The purpose of this Introductory Chapter is to lower initial confusion about many of the terms/concepts that will be introduced throughout the beginning stages of the story.

All of Kaotik exists inside of a single time zone wherein seconds, minutes, and hours consume the same amount of time as on earth. Though there may be cases in which time can be dilated or compressed through the intervention of either powerful Runic Arrays or Cultivators, which will be denoted within the story when necessary.

A day is 48 hours, a week is 7 days, a month is 30 days, a year is 12 months (360 days).

People are considered mature at 17 years of age though schools take new students at their own discretion regardless of age.

Cultivation Realms from the lowest to the highest are Planetary Development, Star, Supernova, Nebula, Galaxy, Supercluster, Supervoid, Universe, Cosmic, Cosmic Spirit, and Paragon.

All Realms aside from Star, are made up of a single phase that in most cases encompasses four stages separated into 10 steps; Early 1st-3rd steps, Mid 4th-6th steps, Late 7th-9th steps, and Peak the 10th step. Cultivators, cultivate Spiritual Force(Mana) and Martial Force(Star Qi) which are together known as The Origin Forces. Demarcations between various steps/stages/phases will be explained when situationally required/relevant.

Cultivators first prepare their bodies for the acceptance and circulation of Origin Forces within the Planetary Development Realm. After the Planetary Development Realm is completed comes the Star realm.

The Star Realm is spilt into three phases; Dwarf Star, Giant Star, and Supergiant Star. Each of these phases is structured identically to those of the other Realms in that they have ten steps separated into 4 stages. In this Realm a cultivator absorbs Mana and/or Star Qi, using the acquired Origin Force(s) to form an Origin Core in either their Soul Sea(Also known as the Sea of Consciousness) or Vital Sea respectively, (These two 'Seas', or Internal Worlds, will be explained in greater detail later on in this Introduction).

As a cultivator goes from one phase to the next they continuously refine the previously absorbed energy, increasing its purity, through the use of either created or inherited cultivation techniques, (This is a process that is continued as the Cultivator advances to higher stages later on as well).

In this and all other Realms Cultivators also use Origin Force(s) to refine both their Runic Pathways and bodies.

The succession from this Realm to the next(Supernova) is marked by the ability to externalize ones Origin Force, endow it with a corporeal form, and maintain said form even without direct contact.

In the Supernova Realm a cultivator continually develops their ability to manipulate Origin Forces whilst also further enhancing their Origin Cores.

At the Nebula Realm, the cultivator having caused an implosion of the previous Origin Core fuses the immense energy once contained within the core into their body, before reconstructing their chosen Internal World, using the Aria they have comprehended as a foundation to expand upon in the future. Cultivators then saturate their Internal World with as vast a quantity of Origin Forces as possible. To go from this Realm to the next all of the Star Qi/Mana currently within the Internal World are used to form a Galaxy Origin Core (The word Galaxy being used only to denote its grade, whilst it is still commonly referred to as an Origin Core).

In the Galaxy Realm one inscribes Runic Arrays that gather, purify, and endow Origin Forces with special qualities upon their Origin Core. They then proceed to continually refine/build upon the Runic Arrays until they are satisfied with the effectiveness of the Arrays an endeavor to create an Origin Core that is both self sustaining and self-improving, while also being extremely conducive to the cultivator's future growth. How successful their efforts in this process are is heavily reliant upon the cultivator's talent, perseverance, cultivation technique, and luck.

The Supercluster Realm entails the creation of as many Origin Cores as possible, as well as a Runic Array that binds them all together while also exponentially increasing their effects. This Realm is even more reliant upon a Cultivator's innate talent, perseverance, cultivation technique, and luck, than the previous one.

Both this and the Galaxy realm only have a single step.

A person steps into the Supervoid Realm as soon as they complete the Runic Array binding their various Galaxy Origin Cores. This being due to the fact that the space at the center of the Array morphs into a void allowing for the absorption and storage of a seemingly limitless amount of Origin Forces. The purpose of this Realm is for a Cultivator to deepen their understanding of Aria to an even greater level while attempting to fuse the Sea of Consciousness and Vital Sea.

The Universe Realm is achieved when the two seas are successfully fused into one and an Internal World that possesses the qualities of both are created. The Goal of this Realm is the conversion of the Runic Array composed of Galaxy Origin Cores into a Universe Core. Such a process once began, induces an outward flow of immense Origin Forces which tempers a cultivator's body. It is at this level that one is required to be fluent in the use of Fantasia(The form of energy from which both Mana and Star Qi is derived).

The Cosmic Realm is concerned with the cultivation of new Universe Cores, which are linked with the first to form a new Array reminiscent of the cosmos, which is quite aptly named a Cosmic Array.

