The characters the story follows are not aware of the laws or powers of the world they are summoned to. If you want to learn about the world and power system along with the characters, avoid this chapter!
Instead, you can read the next auxiliary chapter, which will be updated as the novel progresses. It will contain only information seen in the novel up to the latest chapter and very minor spoilers.
Trying to create a useful auxiliary chapter with how the story is set up without spoiling anything would be nearly impossible. If you do decide to read this, please try not to spoil those who haven't in comments. I will avoid any major spoilers that could give away the plot, but some of the world-building is spoiled below.
Sorry in advance for any confusion—I will edit this as I write the story and try to clear up misunderstandings. I know it's a lot, and everything that hasn't appeared in the story is tentative, but hopefully everything will make more sense as the story progresses ^-^
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General:
☼ Summoned
► The Summoned are humans who have been brought to the world of Axioneth.
☼ Trials
► The Trials are major tests held by gods and goddesses to create cream of the crop Defenders out of the Summoned. There are **** major trials the Summoned have to go through.
☼ Towns
► Towns are the places where Summoned go after completing their first major trial. In the towns, the two most important buildings are the Temple of Scenarios and the Guild Hall.
☼ Scenarios
► Scenarios are tests held by an individual god or goddess that aim to find an Apostle suitable for them and are attemptable in-between the major trials. A Summoned can select a Scenario they want to attempt in the Temple of Scenarios.
☼ Guilds
► Guilds can be created in a town at the Guild Hall and serve as a way for the Summoned to keep track of and identify each other.
☼ Essence
► Essence is the make-up of a person. It is their Aether Core and memories combined as well as their attachment or disattachment to the human body.
☼ Portals
► There are three types of portals in the world: Ascension, Descent, Transportation. All portals cause Essence Sickness, which is the feeling of nausea caused by disassimilation and reassimilation of Essence.
→ Ascension Portals: These are violet portals that allow for a being to cross the dimensional plane to a higher world; however, the being will lose all rationality and sense of self. The only way to bypass this restriction is ** ** ***** *** ********
→Descent Portals: These are red portals which allow for a being to cross to a lower realm. They are found in each god's Domain and one on each plane. If a god goes through this portal, they lose rationality and sense of self. A human who descends is not immune to the ascension portal's restriction, even if they were once in the higher plane.
→Transportation Portals: These are blue portals found throughout Axioneth that only Humans and Forsaken can use. They allow for swift travel, and their only drawback is Essence Sickness.
☼ Aether
► Aether is a material thought to be present in all of space on Axioneth. It is a physical element which radiates this power that seeps throughout Axioneth. Humans and Beasts can harness this power to grow stronger.
☼ Corrupted Aether
► Corrupted Aether is created when a human defiles the Essence of another living being or, in very rare cases, when a Corrupted Relic is acquired. Corrupted Aether cannot be purified and will consume untainted Aether, once consumed ***** ****** *** ** ****** ** *******. Beings who possess Corrupted Aether are called Forsaken.
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Power System:
☼ Aether Cores
► Aether Cores are the cores within a Beast or Human. It is the well of power they have access to, which helps them contain and control the Aether. The Aether Core is needed to control Relics as well as Contracts. Aether Cores have infinite potential and start from Rank 0. Beasts are subjected to being called by their ranks, but humans have a nickname for each respective rank up to the 5th one. There are no nicknames for rank 6th and above because no human has ever even reached the 5th rank. Only a couple of people are rank 4, and they are all Explorers.
►Ranks:
→Unable to use Aether: Unseen
→Rank 0 (Nascent)
→ Rank 1 (Formed)
→Rank 2 (Emergent)
→Rank 3 (Elevated)
→Rank 4 (Boundless)
→ Rank 5 (Empyreal)
→ Rank 6
→ Rank 7 etc…
☼ Beasts
► Beasts are any living lifeform on Axioneth other than humans and livestock. They each possess an Aether Core and can develop it, but have different innate Classes dependent on their base power (tentative reasoning). The further the innate class is from Aberrant, the more grotesque and devoid of human/animal resemblance.
► Beasts can also possess and use Relics; however, they often lack comprehension or a deep understanding of their abilities. Very few are Apostles to a god of beasts and have contracts.
► Innate Class:
→ Aberrant
→ Monster
→ Abomination
→Colossal
→Ancient
→ Paragon
→ Transcendent
→ Nameless
☼Aether Shards
► Aether shards are dropped by beasts or humans upon death. They can be absorbed into the Aether Core. If 1000 shards are collected, one can go through Assimilation and rise in rank. A beast that goes through Assimilation may mutate. There is also a percentage of failure for entities of a higher rank who try to absorb a lower rank shard. There is also a chance of failure for a shard to drop at all in rank 0 beasts and Nascent Humans. Unseen beings will never drop a shard.
→ Humans drop a fragment worth their rank +1. So, a Nascent (Rank 0) Human will drop 1 while a Formed (Rank 3) Human will drop 4.
→ Beasts drop a fragment per rank +1, then multiplied by their Class (seen below in the Entities section). So, a Rank 3 Abomination will drop 12 shards (four times three). A Rank 2 Aberrant will drop 3 shards.
► Percentage of failure equation→Percentage of failure = 1 - (0.8)^(Higher rank - Lower rank) (Will add how class factors into equation later...)
