Puck, went through his Magic Release Period, the entire area around Roswaal Manor and Arlam Village saw great snowfall for a certain period, despite it not being the season for it.

It is also possible for someone in extreme emotional turmoil to lose control of their magic. Though it is uncommon, there has been one known large-scale occurrence in which a powerful user of magic, Emilia, lost control of her power after witnessing a loved one die before her eyes. In that state, while embroiled in both intense rage and sadness, her power overflowed to such a degree that the entirety of Elior Forest, as well as its inhabitants, was completely frozen in ice, and furthermore, Emilia, lacking control of her own magic, unintentionally froze herself, and the effects of this incident have lasted for over a century. It is presently unknown whether other such occurrences have happened.

Species Specific Conditions

In the case of the Oni Tribe, they are born with curved horns, organs that are capable of rapidly drawing mana from the atmosphere, greatly enhancing an oni’s physical strength and magic capabilities. Their horns also make them more sensitive to changes in the mana of those around them as well, allowing them to determine the intent of both their enemies and allies. However, while this tends to be to the advantage of an oni, it comes with the risk of the oni becoming more aggressive and losing themselves. Likewise, onis who have lost their horn, who are derisively referred to as hornless, must have someone else who can provide them with mana, and they must do this regularly.

Uniquely, unlike most beings, including other spirits, Artificial Spirits have greater difficulties when it comes to both their magical prowess and their ability to absorb mana. In the case of some, they have great power, a high mana consumption rate, and an inability to absorb mana from the atmosphere, and they must get by by taking mana from other people, their contractor, special glintstones, or stealing it from the environment. In other cases, they have low mana consumption rates, the inability to form contracts, and difficulties in casting magic. Over-exhaustion of mana can lead to said Artificial Spirit fading away for good.

In the case of the Insect Cage Tribe (虫籠族, Mushiko-zoku), in order to obtain the powers that they wield, must synchronize their Od with the Od of insects that bear magical properties at a young age. In doing so, while they obtain various magic-like abilities suited for combat, their physical form changes dramatically, making them appear as if they were insect-type demi-humans; they can have a hard outer shell, wings, compound eyes, etc. Synchronizing with and taking in too many insects at once can very easily be dangerous, and it is very possible for anyone who has taken in such an insect to be unable to synchronize with it and die, something the tribe takes advantage of if they need to kill their enemy as quickly as possible. Though, in one case, because Kafma Irulux was able to sync with the Od of more than 30 insects, he obtained a special new organ which allowed him to fire a magic-like blast that could erase his opponent.

Foods and Drugs

There are certain foods in the world that are capable of stimulating a person's Gate. A Bokko Fruit (ボッコの実 Bokko no Mi), for example, can do this when eaten, making it the primary ingredient in a drug that can make a person's Gate overflow with mana called Hexcel (へクセル Hekuseru). Since the drug causes severely negative effects to manifest with the users, such as excess bleeding and organ damage, it is illegal to produce. That said, underground organizations, such as the one led by Reiner Wahrheit, still produce and circulate the drug.

There are also certain drugs that can be combined with magic in order to affect people over a wide area. Ram's illusionism, for example, requires the use of a hallucinatory drug that she combines with her wind magic. By doing this, she was able to trap the majority of people in a long convoy in an illusion that prevented them from moving their bodies, with only exceptional talents like Julius with his spirits or Subaru who figured out the trick could escape.

Magic-Related Resources and Materials

There are various resources throughout world that are connected to magic and mana. Many of these resources are collected to make use of, either for their unique effects, to use in various magic-related items, or to use as mediums. In particular, a commonly seen material is Lagmite (ラグマイト, Ragumaito), also commonly referred to as magic stones, which is capable of holding mana.^[41] Without impurities and naturally created over a long period of time, these stones are often connected to specific elements and are used in everyday life: fire for heating food and baths, earth for structure reinforcement, yin and yang for powering meteors, etc. They are usually volatile and need to be handled with care, but just about anyone with a Gate is able to use them, regardless of if they can use magic. In particular, fire magic stones are commonly used by people as explosives. If they are shaken enough, then eventually they will heat up and explode. They can also be triggered by using simple heating, like an underdeveloped Jiwald. Otto Suwen has shown to use them like mines, whereas Olbart Dunkelkenn has such stones compressed into small balls, essentially becoming miniature bombs. Meanwhile, a glintstone (輝石, Kiseki), a rarer, small, and colorless type of lagmite, is ordinarily used as an anchor for Spiritual Arts users to house their respective spirits. There are even certain glintstones that contain enough power within them to allow Great Spirits like Puck or even the souls of the dead like those of the Witches of Sin to use as anchors, and they can also be used to power spells without the user having to expend much of their own mana, though this is at the cost of said stone shattering. The Glow People (光人, Mitsuhito), in fact, have glintstones in their heads, and it is rumored that they absorb the souls of people that they kill. There also exist time crystals which glow and change colors at different times of the day. They are often seen in the homes of nobles, such as in the hallways of Roswaal Manor, or more commonly, they are seen in Time Towers (刻限塔 Kokugen-tō), from which the public can see and roughly tell the time.

