Realm of Hope Glossary

Welcome to the Realm of Hope Glossary. This guide offers deeper insight into the worldbuilding, lore, and magic systems featured throughout the trilogy. Whether you are looking for supplemental details or simply need a refresher on specific terminology or concepts, this resource is here to enhance your journey.

Note on Spoilers: Some entries contain information revealed later in the books that can be seen as “Spoilers.” These are hidden behind "Show Spoiler Sections" toggles to protect your reading experience.

Looking for the cast? Visit the Character Guide to learn more.

Magic System

  • A type of energy that exists in all living beings. However, not all mortals can manipulate their aura. Some are born with the ability. Some aren’t.

    Aura can be used in different ways. The most common use-case is in the form of one of the nine elements.

    Some possess the ability to heal with aura. Others can use it to enhance their other abilities such as speed and strength. Some can transfer their aura to another while others cast spells or transform.

    Aura can be controlled and channeled. Those with great aura control can shape the aura very easily and Medics HAVE to have extremely good aura control in order to use healing arts.

    Channeling is related to redirection and absorption. However, this is more related to overall skill in general. This is NOT the same thing as aura control- this is related to how you allow aura to flow in and out of your body, NOT how it’s being shaped.

  • Everyone has aura reserves and this provides limitations for how much aura you can use. Most of the time, you have to rest after continuous usage for several days in order for the reserves to replenish. Overuse can destroy aura reserves and they will have to be surgically removed or else they’re deadly. Destroyed aura reserves cannot be brought back. Those who are still young (Up to late teens) can build up aura reserves, there is a limited capacity.

    Aura reserves begin to die out by an individual’s mid to late twenties (though it has not always been the case), and a mortal’s power is at it’s peak from the age of eighteen to their mid-twenties. Once an individual hits their thirties, most can no longer manipulate their aura.

    Much like pressure points, there are aura points all over one’s body and that’s where aura gets drawn from. Aura points can be blocked by some with abilities who can do so.

  • There are many bloodlines and clans and some have unique abilities exclusive to lineage. Some with mixed heritage can get a mix of both and it’s a matter of luck. Most of the time, aura abilities are hereditary

    There are very few bloodlines where mixing with another bloodline may result in weaker inherited abilities. For example, the Gwymond bloodline is one of the exceptions. Anyone who has half Gwymond blood will have weaker Gwymond abilities than a full-blooded Gwymond.

    Some bloodlines have gone extinct. Others have had their bloodline abilities die out throughout history.

  • Nine Elements exist and those who are Aura-Users can shape it into any of the elements. Most Aura-Users have an element they specialize in and the one they specialize in will cost the least amount of aura to use, making all other elements more costly.

    Some people, although rare can be Masters of a certain element, such as Spark Knight where they can use the element they specialize it in a way beyond what 99% of anyone else can do

    The elements are:

    Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Metal, Ice, Darkness, and Light.

    However, there is technically a tenth element, called Nothingness. Nothingness is forbidden from falling into mortal hands and previous generations tampered with it, resulting in the laws of nature to go haywire.

  • Spiritual Power is a more advanced type of energy that is stronger than aura. All Gods, Spirits, and other immortals have this.

    Some mortals have access to Spiritual Power, albeit in limited amounts. It’s more tiring to use and can be dangerous if not used correctly. Mortals with access to Spiritual Power are ones who are either part of a bloodline that originally was Blessed by a God/Goddess or the descendant of a God/Goddess.

    Some examples of bloodlines blessed by Gods:

    -Alchemist Bloodlines

    -Thet, Cordelian, and Taonian royalty.

    Not all bloodlines blessed by a God/Goddess possess Spiritual Power. The Lumière clan members do not have Spiritual Power. If a God/Goddess chooses to give a bloodline some of their power, they may choose to give them Spiritual Power.

    Out of the main cast, Skye, Shadow, Cynthia, Leif, Spark, and Glacieus all have fragments of Spiritual Power. The Hikari siblings have it, due to their distant relation to Celeste while Leif and Glacieus are descended from Earth and Ice Alchemists respectively

  • Light and Darkness are the two strongest elements in the universe. Light is stronger, however.

    In the Mortal Realm, there needs to be a balance between the amount of Light and Darkness in the atmosphere.

    Risen and other monsters primarily have Darkness in their bodies, just as Mortals primarily have Light. Other living beings such as plants and animals possess a fraction of Light aura inside them.

    Mortals with aura abilities can summon the power of either, to help maintain Balance, though some in older times feared those with unique, Darkness abilities.

    Celeste, the Goddess of Balance and Peace intervenes in mortal affairs when the Balance is tipped too much to either side and the Gods believe the mortals cannot resolve the issues on their own.

