Recovered from the ruins of the Forgotten Sanctum, this manuscript predates recorded magical history. Its author, known only as Arkanis, describes a theory of mana unlike any accepted by scholars of the modern age. The following passages are translated from the original text, which was deemed heretical and sealed away.I have seen mana not as the scholars preach, not as the priests bless, nor as the mages wield. They call it the lifeblood of the world, a flowing river of the gods' will. But I tell you, mana is neither divine nor mystical. It is the very foundation of existence—smaller than dust, unseen by the eye, yet more fundamental than any element known to man.The truth is simple yet terrifying. Mana is not a fluid, but a particle. It is the building block from which all things emerge. Those who wield magic do not summon an ethereal force, but instead manipulate the unseen, commanding what they do not understand.Conduits take mana from their surroundings, bending it to their will with formulas they do not know they create. Cores are different—they generate mana within themselves, a spinning core within their very being that accumulates and refines the unseen particles. This self-generated mana is harnessed directly for casting spells upon themselves, allowing them to use their refined mana to fuel their magic without relying on the world's supply. But mana is more than mere fuel for spells. It matters; it is energy—it is both and neither. What we call fire is the excitation of these particles into heat. We call creation the forced assembly of mana into the elements that form our world. With knowledge, one could transmute stone into gold or, from nothing, forge the very stars themselves. I write these words knowing they will be burned, for the world does not accept truths that shake its foundations. Those who cling to power fear understanding. But should this manuscript survive, let it be known—magic is not a mystery. It is science, waiting to be unraveled.The manuscript ends abruptly, its remaining pages lost to time. Scholars dismiss it as the ravings of a madman who did not understand what he was talking about. But to those who seek the truth, it is a beacon—a forgotten truth, waiting to be rediscovered...