Mana, Imagination, And Understanding

in the eight years, I've been here i've come to learn some things, and if some of the things that i suspect to be true is right. Then i think I know just what world i've landed in.

this world although i've not seen much except the mines, i've heard quite a lot about it from the passing guards. My theory about this world being the one i think it is, is just coming closer and closer to fruition.

first off, Mana. Mana in this world works similar to other fantasy settings, the key difference in this world being, that instead of mana being something the world produces like trees do oxygen, mana in this world is the very lifeblood of the planet, the more people are born, the more can use mana, the more high-quality mana users are born in this world.

The thinner and weaker mana will be until it dissipates like it had somewhere around 1000 to 1500 years ago, don't remember the exact details. The guard that was talking about it was a huge history nerd. though what he was saying was hearable, it was difficult to figure out exactly what exactly he was saying, due to other loud noises and the walls being quite thick. 

Second off, Imagination. Imagination ties in with mana like how you would expect it to, the more you can clearly imagine and envision what you are casting, the more powerful the magic that you can output will be, though it all still depends on the caster's mana capacity. Can't really pull off country-level spells with a pen-sized canister can you? i found this info in an old magic-guides book, it was ripped apart though. The only other thing that wasn't ripped apart or intelligible is my next point.

Understanding. Understanding is the key point to a spell even working. Let's say you want to cast a fireball spell, you'd have to understand what exactly fire is. What is a fire? what makes up a fire? what does a fire need for it to be lit without the worry of being snuffed out?

the more you understand about a single component in a spell the better the foundation of that spell will be.

Let's say you're able to pull off the imagination stage, you've a fireball in your hands now. As big as your mana capacity may be, it doesn't help if the foundation of your flames is nothing but imagination. As big as your fire may get, if a weak gust of wind is all it takes to be put out, it's not the best of things, now is it?

So Imagination and Understanding are the 2 most important parts of spell casting except mana capacity, right? 

well, if i didn't listen to people ranting about this world's lore for hours on end as i bash my head against a wall in the prologue, i too wouldn't have known this 3rd component, which in hindsight, is quite easy to figure out.

The 3rd most important component. Compatibility. Without compatibility, you can't exactly do the things you want.

Let's say a man was born with compatibility towards Water And Air only, the only spells he could ever do from birth onward are only Water and air-related spells, and even if he wanted to cast fire-related spells he can not. It was simply not meant to be.

So these are the 3 most important things that are needed to be able to cast spells safely and effectively.

oh and forgot to mention, i am 99% sure i have been reincarnated into [Tears of The Prince] which instalment however, I've no idea, the 1000 or so years of magic being completely gone from this world wasn't ever mentioned in any of the lore videos that I've watched, so maybe it was something from the upcoming DLC? man, my head hurts.

every instalment of tears of the prince dictates a different point of the timeline. the 1st game was at the end of the world, the 2nd game was the World War era I think? the 3rd was the modern era and the 4th was the medieval era. i haven't taken a single step outside though, so I've no idea what era i am currently at.

Speaking of instalments our current head warden had been mentioned in 2 of the 4 instalments, it was the 1st and hinted at in the 3rd instalment i think? so I'm somewhere around there, it could also be a family member since if I remember correctly our current Head-warden wasn't the only one who held the name Violesso.

each person who held the name Violesso had compatibility with more than 4 elements, the 1st appearance of a Violesso was in the 1st game, which i think had 6 elements. Quite terrifying really.

Speaking of instalments, there was a hidden boss in the DLCs somewhere that had been raised in a mine if i'm not wrong, my memories are a bit woozy but apparently, she's the hardest in-game boss, even across every other instalment and DLC's.

Goddess of the Frozen World i think was her in-game title? her name had been said somewhere in-game before, can't seem to remember though. Hopefully, i don't have to ever meet her.

*Clank* *Clank* *Clank* *Clank* 

with a loud crack, i finally break off the last piece of hardened basalt needed for my daily quota.

"hey guard!"

the guard's head swivels towards my direction, a clear scowl on his face

"What?"

"My quota's done!"

"then deposit it on the basket near the entrance and wait there"

i lower my head as i carry the 140kg of basalt on my back as i make my way over to the entrance before depositing them in the rusty-metal basket near the entrance

"Better not walk anywhere you're not supposed to"

the guard warns me with a condescending tone, i nod my head as i sit down next to the basket.

minutes later the other slaves also deposited their haul before being taken back by the guards towards their sectors, me included.