Mana, Affinities, and the Boundless World

"In order to use magic, people need to absorb mana from the outside world then release it. The world has an infinite amount of mana but humans have a limited amount they can hold. Humans hold mana within their mana pools – located around their chest area opposite to the heart.

Once mana is released from a mana pool – like for a spell - that same amount of mana can be reabsorbed at a much faster rate. So, if you were to run out of mana, it restores the amount you originally had quicker." Glyffe explained patiently.

So, people have to first absorb mana before using magic - that makes sense. Then magic is the result of mana being released - probably with some alteration - after it's absorbed.

Let's say my mana pool is twenty percent filled. According to Glyffe, If I fully used up that twenty percent, then when replenishing my mana, my pool would fill up really fast for that twenty percent but slow down to a crawl for the next eighty I still didn't have filled. As if the world recognises I have control of that twenty percent.

"How does the world contain infinite mana?" Silvia asked pensively - raising her hand like a student in class. Her tone was so quizzical I almost believed that she didn't already know the answer.

"Aww, I wanted to ask that Silvia!" I joked.

"Hehe." She smirked.

"This world is endless! Since there's no end to this world then of course it follows the world has infinite mana. Mana is a property that is weaved into the very fabric of the world itself!" Glyffe boasted grandly.

"Wait this world is... endless?" I asked, feeling quite conflicted.

I mean an endless world? How would that even work? Does a new island get added every patch note or something? What is this, Genshin?

"Yes - this world is often referred to as The Boundless World. No one has ever produced a map of the entire world. The mapped continents - the rock continent of the dwarves, the leaf continent of the elves and the soul continent of the humans don't even make up one percent of the world."

"What? Not even one percent?" I choked.

Huge! This world is huge! If it was anything like my old world then 3 continents should make up at least a near majority but here it was less than one percent!

"Indeed. Supposedly there's hundreds of continents like ours and even more different archipelagos, empires, outposts, oceans, cities, realms, seas, labyrinths, dungeons, kingdoms. People stumble upon them by chance - usually because they're lost. And by some miracle they make it back to our three continents and tell stories of the great lands unexplored." Talking up to here, Glyffe paused slightly.

"This world is still for the taking!" Glyffe declared with a special glint in his eyes.

"Actually Reno, when I was younger, I had the grand dream of exploring the entire world. All of it! From the rumoured to the known - from the explored to the unknown. I wanted to see it all." Glyffe reminisced fondly.

"What happened to that dream?" My curiosity had to be sated. Hearing my question Silvia looked over – clearly interested too.

"That dream..." Glyffe trailed off, keeping both me and Silvia in suspense.

"It's on hold."

Glyffe heartily bellowed, completely shamelessly.

"Right, you're getting off topic now Glyffe. Just continue on with the magic lesson." Silvia sighed, clearly feeling quite a bit of second-hand embarrassment from her husband.

"Right where was I... oh yes, mana. Mana is what gives people life and the soul is made up of something very similar to mana. For that reason, the soul can attract mana. When you're training to improve mana absorption, you're actually training the soul."

Hmmm. Back on Earth people couldn't decide whether the soul actually existed or not but it seems here it's common knowledge. It was interesting that absorbing mana required training the soul of all things.

"Mana is something which exists everywhere - but it has no character. At least initially."

"Huh? Character? What's that?" I said.

"I'm glad you asked Reno! Character is a trait your soul imbues into the mana you're about to release which results in magic forming. " Glyffe expanded on what he said earlier but this time in more depth.

"Hmmm can you explain it a bit more?" I felt like I was just on the cusp of understanding it.

"Let's take fire magic as an example. Fire magic has an aggressive trait so when using fire magic, your soul has to alter the originally pure mana to have an aggressive character. So, casting spells is just releasing mana from your mana pool with character to form magic." Glyffe explained as simply as he could. Silvia nodded along, indicating Glyffe was pretty much spot on. I think I was starting to get it.

"Ah I see so mana with a rigid character would result in earth magic? And mana with fluid character would result in water magic?" I theorised from everything I'd learnt so far.

"Exactly right." Glyffe smiled at how I'd managed to apply my knowledge successfully.

"And how do you imbue character into mana?" That was something I hadn't been able to work out from what he'd said so for.

