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 or 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 of their own choosing. 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,with the most famous of them having the chance to be featured in the Sorcerer Magazine.
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. Many of the Dark Mages introduced so far are typically dismissive of 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 Magic to carry out their shady plans some of them have even attempted to resurrect the legendary Zeref, who was believed to be dead 400 years ago
Independent Mages
are Mages that don't belong to either Legal Guilds or Dark Guilds, instead being part of the so-called Independent Guilds, Guilds which aren't acknowledged by the Magic Council nor are opposed by it, likely due to the Council itself being unaware of their existence.