The Free Realm
Kaira lives in a world known as “Rund”.
However, when people talk about Rund, they usually imply just a part of it – the so-called "Free Realm".
The Free Realm is large and diverse; it has old forests and deep lakes, snow-capped mountains, and boundless deserts. This realm is inhabited by both human and non-human races.
Traveling through the Free Realm, one comes across the rich and populous cities of the Empire, the majestic citadels of the Inquisition, and the ruins of the Legion's ancient fortresses. The villages of wildlings and the settlements of non-humans, hidden from the prying eyes, lie scattered in the Wild Lands.
The Free Realm has a sinister twin that most people prefer never to mention – the Phantom Realm.
The Phantom Realm
The Phantom Realm is a dark, frightening place, the stuff of the nightmares.
It is untouched by sunlight or moonlight; there are no singing birds and no buzzing grasshoppers. In fact, it is exceedingly rare to meet a sentient being here because a long stay in the Phantom Realm is ruinous for one’s mind.
Once upon a time, the Phantom Realm used to be a place of pilgrimage for a particular tribe of non-humans, Enigo. They communicated with the spirits of their ancestors in the sanctuaries known as the Memory Caves. These days, the Memory Caves have become the places of indescribable horror.
The Phantom Realm is full of distortion – a toxic substance of unknown nature.
The distortion is everywhere in this realm: it's in the soil, in the plants, and even in the air. Spirits that live in the Phantom Realm are saturated with this substance as well – these terrible creatures are known as demons or phantoms. Legends say that their power knows no limit.
Fortunately, the demons of the Phantom Realm have no way of getting into the Free Realm: all the portals that once connected the realms have been closed for a long time – and the secret of traveling through them has been lost for good.
The distortion
Nevertheless, the inhabitants of the Free Realm have a reason to worry:
Thanks to the humans and the non-humans who use magic, plenty of holes appear in the barrier that separates the two realms, and it is through these holes that the distortion seeps into the Free Realm – infecting those who use magic, and the land itself.
One of the core commitments of the great Empire – the cradle of human civilization, and the strongest state of the Free Realm – is to prevent the spread of the distortion. Which is why the imperial Inquisition hunts for mages, day and night.
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In the next issue, we will talk about the magic and the distortion that leads mages to horrendous death.