Exerpt from: “A Study between Light and Steel”, author not known.
The Auralight, also referred to as simply “light” by Sephling Lightcasters, is a primordial energy source that originates from the sun. Although there has been disagreements on whether to classify it as an “energy”, a “force or nature”, or simply “will”, the Auralight is perhaps known for being the motive that seems to drive both Lightmancy and Steelscience. In the Sephling language, it is commonly referred to as ”Er Mes”, which translates to “to be”, as in, “it is simply to be”.
Auralight
The Auralight has been an integral manifestation in the “religion” the Preservers have kept within them. As you may know, the two ever conflicting deities of Decay and Providence are the two pillars of creation in our world. However, without the power from Decay, nor the sustenance and sentience from Providence, this world could not exist.
I think, and this is something the Preservers seem to agree with me in their theology, the Auralight is the manifestation of both of their powers. It is balance and ruin, creation and destruction, push and pull, energy and entropy. We humans can use it, draw upon it like we do upon Decay and Providence, but nobody is godly enough to create Auralight, aside from the deities.
I think Auralight is a perfect name for such a medium. It is light in its usability and versatility, and yet it is aura in it’s nature and being.
Collecting or observing the properties of the Auralight is very difficult, as it is not a physical property or a visible force. As a result, study into the Auralight is very difficult to come by, with scholars often times simply accepting it as a fact of life and moving on. However, it can be said that most of the interactions between Lightmancy, Steelscience, and other magic systems can be traced to the interactions the Auralight has in different environments.
In Lightmancy
In Lightmancy, “Auralight” is simply referred to as “light”, that is, the visible light Lightmancers need to cast spells. In Lightmancy, it is commonly believed that Auralight is tuned through a crystal of some form, before channeled and expelled to produce the appropriate effect the lightmancer intended. Therefore, it is widely accepted that visible light, and all the colors that can be contained within visible light is a physical representation of the Auralight, and represents a visible sign of channeling in Lightmancy.
The purest representation of this auralight, at least to Lightmancers, is perhaps the concept of “white” or “clear” light. Light that hasn’t had a chance to be attuned appears white in the form of pure brightness, though oddly enough is quite useless to lightmancers without the tools to use it.
In Steelscience
The concept of “Auralight” in Steelscience is still hazy at best. Often times, the Auralight is thought to be embedded within metals, and Steelscience uses the embedded auralight to attract and channel the auralight in a steelcaster’s surroundings through the metal within them or on them. Because of this, Auralight in Steelscience is refferred to as “Inside light”, that is, light that is trapped within metal.