In the last few decades there has been an upswing in the number of magical people being born. No one's quite sure why; there's a belief that magic might be cyclical, and we're approaching a peak. Whatever the reason, society is still unsure what to do with all these magic users; but for the most part it's managing.
Note: The number of magic users is less than 1% of the population.
Dark Magic - "Forcing nature to your will." - Manipulating 'Shadows', drawing on literal dark magic that is everywhere. Can heal, but must cause extreme pain/hurt/anger to draw it out. Can cause lasting injuries. Also anything necromancy (this includes resurrection). Teleportation (because they are basically bending the laws of spacetime in order to perform it). Summoning/communing with Demons or other dark entities.
Light Magic - "Embracing and supporting nature." - Healing. Must draw from their own life force to do it, heal slowly after it's done. Can be fatal to the healer if they overdo it. Also maybe clairvoyance, but we need justification for just why it is under the 'light' tent. Maybe being in tune with nature? Can grow things, too. Druid-y things. Super-high level can create life (ie. manifest a seed and then cause it to grow, rather than just making an existing seed sprout).
Neutral Magic - "Everything else." The super-category that all other magic fall under, technically, but is its own category because it contains many abilities that do not fall under any other tent. Telekinesis (including flying), telepathy, illusion, inanimate conjuration.
Elemental Magic - In older times, referred to as 'Wild Magic.' Any magic set that revolves around any 'primal' force found in nature:
Technomancy - Not considered a separate school of magic by many, but is gaining ground in recent years. The imbuement of technological devices with magics to differing effects, using any of the above stated magics that have so far been found to be compatible (ex: water magic has not yet been found to be compatible with most technology, as it tends to short out electronics.)
There are creatures that are either naturally attuned to one or more types of magic, or those that are simply magical in nature. (The difference being slightly academic; creatures who are simply attuned tend to be weaker than ones whose very existence is magical in nature.)
Examples of these are: Nephilim (Angels/Demons), Devils, Fae, Vampires, Skin-walkers, etc.
It is not illegal to be a 'dark magic user'. It is illegal to use magic (of any kind) in ways that violate the law. Magic users are rated, and registered; it is illegal to attempt to hide your abilities, or fail to register. You must also identify yourself as a magic user to airline personnel, and police officers.
Some magic users (like the members of the Enclave) are considered 'deadly weapons' and are forbidden from getting involved in non-magical crime, unless requested by law enforcement officials. The only exception is that they are allowed to interfere to prevent loss of life (stopping a murder, but not a rape).
If a magic user commits a crime (even if it didn't involve magic) they are punished significantly more harshly than if they were a 'mundane'.
Magical devices, items, etc must also be registered. Items of a certain level are not allowed in public places, or airplanes. Items of an even higher level are illegal to own.
(There is a loophole to some of this; some magical items are known to bind to people, and not be separable. When an item is determined to be such, the person it is bound to is given the rating of the item, and a special permit to own the item as long as it is bound. If the item is too dangerous to go on an airplane with, the person is barred from flying.)
People are rated on a logarithmic scale, beginning with a P and ending in either an A, if they are an active magic user, a L if they are a latent, or an S if they're a 'special'. (See below.) The numeric part of the rating is an integer, representing the upper limit of their potential.
Ex: P5A, P7L, P1S
Latent magic users are hard to detect; normal tests don't show them s having potential. Some advanced spells and forms of scrying allow the potential to be detected, but doubts of these methods are still prevalent. Normal humans are considered P0L, as they have no detectible magic rating, but could be latent.
Note: This had lead to normal humans being called 'pols'. Often, it's uses as a deragotory term.
Some people are born imbued with certain magical spells seemingly a part of them; they may permanently have super speed, or regeneration, etc. It works as if a spell has been cast on them; only it's permanent. These people are often found to, slightly, drain the local residual magical energy around them; the theory is that if the magical energy were depleted entirely, they would lose their abilities.
