Captured "glitches."
Amun was not an expert in the Magic Domain, nor did his authority include explanations for these occult phenomena. But that did not mean he lacked the ability to learn and understand. Through his contact with the Neural Network and his time spent with Milmina, he had absorbed much cutting-edge knowledge. After giving it a little thought, he understood the meaning behind the Goddess of Magic's words.
"You mean... this dust should have been incapable of existing stably in the real world? Some aspect of its 'essence' conflicts with the laws governing reality?" He stared intently at the dust phantoms bound within the Magic Array, flickering madly like an interrupted signal, and asked the Goddess of Magic beside him in a hesitant voice.
"More than that." Milmina nodded lightly, her expression grave. "This dust vanishes when the observer disappears, which indicates a hard link between it and 'cognition.' Yet when the observer returns, it reappears, which means a higher-level 'cognition' is anchoring the dust. When both the observer and the dust vanish, it is this higher-level 'cognition' that ensures the sand continues to exist in some unobservable dimension—and ensures that it can return..."
"...That is getting close to the limits of my knowledge." Amun shook his head slightly, confusion filling his light-forged eyes. "But there is one thing I understand. Without your experimental procedure, ordinary people would probably never imagine that this dust could be like this..."
"Only when every observer is unable to perceive the dust does it disappear, and when the observers return, it immediately resumes its normal state... In standard experimental procedures, Technical Personnel would indeed find it difficult to notice that these phenomena had ever occurred," Milmina said softly. Then she shook her head slightly. "But it is not absolute. Mortals are very clever.