Volume 5, Magic and magicians

Magician

Shorthand for [Magic Skills Expert]. A generic term for persons capable of using practical-level magic. Whether the magic used is Modern Magic or Ancient Magic, all are [Magic Skills Experts]. However users of Ancient Magic prefer traditional terms like [Sorcerer], [Medium], [Ascetic], or [Ninja] when introducing themselves. It is said that 1 in 1000 teenagers have magical talent and this becomes 1 in 10000 for adults after power loss due to stresses during growth phases, but this is entirely for [practical-level magic]; persons possessing [combat-level magic] are even rarer.

Magic Sequence

Information bodies meant to temporarily manipulate phenomenon-related information. These are constructed from a magician's stock psions. Phenomenon-related information are also psion information bodies, so magic sequences alter them like what computer viruses do. The [World] has the recovery strength to maintain temporal continuity, hence a magic sequence's effectiveness is only temporary. Given that fact, if sufficiently prolonged magic- induced [alteration] is kept up, it can be [established] as [reality] to the [World]. Magical therapy exploits this principle.

Output processes of magic sequences

Outputting magic sequences obey the following processes.

1.One receives the activation sequence from a CAD. This is called [activation sequence loading].

2.Variables are added to the activation sequence, then both are sent to the magic calculation zone.

3.The magic sequence is constructed from the activation sequence and the variables. This is automatically executed in the magic calculation zone, a black box process even to magicians themselves.

4.The constructed magic sequences are forwarded through the [Route] (it serves as the bottom layer of the conscious and the top layer of the unconscious), and outputted from the [Gate] (the threshold that exists in both conscious and unconscious mind) on to the [Idea].

5.The magic sequences being outputted to the [Idea] alter the Eidos at the specified coordinates, and so rewrite it.

In each magic system and magic process, completing these five processes in 0.5 second is the benchmark for a [practical-level] magician.

Magic systems

Traditional magic classifies the techniques by applying symbolic elements to the phenomenon being activated. Model classifications include the major four elements ([earth], [water], [fire], [air]), the five rings ([sky] is added to the major four elements), and the wu xing ([wood], [fire], [earth], [metal], [water]). There are even cases when elements such as [light], [dark], [void], [nothingness], [divine], [lunar], [lightning], [mountain], and [valley] were added. Modern magic, with its roots from ESP research, are classified not from the perceived property but from its functionality.

Namely,

(Acceleration and Gravitation) (Movement and Oscillation)

(Convergence and Dispersion) (Absorption and Emission)

The above-mentioned is the four-system, eight-type magic taxonomic schema.

Of course it is known that there are always exceptions, magics that cannot be classified under modern magic's four-system eight-type schema. So for example, since the four-system eight-type is focused on functionality, ESP (aka parapsychology, extra-sensory perception) is classified as [Perception magic], separate from the the four-system eight type magics; in this division parapsycholgic approaches are still strong. In terms of scholastic research, the magic systems are finely classified; still [rewriting information that are attached to reality and reflecting those alterations back to reality] is magic's only truth, and this applies to both classified and unclassified magics.

Magic processes

In modern magic the term "magic processes" carry two meanings: one, the very processes to activate magic, and two, the combined singular and multiple magic processing for the purpose of performing the target alterations to reality. For the latter meaning, taking for example magic to relocate an egg from the kitchen to the table, the required processes would be acceleration, movement, acceleration, then movement. Movement magic rewrites an object's velocity and linear coordinates, and omitting the acceleration processes means an increase in acceleration that ignores a target object's inertia (this means one shattered egg). Omitting the movement processing and using only acceleration and deceleration processes means the egg will follow a parabolic trajectory, and this requires extremely fine deceleration control. Even with repeated deceleration processing, using movement magic to zero out the velocity is far easier. With these four processes, it becomes the magic of [relocating an egg from the kitchen to the table]. Prevailing view says civilian-use magics requires more processing stages than military-use magics.

Magic evaluation standards (magic strength)

Magic throughput (how fast one can construct psion information bodies), magic capacity (how big one can construct psion information bodies), and interference strength (how strong one's magic sequences can rewrite the Eidos). These three together define magic strength. Other main factors like stock psion capacity (limits how many times one can activate magic) or multi-variable processing capability (influences the degrees of freedom for magic) are not counted towards magic strength. Magicians are controlled through a licensing system, and it is the norm for them to be assessed from A-rank to E-rank.

Magic calculation zone

The mental zone when magic sequences are constructed. The wellspring for the ability called magic. It exists in a magician's unconscious mind, and while magicians are normally aware and make use of it they cannot sense the actual processes that are being performed there. The magic calculation zone is said to be a sealed black box even among magicians.