What gives the Mystics magic?

[Bigvinu]

I've always wondered this. The Mystics aren't exactly a "race" but rather a giant coalition of separate races (in the beginning, opposed to humanity), many of which seem able to use magic.

So, why would several different races all posses Magical abilities when humans, the (presumably) first users of magic can no longer do so.

Which leads me to three possibilities for Mystic Magic.

1. Janus/Magus brought it with him when Lavos sent him 12,5?? years in the future
2. The Mystics are somehow harnessing Lavos's energy Unlikely though as they seem to be innate magic users instead of having to use a Mammon Machine like source of power
or
3. The Mystics are not Terrestrial Would explain the very awkward nature they bring, their magic abilities and their seemingly having appeared and evolved as a race between 12,000 B.C. (when Zeal fell, we knew they didn't exist) and the late 500 A.Ds (Let's say Magus was brought 20 years before 600 A.D. giving him time to train and become King of the Mystics)

Any thoughts?

[Mr Bekkler]

the destroyed ocean palace and sunken mammon machine rapidly evolve surrounding people and mutate their dna so they don't die underwater, they merge with sealife. in the next several thousand years, these pre-mystics live as monsters of legend, hiding from human society where they are not welcome. eventually, one named ozzie is minding his own business in the mountains when a mysterious blue portal opens, spitting out a human child who radiates with power. ozzie, being drawn to this power, takes advantage of his mystic attractive properties to organize a revolt on the humans from whom they so desperately hide, in order to create a real life for those mammon-deformed creatures now known by the locally derogatory term, "mystic".

kinda fan-fictiony, but that's what i think happened.

[Acacia Sgt]

Considering Mt. Woe has some creatures of the same species as some of the Mystics' (Gargoyles and Stone Imps at least), though those are among the non-magical, so at least it could be said that the non-magical Mystics are descendants of the monsters of ancient times.

Now as for the magical ones, that's the big question. Well, I have always thought that their ability to use magic is related to the planet somehow. Like the Elements of Cross except using your own power instead of an artificial artifact's. And that they learned the whole thing over time. Well, that's how I think it is.

[Bigvinu]

Considering Mt. Woe has some creatures of the same species as some of the Mystics' (Gargoyles and Stone Imps at least), though those are among the non-magical, so at least it could be said that the non-magical Mystics are descendants of the monsters of ancient times.

Now as for the magical ones, that's the big question. Well, I have always thought that their ability to use magic is related to the planet somehow. Like the Elements of Cross except using your own power instead of an artificial artifact's. And that they learned the whole thing over time. Well, that's how I think it is.

So is getting power through Lavos (Zeal way) just one of several ways to get magic on Earth?

[Acacia Sgt]

Yes. After all, before Lavos...

  That's the Sun Keep you see on the
   southern continent. A Sun Stone, once
   the source of this world's power, was
   kept there.

   But when we began using our new
   energy source, it was sealed up just
   like the north palace.

   They claim we don't need the energy
   of this tired, old planet.

There was the Sun Stone and whatever kept in the Northern Palace (with Safe Helm and Swallow being products of what was kept there) used before the Mammon Machine was built.

And don't forget the Dragonians had their methods too (and never had contact with Lavos or FF at all), with the Elements created for the ones who couldn't.

[Bigvinu]

Yes. After all, before Lavos...

  That's the Sun Keep you see on the
   southern continent. A Sun Stone, once
   the source of this world's power, was
   kept there.

   But when we began using our new
   energy source, it was sealed up just
   like the north palace.

   They claim we don't need the energy
   of this tired, old planet.

There was the Sun Stone and whatever kept in the Northern Palace (with Safe Helm and Swallow being products of what was kept there) used before the Mammon Machine was built.

And don't forget the Dragonians had their methods too (and never had contact with Lavos or FF at all), with the Elements created for the ones who couldn't.

True.

[ONSLAUGHT]

In the Ocean palace a couple of Mystic like creatures exist. Sorceror recolors? So while Magus is a possibility, I'd say probably Lavos. Since in the Ocean Palace Lavos is strongly present and everyone(I mean EVERYONE including Dalton's goons)seems to be fully capable of using magic.
Then as Bekkler stated there's the Mystics in Dorino Mountains. Taking them without magic and the Medina mystics having magic into account,(not to mention the non magical mystics of the cathedral)I'd say since apparantly Magus is summoning Lavos and so I'd imagine his castle being very filfthy with the very nature of Lavos' presence, that's probably why they're the only mystics to have magic.
But that then brings up a thought of how then can Magus use magic even when he's away from Lavos? I'm guessing since he was born in Lavos' presence in Zeal, and grew up with it, it attatched itself to him and almost became like a part of him(hence why these characters don't have to use elements but Cross characters do). Magic flows within his veins.
So then what of the Zealians who lost their magic when they lost access to Lavos? Magus was Janus and Janus was upper class royalty. And as we saw, it seemed royalty got to come closer to Lavos than anyone else. This would explain the power behind Schala, Queen Zeal, and Janus/Magus lasting without Lavos. This could also help explain how the closer they were to Lavos, the stronger they became(Magus is tougher as a boss than a character, probably cause he's summoning the thing). Queen Zeal was strong already but not as strong as when she flew the Black Omen which was practically powered by Lavos, thus allowing her to become so strong she became that face and hands thing. And Schala we all know how she was extremely powerful, and then she merged with Lavos and boom. All powerful destroyer of space and time. Afterall, as Lavos' final form shows, Lavos was just harvesting us and using us to evolve itself. When it analyzes our species it copies us and becomes stronger, so what if it had an actual life form in person to study, analyze...and possess? This would help explain that.

