Bonus chapter 1: Recollection of the past
Long before the emergence of abilities among the Earth worlders, the six distinct realms existed in a state of isolated coexistence, each unaware of the others.
The Six Dimensions
These distinct realms, each a universe unto itself, existed in a state of blissful ignorance of the others for an immeasurable span of time, their boundaries absolute and their inhabitants living according to the unique laws and energies that governed their respective planes
Earth World
This is the realm most familiar to us, a vibrant sphere teeming with diverse human cultures, histories, and the everyday tapestry of life.
Unbeknownst to its early inhabitants, it held no inherent magical energies or supernatural beings of its own during this primordial era, its strength lying solely in the potential of its future.
It was a world of purely physical laws, of science and tangible reality, a stark contrast to the inherently magical nature of the other dimensions.
Spirit Realm
Unlike the ethereal plane where the recently deceased may linger, the Spirit Realm is the native home of sentient spirits.
It is a world woven from pure spiritual energy, where thought and emotion manifest as tangible forms.
Its inhabitants are beings of pure essence, unbound by physical limitations, possessing abilities related to perception, influence over emotions, and even the manipulation of spiritual energies.
They exist in a vibrant, often unseen, layer of reality, their society and culture shaped by their non-corporeal nature.
This realm is a place of profound wisdom, artistic expression through pure thought, and intricate social structures based on spiritual resonance.
Elemental Realm
A world where the very landscape is a dynamic interplay of raw elemental forces.
Volcanoes erupt with sentient fire beings, vast oceans are home to water spirits with control over tides and currents, mountains are the ancient forms of earth elementals, and the skies are patrolled by air spirits capable of summoning tempests.
This realm is not just a source of elements; it's a living embodiment of them, with a hierarchy and society based on the mastery and balance of these fundamental powers.
Cities carved from living rock, forests of fire that don't consume, and skies filled with swirling vortexes of wind and lightning, all inhabited by beings intrinsically linked to their element.
However these elements are are unique and the cross relationships between elements have brought about new elements.
Shadow Realm
Enshrouded in perpetual twilight and mystery, the Shadow Realm is a place where darkness is not merely the absence of light but a tangible force.
Its inhabitants are beings who have mastered the art of manipulating shadows, wielding them as extensions of their will for both subtle influence and formidable power.
Their society is built on secrecy, intricate networks of information, and a deep understanding of the hidden aspects of reality.
Architecture that blends seamlessly with the shadows, cities built in perpetual night, and individuals who can melt into darkness, becoming unseen and unheard.
The very air hums with unseen energies, and the landscape shifts and writhe with living shadows.
Light Realm
In stark contrast to the Shadow Realm, the Light Realm is a radiant paradise, bathed in the effulgent glow of countless sources of pure light.
Its inhabitants are beings formed from this very essence, their bodies shimmering with every color imaginable, some even possessing the crystalline structure of solidified light.
Their society is hierarchical based on the purity and intensity of their light, with different colors and crystal formations denoting different abilities and roles.
Cities that sparkle with unimaginable brilliance, landscapes sculpted from pure light, and individuals who can project blinding beams of energy, heal with a touch, or even manipulate the very fabric of light itself.
Ethereal Realm
A realm of impermanence and fluidity, the Ethereal Realm is home to beings who exist just out of phase with conventional reality.
Their non-solid forms allow them to effortlessly pass through physical matter, granting them unique perspectives and abilities.
Their society is structured around concepts of flow, adaptability, and the exploration of the boundaries between the physical and non-physical.
Cities that drift and reform, landscapes that shimmer and change without physical interaction, and individuals who can become invisible, intangible, and even manipulate the very nature of solidity.
The Void
This is not a realm in the traditional sense but rather the profound nothingness that stretches between the vibrant dimensions. It acts as the space separating the expanse of the other worlds. It is a space devoid of matter, energy, and even the fundamental forces that govern the realms.
It is a canvas of absolute blankness, an infinite expanse of pure potentiality and utter emptiness.
It served as a natural barrier, preventing any interaction or awareness between the dimensions until the fateful events that would shatter this ancient isolation.
