What is magic?

It is widely accepted that magic is a tradition, an art formed through the observation of this mystical paradox called Earth. Magic is manipulation of universe's energies, magic is deliberate and magic is inherent in the Earth's creatures. Magic can't be created nor can it be made up, but when people attempted to use it the result was the creation of spells. Raul's lifetime of studies into magic and the universe had led him to a single conclusion.

Life sucks.

Nobody and no thing is born equal, much like a game's character creation set on random every living person is born with different looks, intelligence, talent, charm, health and the lucky ones get to keep all their limbs. After a person is born they then have to brave the natural world outside the relative comfort of the womb. It is in this world where the chance exists to gain success through luck or become penniless if unlucky. It is at this point where Raul had placed magic's purpose. 

Magic is a way to level the playing field we call life.

With the ability to manipulate Earth's energies, magicians gain full access to the greatest resource at their disposal; mother nature. From transforming rocks to gems and ferocious lions to lovable companions magic contrasts with life because magic's possibilities are endless. Wealth and status become obsolete to the magician, nor are they required for a magician to practice their craft. The requirements for the practice of magic are those inherited from person to person.

Desire, curiosity, knowledge, awareness, intelligence, persistence and education.

The poorest orphan could stumble upon a magic book and become a king in a day. A wealthy tyrant could rule for a dozen years then offend a magician and disappear. But not every promise is fulfilled in life, nor is every one destined for power. One does not need to understand the magic texts written in ancient times. Not everyone can consume the magical potions which provide information on spells and experiments.

But even without understanding, Earth's wisdom grants every being the ability to learn magic.

The ability to listen to the Earth's wisdom provides each and every person with the necessary teachings for proficiency of magic, if they are just willing to listen to it. In every precious material, from the glittering gemstones filled with the Earth's power to blades of grass trampled underneath a horses shoe there lies the Earth's wisdom. Free and abundant for all. One is not born into magic, but they are quickly and undoubtedbly adoubted into it's embrace once born into the world. Those that learn how to use magic from Earth's wisdom or other means are known as magicians.

The act of learning how to use magic is known as witchcraft.

“And it is your voice that has led me here.”

Yes.

Raul looked calmly at the tree in front of him. According to the universal understanding given by the Earth's wisdom, magic is the source of all power. Whether used benevolently or selfishly each person knew that the general rule is that magicians reap what they sow. Receive evil for evil done. Receive good for good deeds done.

So the standard perception was that witchcraft is something that allows you do what you want, but harm no-one.

Raul placed his hand against the tree, “You tell me that there is something on it's way capable of and willing to destroy Earth. But you say that they will reap no evil karma and so you can't tell me who it is or what they will do.”

Correct.

He frowned.

“How is that possible? No, it is impossible. No magician could wreak this kind of havoc and harm this many lives without incurring the wrath of Earth.”

Not a magician.

“Not a magician?” Raul's curiosity peaked. He had never heard of something like this, “What is it then?”

Do you desire the knowledge?

The tree shimmered and a bright ray of white light lit up from within it, splitting the tree in half and creating a circle of bright light big enough to fit a person inside. It was not a spell, nor was it any kind of manipulation of magic. It was a burst of concentrated power in one area that punctured through reality itself. 

A portal.

Raul was silent. Magic was concerned with the immediate needs and desires of the practitioner in the here and now. It never sought the possible rewards and was never concerned with the possible future outcomes. There was no waiting in time, magic gave a magician their share of rewards in the now.

So why was the magic tempting him with possibilities?

Find the answers you seek magician.

Raul took a step towards the portal and then hesitated.

Every magician was enticed by knowledge, but they had long ago evolved past the need for violence to solve problems. Magic's very nature determined the near eradication of brutality in the universe. Peace could be felt by simply breathing the air. To see greed was rare, to find someone that acted selfishly was to find a diamond in a haystack. A killer was so rare as to be unique in the world.

Raul could be called that unique person.

But like all magicians he didn't have a disposition towards killing and murder.

“What do you want me to do.”

Find the cause. Destroy the destroyer. Stop the end of magic.

