After receiving "Basic Theories of Magic" from Tokiomi, Rin began her journey as a literary girl. For eight hours a day, she stayed in the underground magic workshop, studying the fundamental theories of magic. Rin clearly knew that this could not be rushed.
Theory is the foundation of practice. Magic is an absolutely rational discipline. A Magician who does not understand basic theories cannot truly become powerful.
Don't use Emiya Shirou as a reference; protagonists are not comparable!
Regarding the theoretical settings of Type-Moon magic, hints were revealed in fragmented conversations between characters in the original story (yuanzhu), but it was never truly and clearly explained. Only after truly coming here did she truly and clearly receive formal magical theories.
The fundamental nature of Magecraft is phenomena that transcend common sense. It involves making things that can be done through common sense happen in an uncommon way. It is the general term for artificial miracles and the act of reproducing miracles. The mystery here refers to phenomena that defy common sense, which, if not limited by time and money, could be reproduced with modern technology. Its essence lies in distortion and reversal.
Originally, it was Sorcery, using powers already determined at the Root. Thus, the more people who know about it, the weaker its power becomes. A simple analogy: if ten units of power were originally used by one person, they are now divided into two units for two people. The more people who can use it, the less power each receives. Therefore, the essence of Magecraft is its mysterious nature.
Higher-level Magecraft battles are conflicts of concepts. There are no strong points or weaknesses; it simply becomes a calculation of order between them. While each school of Magecraft differs, fundamentally, they all involve a mechanism of "converting what is within oneself into the mana that permeates the outside world," using mana to activate "rules already determined by the world," and stably triggering spells that interfere with nature.
Following the established foundation of each school, the practitioner then sends commands. To execute a pre-made function, the electrical current, or mana, for sending commands is required. For example, if a car is the "rule," then gasoline is "mana." Only by injecting "mana" can the "rule" be activated.
To activate Magecraft, one must have the necessary amount of mana for activation and the key to the engine. Furthermore, three Magic Circuits are needed to inject mana into the engine.
Magecraft is not omnipotent; it is based on the principle of equivalent exchange. It can only accomplish what is possible, not what is impossible. Therefore, challenging the impossible, the void, is the essence of this study of Magecraft. Large-scale Magecraft, known as Greater Magecraft and Greater Rituals, constantly challenges the impossible to reach Sorcery, and nothing else.
If a Magician's bloodline is thin, they can still generate mana through "formalized things." That is to say, through rituals established since ancient times, by using offerings and contacting mysteries. If one's own ability is insufficient, then a Magecraft ritual is performed by exchanging something as a price. To borrow mana from the world, the practitioner must prepare a certain ritual.
The inherent performance of Magecraft is already determined and does not change regardless of who uses it. What can be changed is its power through incantation. Magecraft that interferes with others' minds and alters their thought processes does not require material sacrifices but rather pulls on the practitioner's own mental direction.
Magecraft and science are similar on some levels. Although their methods differ, they both require effort to achieve their goals. While Magecraft can make things seem to happen instantly, it actually requires a lot of preparation beforehand.
From a Magician's perspective, Magecraft is merely making things that modern technology can achieve possible through individual effort, expending a great deal of time and energy.
Due to the continuous development of civilization, many things that were impossible in the past can now be done; therefore, abilities that were once considered Sorcery might now only be considered Magecraft.
This was Tohsaka Rin's general understanding of Magecraft after systematic study. However, casting Magecraft was not as easy as it appeared in anime, nor was it like standing there and chanting spells as in fantasy novels.
Activating Magecraft means pushing a Magecraft formula. For example, to start a fire with Magecraft, one needs to make contact with the Magecraft foundation already inscribed in the world, causing the "ignition" Magecraft formula within it to activate. To push a Magecraft formula, one first needs to generate mana. The generated mana will be sent through the Magic Circuits to the mana foundation, immediately activating the Magecraft formula.
Using Magecraft requires the process of "making contact with the Magecraft foundation inscribed in the world, sending commands to the Magecraft foundation, and executing pre-made functions." At this time, mana is the fuel for executing the function, and the Magician must send mana along with the command.
A Magecraft foundation refers to the Magecraft theories inscribed in the world by various schools of Magicians. Magecraft will activate according to its rules and system. Incantation is an action used to cast Magecraft, essential for activating a Magecraft formula.
Incantation is also an indispensable part of Magecraft, existing in two types: processes and verses. Verses take more time than processes, which are completed in an instant. More difficult Magecraft formulas require more verses, and the longer the incantation, the higher the effect of the Magecraft can be enhanced.
There are rules that must be followed in incantation, but within those rules, details can be adjusted. Furthermore, for large-scale Magecraft, rituals and contracts are needed for the activation of the Magecraft formula. These involve countless processes and verses, and thus cannot be handled in incantation form.
From this, it can be seen that to cast a spell, sufficient mana supply, a clear Magecraft formula, a connected Magecraft foundation, and a smooth incantation process are required. It can be said that timing, location, and human harmony are all indispensable.
The attribute of mana is also crucial, determining what kind of Magecraft a Magician can be compatible with. For example, Tohsaka Tokiomi's attribute is fire, so he has a higher compatibility with destructive Magecraft. Emiya Shirou's attribute is sword, so his "Unlimited Blade Works" reached the pinnacle of humanity. Rin's attribute is "End," so… she still hasn't figured out what it's for… After thoroughly studying and memorizing the basic theories, Rin turned her gaze to the other books on the bookshelf… "I've memorized the basic theories. According to the book, I already have the prerequisites for casting Magecraft. Now all that's missing are Magecraft formulas and clear incantations. If I inform Tokiomi now, he might not formally teach me Magecraft, as theoretical study is always the most time-consuming."
"And I don't have much time to waste now. The days are drawing near. Before Sakura is sent to the Matou Family, I must have the ability to do something!"
At this time, only Rin was in the Magecraft workshop. After practicing the mana conversion training for Jewel Magecraft according to her daily schedule, Rin did not inform Tokiomi but privately walked to the bookshelf. Due to her height, she couldn't reach the higher shelves, only being able to get books from the second-tier height.
Hopefully, she wouldn't pick anything too advanced or too evil.
Tomes of sorcery cannot be read just because one wants to. Without the anti-magic power to contact the corresponding mystery, even a single glance at the Magecraft script, which exceeds cognitive capacity, will cause irreparable damage to the viewer's mind. At best, it leads to brain damage; at worst, it's fatal. Furthermore, some tomes of sorcery are exceptionally insidious, even luring and bewitching Magicians with low mental strength to read them, thereby inducing and subverting the viewer's personality and mind, and even devouring the reader's soul.
In the original story (yuanzhu), Tohsaka Rin, as a child, once secretly looked at a tome of sorcery and ended up finding a forbidden book. If Tokiomi hadn't appeared in time, Rin would have been pulled into the tome of sorcery.
Rin remembered that the evil book was in a hidden corner on the bottom shelf and was half the size of a person, making it easy to recognize. Rin wouldn't be so foolish as to knowingly take out an evil book out of curiosity to "experience" the original story (yuanzhu).
The names of the tomes of sorcery were only written on their covers, so only blank spines were visible on the bookshelf. With no choice, Rin paced back and forth for a long time, then closed her eyes and pulled a book from the shelf! She turned it to the front and saw: Projection Magic!
"Good heavens, it seems I've drawn a formidable 'card'…"