Ritual Casting (10 minutes)

The caster holds a small focus — a crystal lens, a prism, or a polished agate — and begins slowly turning in place, arms extended, sweeping the area in a widening spiral. Their eyes close as they attune to the weave of magic, and a faint luminous glow begins to emanate from the focus item, pulsing in rhythm with the caster's heartbeat. Over the course of the ritual, the caster's perception shifts: the mundane world fades to grey while magical auras bloom in vivid color — azure for abjuration, crimson for evocation, violet for enchantment, and so on. The caster may pause to examine specific objects, holding the focus close and turning it to read the threads of magic woven into them. Some casters report hearing a faint crystalline chime when magic is near; others feel it as warmth or a tingling on the skin. The ritual leaves the caster's magical sight heightened, as if a veil has been lifted from the world.