Magic

Magic (魔法), also referred to as True Magic and Sorcery in other translations, is a class of mystery that surpasses Magecraft and all current sciences. It represents something absolutely unattainable through the mere expenditure of time and resources. It is considered the ultimate accomplishment of a Magus, and only within the grasp of those who have accessed the Swirl of the Root.

"Magic" can be differentiated from "Magecraft" in that the consequences of its use are ostensibly "impossible" or "miraculous." The end output of a spell that creates fire is within dictates of the world because something as mundane as lighting a match can yield the same effect. Concepts like time manipulation, teleportation, spatial warping and quarantine, and the resurrection of the dead are miracles thought to be possible only through the application of Magic. The Denial of Nothingness, Operation of Parallel Worlds and Time Travel are required to perform a resurrection, but the complete resurrection of the dead is something that not even Magic has granted since the days of old.

Acquisition
Magic is attained by reaching to Root, but not succumbing to it like those who are said to have disappeared from the World upon reaching it. The First and Fifth are similar in that a path to the Root, a Gate of Akasha, was created and Magic was gained upon their arrival, while the Second, Third, and Fourth were created as a means to reach that place. In the case of the Fifth, the path was discovered and left unentered by Aoko Aozaki's grandfather, and its mysteries were passed on to her when she "turned tail and ran right at the front of the door." It was the only land where Magic could be achieved in Japan until that point, but the land itself no longer mattered after she inherited it.

Magecraft can be classified as human wisdom and the world, while Magic is the solitude outside of that, included in neither. Magecraft focuses on the studying of history, the works of man and the circle of life of the planet, but Magic is considered the providence of a god beyond the skies. It is considered an irrefutable crime against both humanity and the planet, so reaching out to the Root is something that brings about the Counter Force. Those who do achieve newly acquired Magic are killed by a "red shadow", but Aoko managed to avoid it somehow. It is said that the beginning first changed everything, the following second acknowledged many, the resulting third showed the future, the linking fourth concealed itself, and the final fifth had already lost its meaning. Someone once said "Had it only ended at the third."

Though Magic users were common at the dawn of humanity, their proliferation receded with rise of civilization, and only four of the five remaining Magics officially recognized by the Mage's Association are presently still in use. Prior to the conclusion of the Age of Gods two millennia before present day, Magecraft was close to Magic in effect, making Magecraft synonymous to Magic and all magi considered Magicians, but the gap between them has since widened. Caster, having lived in the Age of Gods as a sorceresses, is one such person, and Merlinis also referred to as a user of Magic. The Magecraft that Caster executes is able to approach the realm of True Magic, but she is not a Magician. She is not compatible with the "Five True Magics of the Modern Era" because Magic was so common in her era, making her unable to learn any of them. She greatly exceeds all modern magi, including the Magicians, so she can be called “a magus that is infinitely close to the Magicians.” In the potential future of Notes, each of the Six Sisters are capable of using Magic.

Magics
Those who practice Magic are called Magicians. They have control over their own mysteries, but also practice Magecraft. Zelretch's Magecraft is at the level where he was given the title Wizard Marshall by the Association, while Aoko is inferior in skill as a magus to the lecturers of the Clock Tower. There are many magi who exceed them in the area of Magecraft, while their Magic is a unique mystery only available to them. Even Dead Apostle Ancestors see the Magicians as monsters, and while Aoko tries to claim that only the other four fit that description, Wallachia tell her she would find quite the monster by looking in a mirror. There are also those like Barthomeloi Lorelei, whose Magecraft comes close to the miracles achieved by Magic, and Caubac Alcatraz, who is considered to be "just a step away" from the level of the Magicians.

Magicians can be said to have become the adversaries of the planet, something which the human mind could not normally carry as a burden. Carrying such a power is the recklessness of changing the world. The uniqueness of the power and its transcendence can make up for the practitioner's lack of skills in Magecraft. Differences in power become irrelevant because it is able to blow away the like of skill in Magecraft.

