Singularity

A **Singularity** (特異点, *Tokuiten*?), also known as a **Paradox** (逆説, *Gyakusetsu*?) or **Collision Event** (衝突事件, *Shōtotsu-jiken*?) is a supernatural event in which two forms of magic, either of similar or opposing natures, collide and continuously cancel each other out due to their similar or opposing attributes.

## Overview

In the magical world, it is not uncommon for two mages to carry similar abilities; it is also not uncommon for two mages to carry utterly opposite abilities. The question of what happens when two mages of this nature collide has been asked for millennia, however, the phenomenon that occurs is not so easily understood. Given the name of *Singularity*, this named phenomenon that occurs when two mages with similar or opposing natures collide because the two magics continuously cancel the other out. For example, when two foresight users clash in battle, both mages will actively make use of their ability to see into the future, however, the *very act of seeing the future* is an action that alters the future, and as such, neither mage has an edge over the other in the battle as neither mage is capable of easily picturing a clear image of the future due to each others' magics constantly influencing it.

An example of opposing magics creating a *Singularity* is when a mage that makes excellent use of fire duels a mage who makes excellent use of water. As water is inherently an ability that douses fire, the water mage technically has the upper hand, however, the fire mage simultaneously produces flames that are hot enough to vaporize the water that comes into contact with it. At the same time, the water the water mage generates is used to extinguish the fire, and as such, neither ability has the upper hand and the duel can usually only be settled by either oen mage running out of magical energy first or by another form of combat, such as the Sword Arts.

## Known Singularities

* As stated by Master Liber, the most obvious weakness of Asuna Himenomiya's *Ariolus Thema* is the precognition or foresight of a mage with a similar magic to Asuna. This is due to the nature of Asuna's Mystic Eyes of a Thousand Visions which gives Asuna the ability to envision the future as '*threads*' or '*branches*'. Even after locking on to a thread and grabbing it, Asuna is unable to properly fixate it into the present due to the fact that the opposing mage's foresight alters the future, forcing Asuna to lose her grip on her selected future. Likewise, the opposing mage is unable to properly act on any given future due to the fact that Asuna would also have knowledge of that future, and as such, is capable of acting to prevent the opponent from taking that action.
* It is stated by Miyako Uranami that when a similar magic of erasing or complete conceptual removal magic collides with her *Nothingness* Thema, they create a distortion in the laws of the world forming a Nexus where the two abilities continuously eat away at the other until it is forcibly collapsed due to the world not understanding it's existence. However, when it collapses, it also collapses a part of the space there dealing immense damage to anything nearby and leaving a crater.
* When Kougetsu Yamashita and Hanayuki Takeda fought each other, their respective magics canceled each other out. This is due to the fact that Kougetsu possesses a magic that is basically '*anti-magic*' while Hanayuki possesses a magic that '*erases*' magic. Due to their respective magics intended effects, they continuously cancel each other out due to the fact that Kougetsu's magic nullifies all other magic while Hanayuki's magic erases all other magic; neither magic has an edge over the other as they would either nullify the other magic (in the case when Kougetsu's magic is momentarily victorious), erase the other magic (in the case when Hanayuki's magic is momentarily victorious), or cancel each other out (in the case when neither magic has an upper hand).