“Why me?” Raul acted hesitant but stepped into the light, allowing himself to be bathed in it's rays.

He already knew the answer to his question.

He could be pursuaded. He could kill if he needed to.

'Magic doesn't kill. Magic never wants to kill. It is impossible.' Raul scratched his side pensively.

It was the magicians nature to be inquisitive, to explore new things and go into the unknown. And Raul knew that he could no more resist mystery's calling than resist the will to live. Magic was infinite, enough for every creature on the Earth to use a million times more than they currently were. Constantly generated, benefiting everyone, every individual, creature or thing and maximising their potential. It was something constituent of the universe and intertwined within the cosmos. It was everlasting and beyond the concepts of time, life and death.

What could threaten this almighty force?

Because you are the only one suitable.

Because you will become the karma to those that seek to harm me.

Raul breathed in the last breathe of peaceful forest air he knew he would be taking in for a while. He wasn't sure where the portal went, he didn't even know if he would be able to come back to this place, his home.

He took the final step and went through the portal, and the air around him reverberated as the ground sighed.

Good luck, druid.

****

The history of magic has existed for as long as the history of man has been recorded.

Which is not that long, relatively speaking.

Nobody knows the origin of magic. Some scholars propose that magic is what created the universe, others that magic was first created alongside the universe. But what is known is that magic is contained within every space and inside every portion of the existence. There is no place with life and death that does not contain magic. There are no people or cultures completely cut off from magic, no traditions devoid of magical influence and no history untouched by it's unseen hand.

And alongside magic's companionship the human race learned to utilise it's resources and harness it's capabilities.

They named this concept of magic manipulation 'spell'.

Casting a magic spell is simple and complicated, depending on how you wish to manipulate magic.

Some choose to shout words and infuse these words with magic so that they then become spells. Others stand within magical circles or wield objects capable of harnessing magic. What truly separates a magical spell from any other action is the casters intentions. Spells are unlimited in forms, but magicians are limited in imagination. For a spell to be created and used, the magician must consciously attempt to manipulate magical power and the Earth's energies with intent in order to achieve a goal.

That is not to say that every spell suits every magician. If a caster tries and fails to use gems to conjure the water necessary to put out a fire then perhaps they would be better suited to drawing in the energies from the air. Studies into this phenomenon led to the creation of five different sources from which magicians could draw magical power, water, fire, wind, earth and spirit. Some magicians can draw magic power equally from all five, others might find it easier to draw from earth and come up empty when trying with water. The strongest of magicians were those that could draw magic from more than one source of magic. To find someone who could draw from three sources of magic was rare. 

Raul could draw energy from all five sources.

As soon as he stepped out of the portal he saw the air around him darken.

The portal of light had closed the moment he stepped forth.

Raul quickly stretched out the fingers of both his hands, each one painted a different colour. He concentrated on his middle fingers, one painted red and the other black, and pointed his fingers out into the space ahead of him.

“Spell of protection; Saliva anti danger spell.” Raul calmly uttered the words and spat over his left shoulder.

A small sound was made as the spit hit a dry leaf and Raul instantly felt calmer.

There were different ways to cast spells of protection. Sometimes the ingredients needed could fill a house and the chants would be an hour long.

Raul had gone for the quicker option.

Using the immediately available resource of his spit he had cast a simple spell of protection designed to repel evil spirits or beings harbouring evil intentions that were lurking about.

The reason he had stretched out his fingers was simple. Spells of protection were often strengthened by the presence of the number five. The number was present not as a written image, but as a concept which was inside the caster's mind at the time. To put a solid presence of this concept in the material plane such as two hands with five fingers each would greatly increase the strength of the spell. And the reason he had concentrated on his red and black fingers was because those colours, as well as blue, were also used to strengthen protection spells. He had simply chosen to concentrate on his middle fingers as it would have been slightly slower to also concentrate on his blue pinky at the same time.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Where is the magic?”

