Author's Note:
This is not a conventional chapter.
Since there was a delay in posting the next chapter, I decided to use this interval to gather some information that has already appeared throughout the story and that, from this point onward, will become increasingly important.
Throughout the story, different forms of energy, manifestations, and concepts have been introduced through the characters, battles, and events of the world.
Some received direct explanations. Others were shown even before their mechanisms were properly introduced.
For that reason, this record brings together the main concepts presented so far.
Nothing in this record is meant to replace what happens within the story. It serves only to organize and establish information that is already part of the universe of Thrones in Ruins.
Some mysteries, naturally, will remain mysteries.
The World's Flow:
The World's Flow is one of the fundamental foundations of current existence.
After the emergence of the gods and the changes caused to the balance of the world, their energies began to spread and become integrated into the very structure of reality.
With the passage of time, this energy became what is now known as the World's Flow.
It does not exist as a uniform mass.
The Flow travels through the world by means of countless threads, present everywhere: in the environment, passing through matter, living beings, and the space around them.
These threads are naturally translucent and, to most people, imperceptible.
Even so, they are always present.
Some individuals can sense them.
Others can perceive them with greater precision.
There are those capable of interfering with their behavior.
And there are even rarer individuals capable of truly governing them.
These differences are important.
Perceiving the Flow does not mean controlling it.
Likewise, interfering with its threads does not mean governing them.
The degree and, above all, the way in which each individual relates to the Flow can be completely different.
Threads of the Flow:
The threads of the World's Flow are the structure through which this energy travels through reality.
In their natural state, they do not carry anyone's identity.
They are part of the world.
A sufficiently sensitive individual can perceive their presence. Others can see them, interfere with their trajectory, or temporarily alter their behavior.
This difference has already appeared several times throughout the story.
Some characters can affect the Flow without truly submitting it to their own will.
That is different from governing.
When someone governs the Flow, they cease to simply disturb it and begin to determine how its threads must behave within a given area.
It is precisely from this difference that another important concept arises.
Limit:
A Limit is not a new source of energy.
It is an extremely advanced form of interaction with the World's Flow.
By establishing a Limit, the user begins to govern the threads of the Flow present within that region, forcing them to follow an order determined by their own will.
In simple terms:
Interfering is making the Flow react.
Governing is making the Flow obey.
Therefore, phenomena capable of affecting the threads of the Flow should not automatically be confused with a Limit.
There are individuals capable of producing enormous interference without possessing true dominion over them.
Anima:
If the Flow belongs to the world...
the Anima belongs to life.
Anima is the energetic manifestation of the soul as vital force.
Every living being possesses Anima, regardless of its consciousness, intelligence, or ability to recognize it.
A plant possesses Anima.
An animal possesses Anima.
An ordinary person possesses Anima.
None of them needs to understand their own soul to possess the energy that emanates from it.
What differentiates individuals is their ability to perceive, mobilize, and, in rarer cases, externalize this force.
The overwhelming majority of beings go through their entire existence without ever consciously perceiving their own Anima.
Among those who can feel it, only a portion learns to mobilize it.
And an even smaller number can externalize it in a truly efficient manner.
Consciousness does not create Anima.
It allows the individual to reach what already existed within them.
Externalization of Anima:
By mastering Anima, an individual can bring the force of their own soul outside themselves.
This energy can envelop their body, their weapon, or whatever they use to execute a particular technique.
But there is one fundamental rule:
Anima does not grant an ability that the individual does not possess.
It takes what already exists beyond its natural limits.
A physically powerful warrior can reach even greater levels of strength.
An exceptional swordsman can elevate speed, precision, and execution.
An archer can channel this force through their shot.
Anima does not turn a swordsman into a fire mage simply because they desire it.
It elevates what the individual already is.
It is precisely this characteristic that differentiates Anima from other forms of power presented in the story.
The Cost of Anima:
Using Anima means directly drawing upon the strength of one's own soul.
For this reason, its use is not limitless.
The greater the amount externalized and the longer this force is maintained, the greater the individual's spiritual exhaustion will be.
This process can result in deep exhaustion.
That does not mean that every use destroys a part of the soul.
There is a difference between consuming one's strength and harming one's own soul.
The former is part of using Anima.
The latter belongs to much more extreme situations.
The Colors of Anima:
When externalized, Anima can reveal a coloration.
This color does not represent an ability.
It represents a signature of the soul.
Therefore, two people who manifest the same hue will not necessarily fight in the same way or possess the same abilities.
The color indicates a fundamental tendency of that individual's existence, not a class of power.
Among the known manifestations:
Red — Impetus
Associated with intense, explosive, dominant souls, or those constantly driven toward advance and confrontation.
Blue — Serenity
Related to control, stability, clarity, and mastery of oneself.
White — Conviction
Linked to a firm will, sustained by principles, certainties, or decisions that are difficult to break.
Golden — Elevation and Authority
A manifestation frequently associated with existences connected to the divine, the elevated, and the natural imposition of presence.
Green — Vitality and Continuity
Related to life, growth, renewal, persistence, and natural cycles.
There are, however, manifestations whose meanings have not yet been fully understood.
The fact that a color does not yet have a known interpretation does not mean that it has no meaning.
It simply means that this meaning has not yet been understood.
Cordis:
Cordis is a structure characteristic of the Awakened.
Often called a second heart, it functions as the center of an Awakened's energy system.
It is through it that the individual establishes their conventional relationship with the World's Flow.
Its function can be summarized in three fundamental processes:
extraction, conversion, and storage.
