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Coming of age is the stage at which a Galdori (or wick) child becomes capable of Casting spells. This is a physical change that the brain goes through around the onset of puberty.

Magic is not permitted in children under 10. This is for many reasons, not the least of which is safety - a child who has not come of age magically is liable to hurt themselves by even attempting a spell. The mona do not typically respond well to children. Beyond that, the age is not arbitrary; the brain has simply not begun to develop proper ley pathways, and lacks the capacity to interpret or influence monic will.

Magical Initiation

Once a child has turned 10, they are allowed to take their initiation test at the magical university of their Kingdom, such as Brunnhold. This is not an aptitude test whereby children are judged on their performance; rather, they are "measured" for magical potential and assigned a percentile into which they belong by virtue of their magical potential.

Those who pass the test with a score of 1 (10%) or more become students. A lower score is almost always interpreted as evidence of human ancestry, and most of the time this is an accurate guess. Pure-blooded galdori almost never register below 2 or 3.

Passives

Although the perception during childhood is that this test is vital for success at school, the results are not at all relevant beyond the initial testing phase, and are only recorded for posterity. The primary purpose of this machine is to weed out passives. Passives do not have evidence of ley pathways and do not register on the testing devices, and are therefore not permitted to attend the University (and are, more often than not, gated as a result).

This time period can be nerve-wracking for a child, and many galdori parents take up the practice of testing their child personally before their initiation, often with disastrous results. There are a number of false negatives associated with "home testing" before a child has reached the age of ten, but concerned parents are sometimes unable to stop themselves from feeling anxious. More often than not, however, passivity is a complete surprise to the parents; it is rare enough that few people ever expect that having a passive child could "happen to them".

Fields

After a child has spoken his first spell, they begin to develop a field, and magic becomes much easier and safer. This was traditionally a rite of passage for young students; the first casting session used to be considered sacred and profound. In modern times there is less pomp and circumstance about it, but it is a defining moment in many young peoples' lives, especially those that go on to careers in academia.

You can find further information on fields here.

Wicks

Wicks come of age in tribal ceremonies during the onset of puberty. This can occur at younger or older ages for wicks, as their magical genes often include plenty of variables that are not present (or common) among galdori; the exact age for the wick coming of age ceremony is not set in stone. The traditional first spell is a basic push/pull spell, but some like to let the children choose their own simple spell to try out.

Many wick children choose to come of age in different ways; magic is not always a factor. The ritual might involve a feat of strength or a trick performed by the child. It is no less valid in wick society to be a non-casting wick.