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Outfit - Magical Girl

Magical Girl, the outfit unlocked by training Lumen skills

A Lumen is an individual who can use magic at will, but needs a magic crystal to properly channel their abilities.

The protagonist, Elodie, was born with magic potential and claim to her mother's crystal, but she is far from being the only one in the story to have such powers.

Given the theme of the game, Lumen play a very significant part in the story events even if Elodie herself does not become one. Both their reputation and powers can alter the course of the story significantly, and they are the subject of much background information and mentioned in many of the epilogues.

Spoiler Warning: Plot details follow, read at your own risk

Lumen Training[]

Elodie may choose to become a Lumen herself. To do so she will need both her crystal and a magic tutor. Since Joslyn heavily disapproves of magic, Elodie will have to find a way to get her crystal before the year is over. As for tutors, Julianna will offer to teach Elodie very early into the game, but if refused Selene will step up instead.

See Lumen for specifics.

Lumen Characters[]

The following characters possess/ed Lumen powers since the beginning of the game.

For more information, including character who may potentially become Lumen depending on the story path, see Category:Lumen

Lumen History[]

Much of their history is told in the flavor text of History, Foreign Intelligence and Lore skill training.

As noted in the text, many Lumen in synchrony can use their magic to invoke cataclysms, some of which have left permanent effects in the land. Also, powerful magic can cause a "magic backlash" that summons dangerous, almost-indestructible monsters (like the Doomshadow mentioned below).

Lumen History
Training Flavor Text
Novan History 80 About two hundred years ago, a great black cloud formed over Nova, bringing cold and sickness. The sun could not shine, and the air was gritty and foul-smelling. Many people died, including the queen at the time and most of the high nobility, before the cloud finally dissipated.
Novan History 100 The most famous ruler of ancient Nova was King Latimer. According to the history texts, he began the policy of "gathering light" which led to the predominance of the Empire. Unfortunately, the texts don't explain what exactly that policy was. There's a reference, but that volume is missing.
World History 40 You read about the northern continent, Borealis, where the first Lumens in history were recorded, and how the discovery of magic shaped their development.
Lore 20 The kings and queens of Nova have all been Lumens for centuries, but in modern times, magic is only used for ceremonial occasions and the direst of emergencies.
Lore 30 Long, long ago, the continent of Borealis was ruled over by a single Witch-King, until a rival line of Lumens challenged for the crown. The resulting war went on for a hundred years with powerful spells that damaged the land so badly that even now, no plants will grow.
Lore 40 Legend has it that long ago, a horde of Yeveni on the back of tentacled monsters rode into the valley of Mead laying waste to all in their path. Their conquest was only halted when a Lumen raised a great flood to drown the invaders.
Lore 50 Legend says that the island domain of Malini was once a single island instead of a crater, until an invading Novan queen raised a terrible pillar of fire that shattered the land into pieces.
Lore 60 At the height of the Novan Empire, all major Dukes and Duchesses were Lumens, and they conquered their enemies with beams of light and terrible summoned monsters. Those monsters eventually broke loose, killing their captors and destroying the Old Capital on Kathre Lake. The resulting chaos shook the Empire.
Lore 70 Two hundred years ago, a great force of darkness covered Nova, threatening to wipe out all life in the domain. It took the self-sacrifice of the Queen and her complement of Lumens to defeat that doom. Only the Duke of Ursul refused to join in that defense and therefore survived.
Lore 80 A Lumen once tried to lift the curse from an enchanted spring whose water was poisonous and glowed green. After dispelling the magic, she tasted the water and fell dead - the green flow was a not a curse, but a spell placed by a Lumen long before to warn everyone away from the spring's natural poison.
Lore 90 A Lumen may willingly surrender control of his or her magic to another. This was how the Novan Empire came to dominate the world - a growing force of Lumens focused on a single ruler, granting that King or Queen immense power.
Lore 100 It is believed that strong magical power attracts danger. Therefore, after the doomshadow was banished, the crystals of the fallen Dukes and Duchesses were destroyed. Only the crown - and the duchy of Ursul - maintain active Lumens.
Foreign Intelligence 60 Agents who have visited Borealis report that all know "Lumen Shamans" seem to have no magical powers at all, and perform their ritual displays with show and trickery.
History Epilogue Elodie’s studies of history revealed previously glossed-over facts from Nova’s past, such as why the Novan empire only blossomed after the fall of Borealis: The old Lumen warlords were forced to flee to more fertile ground after their constant squabbling damaged their homeland beyond repair.

