Spheres Of Magic

Knowledge of magic is referred to as spheres of magic. Unlike techniques used by warriors, spheres are areas of understanding of the nature of reality. The broader the sphere is, the more difficult it is to gain understanding of its nature, which is why researchers have ended up splitting magic into different areas of study. It’s well known that some researchers choose to study incredibly narrow fields of study in order to learn magic more easily, but such usually causes such spheres to be highly limited. The same spells can exist in many different spheres, so long as they fit the understanding of that sphere.
Progress in a particular sphere is based on circles of ability. Few magi get past the third circle of a sphere, and fewer still past the fifth. Reaching the ninth or tenth is almost unheard of.
The common view of magic, determined by the Conclave of Royal Magi twelve centuries ago, has the Major Spheres, which are the broadest interpretations of magic that most researchers utilize. They are Air, Earth, Energy, Fire, Life, Light, Mind, Nature, Necromancy, Shadow, Summoning, and Water.
Minor Spheres are innumerable, but the most common ones are Artificing, Frost, Lightning, Magma, Metal, Mud, Plants, and Poison.
A single sphere of magic can cover more than is initially apparent. For example, the sphere of water isn't just water. It's liquid, and yet more than that at the same time. A master of water can transmute water into blood for someone who's dying. They can seal wounds and give someone bleeding out the chance for their body to start healing. Steam or clouds are simply water which has evaporated, while ice is water as well. Ice is a sub-sphere of water.
There are other views of the spheres from other nations. The most well-known of these is the Corvallian spheres classification used by the mageocracy of Corval on the continent of Algaria.