Mage

Mages (魔導士 Madōshi), also known as Wizards, are those who wield Magic of any kind.

Overview
Mages are wielders of Magic, using their Magic Power to cast spells and employ Magical objects. They comprise only 10% of the living population of Earth Land, with the remaining 90 % being either incapable of unwilling to use Magic. They are known for usually being affiliated to a Guild, where they can take on Jobs as a source of personal income and adventure; according to Lucy Heartfilia, Mages can't be considered full-fledged until they join a Guild. There are three main types of Mages in the world of Fairy Tail: Legal Mages, Dark Mages and Independent Mages.

Types of Mages
Legal Mages are those who are a part of official Guilds, take on legal Jobs and usually heed the words of the Magic Council. These are the Mages people tend to look up to.

Dark Mages are Mages who are members of Earth Land's illegal Dark Guilds, Guilds which are not acknowledged as such by the Magic Council, having either lost their rights due to crimes, or having never been affiliated with the Council in the first place. After being deprived of the Council's approval, Guilds are ordered to disband, and, if they do not abide to such order and keep functioning, are then categorized as Dark Guilds, becoming known to all intents and purposes as criminal organizations. In collective imagination, Dark Mages usually have evil intentions, think little of others, putting their own desires first, and can be very cruel, if not downright insane. These Mages are said to take illegal Jobs and are reputed as the main opposition and threat to official Guilds and to the Magic Council itself. They are typically dismissive of the legal guilds, viewing their law-abiding ways as restrictive of their full potential. Frequently, dark Mages seek out methods of reviving evil creatures and acquiring destructive Magics. Some have even attempted to resurrect Zeref, who was believed to be dead.

Independent Mages are Mages that don't belong to either Legal Guilds or Dark Guilds.

Magic
Magic (魔法,Mahō) is the main form of combat for Mages, and is bought and sold all throughout the world. All kinds of Magic are used in Earth Land and formerly in Edolas, and they can be used for offense, defense, supporting, and healing. Using a Magic drains Magic Power whether from the Mage or from an external source, with the exception of Edolas Weapons since they used to use Lacrima to power them. Their are two main types of Magic: Caster Type Magic and Holder Type Magic. Within these two there are many sub categories.

Magic Power
Magic Power is the source of Power for all Mages, it is composed of Eternano. Every Mage has a container inside their body that determines the limits of their Magic Power. In the case that it becomes empty, Eternano comes from the atmosphere and enters the Mages body and after a while, their Magic Power is returned to normal. However, recent studies has identified another part of the Mages' Magic container that isn't used normally and contains their dormant power called Second Origin. If the power within this second container is reached, then the Mage in question, will receive an enormous boost in Magic Power.

Guild Master
Guild Master is a term used to refer to a Mage who is the head of the guild that he or she is affiliated with. As the heads of their own respective guilds, they virtually have complete authority over their subordinates, and can thus dictate their actions.

Guild Ace
A Guild Ace is simply the most powerful Mage in a Guild, not including the Master. While many guilds have Guild Aces, the position does not hold true for every guild. These Mages are often S-Class and are the most renowned in their respective guild.

S-Class Mage
Only officially recognized S-Class Mages are able to undertake difficult S-Class Jobs; lower ranked Mages may only accept an S-Class mission if an officially recognized S-Class Mage is also participating alongside them. These missions are said to be so dangerous that even the smallest mistake can lead to the Mage's death. However in return, the pay is very good, easily going into millions of Jewels.

In the Fairy Tail Guild, one must go through a trial and compete to obtain the rank of S-Class. The competition is often fierce and difficult, and doing so opens up more difficult and higher paying missions for the Mage. More than strength is important in being selected as an S-Class candidate; heart and brains matter as well.

The S-Class rank from one guild does not necessarily transfer over when a Mage joins a new guild, so S-Class Mages who have been in multiple guilds may be S-Class in their former guild but not their current guild. However, Mages who have achieved the rank before joining their current guild are considered prime candidates to obtain the rank in their new guild. The overall power of S-Class Mages varies between guilds.