Magic

**Magic** is an umbrella term used to describe “the power to affect change by supernatural means.” Magic can only be accessed strictly by homo magi, demons, and other supernatural entities. Magic is the only way to differentiate between the natural and supernatural realms because mortal entities do not have any affinity towards magic, but they are nonetheless affected by it.

## History

In the Blackbird Universe, magic is regarded as being essential to existence itself. It was first mentioned is in *Episode I*, after Hannah Sommers demonstrated some telekinetic abilities in front of Dr. Edward Smith while recalling her traumatic experience of losing her boyfriend Malcolm to a horde of zombies during a camping trip. She encountered and was saved by Lemar Wolfblood who left her a card upon realizing she was a homo magus, based on her magical application and raw strength. Dr. Smith also demonstrated having the same said ability, giving her a brief explanation about magic and the community of those like them. He then brought Hannah to the Blackbird Organization’s HQ. She meets and is recruited by the bureau’s leader Tiberius Birch as a rookie demon hunter, assigning Lt. Cody Harris as her mentor and Lemar as her partner.

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## Types of Magic

Magic comes in four distinct categories: **white**, **sorcery**, **black**, and **infernal**.

### White Magic

Also known as **Thaumaturgy** or **Shamanism**, a homo magus can use several positive and benevolent supernatural spells, hexes, charms, powers, and more. This includes telepathy between humans and faunae, creating bonds and mental links with one another. They can also perform what humans call ‘miracles’ like regenerating themselves and healing others from mild to severe injuries and diseases. As a result, a homo magus’s lifespan is longer than most mortals, starting at 18 years old.

Combatively, white magic grants the user the ability to conjure and manipulate light, move/manipulate/interact with physical matter with their minds through intense training, create any defensive barriers against virtually all forms of attack, and summon/call both conventional and supernatural weaponry anytime, anywhere.

### Sorcery

**Sorcery**, also known as **Natural Magic** or **Nature-Based Magic**, allows the user to conjure, manipulate, and connect with only one specific element, and their subcategories. There are four elements which constitute life in the mortal realm: Water (Aquics), Earth (Geos), Fire (Pyro), and Wind (Aeros). Sorcerers and Sorceresses can conjure and manipulate their given element in any way they want, limited only by their element’s physical characteristics, properties, and the user’s own skill and power.

For example, **Lightning** and **Electricity** are extensions of fire as it relates to heat and electrical-based energy, and Lemar has mastered all three facets to perfection. An Aquic can create **Fog** and **Ice** by lowering temperatures, and **Steam** or **Vapor** by applying heat which Kelly perfected over the centuries. An Aero could attain unassisted **Flight** by controlling the surrounding air around them, manipulate surrounding gases, and even suffocate someone by depriving them of air, except for themselves, to which Klaus used against his enemies. A Geo like Maria can manipulate **Metal**, **Minerals**, and all **Plantae** since they are an extension of the planet and can all be classified as the solid state of matter.

### Black Magic

**Black Magic**, or colloquially called **Dark Magic** or **Witchcraft**, grants the user the ability to do two things: a) create and inflict destructive hexes on those they want; and b) possess a complete access to an array of dark spells and other destructive supernatural abilities like illusion and destruction. It is more powerful than sorcery and white magic put together, granting the user more combative abilities like shapeshifting, extrasensory abilities, supernatural levels of physical and cognitive augmentation, and all illusory powers.

### Infernal Magic

**Infernal Magic** (also known as **Evil Magic**, **Demon/Demonic Magic**, or **Nether Magic**) is a form of magic where the only practitioners are demons. It is the most destructive form of magic and is evil by nature. Users can summon, manipulate, and/or the undead without limit and use more annihilation powers like consuming the life force out of living beings. Infernal magic can also allow users to communicate with all malevolent and benevolent supernatural entities.

