GLOSSARY
Legend: Non-underlined entries are actual dictionary definitions. Underlined entries apply only to Carona High.
Atenacius, Benjamin: member and chairman of the Carona High school board, and highly placed in the inner circles of Cosmos Corporation. Terry Valen's long time rival, and also delves deeply into the study of the chroma strain.
Aeon: mythical beings of legend, especially famous in the Carona and Gamul areas. They possessed the power of magick, and specialize in manipulating the life force of beings.
Aeon Industries: a newly-founded corporation, recently taken over by Terry Valen, and long-time rival of Cosmos Corporation. They specialize in mechatronics research, its quality far surpassing that of Cosmos Corp, and have close to a monopoly on electronics devices in the Carona areas.
Aeon Shard: a special psyche amplifier specific to chroma children, in the form of a blue jewel. The jewel is mounted in the center of the chroma child's forehead, and sampling tendrils bore through the chroma child's skull and cranium and imbed themselves into the brain tissue. Transplant of the Aeon Shard is permanent. The Aeon Shard enhances the chroma child's psychic abilities to sensing and controlling electrical systems at the same time suppressing his elemental magic capabilities. It also prevents the chroma child from falling into madness by buffering the chroma child's psyche from the mental pressure of using magick.
Aero-Scooter: floating, wheel-less motorbikes. They use the newer and larger gel-type LLCUs. They possess twice the levitating height of hoverboards and can float up to a maximum of 4.3 meters measured from ground level.
Ancient: East Heaven term. See Aeon.
Atelier Soda Shoppe: Fancy Mel's restaurant. Run by Poppul Purrels.
Arc Edge: A unique sword. Rue Kincaid's weapon, often enclosed in a black violin case.
A. S. System: Aeon Shard System. See Aeon Shard.
Black Tornado: one of Rod Blade Star's weapons forged in Carona, in the form of a huge hammer.
BladeStar Arcade: Rod Blade Star's arcade joint and video game store.
Blade Star, Rod: A tall, red-haired, green-eyed man, born 07 September 2004. He is a weaponsmith and blacksmith, a vagabond and wanderer before he arrived in Carona on March 2020. He can use any form of weapon, but prefers the weapons he made himself. A strong fighter, it is unknown how powerful this seemingly-ordinary man truly is. He has a flying vehicle given to him by Lucine Gallagher, whom he loved in his younger years. He has strong feelings for Mint Vanguard.
Blood: a petty criminal. Smokey's partner.
boken: [Japanese] lit. wooden sword.
Brie, Belle: Lucine Gallagher's younger sister by four years, she and Duke Radii went searching for Lucine when the latter disappeared September 2016. Born 13 June 1994. Belle is considered by those who know her as the best computer hacker in the western hemisphere, as well as the second-best mechatronics wizard hailing from her hometown. She built the Hexagon, and travels often with Duke. White-blonde hair and green eyes, there are those who have unfavorable opinions of Belle's fashion sense.
Cadmon, Samuel: mechatronics professor of Carona High.
Callahan, Davis: captain of the Carona High kendo club. Has long sandy hair and brown eyes.
Cannon Orbs: power sources for the Pulsar Inferno Typhoon Omega.
Carona: a small town in the south southwestern part of the Continent, bordering the ocean. Carona is famous for its myriad ruins that are scattered over the wide Carona plains. The headquarters and main factory depot of Aeon Industries is located in the Carona area.
Carona High School: premier high school institution of Carona town.
Carona Ruins: Many ruins are scattered in the Carona area and beyond. The Carona ruins are either the remnants of very tall towers or ruins that delve deep underground with labyrinthine complexity. Legends tell that the mythical Aeons built the Carona and Gamul ruins, and imbibed certain parts of them with powers deeper than magick.
chimera: from Greek mythology, a fire-breathing monster with a lion's head, goat's body and dragon's tail.
chroma child: A child born with a genetic mutation that manifests as the chroma strain. Albeit usually born outside of the psyche-strong bloodlines, chroma children possess the strength of psyche but go mad over time. Their particular insanity is associated with unconstrained use of magick and forced application of their psychic prowess. Use of magickal abilities drastically hastens their descent into the madness. All chroma children are male (female fetuses with the mutation are always stillborn), and possess white hair and seldom other than coal-black eyes.
chroma poisoning, chroma sickness: sickness among normal humans caused by direct physical contact with the chroma strain, either through the skin, mouth and other bodily openings, or bloodstream. There are no physical symptoms of chroma poisoning other than unexplained unconsciousness. After being first poisoned, the affected person falls into a coma and eventually dies (length of time varies depending on person's psychic strength). Medical science cannot diagnose this condition. Several theories associate chroma poisoning with psychic degradation.
chroma strain: some sort of psychic strain in a chroma child's blood. Caused by a genetic mutation. See chroma child.
