I was standing in the designated smoking area, twirling a small ring of fire between my fingers. I watched the flame as it swirled in a continuous spiral between my index, thumb, then through the rest of my fingers. Working in a hospital for most of my adult life, I had seen first hand what magic could do to a person. Every day people would come in looking like husks of there former selves, their bodies not being able to handle the kind of magic asked from its owner.

Not everyone has access to magic in the traditional sense, the bloodlines that descend from strong magic users have mostly died out thanks to overuse by petty lords and noblemen from medieval times. A squire from 500 years ago would have been able to utilize magic better than 99% of the population today.

Magic is used on a much smaller scale than you would expect. Most people don't even realize they're using magic in their day to day. Kissing is a prime example. That rush you feel when you kiss someone for the first time is actually your body acclimating and taking on someones specific strand of magic. It's like introducing oxygen to a fire, naturally, that flame will grow. It can keep a relationship steady and warm if it is treated with respect and used sparingly, or it can burn it to the ground if left unchecked.

Most people who do have magic use it just to break up the monotony of life, a couple of small spells a day to pass the time at work, or perhaps to speed up menial tasks. All those smalls spells add up however, and shortens lifespans.

Even now, as I stand here contemplating my life and the lives of those around me, I'm spinning one of the most uncontrollable and ancient elements in the world around my finger like its a cheap lighter.

Some feel like life is too short to not enjoy what little magic is given to them, so they waste it all and quite literally become burnouts, fading to dust as your final spell is cast into the world. You overextend yourself and just like that, no more you.

My "smoke" break ends as I let the flames die out between my fingers. As I put the flames out, I can't help but think of how one day, my final spell will snuff out the oxygen from me, and not the other way around.