The Difference Between Mana Artists and Aeons

The following is a research paper written by Elend Darklight for a class in Koreldon Prep. The student was thirteen years old at the time.

Aeons have walked among us for centuries, but few people have bothered to define the differences between us. We know they come from a different planet—probably because they ascended from their own world and travelled through Eternity like the Angels do.

Aeons are also humans, like us. This implies that we share a similar origin story. Our species could have started here, or it could have started on the Aeon homeworld. It also could have begun somewhere else entirely. It’s impossible to say for certain.

In this paper, I’m going to talk about the difference between Aeons and Mana Artists, especially in regards to souls and techniques.

Defining Mana Artists

We should start by defining Mana Artists. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “We’re all Mana Artists!” Until now, the word has been practically synonymous with “human.”

But like I said, we’re not the only humans in this world.

All Mana Artists have a soul, and this serves as a portal to the spiritual realm. (Or the Ethereal, as the Aeons call it. I honestly think that sounds cooler.) These souls exist in a metaphysical state, and they allow mana to flow through our channels.

Souls are measured by a number called mana count (MC) and everyone’s MC starts somewhere between 0 and 800. This number doesn’t represent the total mana count in the Artist’s body. Rather, it’s more like the Artist’s potential. You see, too much mana can kill or cripple us, and our bodies evolved to restrict how much we can pull from the spiritual realm.

When we train, we put our bodies, souls, and channels under stress. This forces them to expand and let in more mana. There are several bottlenecks along the way. For example, at the peak of Foundation (599 MC), your physical body is too weak to support all the mana. But we can use our mana to strengthen the body itself. Do this successfully, and our soul will continue to expand as we advance to the Apprentice realm.

Defining Aeons

You’re probably wondering why I just told you that stuff about souls, channels, and advancement. We all learned that stuff in pre-school, right?

But here’s the thing: Aeons don’t have channels or advancement. Despite that, they can still do Missile, Construct, and Cloak techniques that resemble our own.

How?

Aeons have souls, but their souls aren’t like ours. Every Aeon has a crystal inside his or her chest called Etherite. Unlike our souls, these “crystal souls” are physically present inside their bodies. This—along with their lack of channels—is the only anatomical difference between us.

But despite their lack of channels, Aeons can still move mana with their minds. We’re not clear how this works, but we know the Etherite plays a role. Somehow, the crystal soul allows mana (or other forms of energy) to respond to an Aeon’s thoughts.) One Aeon might conjure fire mana in his hands, and then shoot it forward like a Missile. Another might gather mana into a Construct, or reinforce her own cells like a Cloak

Some scientists have suggested that Aeons do, in fact, have channels, but they don’t perceive them the way we perceive ours. This theory seems to have merit at first, but we’ve also seen Aeons move energy independently from their own bodies. Aeons can also pull other forms of energy inside their souls, converting it to mana to fuel their techniques.

Finally, Aeons don’t physically advance at all. Although, they do seem to get stronger with certain mental revelations, similar to how Mana Artists advance in the Master realm.

Conclusion

At first glance, it seems like Aeons operate under their own rules, but we can also fit them into frameworks we understand. When you think of an Aeon, just imagine a human with the weak body of a Foundation, but with the mental power of a Grandmaster. It's not a perfect comparison, but it's the best thing we have for now.

Footnote: the student received a failing grade for his paper, along with the following note from his teacher:

“Interesting. But this is Economics class, Mr. Darklight. Try again.”