That also explained why, from the beginning, magic in Nova was viewed with caution. But as memory faded, caution did as well, leading to a cycle of magical destruction that waxed and waned over the centuries. Elodie vowed to improve the state of Novan education so that important lessons would not be so easily forgotten.

Lumen in Society[]

For centuries, Lumen formed the royal court of Nova, until about 200 years before the events of the game.

But in spite of many of Nova's pasts victories being the work of Lumen -- in particular the "gathering of light" that allowed it to become the once-mightiest empire of the world -- they were also guilty of many calamities. The greatest of these was the birth of the nigh-indestructible monsters that destroyed the Old Capital and now inhabit the Old Forest, and the Doomshadow that killed millions in Nova two hundred years ago and required the sacrifice of the Lumen Queen, Dukes and Duchesses. Events like this made the general public wary and afraid of Lumen, and word spread that their magic attracted dangers and tragedies. Since then public opinion turned against Lumen, with only the royal family being spared the backlash, if not always.

Currently, only the duchy of Ursul (currently held by Duchess Julianna) and Queen Fidelia were publicly known to be Lumen, and because of her lineage it's expected of Princess Elodie to take her mother's crystal. Outside of Nova, King Togami made himself infamous for his use of magic in Shanjia's conquests, and the old country of Borealis is led by false "Lumen Shamans".

Depending on Elodie's actions, public opinion concerning Lumen may take a turn for better or for worse.

Magic Crystals[]

Crystals are the artifacts necessary for an individual to gain magical powers. While studying Lore reveals some details such as Lumen being able to pass down their crystals, or the reason why the formerly Lumen-centric Nova has so few nowadays, it's through conversations with other Lumen (mostly Julianna and Selene) that reveal more detailed info (See below under Event-only Information.)

It's not clear whether any person is capable of becoming a Lumen by activating a crystal, what it's clear is that it's not limited to the children of Lumens. Characters like Joslyn and Briony can become Lumen under specific conditions and epilogues despite being non-magical humans.

Crystals appear to vary in shapes and coloration, some of which are shown onscreen in both detailed and stylistic rendering (See below under Gallery). Of those not explicitly shown, Togami's crystal is mauve, Lucille's is purple (as described if she's killed during Week 17), and the wife-killer's (Week 20) is orange. It's possible, but not confirmed, that the crystal's color depends on their owners' characters.

While most of Nova's crystals have been lost to history, presumed to be trapped in the Old Capital or interred somewhere, some specific conversations, flavor texts and info pieces in the game clue to their whereabouts:

