The gentle clinking on porcelain as tea was served resonated unusually loud within the study. Just as he had the previous week out of his lingering concern, the Marquess requested the visitation of the Mage of the North Tower, who was now sitting, eyebrow twitching, across from Selene.

“Lady Selene,” his voice was firm but bordered being harsh, as if he was scolding a small yet impossibly annoying child. “As I told you before, that is an impossibility. You had no magic within your body to support an ability of any kind.”

“You speak as if you give no credence to magic theory,” Selene responded flatly. “You have heard of magic conversion, yes? Magic that draws support from the mana of others?”

“Well, yes-”

“And you must understand Regrifield's theory of magical separation as it concerns Mana Slumber, yes?”

“Yes, but-”

“Then how is it you remain blind to the evidence in front of you?” Selene motioned to the papers she had previously scattered on the desk. “All the events I mentioned the first time we talked, I found official reports of their occurrences.”

Oudéteros remained silent, staring at the papers.

“Once a week you supported my body with external mana, enough to support my life twice over, as per the Marquess's request.”

He picked up a paper and began to study it more closely.

“Can you still not see how both of these theories make this probable? You place so much faith in your books, but books were still written by men. Do you really think we already have all the answers?”

“Selene,” his voice was soft. “You must understand the implications if this is true...”

“I do,” Selene nodded her head firmly. “Which is why I am seeking help from you, Oudéteros, the Neutral Mage of the North Tower.”

Magic conversion is a phenomenon that has been seen in children who experience an extreme form of magic stress. Since the magic in children is not fully formed, it is able to more easily adapt to stressors, and in extreme cases, such as when mana is forcefully removed, some are able to pull mana from the surrounding area and people as a temporary survival technique to keep their magical pathways from collapsing.

Magical separation is the theory that when someone enters a mana slumber, it is caused by a separation between their magic and their body. When scanned for magic activity, there have been instances where no mana was detected, but upon awakening there had been no issue with their magical abilities. While this theory is not widely accepted, there are few other concrete ideas that explain this discrepancy.

Many find magical separation impossible to prove, Oudéteros included, but it has also been impossible to disprove. The more widely accepted theory of incongruity states mana slumber occurs when their mana is “dislocated” from their magical pathways, similar to how a joint would be dislocated, but that the mana itself never leaves their body. While this theory explains most of the cases of mana slumber, certain instances such as Selene, do not fit into this mold.