I felt my body tense; I had expected there to be some kind of investigation into the origin of Flora’s condition, but to delve into the forbidden secrets of a long-lost civilization? That was a prospect eerie enough to send a shiver down my spine. Not to mention that this technique must have posed such a threat that despite its innovative and conquering spirit, the empire had seen fit to bury it and let the secret fade into obscurity. Regardless of my feelings of dread, I knew that we needed to hear this explanation. I nodded for Teodore to proceed.
“First, allow me to explain the intended effect of mana manipulation,” he began. “According to what few records remain, it is understood that the primary purpose of this technique is intended to enhance the quality of an individual’s arcane energies.”
The words that flowed from those elegantly formed lips left both Ed and myself wide-eyed in astonishment. Shaking off the initial shock, I deliberated upon Teodore’s words, lightly touching my chin. “I’ve never even thought about how one might enhance the quality of arcane energy... It’s always discussed in terms of quantity, isn’t it? The more powerful the mage, the greater their energy reserves. I mean, such a feat can’t be simple. How is a thing like that accomplished?” I tilted my head in bewilderment. My unfiltered curiosity was overwhelming my dread in a manner which seemed to border on crass, but there was no undoing it now.
Teodore adjusted his glasses with a faint click. “On the contrary, it is quite simple, Your Highness. To enhance the quality of one’s arcane energy, one must simply...increase the amount of mana one takes in.”
“Increase the amount of mana one...takes in?” I echoed in disbelief. “What? How? In fact, now that you mention it, what is the relation between the quality of arcane energy and mana in the first place?”
My mind whirled and spun, but the nature of Teodore’s revelation was far beyond what I might’ve anticipated even in my wildest imaginings. I tried to force myself towards some degree of acceptance or understanding so that I could keep up with the conversation, but even that seemed a stretch.
“And now for one of the suppositions I alluded to earlier,” Teodore continued. “It is my theory that arcane energy is nothing more than a highly functional, but far less potent, derivative of mana.”
“What?” both Ed and I gasped at once. Just as I felt I was starting to grasp the nuances of the conversation, they were ripped from my fingers once more.
Sensing our utter confusion at the notion that arcane energy was nothing more than a mana derivative, Teodore elucidated once more. “Let us take a few steps back, shall we? First, let us recall that mana is the fundamental energy source behind the supernatural feats we call ‘magic.’ In other words, mana is the elemental force of magic. However, this elementary force is challenging for us as human beings to harness. Therefore, when we absorb mana into our bodies, we must convert it into a more accessible form—arcane energy—which allows us to benefit more readily from its blessings. We can therefore consider arcane energy to be a derivative of mana, the only way in which we mere mortals may use magic.”
“I... I see.” As the manner in which this new concept fit into my entire picture of arcane theory became clearer, the surprising nature of the explanation caused my hand to drift to my mouth to cover my shock. Amid the questions and conjectures swirling in my mind, Teodore’s idea that arcane power could be framed as a mana “derivative” stood out. If his hypothesis held true, it did indeed suggest that the quality of an individual’s mana could be enhanced through the absorption of more mana. This revelation carried significant implications, specifically the notion that increasing the quality of arcane energy was akin to potently concentrating one’s power. A mage who could cast more spells using less energy would certainly have an edge over their competitors, a concept I was certain had captivated the minds of the researchers of that long-extinct culture.
“I think I understand. Thank you, Teodore,” I said. “Now, here is the most pertinent question for Flora’s case—how does increasing the amount of mana one intakes cause such extreme physical damage?”
Perhaps I am misunderstanding some crucial detail, because I would otherwise think that without an underlying condition like Mana Hypersensitivity, there would be no cause for worry.
Teodore narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “Your Highness, I would direct you to recall my earlier statement that arcane energy is a more accessible form of energy, converted from mana, which facilitates our ability to use magic.”
“Yes, of course I understand that. But how does that relate to my sister’s plight?” Tilting my head in confusion, I waited for Teodore to elucidate further. He obliged—but not before his expression turned unexpectedly solemn.
“The conversion process is performed by our bodies,” he said grimly. “Like any bodily process, there’s a burden to it, a cost.”
I gasped, hands flying to my open mouth to block the indelicate vocalization. Of course. The process is taxing to the body. And introducing significantly more mana to convert would result in significantly greater stress to one’s internal systems! I didn’t think that my understanding was particularly comprehensive, but I was unable to see any obvious holes in this logic.
“It appears you have grasped the concept,” Teodore said. “As modern research into the specifics of increasing capacity for mana conversion is sorely lacking, for what I hope are obvious reasons, take my words with a measure of caution. What we do know from records of experiments undertaken in the past is that participants in trials involving mana manipulation consistently experienced adverse physiological reactions, with the most severe cases resulting in death. While the extant accounts cite the cause of death as ‘unknown,’ can we truly dismiss the likelihood that it was the overloading of the body’s natural mana conversion process that led to these fatalities?”
Adverse physiological reactions resulting in death. My eyes immediately flew to Flora. Observing her faintly rosy complexion and the gentle rise and fall of her chest, I was once again reminded of how close she had come to death. We still lacked proof that mana manipulation was the cause, but her case did indeed seem highly suspect. Ever since this morning, she had been looking worse for wear, and every time she had cast a spell, it had appeared to be draining her very life away. This only raised the question...
“Why would she engage in something so dangerous?” I muttered more to myself than to anyone else in the room. Especially when she is already a powerful holy mage?
My brow furrowed in confusion. Given Flora’s usual prowess, she would have been more than capable of competing in the Saintly Trials without needing to augment her abilities in the least. I had seen with my own eyes the countless times she’d healed seemingly incurable injuries and wounds without breaking a sweat. While it was true that she had failed the Celestian Saintly Trials by narrow margins, that didn’t mean she was outclassed by any of the candidates I’d seen today...
The more I thought about it, the less sense it made. Flora especially was nothing if not cautious, so why would she willingly take on such a certain and enormous risk?
Ed opened his mouth to speak. “Perhaps she was just extremely determined to become the Saint? I’m not familiar with her usual degree of competence, but is it possible that she sought to tip the scales in her favor in whatever way she could?”
“I suppose so, but...” I trailed off, the furrows in my brow deepening. “Then what was her plan for after the trials? Imagine that she had won, only for her health to be in such ruin that she’d perished shortly thereafter. Was a single moment of glory truly worth that much to her?”
“That’s a good point,” Ed concurred. “I don’t think it would be worth it.”
I cast my gaze towards Teodore. His lips were curved into a devious smile; evidently, he had already arrived at his conclusion. “Do you have an idea, Teodore?” I asked, giving in to his silent prompting.
“I do,” he replied simply. “But an idea is all it is, and nothing more.”
“That’s all right. I wouldn’t ask you to speak on such things with absolute certainty. Please, share your thoughts.”
He dipped his head in a gesture of graciousness. “As Your Highness wills,” he said before raising his head, revealing an even crueler expression than before. “In the opinion of this humble lordling, Lady Flora never possessed the ability required of a Saintly candidate in the first place. Thus, she had to resort to mana manipulation, for without it, she wouldn’t have been able to compete at all.”
“What?” both Ed and I gasped. Neither of us felt capable of approaching the underlying assumption of this theory, but Teodore articulated this shocking statement as if it were nothing. Extraordinary claims required extraordinary evidence, so I looked to him to explain.