(Read this if you're ever confused while reading!)
This section is your go-to reference for understanding the powers, systems, and rules of the Soulcore system world. If a term or concept seems unclear in the story, return here for clarity on how everything works.
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Since the dawn of time, Soul Energy has been the foundation of human existence. It flows through every living being, shaping their strength, abilities, and destiny. It is not a gift—it is a necessity. Without it, one cannot survive.
At the age of twelve, a child's Soulcore awakens, marking the beginning of their journey. Their Soulcores—Souls with elemental affinities or attributes—are inherited through bloodlines. Most children manifest the same element as one or both parents. However, on rare occasions, a child may develop a different Soulcore due to dormant genetics or unexplained anomalies.
Regardless of origin, once the Soulcore awakens, the child enters the Cycle of Growth, where power is not given, but earned—through discipline, conflict, and unyielding will.
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Types of Souls
Every person is born with a unique Soulcore Type, which determines how they channel and wield their Soul Pool. There are two known types:
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1. Regular Soulcore Users
The majority of people are born with a single Soulcore, allowing them to harness one of the seven elemental affinities: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Lightning, Light, or Dark.
Those with regular Souls follow a stable and predictable path of growth. Their journey is safer, with fewer risks—but also capped potential. They specialize early and progress steadily, but rarely transcend their limits.
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2. Hybrid Soulcore Users
A rare and often dangerous anomaly, Hybrids are born with two or more Soulcores. This grants them the potential to wield multiple elements, allowing for powerful and unpredictable combinations.
However, this potential comes at a price.
Hybrids face immense difficulty in controlling their Soul Pool. Many burn out or collapse under the pressure long before reaching mastery. But those who endure? They become legends.
Hybrid users have significantly larger Soul Pools, proportional to the number of Soulcores they possess. Yet their training demands are far greater—they must absorb more Soul Energy, master more skills, and bear more burdens than any regular user.
Their growth is harsh, but their ceiling is limitless—power unmatched, if they survive the path.
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Soul Energy — The World's Living Power
Soul Energy is the invisible force that permeates the world, the source from which all Soul Pools draw their power. It flows through nature, the atmosphere, and even the remains of fallen souls, constantly circulating and replenishing the spiritual ecosystem.
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How Soul Energy Works:
Source of Power: Users absorb Soul Energy from their surroundings to expand their Soul Pool's maximum capacity.
Not Instant Fuel: While it increases potential, Soul Energy does not instantly refill a user's Soul Pool—only time restore that.
Dangerous to Harvest: Absorbing too much Soul Energy too quickly or from unstable sources can cause spiritual backlash or corruption.
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Connection to the Soulcore:
A user's Soulcore acts as a vessel to draw in and refine Soul Energy, shaping it into usable power for skills, elemental control, and growth.
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At the heart of the Soulcore System are three foundational pillars:
The Vessel
The Soul Pool
The Soulcore stages
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The Vessel — The Body That Carries the Soul
The Vessel is both the physical and spiritual container of the soul. It determines how much Soul Energy the body can endure, channel, and evolve with. From strength and speed to resilience and perception, the Vessel forms the foundation of all potential.
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Vessel Tiers
Vessels are ranked from 1st Tier (Weakest) to 10th Tier (Strongest). This tier is innate—determined at birth and etched into one's being.
It cannot be changed through training, talent, or willpower. It is fate.
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What a Stronger Vessel Provides:
Enhanced physical attributes: strength, reflexes, senses, and durability
Greater resistance to soul strain and external corruption
A higher ceiling for advancing through Soulcore Stages
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Vessel Scaling:
Each tier provides exponential growth over the one before:
Tier 2 = 2× the strength, speed, and durability of Tier 1
Tier 3 = 2× Tier 2 (4× Tier 1)
Tier 4 = 2× Tier 3 (8× Tier 1)
…and so on, up to Tier 10
This exponential leap makes high-tier Vessels not only rare, but vastly superior—capable of feats that seem impossible to lower-tier users.
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Growth Limits by Vessel Tier:
Tier 1: Can only reach Soulcore Stage 3
Tier 5: Can reach up to Stage 7
Tier 6: reach up to stage 8. Unlocks the mythical Creature Form — This form marks the start of their resistance to divine power, slowly breaking free from the ancient curse placed by the gods. However, the resistance is only partial at this stage—they are not yet immune.
Tiers 7 to 10: they are still a mystery. No one has ever awakened them… yet.
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Note:
A powerful soul trapped in a weak Vessel is a tragedy—doomed to stagnate, no matter the will. Only those born with higher-tier Vessels can ever hope to walk the highest stages of the Soulcore.
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Soul Pool — The soul energy storage That Powers the vessel
The Soul Pool is the essential soul energy reservoir that flows through every awakened body. Like chakra or mana in other systems, it powers all combat functions: activating skills, enhancing physical attacks, and manipulating elemental forces.