Raul frowned and he studied the surroundings. Since he was able to cast magic using all five sources, he was naturally connected to these sources as though they were limbs. But now he could only sense one source of magic, his spirit. It was as though there was no magic in the world around him. There was also a peculiar feeling to the air, the aura of not only the atmosphere but also the world around him contained something different, something new.

"This world is filled with the scent of death." 

The first thing that Raul noted was that it was night time.

“Perhaps... lunar divination?”

Divination spells are a type of magic manipulation that lets magicians divine whatever their heart desires. Whether it be their fate, the local news or memories of the past. But in order to choose the correct spell the caster also needs to choose an action. Diviners use tools, rituals, spells and systems to reveal hidden information. Unlike the protection spells a divination spell cannot be strengthened through aid of a number or colour. This is because unlike other classes of spells, divination spells put the caster into direct contact with magic. Concentrating solely on the spell is a form of respect to magic from the caster.

Lunar divination is a simple divination magic spell, the caster only has to gaze at the moon, pose the question they wish to ask in their mind and then inspiration would come to them.

Raul shook his head, “No.”

Unfortunately this spell required him to take his mind off the surroundings for a long period of time. This is common in most divination spells, but as well as not giving an immediate answer, lunar divination could also take from as little as a few minutes to as much as a few weeks to provide the caster with the answers they seek. In this world that reeked of death and lacked magic in the air he couldn't risk something happenig while his guard was down.

Raul rummaged through one of the many bags underneath his robes. When he withdrew his hand it was grasping a small herb.

Raul brought the herb up to his mouth and chewed on it.

Salvia divinorum, known commonly as oracle sage. The sage itself was not a divination spell, nor was one required using the herb. Instead oracle sage acts as a gateway to the opening of psychic abilities. It would allow the user to breathe in the atmosphere of the world and divine it's properties. It was most effective when burnt and the smoke inhaled, but it could also be eaten when fire is unavailable. What would be found through this method is not precise answers to questions but general information granted from the world around him. An invisible hand scouring the surroundings and feeding what it felt into his being. 

Raul's eyes closed and he took a deep breath, allowing his senses to retract as he attempted to understand the information being placed into his mind.

“I see...” Raul let out a sigh and cut off the effects of the oracle sage.

He didn't want to be under the effects of a divination spell for too long because he didn't know if there were enemies around. The divination had quickly revealed what he wanted to know. He had divined that whether it was the trees surrounding him or the air he breathed nothing contained magic. All four of the external sources of magical power were cut off from him. Which left himself his spirit, as the sole source of magic left within this world.

This meant his magical power had been lowered to a fifth of his usual state.

“Something which comes from a world with no magic, and contains no magic, can reap no karma for evil actions.” Raul speculated, “But if there is no magic, how can something without hope to threaten that which has magic? Let alone magic itself.”

If there was still an internal source of magic then that meant that magic could still reach the inhabitants of this world. 

He needed more answers.

Raul strode forward and put his hand on a nearby tree, lightly pulling on one of its fresh leaves and plucking it.

In the divination class of spells there was one known as fig divination. Because the fig tree is descended from the tree of life it's fruits could be used to determine the future of ones life. However this tree was not a fig tree, nor did it bear fruit.

Instead, Raul was going to use a similar spell to divine a simple answer from the leaf. In order to use the original spell he first had to state a distinctive proposal, plan or scheme to the fig. With his modified spell he would only have to ask the leaf in his hand a question.

Raul massaged the leaf inbetween his fingers, “What animals eat your brethren?”

He placed the leaf near another leaf, that he saw had been slightly chewn. He was careful to make sure they didn't touch since the nature of the spell would be ruined if they did.

The leaf in his hand slowly transformed, wilting in places, and remaining green in others. In a few seconds it had formed a distinct image of a squirrel-type creature.

“Good.” Raul let out a smile for the first time since arriving.

The picture didn't provide too many details, it couldn't provide a detailed image nor could it show how tell or wide the creature was. But the fact that the spell had worked proved to Raul that the objects and creatures in this land could be used to cast spells. He would have been severely limited in his options if he couldn't use the local resources in his spells.

Of course, Raul had a specific plan in mind now that he knew that there were animals in this magic-less world.

