Chapter 60

Magic is a fundamental part of this world, on the surface it may seem like an all powerful ability but one peak behind the curtain shows there is more to it.

Like gazing into the depths of the ocean or peering into the infinite cosmos, the depths to which magic can reach is almost impossible to know.

The tip of it shows us the basics, elemental magic, spellcraft easily powered by the color of one's soul and the natural flow of magic in the world.

Souls typically never have one finite color they're connected to, instead becoming its own unique shade, colored in by the experiences they've gone through over their life.

Most often all souls start as crystal clear, able to align and use any magic, it's not until the age of 5 that the first signs of a tint begin to form.

This tint is their first connection to magic, letting them draw upon the element most heavily connected to them.

Dark Blue is Water.

Light Blue is Ice.

Yellow belongs to Electricity.

Bright Red is Fire.

Dark Red is Blood.

Green belongs to Nature.

Brown is the Earth.

Grey is Metal.

Teal is Air.

These are the most common elements found in the world, most spellcraft is built around them.

As such this is why spells like Flame Wreath, Lighting Bolt, and so on are the most common high level spells.

Along with this there are tiers to the magic, though most don't matter until you get to the high rankings.

The reason for this is that the difference in power between a Commoner and an Apprentice isn't as great as one would think, it's merely practical application and understanding what makes the spell work.

As you climb the rankings though the gap in power increases exponentially every time.

The rankings are as follows.

Common.

Apprentice.

Scholar.

Mage.

Sorcerer.

Flow.

Divine.

Astral.

Beyond.

Unranked.

As it stands currently anything past Astral is considered merely speculation, guesswork done by members of the Leviathan Society who research all matters of ancient magic.

It is through these members that the practice of magic conduits was revived in an era where it was thought to be lost.

"Oh, I know this one!" Eileen says excitedly while raising her hand, making Lily, or rather Six, pause mid lecture. "Magic Conduits are what let us fully grasp our potential, the better the conduit the more exceptional the magic output… it's an amplifier in a sense!"

"Very good, though can you tell me all the conduits currently known?" Six asks calmly, genuinely curious as to how much the young witch knew.

"Well… there's Wands, Staffs, Runes, Magic Circles, Vocal Chants, and… uh…" Eileen pauses, drawing a blank as she tries to remember all of it.

"The last kind is Hand Motions, typically either to cause a certain effect or to simplify a more complicated spell." Six informs with a smile. "The other way of simplifying such spells is to create an Enchanted item, gloves with magic circles on them, swords engraved with runes, even something as simple as a slip of paper can be turned into a deadly weapon with Enchantments."

Eileen nods enthusiastically, a question forming in her head at that moment. "Then how are you able to cast such powerful spells that aren't elemental without a vocal chant or enchantments?"

"Well, Elemental magic is just the tip of the spear… magic as an element is pure and formless, with the right knowhow you can easily do anything with it, though it will take you decades to get to that point." Six sighs a bit, recounting his own tireless days of studying. "To cast the way I do though you'll need to train your body, soul, and mind to become the catalyst… letting magic flow through you freely as if you were one with the planet. By becoming the catalyst all you need to do is memorize the spell and think of it."

"Really?" Eileen asks, looking skeptical at this answer.

Sure it was a popular theory but no one had ever done it yet, not one mage had been able to turn themselves into a walking catalyst… only the gods had such capabilities.

"Really." Six replies calmly.

Without moving from his spot he creates a tiny ball of fire in front of Eileen, condensed in such a way that it looked like a miniature sun.

Not a single word was spoken.

Not a staff or enchantment in sight.

Not a single muscle moved.

Eileen could only sit there in awe, stunned at what she was seeing.

To her this should have been an impossibility, no mentor she'd seen was ever capable of such a thing.

Yet here Lily was… making the impossible seem possible with one demonstration and a calm smile on her face.

"So, you really are the catalyst then?" Eileen asks, trying to figure this all out. "How?"

"Well-" Six begins, only to stop as a knock on their door is heard. "We'll continue this another time…"

Six quickly lets Lily take over, her letting out a sigh the moment she's back in control.

It was still a weird feeling that she would never get used to.

Without wasting a moment she moves to the door, opening it to reveal Vonder standing there. "Good morning, here for more training?"

"I wish." Vonder says with clear concern in his voice. "But no, it's because of the barrier… someone took it down."

"What?" Lily asks in disbelief, though before she even has a chance to process it Eileen is already bolting outside to check.

Quickly she follows behind, needing to see it for herself.

Though before she can even get outside the temperature of the place is dropping drastically, so much so her breath is visible even inside the guild.

Without hesitating she bursts outside along with Eileen, looking up to see a snowfall occurring.

"What the-" Lily quietly begins while holding out her hand, a bit of the snow falling into her palm.

It was a curious thing, it looked like a tiny piece of glass that had been frosted over, yet was not sharp and refused to heat up due to her body temperature. "Is this the barrier?"

"It is, though we don't know who took it down or why… it clearly wasn't the person who put it up though, this is a forced entry by a very powerful mage… someone who has access to everfrost." Vonder comments while walking up to them, looking up at the sky as well. "A spell like that is about the only Ice spell we know of that can have this kind of effect."

"Everfrost?" Lily asks while examining the shard further.

"Ice that never melts, with a spell like this the entire domain will be caught in a winter storm until the energy in the air levels back out." Vonder mutters with a sigh. "Along with this we now have no clue what that damned snake will do, he's not trapped or cut off now… meaning he could launch an attack or flee if he really wanted."

"What are we going to do then?" Eileen asks worriedly, glancing up at Vonder.

The swordsman stops and thinks for a moment, weighing his options with clear hesitance in his eyes.

With a sigh he looks towards the town gate.

"It's best if we go and secure the perimeter, make sure no monsters or cultists sneak up on the place. From there we form a scouting party and-"

Before he could even finish his thought a dark purple light hung over the city, the magic in the air growing denser with each passing second.

Everyone looked up in horror, had they already run out of time.

High in the sky above them was an orb of twisting malformed energy, violently swirling and painting the sky into a darkened purple hue.

"Dark magic?!" Six's voice rings through Lily's mind, unusually worried.

Without warning he takes over Lily's body and holds his hands above him.

"EVERYONE, GET BEHIND ME!" He yells out, alerting everyone in the area.

As he focuses on the area in front of him a half dome of azure blue magic begins to form in front of him, large enough to protect the guild hall as well.

The symbol of a star forms on the front, a ringing sound echoing through the area.

"Brace yourselves!" Vonder calls out as the orb begins to swirl more violently.

In the next moment an ear ringing explosion echoes through the city as the sky is blanketed in darkness.

Soon more explosions are heard as one by one meteors of darkness crash into the city, shaking its very foundation with every impact.

The roaring darkness sounding like nightmarish beasts as it spreads, encompassing everything with a single attack.

Darkness has fallen upon Resovult and the only way out is through it.