“Now that we’ve gone over the theory, let’s dive into how it works in practice,” Curiosity announced.


    “Just as every possibility has both a distance and a direction from reality, so does mana. In the case of distance, it can naturally be equated to mana’s [Potential]. As for direction, this is where things get a bit more interesting…


    “But before I explain further, can you be a good spirit and remind me of the levels of intensity?” asked Curiosity, returning the little spirit’s ability to speak.


    Unprepared for the sudden quiz, Chara was momentarily stunned before answering, “Um… they are, reserved, normal, and spell mana?”


    “Correct~! Oh, and one more question: where does mana come from?” Curiosity asked again.


    “Err… From the mana core?” Chara hazarded, recalling from the intensity explanation.


    “Correct again~!” Curiosity swirled happily. “What I’m trying to get at is… all newly generated mana is initially reserved mana. That is, mana in its purest form,” she stated as she conjured a wisp of reserved mana.


    “As the purest form of possibility, reserved mana has the potential to manifest absolutely anything. And yet, due to this very same characteristic, coupled with the myriad number of possibilities, it becomes ultimately unable to settle on just one, resulting in its usual inertness,” she narrated dispiritedly.


    The iridescent wisp of mana swirled melodramatically, as if it was unable to withstand its very own state of existence. It was too pitiful.


    The little spirit stared blankly.


    “Nevertheless, as this reserved mana flows from one place to another, and encounters various kinds of phenomena, it gradually starts to form a preference, favoring certain possibilities over others. And when this preference reaches a critical point, something fascinating happens!” clamored Curiosity.


    Suddenly, the wisp of reserved mana churned mysteriously, its iridescence fading, and its color deepening. In the next moment, it evoked a gentle and refreshing feeling, like the color of water.


    “The reserved mana will naturally allocate some of its [Potential] to manifest what is known as an [Identity] and transition into becoming normal mana,” Curiosity finally revealed.


    The newly converted normal mana did a little spin before bursting into a magnificent shower of illusory water droplets that sparkled before fading.


    <i>Identity…? </i>A picture of Chara’s state ID popped into her mind. She didn’t have a driver’s license.


    “Yes,” affirmed the swirling teacher. “[Identity] is like the personality of a mana particle. You can think of it as an inclination towards expressing its potential in a particular way. And the most basic form of identity is an [Element].”


    <i>Ah… it finally came! </i>The little spirit swirled to attention.


    She had been waiting for the curiosity spirit to talk about elements… practically since the lesson started. But instead, she was taught about casting, set up for failure, and then forced to attend make-up lessons! She had been thoroughly wronged!


    “Oh~? It looks like you already have some idea of what I’m talking about,” Curiosity keenly observed.


    “Then how about this. Since you are so smart, I’m going to give you a little quiz. Do you think you can pass it~?” she provoked in a teasing tone.


    The little spirit glared without realizing it. How could she stand being underestimated and treated like a child?


    “Yes!” answered Chara.


    “Great. Then, list out the eight [Elements], one by one, while I fill them in on this diagram,” declared Curiosity while shifting to the side and lifting the ominous black rock.


    Chara’s gaze focused on the blank diagram. Upon reflection, she noted that the table indeed had eight spaces, corresponding precisely to the number of elements. While she had yet to discover fire, she assumed it existed.


    “Water!”


    Without hesitation, the curiosity spirit positioned her weapon of choice in front of the bottom-most space where she quickly doodled some stylized waves.


    “Ice!”


    The greater spirit repositioned her rock to the cell neighboring water from the left and drew some simplified snowflakes.


    “Fire!”


    The swirling teacher shifted her attention onto the cell on the opposite side of the chart, directly across from ice, and quickly drew a crude-looking flame.


    “Earth!”


    Curiosity sketched another crudely drawn rock.


    “Lightning!”


    Curiosity drew three zigzagging bolts.


    “Wind!”


    Curiosity squiggled some lines.


    As the little spirit listed the names of various elements, the floating rock skipped across the whiteboard, leaving behind sloppy yet recognizable doodles. However, when she got to the element of “darkness,” the greater spirit stopped, and took nearly two minutes to fill in the entire bottom half of the inner circle until it was completely black.


    “Light!”


    The swirling teacher drew what looked like a stylized sun on the top half of the inner circle, right above the darkness element. When she was done, she gently lowered her writing utensil on top of her desk.


    Chara had listed out all of the elements, and the map was complete.


    Sensing her student’s expectant gaze, the curiosity spirit hummed in amusement and lathered her full of praise. “Wow. How did you become sooo smart~? Is it because your swirling is so neat and organized~? Or could it be, that you’re aspiring to be a wisdom spirit?”


    In response, Chara’s mana swelled with confidence and pride. To be honest, she didn’t entirely understand the greater spirit’s compliments, but she thought they sounded kind of nice.


