Source

The **source** is the source of mana and magic in humans.

## Abilities

Humans connect to the Echo through the source by virtue of the spirit. It is the source of mana to the human body and the junction of all mana circuits within the body. It converts ether in the surrounding area to mana and circulates it throughout the body utilizing the mana circuits.

The source is only detectable through specialized magic. Being made of ether and mana, it lacks any mass or volume.

Grimoires are tied to the source of their owner at the time of creation. This fact makes it incredibly difficult to steal a grimoire from a mature magician. The source also provides mana to the grimoire, enabling its growth and allowing the magician to utilize more of its power.

## Construction

The source is made of two parts: a spirit and a shade. The spirit is the eternal portion of a person. It establishes the very basic essence of that person. It influences a person's behavior and personality through gentle interference. The natural alignment remains constant throughout reincarnations. However, the alignment is unknown to the person and exceedingly difficult to identify. The process is possible, though, but the influence of the spirit drastically increases to the point of complete compulsion.

The shade is the amalgamation of a person's experience in life. It is created following the first breath taken and stops developing at the point of permanent death. It collects the mannerisms and memories during life, and it is affected by the influence given off by the spirit.

Following death, the spirit and shade irrevocably separate due to damage to the source. The spirit returns to the Echo for reincarnation, while the shade remains on Earth. Although the shade is permanently present at a place closely associated with the person, it is impossible to interact with the shade. Particularly traumatic or untimely deaths can cause the shade to change into a ghost, leading to haunted locations.

## Dangers

The source is highly susceptible to high levels of ether. Although the source converts ether into mana on its own, its capacity for conversion is limited. The source can easily be overwhelmed by excessive amounts of ether, and that damage will be passed down to the mana circuits.

Minor damage to mana circuits has both physical and magical effects. Fatigue and minor pain have been noted, and magicians suffer from decreased ability to use magic. Most minor damage will heal on its own and generally does not require medical intervention.

Moderate damage increases the severity of the symptoms. In addition to fatigue and pain, the person starts to suffer decline in cognitive function. Magicians experience severe disruptions in their mana, and the potential for failed spells increases. Medical intervention is required to treat moderate damage, though the risk of death is reduced.

Major damage to the source and mana circuits rarely occurs, and any situation that could result in major damage would be life-threatening on its own. The body starts to suffer rapid deterioration in biological function, and magicians are completely unable to use magic. Strong and active medical attention is required at this stage, and even then, the chance of death is high at almost 80%.

## Reincarnation

It is theoretically possible for a person to reincarnate into a new body with their previous memories intact. This requires the source to be undamaged throughout the process of death, and as such, there are no confirmed cases of perfect reincarnation. Death causes damage to the source, causing the two portions of the source to separate.

Despite this, there have been reports of incomplete separation of spirit and shade, resulting in fragmentary memories being passed to the next generation. These memories are not immediately or voluntarily accessible by the person, simply enabling a sense of familiarity in an unfamiliar location or situation.

## History

The source was first identified in the late 5th century in Constantinople. A magician named Hypatius, known for his spellcrafting, created a new spell in order to trace mana in the human body. It was through this spell that he identified both mana circuits and a junction of those circuits which he named the *thymos* after the Platonic part of the soul governing emotion and spiritedness.