Consumed by the spell

> “Some [students] have been left permanently scarred from reckless experimentation with spells. Some have gone missing, lured away by a mysterious call. Others have even gone berserk and committed mass murder, forcing their fellow students to end their lives. Your paths can end in a variety of ways. In the magical world, we call this phenomenon ‘being consumed by the spell.’ And this is going to happen to twenty percent of you over the next seven years.”
>
> Headmistress Esmeralda, *Reign of the Seven Spellblades* Volume 1, Chapter 1

Being **"consumed by the spell"** is a catchall term in the mage world for death as a result of accidents during magical research.

## Background

Magic is a dangerous business, even for mages, and accidents happen. One in five students who matriculate to Kimberly Magic Academy suffer this fate before graduation, and many others encounter similar mishaps later in life, though the circumstances and collateral damage vary tremendously depending on the avenues of research pursued.

Though being consumed by the spell is a mage's greatest fear, it is also considered the most honorable way for a mage to die, as it happens in the course of pushing the boundaries of magic -- an all-consuming concern in mage society. A mage who is consumed by the spell almost always leaves behind useful experimental data, which can be built upon by those who follow in their wake.

Mages have a custom called the "Final Visitor", wherein a friend, colleague, or acquaintance will go to care for a mage in the process of being consumed by the spell in their final hours, sometimes at the risk of their own life.

## Known incidents

* A mage of northern Daitsch became obsessed with the idea of creating a duplicate of himself. However, his attempt caused a massive explosion that obliterated him, his manor, and much of the surrounding land. Sixty years of studying the event led to the conclusion that the mage had triggered a previously unknown frenetic principle that made it impossible for two of the exact same thing to exist. However, Theodore McFarlane managed to exploit the effect to develop the Second Spellblade.
* The previous record-holder for the broomstick time trial disintegrated in midair moments after crossing the finish line.
* 1532:
	+ An unnamed Kimberly Magic Academy student opened a portal to an unidentified tír from their laboratory in the labyrinth, and was lost without trace. Darius Grenville and Oliver Horn traveled into the laboratory to close the portal to prevent a potential outbreak.
	+ Ophelia Salvadori lost control of her magic during the final stages of attempting a Grand Aria, and dispatched chimeras to kidnap seventeen male freshmen from the upper layers of the labyrinth. The Sword Roses and the Kimberly Campus Watch went to stop her, and Carlos Whitrow negated her magic with their enchanted voice at the cost of their own life.
* 1533: Clifton Morgan had become infected by fire from Luftmarz after a failed experiment in 1531. Though he had been able to extend his life by staying in the labyrinth, the Sword Roses persuaded him to return to the surface to watch his former lover Diana Ashbury's attempt to break the broomstick time trial record. Shortly after she succeeded, he lost control of the tír fire and exploded. Ashbury intentionally dove her broomstick into the fireball and they burned to ash in each other's arms.

## References

1. ↑ *Reign of the Seven Spellblades* Volume 1, Chapter 1
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *Reign of the Seven Spellblades* Volume 1, Epilogue
3. ↑ *Reign of the Seven Spellblades* Volume 3, Chapter 3
4. ↑ *Reign of the Seven Spellblades* Volume 4, Chapter 3
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 *Reign of the Seven Spellblades* Volume 6, Chapter 4
6. ↑ *Reign of the Seven Spellblades* Volume 3, Chapter 4