Pactio

 Pactio

  The basic blank pactio

Pactio is a system of magic within the fictional work Negima!: Magister Negi Magi. The word is based on the Latin word "pactiō", the action of making a "pactum" or "agreement". Pactio can also be referred as a "provisional contract." Characters in pactio involve a magic user who can select any companion in the series. Companions involved in a pactio attain abilities related to their personalities. In the remake series, Negima!?, the system is called "neo-pactio."

"Pactio" Basics

The "pactio" system, which is commonly used among Western Mages, has two components comprising it: The "Magister Magi" and the "Minister Magi" (or "Magistra Magi" and "Ministra Magi" if female). "Magister" is the original Latin form of "master", and "minister" is Latin for "servant"; "magi" is the plural form of "magus" "magician", since you need both a Magister and a Minister to form a "pactio" of Magi. The traditional purpose to this system is to give the Magister a kind of support during battle. Normally, the Ministra's duty is to protect the Magister with physical abilities and his/her artifact, while the Magister is given time and space to cast offensive and defensive spells. One might compare the Ministra like infantry, while the Magister is like the long-range artillery. The Magister fighting alongside the Ministra with combat spells and physical attacks is another version of this system. In this case, the Magister is also referred to as a Combat Mage or "'Magic Swordsman"'. Negi had decided to be a Combat Mage. Interestingly, although "Ministra" refers to females and "Minister" to males, Albireo's card has "Charta Ministralis" (Ministra's Card) written on it.

The "pactio" enables the magician casting the spell, the Magister, to transfer some of his/her magic power to the other person involved in the "pactio", the Ministra, improving the Ministra's natural capabilities, by an average of ten times their normal capacity, according to Chamo. Another advantage included in having a "pactio" is the ability for the Ministra to summon a "magic artifact". Each magic artifact reflects the Ministra summoning it, and as such, the vast majority of magic artifacts will be quite different. In the case of Nodoka, she received a magic picture diary, which reflects her title as a librarian. With Haruna, she received a magic quill and sketchbook, which ties in with her personality as an artist. As Chamo stated, there is no real way of determining just what kind of artifact is given to each new Ministra, but one can assume that the artifact will reflect an aspect of the Ministra's personality.

When a "pactio" is established, a card is created as proof of the contract. Copies can be made (the Magister keeps hold over the originals), and these cards allow for telepathic communication between the Magister and Ministra (with the Ministra being able use the card to communicate telepathichally not only to just the Magister, but also with any other person who also has a Pactio with the same Magister) ^[1]. It also allows the Magister to summon the Ministra at any time. With the incant Evocem Vos(Come Forth), followed by the Ministra's name, the Magister is able to summon his or her Ministra, moving both living and inanimate objects across space instantly. It should be noted that physical objects held or in contact with the Ministra at the time of summon will be teleported with as well. This ability has so far been shown four times in the Manga series, when Negi called Asuna and Setsuna in Kyoto, when he summoned Asuna later in chapter 60 (much to her horror since she was taking a bath at the time), when he summoned Setsuna, and when Fate Averruncus summoned his Ministra in chapter 215. Apparently, there is a limit as to how far away a magister can summon his/her ministra. According to Chachamaru in chapter 189, the maximum distance is around 10 km.

If the Ministra should be left to his/her own wits, he/she can use the copy of the "pactio" card to borrow magical energy from the Magister, or to summon his/her artifacts. To summon forth the artifact, the Ministra invokes the phrase "Adeat", meaning to "bring forth" in Latin. This causes the copy card to transform into the artifact. To return the artifact to its card form, the phrase "Abeat" is used. When an artifact reverts back into its card form, any damage that it has received will usually be repaired (with examples of artifact damage in the manga ranging from Kotarou breaking the bow to Shirabe's fiddle to Nodoka's mind-reading book being turned to stone). The Magister can also make the artifact to appear by using the Master Copy.

A Ministra may also "upload" different types of outfit onto their Pactio cards and wear them when activating the power of the cards. So far, this ability has been used by Chisame (who changed her outfit from the one that appears on her Pactio card to the Bibilon costume she wore during the first day of the Mahora Festival) and Konoka (who has "uploaded" her nurse outfit from the third day of the Mahora Festival). Konoka also made Setsuna upload a maid costume for her Pactio card that resemble those wear by Chachamaru in Evangelin's resort. Whether this ability has any benefit for the Ministra is yet to be shown.

