Chapter 63

Previously in NWC-

The party leaves the ruins, setting up camp. Luna reveals to CeCe what the shards are, a source of her power. In doing so, Reno begins to question why Luna can't simply locate them as they're literally part of her, and this winds up turning to an in depth explanation of the basics of mana and magic by a very excited CeCe...

CeCe paces back and forth in front of the fire as Reno looks up, a look of exhaustion already on his face from their very recent adventure. "First things first! In order to know what magic is, we first have to define mana. Mana is a force that is so small that some once theorized it to be nonexistent."

"I think I remember Luna making a comment. She said something like mana is like atoms I think."

"Yes, that's completely correct! In terms of size, it's widely accepted that mana is even smaller than atoms. In terms of size, they are often compared to one another, however the comparisons stop there. While all physical objects are made of atoms, not all atoms contain mana. They CAN contain mana, but that doesn't mean they do. Then again, just because an atom doesn't contain mana doesn't mean it's incapable of doing so." Reno's face scrunches with confusion as he tries to follow along. "Ahh! I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I? Let me try to simplify it. Mana freely moves between atoms because it's not a physical thing."

"Ah." Reno nods his head. "So if it isn't physical then how do we even use it?"

"Mana is theorized to come from another plane of existence from which all universes draw power. In order for living beings to harness this energy, they need a soul. The soul is our spiritual connection to other universes, primarily the realm from which we draw mana. When the soul receives this energy it converts it to a usable source of energy from which we create spells. These spells, or the physical manifestation of mana, are referred to as magic. When someone casts magic they are actively drawing energy from another plane of existence and using that energy to manifest something that wasn't once there. Are you understanding so far?" CeCe gives Reno a curious glance, her eyes opening slightly as she waits for an answer.

Reno nods his head, scratching his chin. "I think?"

"Summarize it for me then."

Reno sighs and begins speaking. "Basically we use a sort of spiritual body to move energy from that body to our real body. Then we make magic."

CeCe nods her head approvingly. "It's a bit more dumbed down than I was hoping for, but it sounds like you have a grasp on the topic. Now, before I continue, I should be honest up front. In case you haven't noticed, I've been saying a lot of things about mana are theorized. That's due to the fact that the true nature of mana is almost entirely unknown to us. There have been quite a few individuals who set out to discover the true nature of mana and never find their answer. However, the theory of the soul is widely agreed to be the most probable."

Reno's eyes narrow with skepticism. "Really? You mean to tell me that one day some guy just thought 'oh yeah that makes sense' then spouted off about having a spirit that's connected to another world? You seriously expect me to believe that nobody labeled this guy as crazy and tried to put him in a mental institution?"

"Well, the man in question was supposedly a well renowned and respected scholar in the field, so convincing the masses wasn't very hard for him. Besides, there are some people that are able to see mana. However, only a handful of people have been able to actually see pure concentrated mana in its original state. It's said to be an innate ability but the only way of unlocking it is through training so strenuous that even the strongest of mages could never hope to achieve it." Reno remains uncertain but decides not to start an argument. "Anyway, back to the lesson! Now you know that the soul acts as a bridge to another plane of existence where our bodies process mana and turn it into magic. Let's talk about affinities next! An affinity is an element that the soul favors. An affinity can be developed in multiple ways, but there are two major deciding factors. The first most common is simply influence. If both of a kid's parents use fire magic then they're more likely to also use that element. Some call it inheriting the element, but since it has nothing to do with genetics it's not technically correct, and anyone with half of a functioning brain would recognize that." Reno watches as CeCe's eyebrow twitches with annoyance, deciding to just take her word for it to protect his safety. "The other factor that can decide an affinity is if someone is exposed to dire circumstances at a young age. An example would be if a kid is drowning then their soul will naturally develop an affinity for water magic in an attempt to save the body. There are other ways like simply focusing on an element for long enough, but the first two I told you about are the main ways an affinity was developed. Basically, an affinity is the form the soul wishes for the mana to take. To finish this part of the lesson, let me ask you; how did you develop your affinity for water?"

Reno freezes, not able to come up with a response. "I, well, Y'know…" He scratches the back of his neck in nervousness, averting his gaze.

CeCe covers her mouth as she giggles. "That's fine! Some people just develop one, it's not common but it's not unheard of. Most of the time you have to do something for your soul to desire a connection with a certain element, but some people are weird and their soul just chooses at random. For me, I developed my affinity for wind magic, or 'Ventus', when I was spending a day with my father. I was maybe 6 and I remember the gentle wind on my face giving me an indescribable sense of comfort. I don't know why, but that moment specifically remains engraved in my mind to this day. I couldn't tell you anything else about that day. Weird huh?"

Reno shakes his head, trying to reassure CeCe. "I don't think it's weird. You were a kid after all, and kids are pretty impressionable. Something adults think is irrelevant and another part of everyday life can be the coolest thing to a kid. So, I don't think it's weird at all."

CeCe blushes slightly, smiling. "Maybe that's it." She chuckles, looking at the sun as it finishes setting. "Well, I think you have a grasp on the bare basics. Let me throw in something a little more advanced!"

"Oh boy.." Reno does little to hide his displeasure with CeCe's statement.

"Don't worry! It's not actually that advanced of a concept, but it certainly requires knowledge of the basics, so it's considered slightly more advanced. When the soul pushes mana through the body and it exits the body, it turns into magic. Magic is the product of mana passing through atoms in our plane and reacting with the soul's desired outcome top produce a physical reaction that alters the atoms of our universe."

Reno's eyes open wide as he stares with disbelief. "This sounds way too complicated! Are you sure we didn't skip a couple of lessons?!"

CeCe giggles and shakes her head. "I promise we're following the lesson plan!" She finally stops herself from giggling and returns to her explanation. "Anyway! The altering of atoms then makes it so the desired outcome is produced. In your case, the mana passes through the oxygen atoms and alters it to be water."

Reno shakes his head, not understanding. "It can't just make stuff out of nowhere. I almost failed science, but I can at least tell you that you can't just make something out of nowhere."

"That's true! But mana plays by it's own rules. It's theorized that the plane of existence from which we draw mana has no set rules. Meaning mana can quite literally do whatever it wants. From turning air into water or turning carbon dioxide back into breathable oxygen, mana has nothing to which it must abide. It's theorized that mana could even stop time if someone were capable of figuring out what exactly makes time move, but nobody has ever been able to. So, we now know that mana can in fact create something out of nothing, now it's time to explore my personal favorite theory! One which I've spent thousands of hours studying and running test to prove! It's called the Rev-" CeCe begins to notice the look of exhaustion on Reno's face as he begins to nod off, almost falling asleep entirely. "Actually, I guess we did have a pretty long day. We should get some rest, don't you think?"

Reno yawns, trying to cover his mouth. "Sorry, I'm just exhausted. I'd love to hear more about the theory, but at this point you're just talking to a wall and I'd feel bad if I wasn't able to follow along.."

"It's okay, I completely understand! I'm quite exhausted myself, so we should call it a night!" The party then puts out their fire and get's in their respective tents.

Luna considers sleeping with Reno but ultimately decides to tent with CeCe for one more night. "I want to explain how I feel to him tomorrow." Luna makes a decision to express her emotions to Reno the following day and goes to sleep. Every one of them falls asleep almost instantly and they sleep peacefully throughout the night. 

TO BE CONTINUED...