Circle

The Circle is the measure of a mage's power in this world. Physically, Circles are rings of magical power encircling a wizard's heart: a 2nd-Circle mage bears two rings, a 3rd-Circle three, and so on. To master the next Circle one must not merely accumulate enough magical power but grasp the meaning and circulation of magic circles and learn to command the elements freely. Two innate qualities matter for casting: magical power (replenishable with reagents) and affinity, or sensitivity (which governs control). It was precisely his lack of affinity that left Theodore unable to graduate from the Academy until he obtained Gluttony — graduation required the rank of 3rd-Circle master.

The lower tiers are reached by accumulating power: getting to the 4th Circle is comparatively easy, especially with magic reagents. Beyond that the 'walls' begin. The 5th Circle is attained only through a separate enlightenment or special achievement — money and reagents alone will not buy it, and many remain stuck at the 4th until death. Before the 6th stands an even graver barrier, and even the continent's finest mages rarely cross the wall of the 7th: most Tower Masters are stuck there.

In the present age only two have reached the 8th Circle — Meltor's Master of the Blue Tower (Blundell) and Master of the Red Tower (Veronica) — which places them above any other human; it is they who let the small Kingdom of Meltor compete on even terms with the far larger Andras Empire. The 9th Circle, the pinnacle of human mastery, has long become legend: a 9th-Circle mage could rule the entire continent single-handedly.

In the Kingdom of Meltor only three may give direct orders to the Tower elders — Master of the Red Tower Veronica, Master of the Blue Tower Blundell, and King Kurt III himself: the rank of 8th Circle sets these two nearly on a level with the crown. In the Age of Myths 9th-Circle archmages were not rare, but in the present day none remain — they survive only in historical records. Gluttony is a special case: it lets Theodore climb the Circles despite his near-zero affinity, substituting devoured books and spells for innate talent.

Up to the 4th Circle — accumulating power and reagents; reached comparatively easily. The 5th Circle demands enlightenment or a special achievement, not money, and many stall at the 4th forever. The 6th and 7th Circles are sealed off by heavy 'walls': even the best mages stall before the 7th, where most Tower Masters also remain.

The 8th Circle in the modern era belongs to only two of Meltor's Tower Masters, placing them above any other human and nearly level with the king. The 9th Circle has been lost since the Age of Myths and become a myth: such a mage is said to be able to rule the continent single-handedly.

Two innate qualities matter for magic: magical power (accumulated and replenished with reagents) and affinity/sensitivity, which governs control of the elements. A lack of affinity is a sentence: it was this that kept Theodore from advancing and graduating until Gluttony gave him a workaround — devouring ready-made spells and authors' experience, bypassing the barrier of talent.