This chapter contains vital background knowledge readers should understand before diving into the story. It is designed to prevent confusion regarding the worldbuilding, history, and power systems. Minor spoilers are included. If you prefer not to read them, feel free to continue with the novel—but should you find yourself confused, return here to clarify relevant or seemingly irrelevant, yet important, questions.
General Information:
Corruption
Corruption began from a single root—the sins committed by humans every passing minute. These sins gave birth to a mysterious and malignant force known simply as Corruption. This force eventually manifested into corrupted souls and heralded a new era known as The Fractured Dawn. It was during this moment that the Gate opened, allowing corrupted souls—incarnations of mankind's darkest sins—to descend into the world.
Render
With the emergence of Corruption came a powerful energy source called Render. It is a heavenly-like force that now flows through the world, empowering both the corrupted and those strong enough to withstand and control it. While Render offers immense potential, it also carries deadly risks to those who misuse or fail to control it properly.
Exalteds
Exalteds are humans whose bodies have successfully adapted to Render, becoming awakened beings capable of wielding supernatural abilities far beyond the limits of ordinary humans. They are the frontline combatants against corrupted souls and are equipped with powers specifically tuned for this purpose.
Corrupted Souls
These are creatures born directly from Corruption. They are formed from the collective sins of mankind and manifest as twisted, often grotesque beings with varying ranks, types, and danger levels.
II. THE EXALTED RANKINGS
Exalted are humans who have awakened and fused with Render, gaining superhuman abilities and access to soul-based powers. Their strength is measured by soul resonance levels:
Spark — Entry level; 10 Soul Units
Blade — Gained at 1,000 Soul Units
Above — Mark of maturity; 5,000 Soul Units
Heavenly One — Revered beings; 10,000 Soul Units
Infinite Ascendant — Legends in flesh; 100,000+ Soul Units
From the Blade rank upward, each Exalted gains a Decree—an Absolute Law forged by their soul that the world itself must obey.
III. THE CORRUPTED SOULS
Creatures birthed from sin, corrupted souls exist in five major ranks:
Paricifer — Newborn, mindless, weak. Devour humans to evolve.
Ferit — Slightly stronger, animalistic, unable to possess humans.
Vigoria — Intelligent enough to sense change, hard to kill, limited form mimicry.
Kine — Dangerous even to an [Above]. Can use skills, create partial human forms, and possess bodies.
Apex — Masterful, deceptive, and deadly. Can mimic flawless human form and even battle Heavenly Ones.
Their strength grows with time, feeding on humanity's fear, flesh, and sin. Rare ones contain Soul Cores—the same as Exalted.
IV. CORE SYSTEMS OF POWER
Render & Soul Core
Render is the spiritual energy that powers all abilities. The Soul Core is its vessel—a spiritual engine inside every Exalted and some corrupted. Soul Core types influence ability paths.
Decree (Soul Script)
Unlocked at [Blade], each Exalted creates a unique Decree—an Absolute Law. Example: "All lies spoken near me shall unravel."
Core Stability & Corruption Index
A sanity bar. As Exalted grow stronger, so does their risk of corruption. Side effects of instability include hallucinations, echoing voices, or loss of control. Too much power leads to Corruption, especially past [Above].
V. CULTIVATION & CLANS
There are over thirty-five clans worldwide, each guiding Exalted growth in secret. Only six dominate the global stage.
Cold Synthesisation (Eirson Clan Exclusive)
A high-tier cultivation path manipulating the three soul baselines. Provides smoother evolution and unique tools like:
Frozen Core Pills — Increases soul endurance.
Breath of Glacier — Temporarily halts ageing.
Shiversteel — Reacts to heat-based energy signatures.
Veil Crystals — Stores memories and spells.
Soul Constructs
Formed during deeper awakenings:
Soul Aegis — Spiritual shield.
Frostling — Semi-sentient ice familiar.
Cradle Heart — Amplifier made from condensed emotion.
Cold-Kin Marks (Mystic Tattoos)
Stillness — Silences surroundings.
Echo Frost — Reflects soul-based attacks.
Hollow Ice — Temporarily disables emotions.
VI. DEEPER SPIRITUAL SYSTEMS
Soulbind Rituals
A rite to bind your soul to an object (weapon, relic, familiar).
Benefits: Boosted spiritual power, delayed death.
Risk: Destruction causes soul scars or the Drifted State—a limbo between realms.
Frost Realms
Mythical plane accessible via Cold Synthesisation. Home of:
Still Ones — Souls in eternal meditation.
Glacier Root — Tree granting visions to those who endure its storm.
VII. PATHS OF POWER
Each Exalted aligns with a Path, which defines their abilities:
Path of Ruin — Destruction, shadow, entropy.
Path of Echo — Rituals, soul manipulation, illusion.
Path of Tyr — Martial dominance and force balance.
The deeper they evolve, the more their Path reshapes their body, mind, and future. But obviously, no Exalted knows about this, and it wasn't involved in their systems.
VIII. MYSTERIES & RELICS
Myth Roots
Dormant within every Exalted. Bloom through trauma, inheritance, or trial.
Ashen Root — Fire, rebirth, rage.
Lucent Root — Healing, truth, clarity.
Dread Root — Power born from fear or grief.
All Roots must face a Crest Trial to evolve into a Myth Crown.
Echo Shards
Fragments of collapsed timelines. Let bearers use alternate versions of themselves—but beware, a weak mind risks possession by echoes.
Soul Forge & Soul Heat
Each Soul Core runs like a forge. If overused, it overheats—requiring cooldown relics or combat to purge excess Render.
IX. The world is shaped by dualities—Render and corruption, power and madness, soul and steel. No one climbs the ranks unscarred. Whether Exalted or monster, everyone is fighting time, truth, and themselves.
Contracts:
Contracts are binding soul-pacts made between an Exalted or human and a higher entity—often Deamons or beings beyond mortal comprehension. These agreements offer extraordinary power or unique advantages, but in return demand something far more dreadful: sanity, memories, lifespan, or even humanity itself. The terms are absolute. Once sealed, they cannot be undone without grave consequences.
Deamons:
Deamons are ancient, otherworldly beings born from corrupted existence itself. Unlike corrupted souls, Deamons are not mindless—they are cunning, sentient, and terrifyingly old. Each one is a fragment of a deeper truth, tied to sins, despair, or forbidden desires. Deamons can form contracts, influence Render, and are capable of reshaping reality to some extent. Some serve higher realms, while others seek only chaos.
Dark Mirrors:
The Dark Mirrors are ten interconnected realms—each one a physical embodiment of a Terror of Corruption. These realms act as reflections of mankind's most horrifying sins and desires. At the centre of them stands Dreem, the Emperor of Corruption, said to be the strongest of all Corrupted Souls and one of the final calamities in existence.
Some desperate individuals seek out a Dark Mirror to sell themselves willingly, embracing the path of terror in exchange for overwhelming strength or forbidden knowledge. But every mirror takes its toll—those who gaze too long into it lose something vital in return.
This chapter does not fully explore the entirety of the world. Many elements have been intentionally left out to avoid overwhelming readers or causing information fatigue. As the story unfolds, more will be revealed in time. Should questions arise—whether vital or seemingly irrelevant—refer to this chapter for clarity.
Feel free to begin Chapter One—or continue from where you left off. ➤