Magic in the Monochrome Bleed Universe all comes from M-Particles, which is the official name for the vast miscellany of anomalous particles that are current flooding the earth from out of the Monochrome.

The level of planetary M-Particle Saturation rising with each passing year, which in turn means that more grounding towers are needed to keep reality stabilized.

Magic as it is known to the people of Earth is a mish-mash of formal and informal systems. All of them quietly falling into place throughout history.

The first system may have been responsible for the birth of the planet with the all secondary systems being created afterwards. Other systems were put in resident gods, visiting celestial entities, earlier civilizations.

All these formal systems are blurred and intermixed, with a continual evolution of these systems being created by the informal super-system that is the collective unconscious, a multi-versal expression of the will of sentients mortal and immortal.

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Magic comes in a variety of elements and types. The elements deciding what portions may be manipulated while the types decide the behavior or form of that manipulated. With the combination of the two resulting various anomalous phenomena.

Elements

Fire

Water

Air

Earth

Metal

Life

Death

Space

Time

Nothingness

Types

Creation

Destruction

Amplification

Control

Naturally the vague and miscellaneous nature of most anomalous phenomena means that this more a guide than any firm rule on what is or isn’t possible in the world of magic.

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The Terms for a User of Anomalous Abilities, or caster varies, generally changing with the origins and sources of their power.

Most are called Wizards or Witches, but Mage or Esper has also been used in certain areas.

Ability Holders belonging to a particular faith or creed may be termed as Clerics, Priests or Saints if such is the source of their power.

The Universally agreed upon terms for Ability Users is Practitioner or Caster.

While power levels of different ability users varies according to the ability, the particular M-Particle in use and their specific bloodline, there is a system for roughly charting power levels according to M-Particle Concentration.

Magi Power Chart

Terrace

Road

Circle

Spiral

Palace

Kingdom

Sphere

Each Stage or Realm of Anomalous Ability Use comes with a different nature of being and was decided upon according to what abilities that nature confers onto its user.

Each stage is made of 9 ranks or levels, which each confer, a one-fold increase of average M-Particle Concentration.

Resulting in a chart that looks more like:

Magi Power Chart

Terrace Magi

1st Terrace

2nd Terrace

3rd Terrace

4th Terrace

5th Terrace

6th Terrace

7th Terrace

8th Terrace

9th Terrace

Road Magi

1st Road

2nd Road

3rd Road

Etc

Significance of the stages is as follows:

Terrace: Basic ability to perceive and directly interact with anomalous particles. Basic Development of Anomalous Senses.

Road: Basic ability to manipulate anomalous particles. Minor exhibition of anomalous traits. Basic ability to spellcast and make use of formal systems.

Circle: Intermediate manipulation of anomalous particles. Moderate exhibition of anomalous traits. Moderate spellcasting ability and use of formal systems. Basic Development of Origin Spell.

Spiral: High Manipulation of anomalous particles. High exhibition of anomalous traits. High spellcasting ability and use of formal systems. Moderate Development of Origin Spell.

Palace: Basic Anomalous particle synchronicity. Basic Reality Manipulation. Extreme Exhibition of Anomalous traits. Full Development of Origin Spell. Basic Development of Origin Domain.

Kingdom: Moderate Anomalous Particle synchronicity. Moderate Reality Manipulation. Moderate Development of Origin Domain.

Sphere: Extreme Anomalous Particle Synchronicity. High Reality Manipulation. Full Development of Origin Domain.

*Particle Synchronicity: A state of being where particle control is down to the level of being instinctual, requiring little to no conscious effort on the part of the user. Known to certain religious and philosophical groups as the state of “oneness with the universe.”

*Origin Spell: Users above the Road Stage, will generally tend to exhibit a single main unique ability or ability groupings, that is separate from any spells or spell systems. These are terms as origin spells as they are unique to the user birthed the interaction the anomalous particles and the user's own psyche or “soul”.

