Magic

One day, without warning, strange things begin to happen around you — things no physical law can explain. This is the result of a power that can "intervene" in uncertain matters such as fate and possibility, expressed consciously or unconsciously. That is the true nature of what this world calls "magic."

It manifests mainly in one's teens. Society treats it as "a highly unusual illness with onset in adolescence." Because such immense power can endanger both the child and everyone around them, children who develop it are gathered at the Academy and guided onto the right path before they can cause chaos — that is how this society works.

A wizard's power does not depend on any quantifiable resource like the "mana" of common storybooks. What determines the strength of magic is the caster's state of mind. A spell cast in confusion, with scattered thoughts, fails to take its intended effect; conversely, as long as the mind keeps turning with clarity, magic can be used again and again without limit.

Magic is not omnipotent, however. It cannot produce events that break the laws of physics, such as creating something from true nothingness. It is, in the end, a power that draws possible outcomes toward you.

Wizards are a minority in society, but they are not hidden. They are active in three broad fields: "Might," protecting people from threats; "Wisdom and Order," connecting magic with society; and "Art and Technology," giving magic's blessings tangible form.

And every wizard is bound by the "Three Principles of Magic":

• 1. Magic must serve the good of humankind.
• 2. Magic must carry no effects unintended by its user.
• 3. Unless it would violate the First or Second Principle, any newly developed magic must have its workings published openly, never kept secret.