Magic is Transformative
Magic was initially thought to be both creative and destructive. But it's not really. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, according to both ancient treatise and modern theories. But energy can be changed and shifted into other forms. The practice of magic uses the elemental energy of the world and transforms it from its resting form into an active form as the spell is created.
The five energies are generated by the presence and activity of their mundane elements. The energy is both created and absorbed by all living things and the world itself at a constant rate. Typically a creature absorbs no more magical energy than their body can naturally absorb and process, but there exist exceptions. These creatures are usually driven by the creative or destructive impulses of the magical energy they've absorbed, and are invariably called "monsters."
The exception for sapient species are spellslingers. Mages of all cultures have access to the energies of the world and can choose two means of casting a spell - harnessing their life-force or the environmental energy of the world. The specifics are detailed in A word on Magic and its Mechanics., a lesson given on the nature of how Magic works.
Mages have used the process of harnessing their own strength to alter a portion of their world by repeatedly casting spells of a certain elemental nature in order to cause an environmental change.
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