CH 8: The Mana Realm

[AN: This is an info dump chapter. I wanted to get this information out to solidify Kaiser's goals for the future and to let readers know what this universe is about. If you want, you can skip this chapter because Kaiser eventually visits all of these places and learns more about them. But if you do skip, please at least see the map of the mana realm in the comments that I posted. It might be confusing for those skipping the chapter but it's a good reference for the future.]

After what seemed like an eternity of walking through the maze of what was the Raijin estate, we finally arrived at the base of a tall, white tower with gold tendrils spiraling upwards to the top.

Inside, there was a long staircase that spiraled upwards. We both walked up, my eyes pointing at the stairs the whole way.

'Just keep your eyes down, don't look up.'

I had to keep myself from looking up at my grandmother as she climbed the stairs in front of me.

'This place is gonna drive me nuts!'

Finally, we reached the top and I inwardly sighed in relief. At the top of the tower was a single room with four windows at every axis. There was a bookshelf, a desk, and a small bed meant for one person.

"This is where you'll be staying for the next week," Grandmother said. "This is also where you'll learn about everything."

"Everything?" I asked.

She scowled at me. "I can sense your heightened intelligence, so there is no need to just teach you the basics. If you're going to learn, it's going to be everything. I don't know how you already have superhuman intelligence, but it doesn't matter at this point. You're my grandson, so I'll teach you."

'I'm like an open book to her!'

I awkwardly chuckled and scratched the back of my head.

She walked over to the bookshelf and started to comb through the titles. "Sit down at the desk and I'll start you off with the basics."

I did as she said and took a seat at the desk. Behind it, the window let in the sun, making for a perfect light source.

Grandmother walked over to my desk and set down a stack of books. "I expect you to be done by the end of the day. These books are what you would normally ready over the week, but you don't need that long. I'll come back with dinner and we can review what you've learned."

She turned and left, leaving me to the books.

I pulled the first book off the top of the stack and read the title.

-Three Realms of Creation-

'Three? I've only heard of the Mortal realm and the Mana realm.'

I opened the book and began to read at a million miles a second. My vision swept over the words and each sentence was committed to memory instantly.

…

[Ch 1

In the beginning, there was nothing. Darkness pervaded the universe and time had yet to start passing.

But then, a spark broke through! It was a dazzling light that could breach through space and time!

This spark was none other than the Primordial of Creation, the first being and the primogenitor of the universe.

CH 2

The Primordial of Creation soon had offspring in this new universe. The first to be born was the Goddess of Light and the God of Darkness. These two are the only known direct descendants of the Primordial of Creation.

The two new gods also had offspring. The God of Darkness birthed two children: The Goddess of the Shadows and the God of Death. The Goddess of Light also birthed two children: The Holy God and the Goddess of Life.

As time passed, new generations of gods were birthed. But there was a problem. There was nowhere to stay. Everything was still empty space and darkness.

So the Primordial of Creation created the Realm of the Gods as a home for his descendants.

CH 3

Once the Realm of the Gods was complete, there was another problem. There was nothing to rule for the gods. The Goddess of Life didn't have any life to give and The God of Death didn't have any life to end.

So the Primordial of Creation created the Mana Realm, a land separate from the Realm of the Gods that would provide the gods with authority for their specific power.

The many new gods created new beings to inhabit the Mana Realm. They were: Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Beastkin, Demonkin, Giants, Dragons, Phoenixes, Mermen, Fairies, and Nymphs.

CH 4

Now that there were forces that the gods could rule over, everyone was happy and had a role in the new universe.

But, tragedy soon ensued. The beings of the mana realm clashed over their differences and the gods were flustered. They watched as their creations killed each other over resources in the Mana Realm.

As the humans were about to be wiped out, the gods pleaded with the Primordial of Creation to do something about the war. So, he forced the land into equal parts among the races and divided them into their own territories.

But now, the humans were weak. They weren't as strong as the others. Every human had a chance of being born without mana, and they would be at a disadvantage in the realm where mana was necessary to survive.

