User:Sera EX/Sandbox

Summary= Requiem is an expanded universe created and envisioned by Sera Loveheart set in New Academia (located in Southern Tokyo), where practitioners of magic study and develop their magical prowess. However, within this world of socially acceptable magic practices, also exists an underground world of black magic and occultism connected to the religious institutions and royal families of the planet. Kenshi Niijima is a boy who happens to be one of the many students living in New Academia. He keeps having dreams about a beautiful girl with bright red eyes, and an terrifying dragon, only to eventually discover he possesses a mysterious Dragon marking on his neck. One day, he finds a young girl collapsed on his balcony floor named Athena. She is a Princess from Necessarius, a secret magic branch of the Imperial Family of China, and has the physical characteristics of the girl in his dreams. Her body has been implanted with the Holy Grail—a spiritual cauldron currently filled with 106,000,000,000 souls the Church has accumulated over centuries. His encounter with her leads him to meet others from the secret worlds of science and magic. Kenshi’s unusual power places him at the center of conflicts between magicians from various different pantheons in New Academia called “Holy Wars”. Eventually he comes to learn that a Holy War caused the great disaster that traumatized him since childhood by the Grand Priest, Walter. When Kenchi was only 5-years-old, his home city was destroyed when a foolish man attempted to “contact God” and was “rejected for his heresy”. As Kenshi tries to help and protect his friends from the Occult and other magicians, he learns the people he cares about aren't fond of his self-sacrificial ideals. Nevertheless he stubbornly tries to act as the famous superheroes he read about as a child, believing that someone, anyone, must always believe in those childlike aspirations, even one as impossible as “saving everyone” with little no sacrifice as Kenshi claims that without that humanity will lose their innocence as a whole.

As the saga goes on the focus of the story turns to the increasing hostilities between the Science Side, represented by Academy City, and the Magic Side, represented by the Roman Catholic Church, due to Kenshi Niijima’s actions putting a stop to several of their plans. Additionally, the saga begins to branch off and focuses on Kenshi’s former adversary and revealed alternate existence Nayuta, and Misty, an imperfect replica of the Princess created from the leaked memories of Nayuta which caused his amnesia. These two side story arcs are essential to understanding the complexity of the series as the saga goes on.

Requiem is an exceptionally powerful universe Magic Users can have any array of powers and as such are classified by “disciple” or school. Some magicians may possess incredible and incomprehensible powers and abilities. Examples of powers shared by many individuals include telepathy, telekinesis, flight, the ability to project energy, accelerated healing; and enhanced physical strength, agility, or senses—all to variable limits. Exceedingly powerful magicians possess personalized variants of reality warping, space-time manipulation, power replication, etc. The most powerful of them are classified as the “Divine Powers”, and have powers such near-limitless versions of existence erasure, power absorption, higher-dimensional manipulation and so forth. They are said to be easily capable of obliterating and recreating the world tens of trillions of times over and their only true weakness is that they are still bound by Equivalent Exchange and a higher-dimension of time.
 * -|Power of this Verse=

Also within the verse exist esoteric knowledge, forbidden arts, divination, etc. Grimoires are magical books that possess forbidden knowledge and are essential to a magician as they hold the necessary knowledge to potentially grow powerful enough to become an immortal being and even establish a pantheon of your own. This is the goal for most aristocrat-oriented magicians. These books are also living beings and can take the form of young women. They scale to the dark secrets they carry. Likewise, this makes them glass-cannons like magicians, as Grimoires usually have durability below an average human.

The universe in itself is an infinite 11-Dimensional space (12-Dimensional spacetime), whereas the 3-dimensional reality is one of the many “phases” of the "great trichiliocosm” that is the infinite universe and there are infinite “phases” that extend all throughout spacetime. These phases are separated by different laws of physics, magic, reality, conception, etc. and these layers are essentially the realms of notable mythologies (Christian, Buddhist, Celtic, Indian, Shinto, Incan, Chinese, Aztec, Greek, Roman, Norse etc).

The Holy Grail is a spiritual cauldron said to be an “omnipotent wish-granting device”, as it is composed of the blood-red souls of humanity and is capable of warping the totality of existence. Considering Lucifer wants the Grail, it vastly exceeds the power of him and the other Divine Powers, and it can “make a demiurge a true Creator God”. As such the living vessels of the Holy Grail such as Athena have power that dwarfs the Divine Powers by “several infinite times over”. The Grail’s connection to Jenova’s Gate and the goddess herself confirms it is the physical form of the unborn God, the mysterious childlike supreme being of the verse. The Grail is essentially a non-Euclidean womb-like universe beyond the totality of the great trichiliocosm which consists of at least three brane-layers and its Core, each one being described as a “qualitative and quantitative infinity” superior to everything before it, essentially means that the true entity encompasses a 16-dimensional reality.