Due to the importance the Western Mages places on having the Ministra Magi, it should come as no surprise that there is a spell designed specifically for forming partnerships. Kissing usually forms the "pactio", also known as "contract". The Del Rey version omitted the fact that the "pactio" can be done in more ways than just kissing. The "blood swap" scenario made by Del Rey is actually a fallacy in translation, but it can be considered as a possible way to make a "pactio".

If the Magister in a "pactio" dies, then the "pactio" can be considered as cancelled or invalid. The Ministra would no longer have mystically-boosted abilities nor an artifact, because logically the source of his/her powers is gone. It was stated in the English-version Manga that Mana is no longer magically empowered nor is able to summon her artifact, because her previous Magister is deceased. However, this also implies that Mana is free to form a new "pactio" with another Mage if she so chooses. Furthermore, it is also revealed that Albireo has several dead "pactios" and one active one with Negi's father.

It should be noted that there are also at least three "levels" of contracts: "Mistake", "Temporary", and "Permanent".

  

Mistake Pactio

The weakest level, the Mistake Pactio cards, tend to be badly drawn and are extremely specific, providing little real information. The titles given are blunt and not very flattering. They are also known as Botched Cards. Mistake Pactio cards in turn allow for little to no magical effects - there is the possibility of empowering the Ministra with magic much like a normal pactio card, but requiring a great deal of magic power for the Magister. For Asuna, Negi had to utilize a large amount of his own personal energy to power her up. In Konoka's case, the Mistake Pactio card awakened the magical potential within her. Mistake Pactio cards, as implied by the name, are formed via mistakes in the pactio ceremony's completion, such as an improper kiss, blood swap, or other mishaps.

In the manga, Negi has made Mistake Pactios with Asuna, Konoka, Ayaka, Ku Fei, Makie, and Fuka and Fumika Narutaki. Asuna and Konoka's came from not giving Negi a kiss on the lips, while the others were made when the girls in question kissed magic copies of Negi during the "Kiss Negi" game on the Kyoto trip. Fuka and Fumika both kissed a copy at the same time, and got a single card featuring both of them. A Mistake Pactio card was also made for Nodoka during the game that took place during the Kyoto trip. However, the origin of Nodoka's Mistake Pactio card was made when Asuna interrupted the Pactio ceremony between Negi and Nodoka when Chamo tried to get them to make one. 

Temporary Pactio

Temporary Pactio, as the name indicates, are equivalent to Permanent Pactio in many ways, but only last until a permanent contract is formed. They are also known as Probationary Contracts. From what has been indicated, a Magister can have an infinite amount of Temporary Contracts, but the number of Permanent Contracts depends on the power of the mage in question (most mages can only form one permanent contract). Furthermore, it has been said that the mage has to be a certain age to form a Permanent Pactio (Chamo explained to Negi that since he's still a kid, he can't make one). Presumably, it is also impossible to form a Temporary Contract once a Permanent Contract has been formed. Temporary Pactio cards are written almost entirely in Latin - including the name of the Ministra. Information provided on the Temporary Pactio cards includes the name of the Ministra, the Ministra's specialization, astrology sign (by planet), virtue, direction, and color. In the girls' case, the card also provides their seat number in class. Another point to note is the possibility that a Ministra could make a pactio with more than one Magister, or make a Pactio with their own Ministra. Konoka had later decided to study magic after the Kyoto field trip, and expressed the desire to have Setsuna as her partner, although they both already made a pactio with Negi (they nearly do a pactio together, but are interrupted by Asuna the first time, and in chapter 252 made a pactio, resulting in a brand new card). Shiori also has made one with Negi in chapter 283, while she still has Fate's contract.

Whenever Chamo draws up a circle and a proper Temporary Pactio is made, a fee of 50,000 Ermine Dollars is charged (Atlhough in the anime, Chamo is compensated for each Partner that Negi acquires.) Chamo also explains that is why Mistake Pactios must be avoided. Mistake and Temporary Pactio have considerable leeway as to how they are formed. In these cases, they can be made without the consent, and sometimes knowledge, of those involved. Due to this fact, Negi is very cautious about making contracts, considering that some girls in his class have expressed a desire to get a card, without knowing about the truth behind it. He frequently states that he does not want others to get involved with the danger in dealing with magic, demons and such. But of course this fail as almost more than half class knew about this.

