“Yes, to an extent, but less so in that it is dependent on life and more that living things can use it. And unlike breathing, it’s optional.” She broke the wooden pieces apart and had them circling around after each other in the air. “Before the study of magic was formalised, mages were a superstitious class, dependent wholly on the fickle winds of magic, whose power waxed and waned. Otherwise, they’d rely on natural stores of magic where power seemed to gather or, rather, sink, such as crystals, stones, sacred groves. Between then and now, it's the difference between striking a match and lighting a campfire, and setting the whole house on fire to keep warm. They had little control over their powers, and once attuned to the winds, they were often unpredictable, dangerous. It was not unheard of that a mage would surge with power and kill himself, involuntarily… and whoever was standing next to them at the time.”