    It’s noted excessive Light is far more dangerous than excessive Darkness, as it spreads easier and is harder to expel.

  • A magical substance that can only be found in Tau Geminorum thanks to the way its moon operates and its moon phases allows stars to generate Stardust.

    Stardust is elemental and it can take on the power of any of the nine elements and it serves as the lifeblood of Tau Geminorum. It powers weapons, tech, and all living beings. Those born on Tau Geminorum naturally have Stardust in their bodies and it has many uses ranging from enhancing power to cosmetics that can alter appearances. Note that it can drain the user if used too much.

Spiritual Darkness

This is a recently discovered type of Darkness that has ties to the Risen and Labyrinth. Nobody seems to really know why it cannot be easily told apart from regular Darkness. It looks very similar to regular darkness and when sensed further away, is detected to be the same. This type is a lot stronger and seems to be able to create illusions, transform entire areas, enhance Risen, significantly slow down aging, and much more.

More has been discovered by the time of Queen of Blades (Realm of Hope Book 2). However, by the time of Queen of Blades, it is discovered that Spiritual Darkness has existed since ancient times, belonging to immortal beings such as Dark Spirits. It is its own type of energy and does not require aura to use. It is also POSSIBLE to bestow Spiritual Darkness from an immortal to a mortal, though disastrous side effects may occur. Such power should not fall into mortal hands.

There are still mysteries to Spiritual Darkness and our protagonists are unaware of the FULL extent of what it is capable of…

Hosts

One of the biggest mysteries that our cast is trying to solve. To become a Host, a mortal must have a dark crystal injected into them in some shape or form. So far, we know the body needs to be weakened enough for this to be made possible.

Once a Host is created, pools of darkness will appear, scattering, enhancing, and multiplying Risen tenfold. They are one of the biggest contributors to the exponential growth of darkness the last two decades.

As a result of this curse, Hosts have tremendous power and cannot die from injury nor be killed easily, making them nearly immortal. So far, they only die by mysteriously fading away. The cause is unknown. When someone fades, their existence is erased: non-Hosts have their memories changed or see a false image tied to a dead Host. Other living Hosts can spot these as illusions and see reality.

When a Host fades, their soul is trapped and tormented in a dark, humanoid form called an Undead Host. Their power of an Undead Host is said to rival the Gods. When living Hosts encounter an Undead Host, they may see its trapped soul and be overwhelmed by vivid illusions of its past life. Undead Hosts are indistinguishable from normal Level 5 Risen when detected, which makes them hard to track. They also seem to appear from nowhere.

List of known Hosts:

  • Skye (the current only known living Host)
  • Astrid
  • Dove
  • Storm
  • Teddy

The darkness inside of Hosts cannot be easily sensed by mortals who can sense auras nor aura detection technology.

Known enhanced abilities belonging to Hosts:

  • The ability to temporarily boost their own strength, speed, durability
  • Extra durability
  • Nearly unkillable
  • Enhanced skill in aura abilities

As of the first installment in the Realm of Hope Trilogy, it is unknown why Skye is the only Host who has not mysteriously faded away and transformed into an Undead Host. Under extreme stress, the darkness in Skye’s Host crystal awakens, briefly spreading through her body and sometimes turning her limbs—occasionally growing a third arm made of shadow.

What is Known As of Queen of Blades (More spoilers ahead)

It is speculated that the dark crystals injected into Hosts that turned them into Hosts are from Eta Taurium. It is assumed that Hosts die when the Risen they enhanced all die, though this theory is not confirmed. Though Skye is still the only known living Host, and it is assumed she is still alive due to experiments on her using Stardust.

Both Skye and Astrid’s Host crystals were experimented on and Astrid was a failed experiment which is why she faded away before the others. Skye was a success story and that is why she would not fade away the same way like the rest of the Hosts.

The Universe of Realm of Hope

Mortal Realm

The Mortal Realm comprises of six worlds, each created by one of the four main elemental Gods. (Author’s note: They’re all named after stars.) All six worlds need to exist according to the laws of nature for the universe to stay intact.

  • Water Goddess Pisces created Tau Piscium and Eta Piscium. They are sister worlds.

  • Wind Goddess Gemini created Tau Geminorum and Eta Geminorum. Also sister worlds.

  • Earth God Taurus created Eta Taurium

  • Fire God Sagittarius created Eta Sagittarium.

