Notes on Blue Magic – Illusion

Compiled and commented by Albert Weaver

“There are no lies in Illusion. Only mirrors.”

—Veyla Ros, illusionist and fugitive, Wild Years

It begins with a flicker. A sound that shouldn’t be there. A shadow on the wall where nothing stands. Illusion doesn’t change the world—it changes the way you see it.

Illusions project false sensations directly into the minds of those nearby. The scent of smoke, the touch of rain, the voice of a loved one long gone. A good illusion isn’t loud—it’s familiar. It feels right. That’s the danger.

[Audio Transcript – Civil Defense Briefing, Reykjavík – “The Disappearing Bridge”]

CAPTAIN: “We had eyes on the rebel group. Watched them sprint straight into the ravine. The bridge we saw? It wasn’t there. We crossed it twice. Turns out—only the drone saw the truth.”

ALBERT (off mic): “Because machines can’t be fooled?”

CAPTAIN: “No. Because machines don’t have minds.”

Advanced casters can craft illusions that breathe, move, and react. A fake soldier that ducks when shot. A crowd that panics and scatters. A doppelgänger that holds your gaze and grins at just the wrong moment.

But no matter how real it feels, illusions never leave a mark. You can’t cut one open. You can’t prove it was ever there.

[Excerpt – Field Notes, Street Mage “Lenya”]

“I once held off a bounty crew for five hours with nothing but voices behind doors. Every time they kicked one open, it was just me laughing in another room.”

The real risk with Illusion isn’t combat—it’s trust. Victims have reported hallucinations weeks later. Anxiety. Paranoia. Never sure what’s real anymore. A whisper in your ear becomes a threat. A flicker of light becomes a trap. And in some cases, even knowing it's an illusion... doesn’t make it stop.

Albert’s scribbled margin note:

“You can fight a fire. You can run from a beast. But what do you do when the lie is beautiful—and you want it to be true?”