Clarence, Claire: an orphan girl who found the badly-wounded Rue Kincaid on the night between 23 and 24 December, 2018. She informally adopted Rue and they lived as brother and sister until Claire was kidnapped by Doll Master in June 2021. She spent 3 years in a life capsule to keep from succumbing to chroma poisoning, hence her body is 3 years younger than her actual age. She was born 19 March 2006, and has brown hair and brown eyes. Her favorite color is blue.
Continent: the mainland.
Cougar, Neil: kendo club member, best friend, classmate and rival of Rue Kincaid in Carona High. Has dark brown hair and blue eyes.
Cosmo-Penalty: informal name of the Weapon of Cosmos, one of the most powerful psyche amplifiers in existence and the most prized heirloom of the East Heaven Scions. Forging date unknown. It's in the form of a gun, very rare among psyche-amps. Entrusted to Maya East Heaven.
Cosmos Corporation: old rival company of Aeon Industries. Founded in the 19th century, their products and services have evolved over time, currently concentrating on mechatronic systems. The interests of Cosmos Corp are more diverse than Aeon Industries'. Also funds various researches regarding biotechnology, forensics, genetics and psyche amplifiers. Has had multiple, long-time dealings with East Heaven kingdom.
Cursed Crossways: a location in the Underground Tunnels where abound exceptionally powerful and untamed magicks, strong enough to drive insane any ordinary human who dares enter them.
Dark Hurricane: Rod Blade Star's latest weapon forged in Carona, in the form of a two-handed longsword.
Dewprism medal: highest honor awarded to a Carona High student.
disc card: also called data cards. They are high-memory, non-magnetic, paper-thin floppy diskettes.
Doll Master: see Ruecian, George.
Doll, Prima: see Klaus, Prima
Dual Haloes: Mint Vanguard's weapons, sometimes used as props for gymnastic dance sequences. They are heavy twin rings of an unknown gold-colored alloy, and Mint uses them as an aid to concentration in the casting of elemental magic. They are not psyche amplifiers, and have no special characteristics.
East Heaven: An obscure kingdom in the Orient, isolated and located in mountainous area. Rumors abound that the people of East Heaven are all sorcerer-mages and posses unusual strength of psyche.
East Heaven Guardian, East Heaven Mage: a trained descendant of East Heaven blood, always psyche-strong. The Mages specialize in elemental magic.
East Heaven, Maya: princess of East Heaven and younger sister of Mint Vanguard. A spirit healer. Born 17 May 2012 and psyche-weak, her spirit link is her older and only sister. She usurped the right of East Heaven crown princess with the help of Doll Master. She is the holder and guardian of the Cosmo-Penalty.
East Heaven, Matthias: incumbent king and ruler of East Heaven. Widower, and father of two daughters.
East Heaven, Mint: ex-crown princess of East Heaven. see Vanguard, Mint.
East Heaven Scion: a term applied strictly to those of the royal bloodline.
Elroy: a late magician. Was once possibly a Cosmos Corporation researcher.
Elroy's box: a box with mechanical workings. Klaus based his design of the genetic-mimicry device on it.
Elroy's Library, Elroy's Warehouse: a warehouse located in the seedier part of Carona town, where Elroy kept various relics and mechanical paraphernalia.
Ephlesia University: a prestigious, world-class university located in West Desert City. Ephlesia U. is famous for producing always the latest mechavehicle developments as well as the world's leading mechatronic and mechavehicle experts. Ephlesia U.'s libraries, faculty and research departments remain unparalleled even in the corporate sector.
Fallen Tower: see Tower of Never Moon.
