Biology of magic use and magical exhaustion

Table of Contents

Excerpt from the textbook The Biology of Magic by Irène Norlie.

Chapter 3: The impact—Magical exhaustion

Summary points

Out of all living organisms, humans are the only one with a particular biology quirk that gives us unequalled talents in manipulating magic.

However, this quirk also gives us a higher risk of injury and permanent body damage as a counterpart.

The most common of these risks is magical exhaustion, a common condition that will affect every one of us at least once during our life but that can still have grave consequences.

Unfortunately, efforts to prevent it are not so successful when the temptation to use magic beyond one's limits is so strong...

Plan for the chapter:

1) The anatomy of magic
2) Using magic

3) Causes and symptoms of magic exhaustion
4) Prevention and treatment

5) Populations affected
6) Social impact

Students are encourage to skip ahead and focus on the sections that interest them. Just click on the boxes to expand them.

Highlight
Pay special attention to the highlight boxes like this one! They all focus on points relevant to your training.

The anatomy of magic

Magic system by AmélieIS with an image from Graphics RF on Vecteezy

Humans can use magic thanks to a combination of different elements:

The magic reserve
Where magic particles are stored

The magic reserve

Key facts

Cells with a vast cytoplasm used for storing magic.

The cytoplasm is filled with a few big compartments called organelles.

The organelles contain magic-binding metalloproteins (MBMPs).

MBMPs are proteins that have a ring-like chemical structure with one or more metal atom bound at the centre.

Those metal atoms bind magic particles.

MBMPs with and without magic particles are stored together in the organelles, stabilising each other.

Comparative:

Magic reserve = Cells of the adipose tissue that use their cytoplasm to store fat.
MBMPs = Haemoglobin proteins that have a ring-like chemical structure called haem. The iron atom at the centre of the haem binds O₂ molecules.

Evolution type:

The magic reserve and the MBMP have different structures from adipose and haemoglobin, and so they are the results of convergent evolution rather than descended from the same ancestor.

Highlights

The exact ratio of MBMPs with a bound magic particle vs without is between 50% - 99%.

It varies between individual humans and can be increased with training.

The magic reserve by AmélieIS

Channels
To allow magic to flow through the body

The magic channels

Key facts

Magic channels are made of a group of long, thin, hollow filaments called the microtubules.

The inside of the microtubules are covered in a type of MBMPs, forming a continuous metallic network.

Magic particles bind to the MBMPs and can "jump" from one to another, and thus travel alongside the microtubule.

Comparative:

Magic channels = the nerves formed by the axons of neurons, transporting molecules and so information in the brain. Both axons and magic channels are made of a group of microtubules gathered together and surrounded by a protective sheath called myelin sheath.

Evolution type:

Scholars hypothesise that magic channels and axons have evolved thanks to gene duplication, a common evolutionary mechanism.
According to that hypothesis, the genes forming the axons got duplicated by mistake during evolution. Later, one set differentiated to specialise in the transport and control of magic, the other of information.

Highlights

This evolution considerably sped up the transport of magic particles through the body.

This is why humans are the best magic-using living beings in nature.

Magic channel by AmélieIS

Director cells
To sense and absorb magic and cast spells

Director cells

Key facts

Director cells are specialised sensory nerve cells that can sense, direct, and/or absorb magic.

Some cells have all three functions, while other are specialised.

All cells are located in small groups, making tight bundles in different areas of the body.

The concentration of those bundles is higher in some areas, thus giving them a higher sensitivity to and control of magic.

This is especially the case for hands, as they are the most frequently used conduit for magic casting.

Comparative:

Director cells = cells that allow for the perception of touch, heat, etc.

Evolution type:

Evolution from the same ancestor cells.

Highlights

The location and density of director cells can be increased by training, similar to training your non-dominant hand.

Major changes can take time to occur, but don't give up!