CH 5

The Primordial of Creation then created the Mortal Realm. It was a safe haven for manaless humans to live without fear of being weak.

In the mortal realm, the humans could slowly absorb mana and once they reached adulthood, if they had awakened, they would be sent to the Mana Realm.]

…

I closed the book and put it to my left, starting a pile of finished books.

"Wow, that's a lot to take in," I said. But soon, my feeling of wonder turned into passion. "There are so many races! That's so cool! I wonder what a dragon is like! Or a giant! The gods sound so cool, I can't wait to meet one!"

I quickly took the next book and read the front cover.

-Territories and Politics of the Mana Realm-

'This should be interesting.'

…

[CH 1: Silvercrest Empire

The Silvercrest Empire is the territory of Humans. The territory is ruled by a monarchy. The royal family is the Silvercrests, originating from a powerful man who led the Humans in the War of the Races near the beginning of the Mana Realm's creation.

The Empire also has nobility. Noble families are given territory by the royal family in reward for accomplishments. The ranking of the nobility from strongest to weakest in terms of governmental power is Royalty, Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron, and Knight.

As for the land itself, it is mostly fertile grassland and forests and beaches along the border with the ocean in the west.

CH 2: Elysium

Elysium is the territory of the Elves and also houses the Fairies and Nymphs. It is north of the Silvercrest Empire, past the Central Mountains of the West. Elysium is also a monarchy. They do not have a nobility as all of the population lives in one city.

The capital, Reiunya, is where the population is concentrated. This is because the Tree of Life is there. The Tree of Life was a gift by the Goddess of Life at the birth of the Elves.

The land of the Elves is mostly jungle, with the Central Mountains of the West to their south and the Northern Mountains to their north.

CH 3: Scaleguard

Scaleguard is the territory of Dragons. It is east of Elysium and is ruled by an oligarchy. There are 9 families of Dragons that rule over their own individual cities. To govern country-wide, the family heads and heirs convene in the capital.

The country has the Northern Mountains in its northern region and taiga forests in the southern region.

CH 4: Emberfall

Emberfall is the territory of the Phoenixes. It is east of Scaleguard and is ruled by a democracy. There are multiple cities and villages. Each city or village gets a representative to govern in the capital. The citizens vote on important decisions and the representatives make smaller decisions.

Emberfall has the Northern Mountains to the north and mostly deserts in the central areas with savannah to the south.

CH 5: Maneblood Dominion

The Mainblood Dominion is the territory of the Beastkin. It is east of Emberfall. The Wolf, Tiger, Lion, and Bear clans lead together as an oligarchy. Each major clan has its own territory in the country. The Wolves live in the northern forests, the Monkeys in the northwest, the Lions in the west, the Tigers in the southwest, the Bears in the south and southeast, the Foxes in the east, and the Panthers in the northeast.

The country has a diverse climate and environment that allows for all Beastkin to coexist.

CH 6: Netherbane Imperium

The Netherbane Imperium is the territory of the Demonkin. It is south of the Maneblood Dominion, past the Central Mountains of the East, and is ruled by a royal family. There is a nobility system based on strength. All Demonkin families are different from each other and have different abilities. The strongest of them are granted noble titles. From strongest to weakest, the titles are Sovereign, Overlord, Sentinel, Warden, and Vanguard. The population is centered around the capital, with some villages surrounding it.

The territory is mostly barren, devoid of vegetation.

CH 7: Ebonblood

Ebonblood is the territory of the Vampires, a divergent race of Elves who split from their home country. It is southwest of the Netherbane Imperium. In Ebonblood, there is a royal family. There is no nobility and the population is concentrated in the capital.

The land consists of dense pine forests.

CH 8: Mithrilheart

Mithrilheart is the home of the Dwarves, west of Ebonblood. The Dwarves live underground in 5 dense, subterranean cities that are connected through wide tunnels. Mithrilheart is ruled by a democracy. Each city gets 10 representatives to make decisions in the capital. They also have a president to balance power. The citizens vote for the president and representatives.

