Chapter 8: Chapter 18: The Mystery of Mana
After that ten hours of hell, we did get some independent studies. Cy and Lux started discussing about magic and finesse trick. For me I start researching two things.
Good to know that Phantasia's had a site in English...somehow.
First is the nature of Mana. I looked through the papers using the hi-tech computer that was stored in the Van's hidden shelves. I also opened some fast flowing music. Monster and hostile dangers aside. Phantasia did have some rocking music taste unlike some earthling with pitiful artistic sense.
Thinking about them, I opened up some news about Earth. It appeared that Earth was the largest civilization in recent history to join Phantasia. This was both bad and good news. Good because of the opportunities and bad because of dozens Phantasia's denizen aiming to make Earth their newest bread basket.
So far, North Korea and sixty percent of South Korea had fallen to a joint assault by the Demonic Continent assault force and the mega cooperation called Emma Enterprise. They would took a bite out of China and swallowed up Taiwan as well if not for the fact the Olympian, Heavenly Empire and the Asgardian calling outrage. Not to mention the Heavenly Host joined in with the argument. At this point Earth was a piece of meat between jackles.
Personally, I was glad. North Korea was finally kicking the bucket and latest news said that Myanmar was on fire after its refused Emma's ambassador. Two less idiotic regime for the world to worry about. Although, I felt bad for Taiwan and South Korea.
As for Ra and the Egypt land...let say it complete silence on another end of the continent.
After the emergency pantheonic hearing, the United Nation signed a trade deal with Olympus--namely the Terra United Deal. The deal was signed in front of all representative of Phantasia and guaranteed by the Heavenly Emperor himself. The first clause of deal enforced the discount in trade of resources between the Olympus's vessel state and UN. The second clause request that UN joined the Olympian's and their allies as junior members. The third cause stressed that the right and safety of all citizens and parties will be recognized. This would guaranteed Earth's independence and rights of the citizens and governments, while allowing the gods and their vessel access to its resources and market. A pretty generous offer. So far US and Europe already signed on. The Middle East and some part of Asia resisted just to be eaten instantly by Enma Enterprises the moment they declared it. China, being the crafty bunch, asked for some time to considered the deal. This moved force the Demonic Continent and Emma into a stand still since they didn't want to waste resource moving troops into a country that could join Terra United Deal at any moment
Jeane and the gang backed at home would pop the corked in an instant. They were a tad too patriotic. Seriously, seeing what Scathach was capable off, this compromise was too good to be true. I expected Zues to go Alexander the Great and conquered the entire world while the other godly beings to took a shiny bite out of the rest. Washington would be thinking the same thing without a doubt. That would likely be the reason the deal got pass so quickly with only a week of skimming through the loopholes. Power-hungry as they were, the congress is still sane, they knew it was this deal or go down like North Korea. Germany and the rest of the world power also knew it too.
But when did Zues, Mr. I-rape-every-woman-in-miles, suddenly grew a fruit of generosity and fairness? I suspected the seed had been planted when Good itself sacked Olympus and castrate punched him.
So Earth was more or less safe at the moment.
My eye caught one document. I opened the link to it and gulped. It was about a murder of a journalist that linked to another article. The article that...oh hell. I need to show this to Lux sooner or later and I don't want to be there. But she had to know. This was one mass up piece of crap.
The mana research yielded less positive result.
"A quantifiable amount of energy present in a living organism positively correlate with age, biomass and ancestry." I scrolled through the paper. "The data seemed solid enough." I kept reading until I hit a particularly interesting line. "High amount of Mana result in psychosis and hallucination. You meant somehow an energy generate a similar biochemical effect to LSD?"
That was interesting. Someone ought to notice this for a long time. So I decided to research the historical significance of mana before scientist categorized it. Knowing the subject history was a necessary way to directed a course into studying it.
I had to said it is a up hill battle. Most of the religious site asked me to convert. Now I understood why the scientist never cared about mana history. These guys was truly and completely fanatic. Most of their prophetic vision was about burning of heretic or punishment of god and salvation of the believer--totally biased.