Director cell and magic channel by AmélieIS with an image from ktsdesign on DepositPhotos

Brain area
To control all of these processes

The brain area

The brain area is the less well-known of the components of the magic system, and so we will put it aside for now

Noéline frowned at the blackboard and pinched her lips. All useless information.
She had hoped better from the famous Claret university, even if it was just an introduction class. Anyone who had managed to go all the way through their schooling to here without learning the biology of the magic system was not worth the effort.
She tapped her fingers impatiently on her desk, not even bothering with taking notes—the ones she had made while revising for the entrance exams were far more in depth, anyway.

Using magic

In this section, we present step by step the mechanisms allowing for the use of magic:

Mechanism 1: Binding magic
Taking magic from the environment

Mechanism 1: The binding of magic particles

Mechanism of magic absorption and detection by AmélieIS

1. The director cells synthesise their own magic-binding metalloproteins (MBMPs).
2. The MBMPs are brought to the internal wall of the cell membrane, where they bind to transmembrane receptors (proteins with sections dangling both on the internal and external sides of the membrane).
3. When the internal section binds to an MBMP, the conformation of the receptor change, exposing a magic-binding site located on the external section of the receptor.
4. If enough magic is present in your environment, one of those magic particles will be able to bind to the receptor.
5. This triggers a movement of the receptor, resulting in the magic particle being moved to the internal side of the membrane.
6. A transition protein then comes and takes the particle from the receptor and moves it to the MBMP.
7. The MBMP and its magic particle are released inside the cell.

Highlights
The only way to affect this mechanism is by being in a magic-rich or magic-poor environment.

Mechanism 2: Sensing magic
Detecting that magic is present in the environment

Mechanism 2: Sensing magic

1. When the transition protein releases the magic particle, it undergoes a chemical modification and becomes "activated".
2. This state is detected by other proteins that can then spread a signal—"magic has been detected"—to the nerves and the brain.

Highlights
The intensity of this signal depends on:

1. How many transition proteins are activated and so on how much magic there is in the environment.
2. Training and how sensitive to magic a person naturally is influence the numbers of director cells, MBMPs, transmembrane proteins, and transition proteins.

Mechanism of magic sensing by AmélieIS

Mechanism 3: To and from the reserve
Putting magic in the reserve then taking it out to use it

Mechanism 3: To and from the reserve

Mechanism of magic storage by AmélieIS

To the reserve:

1. If you are not currently using magic, once the MBMP is released with a magic particle, it is transported to a microtubule and binds to it.
2. This triggers the release of the magic particle.
This magic particle jumps alongside the metal atoms at the surface of the microtubule, moving all the way through the body until it reaches the magic reserve.
3. The magic particle is taken up by another MBMP.
4. This MBMP moves inside a reserve cell where it is stored in an organelle.
5. The first MBMP that was left behind in the director cell in Mechanism-1 is degraded by the body and recycled to form more proteins as required.

From the reserve:

1. When you are actively using magic, your MBMPs and magic particles are not transported to the magic reserve, but they instead stay in the director cells where they accumulate until they are used.
2. A signal is also sent to the magic reserve, which then releases its own MBMPs.
3. The magic particles they contained are transported through the microtubules in the other direction, until they reach the bundle of director cells where they are going to be used.

Highlights
The precision of the location where the particles arrive can be increased with training.
Low vs high precision:

A high precision results in a higher concentration of magic that can be used and a more precise casting of the spells.

A low precision results in a leakage of magic while casting.

The accumulation of magic particles inside the director cells is called the "raising" of magic.

Mechanism 4: Casting spells
The actual use of magic in spells to obtain a desired effect

Mechanism 4: Casting spells

The exact mechanism by which the director cells cast spells is still under study. According to our current understanding:

1. The MBMPs transfer their magic particles to different proteins called casting proteins.
2. The casting proteins throw the magic particles outside of the body towards the target of the spell.
3. Each casting protein gives the particles they throw a different spin and movement, which gives it special properties.
4. The combination of different casting proteins throwing particles at the same time influences the global properties of the magic being cast, resulting in a specific spell.

