Chapter 99: Chapter 97: The Star on the Horizon

Magical imprinting.

Natural ambient magics are present all around us at any time of our lives, whether at home or in the deepest dungeons of the world. Each living creature releases from itself a constant flux of light – magical radiation. This radiation stains a place over time, imbuing it with properties that may be considered magical to an extent. Some places in particular have been touched by magic influences in eras past, allowing them to become something unique that we call a ‘high magic zone’, one of the few remaining places in our world that is rich and flush with ambient magics at an otherwise unheard of level.

This release of magical energies from a person does not only apply to places, however. It also applies to the people they touch and interact with. The magic of a smile, of a warm gesture is as real as a cast fireball or a blessing in a magical sense. An interaction, a spark, takes place between a pair of souls, sending out magical residues that influence the way we feel about this other person, who has touched our deepest core for only a brief moment.

This, of course, applies to negative interactions as well.

Very importantly, objects can be affected in this way, too. Blessed swords have come into being, not through the work of smiths but by simply being crude blades held in the hands of those with virtuous intent.

Our ability to change the things we touch is very, very real. Every coin you hold in your fingers, every page of a book, every leather strap of a rein absorbs a little of the passive ambient magics from your own body.

Be mindful of your disposition, as your mood may very well affect the outcome of your current efforts, even if on an infinitesimally small scale.