The Cordis draws energy from the World's Flow.
This energy is then converted into a form that the Awakened's body can use.
After that, it is stored within the Cordis itself.
The Nature of the Cordis:
The Cordis is not merely a reservoir.
Although it can store Eso, its function goes far beyond accumulating energy.
For this reason, two Awakened can possess Cordis that are completely different in capacity and efficiency.
One may extract energy quickly but store little.
Another may possess exceptional storage capacity but have slower recovery.
There are also those whose Cordis possesses unusual efficiency in converting the Flow into Eso.
These differences do not, by themselves, determine an Awakened's strength.
A powerful Cordis provides possibilities.
It is the individual who determines what they will do with them.
Likewise, possessing a large amount of Eso does not necessarily mean possessing greater mastery over it.
Control, efficiency, physical capacity, and the nature of the Awakening itself remain fundamental factors.
Eso:
Eso is the energy of the World's Flow after being extracted and processed by the Cordis.
This distinction is fundamental.
The World's Flow is not Eso.
The Flow exists independently of the user.
Eso is what the Awakened can obtain from it and make usable.
In simplified form:
World's Flow → Cordis → Eso
The Cordis extracts.
The Cordis converts.
The Cordis stores.
The Awakened uses.
When necessary, this energy travels through the energy channels existing within their body and can be externalized through the nature of their own Awakening.
This is how truly supernatural manifestations arise.
Fire where there was no fire.
Manipulation of matter.
Phenomena that the human body could never produce on its own.
Eso and Anima are not the same thing:
This may be the most important difference in this record.
Every Awakened also possesses Anima.
One does not replace the other.
Anima comes from the individual itself.
Eso depends on the relationship between the Awakened, their Cordis, and the World's Flow.
Therefore, we can summarize it as follows:
Anima elevates what the individual already possesses.
Eso allows supernatural manifestations through energy obtained from the world.
A warrior can master Anima without possessing a Cordis.
An Awakened possesses a Cordis and uses Eso, but also continues to possess their own Anima.
Depending on the individual, both can coexist and be used in completely different ways.
Eso Replenishment:
The Eso stored in the Cordis can be consumed.
Conventional Awakened can draw upon the World's Flow again to replenish what they have spent.
This does not mean that this recovery is the same for everyone.
Storage capacity, extraction speed, control, and efficiency can vary enormously between individuals.
There are also exceptions.
Some beings can store enormous quantities of Eso but do not possess the same ability to draw upon the Flow to recover it afterward.
This difference has already had important consequences during the events presented so far.
Filaments:
And we arrive at one of the rarest manifestations shown so far.
The natural threads of the World's Flow are translucent.
Normally, even an Awakened does not manipulate them directly.
Their Cordis draws energy from the Flow, transforms that energy into Eso, and allows them to use it.
There are, however, individuals capable of surpassing this conventional relationship.
They can directly touch the very threads of the World's Flow.
When these threads are reached, subjected, and externalized through someone's will, they become what we call: Filaments.
Why do Filaments have color?
The manifestation of Filaments is considered exceptionally rare. So far, few characters have been shown directly manipulating the threads of the Flow.
Among them are Éreon, with his violet Filaments, and Brianna, whose manipulation of the threads of the Flow has already manifested in different forms throughout the story.
These colors, however, do not naturally belong to the threads of the Flow.
In their original state, they are translucent. The coloration appears when they are subjected to an individual's influence, beginning to reflect a perceptible signature.
This signature may come from the spiritual nature of the one manipulating them or from the energy being channeled through them.
Therefore, the color of a Filament should not automatically be confused with the color of Anima.
Although related, they are distinct concepts.
Anima reveals the signature of the soul.
The Filament, in turn, reveals the signature of what is being imposed upon the Flow — whether it is the nature of the manipulator themselves or the energy being channeled through it.
What makes a Filament user different?
The difference is not simply in possessing "more energy."
It lies in the form of interaction.
A common Awakened draws energy from the system.
A Filament user can directly manipulate parts of that system.
It is the difference between using what the Flow provides...
and reaching the very threads responsible for carrying it.
This offers possibilities that surpass the simple amount of Eso stored in a Cordis.
But it also requires a degree of perception, control, and affinity with the structure of the world that very few individuals have demonstrated so far.
In Summary:
If there is still any confusion, think of it this way:
World's Flow
The energy system that permeates and connects reality, circulating through countless threads that cross the world.
Threads of the Flow
The translucent lines through which this energy crosses reality.
Anima
The energy of the soul present in every living being.
Cordis
The second heart of the Awakened, responsible for extracting, converting, and storing energy originating from the Flow.
Eso
The energy of the Flow after being processed by the Cordis and made usable by the Awakened.
Limit
The state in which an individual governs the Flow of a given region and forces its threads to respond to their own will.
Filaments
The manifestation of the threads of the World's Flow when they are directly reached, shaped, and externalized by an individual's will.
Final Note:
This record brings together only concepts that have already begun to appear throughout the story.
There are still exceptions, particularities, and phenomena that have not been completely explained — and some of them are far too important to be revealed outside the narrative.
The idea here was simply to organize what you have already seen.
Because, from this point forward, understanding where an energy comes from, how it is used, and how a character interacts with the world will begin to say a great deal about what they are truly capable of doing.
And, to everyone who has made it this far following Thrones in Ruins, thank you, truly.
I do not usually ask this, but if you are enjoying the story, leave a comment telling me what you think and add the work to your favorites.
Besides helping a lot, I also want to know which parts of the system, characters, or events you have enjoyed following the most so far.