Aura: The life energy of the soul; it has often been compared to blood as it circulates the body, unlike blood, though aura can be redirected or channelled in different patterns, which enhances its potency or effectiveness. Entire fields of study have been dedicated to learning the different effects of aura patterns, which have been shown to cause temporary effects commonly referred to as runes. Due to how an average citizen lacks the effective control of their aura, aura leakage has been utilised as a renewable energy source.
Awakened: Those who have had their aura ignited, removing the spiritual barrier. Typically, this is done by a parent or guardian at a young age; it is unusual for those past twelve to be unawakened and is just assumed. Being awakened allows greater control of aura and typically increases health and vitality.
Bellum: A weapons training school in Turgida
Darcend: Name of the world
Dark Flame, The: A group not associated with one kingdom and is thought to be a criminal organisation, they pillage and steal those they disagree with in the form of justice. Those who are known to exploit their workers attempt to pay their way through regulation or increase their profit in legal but exploitative ways, so be wary of the Dark Flame.
Drakonsbane: A kingdom known for its class structure, with some parts of the kingdom being exorbitant and other parts being barely able to afford food. It is said that the Dark Flame originated here.
Healer: A type of Mythic that has a legacy that heals damage
Kingdom: An area of land which is under a main political power that is protected from Shades. The main heart of a kingdom is typically surrounded by walls, holding the majority of the population, and while some villages and towns survive outside of these walls, they are mostly the exception.
Legacy: An expression of the soul that enacts its power on reality; the way this power is presented is said to be impacted by a person’s personality. General aspects of a Legacy can be predicted through eye colour if the previous host of their soul was recorded as the eyes are the window to the soul.
Light Industries: The main weapons seller with the majority share of the market, they are known for their innovations in technology.
Linked Souls: Linked souls are souls that typically reincarnate at the same time, the most common variant being soul mates.
Manna Crystals: It’s been theorised that Manna Crystals are the crystallised form of aura though the process of this is unknown, it has been used as a power source although occasionally have been known to have random effects, the cause of which is unknown.
Mage: A type of Mythic that has a legacy that the general public describes as ‘magic’ or ‘spells’.
Mythic: People who protect humanity from the monstrous shades, typically with help from their legacy.
Paix: A weapons training school in Turgida
Shadow’s End: The main technology and weapons kingdom, what they lack in Mythics, they make up in technological might. They are the main supplier of weapons and are the home to Light Industries. If you meet someone who is not from your kingdom, they are most likely from here.
Shade: a soulless monster with an innate hatred of humanity.
> Grey Bone Shade: the lowest level of Shade as they haven’t fully developed their basic white bone armour, making them relatively easily to damage.
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> Beta Level Shade: sturdy bone armour has developed, and they have a basic intellect.
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> Alpha Level Shade: has a more complex carapace and more specific adaptations like venom or toxic gas.
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> Spawn Level Shade: can create grey bone Shades.
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> High Spawn level Shade: has bone armour that completely covers the Shade without impairing its movement and is able to create Alpha Shades
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> Specialised Shade: Shades that are incredibly difficult to take down due to its specific ability, less a growth stage and more a specific classification.
Speedster: A type of Mythic that has a legacy that makes them move faster
Tank: A type of Mythic nicknamed after one of the Light Industries armoured vehicles, typically they have a legacy that can take a large amount of damage
Telum: By most metrics Telum is the best place to learn to be a Mythic Academy, with the best researchers of aura, legacies, and Shades. It is famed for its training resources, and even fully qualified Mythics users use them.
The Black Out: A tragedy caused by a black out in Turgida which resulted in panic and fear which in turn caused Shades to breach the walls casing loss and devastation as Mythics tried to protect the citizens, some at the cost of their lives. One hundred and fourteen people died in the thirty minutes including three Mythics. It is unknown what caused the black out.
The Bright Eagle: Light Industries revolutionary airship design.
