#primal stone

Can the Star Primal stone be a magical time machine? To search or creating one could be the goal of the second or third season of TDK.

Like, in the show, Viren canonically used the Primal Stone when he was taking Zym’s egg and he seemed pretty comfortable using it, which implies that he probably had it for a while before that. Also, the assassination of king Harrow was said to be around 6 months after the dragon king’s death and in that time Viren gave Claudia the Primal Stone, which also implies that he had it long enough that it was no longer interested in it and Claudia had it long enough that she was comfortable referring to it as her Primal Stone not her Dad’s Primal Stone.

Where am I going with this? Well,

I think that in another world, Viren got the primal Stone either shortly before Sarai’s death or shortly after and that’s why he wasn’t seen using it in the little flashback story. What if Callum saw someone, mostly likely Viren, do Sky Primal magic much earlier and something clicked?

What if little baby Callum, being young, is more sensitive and responsive to the world around him and is both instinctively aware of the difference between Dark magic and Sky magic because he hasn’t been around either long enough to become desensitized to one or the other, and has his mom’s wisdom of Dark magic being “too easy” helping him along. I imagine him absolutely loving it and, because no one’s explained to him that it’s ’impossible’ he starts practicing that spell and drawing it out until he can do it.

He goes to the library and looks up anything he can to help him, conveniently missing the part where humans aren’t supposed to be able to use Primal magic. Without that little annoying phrase holding him back, he doesn’t fall into the mind set that he can’t, he just thinks it’s really hard so he has to try really hard. He finds some information on Arcanums, and he debates on whether or not he should ask someone for help, but ultimately decides that if he doesn’t show he can somewhat do this on his own then maybe his step-dad won’t let him continue learning (he totally would encourage anything Callum’s interested in (except Dark magic) but Callum doesn’t know that).

So eventually he figures it out and he does the spell, it’s a little shakier than in the show, but that’s because he doesn’t have as many years of experience drawing (even though he’s really talented for his age) and he’s never had the bonus of using the Primal Stone to jumpstart his learning.

He runs to King Harrow to show him what he learned and to ask him if he can continue learning Sky magic and Harrow-

Harrow knows this shouldn’t be possible. This is only like 7 or 8 months after Sarai’s death after Sarai’s death so he’s still kinda in the ‘blame everyone’ stage and he kind blames dark magic for her death on top of the Dragon King. He knows the difference between Primal magic and Dark magic, not anything too deep, but he can definitely tell, so when Callum draws a Sky Primal rune in the air and actually does magic. He kinda goes 👁👄👁.

He does that for long enough that Callum maybe thinks he did something wrong and starts to apologize, but Harrow finally realizes and goes “No, no, no, Callum what you did is amazing, you are a very special boy and I couldn’t be prouder of you. I’m just surprised, who taught you magic?” Because if Viren used his son as some kind of experiment to see if humans could use Primal magic, if he did... something, he was gonna lose his shit.

Obviously, with this little bit of encouragement, Callum proudly states that he learned it all on his own, which baffles Harrow even more because what the fuck is he supposed to do with this? He knows that Viren got a Primal Stone recently and that Callum probably saw him use it and assumed that it was just a different kind of magic and tried to emulate that, but the fact that it worked? That’s what’s got him stuck.

Callum wants to continue learning magic, but Harrow knows enough about magic, dark magic specifically, that he definitely does not want Viren to know that Callum can do Primal magic, so he tells Callum that he can continue reading and researching Sky magic in the library, but that he shouldn’t practice spells without his supervision. Later he’ll probably add Opeli or someone else he trusts (not Viren because he keeps thinking back to what Sarai thought about dark magic) to that list because why not, but until then he tells Callum that he wants him to keep this between the two of them.

Callum doesn’t understand, but Harrow explains that it’s very rare (read: non-existent) that humans are capable of doing Primal magic. So Callum agrees to keep it secret and keeps learning Sky magic without anyone knowing.

Eventually when Ezran’s older he’ll tell him and Ezran will tell him about the Animals in return and Callum will actually believe him because fuck you.

I imagine that things are pretty similar to canon, but Callum and Ezran and Harrow are even closer, Callum grows up much more weary of Dark magic, and he grows up a little bit more confident because he found something besides drawing and memorizing details, that he’s good at. He’s still pretty insecure because that’s what happens when you’re the step-son of a king and you’re mom isn’t even there to reassure you, but less.

I don’t really think the takeaway is that humans (as a collective) decided to use Dark Magic when they had Primal Magic, for a variety of reasons:

Primal Stones are incredibly rare. Even having access to a handful of such magical items is a far cry from the access to magic that magical creatures have naturally.

As Ziard claims, humans still by and large “starved and struggled” even with access to Primal Magic. A handful of Primal Stones will not bring prosperity to everyone.

In spite of that, the prologue makes it clear that most humans were content with the little magic that they had access to. Most did not turn to Dark Magic. 

