Gateways

Gateways are peculiar, poorly studied magical phenomenons. They occur when magic flows incorrectly. The borders of two parallell universes blur and result in a levitating, glowing blue orb of magical energy. Entrance and exit of that magical wormhole open in random places - entrance in the world of magic, and the exit in the normal world. They allow matter to pass through them, and are the only known way of travelling between worlds. Entering one results in a bright flash and finding yourself on the other side.

Sometimes, a gateway that connects normal/magical universe with Nocturnal Realm opens, but it's quite rare.

Gateways are open only for a short period of time, usually about three hours. When a gateway opens, the magical energy residue is expelled in a form of a shockwave. Shockwaves from gateways that are big enough to let in a human knock over small objects and shake short vegetation. Gateways also slowly drain heat from their surroundings, resulting in feeling cold around them.

A gateway can be opened artifically, but not closed. To do this, at least ten experienced magi must work together to cast the spell. Artificial gateways are open for shorter amounts of time and can be made bigger than they occur naturally; however, this is very dangerous. Force of the shockwave quadruples with every 10 metres in the diameter of the gateway. If a 30m wide gateway was opened, the shockwave would be as powerful as an explosion of a strong bomb. Also, it would've caused an intense thunderstorm afterwards.

All magical creatures are naturally drawn to the gateways. This way, they enter our world. Special units of magic humans prevent normal humans from discovering the magic and protect them from monsters.

However, some sightings of magical creatures exist among ordinary humans to this day as legends, myths and stories.