As a rule of thumb, spells of all shapes and sizes are accompanied by Magic Seals (魔法陣, Mahōjin); they are the visible manifestation of eternano being collected by a magician when casting a spell; they are also accompanied by powered-up states. More often than not, a Magic Seal is composed of intangible energy in the form of a proper circle, with concentric rings and squares inscribed in it; while gathering eternano to cast a spell, the Magic Seal spins at a varying velocity. Generally, depending on the amount of energy released, the circle may spin faster or slower; these seals usually appear only during the activation of the spell, but some stay during the duration of the spell- once the magician has completed the casting process of the magic, they immediately vanish into thin air (with the exception of Gears‘ Magic, which stays in the target’s body) signifying that the spell is ready to be let loose upon their enemies.
Generally, a Magic Seal is indicative of a magician's power, as more often than not, each magician has their own specially designed Magic Seal, forged through aspects of their character and fighting style- no two Magic Seals are the same, and the Magic Seal changes, in both colour and the symbol in the middle depending on the magic used; for example, when casting a Fire Magic spell, the user's Magic Seal will take upon a bright red hue and the symbol in the center will transform into the visage of a burning orange-red flame, the typical symbol of the fire element in many forms of media. Additionally, depending on the amount of magical energy required in order to cast the spell or the amount of times the spell is being cast at once, the Magic Seal projected outward will expand or shrink in size or multiply. Where Magic Seals come out usually depends on where the user's hand points to, though sometimes it appears from below or above the user; they can also be used as a shield from enemy attacks.
Over time, magicians have delved deeply into the Magic Seal phenomenon, learning the exact specifics and rulings of the seals which manifest while spellcasting in order to expand upon them and utilize Magic Seals in a far more practical way- this is done by the user skipping the "casting sequence" of their magic and projecting their magical energy outwards in order to manifest their Magic Seals in the form they'd usually be in when beginning to bring one of their spells into the current plane of existence. This has resulted in a massive boon for the magical community, as it has given them more nifty aspects of the arcane to test the limits of. Two examples of expanding upon what the Magic Seals are capable of are the Divine Authority Magic Seal Arts (天権の魔法陣伎, Tenken no Mahōjingi) refer to a series of Caster Magics which are derived from Sealing Magic in which its users perform different hand patterns to create different effects with Magic Seals, and the Numbers Layered Magic Seal Style (号重魔法陣流, Gōjūmahōjin-ryū) which involves the user bringing out Magic Seals of all sorts of properties in order to induce a wide variety of effects upon the opponent and the surroundings.
Magic Seal Forms
When projected outwards in order to serve a purpose other than pretty spell effects, the Magic Seals come in many flavours- namely, there's an almost immeasurable amount of Magic Seals which can be generated, each which fall into several categories- however, every Magic Seal stems from two in particular, listed below.
An Ice Elemental Glyph being used for defense.
Elemental Glyph (要素力・魔法陣, Erementaru Gurifu lit. Elemental Power Magic Seal): An Elemental Glyph, is, well, exactly what the name would indicate- it's a Magic Seal which can be manifested by a magician; each are the embodiment of the Four Fundamental Elements into the current plane of existence; the Elemental Glyphs are formed through moving, altering, and mixing existing elements or pulling eternano together and creating a single Magic Seal from many others, which is then laced with the user's element of choice, influenced into transforming into the element of the user's desire via the immediate surroundings and the user's own thoughts; each Elemental Glyph is a different colour, more often than not corresponding to the manifested element. While under technicality, due to the immense flexibility of the Magic Seal, the user is capable of inducing the replication of phenomena of the world such as volcanic eruptions and hurricanes, a power of such magnitude generally costs at least thrice as much magical power than it would to use the Magic Seal normally, so the user simply harnesses the Elemental Glyphs in order to conjure the basic Four Fundamental Elements; fire, water, earth, and air, plus others such as ice and lightning, utilizing them like normal elemental magics by allowing them to be released from the Magic Seals. The user, just like any other elemental magician, is capable of manifesting the elements from the Magic Seal in many forms, such as burning tornadoes, icicles, and rocky stalagmites, not just the 'wave of _ element' type, granting them virtually infinite options in the heat of battle.
Shift Glyph (性化・魔法陣, Shifuto Gurifu lit. Property Changing Magic Seal): Shift Glyphs are different than the norm- while they're Magic Seals which are manifested through magical manipulation like the others, unlike the Elemental Glyphs, the Shift Glyphs have special properties which can be considered to be more akin to the 'tricky' magics such as Slowing Magic; indeed, the Shift Glyphs are formed through taking a note of existing phenomena and pulling eternano together and creating a single Magic Seal from many others, which is then laced with the user's element of choice, influenced into transforming into the Magic Seal of the user's desire via the immediate surroundings and the user's own thoughts; these Magic Seals are special as, like mentioned above (sorta)- they are capable of controlling the fundamental forces of nature to a rather limited extent- this includes gravity, time, and space, and probably a lot more, including illusions; all of these Magic Seals work exactly like their proper 'magic' counterparts. The most common usage of the Shift Glyphs is to perform time dilation on either the surroundings or an aspect of themselves; though the user can also induce a gravity shift to increase their jumping height. Generally, the user utilizes the Shift Glyphs to increase their own parameters, though it is not uncommon to see a user of this power to affect the fundamental forces of the enemy as well.