There is also a questionably omnipotent presence in this universe. It is stated to be completely inapplicable, even by philosophical standards, and exists beyond reason, is unknowable, inexplicable, and does not have an equivocal definition to describe it, not even something beyond all concepts of physics, space, time and dimensions, and only appears twice in the story.

Requiem (鎮魂曲 Chinkonkyoku): Essentially, a “Prayer for the Dead”, a mass offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons. As the main part of the title for each entry in this series, “Requiem” refers to the opening of a Seal of Destruction, in which the souls of entire civilizations are offered to God. Requiems are also held by Lucifer in Qliphoth where the legion “dances in endless madness”.
 * -|Terminology=

Magic (魔法, Mahō): A thaumaturgical theory applied to the world. Schools of Magic include Astrology, Kabbalah, Alchemy, Esotericism, etc. Divergences can be found among different schools, but the fundamental basis is “to convert Magical Energy inside the user’s body and apply it to the external world”. This can achieve any number of affects within the realm of Equivalent Exchange, from mere elemental manipulation, to reality warping, and the management of phases.

Magical Energy (魔力, Maryoku): The umbrella term for the non-conventional energy used for Thaumaturgy. Each school of magic (Norse, Shinto, Christian, Hindu, etc.) uses different kinds of magical energy. The Polynesian use Mana, the Shinto use Ki, the Hindu use Prana, the Tao use Taiji, etc. As the source of magical energy is one's lifeforce, there's a limit as to how much a magician can produce. Once this limit is reached their own body will refuse to continue the process out of self-preservation. Similarly, immortal beings like the vampires possess unlimited mana due to their inexhaustible lifeforce. Due to their training magicians have larger amounts of magical energy than the average person, which allows them to tell if someone is a Magician just by standing close to them.

Magician (魔術師 Majutsu-shi): The umbrella term for “Magic User” which includes, but is not limited to: Mages, Onmyoji, Alchemists, Priests,

Phase (事相 Jisō): A dimensional layer that is separated from all other phases by different laws such as laws of physics, reality, magic, metaphysics, etc. The many religions and mythologies of the world are revealed to have validity in the form of being phases applied to the empty world by the most powerful figures of the various pantheons.

Equivalent Exchange (等価交換, Tōka Kōkan) – The primary rule of Thaumaturgy. In order to create something, another object must be given as a price. It may also involve modification to an existing object. The base of all Thaumaturgy is the use of magical energy to produce something that either already exists or can exist. That which falls into the “Miracles” category, something made entirely from nothing and might not even exist naturally, will eventually be wiped out by God for being in conflict with this rule. Shirou Emiya is able to bypass this rule to some extent when it comes to his Projections, since everything that he replicates is actually being pulled out of his own internal world by the power of his Creation Marble. Only the Holy Grail can bypass this law entirely, hence why it is considered an “omnipotent” power.

Holy Grail (聖杯 Seihai): The chalice said to carry the blood of Christ capable of granting any wish, bypassing the Law of Equivalent Exchange. However, in reality it is a spiritual existence described as a “golden chalice filled with the blood-red souls of the living”. Moreover, the “omnipotent wish-granting blood”, is not truly the blood of Christ, but literal blood red human souls. Also, the Grail is implemented/infused with a physical vessel to preserve itself, as it is a spiritual body, it needs to be anchored to a physical body in order to materialize. The Grail and God are synonymous, as Jenova formed the core of the Grail which acts like the “womb” for God's development. The materialization of the Holy Grail is equivocal to the birth of God.

Divine Vessel (聖船 Seisen): The physical vessel of the Holy Grail and thus equivocally the vessel for God. It is always a female, a blood-descendant of Jenova which supplements the role of “mother”. The Divine Vessel is likewise synonymous with the Grail itself.

Seal of Destruction (復活の証 Fukkatsu no Akashi): A magical seal placed in a country by the Empire and Occult. It is a gateway to the core of the Holy Grail and when opened, the entire population of that country is sacrificed to the Divine Vessel, which is used in the development of the Grail, which requires an immense amount of spiritual energy. The soulless remains of the inhabitants of the country are incorporated into the Emperor's Demiurgic Legion.

Fate (運命, Unmei): The predestined point that defines one's existence and directs one's actions throughout life. It is the driving force from the inside of the conceptual body that managed to stream out of the soul and take physical form. The form it can take at times is that of a human being, and all humans match their actions to be in harmony with the driving force that originated them from the moment they enter into the world. These actions are more along the lines of an inherent compulsion that could be called a person's instinct rather than a conscious decision. If a person becomes awakened to their Fate, it becomes nearly impossible to stray from their Fate if it's even possible in the first place. It becomes an impulsive behavior one would follow as though it were an absolute order. The Naraku Li Family is able to ascertain the Fate of newborns, and Mugen Jigoku is capable of guiding lost souls to their Fate after receiving consent from the person beforehand. Jigoku claims that death and fates are related, and his various experiments on death are used to further his knowledge on this connection. Aul Saurunem are a group of individuals that follow Emperor Lucien who wish to go against their fate, however attempting to do so causes one to fall into depravity - a degenerative malformed existence. Fate is overseen (and outright controlled) by God and it is believed that joining/returning to God is humanity’s Fate as indoctrinated by the Church.

