Compiled and commented by Albert Weaver
Not all White Magic heals. Some of it builds.
Alter Body enhances what's already there - stronger muscles, quicker reflexes, sharper minds. It doesn't mend. It upgrades.
In small doses, it's a second wind. In heavy doses, it makes superhumans.
***
[Audio Transcript – Rescue Team Debrief, Alpine Range | "Clara G."]
CLARA: "I've seen people run 12 hours with a cracked rib. Think through trauma like they were solving puzzles. It's not adrenaline. It's belief, hard-coded."
ALBERT (off-mic): "How long does it last?"
CLARA: "Depends. On mana. And how much they want to survive."
***
The cost? Mana, mostly. Lots of it. Enough that most high-level casts require a prepared team - focus, tagged boosters, ritual safety nets. A full-body upgrade that lasts more than a day can drain a medium-class caster flat. Permanent changes? Astronomical. Rare. Sometimes dangerous.
But that didn't stop the demand.
In the Breeze Years, private corps pushed for "performance protocols." Soldiers are enhanced to sprint through bullets. Executives with flawless recall and no sleep cycles. Athletes who trained with casters, then competed against those who didn't.
***
[Excerpt – Community Call-In, Mana in the Morning]
CALLER: "My daughter failed her school tryouts. Not because she's weak - because she didn't get altered. The others had speed enhancing magic. What chance did she have?"
***
Enhancement became an expectation. If you didn't get cast on, you were falling behind.
Albert followed a lead to a "clinic" in Dakar - a warehouse rigged with old tech, where people paid for a day's boost to pass exams or carry bricks. The caster didn't smile.
"Permanent?" he asked.
She shook her head. "They can't afford tomorrow. They just need today."
***
[Field Note – Alteration Markets, West Africa]
"Long-term Alteration often used by elite forces or corporate security. Illegal in most sport leagues. Black-market versions cause burnout, organ strain, and identity issues. Still, the line grows longer every year."
***
White Magic wasn't supposed to be about power. But Alteration blurred the line between care and control. A boost too easy to ask for, too hard to live without.
Albert closed his notes with one last scribble:
If healing says "you are enough," Alteration whispers "but you could be more."