During my time on Azura, I've noticed more and more...oddities, with the magic here.
First, there's the spell incantations themselves. When I told Azazel about my suspicions of the true nature of magic, and how incantations are just visualization shortcuts meant to dissuade Azura's residents from needing to research natural phenomena, his affirmation led me to believe that was the sum of their function. But the more spells and incantations I've seen since then, the more I doubt that's the case.
Yes, the incantations always seem to describe the underlying physical phenomena implicated in a spell, but sometimes it seems like something that only an already informed person like me would recognize. Percivil's item enchantment spell is a good example. The incantation seemed to reference forcing special metals into a type of temporary, pseudo-superconductor state – how the hell could Percivil subconsciously make that connection and understand the implications? How could the incantation's words alone help him visualize the spell? Plus, even if they could, why does the incantation have to seemingly be spoken out loud? Wouldn't thinking it be just as useful?
Next, there's some of the spells, like the incredibly common water summoning one that I've even seen enchanted into luxury baths. No matter how I dissect potential mechanisms, the physics of those spells just doesn't add up. I've personally found – and Azazel has very explicitly confirmed – that magic cannot directly create, destroy, or interconvert traditional forms of energy, be it light, matter, or otherwise. All it can do is manipulate them.
Ergo, I can think of only three ways for magic to 'conjure' water from thin air. Alchemy or teleportation, which would both be too magic-draining for normal people, or condensation from surrounding atmospheric water vapor, which would not be able to produce the quantities of water I've seen from such water spells. So how the hell are magic power level one people filling entire fucking baths with water without breaking a sweat?
Then, there's the distribution of classes. Why, with the exception of Otherworlders, do Azura's residents only ever have an affinity for one spell class if casting spells is merely a matter of comprehension and visualization? Some of the spells of differing classes actually rely on very similar physical principles. Even if it's not common, shouldn't some people naturally have an aptitude for spells from multiple classes?
Finally, how, exactly, does the whole class testing work? I've seen generic explanations in books, talked with Alto about it, and even managed to recapitulate the testing with my magic sense. However, the 'tuning' of my magic sense has always been trial and error – just urging my magic to react to something in front of me until I get a 'hit' that seems specific to that race or item. I approached class detection the same way...I can't really claim to fully understand what it is that I'm sensing. I just know that there's a something that I can sense. Something specific to people of different magic classes.
But why would there be a physical difference between people with those classes? Alto has told me that the class 'tests' are unreliable in young children, prone to false negatives, and it's clear that the class system is somewhat arbitrary...appearing to suffer from archaic human comprehension. Spell classification isn't based on clear relationships in their underlying physical phenomena. This strongly suggests that there shouldn't be some inherent physical component of magic class being differentiated by magic class assessments.
It's, of course, possible that what I'm sensing could be ethereal in nature. Like, people with different classes have different 'flavors' of magic. I'm already quite convinced that not all magic is the same. However, this has been limited to my observations that 'unclaimed' atmospheric magic and 'claimed' magic inside a person react differently to my spells, and that my magic sense can differentiate between 'self' and 'non-self' magic.
It makes sense to me that there is something that meaningfully changes about magic particles as they come under the purview of someone's consciousness, but why would magic be differentially altered by someone's magic class? Classes that are seemingly based on flawed, primitive logic about how similar or different spells are.
Taking all these oddities together, I can't think of any natural explanations for the laws of magic on Azura...
But I can think of some unnatural ones. Explanations that suggest the very laws of magic are being secretly manipulated every second of every day, sometimes to restrict, sometimes to help.
Slowly...hesitantly...I extend my magic domain around me again, encompassing myself, Nareen, and several other nearby cat-kin. But this time, I don't sensitize it to magic. Nor do I will it to detect the distribution of matter, light, or anything else I've ever tried. Instead, I focus on that inexplicable something...whatever permeates dark class magic users that I'm used to 'feeling' with magic sense.
Though my eyes remain open, I focus on processing the information around me through my magic domain, and the world seems to fall away, transitioning into a void for my ethereal senses. Then, something flickers in that void, and my breathing stalls as my heart races.
Floating in the core of Nareen's being, several alien symbols are broadcasting their existence to my magic domain, like small, coin-sized bonfires in the dark. If not for the fact that my blessing isn't automatically working to translate the ethereal runes, I'd assume they belong to some alphabet or lexicon.
Shaking off my initial shock, I notice more of these runes in the cat-kin around us passing through my magic domain. As I continue to observe in uneasy silence, a few facts quickly become apparent to me. One, the number of these runes varies from person-to-person, but all of the cat-kin I see have at least one. Two, some of the runes show up in multiple people, but there are never redundancies within a single person.
