The main purpose of this arc is to depict a woman wrestling with her station as a woman, chafing at the leadership of men, and ultimately finding peace and fulfillment through embracing her natural role as a woman.
The original motivation for Nivana turning to magic was in desperation to support her bed-ridden sister.
At one point I discarded that idea but now it is viable again and is more attractive than before.
This arc has the following stages: