An excerpt from 'The Principles of mana: The human definition of mana' by Grand Magus Thinrall Published by the Association of Arcane Regulation in the year of 1476:
----------------------------------------
What is Mana?
Is a question every mage has asked themself at least ones.
It's a hard question to answer because the answer to the question can change depending on who you're asking.
For example An Elf might answer that mana is a Beautiful yet terrifying force blessed upon us by their goddess Ehl'taire.
While a Dwarf might answers that mana is the purest form of creation on Terra.
The definition of mana can vary tremendously depending on who you ask. That's why i'm only going to answer this question from a human perspective as i myself am human and do not have any meaningful knowledge of how any other species view mana.
So what is mana? Well by definition mana is the word used to describe an abundance of manacules.
But that isn't a very helpful description so to answer what mana is we first have to answer the question what is a manacule?
A manacule is a particle.
Manacules may be the most unique and at the same most mysterious particle on Terra as it can be found anywhere on Terra yet we still know scarily little about it.
The manacule is so unique in fact that it may not even be a particle as it is twice the size of any other particle but still somehow manages to bond with other particles through a process called Alchemical bonding - when a manacule bonds with any other particles including other manacules - which im going to further explore on page 17.
But the in my humble opinion most interesting and mysterious aspect of the manacule is how adaptable it is to the point that it will even change its form.
why and how this happens is completely unknown.
A manacule changes it's form by splitting of a piece of itself of in a process that looks similar to binary fission the split of piece will then turn into a knew manacule with a different form.
There are 7 different forms a manacule can achieve Pure, Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Light and Dark. A manacule can only achieve each of these form if specific environmental circumstances are met and all of these change the properties of the manacule.
----------------------------------------
Pure Mana
Pure mana also often called environmental mana or spatial mana is mana's neutral form. In this form mana does not have any color and is in fact completely translucent.
Pure mana generally occupies the space in between other forms of mana though it can also be found in places where the other forms are most commonly found.
Pure mana does not influence the elements like all the other forms of mana do pure mana has influence over for man basic yet more complex force time and space. This is actually where pure mana gets it's Spatial mana name from as its is the only elemental needed to perform Dimensional and Force magic and all of their sub forms though that just names a view has pure mana is also used for lots of over magical disciplines.
----------------------------------------
Fire Mana
Fire mana is the form mana enters when it's in an environment with a temperature of 10'C or higher. In this form mana will change it's color to an orange-ish red it's behavior will also become more wild and chaotic as fire manacules move a lot and at a high speed.
the speed of they're movement increase the hotter the environment is.
Fire mana has influence over flames and to some extent also temperature as you can't decrease the temperature by using fire magic only increase it.
To lower the temperature you'd have to use water magic.
As i've already kind of said fire mana is used to create fire magic.
----------------------------------------
Water Mana
Water mana is the form mana enters when in an environment with either a temperature of 5'C or less or with a high moisture.
Water mana is almost the exact opposite of Fire mana it has an oceanic blue color and moves a lot less and at a slower pace compared fire mana.
Water mana tends stick together building little groups.
But Water has another sub form it can achieve Ice mana. This state does not cause it to split apart but instead it simply changes its color slightly to a lighter icy blue. Water manacules achieve this form when the environmental temperature gets below 0'C. In this form the ice manacules slow down and come to an almost complete stop almost imitating Earth manacules. The lower the temperature gets the more the manacules slow down.
Water mana has influence over water and as i've mentioned before also temperature as in you can decrease the temperature using it.
In it's Ice form it even has influence over ice.
Water and ice mana are used to cast water and ice magic each.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
----------------------------------------
Air Mana
Air mana is a hard manacule to define because we do not know the Environmental requirements for mana to take this form though the most accept theory is that Air manacules form anywhere you can find any type of gas such as terra's atmosphere that would explain why air manacules are more more common at an higher altitude and less comment in places if little air like for example in oceans. Air manacules have a light gray color.
Air manacules behave erratically and carefree. Their speed can vary from of only slightly faster than water manacules to faster than fire manacules.
Air manacules tend to stay far away from each other.
Air mana just like water mana has a sub form Lightning mana in this form air mana turns a gray-ish light blue. Like air mana we actually do not know the environmental requirements for air mana to transform into lightning mana.
Lightning manacules have move at an incredibly high speed almost blinking from one spot to the next.
Air mana has influence over all gases, clouds and of course the winds. While Lightning mana has influence over lightning, electricity and electromagnetism.
Air mana is used perform Air magic while Lightning mana is need to cast lightning magic.
----------------------------------------
Earth Mana
Earth mana is the form mana takes when it is inside or near any type of mineral, metal or rock or in a particularly dry area.
This type of mana is most common underground or in dry areas like desserts.
Earth manacules has a dirt brown color and have similar behavior to ice manacules they both move very little though earth manacules don't just move very slowly like ice manacules do earth manacules moves so little that they are more or less just vibrating on the spot.
Like ice manacules earth manacules tend to form groups though their groups are often bigger and pact more densely than ice manacule groups.
Earth mana has influence over any type of rock, metal or mineral and is the used to cast Earth magic.
----------------------------------------
Light Mana
Light mana is a strange element because it's environmental requirements are only half know. The requirements for mana to transform into light mana simple it has to interact with light but that is where it becomes complicated because that does not explain why any manacule that just happens to be in the sun don't just turn into a light manacule. There is no official explanation of this phenomenon though a controversial theory is that light is not pure energy but made up of particles called photons though i myself am doubtful of this theory.
Light manacules have a golden yellow color and move incredibly fast even out pacing lightning manacules though light manacules have nowhere near as erratic move as lightning mana. Light manacules tend to move back and forward in straight lines between the source of light and their destination.
Light mana does not have a sub form but in instead have a special property. Light mana has some healing properties though the light does not outright heal but more encourage cellular growth somehow. These properties are why light magic is often cast in tandem with healing magic.
Light mana has influence over light. Light mana i used to cast Light magic and is also often used to cast illusion magic and is actually the main element used to cast Light healing magic.
----------------------------------------
Dark Mana
Dark mana may be the most deadly and at the same time the most unique and strangest element. The environmental conditions for dark mana are completely unknown for one simple reason where it can be found. Dark mana can only be found in shadowy dark places but that creates more questions than it answers.
If dark mana can only exist in shadowy places than what is stopping any other manacules that happens to be in a shadow from changing in to dark mana?
What are dark manacules interacting with? A shadow by definition is simply the absence of light which would mean that dark manacules form when light is absent which brings us back to the first question.
But that isn't where the questions stop. Like light mana dark mana also has unique properties except dark mana has three all of which are unexplained.
Dark mana has destructive properties that cause rapid cellular decay withing any living organism dark manacules come into contact with.
Dark manacules have a tendency to absorb other mana particles. Dark manacules will move towards all other forms of mana near them and slowly absorb them into themselves.
And by far the dark manacules strangest and most confusing yet at the same time most intriguing mysterious property.
Dark manacules have some type of spatial aspect to them.
Users of Shadow magic can not only manipulate shadows but also enter into them which puts them inside a pocket dimension of sorts called the Dark dimension.
The dark dimension is a places that is described to be a void of endless blackness, inside the dark dimension there only exist dark mana and at a quantity that far exceeds any nexus on earth even the great nexus that covers the entire continent of Pithyria.
In fact the amount of manacules is so massive in the dark dimension that people have reported feeling like trying to swim through mud while inside the dark dimension.
All of these phenomena are completely unexplained and remain to one of the biggest mysteries on terra
Dark manacule have a void black color and move slow, slower than water but faster than ice manacules. Dark manacules tend to stick together forming large groups that are densely packed with manacules.
Dark manacules are used in Shadow and Darkness magic but is also often cast in tandem with combat magic due to it's destructive properties and illusion magic due it's shadow and darkness manipulation.
----------------------------------------
Personal Mana
There actually is an eighth form a manacule can have which by definition is the most unique form of mana there is though i have been using that word a lot so it's probably lost it's meaning.
Personal mana is the form a takes when it interact with an awakened creatures Life Force.
Which is what makes it so unique the life live force contains the mana signature of a being which makes every life force completely unique which means the mana has to adapted to something completely unique which in turn makes the mana completely unique.
Meaning every awakened creature has completely unique form of mana inside them no matter the races or species if it has live force and is awakened it has personal mana.
----------------------------------------
All of these different forms of mana like all other things in nature keep a delicate balance between each other and the smallest of change that balance can have terrible consequences on the magical and non magical biosphere in the area and can make or break the casting of any spell as spell in an environment with an elemental imbalance can cause the whole spell to explode in your face.
But back to the question that started this all What is mana?
Well mana from a human perspective is a beautiful yet mysteries but without a doubt scientific force that shapes reality as we know around us at every moment while at the same time being one of the biggest mysteries on terra.