Chương 58: Magic Primer, Part 01: Symbolism

Symbolism is an old and primal magic, wildly believed to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, form of magic to have emerged from the Void. There is no supporting evidence, archaeological record or witness testimony for this generally held belief, only hearsay evidence from Symbols who say that these statements feel right when they say it.

The only evidence to support this supposed primacy is that nearly all intelligent sentient physical species (with some exceptions) have the potential to manifest Symbolism as a form of magic. There are seven kinds of Symbols, each corresponding to seven general ranges of emotion. These emotions are traditionally described as Anger, Despair, Fear, 'Honor', Hope, 'Faith' and Love.

Symbols of 'Honor' and 'Faith' are both manifestations of the emotional state of 'belief', with the difference being that Symbols of Honor believe strongly in something internal to themselves, while Symbols of Faith believe in something external to themselves.

Symbolizing for the first time requires the potential Symbol to enter into an intense state of the correct emotion, combined with a strong drive for either survival or action, though if the emotional state is of sufficient intensity the latter might not be necessary. This is usually best manifested in emotionally heightened moments of extreme danger or perceived danger.

Due to the necessary activation conditions, the inability to ascertain if someone is a Symbol before initial Symbolizing, and the inability to ascertain what sort of Symbol a potential Symbol is prior to Symbolizing, organized and intentional attempts to deliberately manifest Symbolism leads to a very high probability of injury and death. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Manifesting Symbolism requires entering an intense emotional state, which will be sustained by the Symbol's magic and continue while they remain in a Symbolized state, and in the long term will lead to altered neurochemistry and thought patterns with sustained and prolonged use. Attempts to modify or regulate this emotional state with mood-altering chemicals or magic once it is in place will fail, as the Symbolized state will constantly purge the Symbol of this external interference.

While individual manifestations are highly idiosyncratic, all share a common manifestation. Symbols manifest garments of negligible weight, restriction and extreme defensive capability referred to as their 'regalia', as well as a weapon of some sort. Each manifested instance of both is subtly different from the previous, which is said to be the regalia and weapon aligning more strongly with how Symbol wishes to use them. Continued use of Symbolism is said to lead to insanity and premature death.

While each form of Symbolism is generally stereotyped according to how the Symbol's culture perceives or expresses the emotion in question, in truth the manifestation of Symbolism is purely idiosyncratic to each Symbol. How they feel is how the magic will manifest itself, and any cultural stereotypes are only as relevant as each Symbol feels it is.

Symbols are generally considered Magical Girls (and Boys) rather than Wizards due to the extreme idiosyncrasy making any continuity of knowledge, techniques, or methods all but impossible. Something being possible to do with Symbolism does not mean all symbols would be able to do it, and two Symbols being able to do what appears to be the same thing does not mean they can do it in the same way, or with the same level of ease. Those who die without ever having manifested their Symbol in life form gravehearts.