ℐ NSCRIBED *

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 𝓯or the first set, the researcher finds it easier to compare both books together and place them side-by-side. the first book had seen better days, judging by the faded title on its spine while the other begged to be chosen, tucked in between the ancient and the bold. inside, the pages are not entirely blank, but neither are they fully written. the ink seems to lay heavy where his eyes meet the canvas, and each word forms where his gaze lingers —— as if each page tries to remember its contents, and the strokes end up making the titles inconspicuous:

ㅤㅤ 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜. do you prefer the physical or nonphysical aspects of magic? &&. 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬.     do you consider witchcraft fun? 

ㅤ there is a faint, almost imperceptible lift at the corner of his mouth. fun is not the word he would use.

witchcraft, to hajun, is survival. it is a way of life rooted from nature, transformed into being through magical abilities passed from one offspring to another, and how the surviving traditions in tongue, movement, and attunement of a witch are drawn from the divine. "what constitutes the divine" as another subject for another day, one that defines transcendence for each practicing witch and familiar—— hajun returns his thoughts to the extensive and intensive training it took him to get to this level instead.

how witchcraft became the foundation for his way of life, as a means to exist. how his grandmother's love echoes beyond time and space, pouring most of her life and energy into creating the magical structure in which hajun's magic does not continuously burn his soul away with every unsaid thought, with every unchanneled power without a reliable anchor. how witchcraft honed his sense of restraint and precision through language and intent at all times, lest he experience incidences that invite irreversible destruction.

one time, the young boy remembered the unfamiliar hallways of wood and stone, enclosing the scent of decay that followed his footsteps. he recalled how his parents once brought him down to show the grand collection of his ancestors, knowledge gathered from every corner of the globe and protected by their family from those who did not take kindly to the truth of this world. it was no sooner that this dream always end the same way —— the earth brought upon its wrath on their ceilings, breaking each timber and concrete and tearing through the olden runes embedded in it, dropping onto ahn sejeong and ahn jung-ah while hajun could only run towards the chaos and scream wildly with all his strength for everything to stop stop stop st— ㅤ ❛   [ STOP ! ] ❜ then, ahn sehyeon's heart stilled. struggled in arrhythmic sequences, as the old woman dropped to her knees from losing most of her strength in waking her grandson from a terrible nightmare, and before her heart collapses in the next second, she was able to deconstruct his spell. the space settled, like something nearly broke ... but it didn't. hajun's heart, in turn, withered. as they huddled together in her bed, he did not leave his grandmother's side until she had to wake him in the morning after he had cried himself to sleep for the rest of the night within her arms.

ㅤ ever since then, witchcraft, for hajun, is ORDER. it comprises of various disciplines in symbols, crafts and a hundred languages wherein a witch and familiar can choose to express their definition of nature and exhibit it in their own self-concept. this is how witchcraft is —— the quiet corrections within a misaligned world and existing systems; the way a door closes properly when it should and the way a room eases into silence without being asked.

but there are moments.

the way a spark returns to a student's eyes when they perfectly landed a counter from hajun's offensive blows, taking confidence in destabilising his flow in friendly fires. the way when irang's magic does not coincide or conflict with his, thrumming in the background like live wire but he learned to not get electrocuted from its input or its owner. the way simple low-level spells with the slightest intention lands cleanly per his expectations, not a syllable or flow wasted; not one body harmed because of his negligence in keeping himself and his ability in check.

in those moments, there is something close to relief.

then, there is joy... in reflecting on how learning magic and sharing what he experienced with others through teaching brings him peace; helps him to connect and navigate the world that she left behind for him. brings him something definitely lighter than duty.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ witchcraft, for hajun, is healing.

ㅤ ❛   ...it can be, ❜ the professor says quietly more so to himself, testing the shape of the thought as he spoke it into reality. after reminiscing the essence of the first book, hajun reaches out to turn the page on the thesis and finds its resistance. the fiber stuck neatly to the next page, as if refusing hajun unless he acknowledges its hypothesis on the current content. to this, his gaze sharpens slightly, head tilting curiously towards a dysfunction he rarely meets, thanks to his magic.

