‘Magic is a power unlike any other. It’s laws strange, sometimes rigorously obeying our laws of science yet sometimes seemingly defying them. However, this is not a publication on the nature of magic, for that you are very welcome to read my thesis The Order in Chaos. Instead, this a guide is for a complete novice who wishes to depart into the phantasmal and claim that first bit of power as their own,’ Dante's breath was bated as he read the introduction of a thin book titled Abridged introduction to magic. That was it. The thing he had been searching for. Although there might be a long and harsh path ahead, he was optimistic.

‘This publication shall be split into chapters, each focusing on things fundamental to reaching and hopefully surpassing the classification as a novice of magic without getting killed along the way. I am going to cover the following topics: 1. Magic and the 6 houses 2. Introduction to magical Nature and the first spell of an apprentice 3. The five basic spells 4. Common misconceptions 5. The future of a new magus 6. Dangers few realise. With that being said, I hope you will find it helpful. The intent behind writing this book is not something grant, I just hope that perhaps it will help someone go down this path which had changed my life beyond recognition. Should you succeed I shall be eagerly be waiting for you on the other side. - Signed: Marcus ‘Wiseman’ Brine.’

Excited, Dante flipped to the next page. Although he was filled with anticipation to learn actual magic, learning the things in the background was also a rare opportunity which shouldn’t be neglected. Moreover, he could not be sure that nothing important would be missed if he just skipped ahead.

‘Magic and the mage houses

Unless things had changed drastically, getting your hands on this publication must have been either extraordinarily difficult or utterly coincidental. The odds are you are reading these lines with a great deal of scepticism, doubting the very existence of magic. After all, if such a thing existed how could it not be known by everyone? The reason for that is simple: Magic is simply too rare to become common knowledge. Quoting the figures from my colleague, Dante Angello, approximately 1 in 200 people meets even the basic requirement of baseline talent and among those who do, only another 1 in 300 ever even manifest any actual magic. The second number is also the main reason why I am writing this publication in the first place.

Perhaps you are wondering how one would go about identifying magic, not quite convinced. That is also good, scepticism is healthy. The process to detect magic is actually relatively simple. It only requires a safety match (not a lighter) and a needle. The blood of a person with potential will evaporate almost instantaneously when even approached by the matchstick’s flame. If the experiments yielded no results, you are no longer my intended audience, therefore I care little for your attention or belief. On the other hand, if it had worked, I hope you will be more inclined to listen to the rest of what I have to say.’

Dante stopped reading for a moment. He didn’t really know where he could get his hands on a matchstick in the middle of the night. Moreover, he had been specifically told not to wander around. For the moment he could only put it to the back of his mind and hope it would not disrupt the rest of his reading.

‘In the world of mages, our Newland is considered a haven as long as you know the correct people among the roughly 3000 casters. Some readers might immediately object that the math doesn’t add up with my previous information as they may have calculated based on the population that there should be a bit over 600 less, in other words about 2400. That brings me to my next point: The 6 mage house (Formerly known as the 8 mage houses - more details can be found in my publication The Blackreach Cataclysm). Outside of Newland a mage house would be a national, perhaps even continental, overlord, however, here there had until about 60 years ago been 8 such powerhouses. This had lead to intense competition between the factions, resulting in the exponential growth of magic research as well as the elevation of Newland into a global superpower backed by those very 8 houses. Although full of turmoil in the early years, the houses had been forced to a ceasefire with the emergence of the Syndicate, a religions group dedicated to killing mages. Though the conflict technically lasts until today, the Syndicate had been constantly bleeding both power and influence for a long time and 80 years ago, it had lost their so-called ‘Holy city’ in the last direct battle between the two sides, reducing the Syndicate to flocks of fleeing vigilantes, gradually being rooted out by the winning side. Although the Syndicate itself ceased being a threat, the centuries of conflict had deeply influenced the inner politics. Soft alliances and arranged marriages had resulted in a great number of maguses with the blood of multiple houses, stopping any further direct bloodshed and open conflict. Nowadays, the competition between the houses is either based on economy or pride, be it the research of magic or comparing the talents and skill of their younger generations, allowing for an era of mutual understanding and prosperity.

Knowing the history of the houses is important as although the families had reached peace one must not forget that the peace only extends to themselves and mages willing to work for them. Although their great war has basically ended, each house remained mostly the same: A power to be reckoned with. The fact that they no longer face each other nor an existential threat only means that they set their sights on easier prey. Although looking in too deep is dangerous, I had found that without a doubt the houses can pull many strings. Among them, they may easily manipulate election results, control important government officials and judges or even indirectly command the military. In fact, it would perhaps be difficult to find anything they cannot influence. Their ability to manipulate so efficiently comes from their philosophy. From youth they are brought up in the atmosphere of nobility and superiority, therefore they come to believe that they are beings standing above all else, especially those who are not even capable of magic. And in a way, they are not entirely incorrect as be it due to genetics or something else, every child ever born to a mage family develops at the very least the baseline talent necessary to learn magic. In a way they are similar to the noble families depicted in the medieval history books of many overseas countries, possessing extreme arrogance supported by sufficient resources. Except, they are far more unified and individually capable.

To give an abridged version, I really hope to stress that getting on the bad side of a mage house is a mistake few get the chance to make twice.’

Dante paused for a bit at the end of the chapter absorbing the information and comparing it to what he already knew. Specifically, the things he had heard from within that cell. Rebecca called the man who she had been working for ‘Azure’, a figure that terrified her so much that she believed capture would be worse than death. Just where exactly did he fit, Dante wondered, though could not arrive at any answer. So he flipped the page towards what he had been anticipating for a long time.