Mechanism of magic casting by AmélieIS

Highlights
Training to cast new spells helps you develop new combinations of casting proteins, or more rarely teaches your body to synthesise a new kind of casting protein.
This obviously takes time, but the more your body is used to doing this, the quicker it gets, so never stop learning!

With nothing better to do, Noéline glanced discreetly around the classroom, though taking care to keep the façade of the attentive model student for the teacher. Her eyes stopped on the young man sitting diagonally from her. By all accounts, he was no more listening than she was, but he was more productively engaged by doing some kind of drawing.
She focused her magic in the directory cells of her eyes, using it to change the curve of her cornea to enhance her vision. Immediately, she was able to make out all the tiny details of the other student's drawing, as if she were standing with her nose right on top of the paper.
Oh.
That was an attempt at the full, detailed molecular pathway controlling magic absorption in the director cells, with well over a hundred steps of the mechanism already detailed. Nice.

Causes and symptoms of magical exhaustion

What is magical exhaustion? A condition triggered by using magic beyond the limits of one's body, thus causing potentially irreversible damages to the body.
Danger Going beyond the limits does not sound so bad. After all, we often do it with traditional physical exercise, and while it can also result in soreness or injuries, this is not regarded with the same level of alarm. The reason magical exhaustion is so dangerous is that it is associated with a mishandling of magic particles, leaving them free to wreak havoc in all areas of our body:

Magic channels
Leaking magic that goes on to destroy organs

Magic channels

Problem 1: Using magic for too long—until the point of exhaustion. Magic channels get worn down by use, and the magic-binding metalloproteins (MBMPs) at the surface of the microtubules get damaged. This prevents the smooth travelling of the magic particles.
Problem 2: Attempting to force too much magic in the channels all at once. This prevents the magic particles from smoothly travelling over the microtubules. Indeed, if the particles all jump too quickly between metal atoms, some of them will not have a "landing space" free to welcome them.
Results: The magic particles damage the protective myelin sheath encircling the magic channels, and they leak through its holes. They then go on to wreak havoc on the body and nearby organs.

Highlights
Once you stop using magic, the damage can start to heal and recover. Do not forget to make frequent breaks during your training!
Long-term training can also alter the carrying capacity of the magic channels by increasing the number of microtubules in one channel, as well as the numbers and position of the channels in the body, thus reducing the risk of exhaustion.

Mechanism of channel and organ damage by AmélieIS

Magic reserve
Destroying the cells storing magic

Magic reserve

Problem: The magic reserve should never be completely empty of magic particles.
Mechanism: The organelles storing MBMPs get unstable, creating a leak in their membrane and the release of their content inside the cell. The metal atoms of the MBMPs are extremely chemically reactive and wreak havoc inside the cells, killing them.
Results: If too many reserve cells are destroyed, this impairs the ability of the body to store magic.

Highlights
Further training can increase the size of the magic reserve back to previous levels, but it is a slow process.

Mechanism of damage to the magic reserve by AmélieIS

Brain
Interfering with normal brain function

Brain

Problem: Using magic triggers a lot of signalling mechanisms in the brain, and the neurotransmitter molecules responsible for the signalling accumulate as leftover waste, which is only cleared by sleeping.
Mechanism: If too much waste accumulates, it interferes with normal brain function.
Results: A feeling of tiredness, headaches, pain in answer to intense magic, light and sound, a reduced ability to control magic, and difficulties in falling asleep immediately afterwards. In the most extreme magical exhaustion cases, magic particles can even leak in the brain and cause damage there.

Highlights
Always have a nap after intense work or training session!

Mechanism of brain damage by AmélieIS

Some light damages is inevitable for anyone using magic. However, the medical condition of "exhaustion" has some particularly dire consequences:

Long-term consequences
A destroyed body and losing the ability to use magic

Long-term consequences

Mild acute exhaustion

What: Most common form of magical exhaustion.