Magical partners.

In his world magical partners were commonplace. Animals or creatures who participate in spells and rituals, enhancing them with their own powers. 'Familiars' are the main category of magical partners. Familiar category magical partners are animals or creatures that are familiar with the caster, an individual that shares and lives with an intense psychic bond with the caster. A personal bond. This bond means that the caster and the familiar will feel a need to be together physically most times. A dog that sleeps under the caster's bed or a bird perched on the caster's shoulder all day would most likely be familiars. Familiars can enhance magic within the caster and sometimes the familiar can even cast spells themselves.

Allies on the other hand are something that transcend the boundaries of familiars. Any animal may be approached to become an ally. It is a relationship on the spiritual level between the animal and the caster. Sometimes an ally may be found inherently within the casters spirit and so whenever the caster encounters that type of animal they will automatically be allies.

As a druid it was not uncommon for Raul to communicate and form relationships with the many animals in his home forest. He had many allies, but he had never had a familiar, because druids were naturally solitary when it came to their spiritual individuality.

One form of magic involving magical partners are animal images. Often a painting of an animal or creature could invoke it's properties, for example, a carving of a tiger could invoke ferocity within the caster using it.

The animal image which had formed from the leaf in Raul's hand couldn't be used in this way because it was too indistinct. But it could be used to find the creature it resembled.

“Animal healing magic; Magical sign animal spell.”

Raul held the leaf in his hand and concentrated on the animal shape it was carved in.

Then he placed it on the ground.

An appropriately shaped animal image could be used to locate lost animals. But in this use of the spell Raul was simply letting every animal of this type in range know that he was there, and calling out to them.

Raul rummaged through his bags again and his hand came out with a small bottle, the contents of which he sprayed onto his palms. He then put the bottle back in his bag.

Eve oil.

The creation of this oil was simple, apple blossoms, dried pomegranate seeds and snake root all placed in a bottle and covered with sweet almond and jojoba oil. Eve oil was use primarily to help communicate with animals. It could allow the users emotions to be understood by the animal and when used by a proficient and powerful caster such as Raul it could allow the animal to understand his words, and for him to understand it's emotions in return. Normally he would have dressed a candle with the oil in order to maximise it's use but he didn't want to use up the candles he had in his bags without good reason because they could be used for important and powerful spells.

Next Raul repeated the same process he had with the leaf and created a group of carved leaves, all in the shape of the squirrel-type animal. He placed them in a circle around the original leaf. In order to make an animal his ally or familiar it was necessary that the circle he used was big enough to fit both of them inside it. There was a slight breeze but now that the circle had been completed the leaves wouldn't budge even if there was a hurricane.

Soon a furry creature the size of a large rat waddled in from behind the surrounding trees and sniffed at the leaf curiously, giving Raul a glance with it's wide, orb-like eyes. Raul looked calmly back at it and noted that even though it ate leaves, the creature had two large canines in its upper teeth. It looked like a cross between a vampire and squirrel.

A world of death could only ever give birth to an animal designed for killing.

Raul sat down and placed a small branch in front of him, frankincense.

Then he attempted to visualise his proposal to the creature, causing it to shrink back as it was suddenly confronted by the feeling of having Raul communicate with it's mind, with it's spirit.

It was a type of communication that trancended the physical dimension.

As well as sitting inside the circle and using the frankincense to establish a spiritual link with the creature, Raul also needed to wait until the creature was willing to communicate with him.

Even if an animal was trapped within his circle, Raul couldn't force it to become his ally. The intricacies of the relationship of being allies with a magical partner was built on affection, love, respect and personal chemistry. These traits would be developed over time in normal situations, but because he was in a rush Raul was relying on a different method. He was requesting an alliance outright. As for whether or not the creature would know how to accept the communication he wasn't worried. Each and every creature in existence would instinctively know how to accept a communication once it was sent to them.

Raul was suddenly confronted with a frightened, but inquisitive emotion.

Raul smiled, “I see I have your attention, woodland creature.”

