Chapter 5 What is magic?

Next to a broken house in an abandoned playground lot, that is, a place not far from where Sherry descended and Harry was beaten. Sherry was carefully explaining to Harry, some introductory general knowledge about magic.

"The world of magic is incomparably huge, it's impossible to make it clear in three words!"Sherry's voice resounded in Harry's heart, and Harry listened attentively, looking over from afar, it was Harry alone, sitting in a clearing in a daze.

"First of all, Harry, what is magic, do you know?"Sherry asked.

"Magic?"Harry was a little embarrassed in his mind, "Magic, isn't it something that can help people do a lot of incredible things?"

Sherry was a little surprised, this was really the average person's understanding of magic, I didn't expect Harry to have such an understanding at such a young age.

"You're right, Harry," Sherry first affirmed Harry's answer, then went on to explain, "But it's not comprehensive enough."

"The ability to make people fly through the sky, to turn them into frogs, or to send down thunderstorms and rain, or to create huge waves and tsunamis. This incredible variety is certainly magic, but is that all there is to magic?"Sherry asked rhetorically.

"This ...."Harry was momentarily speechless.

"Pick up two stones from the ground, Harry," Sherry instructed, "one in each hand."

Harry did as he was told.

"Now, raise your left hand and throw the stone as hard as you can!"

Harry leaned back slightly on his left side, reached back with his left hand, and threw the stone in his hand as hard as he could. Being young and not very strong, the stone didn't land very far.

"Now, spread out your right hand and don't move, and watch carefully."Harry knew in his heart that the magic was about to be cast now, so he hastily spread out his right hand, his eyes staring deathly at the stone in his hand.

Sherry recited an incantation while extracting some of the already few remaining magical energies from the magic net to form a transparent palm, then picked up the stone in Harry's hand.

Because of the transparent palm, it looked as if the stone floated on its own, and Harry stared in amazement at the stone floating in front of him.

"Watch this!"Sherry commanded the magical palm and threw the stone, because Sherry intentionally controlled the force, the stone's landing point, was very close to the one Harry had thrown.

Harry's heart was a bit confused, he had both the surprise and delight of seeing magic for the first time, and some small disappointment.

"Are you disappointed?"Sherry asked suddenly.

Harry was silent, he knew he couldn't hide it from Sherry.

"Do you think that what I just did with magic, you can easily do with your own body and it's much easier and faster?"Sherry said all the unfinished business in Harry's heart.

"Yes, the magic looks a bit useless."Harry said rather embarrassed.

"You're right Harry, this magic is indeed useless."Sherry said with certainty.

"How could it? I mean ...."Harry looked a little anxious and a little lost.

"But Harry, who's to say that magic has to be just radiant and brilliant to be able to do everything incredible?"

"You know what? Harry, humans, nowadays, have done things with their powers that most mages couldn't do. They walk under the deep sea, travel through space, rain down and observe entire planets. Aren't these, Harry, the power of magic?"Sherry suddenly threw out a startling argument.

"But these are science, not magic."Harry couldn't help but retort, "Everyone knows that science and magic are completely different."

"Oh? What's the difference?"Sherry asked back with interest, "Is it because there are no spells? So those natural science formulas don't count? Is that because there are no wands? What about the various types of tools used? Didn't do things that humans couldn't do on their own? Is it possible for a human to fly and dive deep under the sea?"

Harry was momentarily stopped by Sherry's question, and he pondered Sherry's words in his mind, "It seems like science really isn't that different from magic?"

Of course, Sherry didn't completely equate magic and science, erasing the fun of magic, lest Harry find science more useful and give up on magic altogether. It was unlikely, but things were just as they should be, weren't they?

A gust of wind blew through the ground, and some of the grass stems, partially freeing themselves, danced in the wind.

It was a real dance, the grass stems, all at once, turned into green butterflies, fluttering up and down around Harry, capturing his entire mind at once.

"Harry," Sherry's voice sounded again as the butterflies faded away and reverted to grass stems falling, "the reason I'm saying all this is just to answer, the first question I asked you myself."

The first question, Harry thought back, "What is magic?"

