Magic II

Thirdday, Autumn 3rd, 3–…4,372; Morning, 11:20 [3342512374]

Now that we've done a bit of review, let's loop back to our main question, one you are all familiar with:

'What is mana?'

Anyone? Yes, Ms. Iwatani?

"It's the catalyst that allows us to use spells."

Well done. A textbook definition from your freshmen Magic I class. Mana combined with a solid image in mind can produce phenomena within our world. Not only can you specify the what, but also the when, where, and how.

Take for example this [Water Ball]. See how it's a perfect sphere made of water? See how it's floating just above my palm, taking in the moisture from the atmosphere? And all of that manifested using a trigger phrase.

With the recent advancements in magic, Ms. Iwatani's definition is typically all you need to cast a spell. Formulas can substitute for the other requirements, in exchange for a more rigid structure and less flexibility. It's the reason why many of you sitting here can cast spells without much issue, rather than through the trial and error of the past. After all, if it works, why bother with anything else?

However, the real answer to 'what is mana' is much more complicated than that. It's a question that has plagued many across the three eras, one whose mysteries we've only begun to uncover. The purpose of this class is to dive deeper into this topic of magic, not only to provide a better understanding of the spells you cast, but to grasp the essence behind it all.

So, let's break it down.

At its most basic level, mana is like any other elementary particle -- protons, neutrons, and electrons -- making up the building blocks of the universe. But unlike them, mana particles are unstable, eventually decaying into some form of matter.

Normally, the elementary particle each mana particle becomes is random. However, we people can artificially guide the direction to something we prefer. This transformation is what we call magic.

Now, when we start to perform this transformation at a macroscopic scale -- across many mana particles, it turns into a spell: inducing phenomena into the surrounding environment.

During the First and Second eras, this process of spellcasting was mostly instinctual and dependent on a person's abilities. Each race would create their own variants, and and as a consequence focused on one or two particular types of phenomena. For example, most floral-based races would manipulate water and life, while races like wolves or starfish would express their spells through their inherent traits. These spells were then passed down from generation to generation, usually unchanged, though sometimes manifesting stronger or weaker.

Simply put, magic of the past relied on race and talent.

Nowadays, we know better. People created formulas and templates, defining the flow of mana to produce a deterministic phenomenon, allowing anyone to cast any spell. The limitations of race was made obsolete, now instead requiring strict precision and accuracy; the necessary level of skill classified into four general categories: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert.

And what about talent? Well, the only thing predetermined at birth is the volume of mana a person can hold. However, that does not speak to the capacity, nor the amount. Both can increase almost infinitely with skillful storage and compression. As such, with enough time and effort, two people with vastly different volumes can have the same mana, as I'm sure you have experienced from your application classes.

There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. Across the many races, only humas -- the race we all emulate through our looks -- require a medium to cast spells. There are even some people with mutations unable to use mana whatsoever. The world is not a forgiving place, and there will likely be many hardships for both you and others. But through research and knowledge, we hope to rectify and mitigate these disadvantages as much as possible.

Now that we've covered the basics, it may seem like mana is all-powerful, as if there are no limitations to the types of spells you can cast, right? But that's not completely true either. Once a mana particle becomes an elementary particle, that's it. It can't turn back into a mana particle. As such, spells that attempt to reverse the transformation process fail.

What do you think that means? Well, you can't cast a spell that takes you back in time. Nor can you cast a spell that warps the fabric of space. Both of those require destroying and recreating existing elementary particles, which is impossible with our current knowledge of magic.

Yes, Mr. Frazier?

"What about the Mixing Point? Isn't that a warp in space?"

That's a good question. At first glance, the Mixing Point seems like an exception. After all, its name stems from the many different biomes stitched together unnaturally.

However, who's to say that wasn't how it always been? It could be an anomaly when the world formed, manifesting from the random nature of mana.

Unfortunately, there's no way to prove it. Though, we can't disprove it either. The Mixing Point is one of the many places people are unable to survive, due to the sheer density of mana that hangs around. At most, there are a few villages on the fringes, funded to uncover its secrets. Though even after an era, there have only been one or two breakthroughs.

Yes, Ms. Rowe.

"But aren't there people throughout history that can cast teleportation spells? What about the man punished for messing with time?"

Ah yes. Many stories from the First and Second era tend to contain impossible feats. Gods teleporting from one location to another. Tsunamis flooding towns in a desert. Even one about a time traveling serial killer.

For all we know, such impossibilities may be true. On the other hand, they may be completely exaggerated. It's hard to know for certain.

DING. DING. DING.

But I believe your history teacher will have more to speak on the matter.