So for that, I'm gonna say Lavos is one reason the mystics can use magic.

[Acacia Sgt]

Except that there are still Mystics, like Flea and the Heckran, that can still use magic, yet neither Lavos or any kind of presence of its is nearby.

This means it's not Lavos, unless there is an explanation for that. Which is why I still stand for the planet's power as their source.

[ONSLAUGHT]

Except that there are still Mystics, like Flea and the Heckran, that can still use magic, yet neither Lavos or any kind of presence of its is nearby.

This means it's not Lavos, unless there is an explanation for that. Which is why I still stand for the planet's power as their source.

Apply my theory, on a larger scale.
Lavos is within the Earth itself. Just as with the whole Janus/Magus situation of it sticking to his genetics, Lavos is within the planet for so long that the planet itself becomes a magic producing property. This could help explain why magic comes into existence in the Dark Ages, yet it doesn't exist yet in Prehistory, since that's when lavos landed and he hadn't been on the planet that long yet.

I know this brings up what about the Sun Stone then since that brought their power before Lavos was discovered.
Sun Stone powered by Lavos. We don't know where Lavos came from.
Thought: Lavos is a sun parasite?

[Bigvinu]

Then again, Speckio makes it clear that Magic manifested itself in the form of a Gene. He also states that in Humans, the Magic Trait is recessive. This could potentially mean that Lavos mutated human DNA allowing for Magic, but the trait has become recessive. It's possible that the same happened to early Mystics, but their gene never went recessive and stayed dominant.

[Acacia Sgt]

I know this brings up what about the Sun Stone then since that brought their power before Lavos was discovered.
Sun Stone powered by Lavos. We don't know where Lavos came from.
Thought: Lavos is a sun parasite?

Can't be. If I remember correctly, most dialogue involving the Sun Stone refers it as 'a Sun Stone', implying there is more than one. Besides, as it's name implies, it only stores the Sun's Energy, so even if Lavos came from the Sun (Why would it?), there is still the fact that particular Sun Stone must have already charged itself up from way before even Lavos came to the planet.

[Truthordeal]

It was Jesus!

I think the bigger question here is "Where did the Mystics Come From?"

Did they somehow survive and evolve from the monsters on Mt. Woe, who somehow survived after crashing into the ocean? Or did they evolve from nothing in the time between 12,000 B.C. and 600 A.D?

If we understand that much, then where the magic came from will be fairly easy.

Just looking at the maps of 600 A.D. and 12,000 B.C. side-by-side, it appears that the main continent after the Fall of Zeal seems to divide and form the continent of Ozzie's fort and possibly the Giant's Claw, and judging by the position that Mt. Woe was before and after it fell, its not absurd to think that the land mass eventually formed the continent where Magus' castle is. Both continents eventually converged to form Medina in 1000 A.D.

Who knows, maybe the monsters on Mt. Woe could breath underwater and evolved that way over time. Maybe the Ocean Palace/Mammon Machine forced a sudden and drastic evolution the way the Frozen Flame did the humans.

[ONSLAUGHT]

So, perhaps Mt. Woe has something to do with it?

[Mr Bekkler]

maybe magic was a technology created by zeal. they didn't have mystics because they used the sunstone for so long, which was "pure" energy, so to speak, like solar panels. no waste.

then the recent switch to lavos energy, the cause of the corruption and fall of zeal, is more powerful but has waste, like fossil fuels. the product of the waste is monsters, some of whom have magic, and some of whom don't.

i really think it's not that complicated or hidden. why did mystics have magic? cause zeal did.

[Xenterex]

many of them could simply be the products of Zealian technology.  Most mystics are vulnerable to magic, or weapons that are particularly tailored to damage mystics, among which that ones that I remember off the top of my head (at least one sword for Frog) are also related to Zeal.  I've generally gotten the impression that Zeal was a kingdom established through warfare, so the early 'mystics' could've been cannon fodder for Zeal.  Bearing magic/tailored weapons they exercise control over the mystics.  Then when the kingdom falls/without magic to maintain control over the mystics, they spread out into the wilds and propagate and evolve as the years go by.

If they were indeed used by Zeal in such a manner, that would certainly give them cause for hating humanity later on.  Since Janus was there, he might also know more particulars for keeping the mystics in line.