"Everyone's definition of magic is different. Some believe that magic saves distress, saves lives, and is a ray of hope, while others believe that magic makes the dead walk, plagues run rampant, and is a source of chaos. And you need to find your own answers!"Sherry admonished warmly, "But you must always remember one thing, power is harnessed, not harnessed. Once you are unable to assert yourself, then you may fall into an irreparable abyss!"

Harry took all of these words to heart, and although he didn't know exactly what they meant just yet, he knew that he would be able to understand them someday.

"Well, this is the end of the theory class for the time being, let's officially begin the study of magic!"The heavy atmosphere was swept away, and Harry's eyes were filled with anticipation and eagerness to try.

"Magic is divided into eight schools of thought and a general school of thought, based on effects, methods of casting, and future specialization."

"The School of Change: everything in the world is in a state of change at all times, and the only thing that remains the same is change itself. Steel giants can become white rabbits, clear skies can become obscene rain, flesh can become metal, and stone can become soft clay."

"School of Protection: magic does not only destroy, it also guards, it does not only gain, it also gives up. Ice and flames can protect, creatures can protect, and even magic itself can protect. The most famous of this school of magic is a terrifying magic called Rift. This magic can undo all magical effects, even those contained in the mage himself."

"Spell School: the world of magic is both infinitely large and infinitely small. The world isn't just the one we stand under our feet; various parallel, intersecting multiverses of time and space are all around us. This school of magic allows for the summoning of energies, assistants, and even other rarer things from the otherworld. Mages can also travel from world to world, arriving in Hell from Heaven."

"School of Prophecy: a true mage's most precious power should never be those spells that hold the power to destroy, but rather his own clear mind, and the wisdom and knowledge that abounds within it. This one school of thought was born precisely to help mages obtain as much information as possible, so as to distill the truly valuable knowledge and wisdom. They can know what happened in the past, what is happening now, and even some things that are going to happen in the future."

"School of Enchantment: magic is not an individual separate from everything else, but exists within everything itself. The spells of this school are the school of spells that mobilize these magics that exist within everything, thus changing the nature of things. The mages of this school take the use of magic and delve into the fact that their every word and action, a single movement, or even a single look or a single chortle, will all achieve a powerful magical effect."

"The School of Plastic Energy: the appearance of everything in the world is just an illusion; the energy and rules hidden underneath this appearance are the reality of this world. This school is also what we traditionally think of as magic; lightning, frost, fire, storms, are all playthings that mages can manipulate. It is also the school of magic that is the most destructive on the material plane."

"School of Fantasy: True and false illusions, only the mind shows them. Everything has a shadow, everything has a weakness. The spells of this school, unlike the direct interference and distortion of the will of the School of Enchantment, allow creatures to alter their own consciousness by altering the information they receive from the outside world. Mages can create illusions, phantom sounds, including smells and even touch, and in a way, they can even create a world."

"The last one, the Necromancy School."Sherry paused when he said this, not knowing the acceptance of this world for Necromancy, after all, the name Necromancy sounded like a big villain.

"What's wrong with necromancy magic? Go on!"Harry didn't know what was wrong, but the first time he heard the school division of magic, he was immediately captivated by the mystical power of it.

"Alright!"Sherry continued, "Necromancy: the mages of this school believe that life is but a small part of death. Life and death, the line is blurred in this school. They can distribute epidemics, evoke dead spirits, and exist in violation of natural conventions. A powerful necromancer can pull together an army of death anytime, anywhere."

"Sounds pretty awesome!"Harry leapt to his feet, seeming genuinely quite interested in Necromancy.

Kid? That doesn't seem like the right reaction for you! You're a future winner and savior, okay? Is it really a good idea to learn the dark style of necromancy?

Think about how other people wave their hands and summon flames and frost to destroy their enemies. When you wave your hand, countless zombies and skeletons stand up, the contrast of that picture is too beautiful to look at.

"So, which faction of magic do you find yourself most interested in right now?"Sherry asked.

"Can't I learn all of them?"Harry thought that all the faculties of magic sounded so interesting and powerful that he didn't want to give up any of them himself.

"Of course you can, but I wouldn't recommend that choice."Sherry replied. (Unfinished Business)