Until I stumbled into this story.
"An orphan girl in Grand Empire accidentally fall into a concentrate vien of Mana. After getting rescue she claimed, she had a vision of her dead mother, something she wish for since childhood, telling her she was proud and asking her to move away from the border for her safety. Three weeks later a region of monster from Smu'ag destroyed the settlement. No one can explain what happen. The girl never received contact with any religion or god."
I was not an expert in this.
"Hey Cy, what do you think about this story?"
Cy and Lux leaned over my shoulder while reading the article.
"I heard of something similar. This is an outlier case." Cytortia said. "Sometimes people experience a vision that come true from mana overdose."
"There must be a pattern." I asked myself. "Why did one scientist went insane from Psychosis but a girl survive ten time the amount unscathed? Why did a groups of Priest experience the same vision during the prayer ceremony and two scientist killed each other from insanity."
Lux's eyes light up.
"You are claiming that scientists all experience some form of lethal or non-lethal psychosis but anyone else survive."
"Nah, most people, not just the scientist, went insane." Our goddess said.
"Did those people sided with the scientific community?" I asked Cy.
"Yes," she reluctantly admitted. "Now that you said it, there is a divide. Religion inclined people often see theirs god giving them riches or fortunes. Some corrupted priest see a horrifying vision of hell while other see a path to redemption." She sighed. "Typical faith."
"Wait a minute," Lux said quizzically. "What type of priest saw hell?"
"The type who turned out to be corrupted." Cy answered. "They claimed it a punishment from god."
"Then the type who see redemption?"
"Err," Cy struggled. "Most of them are the type who gave themselves in after committing the crime because they cannot live with their sin."
"The type of people who wanted redemption." I concluded.
"So they see what they want to believe." Lux answered.
"You could put it that way." Cy agreed. "Why are you researching this?"
"Salvation I guess." I turned toward the screen. It made sense.
The religion was too biased or afraid to explain the mechanism of their grand vision. The scientific side who could explain it see what they want to see--a nonsense that was unhealthy to anyone foolish enough to try. Thus, mana remained a mystery beyond comprehension because the comprehensor polluted it with their wish.
"Hey Cy," I asked her. "Are there any source of high density mana around here? And please tell me Scathach knew about hypnotism."
...
Turn out there was a spring of condense mana in the cave near here. It was a place for restoring energy and magic but today it was an experimental site.
"Kid, you are the first to do something this stupid willingly," Scathach said drawing a rune on my forehead. "You would likely go insane by doing this."
Cy and Lux nodded in agreement but, given that they still holding the rope, they were more or less in.
"That is where the hypnotic trigger come in," I answered tying myself with the rope. "When I dived in this well. The mana will show me what I wan't to see if my hypothesis is correct. Scathach, do you set the trigger as I request."
"Yes, when you jump into that spring. The Hypnotic triggered will cause your mind to go into a deep sleep with only one thought in mind. But I have to tell you 'I want to see the truth' was a strange choice."
I stepped on the edge of the pool and clear my head. The water shined like moonlight and smell like spring. I couldn't see myself reflect from the surface at all. Let hope I was right and this trip could yield something.
"On my word," I said so that I couldn't blackout. "Three! Two! One!"
I leaped into the pool showing a 'V' sign as a testament of the confidence I didn't have.
Then darkness followed.
...
I was diving through the clouds and the clear skies.
Around me was spec of light beckoning me to join them.
I dove toward them and into a portal of light that was forming in front of me.
A blinding flashes followed.
I found myself floating in empty space witnessing wonders.
The stream of light like blood vessels were entwining countless bubbles in the room. I swum toward one of the bubbles. Then I discovered the truth. It was not a bubbles at all...
It was a world. A planet. I could feel everything happening on it. The crashing of waves, the roared of animal and the movement of magma.
I looked around the room.
No. Bloody. Way. All of theses bubbles... these countless infinite expanse of bubbly heavens were the collection of worlds. But then where was Phantasia?