All worlds operate similarly for the most part and are separated from the Rifts, which are magical boundary lines that separate each world. Some bloodlines, such as the Light Mages and Lumière Clan used to have abilities that allowed them to create portals to travel between worlds. By the time of Realm of Hope, these abilities no longer exist. Communication between worlds has also been mysteriously lost and there is no longer any technology available that allows individuals between worlds to contact one another through communication devices.

It is also interesting to note that the Gods once roamed the worlds and freely frequented along with Spirits. Mortals learned to speak from them, so they all speak a common tongue, albeit with some slight dialect differences.

Spirit World

Gods & Spirits thrive in the Spirit World, located above the Mortal Realm. It’s separated by a series of Rifts. Not much is known by the mortals about the Spirit World. However, it is said that those who have done worthy deeds in their lifetime are reborn as Spirits who reside in the Spirit World. The Spirit World cannot exist without the Underworld and Mortal Realm, as that is a law set by the laws of the universe.

It’s said that if there is too much light in the Mortal Realm, openings in the Rifts will appear and Light Spirits will succumb to the effects of excessive light, going haywire and wreaking havoc.

Underworld

Like the Spirit World, not much is known about the Underworld by the mortals. Most of the dead reside here, along with the God of Darkness and many Dark Spirits. Risen and other dark creatures also exist here. The Underworld needs to exist to keep the Universe intact, which is why the dead are needed there.

It’s said that if there is too much darkness in the Mortal Realm, openings in the Underworld may appear and Dark Spirits amongst other dark threats may surface, spreading their influence of darkness.

Labyrinth

The Labyrinth is a mysterious underground maze that stretches and expands endlessly. It’s said to appear once a century and its entrance assumes a different form and location each time. Most mortals refuse to step foot inside of it.

Eta Geminorum

The main cast’s home world. As darkness continues to rise in the Mortal Realm, Eta Geminorum appears to still be holding on, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of time left.

Eta Geminorum is home to a vast amount of nations and kingdoms. Here are all the nations/kingdoms that are visited in Realm of Hope:

  • Silvatica (Home to Garnet City)

  • Sevinnon

  • Thet

  • Cordelia

  • Taonia

  • Leriann

  • Kadelatha

  • Vertbarrow

  • Snowholt

  • Orwwyn

  • Gwynerva

  • Aquarius Islands

Gods & Spirits

Gods & Spirits reside in the Spirit World. They once had friendlier relations with the mortals. The events of the past centuries have strained the relationship between mortals and immortals.

In general, Gods are not to meddle in mortal affairs. Most of them believe mortals are to settle their own disputes. The only exceptions involve when the Mortal Realm is in danger and the mortals are unable to resolve the issues on their own. In those cases, Celeste, the Goddess of Balance & Peace is sent to aid mortals, albeit in limited capacity.

It is currently unknown what happens if a world gets destroyed.

During the events of Realm of Hope, the Mortal Realm is at a point where the mortals believe they need aid from the Gods. Darkness has reached record heights and destruction is at an all-time high, yet there has been no known word from the Gods. Nobody knows why the Gods have not arrived to aid their creations… which is why some have given up hope.

Gods mentioned in Realm of Hope:

  • Celeste, Goddess of Balance and Peaace

  • Celestria, Goddess of Light and Celeste’s adoptive mother

  • Gemini, Goddess of Wind

  • Pisces, Goddess of Water

  • Taurus, God of Earth

  • Sagittarius, God of Fire

Fates

There are three immortals called the Fates. Not much is known about them, but some say that the Fates have control over a portion of events that occur in each individual’s life, mortal or immortal. Others believe the Fates control every event in everyone’s life.

Lumière Inc.

Background

An interplanetary organization founded by Capala Lumière (Zephyr and Luna’s great-grandmother) and her clan. The Lumière Clan originated from Eta Taurium and was blessed by Celestria to protect their world and other worlds as needed. Members of the clan once possessed the ability to create portals to travel between worlds.

When traveling between worlds, members of the clan often encountered visions of possible futures, called the Threads of Fate. Capala discovered visions of the Realm being in trouble due to mortals meddling with Nothingness, a forbidden element that caused the laws of nature to shift. Darkness was predicted to increase tenfold, powering Risen and increasing their numbers. Capala founded the organization to quell the darkness, preparing for an era of chaos and destruction.

Capala brought together those with special gifts and members of powerful bloodlines along with technologists, innovators, and researchers.

Bases

There are multiple Lumière Bases scattered around the worlds. In Eta Geminorum, the main Base of operations is in Garnet City. There are other Bases in Pollux and Gwynerva. All Bases contain research labs, tech labs, training areas, and academies designed for training Agents.

