#kinoverse lore

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Lore: Four Elements

The Four Elements (四大属性 Shi Dai Zokusei?) are believed to reflect the simplest essential parts and principles of which anything consists or upon which the constitution and fundamental powers of anything are based. In various cultures, religions, and belief systems in the world, the four elements are inexplicably connected to various things, which represent the balance in the world.

In the Toaru Majutsu no Index universe, the elements and their properties are closely connected with Idol Theory, not because it is a requirement in magic, but because of the many legends, myths, and symbolism that are intertwined with them.

The Classical Elements

Stiyl Magnus is aligned to red and to the element of fire.

There are four classical elements in Western cultures, and if counting the 5th element, quintessence or ether, it matches the 5 elements of Eastern cultures. As such, to Tsuchimikado Motoharu, the Kabbalah, which uses the Western elements, are similar to Onmyoudou, both using the pentagram, one of the fundamental ingredients of a magic circle, which designates the positions of the elements. It can be assumed that the similarities in the elements in East and West magical disciplines referred to the Japanese Elements.

Western Elements

   Air    Fire    Water    Earth    Ether

Eastern Elements

   Wood    Fire    Water    Metal    Void

In Modern Western Magic

Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers with his set of the four Symbolic Weapons

Modern Western magic uses, the five elements: Air (or Wind), Fire, Water, Earth, and Ether. Each have their own Symbolic Weapon (象徴武器 Shōchō Buki (Shinborikku Wepon)?, lit. "Symbol Weapon", Yen Press: Aspected Weapon); Dagger, Stick, Cup, Disc, and a Lotus Wand which are referred to as the elemental weapons, respectively. Ether has a special characteristic, and that it can change into any of the four remaining elements. It is carried on with the Lotus Wand using Idol Theory, wherein the staff can be made to represent the other elemental weapons.

In fields such as Alchemy, each of the elements has a spirit known as an Elemental associated with it

Each of the five digits on the hand is associated with an element; starting with the thumb, they are associated with ether, water, fire, earth and wind respectively.

Directions, Colors, and Guardians Accompanying the elements are colors, positions and guardians. These are used in setting up a magic circle, and with accordance with Idol Theory, is used to borrow the powers, abilities, or attributes that are are needed by the magician, these are unique for each one.

The four elements in Western traditions also have a pair of Aristotelian qualities assigned to them; either Hot (温 Yutaka?) or Cold (寒 Kan?), and either Dry (乾 Inui?) or Wet (湿 Shime?).

Western Magic Tradition

Element / Color / Position / Guardian Archangel / Elemental / Aristotelian Qualities Air/Wind Yellow Front Archangel Raphael Sylph Hot and Wet Fire Red Right Archangel Michael Salamander Hot and Dry Water Blue Rear/Back Archangel Gabriel Undine Cold and Wet Earth Green Left Archangel Uriel Gnome Cold and Dry

Eastern Magic Tradition

Element Color Position Season Guardian Deity Wood Blue East Spring Seiryuu the Azure Dragon (靑龍?) Fire Red South Summer Suzaku the Vermillion Bird (朱雀?) Water Black North Winter Genbu the Black Turtle (玄武?) Metal White West Autumn Byakko the White Tiger (白虎?)

Attribution and Application

The All-around Reality Circle (above) uses the four colors representing the four deities of the Eastern magic traditions.

These attributes and its capabilities are explained by Idol Theory, in which a magician would be able to draw power using the symbolic relationship between the elements and its properties. For example: Acqua of the Back has his name referring to his element and the position it has with accordance with Western magic tradition. Along with all members of God's Right Seat, he draws power of the corresponding angel, Archangel Gabriel, this allows him to cast water spells. With color, other than changing the color of clothes, some magicians go a step further, dying their hair, such as Stiyl Magnus, wielding the power of fire, and Aureolus Izzard, dying his hair green, wielding the power of earth.

In making magic circles, colors and their corresponding positions is to add decorations that signify its usage, like the All-Around Reality Circle of Tsuchimikado Motoharu using a simple circle that uses the four colors of Eastern Magic to collect information from every single direction.

Tattva

The five symbols of the Tattva

Tattva (タットワ Tattowa?)(Sanskrit for 'principle' or 'truth') is a variation of the concept of the elements, found in Hindu tantrism and a number of Indian philosophical schools, which was further developed by the Golden Dawn. There are several systems of varying numbers, but the one adapted by the Golden Dawn has five basic tattvas, roughly equivalent to the five classical elements found in the West. In the original traditions, these five tattvas form part of a global energy cycle and are associated with a sequence of tides, starting with Akasha at dawn and ending with Prithivi. Power connected to the tattva flows from the sun and alters in elements by rotating around the Earth.

