What is Mana?

Spirit: Let me explain what mana is.

Achuta: Shouldn't we have started off with that?

Spirit: If we did, it would have been difficult to think of it as part of your body.

Achuta: Wouldn't it be fine if you just said that?

Spirit: Don't sweat the small stuff. Anyway, most people think it is the energy of the world. To be honest, this is close but the part that is missing is enough to prevent most people from reaching their full potential. Mana is the fusion of mental, soul, and natural energies allowing for the reinforcement of existence. Without the mental energy, a spell would not behave the way one wants it to. Without the energy of nature, the spell will not have enough fuel to activate. And without soul energy, the mental and natural energies would not fuse preventing the spell from forming in the first place. You can think of mental energy as the body, soul energy as the nervous system and natural energy as the muscle. Your ability to control these energies is similar to your ability to move your body.

Achuta: So Mana is the combination of mental soul and natural energies and my ability to mix and control these three determines the quality of my mana and thus my spell.

Spirit: Sure. Now Let me explain these three energies a little better. You already understand that mental energy is your imagination. Let me clarify something. The more you imagine something, the more you reinforce that image, the purer the mental energy you draw out for that specific thing. In a way, it's a form of muscle memory. It is for this reason that the more you use a spell, the easier it becomes to use it.

Spirit: Soul Energy on the other hand is the essence of one's existence. Using it up completely would cause one to disappear. Fortunately, All soul energy returns to the soul after each use of a spell. Your soul will naturally retract your soul energy when it reaches critical levels. The backlash is jarring though as the forceful return of soul energy will damage one's conceptual vessal, or astral body which is what maintains the shape of one's soul in the first place. If that breaks, you die so be careful.

Spirit: Natural Energy is energy that comes from nature. From energy you get from eating food, solar energy and electricity to even nuclear energy. All these energies fall under the category of natural energy. This can be harnessed by soul power to fuel one's spell. Most mages use geothermal, solar, kinetic, or the most commonly used, gravitational energy to fuel their spells. Rarely would one use mental energy to bypass the need for fuel as it puts a strain on one's mind and can effect one's psyche. There are also cases of memory loss. However when dealing with necromancy, this is the most effective way to use it.

Spirit: You can also convert these energies into different forms using soul power. As such, soul power is the foundation of mana. This is the focus of all mana manipulation manuals. Generally, training the soul is done by understanding oneself and reinforcing the core aspect of one's existence after determining what that is.

Spirit: So by doing this when practicing the mana method, you will reap the best returns.

Achuta: Understood.

Spirit: Good. Now, let me give you your schedule. Follow this for the next year and you should have a satisfactory foundation. Take this and this book as well. This one is a spear art call First Dimension. It's known for its inescapable thrusts and matches your movements during your first fight. This one here include the basics on enhancements. This way even when you encounter the undead, you wont be at a disadvantage. I'll see you next year.

Achuta: Thanks. Wait did you say undead? Come Ba-