Some specials have the ability to use magical items, or spells created by others. While rare, it measn that special are designated with a S as opposed to an L. They can even have a mastery level (See below.)
These specials are barely recognized currently, and the laws pertaining to them are iffy at best. Some claim they're just a special form of magic user; while tests clearly show them unable to use magic items, or register as magical themselves. There's a lot of fear of these people, but they are incredibly rare. (Though, it's believed they're a recent phenomena, as there's little evidence they ever existed before. Still some people point the the biblical stories of Nephilim, and say there's the proof.)
Generally, there is a second rating for the highest level spell they've ever been able to master, called their 'Mastery' level. These ratings start with an M and are followed by a number that is considered equivalent to the same number in their magic rating. So, for example, if someone has a master lever of M3, they should be expected to only perform magic at that level, even if they're a P16.
Ex: P5A-M3, P7L-M0, P12S-M1
It is accepted (and recognized by law) that simply having a high magical potential is not considered sufficient cause. Instead, it is possible to perform a straightforward test to determine what their mastery level is, but it is also possible for sufficiently well trained individuals to fake their results. Still, mastery level is often considered permissible evidence in a courtroom, though it certainly isn't definitive.
Objects and Spells also have Mastery levels. These ratings start with an M. The scale is also logarithmic, and generally, it takes a magic user of at least that rating to cast (or create) something with a given rating.
Ex: M3, M5, M19
It should be noted that anything over an M7 is not allowed on airplanes, and M6 and M7 require special permits. (Fhadiana's book rates as an M20, the magical equivalent of a nuclear bomb.) However, in several cases (such as Fhadiana's) magical items have become bound to people, meaning they can't be seperated from them. In such cases, permits are given automatically, even if the person wouldn't otherwise qualify.
Some magical objects are considered "special" much like humans, and given an S rating. In a lot of cases, these ratings indicate the object might not register the same as it's rated, or it's power level is variable. However, in some cases the S really means the object isn't fully understood. Law Enforcement generally consider an special designation to mean, "read the fine print on this thing's abilities".
Ex: M3S, M20S
This is a non-exhaustive list of common magical spells. Each has a rating of the minimum Mastery level required to cast. Ratings followed by a + indicate 'this mastery level or higher', while ratings followed by a - indicate that mastery level or lower. (This is very rare.)
M6+Teleportation is a Dark magic spell, because it breaks the natural order of things, enforcing the user's will on the universe. Because of its nature, it takes its toll in pain and physical damage to the body of the user; the longer the distance and the more people being teleported, the larger the toll. (This toll is a fixed cost for all magic users; better trained people can steel themselves against the pain, but it still inflicts the same level of harm.)
To teleport the equivalent of a 10 minute drive would feel like being thrown down a flight of stairs. To teleport an hour's drive would break a bone or two, and feel like you'd been in a bad bar fight. To teleport halfway across the country would hospitalize you in the ICU, and/or kill you.
You can augment the cost of teleportation either by sharing the cost among several people, or by taking the cost from someone else (killing them might let you teleport across an ocean), or by using stored magical energy you've imbued an object with.
Teleporting works like Nightcrawler's ability; you need a clear mental image of the location, and preferably to be able to see it, so you don't teleport into a wall, or other person. (This tends to lead to death.) Teleporting an object or person into a wall or other item causes the teleporting item to be destroyed, while the item being teleported into is perfectly fine. No matter is destroyed.
These are only owned by police and government officials; because they are powered by Dark Magic, they haven't been accepted by the public yet. They are a combination of electronics and magic; they slowly build a magical charge over time. The distance and number of people you want to teleport determine how much magical energy is required; a magic user can directly pour energy in, otherwise you need to wait for it to charge to the required levels before use.
Teleportation between teleporters is safer; they can share the load, and both know the exact location of the other. Teleporting into the world requires live imagery from either a drone, satellite, or other means. GPS and video feed are required.
See here for a list of magical groups.