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The Disaster and the War
For eons, a delicate balance persisted between the realms. This harmony shattered when the ambitious rulers of the Shadow Realm, driven by a lust for absolute power, set their sights on conquering the other dimensions and establishing dominion over the entire multiverse.
Their initial target, the closest dimension – the Ethereal Realm – proved to be their undoing. The shadow rulers underestimated the ethereal beings' innate ability to teleport and traverse dimensions.
Recognizing the imminent threat, the Ethereal Realm dispatched three swift messengers to each of the other dimensions (with the notable exception of Earth, which at this time possessed no inherent supernatural strength), bearing dire warnings of the Shadow Realm's malevolent plan.
Upon learning of this impending invasion, the leaders of the Spirit, Elemental, and Light Realms immediately forged an alliance to defend the delicate balance of their shared existence.
The Shadow Realm, confident in their initial advantage, was caught completely off guard by a united and fierce counter-offensive from all sides. The ensuing war raged for fifty long years, a brutal conflict that tested the very fabric of the multiverse.
Ultimately, the combined might and strategic prowess of the allied realms prevailed. The Shadow Realm's forces were defeated, and their rulers were forcibly sealed within their own dimension by a powerful magical construct known as the Five-Dimensional Seal.
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The Five-Dimensional Seal
The Five-Dimensional Seal was a monumental undertaking, a testament to the collaborative power of the allied dimensions. Its creation was a secret endeavor, meticulously planned and executed over the fifty years of the war. It represented a convergence of the unique magical and supernatural abilities of the Spirit, Elemental, and Light Realms.
In essence, the seal comprised five ethereal chains, each intrinsically linked to one of the five participating dimensions. The supernatural energy inherent to each of these worlds – approximately 75% of their total power – served as an anchor, holding the chains firmly in place.
For the seal to be effective, these chains needed to be anchored within a physical realm. The allied dimensions chose Earth for this crucial purpose.
To facilitate this, they bestowed upon the humans of Earth latent supernatural abilities. Some individuals on Earth formed direct connections with the other realms, while others were granted powers through mysterious events orchestrated by the visiting worlders.
Gradually, Earth's supernatural power grew, eventually reaching roughly 56% – just enough to anchor the final chain and become the linchpin of the seal. This infusion of power into Earth proved to be the turning point in the war, leading to the Shadow Realm's ultimate confinement.
However, a seal of such magnitude required a key – an entity possessing power strong enough to maintain its integrity.
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The Origin of the Key
Sometime before the outbreak of the war, an extraordinary event had occurred: a woman from the Light Realm and a man from the Shadow Realm had fallen deeply in love. Forsaking their respective dimensions, they sought refuge in the neutrality of the Void, where they lived in harmony and eventually had a daughter.
This child was unique, possessing a perfect and potent blend of both light and shadow energies.
In the aftermath of the war, the leaders of the four allied dimensions (Earth, still lacking a unified leadership, was not involved in this decision) discovered the existence of this couple. Fearing the potential instability, they forcibly separated the family, taking the father and imprisoning him within the Shadow Realm, deeming him a security risk.
Their daughter, witnessing her father's abduction, erupted in a raw display of uncontrolled power. The leaders attempted to subdue her, but her combined light and shadow energies proved overwhelming. Only her mother's desperate pleas managed to calm the distraught child.
Recognizing the immense power residing within the girl, the leaders saw an opportunity. They proposed a deal to the mother:
"Allow us to use your daughter as the key to the seal, and we will reunite your family by retrieving your husband."
Driven by love, the mother agreed to this difficult bargain.
As the leaders began the process of opening the existing temporal seal on the Shadow Realm to retrieve the father, they failed to notice a single individual slipping through the dimensional rift.
The child was then made the key to the Five-Dimensional Seal. This process drained her of her inherent light power, which was absorbed by the barrier to keep the shadows at bay. This stripping of her light magic left her physically scarred, her body transforming into a crystalline structure of scarlet red.
The individual who had escaped the Shadow Realm witnessed this ritual and understood that the girl, now the key, would be essential to one day freeing their imprisoned ruler.