Healing: It might result in some damage to the body, but it is unlikely to be anything that healers cannot treat. The magic system itself cannot be healed by healers and must recover on its own. It generally takes a few weeks to a few months.

Consequences: Mostly heals without long-term consequences.

Severe acute exhaustion

What: Extremely dangerous, with the level of body damage it causes often resulting in death.

Healing: If the victim manages to survive, they will likely require healers' care for the rest of their life in order to mitigate the organ damage. The damage to their magic system itself is unlikely to either be repaired.

Consequences: The victim will not be able to ever use magic again except in an extremely limited form.

A woman suffering from magical exhaustion by top_ntp777396 on Vecteezy

The hidden danger of chronic exhaustion

Mild chronic exhaustion

What: Mild exhaustion being triggered with a certain recurrence. Sometimes the exhaustion is so mild that people do not notice, but damage is still done.

Healing: Not noticing prevents people from consulting a healer. Repeated damage in the same place also leaves scars and prevents full healing.

Consequences: If enough damage accumulates, it creates some distinct symptoms—a reduce lifespan, increased sensitivity to magic, and a reduced control over one's magic.

Severe chronic exhaustion?
Does not exist, as no one can survive long enough to trigger severe exhaustion enough times to qualify.

"I want you all to take one of those rocks and pour inside it as much of your magic as you feel you safely can before reaching your limits. At Claret, you are well past the level where you cautiously groped your way towards your limits, risking magical exhaustion because of your ignorance, or weakening yourself by stopping well before your limits out of an abondance of caution. You have five minutes."
Noéline blinked dubiously at the teacher's instructions. What kind of exercise was that! Even with stopping before magical exhaustion, they would all still be completely drained for the rest of the day. Basically useless. And defenceless.
And worse, it would be immediately obvious that she had way less magic available than anyone who had passed the entrance exams of Claret ought to.
But it was not as if she had a choice.

Prevention and treatment

Prevention
Pay attention to the warning tingling sensation and knows your own limits

Prevention

In order to avoid being a victim of magical exhaustion, all children are taught very young to recognise the warning signs:

Tingling: As the magic channels tend to be located alongside nerves, once the channels start to become damaged enough for magic particles to leak, the nerves will be the first to be hit by them, creating a tingling sensation.

Pain: While starting by being extremely mild, it can quickly intensify. By this point, a lot of damage will have already been made, and so it is best to stop at the first tingling.

Highlights
The best prevention, however, is to estimate how much magic you can use safely, what amount of magic a given spell or ritual is going to cost you, and whether you can afford it.
Although this, of course, does not prevent many from consciously going beyond their limits, thinking things will be different this time...

Listen to your teacher! by Grzegorz Rakowski on Unsplash

Treatment
Very limited but can mitigate damage. But miraculous solutions are always rumoured to be around...

Treatment

Treatments for magical exhaustion: They are rather limited beyond attempting to heal the organ damage it has caused. However, this does not mean that healers do not attempt to improve them, quite the contrary. The most promising experimental treatments focus on manually reconstructing the magic channels.
Challenge: It is almost impossible to manipulate someone else's channels with healing magic—or other types of magic—because of how reactive the huge amount of metal atoms on their surface make them.
Solution: Healers are exploring alternative methods such as cutting patients' opened or using tools like needles to interact with the channels. This has only had limited success so far...

by Matt Briney on Unsplash

Going beyond the limits

As a reaction to the lack of treatment, people have turned their attention in another direction: inventing rituals or potions that could allow someone to go beyond their limits without suffering the consequences.
No permanent solution has been found yet, but a few hours of limitless magic use has been achieved! This already can give a massive advantage during battles—and they are indeed being put to good use by elite battle-mages.
Such recipes are closely guarded by all the royal families and the most elite of noble families. Nevertheless, any other scientists also conduct their own experiments to attempt to create their own solution, seeing this as a sure way to also win themselves a throne.

