"To grasp the origin of magic, you must first understand its essence. Magic is not a singular force but a duality—two distinct ways of shaping the unseen into reality: Projection and Casting."
"But what is being used for these two methods?"
Ooh. Ooh I know! It's mana-
"Mana Bose-Einstein Condensate, The formula being:"
L = ∂ₘϕ*∂ᵐϕ - m²ϕ*ϕ - λ(ϕ*ϕ)² + L_int
The class answered.
…
"Great. Now how does one project their M⁰-BEC?"
Lysandra raises her hand…
"It is to control the BEC Formation. This is when a mage excites local M⁰-bosons via neural QT with their brain acting as a thaumic emitter. They will then cohere the particles into a macroscopic quantum state, forming the "circle" or as we call mana-zone. One's diameter depends on coherence length of the BEC, Ambient mana density and Stabilization of the field via topological defects."
"The equation that governs this is:"
iħ ∂ψ(𝐫,t)/∂t = [-(ħ²/2m)∇² + V_ext(𝐫) + g|ψ(𝐫,t)|²] ψ(𝐫,t)
"But, I'm sure you will teach us to forge polygonal shields within our mana zone."
"Yes. I will, unless you would like me to quickly explain it now?"
The class votes for him to do so:
"Alright. Alright. you must engineer topological defects—pinning vortices in the BEC's wave function by neural QT, then only sculpting the edges via phase-shifted interference. A triangle, the most basic form of shielding, requires three precisely placed singularities at 30° intervals."
"Its stability is dictated by the coherence length and ambient mana pressure; triangles fracture under resonance, while irregular polygons demand synaptic precision to avoid wave function collapse. The shield's strength hinges on defect alignment: too few vortices, and incoming spells slip through the gaps; too many, and your brain's thaumic emitter overheats, reducing your consciousness to a vegetable eigenstate."
He writes on the board:
Shield Stability Equation:
𝒮 = ξₚ √(2πρ/ℏ) × exp( -(𝒟 - 𝒟ₒ) / kₛ ) - Γᵣ ∫|ψᵥ|² dA
Wave function Collapse Condition (Failure Condition):
|Ψ⟩ = (1/√2)(|Alive⟩ + |Vegetable⟩) when 𝒟 > 𝒟ₒ + 3kₛ
"Remember these equations as your life depends on them."
A cough before he continues...
"Professor Aldrick will teach you selective defense instead of the inefficient projection of your mana across your entire "zone". You will learn to coordinately place barriers in the trajectory of incoming spells, saving mana and brain power."
…
"Getting back on track. Who can explain casting mana?"
Kael answers next…
"Through Mana-Mediated Electroweak Transduction, a mage injects a M⁰-BEC of pseudo-scalar bosons into atomic nuclei via electroweak coupling. The mage's QCD Color Charge perturbs the nuclear shell model, temporarily modifying valence quark orbitals and inducing β± decay or isomeric transition in the target nuclei, releases energy in the form of transmuted elements, corresponding to the mage's elemental affinity. Shouting one's spell can provide a better mental image of the spell being casted and therefore allowing less strain on the brain."
"Mana-Mediated Electroweak Transduction Equation being:"
ℳ_cast = gₑₘ〈ϕ|ψₙ〉 × exp(-ΔE/kTₘ) + η⋅Re(𝒱_verbal).
"And Elemental Output:"
Q = ∫ ( |M₁→₂|² × ρₘ ) dE
"Amazing explanation Kael. In fact, the ones with the sufficient mental capacity can perform incantation-less casting if they train sufficiently."
…
I—
I don't know what I know anymore.
Magic was never meant to be equations. It was meant to be a wonder—the whisper of true names, the weight of intent, the trembling of the unseen. Intent. Incantation. Invocation. That was the holy trinity. Not… manipulating exotic matter like some lab-coated conjurer.
I grew up believing in spells carved from willpower, in rituals older than reason. My childhood game—the one with the leather-bound tomes and candlelights—taught me that magic was mystery, not mechanics. It was the shudder in your veins when the dark answered back.
So why… Why is this world's magic just another branch of science?
Why do the mages here speak of "thaumic emitter" and "mana-mediated electroweak transduction"?
Why do their circles gleam with sterile precision, their incantations reduced to algorithms? Where are the gods in their calculations? Where is the terror?
I feel like a ghost haunting the wrong era. They've dissected the numinous into variables. They've turned the arcane into homework.
And the worst part? It works.
I wanted to prove my science was superior. Not just correct—necessary. Because if I could reduce magic to equations, to perfect, predictable laws... then maybe I could fill that screaming void in my chest. Maybe I could have rewritten the ending.
Magic should be Magical.
She died in front of me. Not in some grand tragedy, not in a wizarding duel or demonic pact—just cells failing, one after another, while I frantically derived decay rates for healing spells that should have worked.
And now you stand there, robes stinking of incense, telling me her death was just... a lack of study? That if I'd memorized enough musty incantations instead of actual medicine, she'd be alive?
Bullshit.
Bullshit.
Bullshit.
…
"Great. Now we can head onto the origins of these particles. As Leona has explained, during the electroweak phase transition, a fraction of the Higgs field coupled anomalously to a pseudo-scalar field, creating M⁰ bosons as relic particles with mass of ~1 μeV and charge carrying a a fifth gauge group, SU(2)ₘ. This all occurred at about 10⁻³⁶ seconds post BB."
"Now during the Electroweak-Mana Unification at 10⁻¹² seconds after the BB. A brief SU(2)ₘ × U(1)ₓ unification allowed M⁰ bosons to mediate between weak-force bosons (W/Z) and mana fields. This left behind Thaumic Weak Currents and Neutrino-Mana Mixing. This explains how mages exploit residual Wₘ bosons to induce β decay and why some spells emit what we call "ghost light".
Moving to 10⁻⁶ seconds post BB. Fluctuations in the SU(2)ₘ field generated exotic qₘ quarks that bonded with standard quarks via gₘ, modified gluons. These formed mana-hybrid nucleons. Basically protons with "magic valence quarks"."
"This brings us to the fundamental distinction of mages: Our nuclei are intrinsically mana-sensitive due to relic qₘ quarks—exotic particles preserved in atomic structures at ~1 ppm concentrations since the primordial universe. Crucially, only individuals expressing Tau-9 receptor mutations within neural microtubules can neurally trap M⁰ bosons, enabling the BEC formation required for spellcraft and projection.
"This receptor constitutes our biological signature—the solemn marker separating us mages from cultivators in Wǔlín. Elemental affinity manifests through cellular harmonic resonance: Your body's innate vibrational frequency determines initial elemental alignment. Upon achieving absolute mastery of that element, the stabilized frequency enables spontaneous quantum branching—either unlocking a new elemental affinity or permitting evolution along derivative paths e.g., ice from water, plasma from fire."
"All that being said… There you have it. Magic."
Leona raises her hand…
"Archivist. How do we prove this in an exam if the question asks us to provide evidence?"
"Another great question. Just remember these 2 factors. CMB Anomalies where planck data shows vortex patterns in polarization maps, B-mode signatures of primordial M⁰-BEC. And neutron star glitches where sudden spin-ups, increase in heat and energy released may be mana-induced quark rearrangements."
Leona jots it down and nods her head…
"Finally, to end this lecture, I will tell you the tale of the First Mage and The 4 Primordial Spirits."