Training School: Typically, the first step in becoming a Mythic where you learn the basics of fighting, weapons, aura control and Shades. While it is not necessary to become a Mythic, it is valuable in order to have a strong foundation of knowledge that can be the difference between life and death out of the field. Most Mythic Academies require a certain grade rewarded at this level in order to be considered.
Turgida: The largest kingdom by population, home of Telum, the most renowned Mythic Academy.
Vercult: Was known as the Kingdom of Art renowned for its architecture, food, and culture. It is now known as the Fallen Kingdom.
Wruikreria: One of the main continents of Darcend
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Characters
Ace (he/him): eye colour, forest green, he is the pilot of the mission Kill and Night are on due to his legacy, psychometric which means he can absorb the memories of an item.
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Alex Eye (he/him): eye colour, copper, legacy, he can control technology, Mythic name, Upgrade, weapon, drones.
Ark (he/him): eye colour, orange, legacy, unknown, he is the Chairman of the Dark Flame.
Blink (she/her): The speedster from Tatum’s most famous team, her statue points towards the cafeteria.
Cassie Rockheart (she/her): eye colour, amber, legacy can manipulate gravity, Mythic name Granite, weapon a giant mechanical fist also called Granite. She is the leader of the Legends.
Charon Washington (he/him): eye colour, Hazelnut brown, the headmaster of Tatum.
Chloe (she/her): A third year student, likes playing video games in the common room.
Christopher Killjoy (he/him): Apart of Team Duck.
Clover Fortune (she/her): eye colour, tree bark brown, legacy she can manipulate probability, so the best-case scenario happens for her, in simple terms she has an aura of good luck, Mythic name Lucky Charm.
Crash (he/him): The tank from Tatum’s most famous team, his statue points towards the stadium.
Drei (he/him): The orphanage's dog.
Dr Jacq (he/she/they): eye colour, olive brown, legacy can make multiple copies of themselves but can’t control the gender. Teaches about Shades.
Dr Jacub Keter (he/him): eye colour, cobalt purple, addicted to caffeine, teaches about Aura.
Edward Blitz (he/him): eye colour, fire red legacy, super speed through the use of personal time manipulation, Mythic name Reacher, weapon, has no specified weapons.
Emily Cake (she/her): eye colour, grass green, legacy, can gain the powers of different animals by channelling them Mythic name Wild Spirit.
Flint Lock/Kill Streak (he/him): eye colour, baby blue, legacy, unknown, weapon Scythe Minigun.
Goon 1: eye colour, Pink, associated with the Dark Flame.
Goon 2: eye colour, Yellow, associated with the Dark Flame.
Jack Order (he/him): eye colour, mud brown, legacy, can make and enforce rules on a certain area or on certain people for a short period of time, Mythic name Ruler.
John Douglas (he/him): Leader of Team Duck.
Leo King (he/him): eye colour, platinum, CEO of Light Industries.
Lilly Oak (she/her): eye colour, rose, legacy, can manipulate plants, Mythic name Grass Blade.
Luke Knight/Night Strike (he/him): eye colour, Slate, legacy, can turn invisible but is unable to see conventionally whilst invisible, he can sense emotion, weapon S-class Sniper Sword.
Mathew Hunter (he/him): eye colour, grape purple, legacy, can easily form his aura into patterns known as runes that are more stable than another could, these runes have been nicknamed spells, Mythic name, Rune, weapon predominantly daggers.
Max Ukraine (he/him): Apart of Team Duck.
Mechanism (she/her): The technopath from Tatum’s most famous team, her statue points towards the shooting range.
Miracle (she/her): The healer from Tatum’s most famous team, her statue points towards the med bay.
Miss Laura Howl (she/her): eye colour, apricot orange, teaches history.
Miss Rose (she/her): eye colour, storm grey. Owner of the orphanage Thomas found himself at the beginning of the story.
Miss Take (she/her): eye colour, indigo. The owner of the previous orphanage, Thomas, got kicked out of at the beginning of the story.
Miss Smallwood (she/her): eye colour, ash grey, teaches wilderness survival.
