Throughout the story, magic plays an important, if not mysterious, role.  What are its limitations, if any?  What can it be used to achieve?  What kind of power does it have over life itself?  I can answer some questions here, but for the rest you'll simply have to read the story.  Now, of magic itself.  It is partially bound by a language used long ago which many have forgotten.  Its strange pronunciations and forms made it in a way inferior to basic (that is, english).  It is only partially bound in that it can be used, in uncommon and odd situations, without uttering a sound.  How such occurances happen, nobody knows.  The actual ability to use magic is, in itself, ucommon, although not altogether rare.  About one out of every fifty to a hundred is born with the ability, depending greatly on what they were named and where they were born.  For example, the fiery peaks of the Dragonback Range have always been strange and treacheruos for three reasons: bears, lava, and concentrations of magic, especially to the east.  People born here have a better chance of becoming mages than someone in Bocad, a town on the plains to the south.

 

Names also have an efect on whether or not someone will be a mage, as well as the rest of their destiny.  About six months after a baby being born, the parents will sometimes feel as though what they named their child was wrong, and that it should be something different (such as, for an example, Libyado).  This name is of the ancient language and has a specific meaning (again using Libyado for an example, which means bringer of fate).  This name seals their destiny, sometimes enabling them to be great warriors or sages, other times to dwell amongst the impoverished; every times a gamble, unless you know what the name means.  So it has become a tradition, in magical hot spots such as Zokmo, to wait on naming for the six month period.

 

Amidst the very long list of spells, there are 35 in particular that often used in elemental combat.  Of these, there are seven for each element; five offensive and two defensive.  The first three are taught to all mages and are, in order from weakest to strongest: attack, blast, strike.  These, of course, are not in Basic and follow the element the user wishes to cast.  The two defensive, also in order, are: barrier, shield.  Now, this next offensive is taught to all sages: lance, followed by a very powerful spell that nearly forfites your life in order to cast, which taught only to the wisest and most powerful sages: destruction.  Once you begin that spell, there's no turning back, and a very high chance you will die with your foe.  As the spells are used amidst the story, descripsions of the spells will be given, although you won't see the destruction spells crop up for a good long time.

 

Magical abilities can be obtained through ways other than being born with it, however.  Gems, crystals, and some kinds of rock can be charged with enough power to transfer these abilities to another person.  Such charges require an immense amount of energy, however, and are usually completed over a matter of weeks.  They also serve another purpose: recovery.  Any kind of mage can draw the stored energy from objects that already heave some kind of energy in the first place; that is, it cannot be drawn from some random rock, but it can be ( in a small amount) from plants and animals depending on size.  An attempt to drain energy from another person can be insanely dangerous, for even those untrained in guarding their minds can make viscious attacks during that time.

 

The final and perhaps most mysterious part of magic is the effect hand signs have on spells.  These, however, are not frequently used due to their seemingly random and mangled appearances, and memorizing but a few can prove to be difficult.  If used correctly, however, they can empower the strike enough to break an opponent's barrier, or reinforce your own barrier enough to save your life.  Most mages simply use the traditional open palm, with their hand facing their opponent (or whatever they're using the magic on) and uttering the spell.  Hand signs are, however, the only known way to use magic without having been born with the ability.  Although you may think that everyone would use use this to tap magical power, the effects are never all that strong; teleportation is short range and fire is no stronger than a small burst.  These techniques are learned by ninjas, hence granting them stealth, speed, and the ability to "disappear".  Although studied for centuries, magic still has many mysteries yet to be uncovered.