The reunited family was instructed to live out their lives on Earth and to refrain from having any more children, as offspring with a similar dual nature could potentially destabilize the seal.
They lived on Earth for a century, until the crystalline girl's parents succumbed to old age, leaving her alone but under the watchful protection of Earth's burgeoning supernatural community.
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The Cult
Meanwhile, the woman who had escaped the Shadow Realm had also made her way to Earth. Over centuries, she secretly cultivated a clandestine organization – a cult dedicated to the sole purpose of freeing the Dark Lord, the imprisoned ruler of the Shadow Realm.
The crystalline girl, burdened by her unique existence, discovered the ability to restart her life whenever she felt the weight of time. Choosing to remain perpetually in her early twenties, she lived for centuries, unaware of the growing threat.
By the time the cult finally located her – the woman now likely a millennium old – they attempted to exploit her power to break the seal. However, her lack of inherent light energy rendered their initial efforts futile.
Undeterred, the cult devised a dangerous method to forcefully imbue her with light energy. They conducted this perilous experiment at an abandoned factory – a location that fatefully intersected with the life of a young boy named Jordan.
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The Fire and explosion
The explosion Naomi refers to occurred when Jordan was just five years old, a time when his nascent white light powers and his dark shadow abilities had only recently manifested.
He was wearing his favorite blue hoodie that day. While playing near the perimeter of an old, dilapidated factory, his bright red ball bounced through a hole in the chain-link fence. Curious, Jordan ventured inside to retrieve it. The ball had rolled against the factory wall.
As he picked it up, a brilliant, crystalline light emanating from a nearby window caught his attention. Drawn by curiosity, he peered through the grimy glass.
Inside, he witnessed a disturbing scene: several figures in lab coats, scientists, were conducting a painful experiment on a woman whose body was almost entirely composed of vibrant red crystals. They were firing beams of intense blue light at her, and Jordan could hear her muffled cries for help.
Instinctively, a surge of protective energy welled up within him. Focusing his newfound powers, he instinctively shot a ray of pure white light at the scientist operating the light-emitting machine. The sudden jolt startled the scientist next to him, causing him to drop a vial containing a volatile chemical.
The shattered glass and spilled liquid ignited upon contact with the machinery, and a fire quickly spread across the nearby table, engulfing electrical cables.
The resulting power surge inadvertently released the crystalline woman from her restraints, but the damage was severe; her radiant glow was rapidly fading.
Despite her weakened state, she possessed enough residual life force to channel it into a concentrated beam of light, which she directed straight at the terrified young boy outside the window, fusing her very essence with him and simultaneously projecting a powerful force field around his small body.
Moments later, the factory's unstable nuclear reactor reached critical mass and exploded, unleashing billions of joules of destructive energy into the surrounding area.
Miraculously, Jordan, now imbued with the woman's life force and protected by her final act, instinctively absorbed this catastrophic energy into himself, unknowingly saving the city and perhaps the world from utter devastation.
The sheer amount of energy Jordan absorbed caused a profound and immediate reaction within him. The memory of the event, the woman, and even the initial colors of his powers – the white light and black shadow – were completely wiped from his mind.
The next thing he consciously registered was waking up bandaged in his bed at home, his concerned father watching over him. When he asked what had happened, his father simply explained that Jordan had injured himself while playing the previous day.
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Aftermath and Transformation
Following the explosion, Jordan's powers underwent a significant and inexplicable transformation. His once pure white light energy now pulsed with a vibrant blue hue, and his deep black shadow energy had shifted to a menacing red.
His abilities were undeniably stronger but also far more volatile and unpredictable than before. Even his father, a highly skilled elemental who could manipulate the four primary elements with masterful ease, couldn't comprehend the nature of Jordan's altered powers.
This left Jordan feeling isolated and misunderstood – a feeling that persisted until he met Amara four years later, a meeting that further obscured his memories of his original black and white powers.
It's crucial to understand that while the crystalline woman's life force and powers merged with Jordan's, her memories did not. He carries her legacy within him, but not the conscious recollection of her life or sacrifice.