In Negi's case, he has 12 contracts at present, only two which he had planned on making. Two of his Temporary Pactio, Asuna and Setsuna, were done because of necessity; one (Konoka) was made to save his life; one (Nodoka) was done due to Chamo's schemes. Two more were done when Haruna and Konoka pushed him together with Yue; with Haruna taking advantage of the situation immediately afterwards. Another was done with Chisame, who was forced to realize what she had to do to assist in the battle against Chao, making her attempt to kiss him while he was still unconscious, but he woke up. His Pactio with Kazumi was done not with Chamo but with a special Pactio broker in mage world, due to the investigator's potential to assist in searching for allies within the realm they are trapped in. During the first two days of the Ostia festival, he made a Pactio with Kaede in preparation for the upcoming battle with Fate. His most recent Pactios are with Ku Fei and Chachamaru, which took place during a party held by Godel, and Shiori, in an attempt to reveal her true self without hurting her. It is possible that more will be made during the course of the series such as Ako and Makie.

An interesting note about Yue's Pactio Card is that it became blank when she lost her memory in the Magical World. Once she regained her memories, her Pactio Card was restored along with the magical boost the contract provides. Also the pactio is proof that Chachamaru has a soul.

In the manga, Negi has Temporary Pactio with Asuna, Nodoka, Setsuna, Konoka, Yue, Haruna, Chisame, Kazumi, Kaede, Ku Fei and Chachamaru. In both anime series, he makes Temporary Pactio with the entire class. In the live action series and the Negima!? neo manga, Negi has Temporary Pactio with Asuna, Nodoka, and Konoka. 

Permanent Pactio

Permanent Pactio are currently shrouded in mystery -- a possible permanent contract card may have appeared though nothing was truly revealed about it. It can be said there is a great possibility the Magister who initiated said contract died. As for any specifics on the card design, effects, and the completion of a contract, it is still completely unknown. It has been stated however, that if the Magister is deceased then the contract becomes invalid and furthermore, the card itself is wiped clean of most of its details and titles. According to Negi in Volume 2, a Permanent Pactio often leads to a non-platonic relationship between the partners, although this may not always be the case. Negi did admit that many partners wind up marrying each other, and through a series of misunderstandings and wild gossip, several of the girls believe that Negi's quest to find a partner means finding a lover. 

  

Magic

Within the Pactio system, a Magister/Magistra is able to sent magical energy to his/her Minister or Ministra, enhancing the Minister or Ministra's physical abilities greatly. Other enchantment includes a healthier appearance, and better muscles, and improved athletic ability. The energy that wraps around the Minister/Ministra is not visible under most cases, and to the eyes of normal people. When invoked, the Minister or Ministra is gifted with increased strength, speed, and durability. A large degree of protection from physical and magical attacks is also granted due to the energy field that is being emitted around the body. The strength of the expanded "field" is dependent on the master's magical capacity. The Minister/Ministra will keep receiving magic until the Magister/Magistra exhausts his/her magical energy, or by simply stopping the flow.

To send magical energy, a mage will normally recite a spell. Although, doing so through an unincanted and conscious means is also possible.

Latin: Sim Mae Pars! Per Decem Secundās! Ministra Negiī, Cagurazaca Asuna!

English: Activate the contract 10 seconds for Kagurazaka Asuna, Attendant of Negi!

An example. Sim Mae Par meaning "You are a part of me". It should be noted that the second verse determines the duration for how long the activation will be set to.

Latin: Sītis Meae Partēs! Per Centum Octōgintā Secundās Ministrae Negiī, Cagurazaca Asuna! Sacurazaci Setuna!

English: Activate the contract 180 seconds for Kagurazaka Asuna and Sakurazaki Setsuna! Attendants of Negi!

Another example. Nearly identical in verse, but with noticeable difference. This is used when activating for than one Minister or Ministra. As seen, Sītis Meae Partēs! means "May You Be Parts of Me!". And Ministrae is the plural form of Ministra.

Latin: Sim Ipse Pars! Per Secundam Dimidiam, Negius Springfieldēs!

English: Activate the contract for half a second, Negi Springfield!

An atypical spell. Normally, Magi send power to the Minister/Ministra, but in this spell shown here, the Magister gathers the magic and returns it to himself. Normally recited with Sim Mae Pars! (You are a part of me) but here, Sim Ipse Pars means "Let Me Myself Be the Part".

Latin: Sim Tua Pars!

English:

Sim Tua Pars meaning " May I be a Part of You". Typically, mages recites, then directly sends energy to support their Minister/Ministra. But in the case where the Magister or Magistra is unconscious or asleep, he/she, who is in contract with the mage, still retains the duty of protecting him/her. For that reason, this spell is designed to help the Minister or Ministra in drawing magical support independently. However, magic that flows to the Minister or Ministra will feel different compared to having it controlled by the mage. Hence, this spell have limitations, and the limits depends on the application of the abnormal energy under such situation. 