Fancy Mel Orrica: owner of the Atelier Soda Shoppe. Blonde and blue-eyed. Supervises the Poppul Purrels. She was once Augustus Klaus's classmate in Ephlesia U., and eventually his colleague in Cosmos Corporation before her extremely early retirement.
Fancy Taxi: a fancy taxi. Charges expensive rates.
Gallagher, Lucine Brie: older half-sister of Belle Brie and mother of Ruenis Galagher. She is one of the pioneer wizards of mechatronics and psyche-amplifiers, and the only known person to have built mechatronic circuits that use magick. Among her known creations are the Pulsar Inferno Typhoon Omega, Belle Brie's psyche-amp bangles, and the underlying mechavehicle circuits of the Tower of Maya. Died of chroma poisoning, 23 December 2018 at the age of 28.
Gallagher, Ruenis: only child of Lucine Gallagher, and Belle Brie's only remaining relative. Born 14 February 2014, he is both a lost descendant of East Heaven and a chroma child. Possesses white hair and red eyes. A remarkable extreme athlete.
Gamul: a large city located north northwest of Carona town, Gamul is also famous for its ruins (although not as much as Carona). A populous metropolis, it is one of the better known centers of trade and commerce in the Continent.
Gamul Ruins: Ruins around the Gamul area, reputedly also built by the Aeons. Unlike the underground labyrinthine tunnels and skyscraper stone towers of Carona, the Gamul ruins are always found at ground level, never spanning more than six stories high.
genetic-mimicry device: a hand-held device that looks like a remote control, it can simulate a person's genetic code for genetic sensors.
genetic sensors: sensors that can analyze and match a person's DNA simply by moving one's skin over it.
Ghost Temple: an abandoned amusement park located east northeast of Carona. Built entirely from Cosmos Corporation products.
Gifted: slang/vulgar term. See psyche-strong.
Gizmo, Gia Gias: lit. "to you born of Dew, accept your destiny and unseal your powers." A fictitious spell from several Carona legends.
Golden Gale: a pair of scythes, forged by Rod Blade Star in Carona.
Hexagon: a mechavehicle developed by Belle Brie. Semi-spherical in shape and painted a metallic green.
Hoverboards (not connected with real life hoverboards): invented in 2010, these are skateboards that float. They can float over land and water, but they cannot float higher than two meters above floor level because of the small anti-gravity capacity of the LLCUs.
Johnny Wolf: Rod Blade Star's pet doggie. Likes running, ice cream and Mint Vanguard. Can be called on short notice to man the BladeStar Arcade.
Junon: town where the 2026 national Kendo tournament was held.
kendo forms, Carona High: martial arts moves taught in the kendo tradition of Carona High. There are six colors: Green [New Blades of Broken Leaf], White [Shards of Ice Mountain], Yellow [Splinters of the Lightning Wind], Black [Gravitation], Red [Tail Feathers of the Phoenix], and Blue [Scales of the Water Dragon].
Kincaid, Jonathan: father of Rue Kincaid. Died in Undercity September 2010.
Kincaid, Rue: born 14 January 2011, white hair and coal black eyes. A chroma child. He is especially psyche-strong, even for chroma children, but his Aeon Shard suppresses his natural psychic abilities. From Valen's second generation of chroma children whose Shards have been implanted at birth, he is the only one who survived. As a child he was adopted by Terry Valen and underwent rigorous training in Undercity Compound. He escaped from Undercity at the age of 7 with Ruecian's help on the night of Lucine's death. He was found by Claire Clarence and they lived together as brother and sister until she was kidnapped by George Ruecian in June 2021, wherefore Rue went searching for her and eventually wound up with Augustus Klaus in Carona on mid-October 2023. He eventually went to study in Carona High school, where he made a reputation for himself as a top-notcher in academics and a superior kendo athlete. Quiet and brooding, he is especially popular among the female teenage population. His weapon is a sword called the Arc Edge usually kept inside a black violin case that he carries everywhere.
Klaus, Augustus: principal of Carona High and an avid psyche amplifier enthusiast. Has brown hair, brown eyes, and walks with a permanent limp. He studied in Ephlesia U. and was once the student of Eugene Wylaf. Formerly a good friend of Terry Valen, Klaus went against the doctor when he discovered that Valen's researches involved ethically-disputable procedures with chroma children.
