18 Magic With Morgan 2: The Rising of the Morganism

(Morgan Pov)

"Well, If you must know I follow the path of….."

~Well go on, don't keep me waiting.~

"I follow a mix of both paths, and it is mainly because of the inherent qualities of dark magic."

~What makes dark magic so different from the other types?"

"There are 3 known types of magic, they are anima, light, and dark magic. Anima magic focuses on harnessing the power of nature, as a result, their magic focuses on controlling the elements.

As individual practitioners of magic, they have the lowest reserves of magic. However, there isn't a need for them to have deep reserves of magic. Practitioners of anima magic can interact and shape the magic present in the air, the earth, or even the sea.

Light magic is a tricky case, as it has a connection to religion. So any interpretation of it that doesn't align with what the clergy degreed, can be considered heresy. I have some ideas, but I am looking to spread what they are or even change people's minds."

~Religion is always a tricky subject to touch. When people care too much about something, it's harder to convince them to think differently. So what is your idea of what light magic is?~

"I honestly do not know much about light magic, besides the obvious connection to the element of light. I believe there is a connection between light and healing magic, as most members of the clergy after learning one can transition into learning the other very easily.

Most of what I will say is based on what I understand about dark magic and its relationship with light magic. I believe light and healing magic are two parts of a whole, and they both have to deal with the power of restoration. But, for now, let's focus on light magic.

The offensive capabilities of light magic is weak on its own the only time light magic is useful is when combating the powers of dark magic. It counters it on a fundamental level, and that is why I believe its true power is restoration."

~What is the power of dark magic then, if the power of restoration is what counters it?~

"Dark magic is the most frustrating thing to explain to others because dark magic encompasses so many forms of magic. It can refer to control of darkness itself, gravity, plant life, magical rituals, hexes, shamanism, the ability to interact with time, and monster creation.

Dark magic is very abstract, and even more so when you consider it reacts differently with each person. There are 3 constants in dark magic, the first being the effect it has on the user's mind. Dark magic can amplify and suppress even the most abstract parts of a person.

The second is, every person that uses dark magic is given a sort of ability, and that ability allows each person to interact with dark magic differently. These abilities in combination with dark magic can be used to influence certain aspects of reality or even abstract concepts.

Two examples of controlling abstract concepts that come to mind are dreams and emotions. While two examples of reality-altering dark magics can be space and time manipulation."

~Wait, is that why you believe the power of light magic to be the power restoration? To counter something on the level of reality manipulation, you believe it has to restore what was altered back to its natural state. I can see why you think this when given the properties of dark magic.~

"There is a rock-paper-scissors dynamic between light, anima, and dark magic. Anima magic gathers its power from nature, as a result, it is at a disadvantage against dark magic. Dark magic at its core influences and changes things to a level where it can overpower nature itself.

Light magic can counter dark magic, by restoring what it altered beyond recognition back to its natural state. That is also why light magic is helpless against anima magic. Even though anima magic influences and changes the vast reserves of magic available in nature, at its core the changes caused by it are perceived as natural by the world.

~Wait, what is the last constant in dark magic? Even though I found what were discussing interesting, we got sidetracked.~

"The last constant in dark magic is something every user will experience at one point in their life. When you discover the origin of magic, you can request to gain power from it. The thing scariest about dark magic is how easy it is to reach the origin when compared to the other disciplines.

Something every practitioner of dark magic has to do is fully understand the price they will pay for power. Interacting with the origin isn't the problem, it is how you reach it and how it interacts with your powers. When you suddenly gain power with dark magic, you will lose something.

When you invoke power from the origin of magic, the power you beckoned is naturally converted to the magic you used to reach it. However, a sudden increase in dark magic can have a ruinous effect on the user. This is where dark magic has earned its stigma as evil.

Remember dark magic can amplify and suppress every aspect of you. So, what would happen when you invite more of it into yourself? What happens when you are given a sudden surge of power, and you lose control? What will happen to your mind when you gain this power?"

~Wait, how do you know all of this? The origin of magic is clearly a highly advanced and speculative topic, so how are you so sure it exists? You don't speak about it, like some student who has just heard about it.~

"It's because I reached the boundary of the origin, let's just say, I gained something reaching it."

~When did this happen?! What did you do?! What did it do to you?!~

"Those 7 days with Hassar were invaluable, he really did save me. During those 7 days, I was allowed time to look back at the time I spent alone. I had time to look at myself and to examine what changed.

It was only when I stopped using magic, that my mind finally had some clarity and I was able to notice some things. I discovered a huge gap in my memories, from the time when I started my time alone, to the time I named you.

Looking back I also noticed a subconscious change in the way I cast magic, I never once channeled the full power of dark magic. Meaning to say I never once invoked the dark magic present in this world to enhance the power of my spells. I found the answer to this question."

I swipe my extended index and middle finger to the right.

'Slash'

A sharp compressed blade of magical energy shoots out from my fingertips. I did not solely rely on my reserves of magic, but this attack is faster, stronger, and travels a farther distance. I did this by channeling a minuscule amount of the dark magic of the world into myself.

"Before my time alone, every time I accessed the wellspring of dark magic in this world, the power of my spells wasn't enhanced. I would start constructing a spell with my own power, then to conserve my magic I would use the power of the world to finish the rest for me.

Even the appearance of my spells has transformed into something different. My spells would normally be a uniform black color. But, as you just saw, there is now a tinge of purple in the spells I cast using this method. And the power is ridiculously strong just by incorporating this tiny fraction of the world's power into my spell.

What circumstances forced me to reach the origin? How did I find it? Did I touch upon the boundary when I was in a state between life and death? What happened to me when I was alone? How much did I forget? Just what did I lose to gain this connection to the origin?

What could have happened to me if I unknowingly reached those circumstances again? I know I reached the origin because my magic no longer feels the same when I use it. Before I had to fight to gain access and the aid of the dark magic in the world. Now I can just take as much as I want without any effort on my part, there is no resistance from the world at all."

~I'm scared to ask this, but why do practitioners of dark magic lose themselves.~

"When you gain a large amount of dark magic suddenly, you can transform into a different person altogether. Aspects of you that weren't prominent can now be at the front, and aspects of you that were prominent no longer define you. Or the reverse can happen to you.

Everything about you is enhanced to an extreme point, and the things keeping you in check are suppressed. You will become a slave to your enhanced desires, pursuing them till the day you die. Either way, the scariest thing that can happen to you is losing sight of your original goal.

Using dark magic will always be a test of willpower, to resist the temptation of the knowledge and power it can give you. By touching the boundary of the origin, the temptation to get even closer to it will be a part of my life forever. And that's not even factoring effects of dark magic."

~Will you ever stop using dark magic? You can stop now, it is never too late for your future.~

"I doubt I will stop using it, I am far too curious for my own good. It may be a mistake, but I will take a deeper dive into the abyss. I want to know what I lost, what exactly did I gain from that experience. I can't change what happened, I can only keep going forward until I find something.

Before I get any closer to the origin, I have to understand the power I gained when I started using dark magic. I need to know how it interacts with me. How can it possibly interact with the world? And later how my connection to the origin influences it.

I want to survive and live a fulfilling life, so I will use whatever tools I have to make that possible. My knowledge of magic will always be a fundamental aspect of my powers. And my connection to the origin can be a trump card in the most dire of circumstances."

~Is there anything I can say that will convince you not to do this.~

"No, and even if it is a mistake, I will accept whatever end it leads me to. But for now, I will focus on what I can do now. My father told me life is a never-ending struggle, but we have to make the most out of it, to make the struggle worth it in the end."