That some humans get greedy and turn to Dark Magic is entirely within the realm of possibility, knowing how greedy humans in the real world can be over relatively mundane things. Heck, in the story, Aaravos was a Dark Magic aficionado, showing that even mastery of all six Primal Sources is not enough to satiate some people.

And that’s not even getting to the main point: having access to Primal Stones does not equal having access to Primal Magic because Primal Magic is not just spells! Rather, it’s more like a life force energy, similar to qi/ki.

I think I’ve made this point elsewhere, but there seems to be this common misunderstanding that simply having a Primal Stone is the same thing as having an Arcanum. It’s not, because there is so much that magical creatures can do with Primal Magic than what a human can with a Primal Stone. 

We see how Rayla and Runaan can turn invisible, or how Pho-Phoe’s strength is magnified by the Moon Nexus. We see how Bait can glow, or Janai become super-strong with Heat-Being Mode. We see Callum and Rayla dance in order to unlock the Silvergrove. None of these are abilities that a human can replicate by tracing a rune and saying something in draconic.

Heck, even most of what we see Lujanne do isn’t tracing runes in the air! Lujanne doesn’t even need to speak when turning herself into an illusion, or conjures fake food with thought alone.

What I’m getting at is that, by using Primal Stones, humans only get access to a narrow spectrum of abilities. Sure, Viren or Claudia could cast an illusion spell with a Moon Primal Stone, but can they turn invisible? No, because all they can do is gather Primal Energy and release it. They don’t have it inside them.

Mage wings help illustrate exactly this point. They take the same idea behind spells (tracing a rune), but by placing it on one’s arm, the mage gathers the Primal Energy within the mage themselves, and then releasing it into wings. You can’t do that with a Primal Stone. You can only do that by having that magic inside you; a connection to the Sky Primal.

An Arcanum.

And this is almost certainly nowhere near the limits to what can be done with Sky Magic. But it is absolutely beyond the limits to what can be done with a Primal Stone.

While learning Sky magic, Callum realizes he needs a weapon - a real weapon he can use to protect himself on a daily basis and in case he can’t use magic. He decides (quite confidently actually) to adapt his mother’s spear into mage’s battle staff as he no longer has to train sword fighting and had already tried some weapons before making the choice.

It takes a while to convince Janai to perform a purification rite, but the effect is worth it. Sarai’s spear leaves the Sun Forge unaffected and good as new, so Callum, the moment he crafts his first primal stone and after consulting Ethari and Ibis (reluctant at first), merges it into the spike.

Ezran holds Bait. He says the right incantation.

And ta-da, Flashing Frog spell!

Rayla can cast the spell too, without even holding Bait.

She repeats Ez’s words exactly

and Bait does his thing.

It’s really just modern spellcasting, without using the Draconic language, and with a willing partner. Ezran’s just out here reinventing magic, and Bait’s just a grumpy Primal Stone. 

Fair warning for anyone who hasn’t seen the latest season of “The Dragon Prince” on Netflix, spoilers will abound for all three seasons down below.

With the incredible show “The Dragon Prince,” something that many might say is the spiritual successor to “Avatar The Last Airbender” (something I’d find myself agreeing with) a great deal of growth has happened to our characters. Among them Callum, the step-son of the late King, has shown incredible growth in his magical abilities, learning to not only produce magic himself but also learn to utilize spells primarily used by the Elves themselves rather than using Dark Magic as most human mages do. While this offers a great contrast to the hero versus the villains with Callum using what might be considered the “pure” side of magic in contrast to Viren’s more “corrupt” version, a question crossed my mind that has gone unanswered by the creatures with no real guarantee that it will be answered by them within the final season or through some other source. If humans were incapable of performing magic, as was stated in season one, how then did Callum suddenly find the ability to perform it himself? 

The answer I came up with is surprisingly simple and one that has been starring us in the face since the show first began. Allow me to explain.

When the show first began one of the first things we learned was that Zedea, a land populated by Elves and Dragons, is a place steeped in magic. As such everything there has an inherent connection to magic to the point that there are whole clans of Elves distinguished by the type of magic they’re capable of wielding. In contrast to them are humans who are, for whatever reason, unable to perform magic at all. That is until they discovered Dark Magic, a perverse version of magic that uses the life essence of others as a means of producing its affects. Unfortunately this same magic is corruptive to the user as well as we see those who constantly utilize Dark Magic beginning to change themselves, becoming less and less human.

However, we also learned that there are objects which contain magic within them such as the Primal Stone which Callum first gains in season one and continues to use throughout until he ultimately shatters it at the end to help create an environment for the Dragon Prince to be born into. It’s when he first gains the Primal Stone that we gain an important clue into how Callum gained the ability to use magic but to understand the intricacies of it we first have to consider something which may very well have been a lie or rather ignorance on the part of the people of the world of “The Dragon Prince” which is that Humans can in fact use magic.