Klaus, Elena: daughter of Augustus Klaus. Born 18 October 2015. Naturally pink-haired and blue-eyed.
Klaus, Mira: wife of Augustus Klaus and gymnastics coach of Carona High. Naturally purple-haired and blue-eyed.
Klaus, Prima: a chroma child whom Rue Kincaid and Mint Vanguard rescued from a life capsule, and later was adopted into the Klaus family. Has white hair and black eyes. He doesn't have parents or an Aeon Shard.
kodachi: a Japanese short sword.
Last Hero, the: A famous book that Rod Blade Star has been dying to read for ages.
LED: Light-Emitting Diode. Available really cheap in your local electronics shop.
legendary sword: a plastic relic found in the Underground Tunnels, possibly modified by Elroy.
life capsule: box-like containers used to keep living beings in total stasis for indefinite periods of time. Although the concept is similar, they do not use cryogenic technology.
LLCUs: Liquid Light Crystal™ units. Devices that make the hoverboards float. LLCUs are made of a viscous liquid with glass casing similar to that of AA batteries. Not used for anything bigger than hoverboards and the newer Aero-scooters (motorbike type). Mechavehicles use an entirely different technology—fusion-propulsion jet engines. Not available in your local electronics shop.
Lockheed, Karwyn: also known as Psycho Master and older brother to Kirielle Lockheed. Born 07 September 2002, he is extremely myopic, has strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes. He uses a special psyche amplifier (developed from Lucine Gallagher's prototype that can be worked by non psyche-strong humans) that casts lightning bolts.
Lockheed, Kirielle: also known as Mode Master, younger sister of Karwyn Lockheed. A master of deception and disguise. Deputy captain of the Carona High gymnastics team. Born 8 May 2010, she has strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes.
Magick is different from magic. Magick refers to inborn power, similar to the concept of a 'life force', while magic can refer to either sleight of hand (fake magic or street magic) or the use of magick to cast spells (fireballs, psychic shields, spontaneous rain showers, etc.)
mano a mano: [Spanish] lit. hand to hand. Usually applied to weaponless, one-on-one duels.
Memory circuits: specialized mechavehicle circuits used to implement artificial intelligence in both mechavehicle and non-mechavehicle systems. Not to be confused with real-world memory ICs [Integrated Circuits, or chips] or RAM [Random Access Memory].
Mechatronics: mechanical fused with electrical/electronic work. Real-world robotics fall under mechatronics.
Mechavehicle: mecha + vehicle. Similar to the concept of mecha in animé crossed with real-world cars and airplanes. There are many types of mechavehicles and they come in all shapes and sizes (upwards of five meters cubic in volume/capacity). But unlike the mecha in animé, mechavehicles are never humanoid. Not to be confused with cybernetic or biotech suits and armor.
Mode Master: see Lockheed, Kirielle.
Mrs. Cartha: landlady of an all-girls dormitory in Carona.
Multi-tool: Swiss knife with more implements and bigger tools. Often sold for fishing tackles.
Nightmare Altar: popular arcade game.
Nikolai, Tonia: student manager of Carona High gymnastics team under Coach Mira. Soft-spoken and reliable. Has brown hair and brown eyes.
Perez, Marco: a new recruit to the kendo team. Has black hair and brown eyes.
phantomite: small batteries developed by Eugene Wylaf. Used to power Klaus's genetic-mimicry devices.
photophyta: a type of luminous algae, usually found in the ocean depths where sunlight doesn't reach.
Pinto: see Pulsar Inferno Typhoon Omega.
pla-skin: a type of plastic used in face disguises that need a very high level of realism. They mimic a person's real skin.
Polly: Elena Klaus's nickname for Rue Kincaid.
Poppul Purrel: Fancy Mel's robotic helpers. They look like red-capped fungi with legs. Possess very good AI systems.
Psyche: [Greek] lit. the soul. Strictly, the psyche is what controls magickal prowess, but the two terms are often interchanged. Sometimes referred to as will.
Psyche Amplifiers: devices that enhance a psyche-strong person's will to control magick, thus enabling her to cast stronger magic or spells than she would otherwise be able to manipulate. The technology behind them remains fraught with mystery to this day. Most psyche-amps are in the form of tiaras or manacles, although there exist unique gadgets such as the Cosmo-Penalty (a gun). Recent developments in the field of psyche amplifiers have led to the creation of psyche-amps that may be used by the non-psyche-strong.
