Our Supernatural Elements Are Different, More so than others

[SOS Mage]

Fundamental Astral Forces

Astral forces, also known as abstract forces or spiritual forces, are the principle metaphysical interactions that is responsible for making up everything in the entire omniverse at the most fundamental level in which it prevades consistently. Without them, not even the material plane and physical forces associated with them can exist at all, thus implying astral forces have absolute precedence over all physical forces in the omniverse. These fundamental astral forces are magic, tao and psi, which all interact, influence and intertwine with each other.

Magic itself is responsible for the existence of all abstract concepts that make up the omniverse, which includes its ideas.

Tao itself is responsible for the existence of all abstract flows that make up the omniverse, which includes its essences.

Psi itself is responsible for the existence of all abstract data that makes up the omniverse, which includes its information.

Astral Sources

Astral forces prevade consistently throughout the entire omniverse on the astral level in the form of spiritual capacities. This is not the same as energy in the sense of a dynamic quantity of physical forces, but rather the building blocks of metaphysical existence similar to how matter, energy, space and time are building blocks of physical existence. Another reason why spiritual capacities are not the same as physical energy is due to the fact they only exists in the astral plane, thus it cannot be tampered with through physical forces although manipulating these astral building blocks can tamper with physical forces indirectly. This is why in most spiritual circles, spiritual capacities are referred to as spiritual drive instead.

Mana is the astral drive that makes up the building blocks for all abstract concepts, meaning manipulating mana is the ability to control and rearrange abstract concepts.

Ki is the astral drive that makes up the building blocks for all abstract flows, meaning manipulating ki is the ability to control and rearrange abstract flows.

Ectoplasm is the astral drive that makes up the building blocks for all abstract data, meaning manipulating ectoplasm is the ability to control and rearrange abstract data.

Mana, ki and ectoplasm are incorporeal drives that exist in the astral plane, but can be manipulated to reconfigure the physical plane in order to manifest physical projections. Simply put, everything in existence is made up of or influenced by mana, ki and ectoplasm on the astral level.

Science and Manipulation

Similar to how physical-oriented society study, harness and manipulate forces of the physical plane, spiritual-oriented societies study, harness and manipulate the forces of the astral plane. These forces can be harnessed and manipulated through the practitioner themselves or through devices with attunement to the astral forces. These fields of science and manipulation of astral forces are categorized as magecraft (manipulation of mana to operate the forces of magic), taoism (manipulation of ki to operate the forces of tao) and psionics (manipulation of ectoplasm to operate the forces of psi). It should be noted that due to the precedence of astral forces disallowing physical forces to manipulate them, purely physical means such as electronics and even quantum technology are incapable of performing magecraft, taoism or psionics regardless of how advanced they are.

A simple analogy to explain this would be how electricity is the natural force (the source) used for electronics (the technology). Magic/tao/psi would be the "source" and magecraft/taoism/psi would be the "technology". Technology in this context would be the most basic definition, which would be applied science for practical purposes.

Practitioners

Astral oriented researchers and practitioners are all referred to a classification title that matches their astral force specialty. Hybrids also exist, in which they are classified under multiple astral force specialties. These specialists include:

Those who study and manipulate the forces of magic are referred to as magicians, but are also called mages or sorcerers/sorceresses.

Those who study and manipulate the forces of tao are referred to as taoists, but are also known as daoists.

Those who study and manipulate the forces of psi are referred to as espers, but are also known as psychics or psions.

[Solien-sama]

My side on this matter:
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Ki energy can only be found residing in living beings, humans and animals alike.

In using ki, a person has to somehow tense their muscles and use their imagination to think that ki is being channeled. If done correctly, they would feel some sort of heat, signifying that ki really is flowing. While it may sound simple, it still requires a significant amount of training.

As commonly observed, ki is projected when a person performs quick moves such as punches, kicks and the like. Ki concentration is done when a person channels ki into a certain point in their body.

There are instances when a person who has no knowledge of ki whatsoever can actually use it. Tasks that require a vast amount of physical strength, like pushing, pulling or lifting, can be the key behind this.

In its physical depiction, ki is known to be colored light blue. It cannot be seen by an average person's eye, unless a stronger concentration occurs.
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Mana energy can found in the natural surroundings, mostly from the air.

