Chapter 123: The Mage

May 15, 2118.

More than twenty days had passed since they first enrolled, and their recent focus had been on gaining an understanding of Western wizards. Through unceasing study, Hua Feng gradually came to learn the legendary history of that magical side—the side of the teacher who had first guided them into the school. Most significantly, Hua Feng harbored a faint suspicion that Professor Sun Xing, who loved to lecture on "Journey to the West," might truly be connected to someone from that very epic. Beneath the soft glow of the lamp, he calmed his mind and spirit, concentrating on everything he had learned about wizards over the past few days.

The most legendary wizards were those who appeared in myths; there was nothing they could not accomplish.

They could fly through the air, appear and disappear in two places simultaneously, conjure whatever they desired, transform themselves, and turn into animals. They could also foresee the future, heal the sick, and travel through time and space. Some legendary wizards were also well-versed in curses and poisons. However, this was not strictly necessary; often, all they needed to do was wave a magic wand or recite an incantation. The stories of legendary wizards date back thousands of years to ancient Egypt, where magical rituals were an integral part of daily cultural life.

Stories of wizards possessing miraculous powers have always captivated people. During the era of King Cheops (c. 2600 BCE), the tale of a legendary wizard named Djadjamankh was extremely popular. Once, when a woman accidentally dropped her jewelry into the palace lake, Djadjamankh recited a few incantations, split the lake in two, and retrieved the lost jewels, much to the woman's delight.

In ancient Greek literature, legendary wizards were typically women. Circe, the enchantress, and her niece could transform men into beasts, restore youth, and predict the future. The Roman poet Virgil told the story of the wizard Moeris, who could move crops from one field to another, transform himself into a werewolf, and bring the dead back to life.

In the Middle Ages, the most famous wizards were as renowned as the heroic kings, beautiful maidens, and nobles of myth. Among them, Merlin, the advisor to King Arthur, was the most celebrated. His miraculous abilities included turning day into night, summoning troops in an instant, predicting the future, and shape-shifting into various humans or animals. The 1516 Italian epic "Orlando Furioso" tells the stories of these wizards, who vied with one another, each hoping to defeat the rest.

In one myth, the wizard Atlantes cast a spell on a knight named Astolfo (the rider of a hippogriff), causing the knight to appear differently to different eyes—sometimes as a beast, other times as a giant or a bird. Later, another enchantress, Melissa, transformed herself into Atlantes to rescue a fellow wizard who had been enchanted.

Ancient Tribal Wizards: Shamans.

Shamans—the oldest tribal wizards in history—were also known as medicine men or shamanic priests. Many shamans served as doctors, priests, or experts in the supernatural. They began practicing this profession over 30,000 years ago, and they were responsible for finding missing persons, locating thieves, and protecting the village from enemy destruction. Shamans crafted amulets, performed magical rituals, cast curses, and studied the properties of herbs, plants, and minerals. They were also responsible for safeguarding the tribe’s myths and traditions, passing them down through generations. In some cultures, the position of shaman was hereditary, while in others, the incumbent designated a successor. Sometimes, a shaman appeared no different from an ordinary person, but a dream or other special experience would suddenly awaken their potential.

At this point, the individual would return to nature to live alone, like a wild beast. This process usually lasted for several weeks or months, during which they gradually learned to control their supernatural abilities. Generally, this period involved fasting. According to ancient lore and tradition, such a shaman would receive revelations through dreams, in which their guardian spirit or animal guide would instruct them, revealing hidden talents, their future destiny, and the role they were to play in society. Then, they would return to the community to begin a new life. People believed that a shaman's power came from their ancestors or animal spirits. In a state of trance, these spirits would enter their bodies.

In many cultures, shamanic rituals often showcased supernatural feats, though many such displays were deceptive. Using special techniques, they could perform acts without injury, such as walking on fire, escaping from ropes, swallowing knives, eating glass, or making puppets dance. Using specialized ventriloquism, they could sometimes converse with invisible spirits in front of a crowd. These demonstrations had a profound impact on people, who believed that the shaman's medicine was imbued with miraculous psychological efficacy.

