Magic

Some wise person once said that magic is what you make of it, and although I've long forgotten who it was who said it, their words still hit home every time I wonder if I'm doing it "right," whatever that means.

Magic is the thread that binds the multiverse together and allows it to work. While its properties and intricacies are of extra-dimensional origin, it is hardly unnatural at this point; all of the multiverse's wonders now exist because of magic or magical creatures. It is incredibly unlikely to disappear now, and if it did, much of the wonder and beauty of the multiverse would fall into ruin and become impoverished.

Origins and Dispersal

Magical energy arrives in the multiverse through rifts or Portals from other dimensions. Due to the alien properties of these dimensions, their energy interacts oddly with matter in our plane, causing it to display unnatural physical characteristics. After the opening of the First Rift, magical energy dispersed through the vacuum of space. Demons from these rifts found their way to nearby inhabited worlds. Eventually, this energy led to the first instances of the Change and other magical effects.
It is believed, if only theorized, that Renath was the first world to be affected by this energy from the First Rift. It was followed by Orkanis, Dreandril, Endaman and then, within the last couple hundred years, Earth. On these worlds, magic-users - commonly called mages - are now commonly found and through the semi-dimension of Limbo can compare notes and share resources.

Manifestation

Energy from magical sources is visible to everyone on Level 3 worlds - that is, all of them except for Earth. Whether harnessed through internal or external storage sources, a mage casts spells through the manipulation of magical energy. This permits them to commit great feats, breaking the natural laws of physics of a given world. For example, all things are drawn to objects of mass through the force of gravity; a mage could use magical energy to cause the constant force of gravity to weaken, making objects fall very slowly, not at all, or even rise through the air.
Any magical spell only requires a source of magical energy to draw from. Contrary to popular belief, hand movements, spoken words and material expenditures only make arcane casting more efficient or more permanent. 
Mages casting spells will often have a vague sense of how much magical energy they have left stored, whether that is the amount stored internally or in a storage device. For some, this manifests as a dwindling connection to whatever being gave them their magical energy as it is used up; others feel an increasingly-insistent tug or weakened feeling. Like many muscles, internal magic storage increases in strength the more the mage uses it.

Technology and Magical Items

Enchanters, alchemists and other makers of magical items can infuse magic into an object, therefore creating permanent and lasting arcane effects. The most common way to do this is through the science of alchemy, whereby the mage infuses drinkable concoctions with magical effects that take effect as the drinker's metabolism absorbs the magic. Of course, nearly any item can be infused given enough time and resources, whether it be a statue or a weapon or a book or clothing. The only difference between this and more "hermetic" forms of magic is that Rituals are usually needed to instill permanence in the item in question.

Your magic is a gift, either by a creature of this dimension or another, or through the random flukes of a chaotic multiverse. It would be unseemly of me to force you to use it for one aim or another, so I will leave you with this thought: no matter what you do with your gift, it will contribute to the beautiful tapestry of the Multiverse and the increasing complexity of our reality.

Type

Metaphysical, Supernatural

Related Concepts

The Change
Levelling
Magical Forms
Demon

Classification and Study

May believe it is possible to subdivide magical energy down to its simplest components in order to study it. Due to a lack of truly scientific theorizing on the matter for hundreds if not thousands of years, many schools of thought have developed on the subject. The most scientifically accurate model is Form Theory, which divides all magic energy into eleven basic elements which can exist on their own or combine with others to make magical effects. Other beliefs focus on the separation of different magical origins - that is, the dimension of the energy's origin - or by other elemental classifications that do not directly correspond to Form Theory's eleven basic building blocks.

To speak magic into existence, one only needs the mental fortitude and requisite mana stores to make the effect happen. The rest is frankly dramatics to a seasoned mage.

— a textbook at the Circum Academy

Areas of Increased Skill

Mages usually finish the Change with one or two areas of special skill that correspond to the eleven Forms. These areas of increased natural talent are known as Affinities and are covered in their own article.

Responsible Use

Magical organizations such as the Seven stress "responsible use" of magic; that is, casting of spells for the betterment and protection of people from demonic and natural evils. Of course, not all agree and there are also those who use their abilities for personal gain and the search for power and dominion over others. Ultimately, there is no such as thing as inherently "good" or "bad" magic; it is up to the individual mage themself to properly regulate their abilities.