"That's simple Reno, in fact you already have before."

I have?

"Visualisation. It's visualisation Reno." Silvia added from the side. "There are many factors but for simplicity's sake, good visualisation of the spell results in imbued character. It's likely that yesterday you did this without even noticing."

Suddenly it all became a lot clearer. Since I'd read so many fantasy novels in the past, I managed to visualise the Fireball spell quite naturally.

"Also, imbuing character you don't have an affinity for is very uncomfortable for the soul. It just feels... wrong. Of course it can still be practiced just with double the effort and half the results." Glyffe added to complete his explanation.

Right so it's probably wise to focus on the magic I have an affinity for as it'll feel more natural and I should be able to learn it faster.

"And what exactly is a soul?" Silvia pondered before asking Glyffe one of the deepest questions in human history.

Don't ask that one Silvia - not even Plato knows that.

Glyffe hesitated for a moment but he cobbled up a reasonable response. "I believe it's the true essence of a person - inside the physical body but not bound by it."

Similar to some earthly ideas of the soul then—interesting.

"So how should I practice magic?" I got to straight to the point. 

"In order to train magic effectively there's four main aspects: soul strength, mana capacity, magic theory and creativity.

For today's lesson we'll focus on the first two - soul strength and mana capacity. These two are somewhat linked. Mana capacity - the amount of mana your mana pool can hold - can only be improved by the use of treasures. Soul strength can be improved by absorbing mana and using magic often."

Ah I see. So even if I ended up with a completely average mana pool or  weak soul strength then it wouldn't be the end of the world. It was good to know just in case but I was pretty sure I was going to have insane talent and really high affinities. I did get Isekai'd after all.

"Can you teach me the way to absorb mana?" I was getting excited just thinking about finally taking my first step to mastering magic in another world.

"Right, that would be a good place to start." To my surprise it was Silvia who stepped forward this time. "Mana absorption techniques are usually passed down from one generation to the next. Our Frostworth family is an upper middle class family, so our absorption technique is one of the best!"

Glyffe had a strange expression but I didn't pay it much heed and instead listened carefully to what Silvia was saying.

Though her words were clear – I couldn't make out anything. It all sounded blurry. Like some sort of dream spell it caused me to feel hazy. The strange chant made me feel drowsy... almost like I just wanted to... sle—

"All done!" Her words snapped me awake from my trance and the brain fog I felt quickly faded. Now, planted deep within my mind, I could feel a strange set of instructions. It was the Frostworth Absorption Technique and I could now access it freely at any time.

"Uhm exactly how did you just do that mam? Better question, what exactly did you just do?" It felt extremely strange – like I was in a trance of some sort.

"It's a secret." Silvia giggled and winked playfully at me.

I guess fantasy worlds just have fantasy teaching methods.

"Whatever you do, Reno, don't share this method with anyone outside the family. It's a tradition." Silvia warned me sternly. I nodded, though, to be honest, I wasn't even sure how I'd explain it to anyone else. Still, I'd do my best to follow the family rules.

Regardless, I felt ready to try the technique now. I gave it a shot, and just like that, I could feel it working. My chest seemed to fill up in a strange way - albeit very, very slowly.

"It works!" I exclaimed, my shout carrying the joy I felt out to the surrounding greenery.

"Well of course it does - if it didn't, we'd have to complain to our ancestors who made and passed down this technique for centuries!" Silvia responded with an 'of course it should' tone.

"Since you're probably quite talented you should feel your mana pool filling at a slow to moderate pace. For most average people the pace is incredibly sluggish so if it only feels slightly slow that's a good indicator of talent." Glyffe uttered from the side, joining in on the conversation again.

"It feels slow - like really slow..." I mean if I didn't already know that I was extremely talented then I would've mistaken my talent as average or even below average.

Silvia's eyes lit up, "That could just mean you have an abnormally large mana pool!"

Yep, that must be it. It's not that I'm not talented it's just that my mana pool is so large that it feels like it's filling slowly. It's filling an ocean compared to a regular lake.

"Is there a way to test it?" It sure felt like it was a large mana pool from the rate of uptake but I couldn't be sure.

"There is a way. The test determines soul strength, affinities and mana pool capacity. I'll do the test now. Just be patient, relax and let me do the work." Glyffe approached me and placed his arm on my right shoulder.

