Universal Magic (Arcana)

In the Will Story multiverse, universal magic—known locally on Myrah as arcana—is the ethereal energy that permeates all matter and can be wielded to affect the visible world. It is not created or destroyed, only moved, shaped, and recycled. Arcana exists in every dimension and planet, but its concentration, purity, and flow differ wildly from world to world.

Nature and Flow: The Arcana Cycle of the Multiverse

Arcana behaves exactly like water in a planetary water cycle. Inside any single dimension or planet it circulates continuously:

rising as raw potential from the world’s core and living things,

condensing into usable currents around living beings and ley-lines,

falling through spells and artifacts,

then evaporating back into the ambient reservoir.

Between worlds, the cycle extends across The Void—the dark, airless interdimensional space that separates all realities. Excess arcana that is not needed locally drifts into The Void; depleted worlds slowly draw it back. This inter-dimensional exchange normally happens at a glacial, passive rate.

Magi-support is the active mechanism that accelerates and directs this cross-world flow. Trained magi act as living conduits (or “pipes”) that can deliberately channel arcana from one reality to another. Most magi only ever support return flow—pushing used arcana (or matter converted into energy) back into the universal reservoir so it can drift through The Void to wherever it is needed. This is the “healthy” direction and carries little personal cost.

Replenishment and Overuse

Like any reservoir, arcana must replenish at least as fast as it is withdrawn. On healthy worlds such as Ged, the natural planetary cycle plus gentle magi-support keeps the system in balance; arcana feels vibrant, almost humming with life. On Myrah, however, centuries of rigid aristocratic control, constant elite spell-casting, and the planetary magical barrier have caused massive net withdrawal. Natural replenishment and passive return from The Void can no longer keep up. The arcana on Myrah has become polluted, stagnant, and “burned out”.

Pulling from The Void: The Costly Lifeline

When a world’s arcana deficit grows critical, specially trained Void-touched magi (an elite, secret cadre on Myrah) can reverse the normal flow. Using their own bodies as temporary bridges, they slowly draw extra arcana directly from The Void and push it into Myrah’s depleted reservoir.

This act is physically agonizing and cumulatively destructive:

The mage’s body becomes the pipe through which raw interdimensional energy passes; tissues break down, organs strain, and genetic damage accumulates.

Lifelong practitioners suffer the sterility and defects already noted in the aristocracy.

A single large “Void-pull” can cause immediate unconsciousness, sensory loss, or death.

Yet without these magi the entire magical infrastructure of Myrah would collapse. Their sacrifice is the hidden reason the aristocracy still functions at all—and one of the deepest secrets Will will eventually uncover.

Conduits, Spells, and Degradation

Anyone with the right (still unknown) birth conditions can become a conduit. Items—natural crystals, man-made staves, or imbued artifacts—provide safer channels. Short phrases (spells) do not create the effect; they simply help the user’s body resonate with the correct energy.

Most casters combine personal power + imbued item + verbal chant to improve results and spread the harmful side-effects. Every time arcana passes through a living body or physical object it degrades slightly, leaving behind “residue” that further pollutes the local cycle. This is why lifelong users on Myrah age poorly and why even Ged’s wild magic carries risk if overused.

Known Worlds at a Glance

Myrah (The Grey World) — critically depleted; relies on costly Void-pulls. Arcana feels heavy, polluted, and sluggish.

Ged — abundant and untamed; constant vibrations refresh users but risk overload. Arcana is “gravelly” from eons of circulation.

Earth — sparse and logical; arcana is thin and rarely accessed.

Other unnamed worlds vary between these extremes.

The ultimate balance of the multiverse depends on magi choosing support over extraction. Will’s journey will force him to confront what happens when an entire civilization forgets that truth.