Fae Biology: How Fae Magic Really Works Inside Their Bodies
Fae magic isn't something they "turn on" like a light switch. It's part of them, like breathing or a heartbeat. Their bodies make magic energy (called mana) naturally, all the time, and use it like fuel to do spells. Think of it as a built-in power system that fae are born with—humans don't have this; they have to learn magic and use tools (like magic pens with crystals) to help control it.
Step 1: Making the magic energy (mana)
Fae bodies create mana inside themselves. It's like how your body makes energy from food, but for fae it's magical. They get some mana from eating food that has a tiny bit of magic in it (that's why they can taste if food has magic or not—plain human snacks feel "empty" or even upset their stomachs, like Malleus hating too-sweet cakes). They also pull extra mana from the air around them, especially in places full of nature magic like Briar Valley forests or thorns. Dragon fae like Malleus make tons of it through their horns (the horns act like little antennas that grab and store mana). Bat fae like Lilia might make it faster in their head or near their fangs for quick spells. Baby fae start making very little mana, but it grows stronger as they get older—around their "teen" years (which for fae is like 150–200 years old), their special personal spell (unique magic) wakes up.
Step 2: Moving the mana around the body
Once made, mana flows through special tiny tubes inside the fae body. These tubes run next to their blood vessels, so mana travels with the blood but in its own path. It's like having two separate highways: one for regular blood and oxygen, one just for magic. The heart helps pump both, but it beats slowly (only about 40–50 times a minute) to save energy for their super-long lives. Dragon fae have bigger tubes because they need to send huge amounts of mana for giant spells like making thorns everywhere. If something blocks the flow (like too much bad feeling), problems start.
Step 3: Using the mana for spells
When a fae wants to do magic, their brain tells the mana where to go. The brain and mana work together super closely—whatever the fae imagines strongly can happen. That's why their special spells feel so personal: Malleus thinks of thorns and curses because that's what his dragon side feels like; Lilia thinks of flipping spells backward because he's quick and tricky. They don't need wands or crystals like human students at Night Raven College—the magic just comes out naturally. Fae are way stronger at raw magic because their bodies are built for it from birth.
Step 4: The bad side – blot (the "trash" from magic)
Every time they use magic, a little bit of leftover "trash" called blot (A BITCH) appears. Blot looks like black ink and is poisonous. It's like car exhaust—if you run the engine too hard without breaks, the exhaust builds up and hurts the car. For fae, blot comes out faster when they feel really angry, sad, scared, or lonely. Their bodies are pretty good at cleaning it away slowly (through rest, eating, sleeping), but if they keep using lots of magic while feeling bad, blot piles up inside. Humans get blot too, but they use magic crystals in pens to soak it up so it doesn't stay in their bodies. Fae don't need those crystals because their bodies handle more blot naturally—but they still have a limit.
Step 5: What happens when too much blot builds up – overblot
When blot gets way too high, the fae goes into overblot. Their body gets covered in black ink, their eyes glow weird, and a big scary shadow monster (called a phantom) appears behind them. The phantom is made of all their built-up bad feelings and extra magic. It makes the fae super powerful for a little while (they can do impossible spells), but it's dangerous—the ink hurts their insides, messes up their thinking, and can even kill them if it goes on too long. In overblot, the fae's body changes: Malleus grows huge thorns, his horns get sharper; Lilia might look more bat-like and wild. The only way to stop it is for friends to break the spell (like punching through the ink monster with teamwork magic). After, the fae feels super tired, sometimes forgets things, or gets weaker for a while.
Step 6: Getting older and "fading"
As fae get really old (like Lilia at 700+ years), their magic-making parts start to wear out. It's like an old phone battery that doesn't charge as well anymore. They make less mana, spells get weaker, and they feel tired all the time—this is called "fading." If they push too hard (like fighting in wars for hundreds of years), fading happens faster. Lilia's story in Book 7 shows this: his body is slowing down because he used so much magic and felt so much pain in the past.
Why this matters in the story
Fae magic being part of their body makes them feel powerful and special, but also lonely. They live so long and feel emotions so deeply that bad feelings build blot faster. Humans die quick and don't have this problem the same way, so fae like Malleus feel left behind when friends age and leave. The game uses this to show that even super-strong beings need friends to stay balanced—without help, their own power can hurt them. That's why Yuu (who has zero magic) can help: they don't add more blot, they just listen and calm everyone down.
