>>24731318
There are two magic styles completely separate from each other, one hard and one soft. I explain the magic in the epigraphs of the chapters, but the quick rundown is that the common, hard magic system involves animals and DNA– turning into animals, creating hybrid monsters, forming bonds, and seeing through the eyes of animals, so on and so forth. It runs off caloric energy, so although the potential is through the roof, and this type of magic is commonplace, it’s limited by food and expenses. Picrel is a hybrid of a turkey vulture and an alligator, along with a few other scraps of animal DNA thrown into the mix, to increase mass and intelligence
The soft magic system is elemental. There isn't a set limit as to what can be done with the different elements, and no clear source of where power is drawn from. It sort of just is, and few understand why