  

Summon

Latin: Ēvocem Vos! Ministrae Negiī, Cagurazaca Asuna Sacurazaci Setuna!

English: I Summon Forth, Attendants of Negi, Kagurazaka Asuna, Sakurazaki Setsuna!

Latin: Ēvocem Tē!, Cagurazaca Asuna!

English: Let Me Summon you, Kagurazaka Asuna!

It's also possible with a simple recite of Ēvocem Vos (Come Forth?), followed by the name(s) of the Minister/Ministra. To be summoned means to move across space instantly, and to appear before the summoner. Ideal in situations where a Magister or Magistra find himself or herself in need of help, defenseless from being separated from his or her Minister/Ministra, or for tactical or strategical purposes. 

  

Process and Other Facts

The process for both Mistake and Temporary Pactios is as follows:

• A mediator for the contract draws up a magic circle. Negi usually uses Chamo for this, but a Pactio Broker can also initiate the process, as it was done for Asakura's contract.
• Both participants of the contract must be within the circle. Normally, the circle is only meant for two people at a time, but Chamo once drew a circle large enough to surround an inn during the Kyoto field trip.
• A ritual or vow is made to seal the contract, normally a kiss on the lips between the two involved, or blood exchanging, for those who are uncomfortable with such things. It is at this point that a mistake causes a Botched Card to be formed.
• A Pactio Card is magically drawn up to signify the completion of the process. The Mage keeps this Master Copy, but a Copy Card can be created for the partner to use.

• Several other characters have Pactio cards not connected by Negi, both in and outside the class. Mana holds one dead card, signifying a contract with a previous mage no longer living. Similarly, Albireo holds several cards, one Pactio with a currently living mage (Nagi) and several (shown to number at least ten) dead ones. Misora has one card as well, but hers is still active with her magistra Cocone.

• A person is able to be ministra magi for several different mages, but whether or not this applies to a permanent contract is not yet known.

• Though usually a Magister has only one Permanent Minister Pactio, Chamo said that there can be more, depending on the power of the Magister. Fate Averruncus is shown to have five Permanent Ministra Magi. 

Contracts

A contract is created between a mage and a potential Pactio, usually through a kiss. Chamo is once again the mediator, but this time, he doesn't have to draw up a magic circle with a piece of chalk. Instead, he simply summons it up. As in the manga, Chamo is eager for Negi to make as many Pactios as possible as each nets him 50,000 Ermine Dollars.

Asuna's three Pactio Cards, Armor (left), Suka (middle) and Cosplay (right)

Upon creation, 3 card types are created for Pactio Invokation:

• Dud (Suka in the original Japanese script): Similar to the botched card, this card ends up turning the Ministra into a super deformed character in an animal costume, where they can do little or nothing to assist the mage. In many cases, the animal they become expresses a certain attribute or connection regarding that student. This form also mentally regresses the Ministra into a child for the duration of the transformation.
• Cosplay: The Ministra gains a special costume and a special artifact or ability for assistance. While not the most powerful of cards, there are skill advantages in this transformation.
• Armor (sometimes called Rare): Equated to the Temporary Pactio of the manga, the Ministra gains a special costume and weapon or ability that enhances and allows them to fight in battle.

Within the first thirteen episodes, nine girls made contracts with Negi, six of who already had Pactio in the manga (Asuna, Nodoka, Setsuna, Konoka, Yue, Haruna) and three without them (Fuka, Fumika, Kaede). However in episode fourteen, the situation presented itself where twenty of the other classmates had to make a contract in order to free Negi from a precarious situation. At the time, Evangeline reasoned that she and Chachamaru did not Pactio due to their inhuman natures (one being a vampire, the other an android). However, both did eventually Pactio towards the end of the series: Evangeline to be saved from a possession, and Chachamaru merely to complete Negi's collection.

Design

Each of the three pactio cards for each student has a different design to reflect its power. Like the original Temporary Pactio cards in the manga and the first anime, each card bears the name of the Ministra and various information about the Ministra.

