The magic system in Chaos Before Apocalypse essentially boils down to, "Everyone has the potential to do literally anything ever, it just takes skill & practice". There's not a lot of rules & limits to what you can do with magic, aside from one's own creativity, willpower, & maybe a bit of luck. Anyone could destroy the Solar System with a snap of their fingers if they tried hard enough; though it'd be exceedingly difficult to do so & require possibly millennia of practice; which you probably don't have, unless you've managed to make yourself immortal, which itself requires a ton of discipline. But it's not impossible.

  With using magic, you're essentially fighting against the Universe itself & trying to convince it to do what you want it to do; & the Universe can be stubborn. The more powerful, drastic, or world-altering whatever you're trying to achieve is, the more difficult it'll be to pull off. Magic that directly affects people other than yourself, such as curses, is even more complicated; not only are you fighting against the Universe, but you're also fighting against someone else's power, too; even as a passive survival instinct. You'd either have to be incredibly stubborn & skilled yourself, or they have to want you to affect them & let you in.

  Magic can be physically painful, overwhelming, or even become a Monkey's Paw if you're not careful enough; so not everyone wants to take that risk. Most tend to veer towards more mundane uses of magic, like making their tea always warm no matter what. Sometimes people don't bother with magic at all, because it's not worth the risk & hassle- which is actually a perfectly understandable & acceptable position to take! There's safer, faster, & more accessible ways to address your problems than gambling with cosmic forces beyond comprehension.

  Sometimes, if you're really nice & polite about it, if you're gentle enough with the small fabric piece of reality you're trying to shape, the Universe might be willing to give you some leeway & make things easier for you.

  Some people are naturally more adept at magic and/or certain expressions of magic from the get-go, such as with Adam & his minor telepathy; but anyone could technically do that, if they really wanted. It's like being the smart kid at school- Sure, you're considered more intelligent than all your peers right now; but anybody could usurp you if they spent enough time learning. Maybe the only reason they haven't is because they've got better things to do with their time.

  People still rely heavily on technology, because it’s consistent & reliable. Technology plays within the existing rules of the Universe, instead of fighting against it. It’s less of a headache to work with; literally. It's a lower-risk & logical solution. Tech & magic aren’t opposites, though. Magic from the Universe is what lay the foundations for tech to work. If you do it right, combining tech & magic can let you do incredibly powerful things with less of a struggle.