Lagmite Ores (ラグマイト鉱石, Ragumaito Kōseki) are also commonly used stones that are capable of producing light without fire. Alongside specially made crystal lamps (結晶灯 Kesshō-tō), which absorb mana during the day to provide light at night, they can be used to provide light at nighttime where they would otherwise be incapable of seeing their surroundings. Lagmite ores are also used in a special ammunition called a Night Banisher (夜払い Yoru Harai) which is usually used by the military in order to brighten the night sky as if it were daytime, making a practical "second Sun", and even carries the side effect of creating illusions. By shattering it, one can create such illusions, and if they are good at using magic or have taken Hexcel, the user can influence the illusion of their own will.

Certain crystals also exist that can have negative effects. Anti-Mana Crystals (退魔水晶 Taima Suishō), for example, can neutralize or dampen mana by returning the energy into a colorless state, resulting in mana becoming dormant an invisible. These crystals make it so that any form of magical effects associated with mana are reduced or even removed, and they are effective enough that they can even thin the fog produced by the White Whale. There are also Evil Sealing Stones (封魔石, Fū Maseki) which, while the exact effects are still unexplained, can prevent those sealed by them from interacting with the outside world, even affecting Authorities. They are typically indistinguishable from ordinary stones, meaning one needs a certain eye to tell them apart.^[42] Magical Miasma Stones (魔瘴石, Mashō Ishi), dark black stones that exude miasma, also exist.^[43] Being near them can cause people and animals to go mad if they remain near them for extended periods of time, and it is assumed to be lethal if swallowed.^[44] There is even a theory that if an animal were to take in a magical miasma stone, they might become a witchbeast.^[45]

Aside from them, there are also magic crystals, the purest form of magic stones,^[46] which can be created by preparing a large amount of colorless mana and condensing it and are said to be rare.^[47][48] As such, gathering and killing spirits can be done to artificially create magic crystals.^[49][50] If one follows this method, it is possible to obtain such a large number of magic crystals that structures such as the Vollachia Empire's Crystal Palace can be crafted.^[51] Said palace is also home to a Magic Crystal Cannon (魔晶砲, Ma Akira-hō), which can fire a powerful concentration of mana that has been amplified by both the magic crystals attached to the cannon as well as the magic crystals that make up the Crystal Palace itself. These crystals can also be used to provide a person with a large stock of mana, which Sphinx used during the Great Disaster to power a large number of her spells.^[52] This being said, when a large amount of magic crystals are gathered together, the tremendous amount of condensed mana is tantamount to an enormous bomb, requiring a magic core to govern it;^[53] by overloading that core, the ensuing explosion has the potential to completely wipe out an area at least the size of the Imperial Capital of Vollachia.^[54]

The Study of Magic

While accessible in most of the world, the study of magic is a practice mostly seen within the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica, the country that most excels in magic out of the Four Great Nations. Approximately 40 years before the present day, as a result of the Demi-Human War, in which magic, particularly forbidden magic, became a heavy crutch against the Kingdom, Roswaal J. Mathers repurposed an old Prison Tower and turned it into what is now known as the Royal Magic Research Institute, where magic is studied in earnest. As a result of these studies, the power and effectiveness of the country's mages was greatly increased.

Roswaal's son, Roswaal K. Mathers, also provided his own assistance in the study of magic, which resulted in the creation of magicreation tools, and the production of these tools was left to the city of Costuul, which later became known as the Industrial City as a result. Lightbugs (光虫, Hikarimushi) also appeared a short time after the creation of these tools which appear to both utilize magic and interact with magicreation tools. His mother, meanwhile, even studied how to create a Pseudo-Gate (疑似的なゲート, Gijitekina Gēto) as a means to overcome the problems caused by defective or inferior Gates, a study inspired her own inferior Gate, though due to her death, her research was put on hold. While her grandson, Roswaal L. Mathers, has not made as many known efforts to further the study of magic, he has revived his predecessor's research into Pseudo-Gates with the help of the magic dolls created by his father. Ezzo Cadner has also written a number of magic theories and attempted to construct techniques that will ease the difficulty of learning magic, and he has learned how to restructure and repurpose magical theorems created by Roswaal J. Mathers.