Mithrilheart above ground is mostly empty grasslands and forests.

CH 9: Leviathan Regency

The Leviathan Regency is the home of the Whale, Swordfish, Ray, and Dolphin Mermen. and takes up the eastern half of the ocean surrounding the continent. The rulers are a royal family of Whale Mermen. The capital is underwater and that is where most of the population lives, but some live on islands.

CH 10: Jawscale

Jawscale takes up the western half of the ocean surrounding the continent. It is the territory of Shark and Eel Mermen. There are two cities. One city, which is underwater, is ruled by the King, the strongest male in the kingdom. The other city, which is an island city, is ruled by the Queen, the strongest female in the kingdom. The purpose of the country is to make the strongest warriors, so the King and Queen mate to make strong hybrids.]

…

'I'm getting more and more excited!'

I closed the book and took a deep breath.

"This is awesome."

I placed the book to my left, grabbed the next one, and read the title.

-Mana Beasts and Mana Zones-

…

[CH 1: Mana Beasts and Rankings

Anything that can wield mana is ranked with a letter based on battle prowess. From weakest to strongest, the list is F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS, EX, Demi-God, God, and finally Primordial. Only F to EX-ranked beings can reside in the mana realm.

CH 2: Mana Zones

Around the realm, there are 10 mana zones, one for each territory. A mana zone is an area with very dense mana that houses mana beasts. For the Silvercrest Kingdom, the mana zone is in the southwest, in the dense forest. For Elysium, it is in the west jungle area. For Scaleguard, it is in the northeast mountainous area. For Emberfall, it is in the northeast desert and mountainous area. For the Maneblood Domain, it is in the east forests. For the Netherbane Imperium, it is in the south. For Ebonblood, it is in the south forest area. For Mithrilheart, it is in the south, cavernous areas. For Jawscale, it is in the southern part of the territory. For the Leviathan Regency, it is on an archipelago in the central part of the territory.]

…

"Emy, do I get a fixed amount of XP for killing mana beasts?" I asked as I finished the book.

[Every rank has 3 tiers designated by the system: Low, Mid, and High. Based on the rank and tier, there is a certain amount of XP given.]

"That's good. Means I don't have to guess how much XP I'll get."

I took the final book that was still left to be read and looked at the cover.

-Pantheon-

"What's this?"

…

[CH 1

After the great wars at the beginning of the Mana Realm, races learned to accept each other and communicate again. After many years of peace and cooperation, the races came together to form Pantheon, a very large city in the center of the continent.

The purpose of Pantheon was for the populations of each country to get rid of their discrimination and join forces together. To further the connection of each race, a school was built, called Pantheon Academy. Each country agreed to send 5000 of their strongest adolescents every year to attend there. Another purpose for this academy was to garner talent for a certain tournament held by the Primordial of Creation.

CH 2

The Pantheon Tournament, it was called, is a tournament hosted by the Primordial of Creation every century. The tournament holds 3 purposes. One is for the entertainment of the gods and demigods. Two is for the participants of the tournament to impress the crowd of powerful beings and be sponsored by a God or Demi-God to become a Demi-God prospect. Three is for the prize at the end. For the winner of the 1 on 1 tournament, the Primordial of Creation grants one wish that is anything less than becoming a god. In the past, many have wished to become demigods or to become very rich.

This tournament is a very special occasion for the Mana Realm and the Realm of the Gods. Every 100 years, a large festival is held in Pantheon to celebrate this tournament, where the strongest 100 fighters of the Mana Realm compete against each other.]

…

"I wonder when the next one is? Hopefully not 99 years from now. That'd be unlucky, wouldn't it?"

I closed the book and put it in the finished pile.

Now that I had finished every book Grandmother had left me, I stretched and looked out the window.

By the angle of the sun, it should be around the middle of the afternoon.

I stood up and walked to the window, gazing down at the Raijin estate.

"This world is a lot more complex than I thought. But that only makes me more excited!"