"But how did she manage to create the character cards?" Lyra pondered, her mind racing to make sense of it all.
She had a good grasp on the basics; how races were classified, the different levels of magic, and the weight of magical power in determining strength. But that was just surface knowledge. She understood the classifications of magic, yet there was one critical problem: 'she didn't know the names of all the spells.'
The levels of magic were calculated based on the maximum amount of magical power that could be used to cast a spell, sure. But how could she represent a magic level on the card without knowing the specific spell names?
'Logically, it didn't add up.' Something was missing in her understanding, and by all accounts, the card shouldn't have been possible to complete. 'But somehow, she had done it.'
"If I don't know the magic names, how could I have made it?" she muttered under her breath.
Lyra stared at the character card, feeling a creeping sense of doubt. 'Could it be flawed?' The card displayed magic spells and their respective levels as it should, but 'how?' She wasn't even confident she had entered the correct information. And yet, there it was. 'What went wrong?'
Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, she began piecing together her thoughts. Aside from her own knowledge, she realized that her abilities; her natural talent and magic, might have played a part in the card-making process.
Maybe it wasn't about knowing every detail, she thought. Maybe she was able to create it 'precisely because' her abilities were filling in the gaps.
"But how?" she whispered, biting her lip in frustration.
She hadn't formally studied any magic yet. The 'Golden Pen Technique' and the 'Witch Book' they were witch magic, yes, but she had only been given the right to use them. They weren't truly hers.
As the realization dawned on her, it became obvious: 'it was her talent, the Book of Cards,' that had made this possible.
Her heart raced as the pieces clicked together. The Card Book had the unique ability to read her thoughts and, from that, create the corresponding cards.
"Wait," she gasped. 'Could the character card be pulling from my mind to determine the magic names?'
She thought about the various spells she'd encountered, knowing that different names existed for the same magic. It made sense that the card might rely on her perception, her understanding of what the magic should be called.
Suddenly inspired, Lyra decided to put her theory to the test.
"Change the Golden Pen Technique to Contract Technique!" she commanded, her voice trembling with anticipation.
In the blink of an eye, the name on the character card shifted 'the Golden Pen Technique was now the Contract Technique'!
'It worked.' It actually responded to her thoughts! The magic names could change according to her mind's interpretation.
Though she returned the name back to its original form, her mind buzzed with excitement. The revelation left her unsettled. Up until now, she had taken pride in the rapid success of making cards, but that pride was quickly dissolving. She realized something crucial:
'"I can't make something if I don't fully understand it,"' she said aloud, closing the card book with a resolute thud.
The feeling of accomplishment vanished, replaced by a sobering awareness of what she was missing. The issue wasn't her inspiration for creating cards; it was her lack of knowledge and magical expertise that left her feeling incomplete.
'"I need to focus on the fundamentals."'
Not wanting to fall into the trap of complacency, Lyra called upon her witch book, summoning its wisdom with a quiet incantation. She knew that tomorrow's lesson would involve learning to craft magic wands, and she needed to prepare. Flipping to the section titled '"Magic Wands,"' she settled in and began reading.
The preface caught her attention immediately:
'"The original name of 'Magic Wand' is 'The Witch's Stick,'' the book stated. '"It comes from a witch who chose to remain nameless. This book is a beginner's guide to the history of wands, suitable for young witches who are just beginning to grasp their power."'
'"The Witch's Stick?"' Lyra murmured, her brow furrowed in curiosity. The unusual title intrigued her, drawing her further into the text.
As she continued reading, the book revealed a fascinating history: in ancient times, witches didn't fully understand their abilities. They believed that their magical gifts were tied to the visions they had during their first awakening.
One witch, known as the 'Scarlet Witch', had burst into flames when she awoke, her magic intertwined with fire. Another, the 'Blue Witch', had conjured a torrent of water. A third, the 'Green Witch', had caused plants to grow rapidly around her.
The book went on, describing witches of various colors; Blue, Purple, Orange, White, and Black; each tied to a unique magical element that manifested during their awakening.
Lyra read eagerly, absorbing every word, knowing that this knowledge would be crucial as she continued her journey. 'Her path to mastering magic was only just beginning,' but now she had a clearer sense of where to go.
A newly awakened witch often struggled to control her powers, which would flare up unpredictably, sometimes in the worst possible moments.
