《The Youngest Divinity》Exposition Dump: On magic

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3: On magic

Magic is a fairly technical system in Denea.

The basic rules are:

1. Stronger magic cancels out weaker magic.

2. Mana is a part of the body.

For #1, that means that things like "defensive magic" you see in other fantasy settings doesn't exist. Barriers are not instant spells, but physical devices.

In order to block magic in battle, assuming you can't redirect it, you would have to respond with a spell that is even more powerful.

#2 on the list is self explanatory; mana is just another part of your body.

You can draw parallels to blood. If you lose or use too much, you'll start feeling terrible, and it's very unhealthy to do so. Naturally, if you go over your body's limit, your organ systems will begin to shut down and you'll eventually die.

Just like any body part, there are organs associated with it. There are veins, sometimes called 'circuits,' that transport mana throughout the body. and it also has its own immune system. This immune system is important when it comes to magical affinities.

Because of the immune system, both humans and demons can only have one affinity. They're separated into three classes:

Elemental

(water, earth, wind)

Controlling the environment using mana.

Energy

(fire, lightning, light)

Converting mana into energy.

Manipulation

(healing, territory, transformation, etc.)

Using mana in specific ways to achieve a result.

Between the ages of five and ten, a child's body becomes compatible with one type of mana, and their immune system learns to recognize this affinity as their own. The immune system will

attack any other kind of mana that tries to enter, because a foreign type of mana entering the

body will kill them.

It's like trying to receive a blood transfusion but they give you horse blood. You're just not built like that.

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There are only two outcomes that can happen when people try to use other affinities.

1: The immune system rejects the foreign mana's entry. The magic isn't cast and nothing happens. This is what happens 99% of the time.

2: The immune system is too weak to stop the entry and allows the mana through. The magic is cast, but the caster dies from the subsequent reflux.

In Dominic's case, he gets a bit of a cheat pass. Creation magic is a magic above all others, so his body is able to accept every mana type.

He still gets reflux, though, because he's a loser who hasn't used most affinities in years, if at all. So his body is reacting to it like a bad allergy.

That asshole will get used to it in time.

I guess the conclusion is that magic is a complicated system—and it should be. I've always

been a little put off by magic systems that have no guidelines, where anything goes because it's "fantasy." magic is an instrumental part of the world these characters live in! it should be

something worth taking time to think about.

It's a little technical, but I don't see why it shouldn't be treated as a science. After all, science is the study of how the world works—and all of this is just another part of Denea.

Nothing magical about it.

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