Section 1: Notes On Magic

It has been a few days since we have returned to base after my first mission, and I am finally in the head-space to be able to ruminate on the many things the people of this world simply take for granted. I will be keeping this journal in order to note down my thoughts and keep track of my progress. I will of course, be writing this mostly in English, so that it is indecipherable to anyone else who finds it.

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𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐀:

Mana seems to be a fundamental force of nature, much like gravity. It is everywhere and affects every living thing; it has greatly shaped both the evolution and geography of this planet.

The people of this world think of it as an invisible ocean that blankets the world, but I like to think of it as a scalar field. There doesn't seem to be any serious research on where it originates from, but every scholar has their own theory.

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𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐁𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐘

Infinite energy, the wet dream of every scientist. Living things all breathe in mana from the air, and it enters the body following a similar pathway to oxygen. All animals seem to be able to use this mana to power themselves to some extent; the evolutionary benefits of such a thing are obvious. However, food is still necessary for growth and repair.

Mana from the air can also be converted into different forms of every by the use of runes. The technology of this world seems to be largely focused on discovering runes and researching viable ways to use them. I will elaborate more on this later as I learn more about it.

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𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆

Everyone has mana inside their body, and through repeated training, one can learn to use it to strengthen themselves, improving their speed, agility, and power. However, most people are unable to project mana outside their body. I have seen some people try; their deaths were very similar to what you would expect in the event of exposure to a vacuum.

The "awakened" are people who have exceptional sensitivity to mana and are able to consciously manipulate it both inside and outside their body. They make up a very small portion of the population, less than 1%. This number is much higher among the nobility, who have essentially practiced selective breeding for centuries to tailor their bloodlines.

The more intelligent individuals within animal species also seem to be able to manipulate external mana, however they do not breed frequently. It seems they are aware that having offspring will increase competition and can lead to their own downfall.

Noone knows for certain why awakening happens, but based on my conversation with the gods, and the increased awakening rate in nobles, I have a hypothesis.

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𝐇𝐘𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆

Lamira told me that my soul had the affinity for death, and that it would find a suitable host. I believe this is a giant clue regarding the process of awakening.

If souls automatically seek out unborn babies with suitable bodies.. then a highly specialized body is more likely to attract a soul with a very specific elemental affinity. This means that more specialized bloodlines are more likely to attract compatible souls.

I believe this compatibility between soul and body is what leads to awakening!

There is little research on souls, but my hypothesis is as follows:

By creating very specific bloodlines, the nobles of this world make themselves unattractive to the majority of reincarnated souls, and only very specific souls can bond to them. They have turned essentially their bodies into locks that can only be opened with very specific keys.

As a result of this, members of a noble family also awaken similar talents, which allow them to build and preserve magical legacies that get passed down generations. In contrast to this, when a peasant awakens, their talent seems completely random.

A consequence of this is that there should be an increased number of miscarriages or stillbirths within noble society, due to the vast majority of souls being unwilling to bond with them. The more specific the composition of a bloodline, the more common this will be.

This results in a trade-off: The more specific the bloodline, the greater the chances of awakening in the family. However, it will be more difficult to keep the bloodline pure, and the family will suffer from more stillbirths. A less specialized bloodline will be easier to maintain, but have a lower chance of awakened members. This can be mitigated by simply having more children; the problem is that the quality of the awakened children will be variable and their talents less predictable, thereby making it more difficult for the family to pass on their magical legacies.

I am yet to investigate this, but I shall do so if I ever have the chance. The only way I can get access to information like this is if I make myself into a renowned doctor, which is definitely a career path I can look into, given my knowledge.

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𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓/ 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂

Talents are magic one can create naturally without the use of runes and it varies from individual to individual.

I believe the type of talent one awakens depends on their bloodline, but they must also have a suitable soul in order to awaken, meaning only a lucky few will ever be able to use it.

Talents allow individuals to manipulate mana in a very specific manner. One way to think of them is as spells that are engraved into the body (or soul), that the user can activate at will.

Known talents:

Myself - I seem to be able to visualise souls.

Master Aegismith - Can conjure transparent barriers with great freedom and precision.

Keira Kerrstark - Can manipulate moisture in the surroundings, converting it to ice and back.

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𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆/ 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂

Runecalling is the use of runes to convert mana in the air into different types of energy. Runes seem to instruct mana how to behave, and certain combination of runes can bring about certain effects. These strings of runes are called spells, however, they are incredibly difficult to construct, most mages unable to use more than just a handful.

Calling a rune with mana is like writing a complex Chinese character with your left foot. Creating a full spell is akin to writing 5 characters at once with 5 left feet.. and I can't even rotate my foot clockwise while rotating my hand in the other direction. Runecalling will require years of training to learn how to do reliably, and perhaps decades before I am able to use it when under stress.

However, once one is able to create spells, they are no longer restricted to their intrinsic magic. In fact, most experienced mages don't even use their talent, relying completely on runecalling, as it offers far greater flexibility.

Talents seem to be a byproduct of awakening for most mages, the desired outcome being the ability to freely manipulate mana. However there is still some dependency between one's talent and runecalling ability. This is variable from person to person, but mages seem to find it easier to call runes that are of the same elemental as their talent.

This should be expected if my earlier hypothesis is true:

Body (or genetics) determines both talent and soul

Soul determines affinity.

Affinity determines runecalling ability.

Therefore, one's body will determine both their talent and runecalling ability, meaning the two qualities should be related.

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Note To Self: Most things discussed here are simply conjecture as a result of taking a scientific lens to this world of souls and magic. It is unsubstantiated and I am currently not in the position to go out and look for evidence to support my claims.