Psyche Dampers: the opposite of psyche amplifiers, they prevent the psyche-strong from using their magickal abilities. Often employed as manacles for psyche-strong criminals. Also used as cheating-prevention devices for various sports and competitions.
psyche-strong: a human with the inborn ability of magick. It is usually hereditary, although in recent times more and more psyche-strong humans are born outside of the ancient bloodlines. The chroma strain is a unique, malformed manifestation of being psyche-strong.
psyche-weak: the opposite of psyche-strong, a term applied only to East Heaven descendants who have an uncommon difficulty in using magick. The term is misleading, for psyche-weak mages still posses magickal prowess far greater than an ordinary human's. Under certain circumstances, psyche-weak children can form a spirit link with an exceptionally psyche-strong mage. The bond to one's source or spirit link is permanent, never weakens over the lifetime, and allows the psyche-weak mage to cast spells normally.
Psycho Master: see Lockheed, Karwyn.
Pulsar Inferno Typhoon Omega: a flying vehicle completely developed and constructed by Lucine Gallagher. A two-seater (front and back), and painted metallic red. The Pulsar Inferno Typhoon Omega is powered by Cannon Orbs. Given to Rod Blade Star as a parting gift. Not a mechavehicle.
pyrokinetic: a person with the power to manipulate fire.
Radii, Duke: Belle Brie's inseparable companion, and her senior by two years. He is a competent fighter and electrician, although most of time people mistake his very-easy-going nature for silliness. He has black hair and blue eyes, and is openly in love with Belle.
Raging Mountains: a secluded mountain range west of Carona, where Eugene Wylaf occupies a hermitage.
Ramirez, Annette: best friend and classmate of Mint Vanguard in Carona. Has dark red hair and blue-gray eyes. Active in extra-curriculars and likes music. Romantically linked to Neil Cougar.
Ramirez, Jargen: older cousin of Annette Ramirez. Owns a bar-and-grill in the Starlight Mall.
relic: remnants of devices of unknown origin.
Ruecian, George: also known as Doll Master, he has a group of three other specialists extremely loyal to him. Born 22 May 1982, a chroma child with white hair and blue eyes. He went to Terry Valen at the age of 24 when he felt the beginnings of the madness caused by the chroma strain. He was the only survivor of Valen's first generation of chroma children, and is especially adept at simultaneously controlling several independent electronic systems. He fell in love with Lucine Gallagher, although the latter never returned his feelings. His many jobs under Valen's orders included Maya East Heaven usurping Mint Vanguard's right of crown princess, and the kidnapping of Claire Clarence June 2021. He served Valen until his defeat at the hands of Rue Kincaid 07 February 2027.
ruins: archaic structures or buildings, abandoned and run down.
schematic: a formal drawing or diagram, usually of electronic circuits.
Silver Breeze: a pair of short swords, forged by Rod Blade Star in Carona.
Skull Beast: a mechatronic monster that Rue Kincaid fought in the Underground Tunnels.
Smokey: a petty criminal. Blood's partner.
sollerets: four separate memory circuits attached to the Ghost Temple chimeras. Required to download the hidden amusement park's schematic diagrams.
source: slang/vulgar East Heaven term. See spirit link.
spirit healer: an East Heaven Mage possessing the inborn ability to heal without the aid of psyche amplifiers. Healing is considered as the most draining of the elemental magicks, and there are mages who devote their entire lives to this study alone. Spirit healers are a rare breed, and on average only one is born every two centuries. Maya East Heaven is the only know spirit healer in the last five hundred years.
spirit link: an exceptionally psyche-strong East Heaven descendant to which a psyche-weak child bonds at birth for the latter to be able to cast magic normally. The spirit link is unaffected by this bond. The bond never weakens, and lasts for the spirit link's lifetime. The psyche-weak child dies when this bond is broken, although the timeframe varies depending on the strength of the bond and the will of the psyche-weak mage.
Starlight Duke: Duke Radii in a plastic-and-yellow-spandex star costume. See Duke Radii.
