Explanation of the nature of the world.

To explain the world I must explain two things. First are the layers of existence. Then the states of being. Then I shall explain the consequences, that is magic and power.

Layers.

There is a hierarchy to layers, with higher ones having power to modify lower ones. The hierarchy of layers is as it follows, and allow me to borrow from taoism for this example:

The Limitless

Sea of Chaos

Wuji or Essential Universe

Taiji or Differentiated Universe

Variable Layers

Quantum mechanics or Realm Under Human Perception

Realm of Human Perception

The Limitless.

This is a theoretical layer that would exist above the Sea of Chaos. It would be where Those Above the Eternals live so it derives its properties from them

This realm would be infinite, limitless, undefined. There are no rules, all is. It exists beyond definition. It is because it is.

Sea of Chaos.

The realm of definition. This layer is where all rules exist, all of them. If something can't happen according to the Sea it won't happen, barring intervention from a higher layer. If it says it happens it happens. If something isn't in the Sea, it can't even be thought of. All ideas and realities cohabit in the Sea.

It is the realm of axioms, where all laws and rules are born. But since all of them exist here, even oxymoronic ones, none of them are in action.

For example, say that a rule is that space exists, and another that space doesn't exist. Since both are true, none and both of them come to action. As such there is and there isn't space. Due to this contradiction the Sea has a sort of time where oxymoronic laws come into being at different occasions. This is the greatest law of them, Things Are Always Happening.

In its purest state the Sea is in constant flux, all and nothing happening simultaneously. But, the Sea nowadays isn't like this. Why? Imagine that at some moment are group of rules came together, among them one that allowed them to maintain themselves over a period of time, what would happen? This phenomenon can happen either by probability or by a Ruler.

There are three things that can be born this way, Primordials, Rulers and Verses. And all of them have a group of laws at their core:

The Wuji.

The Wuji or Essential Universe is the purest form of something. The Sea, due to its nature, can't be really said to exist as the word is conventionally thought of. However, were certain laws to come into being at the same time they would form a sort of core.

The Wuji is not fully divorced from the Sea, in fact, it can only exist by modifying it. The Wuji is a stable, self-coherent shard of Chaos. For Chaos to be stable a certain law must exist within, a law that can alter the flux of Chaos. Otherwise the Wuji would vanish soon after its birth.

Thus, all Wuji share a few characteristics. First, their laws allow for stability, even if one day it will crumble. Second, none of their laws are oxymoronic, incompatible. Third, all Wuji can influence the Sea of Chaos in some form.

But the Wuji itself isn't the universe, as it is a single undifferentiated thing. Think of it as a primordial soup of chaos, homogeneous and intangible. It allows for no life, no dissention. What most people think is the universe, that is, the heterogeneous universe, is birthed and maintained by the Wuji, the:

Taiji.

The Taiji or Differentiated Universe is the lower realm and expression of the Wuji. In this realm the laws of the Wuji, now freed from Chaos and allowed to express to their limits, separate and interact. It is in this realm that the laws of physics are born and exist. Laws, constants, variables, all develop here.

But the Taiji still isn't material, but more like the Platonic Ideal of the universe. For the Taiji to develop further it must have a certain law, and here it is where it is decided what will the Wuji become. If the laws allow for sapience of the Wuji, a Ruler or Primordial will be born. If not, a Verse will be born.

If there is a law that allows for conscious manipulation of the Wuji, and thus the Sea of Chaos, a Ruler will be born. If the new being has no control over their Wuji, they shall be a Primordial.

Primordials and particularly Rulers vary greatly in form, so from now on I will solely speak of Verses.

In a Verse the next step is never the same, so I shall speak of:

Variable Layers.

These consist of all layers between the Taiji and the material universe. And 5he reason why I used Taoism as an example. In Taoist or Confucianist worlds these variable layers would be Ying-Yang, then Yixiang, to Bagua. And finally, the:

Material Universe.

All of you are familiar with this one, though it can take very unfamiliar shapes. This layer is artificially divided in two, thanks to the average abilities of humans.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Realm under Human Perception.

The part of the material universe that humans can't interact with. Quantum particles, dark matter and energy are examples. If humans managed to somehow interact with any of these, they would be classified as:

Realm of Human Perception.

That which you can smell, touch, taste, see, hear. What humans think of when they hear the word world.

States of Being.

Normally, each layer has its own beings, but the two first ones are an exception. First are:

Those Above Eternals.

They can’t be easily defined, but I’ll try. They are omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient. They hold no limitations, they are beyond definition.

All limits that one of Those Above Eternals are most likely self imposed. First, two examples, the Abrahamic God, and Brahman of Hinduism.

They are because they are, they are why they are, they are how they are, they are who they are.

Eternals. The In-Between.

Eternals are not beings of a single layer. Their essence comes from the Limitless, which means Those Above Eternals, but it is limited by the Sea of Chaos.

They are bound infinitude. As such, while they are limited they can’t die. They are beings that do what they do because they were born that way. There is no way to become an Eternal, as the Limitless is infinitely above the Sea, its essence beyond grasp except by Those Above Eternals. There is one possible way, but most wouldn’t take it.

Souls are Eternal, but the bindings of Death are harsh on the dead. To be an Eternal you must be one to begin with or die, and the dead have little power over the living, so most who would seek to become Eternals have no reason to do so.

How they do things is incomprehensible, it has no explanation except that they do. But what they do is understandable within the bounds of the Sea.

The Chaosborn.

The Wuji. Rulers and Primordials. Verses are technically this, but they hold no intelligence. However, it is possible for a Primordial or Ruler to house a universe and living beings within. Sapient beings born of Chaos, they differ in one way.

