The Universe consists of the dimensions of physical space, both in the Prima Materia and in the outlying planes; time, which is shared by all spatial dimensions; and the pseudospatial dimensions of the Aether. All substance within reality is composed of a combination of matter, energy, and mana, any of which can be interconverted with the others under the proper conditions. Mana passes back and forth between the physical planes and the Aether, drawn by interactions of matter, energy, and the conscious manipulation of observers. Like leptons and quarks, thaumatons — the fundamental particles of mana — exist in different fundamental forms, called aspects, of which there are six; their names, given in accordance with tradition, are Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Life, and Death. In 'raw' mana, as in white light, all aspects are present in roughly equal proportions. Certain events on the physical planes, however, can cause thaumatons of one aspect to condense at a focal point; a forest fire, for instance, concentrates the aspects of Fire and Death while reducing the affinity of that site for Water and Life. When conscious manipulation is applied to mana, it can be set into motion in a thaumatogenic field, producing what humans call magic: The manipulation of matter and energy through the agency of a substance that is at once both and neither.
—Hallie Karmenos, Divide by Zero
The Aether is not a place. You cannot go there. You cannot send matter there. You can't really even send energy there.
And yet, the Aether has geometry. It connects more strongly to some places in the world than others. Actions in the material world change the behavior of the Aether in its adjacent, psuedospatial dimensions.
Most importantly, the Aether is the source of all mana. And mana can be turned into matter, energy, or a combination of both — and those substances can also be turned back into mana.
No one knows exactly how much mana is in the Aether, but the amount is so large that it is effectively infinite for human purposes. The amount of mana that can be accessed in any given spot is not limited by the amount in the Aether, but by how large a connection can be created between the Aether and the material world at that spot. As the Telvari Rift demonstrates, it is possible to call a fantastic amount of energy out of the Aether — enough to crack open the Earth's crust and burn the land down to cinders — without creating any sort of noticeable drain on the Aether's overall mana supplies.
If you don't find this at least a little scary, you haven't been thinking it through.
Author's Notes
Sources: Divide by Zero