The “Gear Blades” used to trigger an explosion
Gear Blades( ギアブレード Giaburēdo): In using the magic Gears, the user must first increase their own magic power momentarily, and then are they able to place Gear-like Magic Seals on their opponent. These magic seals are gear-like in appearance (as the magic’s name suggests), and restricts the target’s speed, as well as causes sluggishness, also creating an explosive attack. The Magic Seals used in this magic appear on the target’s body, and theoretically due to the caster increasing their magic power before they may use the seals, they are a manifestation of the newfound magic power, a piling up of ethernano from the body, which can then be used against the opponent, like other Magic Seal Forms. Due to its usage accordingly with the magic, which extensively affects time, creates an illusion that attacks the opponent, and causes sluggishness (slow magic), this is a known type of Shift Glyph. It may also alter or distillate time, taking the target in a dimension filled with what appears to be multiple cogs and gears.
Magic System Seals
The form of a magician's Magic Seal is determined by the magic system that they practice; each version is differently shaped by default and has drastically varying properties- indeed, while every Magic Seal is capable of being modified by the user, these are properties that cannot be altered unless the magician switches to a different magic system. Within a same system, there could also be variations of Magic Seals; for example, any spell that is capable of summoning a sentient being, whether it is a Summon Spirit or something else, tends to manifest a Magic Seal in the form of a square based on the caster's regular Magic Seal; and when harnessing the power of Melee-Type (打撃型, Dagekigata) spells, a "Magic Loop" (帯状魔法陣, Taijō Mahōjin) will manifest around the weapon or limb which is about to unleash the spell; the Magic Loop is used for strengthening and accelerating the magical energy charge. Although it is uncommon, an individual who has mastered more than one magic system can manifest Magic Seals of different form, depending on the currently used system.
Modern Magic System (近代魔導式, Kindai Madō-shiki): The Modern Magic System is the most widespread magic system of all; as Magic began to evolve, so did people's interest in the arcane art, and as such, the old Formula Eltria was "updated" so that everyone who could do it would take an interest in magic in the many centuries to come. The Modern Magic System is exceedingly versatile as it is streamlined and considered easy-to-use compared to Formula Eltria, where the magician was required to sacrifice physical might for enormous magical potential, but nowhere near as powerful as what was made before; being capable of being adapted and utilized for many a situation, whether it be offense, defense, maneuverability, and many recreational uses such as construction and healing. While vastly weaker in terms of sheer magical output and power than Formula Eltria, the Modern Magic System has so many other benefits that over time, Formula Eltria was forgotten by the masses. The Modern Magic Style is utilized by almost every known magician around three hundred years ago to the present day- the trio of Legal, Independent, and Dark Magicians all harness its power. The Magic Seal of the Modern Magic System resembles a proper circle, with concentric rings and squares inscribed in it- the Magic Seal has numerous images symbolic to magic such as gemstones placed in the four cardinal directions emblazoned upon the seal.
Formula Eltria (古代魔導式, Fōmyura Erutoria lit. Ancient Magic System): The Formula Eltria magic system is the very first magic style, having been around ever since the discovery of magic many millennia ago, as more and more discoveries were made, Magic began to evolve into the current state seen in the present day; Formula Eltria has been long-forgotten, with only a few in the current day and age still practicing it. Formula Eltria is a more "traditional" form of magic, requiring a very specific body in order to harness to their fullest potential. Indeed, Formula Eltria's full power comes about by one focusing on nothing but their magical power, neglecting the physical might in order to balance their own powers; though in exchange, a user of Formula Eltria has access to overwhelmingly powerful magic that makes them akin to a tactical nuke- the Formula Eltria was the culmination of all of the first era's magical techniques, and knowledge it was the highest form of magic for the era. The Formula Eltria Magic Seal takes the form of a two-layered triangle which has four circles at its angles and the center. The outer circles contain abstract symbols, while the inner circle is inscribed with a cross; at the corners of the Magic Seal are the small Greek letters π (pi), δ (delta), ω (omega) and ν (nu); the four phases of the moon are emblazoned upon the Magic Seal.
Black Arts Magic Style (黒伎魔導式, Kokugi Madō-shiki): The Black Arts Magic Style is a magic system utilized solely by those who are capable of wielding the forbidden black magics referred to as, well, obviously, the Black Arts. The Black Arts were actually derived from Formula Eltria, as the Modern Magic Style had not been created just yet- Formula Eltria was modified using a Black Arts practitioner's negative emotions which is the reverse of the normal 'magic= feelings' concept, giving off a feeling of despair to opponents that fight against a user of this magic system as the Black Arts Magic Style releases the malefic nature of the magical energies out into the world; feeding off of the primal emotions of the caster such as revenge, hate, greed, and fear. In the process, it makes those it affects experience and exhibit these feelings while constantly making those feelings stronger. While most Dark Magicians simply utilize the Modern Magic Style, some are capable of utilizing the Black Arts Magic Style- though it is more associated with ancient threats such as the Black Wizard. In any case, the Magic Seal of the Black Arts Magic Style is invariably a darkly-coloured octagon with numerous streams of dark energy seeping from the Magic Seal.
Trivia
The Magic Seals sometimes appear in the Fairy Tail anime when a spell is being cast; however, Per expanded upon it in order to allow more freedom.