Rulers can alter Chaos, Primordials can’t. This makes it so Rulers are above Primordials, as they can mess with their Wuji.

Whether they have infinite lifespan, live as humans, or are as mayflies depends on the individual but they all can die. They do what they do by bending Chaos, the Rulers consciously, the Primordials by virtue of their Wuji.

It is possible to become a Primordial or a Ruler. The easiest way is for a Ruler, Eternal or One Above Eternals to bend Chaos and grant the being their own Wuji. The difficulty is whether the lower layer being can function as one, if not they may self-destruct.

Another way is if a Verse has a Law in their Wuji that allows beings born of it to change their essence, acquiring their own Wuji. This change tends to have strict conditions, but the being will almost always be able to handle their own Wuji. Incidentally, most gods not born in the Sea of Chaos are born in this kind of Verse, whether they were gods from the start or lower layered beings that ascended.

What they do is perfectly understandable, born of the laws of their Wuji.

Law Personifications.

Some Verses have personifications of their laws, other don’t. But if they do exist they are beings of Taiji. They can do what their law can do, including the laws that allowed them to think. Normally they live as long as their Verse but they can’t live longer than it.

Variable Spirits.

Just as there are variable layers, there may be lifeforms within them. An example would be in a world where there is an elemental layer, not to be mistaken with a place in the material plane filled with a single element, there could be elemental spirits.

They do what their layer allows them to. They tend to have life spans much shorter than the Verse’s.

Material Universe Inhabitants.

The best example of these that you know are humans, or aliens and the such. You should be well aware of what you can do, so I’ll skip that. They normally can’t outlive stars.

Magic.

Magic can be defined as the power to alter a layer. Changes on a higher layer affect those in a lower one, but never the other way around. Magics are classified by layer.

Magic of the material world. Material Magic.

Science, typing on your keyboard, nuclear bombs are the simplest forms of this kind of magic. Normally this wouldn’t be called magic, but it fits the definition.

What most would consider magic would be something capable of changing reality through means unknown to ordinary humans. There are a few material magics that can exist, depending on whether the laws are. Psychic powers, anomalous energies that can be controlled by humans, sentient cosmic beings, background magic fields and many more. It is by far the most common of magics. Indeed, most universes only allow for this kind of magic.

Magic of the variable layers. Spirit Magic.

The power to alter a variable layer, it has consequences in the material world. This kind of magic follows the laws of physics, so most of the time it requires some sort of resource in exchange of changes. Normally this resource is something made in the variable layers. This is the first magic that can harm variable spirits, though sometimes it can’t.

Magic of Taiji. Magic of the Laws or Law Magic.

The magic of laws. This magic obviously varies greatly between Verses, since it depends on the Wuji. Normally it takes two forms, one resembling spirit magic but with the resource coming from the Wuji and taking shape in the Taiji. Or rule magic, where following a set of actions causes the Taiji to produce an effect. This magic can break the laws of the material universe and variable layers.

It may harm Law Personifications though if it is the Wuji that orders their existence it can’t kill them.

Magic of Wuji. Divine Authority.

Due to the qualities of the Wuji, there are two kinds of Wuji magic.

Wuji-affecting-Taiji. Law magic but better. The power to break all laws of Taiji, this is the magic that can kill Law Personifications with certainty. Under certain circumstances it can kill Rulers and Primordials, but it is rare. A few can alter the Taiji of other Primordials or Verses, these can kill Verses and Primordials, but they can’t harm Rulers. Their control over Wuji is greater than the ability to harm their Taiji.

Wuji-affecting-Chaos. The power of Rulers. This magic is the only one that can touch Rulers. It can even harm Eternals. This is the magic that can do everything except the impossible, though most specialise in something. There are very, very, very few Verses that grant this kind of magic, and most don’t survive long. It can also only change the Verse itself, so it has very few uses.

Magic of Infinity. Miracles.

This isn’t really a magic, but a classification for the power of Those Above Eternals. It can do anything, even things beyond thought.

Eternals have this power by virtue of their connection to them, so they have a limited form of it. Eternals also have Wuji-affecting-Chaos magic most of the time, though as a form of miracle. This is one of the most common miracles.

A few lower layered beings have been granted them by Those Above Eternals.

Power.

This is more fluid, so I will just tell you the rough order.

Those Above Eternals>>>>>Eternals=Outstanding Rulers>Rulers>Primordials>Everyone else.

Those Above Eternals are omnipotent and the distance between them and all else is infinite.

Eternals are as a norm more powerful than Rulers but there are exceptions. A few Rulers can make use of the Chaos with immense skill, able to perform feats equal to those of Eternals. However, these outstanding Rulers are still mortal unlike Eternals so they still die. Eternals on the other hand can only be harmed, death isn’t something they worry about. How long the Eternal takes to recover is another thing.

Ordinary Rulers are impossible to injure by those lower than them, as the only way to hurt them is by destroying their Wuji. This can only be done by Rulers but there is one loophole, a very difficult to exploit loophole. Nevertheless at least one man managed to do it, though since he went on to destroy his own universe he was certainly exceptional. It can only be done in universes that allow for Wuji-affecting-Taiji magic.

Due to all this even the weakest of Rulers can’t be killed by mortals. Powerful magic wielding mortals can be more powerful than Rulers, if their ability to affect Chaos is very weak.

Primordials can’t be harmed by those incapable of touching Taiji. However, they are very limited in what they can do, though still stronger than Verse inhabitants on average. Some Primordials can’t even move.

Everyone else very heavily depends, and some outliers can be more powerful than Primordials as previously stated. Normally beings of higher layers are more powerful than those of lower ones, unless magic of their layer or higher is involved.