The Cosmic Spirit Realm is concerned with imbuing one's Cosmic Array with a Spiritual Nature and one's Internal World with life.

On reaches the Paragon Realm when they convert their Internal World into a Cosmic Plane that exists in reality. Paragons sit above all but below one.

Origin Sym stands for Origin Symbiote. An Origin Sym is a lifeform which a cultivator can form a contract with, cultivating with and fighting alongside said cultivator. Origin Symbionts can also be contracted with when chanced upon, but this process requires a different runic array as the Origin Sym is not being transported from one point in space to another in order for the ceremony to begin. This form of contraction also has a lower chance of success than one involving a summoning; as in the latter the Runic Array utilized analyzes the targeted cultivator's Origin Force Attribution, and Runic Pathways before summoning an Origin Sym most suited to them.

If a cultivator attempts to form a contract with an Orgin Sym they encounter while while exploring and there is a lack of compatibility and/or preparations backlash is possible. This may result in varying degrees of damage inflicted upon the cultivator, and sometimes result in their death.

An Origin Symbol is a Runic Array, which resembles a tattoo in nature, and is imprinted on a cultivator's body through an infusion of Origin Forces during the formation of their contract with an Origin Sym.

Each Origin Symbol is unique, and endows their bearer with an extensive list of powers to be revealed through the course of the story. Typically Cultivators can only form a contract with an Origin Sym after they have reached the Supernova Realm. Origin Syms and Cultivators help one another to grow and develop and. Depending on a cultivator's talent they may contract with more Origin Syms as they progress further along the path of cultivation; with the most talented cultivator's possessing the ability to contract a new Origin Sym every time they advance to a new Realm.

The ceremony to summon and contract and Origin Sym requires at least one Martial Force Cultivator and one Spiritual Force Cultivator. Both must be of at least the Supernova Realm and they must work together in an effort to utilize their Origin Forces in the formation of the required Runic Array. The Runic Array channels the ambient Origin Forces in an effort to draw out a cultivator's innate talent while also transporting a compatible Origin Sym across space in order to facilitate the formation of the contract.

Aria as a whole are the laws that shape the reality of whatever Cosmos one currently exists. Cultivators manipulate, and once at a sufficiently high Realm create physical manifestations of, Aria through Mana and Star Qi. Mana and Star Qi differ in that Star Qi is more for tempering the body, altering the operation of Aria in relation to oneself, and the formation of weapons/armor; placing much less focus on the external world. Whereas Mana is used to cultivate one's Anima, and by extension one's Soul Sea and mind; allowing them to use it as a medium through which to manipulate Aria and affect the external world with less focus on one's physical body.

The various attributes of Mana and Star Qi require different comprehensions of Aria as well as inherent talents in order to be manipulated/utilized. This is being due to the fact that Origin Forces themselves are a unique branch of Aria that is controlled solely through one's will.

When cultivators cultivate they both absorb the ambient Origin Forces and refine their own making them purer/denser. There are Various resources located within the cosmos which help with the refinement and absorption of said Origin Forces.

There are also other types of creatures that a person may tame or form contracts with which give cultivators similar benefits. They are not classified as Origin Symbionts because they do not rely on cultivators to grow in strength. Nor do they possess the ability to fuse on any level with their contractor even though they form mental connections. They are called Demonic Beast and Spirit Beings. Most cultivators choose to contract with them as they do not possess the required talent to contract Origin Sym.

Spirit Beings are formed from Spiritual Forces or mana and possess superb Aria manipulation abilities promoting their creation and activation of runes and runic arrays. Demonic Beast have physical bodies and are less talented in manipulating Aria yet are more talented in close combat and have higher inherent battle awareness.

Runes are symbols/characters and hieroglyphic images that function as physical representation of Aria, allowing for the manipulation of said Aria. Runic Arrays are created through the linkage of individual Runes into a systematic sequence facilitating the manipulation of Aria to a higher degree of efficiency. Runes and Runic Arrays may be both two-dimensional and three-dimensional.

Individuals also possess Runic Pathways which function as the main method for Origin Forces to circulate throughout ones body, and are inherently branded with Runic Arrays imbuing their carrier with a multitude of unique abilities. No set of Runic Pathways are exactly the same, but their powers and structure may be passed down through Bloodline Inheritance.

As individuals cultivate they also refine these pathways in many ways which include the adding more runes to them in order to improve them in various aspects. and saturating them with Origin Forces. Cultivators may use the Runic Arrays as a reference when aided with their own comprehension of Aria to create new Runic Arrays. The power contained within a cultivator's Soul Sea(Their Mana) is what's mainly used in conjunction with Runic Arrays to manipulate Aria and project its effects further away from their physical bodies.