I couldn't help but wonder what my affinities were. Perhaps I'd have a quadra element affinity or even a legendary quintuple element affinity and become an Isekai cheat magician!

There's even a chance I could have an affinity for a totally unique element - granting me powers never seen or used by anyone in the past! It could be that I unlock a forbidden dark element and must hide my eminent powers in the shadows!

Maybe I have a special talent for summoning magic - and I'd summon an army of the undead to arise and fight for me! I could even have a talent for healing magic and end up finding the wrong way to use healing magic!

I could feel an intrusive feeling around my chest area but only briefly before I saw Glyffe's expression change. He'd started shaking slightly like he saw something he shouldn't.

"How is this possible?" Glyffe's face was the epitome of shock.

Yep, I knew it. It was finally time for my cheat ability. Well, I did expect this much.

"He's a genius right, Glyffe!" Silvia was on the same wavelength as me clearly as her eyes sparkled with pure amazement.

"Weak small faint grey soul. No strong affinities to any magic. Inferior mana pool. Talentless."

huh?

Huhh?

HUUHHH?

Weak soul. No affinities. Inferior mana pool. Talentless.

The excitement I felt earlier instantly deflated like a punctured balloon, leaving me feeling slightly hollow inside. Like a broken record, those cruel words repeated over and over in my mind. They echoed a little too clearly in fact. That last word - talentless - was especially crisp.

"I-Is there some kind of... mistake?" I asked, my voice breaking slightly.

Glyffe sighed. "There's no mistake."

Glyffe had dropped down to my eye level and soon enough his broad chest enveloped me. His arms wrapped around me and squeezed ever so gently. It was a well timed hug. Thanks Glyffe, I needed that.

"Oh Reno..." Silvia's voice hid a slight undertone of disappointment but the overwhelming concern in her voice drowned it out almost instantly. Almost. Her face was full of concern and I found myself wrapped in her embrace shortly after. Another well timed hug. Thanks guys, I really needed that.

"Are you okay Reno?" Silvia asked softly, her voice laced with concern.

Was my disappointment really that obvious?

"I'm okay. In fact, I'm totally fine mam just quite... shocked." I unintentionally stammered slightly at the end, struggling to find the right words to describe my current mental state.

"You don't seem totally fine. Your face has gone pale and your blank stare says you might as well have seen a ghost or two," Glyffe corrected me.

Oh, so that's what I look like when I'm disappointed.

"Look, it's okay if you're not conventionally talented - it's my fault I put such heavy expectations on you." Silvia reasoned sympathetically. Perhaps she had made me think I was going to be some sort of genius.

Who was I kidding, it wasn't her fault at all. It was mine.

As soon as I arrived here, I thought I was going to have everything easy. Some cheat skill. Some overpowered ability. Some power. Some heaven-sent talent.

It wasn't going to be that easy. Just because I was reincarnated, it didn't mean I deserved to be gifted everything. It didn't mean I got to skip all the hardships everyone else in this world faced. That wasn't right. That wasn't how I wanted to live.

Life was never that easy. And I shouldn't want it to be. The challenge. The hard work. The setbacks. The struggles. Beating the odds. Everything I overcame in my past life to achieve my goals is what made it worth living.

If I wanted to live this life to the fullest I couldn't keep hoping to get lucky. I'd have to seize every opportunity anyway I knew how. It's a good thing I was used to doing that.

"There's still other aspects to using magic like theory and creativity, which I know you're amazing at. You managed to use a fireball spell with little to no affinity and from a shabby textbook no less - in fact that alone makes you a genius!" Silvia added reasonably. Glyffe nodded along clearly agreeing with her reasoning.

"And even if you aren't a genius, even if you're average. Even below average. If you're the greatest genius or if you're the worst at magic in history. It doesn't matter to us. We both still love you regardless." Silvia comforted reassuringly. "We always will, Reno." Silvia added, her resolve and determination crystal clear.

They... love me?

For a split second, the world grew hazy. Drops of blurriness fell towards the ground as I continued staring downwards in shock.

All my self constructed barriers broke down. Time came to a standstill as I lay in the embrace of both my parents. I could feel my heart start to beat faster as a strange feeling spread around my body. A warm but uncomfortable feeling.