‘Magical Nature and Magus’ first spell,

the words magical Nature might sound strange, however, they are a fundamental part of our current understanding of magic. For simplicity, imagine a scale. One end shall be called Chaos while the other shall be Order. And that is basically it. Any magic exists somewhere on that scale, chaos leaning towards swiftness and destruction while order inclines toward protection and endurance. You as a potential magus also have this kind of magical Nature which may determine your path. Maguses with deeply chaotic nature focus more at evocations (also known as words of power) while their counterparts on the side of order instead rely almost exclusively on conjuration (either longer incantations or runecraft). The reason for that is simple: The distance from each end exponentially increases the difficulty of learning that kind of magic. The process of testing the Nature is a bit more difficult requiring the mixture known as Rumi’s concoction, though most people are situated near the middle of the scale so foregoing the test is rarely an issue...’

Null was thankfully already aware which way his Nature leaned so he skipped the next few lines. The ebony tar which had been created from his blood when Rebecca added the concoction was unforgettable. From what Rebecca had said back then, Dante was not only inclined towards chaos but unprecedentedly so. From that, it would seem that his time would be best spent dedicating himself purely to evocations. He read on, finally finding what he had been looking for.

“But let’s move on to the first trial by fire. The learning of a first spell. For a very long time the introductory magic had been the same evocation: To levitate something above your open palm. It is known as the easiest spell for a good reason as it requires no deeper knowledge of chemistry, physics or anatomy while it can also be easily practiced. All you are going to need is a small solid and flameproof item which can fit on your palm. Coins or rings are ideal, though a needle or a small screw will work about as well.’

Dante scavenged through his pockets and sighed in relief when he found a bunch of coins spilt in one of them. Placing one on the top of his palm, he read on.

‘In order to perform this magic you will need to figure out your own way. Some visualise the item rising from their palms, others feel the magic within their veins and focus on releasing that power. Your case will likely be very different. And it is this step of magic that often turns many people away as they fruitlessly struggle to make that first step. You will be on the right track the moment you manage to move the coin even a little without using your muscles. At the same time the process fundamental to training all evocations should be applied: Whenever you attempt to perform the magic, say out loud the word of power. The word itself can be anything, though picking something related is for the best. You could try fly or levitate or flowery words like ascend might suit you more. Try everything and then pick something that rolls the best off your tongue. In any case, don’t let embarrassment slow you down.

It is a common misconception that there is such a thing as a universal word of power for each spell. The truth couldn’t be further away though. It’s absolutely possible for two mages to have the exact same word of power for different spells or basically the same spells with different words. That is because the word is not meant to beckon the world but rather your body. The word of power is essentially a trigger for muscle memory. Just like a tennis player playing the exact same ball for the 1000th time. They no longer have to think as their body reacts to the situation (trigger) and plays the ball on its own. Words of power are very much the same. By repeating the same word while doing the exact same action and having certain intent time and time again, a link will form which will allow you to use the magic many times faster through the use of its trigger word. The words of power. Technically, hand gestures and body movements can be used the same way, however, I find that method to be far inferior and more dangerous as the risk of accidentally casting the spell is far higher than when you just have to remember never to say a few specific words until you gain the mastery required not to misfire. You should go ahead and give it a try.’

“Fly, levitate, up,” and so Dante did. He carefully kept his intent on making the coin levitate, though it did not seem to even budge. But that could hardly discourage Dante after all the time he spent just attempting to find that method, “Elevate, ascend,” and as he spoke something suddenly as if snapped inside him. He could feel it in his veins, the strange but comforting warmth going down his spine in an instant and then rapidly traversing through his outstretched arm. Then it rushed to his palm and demanded. It insisted on being obeyed, insisted the coin had to fly. And it obeyed. Despite his previous failure to make it even wiggle, the coin shot up and stably suspended itself above Dante’s palm. Overjoyed at his quick success, Null looked at the next lines in the book.

‘On average it should take about 60-70 hours before your first success.’

Dante read the line again.

And sure enough, it remained the same. He had just obliterated the expected learning curve. Strange warmth filled Dante’s chest as he considered what that probably meant. Although he had no frame of reference, that had to make him prodigious, definitely. Not only did he have the talent for magic, it was amazing at that! He could almost already imagine it, the magus Dante Null, looked up to by mases and casters alike. He felt confident, almost untouchable at that moment. He did have another talent other than pickpocketing after all. Something that he could use to help both himself and others rather than preying on the defenceless. Properly powerdrunk, Dante didn’t yet have his fill. He wanted more, so he repeated the same process. Focus, intent, word of power.

“Break!” he exclaimed, wanting the coin to break into two. Nothing happened, not even a budge. Still optimistic, Dante tried another word, “Bisect!” and at that moment another wave of warmth rushed down his spine and arm, leaving through the palm within the second of appearing. Once again, it demanded and the coin obeyed, splitting exactly in the middle. Apparently the exact word used really mattered. Though Dante wasn’t sure whether it was so great that it seemed to be mostly flowery words which worked wonders for him. He was about to return to reading when another idea came to his mind, something he just had to try. Looking at the two halves of a coin above his hand he pronounced another word.

“Disintegrate!” and another burst of warmed rushed down his spine, incomparably larger to before. The difference was like that between a leaking tap and a burst dam. And it was no longer pleasantly warm, it was scalding. Fiery and infernal. As though a star had suddenly burned every fibre of Dante’s being from the inside.

He did not even have the time to scream before his consciousness faded.