"Now that you are all done, partner up with someone else and use basic healing diagnostic techniques to estimate how close they are to their limits. You will then use the rock to establish what the size of their initial reserve was."
As soon as the teacher was done, Noéline hastened to stand up—without appearing to hurry, of course, that would be ungraceful—and she nonchalantly headed towards the young man she had previously noticed. He was still reluctantly putting down his pen when her presence startled him.
She addressed a pleasant smile to him. "Would you like to partner up with me?"

Populations affected

Populations at risk
Soldiers fighting for their life and students and their unhealthy habits

Populations at risk

Children vs adults: Almost everyone will get magical exhaustion at some point during their childhood, as it is difficult for children to judge their limits—or to respect them—and they still need to learn the wisdom of listening to their elders and mentors. Adults, however, are not supposed to get magically exhausted, yet this still happens to some...

Soldiers

Soldiers are particularly at risk. In fact, it is considered inevitable that, during a battle, almost all of the combatants will end up with some form of magical exhaustion if they survive.
This is for two reasons:

With the adrenaline and the potential injuries, it is almost impossible for anyone to actually pay attention to the tingling warnings, or even to the much worse pain caused by strong damage to the magic system.

Even if they in fact hear the warning, few soldiers will bother to listen. Indeed, having an intact magic system will not do them a lot of good if they end up dying because they could not muster a little more magic to shield themselves...

A sword-wielder mage from the South by Some Tale on Unsplash

Highlights

Students are also at risk:

Many of them are likely to have an unhealthy lifestyle, and the lack of sleep and potential alcohol and drug abuse does not make feeling the warning signs of magic exhaustion easier.

They are very often pushed to their limits by their studies, both in class and during last-minute revision before exams.

Comorbidities
Any conditions that amplify or muffle magic sensing signals or that prevent people from correctly intepreting their body signals

Comorbidities

Magical exhaustion occurs more frequently alongside 2 types of conditions:

Individuals with troubles hearing and interpreting the signals sent from their body are, of course, less likely to stop using magic in time to avoid exhaustion.

Some individuals have a dysregulated sensory processing that amplifies or muffles the magic sensing signals and results in them misjudging when they have or have not yet reached their limits.

Students by AmélieIS

Highlights
If you cannot tell by yourself when you have reached your limit, you should get a magic-measuring artefact tailored to send an alarm once it reaches an amount of magic equivalent to the size of your own reserve.

Lidéric frowned, eyes closed, his fingers on the top of Noéline's sternum and her rock in his other hand. When he looked back at her, she was ready to welcome his suspicion with a fakely half-awkward, half-annoyed smile and laugh.
"I'm afraid I had the great idea of over exerting myself this morning redecorating my apartment. Which was a much more productive use of magic than what we are currently doing, anyway."
Lidéric's face immediately cleared, for, of course, who would even think that she would have been able to trick her way past Claret's power-level entrance tests?
When they exchange position, Noéline had to suppress a scoff at the way his rock radiating an enormous amount of magic. There had clearly been no doubt about him getting admitted.

Social impact

People's view on those afflicted
A rite of passage in children and something highly shameful in adults—except for legendary heroes

People's view on those afflicted

Children: Since everyone does end up getting magical exhaustion at some point in their childhood, we all view this as a rite of passage—although one that needs to be handled carefully to ensure that the children survive it with their magic system intact.
Teenagers: Once children reach their teenage years, however, that indulgence fades, and getting magically exhausted is seen as a lack of maturity and self-control.
Adult: It is even more shameful in adults and leads to social ridicule, unless it can be excused by a war or a life-threatening incident.

by Svbalan on Depositphotos

Legends of famous people

Despite this taboo aspect in older people, magical exhaustion has a special place in history and legends, featuring:

The hero having to choose to make the ultimate sacrifice: going through magical exhaustion and continuing to use their magic despite feeling their body fail apart all along. The story ends with the hero dying or being forced to live heavily disabled and magicless.