In the time when angels and demons coexisted on the Valen Continent, sharing human territory, the rules were strict. In the human kingdom, only the priests and knights of the Angel Church, and the priests and warriors of the Demon Church, were permitted to wield magical powers. Anyone outside the church who displayed supernatural abilities was branded a heretic—'a traitor to the order'—and was swiftly condemned.
'Witches', who had no control over their emerging powers, were often the ones to face the harshest punishment. The consequences were brutal. If their magic revealed itself, no matter how accidentally, they were dragged to the stake to be burned alive. Countless witches were exposed in moments they couldn't predict, their powers betraying them in fits of uncontrolled energy, and they were executed mercilessly.
One such witch was named 'Thelma'. She had tried to hide her abilities, but when the inevitable day came, she was discovered. Dragged to the stake, she stood before the priest and the gathered villagers, her fate seemingly sealed. But just as the flames began to lick at her skin, something unimaginable happened. 'Her magic erupted', an uncontrollable force that surged outward and incinerated the very people who had come to judge her—'the priest and the villagers were burned to ashes'.
Desperate and horrified by her own power, Thelma fled into the deep, remote forests, where she hoped to escape the church's relentless pursuit. These forests were wild and treacherous, teeming with snakes, insects, rats, and all manner of creatures. To defend herself, she carried nothing more than a simple wooden stick, using it to beat back the pests and dangers of the woods.
One day, Thelma noticed something extraordinary. While gripping the stick she had carried for so long, the chaotic fire magic inside her—usually uncontrollable and dangerous—became 'gentle and manageable'. Though its raw strength had diminished, it was suddenly 'under her control'. More than that, the stick seemed to unlock new abilities—'not just fire', but control over water, plants, wind, and other elements. It was as if the stick was transforming into a conduit for all the latent powers she possessed.
This simple wooden stick, weathered from constant use, became the world's 'first magic wand'.
Not long after, Thelma encountered a fellow witch deep in the forest, a reclusive sorceress known as the 'Green Witch'. She shared her discovery with her, showing how the stick had helped her tame her wild abilities. The Green Witch was intrigued and crafted a stick of her own. To their amazement, after some time, the Green Witch's stick began to display the same magical qualities as Thelma's.
Word of this incredible discovery began to spread among the witches, passed along in secret. Soon, witches across the continent started crafting their own "sticks," using them to harness and control their unpredictable powers. As they experimented with these tools, they realized something else profound: the visions they experienced at their magical awakening, which they had believed were tied to 'one' specific ability, were only 'one part' of their true potential. These sticks helped them tap into a much wider range of magic.
This breakthrough dramatically improved their chances of survival.
As witches refined the process, they discovered the concept of '"magical infection."' One particularly creative witch, who had once worked as a chef's apprentice in a church, combined magical infection with the sacred scepters used by priests. This innovation led to the creation of something entirely new; the '"magic wand."' From that point on, the once humble 'witch's stick' was given a new name: the magic wand.
The witches continued to experiment, learning how to create wands more efficiently. They found that selecting a fresh branch or stick, one that resonated with their own energy, and infecting it with magic would bind the stick to them, transforming it into a powerful tool for casting spells.
As Lyra read this passage in her book, she realized the purpose behind the fresh branches Ms. Amisha had instructed them to gather. 'They were meant to craft their own magic wands.'
After the first magic wand appeared, witches never stopped innovating and studying the art of wand-making. Over time, as humans began to see through the lies of angels and demons; realizing that divine powers and demonic deals were nothing more than a ruse, new groups of spellcasters emerged. These people, driven by a thirst for knowledge, called themselves 'mages'. They believed that through study and learning, anyone could master magical abilities.
Some witches, hoping for an alliance, reached out to the mages, believing them to be kindred spirits. But this act of trust only led to new dangers. The witches' unique magical abilities, which relied not on study but on 'innate talent' and 'intuitive casting', were soon exposed. What followed was a new kind of persecution.
Once hunted by the church, witches now became targets for the mages. Seen as a source of powerful and secret knowledge, witches were captured and imprisoned in the dungeons of mage towers. There, they were subjected to all manner of 'inhumane experiments', as the mages sought to unlock the secrets of their talents, 'and steal their power for themselves.'