Elemental Magic

It all comes from within

Based on the Chinese Wu Xing.

Elemental magic is a sub-form of magic which was created alongisde the world. It's a cycle of five elements, all which are important to the world and to one another.

Elements

Magic is divided into five elements, all of which are connected to one another. For every element, there is one Ancient Dragon. Even though a single being can only posses one element, the truth is that all five elements reside within a being's body, and thus must be kept in balance.

Element	Earth	Metal	Water	Wood	Fire
Color	Yellow	White	Black	Green	Red
Creature	Humans	Furred	Shelled	Scaly	Feathered
Life stage	Adolescence	Adulthood	Old age/conception	Early Childhood	Pre-puberty
Season	Late summer	Fall	Winter	Spring	Summer
Especializes in	Creation/Destrunction	Attack/defense	Heal/shock	Tracking	Movement

Cycles

Element	Earth	Metal	Water	Wood	Fire
Earth	-	Weakens	Rebels	Controls/destroys	Strengthens
Metal	Strengthens	-	Weakens	Rebels	Controls/destroys
Water	Controls/destroys	Strengthens	-	Weakens	Rebels
Wood	Rebels	Controls/destroys	Strengthens	-	Weakens
Fire	Weakens	Rebels	Controls/destroys	Strengthens	-

In-depth explanation (wood will be used as the example element here):

Strengthens: Means that anything/anyone with this element can lend their own magic force to add to that of someone with the element they can strengthen (in this case, Fire). However, doing this for long periods of time would bring a physical toll on the person who is lending their force (aka Weakens). (Inter-promoting cycle)

Controls/destroys: A magic user is able to stabilize the energy of another (in this case, Earth) so that it doesn't get out of their control, or they can straight up destabilize it, with some advanced users being able to even block their magic abilities for a while. (Inter-regulating/Overacting cycles).

Rebels: Just because an element has a weakness (Metal), doesn't mean they can't fight against it. A magic user must be at their most powerful to have the best chances to succesfully defeat someone of their 'opposite' element who is overpowering them. Even then, it must be done carefully and without direct attacks, lest they end up worse than they would have if they hadn't attempted to counterattack. (Counteracting cycle).

Weakens: If the user gets far too much strength from someone lending them their magic energy, the latter may end up weakened. Through direct attacks, too, they are able to overpower the element (water) that would otherwise strengthen them. (Weakening cycle).

Magic cycles.webp

Magic cycles by Pierrot

Blue: Generating cycle; purple: weakening cycle; green: overacting cycle; red: counteracting cycle

Usage

A Magic User will have three key skills to their advantage:

1. Basic Spells, which require at least a small fragment of a Magic Shard or the user to activate their Magic Core.
2. Advanced Spells, whcih draw energy directly from the spellcaster and/or the Magic Shard they're holding. The smaller the Magic Shard fragment, the more energy it will draw from the spellcaster. Ultimaltely, these are strengthened or weakened by the elements around them.
3. Elemental-only Magic Core Ability, for which they must activate their magic core. Each element has a unique skill that can only be used when the spellcaster has enough energy.

The easiest way of using magic is to manipulate the gravity around oneself. This can be achieved at all times by having all the elements inside of oneself in balance, or at will if the user manages to keep their emotions in check lest one overpowers the others.

Magic Core

The place where all the magic is focused. Each Magic Core has an assigned element.
There are six total places where the Magic Core can be located, each giving the user a skill unique to the element (with a price):

Both eyes (Earth): During 60 seconds, which don't have to be consecutive, the user gets the ability to manipulate their surroundings. This ability is particularly more draining than any other magical ability, and it's uncommon for someone to be able to hold it for 60 consecutive seconds. Once the 60 seconds are up, the ability will automatically stop functioning. Each second takes an hour to recharge, and it won't start doing so until all of them are used.
Left eye (Metal): Gives the user the ability to completely stop a magic attack, but to complete the action they must channel all that energy and bring it inside themselves, and then completely nullify it. The amount of energy they can channel inside themselves is directly proportional to the amount of magic their body can support.
Left hand (Water): The user is able to heal another's wounds, no matter how big they are; however, the health that is given to the wounded being is taken from the user
Right hand (Wood): Enhances their tracking powers and gives them the unique skill of telepathy. Though it drains a great amount of the user's energy and can only be targeted at one being at a time, this ability has immense potential.
Right eye (Fire): The user is able to move one single object or being at will, much like telekinesis. In turn, they surrender their ability to manipulate their own gravity while the Magic Core ability is in use.

When the Magic Core is active, it will have a strong white glow.

Awakening the Magic Core

The user has to be able to focus their energy on any part of their body at will. Because the Magic Core is where all the magic from the user is stored, they must focus all their energy on the place where the Magic Core is supposed to be (which depends on the element; in the case of Earth element users, it's about trial and error with both possible options). Even if done on purpose, it is generally regarded as a painful experience, sometimes even exhausting.

Failing to awake the Magic Core

If the user fails to successfully focus all their energy where the magic core should be, it will have a weak white glow instead of a strong one. It will also be exhausting to even keep it active and will bring none of the benefits of activating the Magic Core, so at this stage it's better to quit and try again later.

Losing your magic core

There are two ways of permanently losing one's magic core: by becoming a Wroth or using more power than what you can manage. The former already has an article of its own, so let's elaborate on the latter:
A single being can only handle a limited amount of magic energy before collapsing. Magic flows through the body, in and out, and the magic core is where all that power is stored. If someone tries to use more magic energy than they can afford, and are not being dominated by their anger, all that energy will lead to the sealing of their magic core. Unlike Wroth, nothing will happen to the part of the body where the magic core is stored, and it can sometimes be recovered. It also doesn't affect magic usage.

Manifestation

Magic is spread thin all over the world. Generally, it is impossible to see, but there are places or moments, particularly under the shattered sky, where there is so much magic that it becomes visible to the untrained eye. Some examples are:

1. 'Magic forests'. Not actually magical themselves, but some forests have such a high amount of magic that it feels as if a light fog (generally violet or green) surrounded the entire forest.
2. Island of the End: A mysterious place where nothing makes sense

Type

Metaphysical, Elemental

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