Basics of Magic

Note: in the entire notebook. "Threads of magic" don’t mean actual threads, its figurative representing magical power. (I write this because in some books it's actual threads of magic)
How much energy consumption and how mentally taxing it is (though a harder thing to do is obviously more taxing than it would be, like pushing a ship vs irrigating a plant):
Incredibly taxing (can do it for little time) Very taxing Taxing Normal Taxing Lightly taxing Very lightly taxing Minimally taxing (can use it very often)


(Illusion/time/space/mind/artifacters)
Opposites generally hate each other or are great friends, knowing they can achieve almost anything if they work together.
The way magic works and how it is used: Much like you just move your arm, a fire maxem just heats up the atoms around his hand, and can throw a fireball. Though like learning to whistle, it requires a very specific formation of things to be done consciously until it even minimally works, and as a whistle might sound different depending on the specifics, different types of magical manipulation are learned. The farther away and more intense the magic, the harder it is to pull it off, which is why many initiate the magic near them before letting it go towards what they are trying to do.
Examples: The fire maxem thought about the area over his hand, imagining a solid sphere where he has complete mental control. In that sphere he imagines heat, he constantly thinks of the flame that will be produced and feels like he is giving his soul to produce it. A fireball erupts in his hand, now he keeps imagining that sphere over his hand filled with heat and flame. He then 'throws' the sphere towards the target, making an arm movement to make it feel more natural like throwing a ball. Throughout the fireballs trajectory, he must maintain an idea of that sphere of heat as it moves forwards until it hits the target, which is when he stops his influence over the sphere, letting the wood of the target do the burning for him. (He may have learned throwing fireballs making a throwing motion, making it easier for him to repeat the action for the spell, though it is not necessary. Maybe in the future he could make the target erupt without needing to make the ball in the first place.)
A water maxem deviating rain from falling on her; she waits until the rain is close before pushing it away. She pushes it away by feeling the water and having it 'flow' away from her. As more rain falls, the more tired she gets. (The same maxem would get tired quicker if there were more people to cover, there was more rain falling, or she tried to make the rain 'flow' away from a much higher distance.)



As maxems learn to control their power they become better at it (obviously). Maybe at the beginning they say or do hand motions to make it work, when later they realize its more of a mental task and can control it by just thinking at what they want to do. Eventually their magic becomes more potent, their flame could burn hotter, the stones they pull are bigger, maybe even control several swords in the air.
The limits of magic depend on the person wielding it, with practice they improve and can do more. It depends on how much the person knows to use it efficiently, and how much they can handle before getting tired. Someone with a lot of willpower that grits through the tiredness could do more than someone with a bit more practice (talent vs training, though training will eventually surpass).
Multiple maxems could work together to do other things, such as lifting a boulder to save someone underneath.
Elementals can bypass this natural limit, magic for them is just so natural and a part of them that magic seems almost effortless. Allowing them to do things seemingly unimaginable even in comparison to normal maxems. Though they can also get tired when they reach their limit.
As a maxem/elemental reaches their limit they get more and more tired, though they didn’t use their arms and legs, they find it harder and harder to move. Concentrating becomes a challenge as their mind starts to fail them in extreme fatigue, and all they want to do is sleep.




There is a material that no magic can touch, that material is black iron, it is very rare, only the very rich can afford to buy it (most of it is in Valdor). It gets its name from the pitch black color it has in all forms. It's used to line castle walls and armour so they aren't manipulated by a cunning maxem. Even a fireball fizzles when in contact with the material. It can also be made thin and woven into clothes and other materials. It can also be made extremely sharp easily and is incredibly durable, taking incredible blows without bending.

Elementals and Maxems don't consider their power 'magic', due to how it feels to control it. It is a manipulation of the world, but instead of using their body, they use their mind and its tools.