The inheritance of Magic is similar to inheriting a path, called Ymir’s entrance or Gate of Akasha depending on the person describing it. Even if a Magician should die, it does not mean the death of the Magic utilized by them. Magic will be passed on to the inheritor of the next generation rather than disappearing. It Magic is to die, it will only be when it can be realized by normal means.

The First Magic

 * Name: Unknown.
 * Domain: It is one of the oldest Magics, but details about it are unknown. Some magi of privileged rank know what it involves as common knowledge. Though the exact domain of the First Magic is uncertain, it is related to the generation of Ether clumps, which have been called "materialized nothing." This is similar to the concept of Denial of Nothingness (無の否定), a miracle capable of resurrection, only replicable through the use of Magic. The idea behind the Denial of Nothingness is that the state of "Nothing" does not exist. All that exists must always exist, as Existence "is" and non-existence "cannot be." The ideas of generation and change are only superficial thoughts based on sensual perception, and within it, there is only one truth behind all the phenomenon seen by humans. The true existence of everything is permanent, ungenerated, indestructible, and unchanging. The contrary concept to this is that as long as there is a void, the world can continue to move across it, which is the fundamental rule to the looped world in Fate/hollow ataraxia.
 * User: Deceased. The user of the First Magic is long dead, but as traces of the Magic continue to mark the world, 'five users' are still said to exist. The deceased user is the only existence recognized as worthy of respect by the blue-blooded Barthomeloi clan that cornerstones the Mage's Association in London. It is said that the person that would be the user's heir is still alive, but barely.

The Second Magic

 * Name: Unknown; referred to as either "Zelretch" or "Kaleidoscope".
 * Domain: Operation of Parallel Worlds (平行世界の運営)
 * User: Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg. Rin Tohsaka uses fragments of it in the Heaven's Feel route of Fate/stay night.

The Third Magic

 * Name: Heaven's Feel, Cup of Heaven (天の杯).
 * Domain: Materialization of the soul.
 * User: The persons most qualified to be referred to as 'users' would be Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, the core of the Great Grail System, and Illyasviel von Einzbern, even though she is unable to utilize it properly.

The Fourth Magic

 * Name: Unknown.
 * Domain: Like the First True Magic, the details regarding its domain are unknown.
 * User: On the subject of the Fourth True Magic, present-day mages will agree that "it is there for sure"; that it continues to exist. However, the name of the user is unknown.

The Fifth Magic

 * Name: Magic Blue (魔法・青)
 * Domain: Its exact domain is unknown, but it has abilities related to Time Travel (時間旅行) and making the laws of conservation of mass shoulder the debts of a past without future. Touko Aozaki claims there should be more to it because time travel is also governed by the Second Magic, but she declines to speculate further on the subject.
 * User: Aoko Aozaki. The "path to the 5th Magic" was developed some years ago by the 3rd Generation Head of the Aozaki clan, who was regarded as a genius.

Similar effects
While it can definitely be said that “there are five True Magics”, the number does not reflect “effects that rival True Magics.” There are Mystic Codes, like the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch and Zelretch’s Treasure Chest, and creatures that are “shaped through True Magic.” There are also those without definite shape that only exist "in motion" like Assassin's Tsubame Gaeshi, a limited application of the Second Magic.

It is possible for Magecraft to replicate the effects of Magic to a degree. Innate Time Control, Spatial Transportation through Command Spells and Caster's Magecraft, and Spatial Quarantine performed by Souren Araya are examples of such. Reality Marbles are considered to be a skill that approaches the miracle of Magic. While temporary, there are not many magi able to execute the World-altering grand sorcery.

Objects like Avalon and certain members of the Phantasmal Species, Phantasmal Beasts of the Millennium-Rank and Divine Beasts, can be called equal in mystery to Magic. Avalon is an absolute defense capable of blocking all five Magics, and it can be called a Magic in itself. The Phantasmal Species embody mysteries simply by existing, so they transcend normal Magecraft. Those that have lived long are similar to Magic in that even observing one can be said to be a miracle.