Magic in Black Matrix OO

Source: Black Matrix OO First Run Edition Manual

Last updated: 2023-07-30
Author: Raindare

The following is my attempt to understand the way that magic works in the Black Matrix universe, as its metaphysics become more and more important to the plot as it progresses — for example, the main antagonist uses a special type of magic to stay in the game.

What I've written here is only known, on my part, to apply to Black Matrix OO, but as the last game in the series with thematic ties to the others, it is likely that at least the magic system discussed here is the most mature and correct version of the magic system throughout the series.

Phantom Pain

The fundamental unit of magic in Black Matrix OO is Phantom Pain. Characters invoke it when casting spells, such as Rhipsalis in the prologue or Beir in the opening FMV. It is also one way of reading PP, the game's equivalent of magic points, which each character possesses.

But what exactly is Phantom Pain? Well, the meaning is somewhat literal. It is the echo of pain previously experienced. The more a person suffers, the more capable they are of wielding magic — broadly; there are exceptions to this we'll get into shortly.

For now, just keep in mind one fundamental rule: magic in Black Matrix is powered by pain.

Winged Ones and The Incised

In the world of Black Matrix OO, normal humans are much weaker than their angelic and demonic counterparts, who have at least two wings but sometimes more.

Although in the story of Black Matrix OO, angels are beloved while demons are hated, they are actually biologically more similar than most people realize. Both species have greater vitality and capacity for phantom pain than humans, for one example.

The Incised, meanwhile, are humans with special powers, noted by a birthmark on their body known to the angels as God's Invisible Hand. They are capable of hearing others’ hearts, as well as their pain. Some can even commune with the World Tree, described below. Their powers generally do not help them fight; rather, they can be used to shape phantom pain into Phantom Cores and create Pain Rings. It is for this power that they are used by the Prodevon church as forced labour and experimental fodder.

The Incised craft Pain Rings through praying for a specific purpose. Notably, they demonstrate that phantom pain does not need to be explicit, personally-felt physical pain. An Incised can pray for the safety of another that they cannot reach or help, and this will result in a Pain Ring that provides great protective power.

But why are Pain Rings important, anyway?

Pain Rings

Pain alone in Black Matrix OO cannot reliably invoke specific effects, such as healing others or setting them on fire. Almost every character in the game uses Pain Rings to do this: magical items which allow the user to cast spells or summon phantom presences known as Pain Killers.

Most Pain Rings are named with epithets such as "Wounded Knight", indicating the source of the phantom pain within. These names often relate to what the Pain Ring does, inflicting or reversing the type of suffering stored in the Pain Ring. The "Wounded Knight" Pain Ring allows the user to weaken the enemy's attacks, for example, just as a maimed knight would fight poorly, while the "Whispering Ghost" Pain Ring allows the user to heal their allies with magic, preventing their approaching death.

Some Pain Rings have more metaphorical names, such as "Sword of Divine Rule" or "Promise to Protect". These more artful Pain Rings can often be used to summon Pain Killers, discussed below, and were likely created by Incised.

A person can use a pain ring to channel their own phantom pain into a specific form — the typical spell casting you see in RPGs, with BMOO being no exception. A person can also invoke the pain ring's power more directly, which either relies on a Pain Killer's presence to cast powerful spells, or summons a Pain Killer directly.

Pain Killers

Pain Killers are spiritual beings, phantom presences which dwell inside certain powerful Pain Rings. When summoned, they do not appear on the battlefield; instead, they become resident across it, slowly losing energy until they disappear into the Pain Ring once more.

While a Pain Killer is resident, its energy can be used to fuel a Pain Ring's most powerful spells, without consuming the wearer's own phantom pain. More importantly, it can be invoked by specific wearer to perform devastating attacks known as Confessions. These attacks involve the wearer physically manifesting the Pain Killer as a weapon.

When a Pain Killer is resident in cutscenes, the area is bathed in a hostile orange glow. While this isn't visible in battles, it's clearly obvious to the characters when a Pain Killer is resident, as are its advantages for the one who summoned it. It's worth noting that a person's enemies cannot benefit from a Pain Killer they summoned; they must summon their own, or else be at a clear disadvantage.

But what is a Pain Killer, anyway?

Phantom Cores (aka Nuclei)

This bit of knowledge is learned a fair bit later in the game than the rest, around Chapter 7, but it has implications for various parts of the plot and so must be discussed.

As one might expect, every person in Black Matrix OO has a soul. But it is not the soul itself that expresses phantom pain. Rather, each person has a Phantom Core (核神 kakushin, lit. nuclear god, also translated on my part as Nucleus). A person's Phantom Core is akin to a spiritual landfill, a copy of the parts of the soul that the soul itself cannot bear forever.

In reality, Pain Rings are "vessels for false souls", i.e., they contain Phantom Cores. Because a Phantom Core is not a true soul, they can be created through means other than the soul's natural tendencies. Primarily, Incised can create new Phantom Cores through prayer. Particularly powerful Phantom Cores can even contain Pain Killers, discussed above.

The implications of this in the main story are significant. For example, the main antagonist, Arag, has his demon servants, the Pasca, consume Phantom Cores to power themselves. When killed, he draws those Phantom Cores into himself, sacrificing his servants as well as his physical and mental stability to regenerate from the brink of death.

For another example, one might be able to grant another person power by transferring some or all of their Phantom Core to another person. Again, a Phantom Core is like a soul, and overlaps with the soul, but is not the soul itself. Therefore, a person granted power would not truly be two people in one body, and the person granting power would not truly die. This could possibly explain some events in the story...

Compatibility

One secondary magical principle in Black Matrix OO is the idea of people who are "compatible" with each other. In a sense, these people are soulmates, though they may not be romantically entwined. In fact, the first explicit example of two "compatible" people is a young girl who looks up to an older girl as a sister and a role model.

In cases where a human is compatible with a demon, a cruel fate awaits them both. A demon who consumes the blood and bone of one with whom they are compatible can fully mend their body and soul, recovering from even the grave disease known as "thirst", at the cost of someone who is essentially their soulmate.

A more minor example of compatibility is that certain Pain Rings only work for certain wielders. These are specifically Pain Rings which can be used to summon Pain Killers, and in all known cases, these Pain Rings are created by Incised.

The World Tree

The World Tree is said to be the source of all life in the world of Black Matrix OO. Its roots spread across and underneath the world, though the tree itself is most visible at the remote, idyllic Kibots Island.

Notably, the World Tree has no specific associations with pain. Rather, it imbues the world with life: from it, rivers flow, mountains rise, and grass grows. This power is truly massive, but it cannot be tapped into as easily as phantom pain.