Agents

Combat Agents are trained from a young age to fight Risen and those who threaten the Realm. For two generations there have been Agent Eligibility Exams designed for children from the ages of five to six to test their potential to become an Agent. Scanners and other technologies are used to analyze a mortal’s DNA and can predict potential abilities and strengths.

Those who qualified to become Agents would train for twelve years, called Agent Trainees, and are assigned tentative teams based on compatibility and predicted abilities. Trainees go to academies located in their home Bases, taking classes relevant to their line of work.

Here is a general timeline for most Agents in their Trainee career:

  • Basic education at the academies. All teams take the same classes together related to history, learning about monsters and aura, first aid, and basic combat.

  • This is where Trainees may branch off into specializing in certain fields such as Intel (Research, Recon, Tech) or Physical (Weapons, Medical, and Combat) Some classes are shared, still.

    Lumière clan members go through a different training regimen which includes learning about the worlds to a greater extent, leadership, public speaking, etc

    Those who are qualified can join a Combat or Unity Squad which has its own advanced training program. Combat Squad is trained in only fighting, and is designed for the best fighters on teams. Unity Squad is for those of the highest overall skills, meant to be the jack of all trades, master of none

    Agents who are meant to be fighters may branch off into different divisions that best suit their abilities. These include but are not limited to: Magic Users, Morphers, close combat, and ranged combat.

    Those who are NOT part of Combat Squad, Unity Squad, or went through the Tech/Recon programs or other specialized programs are mostly in the same classes with some differences that may better suit their fighting styles.

    This age is also for going on monthly missions on a much easier scale, always accompanying professors

  • Missions that Trainees go on are on a larger scale and more difficult. Some involve exterminating Risen nests or rescuing missing persons. All missions at this stage include older Agents and professors that the Trainees shadow.

    It’s common to go on weekly missions.

    Classes are also more specialized and catered to the Trainee’s abilities and what they chose to specialize in.

By the age of seventeen to eighteen, most Trainees are eligible for the Agent Certification exams. Some may qualify earlier. Those who are certified can go on their own missions without a professor or higher-ranking Agent to shadow. The only restrictions they have when it comes to missions involve ranking.

Missions often include, but are not limited to taking care of bandits, destroying Risen nests and waves, accompanying researchers on expeditions, rescuing people, and saving people from assaulted cities.

Agent Rankings and Classifications

Agents are ranked from E to S. Those who are E-ranked can only go on lower-level missions that have the same ranking while S-ranked Agents can go on any missions without restrictions.

There are different classification levels for Agents in the organization.

Known classifications in the organization:

  • Trainee- Anyone who’s not licensed

  • Specialist- Licensed and Certified Agent

  • Marauder- Anyone who’s considered part of the Elite aka S-ranked Agents.

  • General- Any leaders of the Elite teams.

  • Lieutenant General - Outranks General. They can give orders to any Agent and command the Medics.

  • Enforcer- Similar to Lieutenant General, but can give orders to any Agent and command Research divisions.

Non-Combat Specialists

There are different divisions that are not related to combat. Some who work for the organization are Medics, Research Specialists, Recon Specialists, Tech Specialists, etc. There are some Agents who are both on the battlefield and are Specialists in a non-combat field.

A good chunk of non-combat Specialists are retired field Agents. It’s common for an Agent’s abilities to die out by the time they reach their thirties, so oftentimes, retired Agents still contribute to the organization in one way or another.

It’s also not uncommon for those without aura abilities who have the skills to contribute to the organization to become non-combat Specialists.

Risen

The Risen are dark, creature-like beings that have existed since the beginning of time. Up until this past century, the Risen have never been a threat. In history, they were only ever known to attack humans and wildlife for sustenance. Their numbers have also exponentially increased, especially during the past two decades, when their power have reached insurmountable levels.

The Risen have also mutated and different species of Risen have spawned. They can also mysteriously teleport into dark voids and appear out of nowhere. In addition, there seem to be multiple ways to enhance their strength.

Lumière Inc. focuses a majority of its operations on quelling the Risen. They have divided the Risen into different classification levels:

  • Level 1 Risen: Wolf-like creatures or other things that look like silhouette versions of animals. Hardly life-threatening. Usually dangerous only to those who have no knowledge of fighting or small animals. These are mostly for E to D level Agents to handle.

  • Level 2 Risen: Dangerous to civilians in general. They are usually anthropomorphic-like creatures that possess abilities like flight, poisoning, tunneling, etc. D to C level Agents often take care of them. Some Agents in training may have trouble with them.

  • Level 3 Risen: Resembling mythical creatures. They are more intelligent and are capable of enslaving humans, powering technology, etc. Agents in training have trouble with these typically and most lower-level Agents. These are designed for C to A-level Agents.