for hajun, a magic researcher, physics and magic contain a false dichotomy.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 𝒎agic does not exist separate from the physical —— in fact, it is expressed through physical manifestation. nature, in its tangible and intangible forms, uses witches and familiars to physically express itself through magic. magic, in its tangible and intangible forms, must be anchored to a physical means, so it may easily be perceived by the senses in the third dimension: for example, in sounds and music, natural elements, written and spoken language, kinesthetic dances, ritualistic trinkets, and so on and so forth. while these thoughts race in his head, hajun immediately grabbed a pen to jot down his comments and leave his mark on this copy of the dissertation; its tip glided smoothly on paper with less reluctance from before, as the ink flows with every turn, every stroke.

the literature supports his grandmother's hypothesis in proving how magic is first manifested through thought and intent in the space within the caster's mind, only to be transformed into the world through physical or symbolic anchors. and without structure, clarity and precision to express this magical intent, the magic outcomes are often volatile and unstable, posing risks to themselves and everything within their environment.

ㅤ thinking about it, even perception —— his resonance —— is not intangible.

his ability manifests as pressure, tension, correction; ensuring almost anything that exists within his field complies to the principle of nature regarding order. his magic constantly seeks equilibrium, making sense of the world in predictable sequences, patterns and flows from the most minute details to the most elaborate spell works.

it is the way that the room stays at a proper temperature despite hajun forgetting to close the windows that invited the winter breeze, or the way that dust never found a place in his room, never been taken with his clothes or shoes. it is the way that hajun can recall someone's magic signature after he'd met them once, as he mentally places descriptors of how he perceived and felt their magic even before they knew what its effects were to another person, and even without them casting a spell or crafting a potion.

and so, if he were to be asked what he prefers between the two, hajun already knows the answer:

ㅤ ❛   i prefer what is observable. ❜

not visible to the naked eye, but he thinks of observable phenomena.

deviations. irregularities. stability. the way magic behaves in a meticulously guided flow or under constraint.

the nonphysical aspect of magic is unreliable without structure. the physical, at least, can be measured——spells, potions, witch and familiar bonds, and rituals——even if imperfectly.

Ground Level Entry + Mud Room Living extending to Dining/Kitchen spaces 2x spare bedrooms 1x bunk room (not pictured) 1x office space

Home Repository (integrated with spatial magic to allow second-story storage, with a secret door to the Ahn's guarded magic archives hidden in one of its shelves). taking 9. Family Room in the house plan.

Upper Level (integrated with spatial magic) 1x spare master bedroom

Upper Level, continued 1x master suite (hajun's room), complete with bedroom / bathroom / small lounge leading to home office.

Transitional spaces

The Ahn Library

Hidden underneath the estate lies the vast wisdom retained by renowned magic scholars and advisors for generations. Accessing this wealth of knowledge is permissible only through an invite from a member of the Ahn, as its entryway is created from various ancient runic constructions and signature magical flows tied to their bloodline. The magic community is aware of the Ahn's archives, but its scale and location are only privy to the awareness of few, most particularly shared carefully within academic circles, such as magic engineers, architects, researchers and the like. They said that the records preserved in this space is unimaginable, and Hajun can attest that even he has to spend an entire lifetime to study all resources collected by his ancestors.

what resonance perception is: an analytical type of magic ability that identifies, analyses, and recalls pattern recognitions and structural interpretations in magic flows and spells. hajun anchors the active usage of this ability through "spellcasting" (or what he specialises in: essolinguistic casting). additionally, resonance perception supports passive + active usage.

what it isn't: does not increase magic power or innate magic perception. it enhances how perceived information is processed and understood. limits: cannot read thoughts, know unknown magic instantly on the spot, perfectly analyse a caster's magic without prior exposure, bypass any magic complexity without effort or study.

passive usage this state is intuitively and automatically always on, low-level, non-intrusive; may sometimes require low-level one-word or 1-phrase spells depending on context/uses; prone to leakage if not properly trained or constantly controlled.

sense and mentally store other caster's flow signatures (memory + pattern recognition of a magic flow's characteristics, a witch's casting tendencies and timing habits).

notice magic instabilities or timing irregularities especially to spell works ("this feels like XYZ person's casting" or, "that caster's flow is unstable")

being familiar with other witches' flow signatures require prior exposure and repetition. hajun cannot predict what other witches' magic will do or instantly master any unknown/complex magic.

in day-to-day life, as hajun's ability constantly and continuously reads micro-variations in magic flow and structure since he first manifested and also considering that his resonance perception is aligned with the nature's principle of "order", his movements, timing, manner of physically interacting with his environment, and his presence are always slightly more precise than normal.