I swap my magic domain to detect those similar inscrutable somethings for the elemental and alteration classes, and I'm greeted by a void. I don't identify any other runes in the cat-kin around me. Slowly, I feel my understanding growing, forming theories about the meaning behind the runes I'm seeing.
I glance at Nareen, who has dismissed his Aura Vision and is now staring at me with a confused and expectant expression. I blink repeatedly.
"Sorry...did you say something?" (Mizuki)
He gives me a strange look.
"No, actually...I was just wondering why you seemed to space out after asking me to use my Aura Vision." (Nareen)
I force out a small smile, trying to keep my voice casual.
"Just got a little lost in thought. Say, Nareen...how many spells do you have an affinity for?" (Mizuki)
He blinks.
"My spells? Uhm...three that I know of, two dark class and my bloodline spell. Why?" (Nareen)
Using my magic domain to detect the 'Dark Factor', as I've decided to call it, I observe exactly two ethereal runes branded inside Nareen. I purse my lips thoughtfully.
"No reason really..." (Mizuki)
Something suddenly occurs to me, and I quickly turn my magic domain inward. Under normal circumstances, where I'm trying to detect magic with my domain, this would be fruitless. Like I've noted before, my magic differentiates self from non-self, so I can't use my magic to detect my own magic. However, if these different class Factors aren't composed of my magic...
Sure enough, I spot a single rune branded inside me. Conflicted feelings wash over me, and I have to fight the urge to purge the mysterious rune like an unwanted parasite. However, I calm myself enough to check for the Elemental and Alteration Factors as well. Just like with the Dark Factor, I spot one rune each.
Temporarily putting aside my unease at their presence inside me, I can't help but feel confused. It seems likely that these runes are artificial constructs that somehow regulate spell affinities, and I'm fairly certain that the different Factors they're composed of correspond to different magic classes. However, I'm not yet sure about some of the finer details involved.
For example, it seems like each individual rune could grant affinity to a specific spell of Azazel's, but Nareen only has two runes and at least three spell affinities, while I only have one rune of each Factor despite innumerable affinities. Perhaps Nareen's two Dark Factor runes correspond to his two other dark class spell affinities, while his 'bloodline spell' has its own rune engraved with an atypical Factor? And maybe my specific runes are like master keys for each class, granting me all associated spell affinities? That would explain our respective rune counts, as well as why I'm still unable to use his so-called 'bloodline spell'.
On another note, if these runes are artificially branded into people to regulate their spell affinities, then how are the exact runes they get determined? When are they granted to them? Why do Azurans only get one type, but prior Otherworlders have gotten two, and I got three?
I sigh quietly, the magnitude of this unexpected revelation, and the questions is raises, starting to weigh on me.
On one hand, it's terrifying. I'm not crazy about having some kind of secret, magical branding on my soul. I don't know the full scope of what it's doing...it might not be purely beneficial. Plus, if this is all Azazel's doing like I expect, then how worried should I be that he's omitted something so profound from our allegedly candid discussions on the subject? What else should I be questioning about him, what he's told me, and his intentions?
On the other hand, a part of me can't help but hum with giddy excitement at the discovery of these runes, feeling like I'm glimpsing some kind of divine cheat code. If I can learn more about these runes – how they work, and how to manipulate them – will I be able to alter people's magical abilities at will? Grant them new incantation-based spell affinities, or permanently take away the ones they already have?
A mischievous grin involuntarily invades my face.
"What's with that creepy smile?" (Nareen)
Jarred from my thoughts, I turn towards Nareen. I find him staring at me with a vaguely judgmental look, chewing the final scraps of the meat skewer I 'gifted' to him. I quickly get my face under control and shrug at him.
"I'm just happy that I got to hear about your special bloodline spell. It was very interesting. I think...I'll find the experience helpful." (Mizuki)
Nareen raises an eyebrow.
"Uhm...great? Glad I could help! This mean you'll answer some of my questions then? Honestly, I think my mother might kill me if I come back from this empty-handed. Information-wise, you know?" (Nareen)
I chuckle at him good-naturedly.
"Sure, I implied that I would anyway. Just make sure that whatever I tell you never leaks outside the lion-kin royal family. I still don't want everyone knowing about me right now." (Mizuki)
Nareen nods earnestly.
"Deal!" (Nareen)
I nod approvingly.
"What do you want to know first?" (Mizuki)