"Alright, let's dive into the three foundational laws of magic," Cassandra said, standing in front of her candy workshop, a room so whimsical it almost seemed at odds with the serious subject matter. But the Traveller, eager to learn, leaned in attentively.
"First," Cassandra began, raising a finger, "the most important and unbreakable law of magic: All magic has a price. It's engrained in its very nature. Whether it's something small, like lighting a flame, or something grand, like summoning a storm, there will always be a cost. There's no getting around it. Magic always demands payment."
The Traveller nodded. This is a law that even children know about in this world.
"The second law," Cassandra continued, holding up two fingers now, "is that this price can be transferred, suppressed, or even negated—but it will never disappear completely. This is true in all cases except for one—when the True Gods intervene. For instance, the Goddess' flame can purify the price with magic. But that's one of the very few exceptions."
"Transferred?" the Traveller echoed, curiosity piqued. "Like how people use the ritual of charity to transfer their price to someone else?"
But internal he added, or to my trusted employee. And I don't even need to pay you a gold for the service.
This is so unfair. Lucian complained
"Exactly," Cassandra said with a nod. "That's one of the most common ways to deal with the price of magic. By performing a ritual of charity, the Cursed can transfer part of the price to someone else. Of course the Ritual of Charity isn't the all powerful solution, it can only transfer very mild prices that aren't direct like those that we get from food or corruption from the environment. For the Cursed on prices that have been suppressed or negated can be transferred."
The Traveller's brow furrowed. "So how can prices be suppressed or negated?"
Cassandra gave a small smile. "Suppression happens when a Cursed have magic that overpowers the price. Imagine a Cursed who loses a kilo of flesh a day as the price, but they have magic that regrows that flesh. The price is paid but there is little effect on the Cursed. Negation is when say a tree pays the price of its body turning to a plant. Its already a plant so the price is negated. In these case, it would appear there is no price, at least not one portional to the magic used. The problem is, it's not truly gone. Suppression only delays the inevitable. If you suppress or negate the price for too long, it accumulates. And when it builds up enough…"
"…you turn into a Fell," the Traveller finished, understanding dawning on him.
"Exactly," Cassandra said, her tone more somber now. "Which is why all Cursed should to perform a ritual of charity every once in a while—even if they think they're suppressing or negating their price. It's like a ticking time bomb. And if the price is never paid properly, a Cursed will become a Fell—a creature born entirely of the Price. They are terrifying because as manifestation of the price, the price only makes them stronger. And if a Marked turns into a Fell, it's even worse. They have an almost infinite supply of magic."
"So what is the third Law of Magic,"
"the third law is that the price will be paid by the consumer or beneficiary of the magic. For example, using heal magic will incur a price for both the healer and the healed. Or in the Bounty of the Earth ritual, there is price with creating the Earthroots as well as a price with consuming them."
"I think, I understand. But what this rule can be broken." The Traveller said, think to both his magic with Lucian and the road he walked on coming to Rivendale.
"Yes, the magics that break this rule are known as miracle magics. As the name implies they are miracle, either intervention of the divine or an impossibility made possible. Each one is of great power and importance and has the power to change the world for the better or worse. The most well known miracle, is the Road of Civilisation magic. The price is not paid by the walker of the road but by the society and civilisation that build it. This magic allows most of the city in our world to survive."
An impossibility made possible, perhaps that is what we are. Two soul that is one, one soul that is two. The Traveller thought.
But soul gets all the say, and the other can only obey. Lucian jabbed in.
We don't talk about that part. I would like to see this as miracle from beyond, a perfect alignment of the stars, the power to change the world. Not an abuse employer-employee relationship. The Traveller lamented. I did promise you 2 day off a week as well. See how kind I am.
The Traveller asked. "It has puzzled me for a while. I know that the Marked are more powerful than the Touched but what is fundamental different between them?"
"A Touched is not necessarily weaker though that is the general case. The answers lie with how we obtain our magic. All magic flows from the Spirit Realm. Touched are those that obtain magic through ritual. A Marked is a Cursed who formed a permanent connection, a mark you could say. They can tap into the Spirit Realm whenever they want, without needing a ritual each time. As a Cursed, the challenge is not obtaining magic but surviving the price. The marked that are able to withstand the constant magic and its price, are thus likely more powerful."
The Traveller nodded slowly, absorbing what she was saying. "And what about those who go even further? The transformed?"
Cassandra's eyes darkened. "Those are the Transformed. They've essentially given up their humanity to become pure creatures of magic that can survive in the Spirit Realm. We don't need to worry about them right now."
"And that brings us to the Spirit Realm," Cassandra said, her tone softening as she moved on. "As you know, this is where all magic comes from. It's a place where the laws of our world don't apply. Time, distance, even reality—none of it works the same way. It's a realm of thought, emotion, and raw magic. Everything there is malleable, changeable by will alone. But because it is made up of magic, the price or the taint permeate everything of that world"
"Sounds like a dangerous place," the Traveller muttered, remembering the strange, shifting world he had experienced outside Rivendale.
Cassandra nodded gravely. "It is. That's why we build towers of light. The Spirit Realm is constantly trying to seep into the material world. If we don't keep it at bay, it would swallow everything, turning our world into a part of the Spirit Realm. And anyone who isn't a Transformed, a creature of magic… well, they would die."
The Traveller shuddered. "When I came to Rivendale, I deviated from the road and entered what seemed like a strange, distorted place," he said, recounting his journey.
"You probably wandered into a high-contamination zone or borderland," Cassandra explained. "Those are places where the boundary between the Spirit Realm and our world has weakened. The laws of reality break down, and things become… unpredictable. When you lit the Lamp of the Goddess, it pushed you back into the material realm. You were lucky to get out. Borderlands are filled with Fells."
The Traveller nodded, grateful for the lamp, but also unsettled by the dangers he had unknowingly faced. "I had no idea it was that serious."
"It is," Cassandra said with a sigh. "That's why Nightwatchers are so important. We help protect the boundary between the two worlds. We hunt Fells, we purify corrupted magic, and we keep people safe. The more powerful Nightwatcher will go into borderland to purify them so that they don't encroach on reality more. It's a constant battle."
What an interesting world? The Traveller thought. A world holding on to their sanity as falls deeper and deeper into the madness of the abyss.
Are you sure you don't mean terrifying? Lucian asked.
Much more interesting than the one I was in. That one had no magic, and the laws of physics are unchanging and a bit dull. Everything will just be the way it is. This world however have infinite possibility you don't know what's going to happen next.
Are you sure being possibly eaten, chased by a monster deer and turned into candy, is the type of interesting you want?
But we are like the protagonist of this world, gods who don't have to pay the price of magic.
You mean you are,
And extension you are well. I give you a 0.01 percent stake in my Godhood.
We just had three scrapes with death in the past week, so much for your "Godhood"
All of which is solved by me,
Whatever you say
The Traveller leaned back, "So, the Spirit Realm is always pushing into our world, magic always comes with a price, and Fells are what happens when people can't handle that price."
"Exactly," Cassandra said. "That's the core of what it means to be Cursed. The key is to learn how to manage your magic and pay the price without letting it consume you."
This is proof, I am able to overcome the greatest obstacle of any Cursed. Isn't that right Lucian? The traveller thought with a hint of laughter.
So that I experience it! Lucian thought back.
She pointed to the book that lay before them. "These are the basics about magic, the book will contain additional information about the specifics of the rules of magic and some of the most common magics? It is a bit long, but this old thing has everything you need to know about rituals, prices, and how to survive as a Cursed."