live slow; die whenever

This will come up later, definitely in Brigid’s sections and probably in Ciara’s as well, but—members of the Vox Dei / anyone else who distrusts demons and their origin believe that people healed via witchcraft—especially when it involves demon blood—are irrevocably tainted by evil thereafter.  This is ironic, because, as mentioned, demon’s blood is immune to natural diseases & is thus pretty much the purest healing substance you can find.

(the girl healed in ch. 3—whose name is Sophia—will run into problems because of this belief.)

Magic is divided into two primary components: will (intent) and power.  Every spell requires these to work, and everyone has some inherent capability with both, meaning anyone can be a witch; it is not restricted to particular families / witches are not a new species, etc.  Witches are simply humans who have learned to channel their energy into spellwork (the term ‘witch’ is also gender-neutral; ‘warlock’ is only used ~in the community~ to refer to someone—male or female—who uses magic primarily for violent/selfish purposes; ‘wizard’ and other terms are seen as storybook relics).

• Will: also referred to as ‘intent’, will tells a spell where to go, what to do, and keeps it sustained.  When spellcasting, will is always the first consideration.  Its expression determines the form of the spell and its duration.  It is crucial in all cases, but especially so for instances that require continuous casting (i.e. a major healing spell).  Of any creature in this world, humans have the deepest reserves—and therefore the most potential—of will.  Some speculate that this is a function of a human’s peerless ability to adapt and survive, a trait that has been honed over countless years of struggle and evolution.  This theory is supported by the fact that will can be trained and strengthened via meditation and other mental exercises.  It is an ability primarily concerned with the mind over the spirit.
• A pure expression of will is a clear, precise thought, applied directly to the purpose of the spell.  It is based on intellect, calm, and reason.
• Power is the other, equally important component of spellcasting.  As the term suggests, power determines a spell’s efficacy.  It is based on wild emotion; power is raw feeling made concrete, and relates to the spirit over the mind.  For this reason, demons—who, in their truest form, are just spiritual essence—are the most powerful creatures in the world (Mordecai ranks highly on this hierarchy, as his introduction as a ‘prince’ implies—but there are a lot of demon princes/princesses).  In high level spells, power is often directed through the blood, and demonic blood contains more raw energy than any other type.  It is also the purest, because demons are immune to earthly diseases.
• A spell cast with a clear will but low power may last, and may do its job, but it won’t be as effective—if it is, indeed, effective at all.
• A spell cast with great power but weak will may go off with a bang, but it’ll fizzle out quickly—and it might have unintended consequences, too.
• These observable facts are why witches contract with demons & vice-versa.  It is true that both skills can be trained beyond their inborn state, but to do so requires years of work and study.  Furthermore, demons are happy to enter into a contract with witches, because they love the surface and the symbiotic relationship created by the contract is the only way they can reliably maintain a physical body.
• Another important factor, as mentioned, is blood.  All of the complex spells in this world require blood as a catalyst/reagent, because blood is the essence of life and death, and magic is the manipulation of those forces.  Most spells require only a few drops, but some can use up to an entire pint, or more (though, generally speaking, if you need that much you are probably Up to No Good).