Chapter 0 — Definition of the Power System and the Places
The world is composed of: the Tower, the kingdoms, and the empires.
The Kingdom of Infreda is a civic-level kingdom within the Verina Empire, which consists of 702 kingdoms. Infreda contains the royal family (House Infreda) and five powerful noble houses — branches of the Dravon dynasty: the families Valdrin, Ismara, Drakovin, Teralon, and Nimarís — in addition to many other civic noble families. There are no ordinary mercenary gangs here. Infreda is relatively small compared to some other kingdoms (its population is estimated at about one hundred million). Numerous academies spread across it, but the Academy of Infreda is considered the unrivaled best.
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1. The Heart of Orne
When a person reaches the age of twenty, the Tower grants them something called a Heart of Orne. Each Heart bears an affinity (an allegiance) to a single natural element.
Function: to store refined mana in the form of mana circles after the mana has been polished.
Requirement: age ≥ 20 (Tower rule).
The basic mana types currently taught at the Academy of Infreda: Fire — Water — Air — Earth — Lightning.
(Other elements — such as: Light, Darkness, Gravity, Sand, Ice — are available in Dravon and other kingdoms.)
Structure
Orne Core: determines the number of mana circles present and the degree to which they are complete.
Mana Circles: storage slots that fill and empty; they are not fixed.
A Heart of Orne has nine levels — nine mana circles. Mana capacity increases with each circle. Illustrative example: the first circle = 10 points, the second circle = 20 points → the total for the two circles = 30 points.
Advancement: achieved by devouring false Hearts of Orne → the core grows stronger and the circles' completeness increases. After devouring, the devourer passes through a period of temporary weakness and faces greater difficulty controlling mana.
False Heart of Orne: a heart similar in shape to the true heart, but it does not retain mana by itself; its sole function is to strengthen the true Heart when devoured.
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2. The Eira
Definition: a tool/weapon created by the Tower, activated by the refined mana stored in the Heart of Orne.
Ranks: F → E → D → C → B → A → S → SS → SSS
(SSS are extremely rare; there may be only one SSS-ranked Eira heart in the world.)
Levels: 1 to 9 — determine an Eira's power relative to its user and the number of mana circles they possess.
Types:
Original (true): has infinite usages.
Nira (manufactured/replicated Eira): limited number of uses, then it breaks.
Usage and Constraints:
An Eira works only for its owner (bound to their heart).
It does not function for another unless its owner is dead.
Each Heart of Orne has a limit on the number of Eira it can bind (depends on the user's capability and the heart's level).
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3. Mana Control
Importance: the higher a person's mana-control level, the easier it is to manipulate mana internally and externally.
Strong external control shortens the activation time of an Eira.
Good control facilitates devouring hearts more quickly and safely.
Reaching a high level of control can open higher ranks such as "Skill Master."
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4. Polishing and Raw Mana
Mana exists naturally and is extracted from mana stones.
Polishing: purifying raw mana into refined mana that can be stored in the Heart of Orne and used to activate Eira.
The natural body stores mana, but the Heart of Orne increases capacity and allows an Eira to operate far more efficiently.
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5. Quick Notes about Mana
Every three mana circles represent a qualitative leap in power (a change of state: gas → liquid → solid).
False hearts are consumed to feed and hasten the completion of circles, but at a cost: temporary weakness and control difficulties.
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Lecture Summary: Mana
1. What is mana
Everything in the world carries its own mana (useful or not). Main elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, Air, Light, Darkness, Gravity… Each element usually contains mana dominated by its own nature, mixed with a small portion of other elements. Example: sand contains sandy mana blended with other components. Even paper has its own mana mixed with other elements.
2. Pure mana
Pure mana = 100% of one element. Rare in nature; sentient beings can purify their mana. Purity grants a clear advantage in combat.
3. Mana Stones
Quantity levels (1 → 9):
Level 1: 1 mana point.
Level 2: 3 points.
Level 3: 6 points.
(and the scale continues up to level 9 with larger amounts.)
Purity levels:
Low purity: main element 50%–70%.
Good: 71%–90%.
Excellent: 91%–99%.
Legendary: very rare, 100% single element.
> Note: a stone may have large quantity and low purity, or vice versa.
4. Measuring Mana Control
It is measured by the proportion of mana an individual can extract and control easily for a given number of points.
Stages:
Stage One (Pre-Basic): cannot release that quantity outside the body.
Stage Two (Basic): can release mana outside the body.
Stage Three (Post-Basic): able to shape and control that mana externally and across varying distances according to control level.
The effective ratio changes with the amount of mana used.
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Quick Definition: The Eira
An Eira is a device/tool that converts mana into a usable skill. When fed the required quantity of mana, the Eira's skill activates automatically.
Eira Components:
Core: converts mana into the element.
Other parts: shaping and motion sections (each has a name and function).
How a skill is activated: mana is fed into the Eira → the Eira converts the mana into the element → the skill forms and is released. An Eira requires a fixed amount of mana to activate a given skill.
Factors that increase skill solidity/effectiveness (practical order):
1. Mana purity: reduces environmental interference. (Example: a 100% pure fire globe might not evaporate in water; low-purity fire might.) Purity is achieved by buying pure stones or by purifying mana within the Heart of Orne.
2. Mana-control level: determines how much you can extract, how fast, and how precisely. Higher control = greater ability to intervene in an Eira's internal processes.
3. Knowledge of Eira construction: understanding parts and functions lets you influence shaping and motion.
4. Knowledge of skill structure: understanding a skill's form (a fire ring, weaknesses, range) gives you room to improve or exploit it.
5. Knowledge of enemy skills: knowing an opponent's skill characteristics enables maneuvering or evasion.
6. Element type and environment: the concentration of an element in the environment can overwhelm your skill even if your mana purity is high.
Warning: Eira outputs are not identical to the natural element. What an Eira produces is shaped mana, not the original element itself. Eira are difficult to modify or replicate — broad attempts at alteration have mostly failed. The Tower's shop sells parts (cores, shaping components…), but major changes to an Eira are practically impossible.