Chants & Incantations

詠唱・呪文 – Eishou * Jumon

Also known as aria, it is an activity necessary for the activation of Thaumaturgy. Procedure-wise, incantations would be the “application” part in a system of application, acceptance, examination and issuance. Aria is employed by spellcasters of types, including some psychics, but is most closely associated with the magus.

Mechanisms
When making use of a Thaumatugical Theory stabilized by a first-rate school, one has to go through a pre-established process. For large-scale system like these, incantations are just a part of said process. For a personal-style of Thaumaturgy however, they play the important role of self-hypnosis: to place the mind of the magus in a state in which it can effectively control the Magic Circuits.

Spells have predetermined capacities; so the powers of a particular spell will always remain the same, no matter which magus uses it. The incantations, however, may differ. Regular incantations are something chanted not towards the outer world, but to one’s inner world; they are actions that activate the thaumaturgical process inside one’s body and reflect one’s nature. As long as the incantation of a spell possesses a specific meaning and/or a set of keywords are included in it, the particulars of said incantation are left to the caster's personal tastes. Therefore, it is only natural that they differ from magus to magus. No surprise, magi that boast a great ego usually have long incantations for their spells.

The greater the meaning behind the contents of an incantation to the caster, the better the final result will be. The stronger the self-hypnosis, the more the magus can optimize the use of his Circuits. Changing the words of an incantation does not mean much; what matters is the meaning behind them.

Incantations chanted towards the outer world are called Grand Incantations and are related to Greater Rituals. Performance of one of those alone is said to be impossible. When they are done, it is always in groups. Note that for spells with long incantations, an observable effect on the outer world will usually appear before the process is fully completed. Exception being the cases of the activation of Reality Marbles.

Spells are classified accordingly with the length of their incantations:


 * Single-Action – Instantaneous spells. Requirement for activation is only to pass energy through the Magic Circuits. (ex: Gandr, most of Mystic Eyes)


 * One-Line – Spells that the incantation is made of a single phrase composed of one word at the very least. A thaumaturgical process very well stabilized and easily activated. (ex: Rin using a spell stored inside her family’s Crest).


 * Five-Line – Spells with incantations made of five phrases.


 * Ten-Count – Instantaneous Contract. Already considered a simple ritual. The minimum step necessary to activate High Thaumaturgy (spells with power ranked A or above). Consisting of ten phrases or more. A fully trained magus can perform them in about a minute.

More than the power of the spell, this particular classification seems to be related on how smoothly a mystery can be reenacted: the easier a miracle can be actualized the shorter its incantations will be. On that account, Archer and Shirou’s incantations to activate their Reality Marble are all above Five-Line, coming really close to Ten-Count types.

High-Speed Aria
高速詠唱 - Kousoku Eishou

A skill of modern magi, allows chanting of incantations at a faster pace. Activation of thaumaturgy is done in half the normal time (ex: Ten-Count spells are done in 30 seconds). A skill possessed by Aozaki Aoko.

High-Speed Divine Words
高速神言 - Kousoku Shingon

The power to activate thaumaturgy without the use of Magic Circuits. The language of the Age of Gods, back when words played a heavy role in spellcasting. To a user of Divine Words, actualization of mysteries is not done through a process, but more through a direct order. A power long lost by modern magi.

Due to her use of Divine Words, Caster’s spells do not work the same way that of those of modern Magecraft. For one, she can cast even High Thaumaturgy-level spells with the speed equivalent of Single-Action ones. Furthermore, while the majority of her spells fall under the One-Line category, their power-level is easily in par with Five-Line ones. Finally, due to the different dynamics, only a Servant with Magic Resistance ranked A or above is immune to her spells.