[As the chapter name suggests, this is a place where I, the author, have written down all of the key terminologies and their meanings present within the world Astor explores. And hence, a few minor spoilers are present.]
•—General Information—•
• Library of Artifacts
A mystical realm that is the source of almost all Artifacts. Humans can only become Gatebearers by standing on the divine platform in the center of this Library.
• Mytherra
The last continent on which humans still live. Home to all of the nations and churches, such as the Velmir Kingdom and the Ember Sanctum(Church of the Eternal Flame).
• ϩⲓτζⲉ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ ⲛⲓⲉⲣⲙⲏⲛευⲙⲁ (Voice of the Artifacts)
The Voice of the Artifacts can be invoked by Gatebearers to see runes describing themselves or their Origin Artifact.
•—Terminologies—•
• Tiers/Ranks
Gates, Artifacts, Ores, and Gatebearers can be classified into tiers or ranks. There are 10 tiers/ranks in total:
0) Broken (Ordinary)
1) Dormant
2) Ascendant
3) Conjuror
4) Bound
5) Echo
6) Cardinal
7) Monarch
8) Primordial
9) Immortal
10) Celestial
An Element Ore of the 6th tier would simply be called Tier 6 Element Ore. A Gatebearer who is a Monarch(Rank 7) would have a gate of tier 7 within them.
• Element
Can refer to any of the 9 forms the Fabric of Element can take shape into upon being purified by the gate present within the soul of a Gatebearer. A single gate can only be bound to a single form of Element. These 9 forms are separated into two categories.
Known Elements
1)Aqua
2)Inferno
3)Tempest
4)Terra
Lost Elements
5)Soul
6)Solar
7)Shadow
8)Void
9)Reality
• Fabric of Element/Element
A raw, invisible force of nature present in any and all objects. A Gatebearer converts the Fabric of Element present within them with the help of a Gate to create usable Element Energy, in one of the 9 Element forms.
• Gatebearer
A human, or a beast, who has a Gate of a tier higher than or equal to Dormant.
For humans, a Gatebearer is a person who has an artifact bound to their gate(s), capable of manipulating the Fabric of Element and using Artifacts.
A human Gatebearer can not ascend further into the ranks of Gatebearers if the tier of their gate is equal to the tier of their Origin artifact.
•Gate
A passageway that all living creatures have in order to convert the Fabric of Element into a usable form of energy, called Element. A Gate progressively opens, and with each awakening, one unlocks a whole new domain of control over their respective element.
Gates are separated into 10 tiers, and can be bound to any one of the 9 Elements.
Humans are born with a Gate of a Broken tier. A Broken Gate. To 'fix' this gate, they must bind their gates to an Artifact, which then becomes their Origin Artifact. Every other creature is born at the Dormant tier.
A gate does not rise in its tier simply by training. Only when forced into extreme situations, and the emotions of the one bearing the gate become heightened, does the gate finally rise in its tier. However, for Astor, the case is completely different...
• Artifact
A mystical object that can interfere with the Fabric of Element present within itself or in its surroundings. An artifact can vary in two ways: its tier and its affinity.
All Gatebearers can use any and all Artifacts. However, to use the artifact to its maximum potential, a gatebearer must have a gate within them with the same element and tier(if not higher) as that of the artifact.
There are three ways to get an Artifact: Library of Artifacts, Beast Will, and by killing human Gatebearers.
• Divine Artifacts
Divine Artifacts are those Artifacts that can manipulate more than one form of Element.
• Origin Artifact
An Artifact bound to a human's gate. The connection between an Origin Artifact and a human is visualised through floating runes known as Voice of the Artifacts.
These runes guide the gatebearer and tell them about themself and their powers.
The tier of the Origin Artifact, also known as the Origin Tier, is a hard limit for a Gatebearer.
Meaning the Gate the Origin Artifact is bound to can not be of a higher tier than the Origin Artifact itself. A person with a Tier 3, Invoker, Origin Artifact, can only become an Invoker, nothing stronger than that.
Upon binding to a Broken Gate, the Element of the Origin Artifact becomes the Element of the Gate itself.
The Origin Artifact also grants its Gatebearer a set of Attributes known as Origin Attributes. The number of these Attributes does not change, and is set from the moment one first becomes a Gatebearer.
• Attribute
An attribute is a unique way in which a Gatebearer can use their powers. There are two types of Attributes: Innate and Origin.
Innate attributes are granted each time a Gatebearer ascends to the next tier. Innate attributes are the same for Gatebearers having Gates of the same Element. For example, the dormant attribute of all Tempest Gatebearers is the same.
Origin attributes are granted upon first merging your soul with an Origin Artifact. Origin attributes are unique from person to person, and the number of them is fixed from the very beginning.
• Beasts
Great strength requires great wisdom to control it. However, wild creatures do not have very powerful minds. And so as they climb the ranks of Gatebearers, they slowly become mindless and monstrous.
There exist no "animals" in the world Astor is from. Only tamed and untamed beasts.
• Divine/Divine Gatebearers
A rare group of people born with more than one gate within their souls.
However, having more does not make them stronger, at least not directly. As the amount of Element one can store within their own body does not change with an increase in the number of Gates.
Divine Gatebearers have Divine Origin Artifacts. Meaning, all of their gates are linked to a single Artifact.
• Phase
A Divine Gatebearer can unleash an attack known as a Phase, which is born from the simultaneous use of two or more gates at the same time. A Phase can differ in two ways: the number of Elements and the primary gate.
However, human Divine Gatebearers can also unleash an attack called the "Phase — Ultima", in which there is no primary gate, as both gates are used as primary. An Ultima is a Phase that is unique person-to-person.
• Element Ore
A crystal made from Element. It is differentiated in two ways: its purity(tier) and its Element.
• Origin
Not to be confused with Origin Artifact. An Origin is a glorious title bestowed upon a human by the world for doing something extraordinary. Those who have an Origin are known as Angels.
• Soul Space/Soul
The place within which a Gatebearer can store their Origin Artifact. However, apart from passive effects, the Gatebearer can not use their powers if an Artifact is hidden away within the Soul.
• Beast Will
Upon the death of a tamed beast, there is a small chance that its soul will turn into an Artifact of the tier and Element the beast had at the moment of death.
However, for this to happen, the beast must feel genuine affection towards the one who killed it, even as it dies by their hand.
• Golden thread(s)
A mysterious phenomenon that leads Astor towards the missing Celestial shards.