Mana

Mana, at its root, is a form of energy - one just as peculiar in form and function as light, but energy nonetheless. Mana typically comes in two forms; stable and unstable mana. Mana acting as energy within the air, within matter, is known as unstable mana, typically found in the atmosphere, moving and gathering. Stable mana is caused when mana condenses enough and begins to act as matter, forming compounds similarly to carbon or silicon. This is the type of mana found in mana crystals, autowizards, and living beings. This form of mana is generally more predictable and vastly more safe to use than unstable mana, making mana compounds a staple of society, a vital commodity which is needed for the world to keep running.

Mana itself is incredibly dangerous, as prolonged exposure is toxic, causing mana sickness - manifesting as a form of madness that only worsens the longer that something is exposed to mana. Typically causing paranoia and hallucinations, but symptoms can vary greatly from person to person. Unless properly treated by removing mana from the body and undergoing proper mental healthcare, mana sickness is deadly, as the buildup of mana within something’s body eventually causes them to die, releasing the built-up mana in a violent rush, causing a sort of localized explosion and a pillar of light shooting into the sky as the mana is released into the atmosphere again.

While often unpredictable in nature, mana can be controlled, although someone typically needs to train their body to withstand mana in order to do so safely. Historically, individuals who trained themselves to use mana were known as wizards, using their implements to hurl boulders like a living catapult or putting up barriers against attacks. Modernly, this style of casting is known as hacking, due to the fact that technology is based on mana. In order to harness mana, a spellcasting implement is required, involving primarily a mana battery, input sensors, and a mana conduit. The mana battery acts as a storage and intake for mana, while the conduit destabilizes the mana from the battery and processes the inputs from the sensors in order to activate mana through the specific code it’s written in to cast a particular spell. Mana languages are made, meaning that they can be specialized towards particular functions, allowing further specialization or customization to different sorts of implements.

The Mana Cycle

Mana, like all forms of energy, cannot be created or destroyed, only changed. The way that this energy changes and flows naturally throughout the world is known as the mana cycle. When destabilized, mana naturally floats to one of the outmost layers of the atmosphere, higher than any lumi can survive. Because mana attracts itself, it naturally gathers together in this layer of the atmosphere. Once enough mana gathers together, it forms a mana storm. Once mana is in a mana storm. Once it starts to stabilize, mana condenses, causing it to fall in a mana strike.

The area of a mana strike then starts to rapidly grow mana crystals, forming what’s known as a beacon, and from that area, mana slowly seeps into the soil, entering the ley lines of the world. These ley lines allow mana to flow out further, enriching the soil further out. Plants growing in mana enriched soil absorb some of the mana, then animals eating those plants absorb some mana from them, and predators absorb mana from their prey. When an animal dies, a burst of mana is released from it, incinerating its heart in a burst of mana, and releasing a spark of mana to float back into the atmosphere.