"In the context of the sapient slimes, this is correct," Smithson nodded. "There are a few other examples, but passive magic in general is not particularly noticeable even if some of its workings, like the metabolism, are vital to those affected by it. Do you all think the Anomalia is a form of passive magic?" I shook my head immediately, the other two followed my example slowly. "You would be correct, the Anomalia falls under a different category. Now, what can you tell me about enchantment magic?"
"It's the variety of magic that imbues items with effects that can last as long as mana is provided," came the immediate answer from one of my peers.
"Correct," Smithson nodded, appearing appeased. Not sure what he could have been angry about. Despite his steadily bad mood, he was a good teacher though. "Number four, ritual magic, what makes it special?"
"It is used to achieve specific and powerful effects that other magic is not strong or precise enough for. Because it uses esoteric means to channel the mana, it makes the soul type less relevant, allowing practically everyone to learn it, provided they have the patience. So it's used to generate specific results other magic could, but in practice rarely does."
"...and...?" Smithson asked, demanding further details. Neither of my peers had them and, honestly speaking, neither did I. All I had was a hunch and in the uncomfortable silence the stern gaze of the teacher created, I was happy to say anything. "Yes, Karitas?"
"It also encapsulates disciplines like alchemy that draw magical effects from ingredients through means of concentration and esoteric interpretation," I suggested.
"There's no need to sound uncertain when you're correct," Smithson chided me. What we, as a class, had laid out appeared in bullet points on the wall. "Active, passive, enchantment, and ritual magic. Those are the four main varieties. All those who can cast magic, no matter the source of their mana, can tap into these four types of casting magic, even if the manifestations differ. They are the best researched, the most formulaic, and can be learned through regular training and lessons, like one would learn any other skill. Now, the remaining three. What can you tell me about divine magic?"
Less than two seconds passed, before his mouth was about to open again. When I raised my hand, one of his eyebrows rose with it. He did not seem used to people being able to answer that question. It also did not seem this was the first time he was surprised. "Yes, Karitas? What do you know about divine magic?"
"Divine magic is to manifest the constructs of the soul in reality. A common example for this is the creation of life by gods, who expand their soul and, upon creating a vessel for it, separate it from themselves to create a new, independent being through their will and mana alone. Unlike other creations by magic, these constructs are capable of developing on their own. An enchanter cannot create an item that exceeds his own magical power, but a new life created by a god may possibly be able to exceed that god in strength - rare as it is. Important to us, those who know the Dimension Truth, is that both Anomalias and Artefacts are a manifestation of divine magic."
Smithson nodded a couple of times throughout my explanation. "A good summary of it all. Divine magic is distinct in its capability of creating effects that others would describe as miraculous. Other categories of magic are capable of summoning or binding life, but divine magic is the only one that can truly create new life. There is one exception, but we will get into that in a moment. As Karitas pointed out, Artefacts and their effects are also divine magic. They are manifestations and channels of your soul. As you should have already observed, they are also capable of manifesting powers you yourself don't have." He went over to the next slide. "What do you know about wild magic?"
There was no immediate answer. Not to leave the stern teacher staring for too long, one of my peers eventually raised her hand. "It's magic that interacts with the wild...?" she suggested. "Like, it affects nature and other living things?"
"...Acceptable enough," Smithson grumbled. Pacing back and forth in front of the class, he elaborated. "Wild magic is indeed the variety of magic primarily concerned with interacting with the natural elements around us. That is the primary difference between it and active or passive magic: that the target of your magic lies outside the bounds of your body. Although wild magic is among the most efficient uses of mana, its results are difficult to measure because you are lending power to nature. In what way or how you are helped is not up to you. It is recommended you use wild magic only towards elements that favour you. There is a reason why druids are often sedentary. Different woodlands have different temperaments."
Without stopping to ask us, he turned to the next slide and said, "Chaos magic is simply summarized with 'magic we do not comprehend'. This does include parts of magic we have not yet categorized, but for the most part it is the kind of primordial force that allows a certain variety of twisted creature to manifest their will. You will learn more about it in the second year. With the generalizations out of the way, let us talk about the applications of gravity magic across the six non-chaos varieties."
A new slide appeared, once more headed by the word 'Active'. Underneath was an icon of a non-descript human figure on their hands and knees, pushed down by a purple power. It was a pretty accurate representation of what happened when gravity magic was used on enemy combatants.
"You should all know the active magic application of gravity magic. That is what we have been practicing the past few weeks, after all. Via contact with a medium that you have charged with your mana, typically your hands or your Artefact, you infuse the target with a short-lasting gravity-manipulating effect. This effect can be prolonged and strengthened through repeated application. Gravity magic is almost unique in the fact that this repeated refreshing of the effect continuously amps up the effect without further cost. A point of note is that it is much easier to weigh targets down than to make them lighter. In any case, it enables us gravity mages to pursue some unusual strategies. Wearing down our opponent through repeated engagements becomes exponentially more effective. This is not the only point where gravity magic is different from the standard evocation elements."
The slide switched to 'Wild', this time showcasing the non-descript humanoid standing sideways on a wall, much to the surprise of the crowd underneath him. Just the insinuation filled me with anticipation and Smithson showcased the reality of what was depicted. One foot, then the other, he carefully placed on the wall and casually strolled up. He wandered all the way to the edge of the ceiling and then, shortly hesitating, up to it as well. None of his clothes reflected that he was now upside down.
"Afflicting other people with a total change of gravitational direction is difficult, but for ourselves it is possible to ask naturally occurring gravity to pull us in other directions. Like most pure elements, such as fire, water, air, and rock, gravity is predictable wherever you go. Fundamental elements are simple in their character. Gravity mages can use this wild magic to walk on a surface no matter its angle or the direction it faces. More advanced uses..." Smithson jumped underneath the ceiling and was yanked off to the side. Gracefully, he landed on the wall to our left. "...allow for three-dimensional manoeuvering. It's not the same as flying and if you're not careful you will break your bones." He jumped back down to floor level. "For that reason, this three-dimensional manoeuvering and hovering are kept for more advanced classes. I will only teach you the basics of gravitational re-orientation this semester."
'That is so cool,' I thought to myself. I was already a mobile fighter, having portals and teleportation, in the repertoire of my space-bending Artefact. Walking on walls in addition to that would be hilariously annoying for my enemies.
"Getting back to the proper order, passive magic offers little for gravity mages. There is no inner fire that keeps you warm in all environments or using the wind to create a sphere of universal awareness around you. At best you will be able to notice gravitational anomalies. Not a useful sense.
"Gravity enchantments, on the high end, are highly sought after in societies that have highly sophisticated machinery. Manipulating the weight of certain parts in the machinery enables marvels of engineering that are otherwise impossible. However, to reach grades of efficiency that make this worthwhile, one has to pursue it with mastery in mind. If you want to become rich, this is a path to follow."
The two slides were skipped over with these short explanations. Then we reached the 'Ritual' part of the presentation. Depicted was a black hole above a circle of runes. From the left side, it drew in a flame from a torch, from the right side, one flickering above a person's hand.
Smithson walked to the corner of the room, where several large scrolls extended from a large container. They were made from thick, yellowish parchment, the kind that lay in the background of every artistic representation of a mage tower. He checked a few of them, then grabbed one bundled up with a purple band. He unfurled it on the teacher's desk, only to stare at it, displeased.
"Why can't they pick a more distinct colour between shadow and gravity?" our teacher grumbled and rolled it back together. About a minute later, he had the correct scroll and weighed the corners down with iron cubes.