• For hilarity, Suka cards are entirely written in hiragana ("Suka Card" is written like this: すかかーど), and this applies even to non-Japanese names such as Evangeline's. Each card bears a rune letter and some gibberish below it (usually what the animal as which each student dresses says outside some "specific" lines for certain characters such as Nodoka, Evangeline and Ayaka). Each Suka Card also has a plaid pattern on the background. Unlike the two other kinds of cards in which each has one general background color, the colors of the plaid pattern in each Suka card vary from student to student. There are four sets of numbers (all written in Hindu-Arabic) on each Suka card: (a) Two sets of numbers on opposite corners of the smaller black frame which indicate the student's class number, (b) a number signifying the card level found at the lower right-hand corner of the card, and (c) a four-digit number which indicates the student's birthdate. (Evangeline's four-digit number is 9999, since her definite birthdate is unknown.) To add to the uselessness of the card, it lists the Ministra's likes and dislikes, rather the planet and color connected to her as indicated in the Armor and Cosplay cards, and while her equivalent direction is shown, it is indicated by a badly-drawn arrow instead of a compass rose used in the other two cards.
• In essence, Cosplay cards are almost the same as the Temporary Pactio cards in the manga. They are almost entirely written in Latin ("Charta Figura" is the Latin name of the Cosplay card, although the words "Charta Ministralis", the name seen in the manga pactio cards, can barely be seen) but also includes the name of the Ministra in kanji and kana. It only differs from the Temporary Pactio cards in having a gray (rather than beige) stylized background and the magic circle seems to be a place podium for the Ministra. Below the student's name is a Latin expression, one that emphasizes the character. Also, a rune letter is seen at the top right-hand corner of the card with the name of a figure from Norse mythology related to the student below the rune. The seat number of the student is written in Roman numerals and found at opposite corners of the small black frame in the card. The card level number is written in Hindu-Arabic and is found at the lower right-hand corner of the card.
• Armor cards are entirely written in English with the name of the student in Western order. They also have an outer space background, thus giving them a modern look. Each card bears the name of the card itself ("Equip") and the regular occupation of the Ministra ("Rank"). The only number written in each card is the card level, found in "Symparate" circle, which is the lower right circle in the card. There are three other circles in the card, labelled "Guardian", "Direction", and "Astral", bearing the Ministra's various information. Like the plaid patterns on the Suka cards, the color of the lines and the magic circle in each Armor card varies from student to student, but this at the very least is not immediately noticeable. Each Armor card also has two strange features: the given name of the student and her Japanese voice actress's name written in Wabun Code (Japanese Morse code) at the bottom edge of the card and a bar code at the left edge of the card, bearing the student's date of birth and her student number. 

Pactio usage

The mage invokes the Pactio when needed from his Ministra. During invokation, the mage draws one of the 3 Pactio cards from the Ministra. The card is randomly drawn, but usually he has two out of three chances of drawing something that assists him in battle.

The process for activating the pactio is as follows:

1. Negi must invoke the pactio with an incantation.
2. The partner or partners in question must be within close proximity with him. In the case of one partner, she begins to levitate before him while a globe appears, normally around the abdominal area, (in Chao's case, the globe encircles her in the form of a nikuman).
3. Negi reaches within the globe, and pulls out the contract card. This is purely a random selection, in which a Suka, Cosplay or Armor card is selected.
4. Once selected, the partner undergoes an intricate transformation sequence and take on the appearance and powers of the image shown on the card. Usually in the anime, the image shown on a pactio card appears after the partner had transformed.

Note that it is within the realm of possibility that a mistake in the process can cause Negi to select the Suka card, such as in the case of Ku Fei, when she accidentally kicked his hand.

When summoning multiple pactios, the mage can simultaneously invoke a summon in one incantation. Likewise, cards are also drawn simultaneously, with one orb representing all invoked. However, the probability for drawing the one of three cards for each pactio summon is independent of each other. Thus, a combination of card types is possible. This is shown in the tenth episode where out of seven characters, Negi draws three Cosplay cards and four Suka cards.

By the time Negi has pactios with his entire class, he uses the class register in order to determine which student has the best abilities for certain tasks. In addition, he can use telepathy to transmit a message. In the case of Sayo, she was chosen to 'possess' a column in order to retrieve an object which was embedded inside it.

While the Neo-Pactio drawn is always luck of the draw, it only lasts as long as the Ministra has energy (usually seen as food in their stomach) to power their ability. As a result, the duration of each card, (Armor, Cosplay and Suka), varies from person to person. Predicatably, the Magistra is usually very hungry afterwards. Likewise, a meal is shown to be sufficient enough to restore that energy. Furthermore, in some cases, extreme emotional duress can cause the Ministra to use up her energy quickly. In the case of Nodoka, she immediately reverted back to her normal form when she became nervous at not being able to find the answer, despite using her Armor Card.