High above the raging seas, where winter storms never ceased and the ocean swallowed all who dared cross its wrath, there stood Warden's Maw—the world's most impenetrable prison. The pride of the World Council, a symbol of their absolute authority.
Carved into the jagged cliffs, surrounded by sheer walls of black stone and psine reinforce alloy, it was a fortress where the world's most dangerous criminals, traitors, and rogue psions were locked away.
No one escaped.
No one even tried.
Until tonight...
The Prisoner
Deep within the lowest level of Warden's Maw was Pandora's box—a room within a cell, reinforced with psine suppressors. Inside that room was Tulburo Lume, one of the most powerful and infamous psion ever.
A decade ago, his epithet had been spoken in fear. The Walking Calamity—a man who could tear apart entire armies with a thought. One whose power had reshaped nations.
Now, he was little more than a caged animal. His once-mighty form weakened by years of imprisonment, his mind shackled by the dampeners that drained him of his strength. Yet even in chains, his presence remained suffocating. Some guards avoided his cell block entirely. Those who have seen him before spoke of his eyes, silver like the storm outside, that burned with an unnatural intensity.
But on this night something changed.
For the first time in years, he felt it—a shift in the air.
Footsteps echoed through the halls, steady and deliberate.
A presence, quite powerful.
Not the guards. Never the wardens.
They wouldn't come close. They were all too afraid.
It was someone who did not belong.
Tulburo lifted his head. Someone was coming.
"Interesting." He smiled.
The Infiltrator
In the upper levels of the prison, alarms blared. Guards rushed through the corridors, their weapons drawn, confusion painted on their faces.
"The containment field is failing!" shouted a guard, voice trembling—not from the frigid air of Salvation Island but from raw fear.
"Gods help us—it is failing! This can't be real!" another guard's voice cracked with panic overpowering discipline.
"Impossible!" snarled a gaunt warden, frantically examining the control runes. "Only the main core can disable the field, and no one has access except—"
A sound cut through the chaos. A low hum.
A flicker of light.
Then—silence.
The guards stood frozen.
A shadow moved among them, unseen yet unstoppable.
One by one, they fell, collapsing as an invisible force crushed their minds, leaving them unconscious before they even realized they were under attack.
A lone figure strode through the dim corridors, stepping over the bodies of guards and prisoners alike. Their identity concealed beneath a dark hood, their presence barely detectable even to the most sensitive of psions, their movements precise and deliberate.
Each turn they made, each security measure they bypassed, spoke of a knowledge that should have been impossible. They knew this place as if they had built it.
Whoever they were, they had planned this down to the second.
They had come for one man.
And nothing would stop them.
The Escape
Tulburo heard the footsteps approach his cell. A voice—calm, controlled—spoke through the reinforced door.
"Tulburo Lume."
He smirked. "No one has said my name in years. Who are you?"
The voice did not answer. Instead, the lights flickered, and then—the dampeners in his cell shut off.
Psine rushed back into Tulburo like a flood, searing his veins like molten iron. He gasped, staggered to one knee—but slowly, deliberately, he straightened.
Strength returned with every breath, his smile broadening with each moment.
So much energy.
His fingers twitched. He was almost whole again.
The door shuddered, then—without warning—it was crumpled inward as if crushed by an invisible fist.
"Pathetic infrastructure," he remarked dryly.
Smoke and dust filled the air as Tulburo stood, stretching his arms, feeling the weight of his shackles fall away.
His visitor stepped forward, the hooded figure's face still hidden.
Behind them, the sounds of collapsing corridors mixed with the terrified shouts of guards.
"Freedom beckons, and destiny demands haste," the hooded figure said simply.
"It's time to leave."
Tulburo exhaled, rolling his shoulders. He flexed his fingers, and the very air around him trembled.
"I fear even you don't know exactly what you just did," his silver eyes gleamed as he glanced sidelong at the shadowy figure.
"But I've been waiting for this," he added, a hint of gratitude in his voice.
Dismay
Across Warden's Maw, chaos erupted. Alarms screamed. Other prisoners tried to make their escape. The Warden's forces rushed to contain the breach, but it was already too late.
A force unlike anything they had ever faced tore through the prison. The Great Iron Watchtower, a symbol of Warden's Maw's inviolability and the authority of the World Council, now bent like wet paper under Tulburo's rage of psine release.
Such destruction, yet Tulburo was far from being back to his full strength.
Metal screeched like tortured beasts, walls trembled as though quaking in fear. Bitter frost mixed with smoke, stinging eyes and lungs as chaos reigned unchecked. A single psine wave shattered entire corridors. Other guard towers collapsed.
The storm outside howled in response to Tulburo's release.
By the time reinforcements arrived, there was nothing left but ruins, and in the night sky, two figures vanished into the storm.
The world's greatest prison had fallen, and the most dangerous psion alive was free once more.
Somewhere, in the halls of power, rulers would awaken to a nightmare, for the war they had long feared had just begun.
The great Warden's Maw had fallen.
Tulburo Lume, the Walking Calamity, was free. And no one knew where he had gone.
The news would soon spread like wildfire, a chilling wind sweeping through all halls of power. In the gilded chambers of kings and the austere offices of prime ministers, leaders of the Ten Great Sovereigns and beyond, whispers of fear would turn to shouts of urgency.
Some would call for an emergency summit, picturing Tulburo's destructive path like a ravenous wildfire.