→ 1 rank difference - 20%
→ 2 rank difference - 36%
→ 3 rank difference - 48.8%
→ 4 rank difference - 59.04%
→ Use Equation
☼ Contracts
► Contracts are abilities given by a god or goddess to their Apostle. This ability grows and develops along with their Aether Core. They do not possess a rank. Their utility and power are dependent on their wielder. Upon death, contracts have a 0% chance to drop.
☼ Relics
► Relics are the left-behind contracted abilities by Faded Gods. They each are unique and are given a rank based on the Faded God's peak Divinity. They cannot grow stronger, and even though two Relics can be the same rank, their power may not be equal. They can be stored and summoned from within the Aether Core.
► When something dies, for each individual Relic in there is possession, there is a 2.5% chance it will be expelled and return to the real world for anyone nearby to claim, a 47.5% chance it will be scattered and sent somewhere random in the same plane, and a 50% chance it will be destroyed.
► Ranks of Relics:
→ Minor
→ Lesser
→ Greater
→ Ascendant
→ Origin
→ Primordial
☼ Divinity
► Divinity is the power of the gods and goddesses. It is a diluted form of Essence that was formed from the extraction of memories and Aether. It is a well of power without limit, but cannot be naturally replenished. Divinity is needed to keep the gods' existence known, but it is also a factor that completely controls their will and personality.
☼ System
► The system is a tool made by a long-since Faded God in an attempt to regulate the laws of the world. It helps the gods communicate and control humans, and helps humans to understand their power. Everyone has access to the system, but not everyone is chosen by Aether.
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Entities:
☼ Humans
► Just a lad innit
☼ Chosen
► Those who are aware of their Aether Core and can control Aether.
☼ Gods and Goddesses
► Gods don't possess * **** ** *********** due to their intake of ********. There are different states a god can be in: Faded, Falling, Fallen, and Normal. Each god controls and lives in a Domain they cannot ever leave. The gods are also able to mark as many Followers as they want/can and ordain a single Apostle.
→ Normal: Their existence is known and stable.
→ Bestial: Their existence is known and stable, but they are the god of a race of beasts. They do not possess any higher intelligence than the beasts they are god of.
→ Falling: They are no longer being supplied power.
→ Fallen: Instead of fading from existence, they venture through a descent portal and surrender themselves to madness.
→ Faded: Gods/Goddesses that have been forgotten. They are erased from existence and all memory of them is erased. A Relic is created and left behind in the place where their last Apostle died.
• Followers: Marked by the gods. Their ************ of ***** is ******** by the gods.
• Apostle: Chosen and provided a Contract by the gods. Their ************ of ***** is ******** by the gods. Gods reserve the right to revoke a contract and prevent its further power growth, but cannot take away the power a human has already cultivated.
☼ Beasts (Copied From Above)
► Beasts are any living lifeform on Axioneth other than humans and livestock. They each possess an Aether Core and can develop it, but have different innate Classes dependent on their base power (tentative reasoning). The further the inate class is from Aberrant, the more grotesque and devoid of human/animal resemblance.
► Beasts can also possess and use Relics; however, they often lack comprehension and deep understanding of their abilities. Very few are Apostles to a god of beasts and have contracts.
► Innate Class:
→ Aberrant
→ Monster
→ Abomination
→Colossal
→Ancient
→ Paragon
→ Transcendent
→ Nameless
☼ Forsaken
► Forsaken are humans who have been infected by Corrupted Aether. Upon death, a Forsaken will be respawned to the highest Forsaken Realm or the Forsaken Realm they died in; However, each time they die, a Forsaken loses a part of their memories and is at risk of sprouting a Horn.
► A Forsaken's Rank is based on their level of Corrupted Aether Core.
► Ranks:
→ Spawn
→ Wretches
→ Fiends
→ Reavers
→ Terrors
→ Nightmares
→ Dreadlords
→ Disasters (Class 1)
→ Disaster, Class 2
→ Disaster, Class 3
► Horns:
→ 1 Horn: The Forsaken loses something vital to themselves
→ 2 Horns: The Forsaken loses something vital to humanity
→ 3 Horns: The Forsaken loses something vital to the world
→ 4 Horns: The Forsaken loses all sense of being and rationality
→ 5 Horns: *** ******** ******* **** *** *** ******** *****
World Order:
☼ Divine Realm: Where the gods and goddesses inhabit. Domain: where a god lives and is confined.
☼ Axioneth: A huge world where Aether is located and trials take place.
☼ Earth: ****** **** **** *** ******** *****
☼ Forsaken Realms
→ *******
→ *********
→ *****
→ **********
→ ****** ** *** ******
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Extra Terminology:
☼Highborn
► Highborn are what the natives of Axioneth call themselves. They are also sometimes just called Natives.
☼ Defiers
► Defiers are the living who refuse to be made a follower of a god or possess Corrupted Aether.
☼ Defenders
► Those who have completed the Trials and are sent back to Earth.
☼ Defiled Region
► Places controlled once controlled by humans are now controlled by beasts on Axionet. Human cities here are nicknamed Bastions or Lost Cities.
☼Forbidden Regions
► Places controlled by beasts that humans have never inhabited. Unsuitable for human life.
☼Explorers
► Natives [highborn] of Axioneth who willingly travel into the Defiled and Forbidden Regions usually in search of Power/Relics
☼ Buffer Zone
► ****** ***** are zones ******* ** ******* *** Forsaken.