The Good Teacher

368  The Debate (Constructive Segment)

The hall was silent, as Kevan fumbled with the sheet in his hands. He gazed around, his palms were sweaty, even more than usual because standing in front of a large crowd with a written note in hand was igniting his trauma. He looked towards his teammates and then his opponents, both of them had faces as pale as the clouds in the sky. They were also reliving the same shared trauma all over again. His eyes then met the Sect Leader's, and a series of juxtaposition emotions travelled down his spine. First, there was a fearful chill that rattled him, drawn from the experience of being reprimanded and punished. But then, the Leader's encouraging smile quenched that and showered him with confidence.

Kevan shook away his apprehension and approached the podium. He cleared his throat loudly and orated the text at a measured pace. "Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed adjudicators, and fellow debaters, we proudly stand before you to advocate for Definition 1 as the most fitting characterization of the Mana Unit. This definition, which ties mana to the energy required for controlled temperature alteration using the |Firestarter| spell, establishes a precise and reproducible framework. The definition of a standardised unit of measurement is clarity, consistency and reproducibility, which is what makes it scientifically sound. Our method is all of the above. This approach embodies scientific rigour while highlighting the tangible outcomes of magical endeavours, leading to a comprehensive understanding of a unit of mana."

After finishing, Kevan hurriedly folded the sheet and stepped aside from the podium. By this time the Sect Leader assumed the position on the podium.

"With the first constructive statement from the team supporting Definition 1, we now have a three-minute cross-examination period. Krane-" he said while gesturing at the boy to take over. Krane sprang up from his seat behind his team's bench and locked gazes with Kevan at the podium.

"By severely limiting the conditions necessary to define the Mana Unit, are you not hindering the ability of someone else to replicate the experiment?"

Kevan let out an inaudible snarl and snapped back, "It is by ensuring that the conditions of the experiment are highly controlled, that we are able to establish a repeatable and consistent definition of the Mana Unit. By making it so severely strict, we are limiting the possibilities of deviance and errors that cause the interpretation to dally from what it was intended to be."

"That's just a cop-out!" Krane retorted in disbelief. "No matter where you start from, you should be able to end up in the same location as long as the principles are the same. What you've basically done is state that the only way to get to the end goal is by walking down this extremely specific path I've laid out for you. That isn't scientific."

"Are you kidding-" Kevan started, but he was interrupted by the Sect Leader who jumped between the two and said, "And that brings an end to the cross-examination time. We will now on to team one's negative."

Kevan returned to his seat as Luce took his place on the podium. She gave the other team a sharp glare before opening up her sheet and reading her bit, "Respected adjudicators and fellow participants, we challenge Definition 1's exclusivity and rigidity. Magic is in and of itself an intricate tapestry. We believe it is counterintuitive to define such a dynamic and fluid concept rigidly as it can alienate many of its applications. We believe that by and large, the conservation of mass and energy is a sufficiently strict yet accessible rule to define a single unit of mana. It is trivial to establish STP, and so is the ability to cast a |Water Spout| spell. We believe our Definition 2 is clear and concise and is superior as it is accessible by just about any mage without having to rely on complicated mechanisms, equipment and set-ups."

Sect Leader Larks returned to the podium and gestured for Kevan to take over for the cross-examination.

"Is your argument not flawed, since you also rely on the |Water Spout| spell as a base to determine the conversion between mana and mass?" Kevan fired immediately.

"The behaviour of water as a substance is heavily documented and predictable," Luce argued back. "If someone chooses to walk down a different path to create an interface between mana and mass to derive the Mana Unit, it is on them."

"That is extremely callous! You cannot just leave an exploration in such an open-ended manner that allows for multiple interpretations. That is unscientific!"

"You have the gall-" Luce snapped back while taking a forceful step forward, but was immediately halted by the Sect Leader's interception, "That brings the first two Constructive segments to a close. Seeing as how heated things are getting, let us take a short break to cool down. It will also give our illustrious judges some time to deliberate."

____

After a quick five-minute break, the debate was resumed. This time, Casey stepped forward and took the podium.