The hero finding a permanent way to go beyond their limits without suffering magical exhaustion, either as part of their quest to defeat evil, as a prize for it, or as an epiphany or revelation coming to them during the final battle.

Place in training
Always be careful if your teachers suggest something dubious and do not fail from scams selling enhancing treatments

Place in training

Teachers: Any competent teacher will take care to protect their pupils from risks of magical exhaustion. Unfortunately, not all teachers are competent.

Deliberately bad teachers

Be wary, a small number of teachers actively incite their pupils to reach magical exhaustion!
There are several reasons behind this:

1. Child abuse.
2. Sabotage of the students with the teacher being paid a bribe by an enemy family.
3. The teacher being part of the group believing a long-debunked theory stating that reaching a state of magical exhaustion is necessary to enhance the growth of the magic reserve.

Enhancements: There is an intense traffic of enhancing treatments that are supposed to help those who ingest them go beyond their limits without suffering from exhaustion.

Highlights

Sellers of enhancing treatments are:

Most often, scammers.

Sometimes, the scientists attempting to invent them want to test them on guinea pigs.

Rarely, the employees of the noble families owning the real recipes for those treatments want to make some money on the side.

The small possibility of being able to acquire the real deal is what pushes many to take fake treatments. But be wary that you risk more than losing money if you ingest these! Most of them are more poison than miraculous treatment...

Student training by choreograph on DepositPhotos

Legislation
Very strict to prevent authority figures from taking advantage of people. However, the laws can somtimes make exceptions...

Legislation

Because of how dangerous magical exhaustion is, the circumstances leading to it are strictly regulated.
The law: All cases must be investigated to determine whether the authority figures present during the events or having had the possibility to previously influence the sufferers are at fault.
Civilian adults: Since adults suffering from magical exhaustion will often attempt to present themselves as victims of bad influences to avoid the social stigma resulting from their stupidity and lack of self-control, all investigations must be throughout to avoid miscarriages of justice.
Army: Despite forcing people to go beyond their limits being also illegal during military training, the laws regulating magical exhaustion in the army are more ambiguous. This is because going through exhaustion can sometimes be a necessary sacrifice to avoid outright deaths.

Lawmaker by Esther Wechsler on Unsplash

Latest famous case

Occurred ten years ago during the war with Nitra.
Who: This was an attempt from soldiers to have their superior officer condemned for having forced them into an attack despite them having already reached their limits.
Judgment: It was ruled that this breakthrough was the only reason the battalion survived, and so the officer was exonerated.
Conclusion: Be ready to sacrifice yourself for your country!

"So," Lidéric whispered to her as their teacher went on about magic recovery, "do you want to join me at the library afterwards to do our project together?"
Noéline smirked and mumbled, "It'll be a pleasure. Seems like we need to raise the level of this class all by ourselves if we don't want to die of boredom."
He snorted. "Don't get your hopes too high. I heard there were a few too many prominent cases of magic exhaustion last year, and the court is putting pressure on Claret so that it doesn't happen again."
Noéline winced. "Oh god. I hope we're not going to get our education curtailed because of a bunch of idiots who don't know their limits at our age."
Lidéric nodded vigorously. "Thankfully, the prince is still attending Claret with us. I doubt he will allow this nonsense to go on for much longer."
Noéline sent him a curious side glance while still pretending to be listening attentively to the lecture.
She would not have expected the prince to have that much influence over the court, given that he was from a side branch of the royal family. But she had recognised Lidéric's family name. They were very prominent political players, and he would know what he was talking about. While she had no political ambitions herself, she could not deny a certain curiosity about the topic.
It seemed that Lidéric would make an interesting friend for more than one reason.

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