Welcome, my people! Paladin here!
Before you continue reading, there are a few things you need to know—stuff that you may eventually come to understand as time goes on.
However, it's better to lay the foundations right now, so you're not left in the dark.
"I kindly ask you not to skip this chapter, even though it is an auxiliary. Trust me, the information here is crucial to understanding the power dynamics at play.
First things first, here's the ranking order of how you determine one's strength,
1. Acolyte (Apprentice) Rank: Applicable to both martial and mage classes.
2. Adept Knight (or Mage) Rank: An acolyte who has mastered their apprenticeship and can now forge their own path.
3. Blademaster (or Arcanist) Rank: A warrior or mage stepping onto the path of advanced swordsmanship or spell casting.
4. Blade King (or Magus) Rank: A warrior or mage who has reached the pinnacle of their mortal martial path.
5. Saint (or Magister) Rank: The first step on the immortal path of one's class, where one must carve their own way forward.
6. Aura Empyrean (or Archmagus) Rank: Someone who has full control over aura or fluxis, allowing them to delve into the realm of spirit elementalization and establish apostles of their own.
7. Elemental Overlord Rank: This rank is the same across all paths, marking when one enters the spirit elementalization realm. They remain in this rank until mastering the elements.
8. Warlord Rank: From here on, the ranks are the same for all paths, whether sapient lifeforms or beasts. A warlord has mastered their path and begun to comprehend the laws of the universe.
9. Demigod or Deity Rank: The rulers of the myriad realms, who have comprehended and established authority over certain laws. Upon ascending to the deity realm, their apostles are promoted to the warlord rank.
For those wondering what terms like Fluxis, Spirit Elementalization, Laws, and Authorities mean, here's a clear explanation.
What do the mortal realms, immortal realms, spirit realms, and deity realm mean? Here's a clear explanation.
Fluxis: Fluxis is a volatile, ever-shifting magical energy that offers immense power but is difficult to control due to its instability.
Spirit Elementalization: Spirit Elementalization is the merging of a being's spirit with an elemental force, granting control over that element. Warning! There is a chance of elemental deviations that might trap your spirit in a spiritual netherfield. Only those with expertise in their aura or Fluxis should attempt it.
Laws: Laws are fundamental principles that govern magic and the myriad realms, allowing mastery over reality and providing a natural advantage when dealing with that principle.
Authorities: Authorities are specialized domains of understanding within various laws, allowing individuals to establish control by adding unique properties or interpretations to their comprehension.
As for realms, realms are the differentiation of a being based on their accomplishments of their divine path.
Realms are the stages of a being's progression along their divine path, differentiated by their accomplishments. The four realms are: Mortal Realm, Exalted Humane Realm, Spirit Paragon Realm, and Deity Realm.
1. Mortal Realm: An acolyte begins their apprenticeship along the divine path within the Mortal Realm. After cultivating their abilities, they eventually break through to the next realm.
Rank expectancy – Acolyte rank
Life expectancy – 80 to 100 years
2. Exalted Humane Realm: A person who has perfected the foundation of their divine path qualifies for the Exalted Humane Realm. Mastery over their finite, mortal aspect is required to break through to the next stage.
Rank expectancy – Adept, Maester, King rank
Life expectancy – 100 to 900 years
3. Spirit Paragon Realm: This realm begins when the person transitions from the finite to the infinite aspects of their divine path. Upon completing all they can in the mundane plane, they enter the spirit plane (distinct from the afterlife). Here, beings use their spirit as a guide to pursue elemental fusion.
Rank expectancy – Saint, Empyrean, Overlord rank
Life expectancy – 900 to 10,000 years
4. Deity Realm: In the final realm, a being gains mastery over a specific aspect of universal law and establishes an astral covenant, marking their ascension to godhood.
Rank expectancy – Deity rank
Life expectancy – many epochs
Warlord Rank: The Warlord rank is not a realm but a transitional state between the Spirit Paragon Realm and the Deity Realm. A Warlord remains in this state until they create authority over an aspect of the universe
Life expectancy – hundreds of millenniums
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As for why the world is called the Myriad Realms of Aethyrias, although it will be explained later, the reason is that at the start of the planet's creation, many planets were supposedly superimposed and were connected to it, resulting in the formation of secular domains within the planet.
In this world of Aethyrias, excluding the secular domains, there are five massive continental landmasses harboring millions of lifeforms:
1. Sylvandar Continent: The verdant heaven where the noble elves reign.
2. Khorvalen Continent: The sanctuary of mighty beastkin tribes.
3. Valfarn Continent: A newly found continent that has housed humans for millions of years; it is relatively weak due to a lack of globalization.
4. Edranthor Continent: The central, strongest, and largest continent, composed of all races, though the majority are humans.
5. Jurassica Continent: The third-largest continent, isolated and inhabited by dinosaur-like creatures with diluted dragon blood. These powerful beasts dominate the land, and only a few tribes live here, avoiding the dangerous predators.
6. Umbrosia Subcontinent: A part of the Edranthor continent, fully occupied by demonic and other infernal creatures. It is one-eighth the size of the continent and borders the Edranthor continent on land and Sylvandar on waters.
There is another continent that will be revealed later in the story, so it remains a secret for now.
The beasts of this world possess a unique essence core ranking as follows:
1. Ashen Core (Gray): The weakest, common-grade beasts.
2. Ivory Core (Yellow): Beasts that have unlocked their predatory instincts.
3. Amber Core (Orange): Beasts that have refined their core with the blood of their hunt and have gained access to the Nexus.
4. Emerald Core (Green): Beasts that have gained elemental affinity and begun body augmentation.
5. Crimson Core (Red): Beasts that have mastered full sentience and can perfectly access their Nexus.
6. Sapphire Core (Blue): Beasts that are starting to aim for the path of immortality and can command herds of beasts on their own.
7. Celestial Core (Silver): Mystic beasts tied to the very essence of nature and creation.
The ranking continues with Warlord Rank and Demigod Rank, which are common to both beasts and other beings.