"Building upon our initial stance, Definition 1 is all about finding a common denominator among diverse magical abilities. We know that mana behaves differently based on its application. Therefore, mana is best defined as per its use cases. This may include the spells, the conditions within which the spells are cast, and the state of the caster. These are just a few factors that influence how mana behaves in a given situation. By ensuring that the pipeline through which the mana is being applied remains consistent, we are ensuring that the understanding of mana and a single Mana Unit remains consistent regardless of who the caster is or the conditions under which the spell is being cast. We believe that it is this surety that makes Definition 1 superior."

Sect Leader Larks walked on stage and gestured towards Luce for the cross-examination.

"While your claim is relevant, you are not tethering it to a universal law. Your method still relies on the presence of the Caloric Tank filled with the very specific Enthermis Fluid. What is your remedy if there are issues in the production of either of those two ingredients?"

"It then falls on a universal governing body to maintain the integrity of the definition," Casey said after a second of thinking. "With that in place, there won't be the issue of two people having two different kinds of apparatus or ingredients. This also ensures that the universal nature of the Definition is preserved."

Luce shook her head and said, "You are advocating for the formation of a monopoly? The governing body will have full control over what defines a Mana Unit. It also means that if the governing body does something wrong, then the entire idea of the Mana Unit will fall apart."

Casey wanted to retort to that, but she couldn't formulate a logical response. That sort of made sense.

At that moment, Sect Leader Larks stepped in and nudged the debate onwards. "Next, we have Krane from the opposition side."

Krane took Casey's space and started making his case.

"Following up from our earlier point, the idea of tethering the definition of the Mana Unit to a robust natural law, such as the law of conservation of mass, ensures that the derived meanings are also robust. Although mana's behaviour changes based on the use case, the natural laws do not. In fact, through our method, we are technically limiting the nature of the mana itself, making it consistent automatically. Due to the reduced overhead, we believe that Definition 2 is superior in defining the concept of the Mana Unit."

With the Sect Leader's gesture for go go-ahead, Casey stood up and said, "You seem to put a lot of faith in the 'automatically corrective' nature of your methodology. How do you account for the difference in the behaviour of mana inside a mage in the Mana Condensation realm versus the Foundation Establishment realm? Density wise, the mana flow is more liquid inside a Foundation Establishment realm mage, while the Mana Condensation realm's is more gaseous."

"The mass flow rate is all that matters. The mass in equals mass out," Krane responded matter-of-factly.

"So how exactly do you measure the mass of mana?" Casey shot back with a victorious smirk. "The mass conservation law is reliant on the equation of mass in equals mass out. But what is mass in? And what exactly is the transmutative nature of a spell - what does it do to mana?"

Krane opened and closed his mouth like a fish. An answer made its way to his mouth, but upon repeating it mentally, he discarded it because it made no sense.

The Sect Leader swooped in and saved Krane from embarrassment. "This marks the end of the second round of the Constructive segment. Let us take another short break so that our participants can regroup, and our judges can deliberate further."

____

Elder Nara leaned back into his chair and rested his legs on the table. His working leg raised by itself, but he had to move the desiccated one by hand.

"Guy was right," he said out loud. "It's more entertaining than I thought. Who knew that watching people arguing would be so much fun?"

"It definitely makes you think," Marie agreed. "I'm sure both sides have come to realise that there are some glaring weaknesses in their methodologies."

"I guess having to project your thoughts out loud in front of a crowd causes the heat in your head to mellow out a little, and makes you more receptive to new thoughts," Markus chimed in. "I don't think they would have been so receptive if this situation was in a more closed environment with no spectators."

"All that aside though," Shuri interjected. "Who do you guys think is winning right now?"

""Definition 1,"" Elder Nara and Markus said at the same time.

"Definition 2," Marie said. She then looked at Shuri and cocked a brow inquisitively.

"Me too - Definition 2," Shuri admitted.

"Well, ain't that just nifty," Elder Nara said with a scoff before closing his eyes and entering meditation.

"Hey!" Marie yelled while nudging her Master out of his trance. "No peeking into the future!"

"Ha!" The man scoffed, "As if I have nothing better to do!"

"Alright, everyone!" The Sect Leader orated enthusiastically. "Welcome back to 'Unearthing the Truth!' with me, Guy Larks, your humble host. Last we left, our participant just finished their constructive stances. Now, hold on to your hands and move up to the edges of your seats, because we are now moving on to the intense rebuttal rounds!"