Soul Relics (精神船舶, Reishin Ibutsu): The objects (clothes, jewelry, accessories, etc.) that possess powerful magical, mystical, or spiritual attributes as long as they are worn.

Mystic Code (神秘的記号): Markings, akin to tattoos, that represent a Thaumaturgical system. Basically it is special power or abilities that are markings on the body or carved into the earth.

Holy War (聖戦 Seisen): A war that involves magicians from various pantheons over hegemony, be it for the purpose of acquiring the Holy Grail, or some other cause. For example, Othinus attempting to manifest the god spear Gungnir resulted in a Holy War between the Norse pantheon and others. These wars threaten human civilization and as such, a Saint is deployed by the Church as a neutral party to correctly guide the world in times of divine war.

Saint (聖人 Seijin): Those officially recognized by the Church as having performed miracles and likewise are believed to be those closest to God. Therefore, Saints fight in the name of Our Child. There are also those like King, who are viewed as saints by some people but never officially recognized for sainthood by the Royal Church. The Church only recognizes miracles performed by saints, claiming all other to be heresies that must be destroyed. Saints are usually the ones chosen to be the guide of humanity due to possessing the impartial judgement to preside over the state of humankind without letting personal interests intervene. The burial cloths of saints, Holy Shrouds, possess special abilities.

God (神霊): the inexplicable being formed from the desires of humanity. God’s given name is “Ein” (as in Ein Sof). The entire purpose of the Holy Grail is to bring it into existence, planned by the three founders of magic, who seek true salvation for humanity. It is to be a new being of a higher level of existence incarnated through the Holy Grail, a spiritual cauldron to give shape to it, much like a womb, due to the nature of the Grail originating from Christianity, by using the souls of those lost in the Holy Wars as sacrifices to bring about the birth of the Child.

Superhuman Physical Characteristics: Magicians tend to be glass cannons, but they nevertheless have increased physical characteristics, are usually immune to ordinary diseases, has advanced physiology, etc. For example, female Magicians can not only have children at a faster rate than ordinary humans (as they carry children for 3-4 months due to magical energy accelerating the development of the child) they also retain their prime physical conditions, even after having 10+ kids. At bare minimum a Magician would have Room level durability.
 * -|Common Abilities=

Elemental Manipulation: Most Magicians can manipulate traditional elements (fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning). While uncommon, plenty of magic users can use other elements as well. Using elements grant a fluid form of intangibility inherent to the particular element(s) the magician has learned, and can only be damaged by a corresponding elemental weakness.

Flight: Most Magicians can levitate, walk on air, and literally fly through the air. It is a basic ability and wind users tend to be the best at flight. Only those with no proper understanding of magical energy cannot properly fly. This skill also requires little practice.

Pocket Reality Manipulation: Most Magicians are in control of their personal reality, which is within their mental-spiritual body. This requires skill to master and the type of pocket reality depends on the individual, but is greatly influenced by the school or discipline of magic (Christian, Hindu, Greek, Chinese, etc.) Advanced usage results in a Magician being able to deploy a Creation Marble, a World Marble applied to the world (a phase/layer) or dimension. Many phases of the world are in fact the Creation Marbles of the most notable and powerful figures of the many disciplines of magic. For example, Heaven is the Creation Marble of Metatron, Valhalla is the Creation Marble of Othinus, etc.

Reality Manipulation: Many Magic users can bend and reshape three-dimensional reality to their will with relative ease. They can achieve virtually any effect, and can change the contents of reality as well. Because of this a battle between Magicians eventually just becomes a tug-of-war over reality, as the Magician with the most laws of physics under his control is likely to win the fight.

Time Manipulation: On a 4-dimensional scale, temporal manipulation is nothing to a Magician. Time-Stop, Time Travel, Time Slow, and even the creation and destruction of timelines are easy for even an intermediate level Magician. It should be noted that is only refers to the four-dimensional temporality the three-dimensional phase flows through, and not the twelve-dimensional “hypertime” the eleven-dimensional universe flows through. Only the greatest magicians are capable of manipulating time on a 12D scale.

Elemental, Mental, Spiritual, Conceptual, and Causal Resistances: While many Magicians are glass cannons, outside of physical fragility they are quite resistant to most nonphysical methods of attack. The stronger the magical energy of the user, the higher their resistance to the point that the strongest members of each pantheon have borderline immunity to the aforementioned effects.

Longevity: An extended life is common for the average magician, as most manage to live up to 200-300 years. 400+ has only been achieved by very few people and any longer is considered a common form immortality.

Supporters:

 * VenomElite
 * Lei Annimei

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