Now, while I know many will quickly point out that the show itself states that Humans are incapable of performing magic aside from Dark Magic, lets take a a few things into consideration first. First off, while the show does state that Humans aren’t able of performing magic, it never gives us a reason why. All we know is that we can’t until, in Season 2, Callum goes and breaks the mold, bringing with it a whole host of questions. It won’t be until Season 3 that we start to gain more clues as to why Elves and Dragons can perform magic and Humans cannot. It has nothing to do with their species but rather their geographical locations.

Think about it. Elves and Dragons live in Zedea. Zedea is a land that is permeated by magic. Everything from the air to the plants and animals and even the dirt itself is inherently magical in one way or another. Being that the Elves and Dragons live there it wouldn’t be at all unusual for them to have the ability to utilize and manipulate this. Being surrounded by it 24/7 no doubt ensures that they will be able to perform magic without fail. Compare that to the Kingdoms of the Human world, a land devoid of magic. It makes sense that were there is an absence of magic there is therefore an absence of anyone capable of performing magic as well. Who’s to say that a human, born and raised in Zedea, wouldn’t be able to utilize magic as easily as the Elves?

If we assume that Elves and Humans have a common ancestor (a theory which I will cover at a later time) then we can rightly assume that those who either stayed or colonized Zedea became magic users, eventually becoming the elves, while those who colonized the Human kingdoms became humans with their magical abilities lying dormant, unable to be accessed without a bit of a push. That’s where the Primal Stone comes into play.

The Primal Stone, as we learn, contains Primal Magical Energy within, enabling anyone to use Wind (or another element) magic without another primal source such as a storm or a strong wind. Its here that Callum starts to unlock his magical potential, working muscles that had been dormant for what must have been generations. Through the constant use of Magic, thanks in part to the Primal Stone, he begins to reteach his body something it had long forgotten how to do; use magic. The constant use and exposure to the stone enabled his body to get used to the sensation of using and producing magic, increasing his abilities and making him stronger, much in the same way lifting weights trains and builds up our muscles. All of this, naturally, brings up the question “Well, if he can use magic now does that mean he’ll be able to use any kind of magic?” To that I say yes and no. Its really a matter of the kind of magic he’s been exposed to.

In Season 2 we learn that the six Primal Sources, where magic originates, also have six nexuses. These are places where the magic is at its strongest and may have had a part to play in the creation of the different Elven tribes. The reason I bring them up is that, depending on which of these primal sources Callum was exposed to would determine which type of magic he would utilize. In his case it was Wind magic not only due to the Primal Stone but the Dragon Prince himself.

What I found interesting was the fact that Callum not only came into possession of a Wind Primal Stone but the Dragon Prince of the Sky as well. While this could be chalked up to coincidence, I believe it was purposefully done by the writers in order to set up Callum’s growth. His constant expose to the stone as well as the Prince while both an egg and now a Dragon are what fueled his ability to use magic. Both the stone and the Prince radiate Wind magic, ensuring Callum was constantly bathed in their magical energy. Even after he destroyed the stone he still had the Prince nearby, feeding his body and helping him to maintain his connection to the magic itself. Its when he has his fever dream towards the end of Season 2 that he discovers his abilities with the dream no doubt being his dormant abilities manifesting themselves and speaking to him in a manner that he himself might understand.

The final nail in the coffin comes towards the conclusion of Season 3. Having returned the Prince to his mother and meeting a second Sky Elf, Callum comes to learn how to transform his arms into wings. While again people would chalk this up to coincidence, I’d ask that you consider a few other factors.

First, Callum has been actively using Wind magic throughout this Season. His abilities have risen to the point that its almost instinct now. Second, he’s now at the Dragon Queens den and being in her presence no doubt exposes him to an even greater source of magic that overshadows the Prince and the Stone combined. Lastly, and what I consider the most important, I believe that the Dragon Queen’s den is in fact at the Wind Nexus itself. Think about it, the conditions needed to birth a Sky Dragon are very specific to the point that Callum had to sacrifice his Primal Stone just to make it happen. What better place to nest than at the source where the magical energy needed to bring him into the world is in abundance. Knowing all of this it makes sense that Callum would have such an exponential leap in his abilities to the point that he could perform an extremely rare transformation ability. Long story short, he’s sitting in an area thats cooking with Wind Magic. Next thing you know he’d be hovering over the ground like Zaheer.

So, in the end am I correct? Maybe and maybe not. It is a theory after all and until the creators come out and confirm this it’ll be nothing more than that. That said, it’s hard to argue with the evidence. Everything from the stone to the Dragon Prince to Zedea to the Dragon Queen’s den all point to the same thing enough so that I’d be willing to bet Callum would have been able to utilize anyone of the six Primal Sources so long as you changed the nature of the objects to match. That said, I’ll leave it up to you to decide. Did my theory explain a major plot hole that was always meant to be there until it was explained or is there something else at work that I’m not considering? You be the judge.