As magical studies has progressed, numerous theorems and techniques have been discovered. The Two Attribute Intersection Theorem (二属性交差式, Ni Zokusei Kōsa-shiki) is a theorem that dictates a way to use two separate attributes simultaneously, and likewise, the Multi-Attribute Intersection Theorem (多属性交差式, Ta Zokusei Kōsa-shiki) dictates a way to use more than two attributes simultaneously. Meanwhile, Equilibrium Circulation (均衡環流, Kinkō Kanryū) view the mana flowing through one's body as a torus. After Ezzo managed to get ahold of Roswaal J. Mathers's research, he came up with a derivative method called Synthesis Circulation (統合環流, Tōgō Kanryū), which allows for greater efficiency of mana in the invocation of spells. Other such theorems and techniques include the Tripedal Centroid Control (三脚重心制御, Sankyaku Jūshin Seigyo) and the Fivefold Resonance Point (五重共鳴点, Gojū Kyōmeiten).

Users

• Fire Magic
• Water Magic
• Wind Magic
• Earth Magic
• Yin Magic
• Yang Magic

Roswaal	Emilia	Puck	Julius	Tivey	Rachins
Sphinx	Fortuna	Echidna	Melakuera	Arakiya	Omega
Leip	Lye	Ezzo	Sirius	Roy	Al
Tiga

Roswaal	Emilia	Puck	Beatrice	Rem	Ferris
Julius	Mimi	Hetaro	Biehn	Garitch	Echidna
Sphinx	Garfiel	Lye	Arakiya	Omega	Ezzo
Subaru	Roy	Al	Joshua

Roswaal	Emilia	Beatrice	Ram	Crusch	Julius
Zarestia	Balleroy	Echidna	Lye	Arakiya	Omega
Frederica	Archi	Sphinx	Reize	Sado	Ezzo
Roy	Al

Roswaal	Emilia	Puck	Otto	Julius	Mimi
Al	Petelgeuse	Echidna	Arakiya	Omega	Sphinx
Roy	Ezzo

Roswaal	Puck	Beatrice	Subaru	Julius	Echidna
Satella	Arakiya	Omega	Roy	Al	Ezzo

Roswaal	Priscilla	Julius	Echidna	Sphinx	Balleroy
Echidna	Arakiya	Omega	Dartz	Petra	Roy
Ezzo	Al