Starlight Mall: newly-opened mall located close to the Atelier Soda Shoppe. Houses a bar, a bookstore, music store, and a couple of electronic and mechavehicle equipment stores among others. Starlight Duke moonlights in said electronics store.
Terrent, Narcius: also known as Trap Master. Has penchant for setting booby traps and explosives. One of Ruecian's underlings, and former classmate of Kirielle Lockheed.
tiara: a jeweled relic required to open Elroy's box. Klaus based his genetic-mimicry device on some of the tiara's circuits. Stolen by Belle Brie and Duke Radii.
Tower of Eternal Sun: Carona's most famous ruin. It has a winding staircase that runs from the lowest floor to the pinnacle. Five hundred years ago its twin ruin, the Tower of Never Moon, was destroyed and submerged under the lake waters. Sometime in the past century, a smaller earthquake caused part of the Tower of Eternal Sun to collapse, leaving a large gap in its stone stairs and thus making its top platform inaccessible.
Tower of Maya: newest building of Aeon Industries, built from funds donated by East Heaven kingdom. Named after the Princess Maya East Heaven. Contains several state-of-the-art laboratories specific to mechavehicle and psyche amplifier research. The building is designed so that the top floors can detach and function as an orbiting space station, and are powered by a combination of mechavehicle and fusion-propulsion systems.
Tower of Never Moon: The second most famous ruin in Carona, and twin ruin of the Tower of Eternal Sun. An earthquake destroyed it several hundred years ago and it now lies completely submerged in Carona's lake. It is a tower that opens underground.
transparisteel: a clear, hard plastic with metallic attributes.
Trap Master: see Terrent, Narcius.
Undercity Compound: hidden compound of Aeon Industries.
Underground Labyrinth, Underground Tunnels: a maze of tunnels underneath the Carona fields and town. Some legends state that Aeons built the tunnels, while others claim that the tunnels have existed long before the Aeons walked the Carona plains. Over the centuries, there have been numerous attempts to create complete maps of the tunnels, but no complete record exists today.
Valen, Terry Prometheus: head and co-founder of Aeon Industries, eventually became its CEO. He's a doctor and mechatronic genius, and a chroma child. In his later years he would be confined to a floating wheelchair due to his body being degraded by the chroma strain. He, unlike other chroma children fitted with the Aeon Shard, can use the full capabilities of magick. Born 24 January 1968.
Valen's code: Terry Valen bet his old comrade Augustus Klaus that if Augustus could solve a 'code', Valen would stop his experiments on chroma children. Years later, this code was figured out by Rue Kincaid.
Vanguard, Mint: the displaced crown princess of East Heaven, possessing burgundy eyes and fiery-red hair usually tied up in twin-ponytails. Born 21 April 2011, she is the magickally-strongest East Heaven scion born in the past five centuries. She is spunky, hot-tempered, used to having her way, and hell-bent on world domination. Her right to crown princess was usurped by her younger sister Maya, and she ran away from home, becoming a wanderer and working odd jobs for three years until she came to Carona. She entered Carona High, where her unique skills and aggressive personality enabled her to rise to the position of gymnastics team captain. Most of her magic is self-taught, and she uses twin metal rings as weapons.
Void: dreamscape, limbo, the astral plane, the next dimension, the afterworld, the netherworld, the place-where-dead-people-hold-parties-and-dance, you decide. [A/N: seriously, I don't know yet exactly what this is, but 'Void' is the term they use in East Heaven to refer to another dimension or plane of existence. East Heaven legends vaguely link the intricacies of magick to the Void, but the Carona and Gamul myths have no mention of this. 0_o oh, that seems a good enough definition… =P]
Weapon of Cosmos: formal name of the most prized East Heaven heirloom, better known as the Cosmo-Penalty. See Cosmo-Penalty.
West Desert City: A city located west northwest of Carona. Smaller than Gamul and less populated, it is however considered as the gem city of the Continent, a center of civilization and technology. Ephlesia University is located in West Desert City.
will: see psyche.
Winding Tower: see Tower of Eternal Sun.
Wylaf, Eugene: a scientist and hermit, he builds his own mechatronic circuits from scratch. He was once a chemistry professor in Ephlesia University. Eccentric to a fault. His compound is in the Raging Mountains.