Interestingly, the use of these stage tricks did not mean that the shaman’s ability to heal was merely a fraud. On the contrary, the vast majority of shamans firmly believed in their own powers, and others believed in them just as firmly. Often, this is simply how things work: because hope is provided, the effect is more easily achieved. Moreover, performing these feats of supernatural power was not necessarily a bad thing, especially during religious ceremonies.

Tricksters and Village Witches: From the Middle Ages to the 19th century, almost every village and town in Europe had people similar to shamans. These individuals were called "wizards" or "witches," or simply "tricksters" (the word "trick" in Old English implied "seeking the truth"). The work these village practitioners performed was almost identical to what was required of shamans in ancient times, ranging from divination and healing to predicting the future.

However, unlike shamans, these individuals did not perform their activities in public; they did so privately. Furthermore, even compared to their contemporaries, they dressed in strange and eccentric ways, though they no longer wore animal skins like the shamans, nor did they perform ritualistic religious dances.

On the whole, however, what they did remained much the same. They were well-versed in herbalism and crafted amulets and poisons. In some small villages, these individuals even acted as doctors and veterinarians. Some of these wizards and witches possessed basic knowledge of astrology and palmistry and could interpret dreams—knowledge that could be acquired through reading. Yet, many were illiterate, receiving their knowledge from predecessors, friends, or relatives.

Some legends also suggest that these people received their knowledge from fairies. Although laws were enacted at the time prohibiting such magical practices, many practitioners ignored them. Because their services were welcomed by the public and caused no ill effects, the authorities were happy to turn a blind eye. Many lived in isolation on the outskirts of society, growing their own herbs.

Modern Era: The Scholarly Wizard.

"In Renaissance Italy, scholars once again believed that magic could be used to summon spirits and control the unknown natural world.

Through diligent study and the tempering of one's imagination, a person could learn to use magical words, incantations, and the like, thereby controlling the mysterious forces of nature to achieve any desired goal. Later, this philosophy spread to Germany in the north, where the great German scholar Cornelius Agrippa was born. While we are familiar with Agrippa today because he appears on a Chocolate Frog card in Harry Potter, in his own time, he was known for his work "Three Books of Occult Philosophy," published in 1533.

He believed that all people, plants, animals, rocks, and minerals in the natural world contained certain magical forces that could be discovered, mastered, and utilized by humanity. According to Agrippa, the duty of a scholarly wizard was to apply various magical techniques—such as divination, astronomy, astrology, and the study of demons and angels—to explore the mysterious connections between all things in nature in order to solve problems or cure diseases.

In this process, Agrippa argued, a person could better discover themselves and their connection to the universe; then, through the expansion of their imagination and will, they could attain miraculous supernatural powers. To the disappointment of readers, Agrippa did not explain in his book how wizards obtained their magical power, but it did not matter; people still flocked to study magic.

These followers of Agrippa included many students who secretly summoned demons in their dormitories. Doctors attempted to use the mysterious forces of nature to treat illnesses. Those dedicated to scientific research hoped to use magic to uncover the mysteries of nature. The most famous of all these figures was the British mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer John Dee, who was widely considered a master of magic.

In 1553, he was even imprisoned for allegedly attempting to kill Queen Mary with magic. John believed he could learn the mysteries of the world from angels or spirits, and his method of communicating with these entities was through gazing into crystal balls and magic mirrors.

Although he did not receive many revelations from the spirit world himself, many of his partners claimed to have seen the faces of angels or heard their voices. Yet, no matter how many years of effort they expended, they could never persuade these spirits to explain the various mysteries of nature or the secrets of God.

Throughout the 17th century, one could frequently hear public discussions at Oxford University regarding witchcraft, magic, and curses, as well as the efficacy of love potions. There is no doubt that aspiring young scholars of the time hoped to become wizards themselves.

Returning to the present, the world is developing in a more pluralistic direction, and many things that seemed as though they should not exist, or should have long since vanished, are beginning to flourish once more.