therefore, things around him may appear more stable because his magic ability reduces error before they become full instabilities through precise interactions. in daily interactions, people may have the perception that things just "work" easier around him.

what it isn't: not passive casting (depending on context, hajun still has to use low-level casting or one-word spells to define subject, scope, duration, action); no permanent environmental or object manipulations; not reality manipulation. examples of what this feels like in hajun's daily routines and may even be felt by other witches/familiars: ambient noise suppression (within hajun's defined scope/duration); less chances of things spilling or breaking in his presence; consistent room temperature control; less chances for people to trip over in his presence or for him to twist an ankle while walking; dust do not settle on his clothes at all; books neatly stacked regardless of him throwing something recklessly on top of it. limits: these effects only apply through his presence and direct/indirect interactions & does not persist after he leaves a room or area. it does not extend beyond these factors, nor override other witches/familiar's magic. hajun also needs to release low-level casted spells if used before leaving his surroundings. risks: hajun's ability may unconsciously risk "over-stabilisation" ── which may come across as a feeling that is unnerving or uncomfortable for people, like something is being held in place and everything is too unnaturally clean, tense, perfect, too controlled or slightly forced. conversations end too quickly, someone's grip over their mug tightens too early, most animals especially cats find him or his presence uncanny because nature is supposed to be wild, chaotic, unpredictable and everything that he is not; subtle things like that. over-stabilisation is usually caused by stress, hyper concentration, or emotional instability.

active usage in this state, resonance perception gives him the information about magic flow and spell structures; and spellcasting helps him determine the outcome/response against another caster's magic.

requires: focus, exposure to a specific magic or spell, available cognitive bandwidth, controlled emotional stability. limits: hajun cannot instantly understand unknown or complex magic without prior exposure; do not guarantee correct interpretation; act without ample processing time; bypass skill gap or magic level that is higher than his. under extreme pressure/risks: too many inputs and he's overloaded, therefore the analysis slows or breaks. his spells also might misfire or cause temporary environmental distortions. in severe cases, physical follows psychological and cognitive states, so if overpowered constantly and consistently, hajun's exhaustion and drain catches up for collapse/blackout/vulnerability.

as an individual caster, hajun is great at reading incoming magic, identifying and analysing its weak points and timing gaps, then responding or editing his spells to match the other caster's output in the moment. he excels in disrupting unstable spells, redirecting or reducing magic impacts, exploiting timing errors, and influencing the other party's magic into inefficiency. overall, his ability is considered more as a single - target control / precision casting rather than DPS or AOE. additionally, he is a close melee combatant and probably have yet to master or think about long - range defense / offense tactics.

ㅤ and so he sets off to the end of the hearth room with a book in his hand, passing by the residual waft of breakfast he'd accidentally skipped as he makes himself comfortable in a lounge next to the fireplace. from his peripheral vision, he notices how people begin flocking in once more and only then it registers that lunch is several minutes away; therefore, he arrived during one of the peak hours. taking a deep inhale and exhaling slowly, hajun imagines a bubble around him before casting [ ❛  Silence ❜   ] under his breath, then he settles in the comfort of the spell that enclosed him in.

like turning a radio's volume down, the background noise around him gradually transitions into quietness before all sounds completely cancels out. akin to the sensation of being submerged underwater where soundwaves travel slower, however, hajun's conditions for [ silence ] bound anything within his immediate vicinity to null, as he lived his seconds in pure stillness. his spell does not fully embody the powers of a witch whose ability manifests silence; rather, hajun can still feel the vibrations around him, the ebb of magic flows mixing with each other, the way the chair drags across the floor, but the difference is there is no presence of sound, and his spell lasts as long as he maintains it. temporarily.

next, he opens his book, turning a page before shutting his eyes.

no sound. the low-level spell lands perfectly clean.

it continued like this for a while, as the rest of his fingertips glide across the dots engraved on each page, and he feels like he's home. what constitutes a while and himself is blurry in what seems to be the next several hours. only when he consciously decides to pause his reading did he notice another presence within the invisible barrier that contained his spell, eyelashes fluttering open and adjusting to the light before his sight lands on a ...

ㅤㅤ――― cat?

the man gives it a look. the spell is still underway, so regardless of how gentle or loud a movement can be, the world within his boundaries is muted. focusing his intent on loosening the conditional magic upon himself, hajun's voice cuts through the defined zone of silence with a command, releasing the spell enough to exempt the feline from his magic.

just enough so he can hear it respond.