In using mana, a person has to use his imagination and feel if he is blending with an energy flow in the environment. If done correctly, they would feel part of the energy flow inside them. This is when they can use magic afterwards. Again, as simple as it sounds, it requires the person to be level-headed before and during the casting, so mental strength is a necessity. Doing it wrong and casting a spell would eat up a portion of the user's lifeforce instead, exhausting and weakening them rapidly.

Elemental spells are basic in using magic. To use it correctly, one must perform the method mentioned above. Otherwise, the consequence happens. More advanced spells, such as summoning, require the user to have both sufficient mana handling and lifeforce, so it is inadvisable to use if one is not ready both physically and mentally.

In the world of Animetopia, in order to use magic, one must have an item known as Elemental Tokens, special coins that vary in color and markings depending on what element they possess. However, there were some rare cases when one does not need Tokens to use magic, probably because they were already gifted in the first place.

An even rarer case is concerning the people who could actually use raw mana. Up until now, it is unknown how this happens, but there are theories that these people were already influenced or exposed in an unusual environment for a significant amount of time during the earlier stages of their life, making them close to becoming one with nature. The same could be said for those born with magic, although not as much as the ones mentioned.

In its physical depiction, mana is known to be colored light green. Like ki, it is invisible to ordinary eyes unless there is a large concentration.
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Psionic energy has only been found from beings who have been gifted. The said individuals are actually rare.

In using ESP, a person only has to utilize his will power. Initially, extreme concentration is required for ESP to be effective. However, with enough experience and training, people who are used to doing multiple tasks in one time can do more.

Psionic energy is unlimited. It only counts down to how much mental strength a person has. But, should there be a need for drawing out more power, a stronger will power is needed. Otherwise, extreme mental fatigue takes its toll.

In its physical depiction, ESP is known to be colored red.

[EnergyFlux2012]

Magic - Magic is the manipulation of the ether, or universal energy in Ethereal Seals. The ether is basically all matter and phenomena that inherently exists due to the concept of creation. The ether is broken down into a handful of aspects that categorize its overall nature:


Fire - the destructive potential of the ether that breaks everything down
Examples: fireballs, explosions

Water - the protective potential of the ether that brings everything together
Examples: healing, shielding, warding

Wind -the natural flow of the ether that brings balance
Examples: wind gusts, levitation

Earth - the growth of the ether that brings expansion
Examples: plant manifestation, size augmentation

Light - the luminescence of the ether that summons order
Examples: light bolts, blessings

Shadow - the darkness of the ether that summons chaos
Examples: shadow bolts, curses

Spirit - the intelligent nature of the ether that establishes its presence
Examples: shapeshifting, telepathy, telekinesis


Guardians - For each type of magic, there is a cosmic entity assigned to monitor that aspect of the etheric energy in the universe. This is to assure that a balancing of all eight elements are maintained. These cosmic guardians are meta-physical in nature, however they can represent themselves in the physical reality:

Ignis - Guardian of the Fire element

Aqua - Guardian of the Water element

Ventus - Guardian of the Wind element

Terra - Guardian of the Earth element

Lumas - Guardian of the Light element

Umbra - Guardian of the Shadow element

Animus - Guardian of the Spirit element

These seven guardians serve a being known by the name 'the Duke of Aether', who oversees the entirety of the magical fluctuations occurring throughout the setting. Additionally, a caster may pray in the name of a particular guardian, to strengthen a spell cast. This is done by entering a meditative trance state, chanting the name of the guardian several times, then reciting a small incantation to thank the guardians for their support.


Centrums - These are essentially the energy centers of an organism. There are seven in total, one of each etheric aspect. These centers act as regulators of the ethereal link between the organism and the infinite mass of the ether. When channeling the energy from that aspect, the user directly connects the corresponding centrum to the surrounding ether.

Crown - Spirit

Third Eye - Light

Throat - Shadow

Chest - Water

Solar Plexus - Fire

Pelvis - Wind

Base - Earth

Over time, the centrums can be exhausted through exertion. If overused, the user will exhaust the self and will be unable to perform excess amounts of spells for that aspect. If multiple centrums are exhausted, the user will faint or in worse cases die.