    “Anyways, since you answered all the elements correctly, I’m going to ask you one last question~! Do you think you can answer this one? This one is worth extra credit~!” Curiosity taunted playfully.


    “Yes~!” Chara answered confidently.


    “Great~! My question is: what are [Elements]?”


    The little spirit’s swirling gradually slowed, her rippling ceased, and she stared back at her in puzzlement. Evidently, she had never given this topic even the slightest thought.


    “Awww~! It looks like Baby doesn’t know~! That’s too bad~! Fortunately, she has the smart and capable Me, here to teach her~!” the curiosity spirit let out a childish giggle.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Feeling humiliated, Chara glared at her, even whilst her mana trembled in embarrassment.


    “Ahem~!” Forcefully changing the subject, Curiosity asserted, “I do think it’s important to understand what an element is—to at least some degree—in order to get the most out of mana. So, with that out of the way, it’s time to answer the fundamental question: what is an [Element]?” she announced.


    “Previously, I had described both possibilities and mana as having a ‘direction from reality.’ But, do you have any idea what these ‘directions’ are actually pointing at?


    “In the case of possibilities, it’s the possibilities themselves that are the thing being pointed at, from reality, so you don’t generally have to think about it. But what about [Elements]? Do you have any idea what they’re pointing at?” she asked in a curious voice.


    <i>How would I know. I only learned about them just recently… </i>Chara lampooned inwardly.


    “No,” she responded succinctly.


    Curiosity continued, “Well, think of it like this. If mana is possibility, and reality is the outcome of all preceding possibilities, then [Elements] are variations of identity that represent the eight most ubiquitous outcomes observed across all of reality. Those being:


    “Becoming a solid, liquid, or gas,” she gestured at the doodles representing the earth, water and wind elements.


    “Gaining or losing heat,” she gestured at the doodles representing the fire and ice elements.


    “Transmitting an electric current,” she pointed at the trio of lightning bolts.


    “And radiating or absorbing light,” she pointed at the two middle sections representing light and dark elements.


    As she finished listing them out, she fixed her steady gaze on Chara and spoke. “If you are to take away one thing from this lesson, it should definitely be these. These outcomes hold immense significance! I strongly recommend that you memorize them as best as possible,” she advised earnestly.


    After repeating them one more time, the swirling teacher continued, “Keep in mind that the [Elements] don’t necessarily represent the outcomes themselves but are more like the focal points for mana’s innate tendency to converge toward the outcomes that were already bound to happen eventually. This, in turn, naturally favors possibilities that are adjacent to these outcomes, making them easier to manifest.”


    <i>So, sort of like the paths of least resistance… </i>Chara simplified. However, after a moment of contemplation, she grew puzzled and asked, “What makes a possibility adjacent to one of these outcomes, or um, elements, and why does that make it easier to manifest?”


    The curiosity spirit, thrilled that her student had not only grasped the content of her lecture but had also considered its underlying implications, swished with delight.


    “Well, to be ‘adjacent’ can mean a couple of different things, such as being nearby, sharing a common end point, or coming directly before or after something. Among which, the distinction doesn’t really matter.


    “What’s truly important is that for a possibility to fit any of these definitions, it would need to have a similar ‘direction from reality’ as the outcome its being compared to,” she stated using a much steadier voice.


    “As for why this makes them easier to manifest… I mean, think about it. Mana exerts effort while possibilities require effort to manifest. So, if an element of mana exerts a certain type of effort that generally results in a certain type of outcome—for example, fire element mana making things gain heat—then you won’t have to do much in the way of casting to convince that element of mana to manifest a possibility that involves doing that exact same thing,” she explained thoroughly.


    “I see. But wouldn’t assessing whether a possibility is adjacent to an element of mana every time you need to cast be incredibly inconvenient?” Chara asked incredulously.


    Chara felt the swirling teacher’s gaze become slightly more intense. She had no way of knowing what the curiosity spirit was thinking, and yet, she couldn’t help but feel like the gaze being directed at her was one looking at something silly.


    After a long pause, Curiosity asked in a mischievous voice. “Little spirit, tell me. What is the similarity between washing a giant boulder, washing a copper plate, washing a copper plate using a tub of acid, and washing a piece of furniture?”


    “Err… that they all involve the principle of washing?” Chara answered while feeling a sense of foreboding.


    “Oh-ho~? So you still remember about principles~! Great~! Then, could you remind me of the second step of casting?” requested Curiosity with even greater amusement.


    The little spirit’s premonition grew stronger. She began to feel apprehensive about acquiescing to the teacher’s arrangement.


    “That is… to perform an invocation, or action, that clearly expresses the desired effect of a spell’s underlying… principle. Oh…” she trailed off in realization.


    Once again, the curiosity spirit burst into a fit of giggles, making the little spirit feel very embarrassed.