Without a Soul Pool, a fighter is powerless. It is the lifeblood of battle and growth.
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Regeneration & Absorption:
Soul Pool regenerates naturally over time.
Absorbing Soul Energy from the environment increases maximum capacity but does not instantly refill it. Growth must be managed with care and endurance.
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What Determines Soul Pool Capacity?
A user's total Soul Pool is based on two key factors:
1. Their current Soulcore Stage
2. The number of Soulcores they possess
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Capacity by Stage:
Stage 1: 1000 / 1000
Stage 2: 2000 / 2000
Stage 3: 3000 / 3000
…and so on
For Hybrid Users (those with 2 or more Soulcores), this value is multiplied by the number of Soulcores they have:
2 Soulcores at Stage 1 = 2000 / 2000
3 Soulcores at Stage 2 = 6000 / 6000
3 Soulcores at Stage 5 = 15,000 / 15,000
This makes Hybrids incredibly powerful—but their growth is exponentially harder. They must absorb significantly more energy and master more techniques to keep up with their potential.
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Important Note:
Artificially implanting or forcing additional Soulcores into the body does not increase Soul Pool capacity.
The Soul Pool only grows through earned progression—not shortcuts.
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Soulcore Stage — The Path of Elemental Evolution
The Soulcore Stage is the structured progression system that defines a person's growth in strength, skill, and elemental mastery. Every awakened individual channels their Soul Pool through this path, with each stage unlocking new abilities and deeper control over their element(s).
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Alignment with the Seven Elements:
All Soulcore Stages are tied to one or more of the Seven Elements:
Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Light, and Dark.
Regardless of Soulcore type—Regular or Hybrid—all users advance through the same stages. However, higher stages grow increasingly rare and difficult, demanding extreme discipline, experience, and elemental harmony.
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The Ten Stages of the Soulcore
1. Initiated — The first awakening of Soulcore power.
2. Novice — Basic control begins to take form.
3. Adapt — Combat skills and elemental applications become reliable.
4. Expert — Stronger, more refined skills emerge.
5. Master — A formidable wielder with advanced techniques.
6. Grandmaster — Rare and feared; a true force on the battlefield.
7. Ascendant — Revered and dreaded; their very presence shifts the tide of war.
8. ??? — Details lost to time; only a handful have glimpsed this power.
9. ??? — A realm beyond understanding; their power defies logic and mortal limits.
10. ??? — Whispered in ancient texts, said to wield power that shapes reality itself.
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Progression Requirements:
To advance to the next Soulcore Stage, a user must:
Reach the maximum Soul Pool capacity allowed by their current stage.
Achieve at least 50% mastery of the Soulcore skills tied to that stage.
No matter how strong, without mastering both energy growth and skill, the path forward is blocked. Growth demands balance—power alone is not enough.
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Skills — Manifestations of Soulcore's Power
Skills are the active techniques and abilities a user performs by channeling their Soulcore. They are the visible expression of elemental mastery, shaped by experience, creativity, and discipline. Every skill is intrinsically tied to the user's Soulcore element(s), making each fighter's arsenal unique.
Whether it's launching flames from fists, shaping earth and stone, or calling down lightning bolts, skills form the foundation of combat.
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Skill Progression & Requirements:
As users advance through Soulcore stages, they must learn and master new skills to progress:
Stages 1–4: Learn and master 3 new skills per stage
Stages 5–7: Learn and master 4 new skills per stage
Stages 8–10: Learn and master 5 new skills per stage
Mastery means full control, flawless execution under pressure, and understanding the Soul Pool flow that fuels each technique.
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How Skills Are Learned:
To acquire a new skill, users must:
Study under a master or experienced user of the same element
Train rigorously, focusing on both theory and Soul Pool control
Occasionally innovate original techniques—though this is extremely difficult
Without proper guidance, learning is possible but slower, riskier, and less efficient. Many young users remain stagnant for years without mentorship.
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Skill Types
Progression Skill: Skills that grow stronger through training and mastery, even if the user is at an early stage. Their power scales with practice.
Growth Skill: Skills that reveal new effects and power as the user advances through Soulcore stages. They may seem weak at first but become potent with growth.
Named Skill: Distinct skills that do not grow with stages or mastery and are generally weaker. However, collecting multiple Named Skills of the same name unlocks greater potential.
Legacy Skill: Formed by acquiring five Named Skills of the same name. These powerful skills summon legendary creatures or forces to aid the user in battle.
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Note:
People usually prefer Progression Skills over Growth Skills because they want to strengthen their abilities immediately rather than wait to gather enough Soul energy to unlock Growth Skill potential. The world is dangerous, and having strong skills now is crucial for survival.
Named Skills are extremely rare and precious. Powerful families often hide them and teach them only to select young members as a closely guarded secret.