Spells

Trivia

• Despite having effects similar to it, a Dragon's breath is not magic. It is instead an exceedingly powerful torrent of mana that destroys anything that makes contact.^[125]
  • Ricardo Welkin and the Pearlbaton triplets Mimi, Tivey, and Hetaro employ a similar technique that unleashes a blast of destructive mana called the Roaring Wave.
• In the light novel, the name of Magical Shroud Excitation was removed. However, the method itself was still alluded to, making the technique itself still canon.
• There exist several Divine Protections that involve a person's connection to the different magic affinities.
  • Ferris's Divine Protection of Water increases his proficiency with Water Magic.
  • There are numerous Divine Protections that make one 80% unaffected by the elements of magic.
  • In the web novel, Roswaal had a Divine Protection that made him proficient with all elements of magic. However, this was removed in the light novels, making his proficiency with magic unassisted by the protection.
  • One Divine Protection makes a person immune to magical buffs and debuffs.
• The author once stated that it was possible to use lightning magic and that Roswaal could use it. However, lightning is not an elemental attribute, as it is a combination of several elemental attributes. In Arc 9, it is shown that each of the four main elements have a part to play when generating lightning.
• It is possible to cast magic through a second vessel assuming that it carries the same magical signature and is able to cast magic.
• House Mathers is a House famous for producing numerous accomplished mages, and even the one member of the House who could not use magic, Roswaal J. Mathers, moved the research of magic forward in the Kingdom.
• Capella is able to change her Gate when she uses her Authority to transform.
• Whereas the Kingdom of Lugunica specialized in magic, the Vollachia Empire has shied away from magic after a previous emperor, Murkia Vollachia, failed in his experiments to use yang magic to boost an entire army during a war.^[126][127]
• Lugunica uses the colors system to denote the most powerful users of each respective color of magic. Ferris is known as the Blue for water while Roswaal bears the titles of Red, Yellow, and Green for fire, earth, and wind respectively. The colors of Black and White for yin and yang are vacant, but Ezzo Cadner, uniquely, is derisively referred to as having the unofficial title of Grey, denoting that while he is one of the country's best magic users, he does not excel in any of the colors of magic and therefore has no true title.
• Originally, curse arts were classified as a type of magic. However, on a talk show held on March 30, 2024, the author stated that curse arts were separate from magic.
• Although Roswaal described the Sacrament of the Immortal King as a curse art in Sword Demon Love Song, each successive mention of the spell has only stated that it is a type of magic.
• According to Al, the seal used on the Witch of Envy bears similar properties to Ol Shamak.
• There exist certain insects utilized by the Insect Cage Tribe that can parasitize a target's Gate and devour their mana, resulting in their death.
• Certain curses can interfere with one's internal mana.
  • The Wolgarm Curse, inflicted via Wolgarm bites, can drain a target of their mana while they feed on it, resulting in the target dying.
• Wolgarms are currently the only known type of witchbeast to utilize magic.
  • Despite this, although it is unconfirmed to be magic, the Crimson Scorpion, alternatively known as Shaula, uses a technique with properties similar to magic called Hell's Snipe. Even in her scorpion form, she can fire off these needles from her stinger.
  • The fog created by the White Whale is actually its mana which has been modified. As such, it should not be considered magic.
• According to the author at a talk show held on April 6, 2025, while there is an attribute system for magic, not many people look into their natural attributes, and some people only ask their masters to check their attribute after they have mastered magic.
• Authorities can have an effect on a person's Gate.
  • A part of Stride Vollachia's Ten Hubristic Commandments can exhaust the Gate and cause rotting in the target's limbs as a result.
  • Capella's Authority allows her to transfigure even the target's Gate.
• According to the author on the talk show held on April 6, 2025, the prefix "Ol" which is used in the forbidden spell Ol Shamak is classified separately from the usual prefixes. Likewise, "Ol" does not represent the strength of the spell; rather, it denotes that the spell is special.
• Enchanted Swords are said to have and have displayed magical properties.
• A Sage or Sage Candidate is supposedly immune to the miasma a Witch exudes, and Subaru, who has been recognized as a Sage Candidate by both Daphne and Sekhmet, has proven to be able to stand before all of the Witches while being unaffected by their miasma.
  • Despite this, when he was later exposed to the miasma in one of the paths beneath the Pleiades Watchtower, he was affected and driven into a murderous frenzy alongside his companions. Whether this means that the miasma there is different from what is exuded from the Witches is unknown. Likewise, it is unknown if the miasma emitted from Magical Miasma Stones should be consider the same as a Witch's miasma.
• It should be noted that the Vita and Karum spells seem to be derived from the same or similar effects: the increase of gravity. Whether this is an error by the author or something differentiates the two spells is unknown.
• The Mining City of Ganacks in the Kingdom of Lugunica is known for being the lead harvesting city of magic related stones.
• According to the author, although there is currently no title for the strongest magic user, the title would be "Great Sorcerer".
• Sergei possesses an unknown technique capable of poisoning mana. It is unknown if this technique has any relation to miasma.
• The Yang Sword Vollachia, which is said to be capable of burning anything the user desires, can also burn through magic, even if the nature of said magic is typically intangible or ordinarily incapable of burning.^[128]
• Yin magic is so rare that even Beatrice has never seen more than ten yin magic users in the same room.^[129]
• According to the author, the exact condition of Reinhard's gate at birth is considered a spoiler.
• During the events of Arc 7, when he was separated from Beatrice, Subaru managed to withstand having an immense amount of mana gather within his body, which should ordinarily have been lethal with his broken gate.^[130][131] Though his mana has since been subdued after reuniting with her and even gave her a greater amount of mana to work with, Subaru has speculated that the irregularity with the mana in his body was caused either by his connection to the Pleiades Battalion or by the infantilization on his body causing an abnormality with his gate, with the former option being more likely.^[132]
• Noelle Tuérico has a seal on her body that can resist the influence of external magic and curse arts, and this can extend to anyone she carries. It is unknown whether all members of the Gustekan Church or Noelle alone has this seal.
• According to Ezzo Cadner's deductions, the birds seen flying in the vicinity of the Pleiades Watchtower were magically constructed rather than organic beings. However, it is unclear what form of magic it is.
• Although the function of Ol Shamak that seals someone within a black orb is claimed to only work on Witch Factor holders, both Aldebaran and Felt have been subject to it despite neither of them possessing a Factor.
• When Magrizza existed, those who were capable of using magic were considered superior while those who could not were considered inferior, something which led to the conflict surrounding the attempted marriage between the country's crown prince and Echidna.^[133]
• According to the author, people who excel physically and magically, such as Emilia and Roswaal, are rare, as most people focus on one path and tend to neglect the other.^[133]

References

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