Sage (HE66)

Sages (賢者, Kenja lit. Wise Man) are Magic users that possess a deep connection to the Origin of Magic (一なる魔法, Ichinaru Mahō), thus having abilities beyond reason and unsurpassed mastery over magic, regardless of its type.

Overview
As Mages are rare in Earthland, being only 10%, Sages are even rarer (about only 1%), to an extent of being entitled "Legends Incarnate", as they are Magic users who excel at the deepest knowledge of their magics and possess overwhelming capabilities. For official Guild Mages, they're the "Ultimate Magic World's People", and symbols of hope; for Dark Guild Mages, they're the "Ultimate Magic World's Keys", and treasures useful for their own evil ambitions.

History
At Mildian Magic Academy, 400 years ago, a group of students created a theory related to the quintessence of magic about the first magic users to ever be capable of wielding it, calling them "Sages". According to the theory, Sages are the first Magic users with vast knowledge over their power, abilities and weaknesses, as well as ways to compensate them. As a side-effect of having refined themselves and improved their magic over time, they would mutate from traditional mage physiology and attain enlightenment over their capabilities, losing awareness of divisions of Magic, such as Holder, Caster, Lost and Supportive Magics: for a Sage, a well-refined Magic can be powerful and devastating, or miraculous and restorative, maybe even both. In other words, "great power comes with great responsibility" is the defining principle of a Sage.

As the Academy fell into ruins, along with the civilization, this theory became a legend over time, having been discovered by the Magic Council at some point and being preserved as a confidential information within the archives, until x793 onward, which some Magic Users have attained the fullest extent of their prowesses, proving the legend's veracity.

Characteristics
A Sage is not different than a Mage or even a normal person in terms of appearance, but their capabilities far exceed that of a Mage's, as a consequence of their training, acquiring characteristics exclusive for them. These characteristics, or rather, abilities, are obtained by reaching "Realms".

Sage's Realm (賢者の領域, Kenja no Ryōiki, lit. Wise Man's Realm) is a Sage's evolutionary state. As there are three realms, certain abilities are acquired. In theory, a Sage's abilities are beyond reason in general, but in practice, only one or two of each realm's abilities are considered as such, resulting in a total of three (minimum) to six (maximum) abilities. For each realm, slight changes in a Sage's appearance are bound to be noticed, whether in a casual occasion or in a fight. Those changes are reversible, as they can go back and forth at will.


 * Aspirational Realm (願望の領域, Ganbō no Ryōiki, Realm of Aspiration): the first and lowest Sage's Realm. A Sage from this Realm has no significant changes in appearance, but some of their abilities are far more outstanding than that of a Mage's. These abilities are called Superhuman Powers, the signs of a Sage's physical abnormality. They are divided into two categories: Physical Type and Mental Type, classified in accordance to the corporal aspects.


 * Mystical Realm (神秘主義の領域, Jinpishugi no Ryōiki, Realm of Mysticism): the second and intermediary Realm. Once a Sage reaches this Realm, their appearance is slightly altered, having their eye color changed and/or markings appearing on their body, as a sign of having acquired a Mystical Mutation, the magical counterpart of Superhuman Power, and a result of their efforts. Due to the diversity of Magics, there's no clear division between Mystical Mutations. Also, they are capable of using Variant Spells, incantations that indicate an "expansion" (usually an alternate use) of the Main Spell.


 * Elder's Realm (古代の領域, Kodai no Ryōiki, Realm of The Ancients): the third and highest Realm. Once reached, the Sage's appearance is drastically altered, with their hair changing colors to a gradient of two colors, their eyes changing colors (usually reverting back to original color with an odd shape) and even skin changing color (from pale white to black), as a sign of having acquired an "Akashic Record", the culmination of a Sage's experience, efforts and excellence over their Magic, acting as a mix of Second and Third Origins in practice, manifested in the form of Phantasm Spells, which cannot be learned in the "past" (Second Origin) nor present (Normal Training) nor "future" (Third Origin) and possess devastating effects.

Magisterium
Magisterium (教導職, Kyōdō-shoku) is a special training regimen made in order to unlock a Mage's hidden true potential, further becoming a full-fledged Sage. The Magisteriums can range from a simple meditation to extremely weird methods, all according to the Mage's current potential.

Sages
TBA.