Nobody (???): ???? do they exist? Are they a Mythic? Has anti-memetic properties, seems to be friends with Jacq.
Oliver King (he/him): eye colour, gold, legacy unknown but is likely associated with teleportation according to the database, Mythic name, Quiver, weapon Bow Staff.
Patrick Eye (he/him): eye colour, lilac, legacy summons robot-like golems that can do certain tasks, works at Light Industries as head engineer and is Alex's dad
Samuel (he/him): eye colour, coffee brown, Sam was the head of the team that was sent out to save Night and Kill.
Star Cranberry (he/him): eye colour, jade green, legacy, is a pyrotechnic, Mythic name Plasma.
Thomas Walker (he/him): eye colour, lightning blue, legacy, super speed through the use of converting body to solid kinetic energy, Mythic name, Blue Lightning, weapon, shotgun gauntlets named Red Thunder he received from his mother.
Yin Fortune (he/him): eye colour, leaf green, legacy, his legacy manipulates probability, so the worst-case scenario happens, in simple terms, he has an aura of bad luck.
?? (he/him): eye colour, ruby, legacy, fire manipulation, Edward’s friend?
Grace Mercy (she/her): eye colour, lime green, legacy, can travel through a linked deserted reality, is apart of the Dark Flame.
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Shades
Beowolf: A Beowolf is a warped version of a wolf. Its fur is in patches beneath bone armour that covers part of its body. What flesh can be seen looks black and decayed. Its legs look mismatched, with some having talons like a Harris hawk and some with overextended claws that are jagged and sharp. They are known to fight in pacts, with the oldest taking charge.
Bonegrinder: A bone grinder is a vaguely humanoid Shade three times the size of an average man. It has been described as if you took a photo and stretched it out unequally, with its head being flatter and broader than an actual man and its arms thicker and longer. Its armour scratches against itself as it moves, making a sound of metal scraping.
Dark Skipper: A dark skipper is a prey mantis-type Shade that blends into its surroundings, only moving when unobserved. It seems to move impossibly fast and can move multiple meters in a blink of an eye. The easiest way to deal with this Shade is in a group with at least three, keeping a visual on it the whole time and allowing each person to time their blinks.
Draknid: A draknid is a hybrid between a spider and a dragon with aspects of a wolf. They are one of the more common types of shades as they hunt in packs, they are covered in patches of fur and scales with over extending fangs, as they age one or two in a pack develop weak breath powers that range from gases poison to fire. While they are weak and small when compared to other Shades in high numbers, they have been known to overwhelm.
Hydra: A hydra is typically a serpentine monster with multiple heads. Be careful how you deal with this Shade, as if it survives the blow, the newly formed head will take on defensive attributes that prevent it from being killed the same way again.
Infestation: This is a small, insidious type of Shade that typically is found in swarms. It is a small insectoid with a shell and a needle-like mouth. To deal with an Infestation, it is best to try and deal with the brood mother first, as they spawn quickly. It is best to wear protective gear around any orifices, as their method of attack is to crawl into any that are exposed to lay eggs and die.
Man’s Laughter: This Shade is a chimaera made up of a fox and a hyena. Its face is humanoid, stretched across its head in a permanent grin. It is the size of a regular fox and typically hides in shadows. It is most known for its uncanny laughter, which always sounds like it's right next to your ear, regardless of the true location of the Shade.
Nope: A Shade whose original name has been forgotten, a nope seems to prey on typical fears of insects, arachnids, and snakes, being a combination of the three with a jaw that stretches open like a snake showcasing its fangs before it swallows you, eight needle like legs that piece the ground as it moves and beetle like wings. Its armour typically is reminiscent of a crown and flames with oily scaly flesh revealing itself behind. It is quite large, being four times the size of an average man when fully grown, and its fangs produce a poison that can necrose flesh.
Tusk: A combination of an elephant and a boar, it is known for its many different tusks and antlers that jut out of its head at seemingly random locations. Its main method of attack is charging and trying to impale you on its sharp tusks. It is roughly the size of an elephant.