Book Excerpt: The Sight

Written by bananafire

Once an aspiring Auramancer understands the underlying concepts, the first steps to practicing magic are to see into this strange other world, an ability referred to as the Sight. The process of obtaining the first Sight is difficult, and happens differently for everyone. For some they realize after learning of the Aether that they've always known something was their and simply need to "open their eyes". others go through weeks of meditation and fasting to slowly gaze into this spiritual realm. Some even have their eyes forcefully opened by a magical being, usually for a price. However they obtained it, once a mage has had their first Sight it becomes an easy process to see into the Aether whenever they want.
Learning to see is only the first step of the Sight, for once a mage sees they must then begin to understand. At first the Aether will seem a very strange place, seemingly made up only of a single pervasive shade. The shade a mage sees when first learning to control the Sight is known as the Oversoul, the aspect of everything that is. A mage must focus in order to break up the slice of the Oversoul they see into the smaller fragments of reality which we interact with in our daily lives. Slowly through focus objects will begin appearing as shades of their own vaguely shaped like their mundane counterparts. If a user is having trouble getting these shades to appear, try switching out of the Sight, focusing on a real object, then moving back into the Sight and visualizing the same object in its place. At first one might find the process difficult, but eventually mages become able to see as easily in this world as in our own.
The final step, seeing the aspects themselves, requires intense research in order to achieve. While the previous steps might take someone a month or two with the proper training, this step might take over a year to achieve. To perceive an aspect a mage must be wholly familiar with its variables, effects, and what can effect it.

Side Note: On classifying mages.

• At this point, one may begin to wonder about the various names given to users of magic throughout this book. While you will read a full chapter on the subject later on in this book, for now understand simply that a mage is any user of any magic, and an Auramancer is a term for anyone that manipulates their own Soul for magic.