1 Akasha (アーカーシャ?) Spirit/Ether Black egg 2 Tejas (テジャス?) Fire Red equilateral triangle 3 Vayu (ヴァーユ?) Air Blue circle 4 Apas (アパス?) Water Purple half-circle or silver crescent 5 Prithivi (プリトヴィー?) Earth Yellow square

The Golden Dawn developed a technique known as a tattva vision, which uses tattva cards created from a combination of the symbols as a tool for aiding and accomplishing astral projection and spiritual development. The Tattva combinations provide a technique for seeing and learning various things, with some capable of identifying and highlighting traces of residual information in a person's surroundings. Although this form of meditation is normally done using cards, the symbols can be used without them. While it is a simple method, one must not take it lightly or lose sight of their objective when using it. One warning given by Mathers himself, is that pressing a card to one's forehead in a misguided attempt to strength the image in the head will trigger a malfunction in the mind - this can be exploited by applying it to someone else to force them into a temporary state of confusion or hallucination.

Another usage of Tattva in Golden-style magic is the use of their color arrangement to produce plain colored cards which act as Symbolic Weapons to indirectly interfere with the five elements. The Dawn that Wipes Away Darkness uses a rearrangement with four colors to manipulate elements through emphasizing or adding vagueness through the colored cards (e.g. using the complimentary color green to strengthen fire associated with the color red, or using a red card to make the outline vague and weaken the flames), though the method has become obsolete with modern magical techniques to manipulate pure elements directly. The symbol of the black egg can be used for an invisibility spell, referenced in Israel Regardie's grimoire.

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MINUS (Updated)

Overview

MINUS (マイナス lit. Mainasu?)  is a radical esper organization that operates within Academy City. It is an armed organization that commits acts that are seen as criminal, or even borderline terrorist in the city, mostly against higher level Espers and peace keeping groups like Anti-Skill and Judgement. It is lead by the enigmatic figure simply known as The General. In Toaru Majutsu no Index: Rebirth Testament, it serves as one of the primary antagonist factions of the Science Side as characters such as Kamijou Touma, Hamazura Shiage, and Accelerator among others are forced to deal with them every now and then.

Principles

MINUS is an organization that was formed on the basis that the weak can oppose the strong, after hearing the rumors that a Certain Unknown Level 0 had defeated Accelerator. Because of this, MINUS claims they are fighting against the oppression of the weak and have been shown to go to any lengths necessary in order to achieve their goal. Although the organization was started by Level 0s, Espers from levels 1-4 have also joined, making MINUS stand out quite a bit from Skill-Out, an organization that only consists of Level 0s.

MINUS has a military based ranking system in regards to its members, primarily  in regards to its leaders. The person at the top is a individual who is only known by their rank, The General. The General is is the founder of MINUS and below him are the Four Lieutenant Generals. Despite having this military based ranking system and  5 definitive leaders, MINUS as a whole is not really an organization. In a sense, they are comprised of splinter-cell groups who operate independently from other groups, including those ran by their leaders. From this understanding, the actions undertaken by MINUS groups or individuals have no effect on other groups or people within MINUS. Each of them in a sense, are similar to Solomon's Cross in the sense that they have differing ideas as to how to hurt the system of Academy City. Occasionally though, MINUS is willing to work with other groups and merge together, as seen with Lt. General Chojiro Wada in District 19.

Additionally, MINUS views the Unknown Level 0 as a hero and a symbol against oppression, to an almost religious degree, and as a result, MINUS has made a secondary mission of protecting the identity of that person and silencing anyone who would look into them. Despite this, nearly every member except for The General, does not know the identity of that level 0, being Kamijou Touma, something that was intentional in the event of some of their members betraying them or having the knowledge somehow extracted from their memory.

According to Usagi Shun, all of the Lt. Generals are Level 0s with either weak powers or no noticeable power at all, and other level 0s who have been in the organization since its inception have been given the title of “Veteran”. It is also believed that The General is also a Level 0.

Background

It is unknown when exactly MINUS came into existence, but it is believed to have formed sometime after August, when the rumors of A Certain Unknown Level 0 defeating Accelerator came about. It was during this time that an Individual became infatuated with those rumors, and used them to rally many disenfranchised Level 0s to their cause, under the goal of standing up and fighting against the oppression of the weak. As time went on, MINUS expanded from recruiting Level 0s, to recruiting espers from all levels with the exception of the Level 5s, as they represent the oppression MINUS claim to fight against.