  • Both the Royal and Ursul crystals remain in the hold of their respective claimants.
  • The Mazomba crystal was requisitioned by a secret order after the sacrifice of the Duke/Duchess two-hundred years ago, and passed down its members to the current holder: Selene.
  • The Caloris crystal is kept in a secret trove by the ducal family. Its current keeper is Joslyn.
  • The Merva crystal is presumed lost along with the ducal family, but it's highly likely that the crystal in Lucille's possession is the Mervan one.
  • According to a 2013 post by Hanako, the Mead and Elath crystals are still around, but it's not said where.
  • Considering the lack of evidence or developer's commentary, the Sudbury, Maree and Hellas crystals may be truly lost.
  • Lillah does not have an ancestral crystal, since this duchy's foundation happened long after the establishment of the Novan Empire, and was conformed by Yeveni immigrants.
  • It's not said where does the crystal bonded to the wife-killer comes from. It may or may not be one of the lost ducal crystals.
Event-only Information
Despite legends and rumors of the contrary, magic crystals cannot be destroyed. The crystals of the fallen Dukes and Duchesses have been scattered through Nova and possibly beyond.
Activated crystals are "hidden" inside the bodies of their Lumen. They remain invisible and intangible by anyone other than their bonded Lumen, but the latter can project a physical image of the crystal when needed.
Once a crystal is bonded to a person it can't be taken by force. The bonded Lumen has to die before their crystal can ever be claimed by someone else, even if they wish to pass it down willingly.
In spite of that, a Lumen can willingly channel their power into another Lumen to temporarily empower them. This is likely the "gathering light" policy designed by King Latimer that allowed Old Nova to conquer most of the world.
Crystals resonate with their Lumen's character. If a person inherits a crystal whose former owner had a personality opposite to them, or held animosity towards them, the person won't be able to activate it.
However, it is possible to change a crystal's resonance through a ritual magic duel, which will end with the death of one of the Lumen involved.

When a duelist dies, their crystal will acquire a spot of color matching the victor's crystal, to evidence the change of resonance. In-game, this is shown with most of the outcomes of the duel of Week 36.

Magic Affinity[]

The powers of a Lumen are varied, as shown by the Lore training flavor text. However, there seem to be some particular types of magic some Lumen are more adept at channeling than others (See under Magic Affinity table.)

While the game's concept art seems to hint there's a physical transformation brought by gaining magic powers, specifically Elodie's Magical Girl outfit, no other Lumen is shown or described to do the same. In any case, this transformation may not be literal, only a representation of the feeling of gaining magic. Or equally likely, the fantastic display does occur, but simply does not cause any visible change to it's wielder, since Elodie's Magical Girl outfit is only available after enough Lumen training.

Having a crystal is not the only way of channeling magic powers. Children of Lumen and potential Lumen can inherit weaker magic powers even before activating a crystal (as is the case of both Elodie and Charlotte) [1]; however, it is unknown how strong the powers are if both of the parents are Lumen.

It also must be noted that Lumen magic is not the only kind of magic that exists in the setting. The Meditation flavor text show that it's possible to achieve a degree of astral sense through advanced meditation techniques, and considering Elodie must have learned it from non-magic tutors it must not be limited to Lumen. The Divination 100 flavor text also mentions that the priestesses of Nova have ways to request omens from the gods, possibly through supernatural methods considering that regular training includes the more mundane methods.

Magic Affinity
Magic Type Users and description
Light Elodie herself is attunned to light, given the descriptions of her Wield Magic and Meditation training and some abilities she demonstrates like projecting beams of light or creating a sword of pure light. It's possible that Fidelia was also attuned to light.
Earth Julianna seems to be attuned to earth. While not shown as often, she will do things like make the ground shake if Elodie taunts her while imprisoned, and one epilogue suggests she is responsible for the freak earthquakes that keep Tombulan invaders away from Nova.
Water Selene is attuned to water, which she commonly uses for her divination. She's also shown to use her powers to lethally poison others (with saltwater possibly), summoning normal and "black" water out of nothing, and scrying the ocean from a distance to find enemies and monsters.
Void/Absence Lucille has dominion over the "absence" of things, for example being capable of taking sound, light (sight) and movement from an individual permanently (as she will do to Elodie during a dead end); in another dead end, she drains the life out of Elodie with her magic. One epilogue describes her conjuring soundless beams of darkness.
Healing Charlotte, despite not having a crystal, can heal wounds and "extract damage" from bodies, such as extracting the milk viper's poison from Elodie's body during Week 3, or removing the illness of a dying boy during one epilogue.
Chains Both Julianna and the wife-killer can summon magical chains to strangle targets. Given this is a shared ability, it's likely that this is a particular spell and not an innate magical affinity.

Gallery[]

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