    “No, you would not stop to assess whether a possibility is adjacent to an element of mana every time you need to cast,” Curiosity repeated word for word. “That would be extraordinarily inconvenient. Instead, you would only do that for a specific set of principles, and you would do it looooooong before the time of casting.


    “You see, unlike possibilities, which are in constant flux and ever-changing: principles are relatively constant. It does not matter what is being washed; when, where, or why it is happening; or who is the one doing it. The principle of washing will always constitute the act of cleansing, generally using water or some other liquid. And since liquid is the outcome represented by water element, that would make the principle of ‘washing’ adjacent to this element, making it suitable for casting spells based on this principle.


    “Once you had confirmed this fact, you could then go on to use this principle for a myriad of different spells—without ever having to worry about millions of minor variations or whether you were using the wrong element of mana~!” she advised playfully.


    <i>I see…</i> The little spirit bobbed up and down to convey her understanding.


    <i>But what do you do if a principle is adjacent to multiple different elements? And what happens if a principle isn’t adjacent to any of them? </i>Various questions bubbled up in Baby’s mind one after another, despite still feeling a bit embarrassed. However, after being made fun of two times in a row, she had become too afraid to ask.


    Curiosity, not entirely unaware of this, observed her with a hint of expectation. Nevertheless, she did not satisfy her student’s curiosity. After all, how could Baby cultivate her own sense of curiosity if she never had the urge to investigate for herself? Answers always needed to be kept just out of reach!


    After a short respite, the swirling teacher introduced the next topic. “Moving on from elements, we have the other more advanced form of identity known as an [Essence].”


    Chara perked up. For a while now, she had known that her teacher was a [Curiosity Essence Spirit]. However, this information hadn’t been of much use as she didn’t know what an ‘essence’ was. As it turned out, it had been a type of mana.


    <i>Does this mean that Curiosity is made out of curiosity essence mana and not water element mana—like I previously assumed?</i> Chara theorized silently.


    “Now, given that [Essences] are just another form of identity, you might be wondering why I referred to them as being more advanced than elements?” supposed Curiosity.


    The little spirit hadn’t wondered this, but it was a good question.


    “You see, unlike elements, which embody self-contained and independent outcomes, [Essences] use the outcomes represented by elements as starting points to then build upon, and manifest more detailed and complex possibilities.


    “For example, rather than trying to conjure the abstract concept of music, like you might do for air using wind element mana, you would conjure music using air. Or rather than trying to conjure the abstract concept of castle, you would conjure a castle out of earth,” the swirling teacher illustrated playfully.


    “Due to this derivative nature, essences are often described as having a parent element, or as being the child or essence of another element. For example, the parent of tranquility essence is darkness. Meanwhile sound essence is a child of wind element, while curiosity is an essence of water,” explained the curiosity spirit while swirling proudly.


    <i>Oh, I was right…</i> Chara inwardly pumped her fist.


    “It’s not like you can’t manifest tranquility or sound without using the corresponding essence mana. It’s just that trying to do it using its parent element will naturally be a lot less precise, less efficient, and more likely to fail—! And this is merely achieving the result, let alone trying to make minor adjustments!” the essence spirit criticized, not at all hiding her bias against elemental mana.


    “In addition to this, [Essences] also have one other major difference that sets them apart from elements. Namely, that they aren’t limited to just eight—or even appear to have a fixed number~!


    “Like elements, [Essences] also represent distinct outcomes. And yet, as beings discover new interests, new possibilities, and new ways to use mana, the number of essences grows evermore~!” Curiosity exclaimed proudly.


    “Does this mean you can create new essences?” Chara inquired sheepishly.


    “Almost certainly. Though, I think trying to do it artificially might be next to impossible,” responded the swirling teacher.


    “Why?” Chara asked.


    Curiosity pondered for a moment and then spoke, “Although they might not be as ubiquitous as the eight elements, every essence that I’m aware of represents a concept that’s at least… somewhat prominent? They all embody things that either exist across a vast number of places, affect an uncountable number of lives, or garner an immense amount of interest. And not just momentarily but both historically and to the current day.


    “For this reason, I strongly believe that essences must embody something prominent! Because if it’s not at least as prominent as the floor of this classroom, which embodies the state of being solid, then wouldn’t any nearby undecided reserved mana decide to become earth mana instead? So, although I may not know the exact criteria for what qualifies as an essence, I think it’s pretty safe to rule out anything that’s too insignificant.


    “For similar but opposite reasons, I also think it’s safe to rule out anything that’s too broad. Mana identity is practically a fixation on a particular outcome. So if the outcome is too broad and unspecific, then what is the mana supposed to fixate on? Every spirit understands the concept of ‘movement.’ And yet, has there ever been such a thing as movement essence?”


    “Has there?” Chara asked.


    “There definitely hasn’t!” the swirling teacher denied vehemently.