And I found it.
It was a massive ball suspended like a crown jewel in the middle of the room. I swum, leaving traces of rainbow aurora in my wake to touched it only to contact the barrier of that familiar spec of light. Those light was so warm and I could perfectly feel what it was.
It was a living particle of energy which form a massive river connecting the multiverse. The river which fill to the brim with hope, intent, ambition, dream and love. It was like a strand of life from very consciousness of the multiverse. Each person, each beings, each phenomenons fueled the strand with their continue existence and in turn be fueled by its through a channel that connected them to the great flow. Every worlds were connected and saturated by these channel. It is a symbiotic relationship that linked everything and everyone with each other while filling it with miracle of life and strength.
This was mana.
Brushing it as energy would like calling a star hot. A gross underestimation of it importance and huge disappointment to its complexity and potential.
But before I could get anymore information and headache hit me like a brick.
...
I gasped for air.
'My lord, this was totally amazing. You had to see this for yourself.'
The liquid energy, each drop containing the multiverse's potential, rolled from my body and into the ground. What a waste. I must not let anyone knew about this waste of multiversal resource. The environmentalist would never let me hear the end of it. And given the dream and hope it contained, I, in good conscience, would have to accept any kind of flogging recieve for this capital offense.
I pulled myself from the pool.
"Bucket please?" I said. "Or a tub. Anything."
"Why?" All three clueless women asked me.
"Resource conservation," I said. "This thing did get recycle but let it dripped to the ground without at trying to salvage it was a sign of grave disrespect."
"Rem," Cy said in placating tone. "It just liquid energy. A natural phenomenon for people to recharge their magic power. It would get refill overtime. Calm down."
Wait a minute... did she just called the very glue that held everything from the cosmic forces to the very society a disposable resource? No wonder mana gave those scientist LSD. They were totally asking for it.
I gave up. I couldn't accept what could totally be described as scientific ignorant on the cosmic scale. Calmed down Rem, remembered that imaged. Remembered how it connected everything. Remembered how it communicated and responded to your called.
I closed my eyes and tried to look at the mana as it is. Not as energy locked inside a lame container, but medium of cosmic miracle connecting me to the very energy vein of the multiverse. It's a living stardust woven around each of us in a symbiotic relationship. Maybe, just maybe, the mana around me could gave me a hint. Hey buddy, help me a bit okay.
My lord, h-how did you do it. You just discovered a skill: [Existence Comprehension (A)].
Yep, energy current just blink into existence. Wow, seeing the world like this was both revealing and confusing. Was this how snakes see things. No wonder they were such a good predator. Those ingenious reptile simply operated on unfair advantage.
Meanwhile, Mana, being a friendly lot, responded to my request. Yes, that right, a request. Not an order like what spell essentially is. I was not those savages who forced a conscious being to do my whim. Those barbarian, essentially every mage, currently looked like cat abuser in my eyes.
Funny what truth and new perspective did to someone.
The three stooges gaped as liquid mana floated of form my skin in a misty droplet before gathering to form a gravity defying river of liquid energy which flow majestically back into the pool. I stepped back on the rocky ground, still in my speedo, perfectly dry.
For the first time since I knew her, Scathach was speechless.
"High-level mana manipulation," her mouth hanged open. "You managed it that smoothly on your first try without any tuition. This is impossible. Even true genius couldn't do this. How did you do it?"
I raised an eyebrow. Yep, the massive amount of mana around her was in full blown panic. Wow, now that I thought about it, being able to communicate with mana mean that I am basically an omniscience detector. Awesome. If I had this perspective when fighting Luxinna, the fight would end very differently.
But let answered her question.
"How? I simply ask."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
JWL09
JWL09 From the author perspective this marked a huge turning point. In Arc one you see Rem possessing the cheat, most Wuxia would ran this to the end of the world and kill the narrative.
Not this one. Even the most versatile power can defeated by expert mastery of mana. The main exploration of power have begins. And thank to Naru for voting
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