*Origin Domain: An evolution of the origin spell, where the user’s psyche implements a specific effect on reality, within a certain range of the user. Can be thought of as the reality bender version of the origin spell.

Though much research on what is and isn’t possible with magic has been done, there is still much that isn’t known on the various anomalous particles and systems.

And while the inability of users beneath the circle level to directly fight those stronger than them by a stage or more, is known, beyond the circle level, other elements come into play that makes caution in dealing with seemingly weaker opponents highly recommended

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Magic and Cost

While it has not seemed to be the case for artifacts(living or otherwise), and non-sentient anomalous creatures, the general case has been that all magic use comes at a price.

The primary price of magic is a biological one. All use of anomalous energy comes with a burn of mundane calories, that varies from person to person and bloodline to bloodline.

The secondary price seems to be largely metaphysical in nature. Holding some anomalous symbolic connection to the scenarios under which a caster awakened.

The secondary price of magic use must be paid if a caster wishes to efficiently recoup spent M-Particles and progress as a Practitioner.

Secondary Prices are also known as “Devil’s Dues” and are often considered the “primary” cost of magic use.

Though broad in range they do all adhere to fairly consistent thematic standard, falling somewhere along a seven directional grid governed by the seven deadly sins.

Seven Deadly Sins

Lust

Gluttony

Greed

Sloth

Wrath

Envy

Pride

With example prices being along the lines of: Some measure of Sexual Activity for Lust Users, Consumption of Food for Gluttony Uses, Sleep or lack of activity for Sloth Users, Accumulation of Wealth for Greed Users….etc...

These costs can vary either being broad or specific: e.g. becoming a requirement of specific sexual act with specific sorts of parties for lust users.

They can also sit in between two of the sins on the seven directional axis: e.g. Consumption of Blood or flesh for Wrath and Greed Users.

The third and final price that seems to specifically affect human casters and a few other of the humanoid races is the creation and mitigation of a caster’s demon, or Anathema

According to certain faiths, Anathema are said to be a sort of living ordeal. Religions that focus on duality have theorized that creation of caster demons is a result of some universal principle of balance.

The simplest explanation of what an Anathema is, is that an Anathema is an anomalous life form that is created at the moment of new caster’s awakening.

There are such things as inherited demons but information on those is largely classified according the 1989 agreement of the UN Council of Magi’s Global Representatives.

All that can be said on the subject here is that inherited Demon behavior generally very different from ordinary Anathema Behavior.

For most case’s your average Anathema spends most of its life cycle dwelling in the Monochrome. While a majority of Anathemas are hostile to human life, there are few instances where Anathemas have ignored other sentients entirely.

All Anathemas are born hostile to their creators and they spend the majority of their life cycle trying to hunt down and kill said creators.

Their activity level and capabilities are dependant on their creator’s levels as casters. Low level casters need only be cautious while in the Monochrome and even then the threat represented by their Anathema will be minor.

High level caster’s may find themselves stalked in any areas where the boundaries between the monochrome and mundane reality are thin.

At the beginning of the Circle Magi Level and beyond, any run-in with one’s Anathema has a high likelihood of being fatal.

To progress past the Circle Magi Levels into the Spiral Levels, one must mitigate the threat represented by one’s demon or risk being consumed by the demon at the moment of the breakthrough. (Dark Transcendence/ Dark tribulation)

Demon Mitigation can only be done by the caster themselves, as any attempts to aid another caster with their demons invariably leads to Monochrome breakdown events. Instances in which the flow of reality has become so disturbed that interfering elements that tried to get between a caster and their demon were all either badly injured or killed.

Mitigation of one’s Demon can come in one of three Forms:

Demon’s Deal : Some kind of compromise that usually involves taking on an additional price to appease the Anathema. Demon’s Destruction: Somehow managing to slay one’s demon. Demon’s Embrace: Either managing to fuse with, or tame one’s demon.

Again entry into the Spiral Stage and Above can only safely commence after one’s demon can is mitigated, as the demon’s strength will always be equal to that of its creator.