Magicka

In addition to all the normal forms of energy that makes up the universe, from chemical to light to heat and everything in between, what makes the setting unique as opposed to the traditional wasteland or cyberpunk environment is the existence of Magicka. Magicka is not a mystical, poorly understood aspect of reality like it was in the early days after the Aeternus, in the modern era is it defined, understood, commanded, and dominated by Metahumanity as another part of nature subjugated to their will.

Magicka is a type of energy that makes up the Astral Plane, though it is a common misconception that it comes from the Astral Plane, which is incorrect. Magicka doesn't come from anywhere specific, and with the exception of Reality Zero, is was, is, and always has been a part of the universe. What makes Magicka unique is mainly that it's exact origin, that is to say how and why it exists and why there is so much of it, is not extensively known, there there are quite a few prevailing theories. Even despite this, the tools, equations, and processes used to control it are very much know. On top of that, of course, is the primary thing that distinguishes it, the fact that unlike ANY other form of energy, Magicka can be transferred not just into other forms of energy, but into matter.

Mana and the Astral Plane
Mana is something that exists on the Astral Plane. Mana is not a unique form of energy, but rather imprints of powerful memories, emotions, concepts, objects, and other similar things. The Astral Plane is not it's own place, but rather more a specific way of perceiving the world, somewhat like The Matrix, but rather than allowing you to view the interconnected electronics of an area instead allows you to see all the memories, feelings, thoughts, and concepts attached to a specific object.

Actually viewing this is done through a process called Astral Projection, a skill that can be developed and used by anyone, even non-mages, though it does take a fairly extensive amount of work and practice to be able to do it consistently. Even then, Astral Projection alone doesn't mean very much if you don't have the arcane knowledge necessary to understand the various hues and emotive energy that radiates from objects and actually understand what it means.

Theories on Origination

 * Collective Will Theory - The belief that Magicka is created through some kind of psychological process, and exists out of a collective belief that it exists and a desire to use it. The main evidence for this theory is the existence of the Astral Plane, a poorly understood ocean of memories, emotions, and thoughts that is created from the existence of Magicka.
 * Apathetic Harvester Theory - The belief that the Creators, in whatever way they exist, grow Trees of Life specifically because they house Magicka, which the Creators then harvest, either as an energy source or as a food source (possibly both given our limited understanding of what Creators really are). This ties into the much broader Harvester Hypothesis.
 * Missing Benefactor Theory - The belief that Magicka was divinely created as an energy source by Pangloss, or possibly by another long-forgotten entity of similar power level. This deity is so old that if they do exist, the current major gods of the Pantheonic Accord are not aware of it. This theory is generally considered the weakest, with very poor evidence backing it up, as well as raising a philosophical issue called the Benefactor Bias.

Usage by Metahumanity (aka Mages)
Magicka can be bent and used by Metahumans, though the people who show talent for this ability seem to vary drastically, with almost zero consistency in how it works. Paranatural Abilities are generally believed to be magically sourced, but specifically bending it to your every whim (i.e. Spellcasting) seems to be a rare phenomenon. Generally, Mages are broken into a few types.


 * Hermetics are people who learn Magicka through study, research, and memorization of complex equations. While theoretically this should be something anyone can do, this is not true in practice, and there are many, MANY metahumans, most notably Elves, who spend hundreds of years meticulously pouring over spellcasting notes and never actually develop any Spellcasting. Why some people figure it out is completely unknown, many Hermetics will often explain to you that it almost feels like a sudden "click" moment where everything makes sense and your spells start working.
 * Awakened are people who are born with or spontaneously develop Magicka, which can happen for a wide variety of reasons, most notably arcane related accidents, high levels of local Magicka, or strange circumstances surrounding ones birth. Standard metatypes like Humans, Elves, and Dwarves are almost NEVER Awakened mages, instead it is most common in Aversions, Fairies, and very strangely, Vampirics.
 * Shamans and Warpriests are often seen as different, mainly due to how starkly contrasting their methods of spellcasting are, but the actual origin of their Magicka is nearly identical. Both Shamans and Warpriests are granted powers as representatives of very powerful creatures, with Shamans usually representing an Elemental or magically inclined Cryptid, and Warpriests representing a more traditional deity. The ability to "gift" Magicka to another creature seems to be either specific to these types of beings, or something that requires so much power than metahumans have just not achieved it yet.
 * Rainsingers are...strange, and also one of the major pieces of evidence for the Collective Will Theory. Rainsingers have been extensively studied by arcane researchers because they violate a lot of what is known about Magicka, and moreover, they only began appearing around the 1300s, long after Magicka became a thing. Rainsingers are celebrities in a wide range of ways, anyone from famous painters to singers to just well known Matrix users, who seem to gain Magicka from achieving admiration from large amounts of people. Rainsingers are INCREDIBLY rare, not consistent, and poorly understood, which often means they can be victims of overlegislation.
 * Occultists and Controllers are both extremely rare, meeting one is considered an insane level of luck. Like Rainsingers, they are poorly understood, because whereas most mages channel their Magicka from themselves and through Mana-heavy objects, both Occultists and Controllers seem to do the opposite. Occultists don't craft spells, but rather "absorb" the attached Mana of specific objects and use it to create wildly unpredictable effects, while Controllers seem to channel and manipulate the inherent Mana of certain Cryptids and bind their spirits to them. These spirits are known as "Eidolon" and act similar to Familiars, though are exponentially more of a safety hazard.

Magi, another type of Mage, is not a classification of magical origin but rather distinguished due to the unique way they use their Magicka as a way of enhancing their martial combat prowess, and can originate from any of the above.

Usage by Other Creatures
Research has proved any sapient species (and oddly some non-sapient ones) can develop Magicka and learn how to cast spells. This makes certain Cryptids such as Wendigos incredibly dangerous, and NOT to be fucked with.