The emotions were not Raul's, they were the creatures. By accepting the establishment of the link the creature caused Raul to experience the same emotions that it was feeling. It was clearly frightened of him, but only because it was witnessing something it had never experienced before. It didn't sense a threat from him, and he wasn't giving off the aura of someone that intended it harm, so it had accepted his proposal to talk.

“I will make my proposal simple,” Raul spoke slowly so that he could gauge from the creature's emotions where it stood in the negotiations to partner with him, “I offer you protection and in return I ask that you guide me to the nearest place that has creatures of my kind.”

The good thing about having allies over familiars was that the caster and the creature were independent from each other. Unlike familiars, allies could provide information one day and be an ocean away in distance the next without any repercussions. If the squirrel was willing to become his ally it would only need to give him an answer and then they would be connected on a spiritual level. But Raul could also let the squirrel live it's life in peace after he had fulfilled his bargain and then never see it again.

Emotions of excitement flitted through Raul.

The creature was excited because it could sense within it's spirit how powerful Raul was. It was a simple creature with no aspirations in life other than to keep on living. It sensed that Raul could help it in that regard.

The creature looked at Raul and he nodded in response. He could feel that it wanted him to fulfil his end of the bargain before it helped him with his request.

"Very well. Prepare yourself creature."

Raul took out a piece of amber from his bags and closed his eyes to visualise the animal it represented, “Animal protection spell; Tiger guardian spirit spell.”

In his world the tiger is profoundly connected with the traits of strength and daring. A ferocity that allowed the tiger to fully utilise the magic it was born with. It was an animal that was feared for it's magical power and ability to wield it. When a tiger died it would leave behind an amber in it's body that would contain it's magical power. The spell he had just cast used this amber and would cause the squirrel-type creature to be surrounded by the aura of a tiger at all times. While it would remain the same physically it would change it's mental state to that of a predator, becoming fiercer and braver. It would also emit a ferocious aura that would scare off potential predators. For an animal in the wild that didn't wish to become stronger and wanted to live it's life peacefully this was the best kind of protection that could be given to it.

The squirrel let out a series of ferocious emotions as it attempted to control the new-found traits it had been gifted and the mental state it found itself in.

A few minutes later the creature sent out an emotion that could roughly be translated in words as, 'thank you' and then confirmed that it did indeed know the way to other creatures shaped like Raul.

“Lead me to them my friend.” Raul whispered.

He wasn't sure whether or not the humans would be friendly, so he warned the creature not to get too close.

In this land how could he trust that the inhabitants wouldn't kill him on sight?

The creature ran into the trees and Raul followed it. He vaguely gathered from the squirrel's emotions that it was purposefully passing through the nests of several of its kind in order to show off it's new aura of ferocity to it's fellow squirrel-things.

Raul sighed and he could feel a small twinge inside of him, his magic was reacting to his feelings.

It was a druid's job to maintain peace and order wherever they were. Now he had done something which might affect the entire ecosystem of this forest. He didn't regret it, he was in a world that magic itself had told him contained hostility and desperate times called for desperate measures.

They had walked through two miles of trees and bushes when the creature suddenly stopped and pointed a clawed paw forward.

Raul squinted his eyes and realised that across from the trees he could see a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a lake with a small wooden bridge built across it. A few meters away from the bridge was a hill covered in grass the sloped gently downward as well as a tall tree overlooking it bearing fruit that Raul couldn't identify.

And on top of the hill and underneath the tree was a wooden hut.

Raul clenched his fingers, and focused on his pinkies, one containing blue and the other purple. Then he focused solely on the pinky that was purple. He thought of the intensity of his desires and the seriousness of his mission. Then he channelled these emotions as he felt the magic power within his spirit spark. Then he opened his palms and spread the oil he had within them over his body underneath his robe.

“Spell of Domination; My Will Be Done.”

Among the spell classes there are spells which have generated a bad name for magicians. Strengthened by the colour purple, the type of spells only to those known and used by those that seek to do evil and reap evil karma. They are spells that allow the caster to convince or force others to do their bidding, spells that allow one to exert ones will onto others despite opposition and enhance the caster's influence beyond natural limits. These are spells that allow the caster to persuade others to bend over and ask what they can do for you.