It is heavily implied that The General knew it was Kamijou Touma who defeated Accelerator and was the Unknown Level 0 the rumors talked about. For certain reasons, they had hid virtually all information regarding Touma from the public, making it so that no one found out his identity, even MINUS themselves who had been tasked with enforcing this information suppression act.

In Rebirth Testament, MINUS takes active actions in order to cause as much damage to the established order of Academy City as much as possible. Several plans were put into motion that revolved around assassinating most of the Level 5s, as well as destroying other institutions such as School Garden, a place which many MINUS members feel represents Academy City Oppression. many of these plans however were foiled throughout the story, but it would appear that MINUS is far from finished.

MINUS may be in contact with people higher up within Academy City who is supplying them weapons and equipment. This is more or less confirmed in the Shirai Assist Arc when Aleister Crowley contacted Nemoto Toshiko to have Shirai Kuroko assassinated, in fear of her learning Magic and the Outer Side, and thus becoming an anomaly in his plans. Additionally, MINUS also had an armed force kidnap a Gemstone named Kurosaki Makoto, who had blackmailed him into working for them. It seems possible that whoever was the benefactor of MINUS, may have either sent their own force to capture him, or had hired MerryWeather Security to accomplish this.

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Bio: The Grand Multi-Universe Empire

The Grand Empire.

The Grand Empire is a hyper militarized Multiversal superpower that has existed for thousands of years. It is a fascist government that has often enslaved worlds under its banner and has been responsible for multiple genocides during its reign. The Empire was established by the Grand Emperor Gaelion, one of the 72 Cith Demons along with the cith demon of spite, Zayane as its Empress.

Over the centuries it has amassed power and influence, both in politics and military might. The Empire has developed technology to such an advanced level, that it has turned an entire planet into a multiversal weapon of mass destruction, and has also developed magic to a similar degree as well.

The Empire’s religion is based around Gaelion and Zayane, who are viewed as Gods to those who were born into the Empire. The details of such a religion remains unclear as of yet, but it paints the Emperor in the same light as the Christian God, as well as demonizing other entities like The Mighty Atom and referring to elder dragons as demonic spawn that bring doom and misfortune.

During the period of its rule, the Empire has gone through several inquisitions, tracking down Atomites and others who would pose a threat to the Empire and Gaelion’s religion as a whole and have them eliminated. The inquisitions have since stopped, though secret operations are conducted to snuff out potential threats silently.

As of the current year of the timeline, the Empire is in such a position, that it no longer needs to use military force in order to subjugate other worlds. The Empire has instead resorted to sending in agents, scholars, religious leaders, and even high ranging officials from the Imperial Senate to infiltrate the institutions of other worlds, be it religious organizations, governments, and places like Academy City in order to distort views, and steer affairs towards the favor of the Empire and gradually change  worlds so that it may ultimately be inducted into the Empire.

The Imperial Capital is the world known as Cist, a planet that has been transformed into a mega-metropolis, meaning that the entire planet is one large city. This planet has multiple levels where the poor and lower class reside and are oppressed.  This world is located in the near “centre” of the Multi-Universe.

Despite the Empire standing virtually unchallenged for thousands of years, rebellions have started to form, though they are small in number, they are gradually growing, trying to inform other worlds of the horrors that the Grand Empire will bring should they not prepare and oppose them.

@tetsuwan-atom​ @xbloodsoakedx​  @x-ame-x-damnee-x​ @cantusecho​ @graceful-cure-swan​

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Vampires

Vampires (吸血鬼 Kyūketsuki?) are mysterious beings who surpass humanity and consume blood in the Toaru Majutsu no Index universe. According to Stiyl Magnus, the numbers of vampires in this world, their exact powers and their locations are all unknown. Only that they definitely 'exist', since something that can kill them, Deep Blood, exists.

Vampires are fearsome creatures to mages, as shown when Touma first heard it from Stiyl and asked him if he was serious, Stiyl replied by calling Touma 'a fortunate person' to be able to think he's joking about vampires. Their very existence is a source of intrigue and curiosity for the Magic Side, and are highly sought out by magicians. Conclusively proving their existence is even referred to by Stiyl Magnus as the wish of whole world.

Himegami Aisa is currently the only character shown in canon to have seen vampires and lived. Everyone else who has seen a vampire has died, according to the Magic Side's records.

Appearance

Unlike vampires in other fictions, the vampires in the series look and act like any normal human being, who can laugh, cry or get angry. The only known difference is they drink blood and are immortal.

