Alchemy

Relevant topics on**Magic**

**Alchemy** (錬金術, *Renkinjutsu*?) is a sub-branch of magic that is traditionally associated with turning base metals such as lead into gold and creating an elixir of immortality. However the true goal of alchemic branch of magic is to be able to simulate the entire world inside their minds.

A practitioner of alchemy is called an **alchemist** (錬金術師, *Renkinjutsu-shi*?), the only known ones being Aureolus Izzard and Good Old Mary.

## Principles

With it simply being a sub-branch of magic, naturally it involves several applications and theories that are present in magic such as the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, which the Golden Dawn advocates. gold, but also a process in which one can make a natural body into perfection, the process being called Magnum opus or Ars Magna - put another way, that humans are incomplete gods and through training and making one complete, humans can become gods. The four stages said to be involved in the Magnum Opus are **nigredo**, **albedo**, **citrinitas** (黄色化（キトリニタス）, *Kitorinitasu*?) and **rubedo**.

According to Stiyl Magnus, alchemy is an unrefined knowledge, and a magician is referred to as an alchemist if they deal with subject matter closely related to it, if they are untalented enough for other roles. Stiyl also pointed out several times that as the goal of Alchemy is to simulate the entire world, any result that they happen to get before reaching the ultimate objective would, or *should* be seen as useless by the alchemist.

One of the alchemists known to have made significant progress is Paracelsus, who developed a number of concepts which were incorporated into the field and other forms of magic, including the association of spirits known as Elementals (such as **Gnomes** (土精（グノーム）, *Dosei (Gunōmu)*?) and **Salamanders** (サラマンダー, *Saramandā*?)) with each of the four elements. He also developed the concept of the three principles (also known as the *tria prima* or 'three primes') - salt (body or base matter, 🜔), sulfur (soul, 🜍) and mercury (mind, ☿) (not to be confused with the more mundane substances of the same name), and the relationship between them.

Another core concept which various alchemical concepts were developed around is the seven metals, which were identified by humanity in prehistoric times and the only ones known prior to the discovery of arsenic in the 13th century. Associated with the seven known celestial bodies among other things, the seven metals were gold (Sun, ☉), silver (Moon, ☽), mercury (quicksilver) (Mercury, ☿), copper (Venus, ♀︎), iron (Mars, ♂︎), tin (Jupiter, ♃) and lead (Saturn, ♄).

There are a number of legendary substances which are spoken of and pursued by alchemists; these include the elixir of life, a drug which is said to convey immortality upon its drinkers, the **philosopher's stone**, said to aid in the production of the elixir and enable the transmutation of metal into gold, and **Panacea**, a cure-all medicine. Some of these substances also feature in Rosicrucianism, with one of the three main Rosicrucian texts involving the four stage cycle involved in creating the philosopher's stone.

### Notable Spells

#### Ars Magna

**Ars Magna** (黄金錬成（アルス＝マグナ）, *Ōgon Rensei (Arusu Maguna)*?, lit. "Golden Training") is Latin for "Great Art". It is the spell in which alchemist would achieve their goal of simulation of the world inside the mind. With Ars Magna, they can bring out thoughts into the real world, essentially making those who can accurately simulate or mold the real world able to control it.

However, according to Stiyl, since alchemy is an unrefined knowledge, modeling the entirety of the world and its laws into a chant takes centuries, even with the assistance of descendants and removing of unnecessary lines. Kamijou Touma deducted that this why the prospect of actual existing vampires are sought after by the magic side, by both alchemists and normal magicians, since one could finish the chants of the level of Ars Magna if one was able to figure out vampire's immortality. Hence forth, no one has yet to achieve Ars Magna under the above means.

Aureolus Izzard is the only person who has managed to achieve Ars Magna. By utilizing the Gregorian Chant Replica to chant the spell simultaneously, he was able to bypass the time required to chant the spell in only a mere seven days as well as increasing its effects 120 times. In his use, the Ars Magna distorts reality through his thoughts, and requires a vast amount of concentration to accurately model a thought into reality with it.

#### Limen Magna

**Limen Magna** (瞬間錬金（リメン＝マグナ）, *Shunkan Rensei (Rimen Maguna)*?, lit. "Instant Alchemy") is a type of Alchemy that was used by Aureolus Dummy and possibly Aureolus himself who could use it if he so desired. In normal conditions, the basic procedures for the alchemy of turning lead into gold are very bothersome and quite expensive - this makes it so that the actual cost and effort employed in the task is such that the produced Gold is of little reward when compared to the annoyance of the process. When used by the Aureolus Dummy, Limen Magna collects and condenses "natural mana" from the building, and creates the "turn into gold" process in an instant. Even though it's not nearly as impressive as Ars Magna, the pinnacle of alchemy, Stiyl commended the versatility of Limen Magna as still something beyond the current limits of modern alchemy, even thought it's just doing something that's being done in a new manner.

## Background

According to Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, William Wynn Westcott 'brought alchemy back at the end of the 19th century'.

## Chronology

### Toaru Majutsu no Index

#### Deep Blood Arc

*Main article: Deep Blood Arc*
The concept of alchemy was prominently featured only in the Deep Blood Arc but was introduced earlier. It is also referenced much later, usually in the company with eerily similar concepts such as the teachings of Kabbalah and Thelema as well as Esper powers. Touma even thought that the basic principles of alchemy were similar to those of espers.

#### La Regina del Mare Adriatico Arc

*Main article: La Regina del Mare Adriatico Arc*
While not present in the actual story in any form, Biagio Busoni mentioned that the spell that empowered the self destruction of the Queen's fleet was reinforced with Alchemy.

### Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index

#### Choronzon Arc

*Main article: Choronzon Arc*
Aleister Crowley referred to the relationship between salt, sulfur and mercury in alchemy, during his explanation of the Lady of the Masquerade Ball's Taphthartharath. Mina Mathers later referred to the seven metals, specifically silver, when detecting Choronzon's imminent attack.

### Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index

#### Christmas Eve Arc

*Main article: Christmas Eve Arc*
Neoka Norito made use of the seven metals, utilizing their association with the planets and from that the Sephirah, for the magic he had acquired from R&C Occultics.

#### Los Angeles Arc

*Main article: Los Angeles Arc*
A Rosicrucian interpretation of Citrinitas played a major role in the events that occurred in Los Angeles on December 26th, with Citrinitas being the title of the magician protecting R&C Occultics HQ and the basis of the magic they used to trapped the city's population in sand.

#### Post-Handcuffs Arc

*Main article: Post-Handcuffs Arc*
One of the magicians in the group centered around Alice Anotherbible was an alchemist referred to as good, old Mary, who according to her story took on the name of the Virgin Mary to hide her identity, and apparently had alchemical skill that could produce miracles on the same level as the real one.

#### New Year's Eve Arc

*Main article: New Year's Eve Arc*
On December 31st, besides Mary's resurrection techniques, Anna Sprengel made use of the eighth operation 'separation' in a chemical mine, in a thwarted attempt to kill a reanimated Anna Kingsford.

#### New Year's Arc

*Main article: New Year's Arc*
During a battle with Trismegistus on January 3rd, Good Old Mary invoked her own gigantic Tribikos, and mentioned her role in the alchemical tool's creation and at its foundation, mentioning the Kerotakis and Bain-marie alongside it.

## Trivia

* Stiyl commented that alchemists are like scientists of the magic side, who are constantly researching subjects, looking for a basis or rule for them.
* Stiyl also mentioned that, besides Paracelsus, no alchemist has really done significant progress with their studies and thus "wasn't strong". This, however, was a statement made before he could experience Ars Magna first hand.