## Limitations

* White magic is powered by one’s individual stamina as it comes at a price. A master, for example, can only use from 10 up to 20 consecutive spells in one day before needing 24 hours to recover. Once their limit is reached, their overall stamina drops to complete exhaustion or sometimes death if they sustain any spell or ability longer than an hour.
	+ Users can overcome this weakness through intense training and sparring amongst one another or even against low-tier demons to increase their overall stamina, prestige, and personal development. They can also incorporate science and technology to their preexistent magical capabilities, but only to an extent as only more archaic ways can strengthen and increase their overall magical capacity.
* Sorcery is only limited by a user’s imagination, personal skill, and knowledge within the confines and properties of the element they have an affinity with. It is also dependent on how connected the user is with their respective element. Unlike white magic, sorcery is not as exhaustive because it is powered by a user’s soul, having a much longer duration to exhaust; however, the user has more difficulty controlling it without proper training and can only be activated using verbal invocation and/or specific rituals to make a desired effect happen. If one uses their elemental spells for too long, the user’s soul will also be exhausted and result in their painful death. This rule, however, does not apply to those born immortal like Lemar Wolfblood, but one can be driven mad and create an imbalance of the natural order.
	+ Sorcery lacks any of the miraculous spells and abilities white magic possesses. It is also not even close to being as or more powerful than black magic, i.e., necromancy. It is, however, the most versatile and reliable form of magic as each element also has their respective strengths and weaknesses to one another, e.g. water puts fire out, air enhances fire, and so on. Sorcery is also very rare in the Blackbird Universe as homo magi are born with the unnaturally green irides instead of purple ones.
* Black magic is powered by one’s own negative emotions and the end result is absolute corruption, with the user developing an insatiable bloodlust that could rival demons. Homo magi who use black magic for a long time will gradually lose their humanity due to black magic’s corruptive nature, turning them into a ‘monster’ according to Lemar. The intensive bloodlust from this power will result in the user’s mental and emotional state breaking down to point of resembling a rapid carnivore.
	+ Only a painful and lengthy ritual performed by at least one master of white magic can cure a person from the negative effects of black magic, completely restoring their humanity, including their physical and cognitive wellbeing. The Blackbird Organization always assigns a team of at least two operatives on any assignment outside of Blackbird’s headquarters to create a necessary balance and to prevent members from becoming monsters. This also creates a value teamwork, loyalty, and keeping one another in check. This also results in them becoming better and effective combatants against supernatural threats.
* Infernal magic can only be used by demons and is powered by the number of souls a practitioner consumes and easily burns the user out in a prolonged duel. To rejuvenate, the user has to absorb the life force from living things, creating a feedback loop of endless hunger. Vampires, for example, need to absorb life out of necessity, but in exchange they gain the ability to summon familiars and control hordes or armies of zombies on a whim, using them to fight and regenerate from any physical injury; however, once all their familiars are destroyed, only the vampire’s own soul remains and thus they can be killed by any means in this state.
## Known Users

### Homo Magi

* Hannah Sommers
* Cody Harris (deceased)
* Dr. Edward Smith
* Tiberius Birch
* Kelly Milson
* Klaus Milson (deceased)
* Maria Milson (deceased)
* Finster Xavion (deceased)
* Johan Birch (deceased)
* Margery (familiarized)
### Demons

* Lemar Wolfblood (vampire-werewolf Hybrid, Transcendental Demon)
* Valerie Nosferatu (transcendental/divine/primordial vampire, deceased)
* Wren Kreisler (Vampire, primordial vampire (temporarily), familiarized)
* Neil Edda (Vampire, deceased)
* Anna Gibson (Vampire, deceased)
* Ashley Kline (Vampire, deceased)
* Alfonse Günsche (Dragon, familiarized)
* Jürgen Wolfblood (Transcendental werewolf)
* Jade Green (Werewolf)
* Richard Browne (Wendigo, Demon, cured; Zombie, deceased)
### Other Entities

* Fu (fox spirit, deceased)
* Kenshi (Obake, Yōkai)
* Hatsumi (Obake, Yōkai)
* The Kitsune (Kitsune, Yōkai, deceased)
* Satsuma (Oni, Yōkai, deceased)
## Works Cited

* “Magic.” *Superpower Wiki*, FANDOM Powered by Wikia, Web. https://powerlisting.fandom.com/wiki/Magic. Accessed 11 July 2019.
* “Omni-Magic.” *Superpower Wiki*, FANDOM Powered by Wikia, Web. https://powerlisting.fandom.com/wiki/Omni-Magic. Accessed 29 November 2019.
* “Transcendent Mage Physiology.” *Superpower Wiki*, FANDOM Powered by Wikia, Web. https://powerlisting.fandom.com/wiki/Transcedent\_Mage\_Physiology. Accessed 29 November 2019.
* “Thaumaturgy.” *Spell Magic Wiki*, FANDOM Powered by Wikia, Web. https://spellencyclopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Thaumaturgy. Accessed 29 November 2019.