  • Level 4: Human-like Risen, ones that are much larger and creepier in size, much more terrifying. Smarter than level 3. Some are colossal in size, almost titan-like. A-S level Agents handle these.

  • Level 5: Smaller than Level 4 and seemingly less threatening. Only S level Agents take them on.

Shift in Laws of Nature

A century prior to the events of Realm of Hope, some warring nations in Tau Geminorum fiddled with Nothingness, an element that should never have fallen into mortal hands. Their experiments were catastrophic and threatened the entire Realm. Consequently, their meddling with Nothingness resulted in the laws of nature in the universe changing.

As a result, darkness has increased tenfold and has powered up Risen, turning them erratic and creating new, terrifying types of Risen. New generations of bloodlines no longer had abilities that their bloodlines were known to have as well. Weather patterns and odd climate changes also occurred at times.

These shifts in laws of nature led Lumière Inc. to form. Their goal is to stop the darkness from rising and find a way to stop the Risen permanently, as it has continued to get worse by the passing decade with no light at the end of the tunnel in sight.

Some believe that the actions of previous generations in Tau Geminorum severely strained the Gods’ relationships with the mortals.

Typhons

Originally known as Typhon Strike, this group was the "Original Dream Team" of the Realm. Comprising various elite subgroups that eventually merged into one unit, they were the pioneers of most advanced security systems, research protocols, and foundational discoveries. However, their legacy took a dark turn twenty years ago when they entered the Labyrinth and never returned. Long presumed dead, they have recently resurfaced as something far more dangerous.

The Founders: Typhon Strike

The core of the organization was established by four legendary figures, each a master of their respective field. Their combined expertise is what originally allowed the Typhons to become the most competent force in the Realm:

  • Mercury
  • Ariadne
  • Electro
  • Ursula

The Root of the Decay: The Nothingness Experiments

The darkness that had been growing in the Realm the past century was the direct result of "Nothingness" experiments conducted by previous generations. These experiments caused the darkness to go haywire and the laws of nature to shift uncontrollably. When this Nothingness began to spread, it did the unthinkable: it harmed the Gods themselves. In retaliation, the Gods abandoned the Mortal Realm, harboring a deep-seated hatred for mortals and refusing to lift a finger to fix the damage their ancestors caused.

The Typhons' Gambit

The Typhons believe that mortals cannot fix this broken cycle alone. Initially, they attempted small-scale experiments combining Stardust with the Spiritual Darkness granted by Erebus, hoping this localized display of power would be enough to catch the Gods' attention. However, their pleas were met with silence. As the darkness continued to spread uncontrollably with no known way to stop it, the Typhons felt they had no choice but to escalate.

They have since orchestrated the creation of Dark Spheres, Mutations, and Hosts, which has exponentially increased the darkness even further. Their goal is no longer a simple warning; they are intentionally accelerating the chaos to expose the true extent of the Realm's decay. They intend to prove to the Gods that the world is doomed beyond mortal repair, forcing the divine to either intervene or witness the total collapse of their creation.

Erebus

Known as the Lord of Dark Spirits, Erebus is an ancient entity closely associated with Aska, the original God of Darkness. It possesses pure Spiritual Darkness, a power so vast that it was used to summon Dark Spirits from the Underworld during the ancient wars.

Erebus is currently in a dormant state, sealed inside a specialized box. This box was discovered in Tartarus by the Typhons, who have since taken on the role of its guardians. Despite being dormant, Erebus is highly manipulative and capable of communication; it convinced the Typhons that the Gods are indifferent to their plight and that the only way to truly "save the Realm" is to work alongside it and expose the dire state of the worlds.

The Pact and Stardust Experiments

While Erebus cannot directly wield its Spiritual Darkness in its current state, it has the ability to bestow this energy upon the Typhons. Under Erebus's guidance, the Typhons traveled to Tau Geminorum to utilize Stardust, conducting experiments to further refine and understand the applications of Spiritual Darkness.

History: The Ancient War and Imprisonment

In ancient times, Erebus was a key figure in a massive war. During the conflict, darkness began to spread uncontrollably across the Mortal Realm, allowing Erebus to take control of other Dark Spirits summoned from the Underworld. However, the tide turned when powerful mortals, blessed by the Goddess Celestria, managed to seal Erebus away. It remained trapped in the depths of Tartarus for eons until its recent discovery.

Current Goals and Motives:

  • Erebus seeks to be set free, either by the hand of the Gods or by having the Typhons perform an awakening ritual.
  • Its true motives remain a mystery, though it continues to claim that its goal is to "save the Realm" from its current path.