Domination spells.

They are different from hex class spells in that there is no harm intended towards the target. They are not used to attack. 

They are used to control others.

The first domination class spell was developed by a woman, and so were most of the others after that. In the ancient times before magic was well known and thought to be spread unequally among the populace, some women lived in fear of their lives. They were beholden to their husbands, fathers and brothers and their lives could be cut away with a simple word or false accusation.

And so they wished for a way to escape their slave-like lives.

And the Earth's wisdom responded.

It was a class of spells that could be used for great evil, but also for great good. For all the magicians in history that used domination class spells for evil there were also those that used them for good. There is rarely a black and white way of seeing a use for magic. Slavery was abolished because a single slave found a spell to forcefully show others the things they had experienced in such a way that they could not deny it any longer.

The spell Raul had just used was not designed to control others directly. Instead it caused him to radiate influence and power. It required the spreading of commanding oils over his body.

Normally this spell would cause others to cower and fear from the aura being emitted.

But this was only if amateurs used the spell. The normal use of the spell simply emulated a powerful aura like the tiger spell he had cast on the allied creature before. Raul's was different because his aura was not fake, he simply kept it contained at all times in order to properly commune with the Earth's wisdom free from distractions. The power radiating from his body was incomparable to that of the spell's ordinary casting and he could control it in any way he wished. If he wanted to, he could even use it to attack.

“Ancient one... why have you come to visit me?”

A voice echoed across the clearing and caused the trees to shake and animals to screech into the air. The squirrel creature was scared away and the sky filled with birds escaping into the skies.

The presence of birds in this world would be of great use to him later.

A man stepped out of the wooden hut and frowned.

He could sense Raul's aura and to him it looked as though someone had lit the surrounding forest on fire. The man shivered but a second later a weaker, but still quite strong aura of peace and tranquillity emerged from his body.

The man spread out his hands in a welcoming gesture, “I am not a man of violence, and I am also a man of few enemies. If you are unrelated to me and simply passing by I would be more than grateful to accept you into my humble abode and discuss the dao with you.”

'Dao?' Raul's expression remained unchanged but internally he began to think.

He didn't recognise this word.

But from the context he could see that the man expected him to know it.

'A synonym for magic?' Raul smiled.

He could tell from this man's aura that he was a person of peace. Raul recognised it as the aura of someone who had incredibly good karma, and had accumulated it from his good deeds.

However, he couldn't sense any magic within this aura.

He immediately retracted his aura of power and the man gave him a pleasant smile and withdrew his own aura in response. Raul walked over the bridge and stopped before entering the shade of the tree.

“I am impressed.” Raul spoke.

The man spoke questioningly, “What have I done to earn your respect, ancient one.”

Raul pointed towards his heart, “When confronted with a man radiating power and influence such as I, you not only showed that you were a peaceful man not used to violence but also accept me into your home. Some would call you foolish. I call you impressive.”

The man looked confused then grinned, “But of course, I accept everyone and everything, regardless of their past or future. For that is my dao.”

Raul nodded at him and entered the house.

The reason he did this was because he had seen the man's aura clearly. There were many people in the world capable of changing their aura's with spells or even hiding their auras.

But these people would never be able to fool Raul.

He had read not only the man's aura, but also his personality and traits from this one point of contact. He could tell without a doubt that this man meant him no harm and was trustworthy.

But he still didn't let down his guard. He had only temporarily retracted the effect of the domination spell, he hadn't cancelled it altogether.

The inside of the hut was simple. There was a mattress on the floor that looked like it was made out of wool and filling up the middle of the hut was a small wooden table and three chairs. Raul smiled at the wool. It meant that at the very least the people of this world were advanced enough to begin concentrating on bringing luxury to their lives. Clearly this peaceful man lived a life similar to himself, in seclusion and cut off from the temptations of the material plane.

The man stood behind a chair and motioned to another, “Please, sit.”

Once Raul had sat down the man followed suite and they stared at each other.

Raul cleared his throat.

“I will begin. What is dao?”