My old parents on Earth died when I was extremely young. I don't think I can even remember them saying they love me. Or even their voices at all. That's probably why their words got through to me so intimately.

"I-I love you both too!" I finally managed to say after fighting through the sniffles for a few seconds. Even though I was the one speaking, I was unsure just who those words were targeted at. My old parents? My new parents? Or maybe, both?

After that little family moment had passed, it was time to close out the lesson.

"Reno, for safety I'll only teach you one new beginner spell today. The standard beginner water spell - Water Bomb." Glyffe said rationally.

"For safety?" I asked curiously.

"Well if you run out of mana and try use a spell you will pass out or injure yourself. Neither outcome is what we want." Glyffe said logically.

That made sense. This was just supposed to be a lesson.

Just then Glyffe raised his hand - with his palm facing outwards - and a ball of water began condensing in front of it. The perfect blue sphere swirled continuously before it finally flew off into the distance - bursting on top of some nearby sunflowers.

I raised my right arm and attempted to reconstruct what I just saw in my mind. Before I could even start visualising the spell, I heard a deep voice.

"Reno, even if you're practicing a spell for the first time, never aim it at a person. Remember this, magic is dangerous and should only be used when you can completely control it." Glyffe spoke seriously.

His sudden serious tone surprised me. He was speaking out of experience rather than theoretical caution.

"I understand dad," I opened my eyes and looked down at my palm and followed it's line of sight. Eventually, I saw a pretty young but mature lady opposite my palm. She was smiling at me as if to say 'it's fine'.

"Ah sorry Silvia," I quickly adjusted my hands such that my palm was facing the great grasslands in front and those fields only. Now I began visualising the water spell again - closing my eyes as usual.

Compared to fire, water is tame and tranquil. It sustains diverse ecosystems and supports the interactions between the organisms that live there - in stark contrast to the devastating effects of fire.

And yet, it's also versatile, gently flowing in rivers, loudly crashing over waterfalls, and eroding coastlines with relentless force.

Keeping those traits in mind, I thought of my spell's desired form next. A perfect sphere - ideally rotating just like Glyffe's for a stronger impact - that was the goal.

Then I considered how much mana I should use. Back in the book room, I had assumed that more was better, but now that I knew my mana pool was small, I had to get used to not using too much for single spells. Ideally, I'd become proficient enough to where I could use as little mana as possible while still getting optimal results.

With all those factors considered, it was time for the final step. I channelled my mana, visualizing everything. Suddenly, I could feel something condensing in front of my palm.

There it was.

An imperfect, quivering globe of water. It's outer layer wobbled unnaturally - uneven ripples gurgling across the surface.

Nearly there.

My shaky sphere earned a curious 'Oh?' from my old man and a 'Wow!' followed by an excited smile from Silvia.

Whoosh!

The ball jolted forwards and landed just a few yards shy of the distant sunflower patch - hitting some daffodils instead. "Not bad Reno," Glyffe smiled quite happily. I smiled back in response. I did it.

"Not bad? That was amazing!" Silvia excitedly added, evidently she didn't agree with Glyffe's assessment. I smiled in response.

I could tell my control over this spell was much greater than the fireball spell. But just why was that? Because I tried to limit my mana usage? Or maybe because I visualised this one more deeply? Perhaps because I've used a beginner spell before? Maybe some other factor?

I could also feel there was some things I could change to improve the final outcome. How would how I move my palm affect the output? What about how I move my entire body? Casting while moving? And what about visual or audio queues? What if I had my eyes open?

There was still so much to experiment with and analyse! I could feel the inner biologist in me—the one who'd spent countless hours researching, studying and publishing biology papers in my Earth days—awakening.

Remembering the scientific method, the process of testing one variable at a time while keeping everything else the same, I raised my hand again. This time, I kept my eyes open - trying my best to keep everything else the same as before.

All of a sudden, a massive, heavily distorted azure hemisphere condensed in front of me - it's exterior frothing chaotically. Ah I used too much mana.

Pop!

Bursting violently, the hemisphere unleashed a shockwave that sent me flying backwards. I hit the ground hard, landing right on my butt.

Fatigue crashed over me like a tidal wave. My vision blurred as I saw Glyffe and Silvia's hazy figures lunge toward me.

This is bad!

"Reno!"

"Re—”