Ether (Ee-thur)

Ether is a magical force that flows through every living being. It also includes non-living things, like statues, buildings, and robots- although on a much lesser level.
Ether is what gives magic users the ability to cast spells and perform other magical feats. It's said that Ether was endowed upon the earth's inhabitants by the gods, although scientists think it's probably got something with blood and genetic mutations and all that. Needless to say, in a world full of magic, monsters, and gods, people tend to believe the whole divine intervention bit.   Ether can be found in pretty much every single life form on earth (or the universe). That means from the smallest plant to the largest monster can have Ether. Although plants don't have very much Ether. The amount of Ether in an individual varies. Some can have a very high concentration, or very little, or somewhere in between. That translates into their different magical abilities.   The gain of Ether is a long, and difficult process unless a god decides to give you a little boost for whatever reason. Unfortunately, for this world's inhabitants, the gods don't interact with mortals often. Institutions for gaining Ether and fine-tuning control of it are often called academies. Within these academies, there are eight schools of magic to learn from. Though that's not our focus, just yet.   Many people don't fear the depletion of their Ether, since they live nice, comfortable lives. For soldiers and explorers, however, the stress of depletion of Ether can be all-consuming. In situations in which Ether is used in large amounts, or for long spans of time, depletion of Ether can occur. Depletion is a very serious matter, as it takes up to 24 hours to regain your Ether naturally. At that time, casting magic from your own reserves is impossible. In extremely serious cases, Ether can be purged from a being's body, and they will never be able to cast again. This is what prevents most magic users from pushing themselves to their limits.