Others would demand immediate action, their voices tight with the dread of a world teetering on the brink.
But one truth would be undeniable:this was not just the escape of a dangerous prisoner.
This was the spark set to ignite the world. A fuse lit in the powder keg of ancient rivalries, that would reopen the scars of the Convergence War.
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WEB OF CAUSALITY – GLOSSARY
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A
Alsummer Zone
A drought-stricken region where psions often control weather through divine pretense. Home to Metzia.
Alwinter Zone
A region of eternal winter, associated with cryokinetic abilities and resource hoarding.
Alspring Zone
A zone of perpetual spring, rich in biological and plant-based psionics.
Alautumn Zone
The decaying, strigoi-dominated region of fading powers and relics.
All-Season Zone
The only perpetual changing season Zone at the core of Kepler; includes the Evelyn and the sovereign nation of Kanata
Altreila
The organization formed by the Dark Triad.
Atteria
One of the Ten Great Sovereigns. A former province of Irie that forged its own path and has a government balance of three powers: the Congress of Aristocrats, the King, and the Prime Minister. King Masamune is their figurehead.
B
Broums
Disguised, illegal flight devices powered by psionic essence.
Body of General Operations
The Legislative branch of the World Council;
consists of representatives of the Ten Great Sovereigns and other nations/states.
Body of Masters
The Executive branch of the World Council; consists of all the leaders of the Ten Great Sovereigns and the Vice-President.
C
C-BAR
The Continental Border Assault Regiment; elite military branch of the World Council.
Codex Magna
The Book of Canonization.
Convergence War
Cataclysmic war that happened 300 years ago.
Continuity Mandate
Zoltan's protocol to ensure Sang's dominance after his death.
CounterBalance
Ramone Mari's psionic ability that allows him to copy another person's ability by understanding how it works and making physical contact with them.
Crimson Requiem
A three-day Lalumism and pentagonism observance festival/ritual characterized by two days of silence and one day of personal sacrifice.
D
Delsur
One of the Ten Great Sovereigns. Technological hub governed by The Watchers led by Executive Chief Lady Nova Steele.
Dynamic Sea
The sea located in the All-Season Zone, surrounding the island of Sacrasula which hosts Evelyn and the great sovereign nation of Kanata.
E
Echoes of the Future
Mysterious temporal phenomenon believed to be screams from the future.
Eiria
One of the Ten Great Sovereigns. The traditionalist half of the fractured kingdom of Irie ruled by the Amakusayes since their founding. Ruled by Emperor Yasu Amakusaye.
Evelyn
A nation outside of the Ten Great Sovereigns. Home to the destroyed city of Curia.
F
Ferrokinesis
Kiara's ability to manipulate metals.
Furen-Gela Sea
A sea within the Alwinter Zone that surrounds Salvation Island. Known for its harsh, cold, unsurvivable weather.
Futsunomitama
Legendary psionic blade wielded by Kiara; becomes sharper and longer the more it cuts and pierces.
G
Grand Jester
The Jester of court Amakusaye going by the epithet- The Wandering Tides of the Flame.
H
Holy Metzia
One of the Ten Great Sovereigns. A theocratic, drought ridden country ruled by Divine Oracle Increase Mather III.
I
Ides of March
March 15th. The day of the full moon. Crimson Requiem observance day.
J
Jackolan Corporation
Global conglomerate run by the Jackolan Family, led by Wolfgang Jackolan.
K
Kanata
One of the Ten Great Sovereigns. Information-dealing, densely populated developing country in the All-Season Zone governed by Lady Linnea Robbespierre.
Kepler
The planet on which all known creatures live.
L
Lex Imperium
Julius Aurelius's ability to impose binding laws through speech.
Lalumism
Religion worshipping the deity of hope and luck, Lalume.
M
Manifesters
Psions who generate elements or constructs from nothing.
Manipulators
Psions who control existing materials.
Moderators
Psions who control rules, perceptions, or laws.
Modifiers
Psions who alter matter or systems.
P
Pentagonism
Religion worshipping five divine entities; practiced in Hordad and Eiria.
Psine
The core energy that allows for psinecraft on Kepler. Also called Mana or Essence.
Psion
Everyone on Kepler who has access to psine. Also known as the Blessed, the Gifted, or a Mage.
Psinecraft
aka Magecraft or Gift or Blessing.
A unique ability or power each psion wields, classified into one of four categories: Manipulators, Manifesters, Moderators, or Modifiers.
S
Salvation Island
Headquarters of the World Council; location of Warden's Maw and The Domus Orbis, etc.
Sang
One of the Ten Great Sovereigns. Known for their frequent changes in Kaisers due to political turmoil. Known colloquially as the blood empire—Sange Imperiya. Ruled by Kaiser Zoltan Von Kiss.
Strigoi
Psionic blood-feeders that manifest animalistic powers.
T
Teranua
One of the Ten Great Sovereigns. A fascist kingdom that suppresses truth and keeps information from the outside world as closed off as possible.
Ruled by King Gareth Carrington.
Tulburo Lume
The Walking Calamity; a force of chaos and destruction.
W
Warden's Maw
Maximum-security psion prison; breached during Tulburo's escape.
World Council
Global governing body made up of the Ten Great Sovereigns and other states. It is divided into three branches.
Lady Nova Steele is the current president of the World Council.