Vampires, when drinking Aisa's blood, turn into ash, although it is unknown if this is how all vampires die or it is only limited to the effects of Aisa's Deep Blood.

Principles

According to the light novel, vampires are referred to as the descendants of Cain, the brother of Abel and son of Adam and Eve, who was forced to wander the earth as punishment for the murder of his brother. There is no background in the Toaru Majutsu no Index universe as to why vampires are called Cain's descendants, despite having his descendants detailed fairly well in later accounts in the Bible.

Abilities

It is unknown what abilities vampires possess as all vampires who are revealed immediately die after coming into contact with someone who has Deep Blood. However Aureolus Izzard states that vampires are immortal as is the reason why he uses Himegami Aisa, so that he can capture one and have them turn Index into one. Since they're immortal they can store infinite information in their brains without their bodies breaking, as such Aureolus wanted this specific property of vampires to save Index, and stop the need for erasing her memories (he was unaware that the need for memory erasing was actually the result of a spell).

Furthermore, because of their immortality, alchemists sought out vampires for this specific attribute. If they can replicate the vampire's immortality, they would be able to finish the chant that would allow them to completely simulate the world in their mind, and allow them to will their thoughts into the real world, eventually allowing them to control it, Ars Magna.

Vampires are also immune to classical vampire weaknesses such as crosses and sunlight, and are referred to as something that can cause a nuclear level global calamity, much like Saints. It is also thought vampires have a unlimited amount of mana, therefore are unsurpassed in magical prowess and are the reason no one that ever saw them lived, since none can survive a magical battle with them. Also, Stiyl stated that if you cut out a vampire's heart and store it in a magic sword the vampire will still be alive, and the sword will become a living magical artifact.

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Fallen Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church (ローマ正教 Rōma Seikyō?, lit. "Roman Orthodox Church", Yen Press: Roman Orthodox Church) is the world's largest Christian organization, boasting a number of 2 billion worshippers, spanning across 113 countries. It is one of the three major Christian denominations, alongside the Anglican Church and the Russian Orthodox Church.

Their central base is the Vatican City State, protected by a barrier that incorporates a magical formation that involves 90% of the buildings in Rome, and a 'lock' that changes every hour, a security which supposedly not even Index Librorum Prohibitorum can break through.

However, after their defeat in World War III, the church was weakened as a result and their standing in the world was lessened. At some point before the start of Rebirth, Pope Pietro Yogdis was assassinated by Mathias Benedictus who stole the infamous Grand Grimoire by John Dee and wished to obtain power. The assassination worsened the division of Roman Church, and eventually, Mathias managed to pact with the new Terra of the Left, one of the members selected to become part of the remade God's Right Seat, and eventually become the Pope. He framed and banished Cardinal Peter Francis for Yogdis's assassination.

By gaining everything he needed - the Grand Grimoire, the Frozen Sapphire of Arendelle, the Shard of Anubis, all of 30 Tyrian shekels, the Bell of Awakening and so on - Mathias managed to empower the Fallen Catholic Church's power. During Mathias's reign, the Catholic Church became known as the Fallen Roman Catholic Church, or the Fallen Church for short, and they worshiped the Outer Demon Gaelion instead of God. It is said to be the modern reincarnation of the "evil" Catholic Church that reigned during the Dark Ages. It serves as the main antagonistic faction the majority of Series 2 of A Certain Magical Index: Rebirth Testament.

Background

The City of Vatican

The Vatican has its roots in Vatican City, the pre-WWIII sovereign territory of the Holy See. Although Vatican City was founded in 1929 AD, the history of the modern Vatican is tied to the far older history of the Holy See. As the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, the Holy See dates back to antiquity; and in this regard, the Vatican represents one of the oldest institutions in human history.

By the early 21st century AD, the status of Vatican City remained largely unaltered since its founding; it was a walled enclave within the city of Rome, encompassing a total area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of less than a thousand citizens, making it is the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world by both area and population at the time.

Joining the Romefeller Family

After the coronation, Pope Mathias officially declared his support for the Romefeller Family, resulting in a very mixed reception among those within the Church.

During Mathias's rule of terror, he used some of his most insane killer machines in flesh and blood to commit oppressions, like the notorious Neo-Hellfire, run by Mother Superior Melancholia, Cardinal Franchesco di Medici, Sister Paula Souwauski as well as Brother Petros Orsini. In the south of Vatican, suicidal events rose and many people wrote in their last letter with despair, saying the world was going to end after the new pope took control. Even so, some were believed that Aleister Crowley was responsible for the corruption of Mathias, a man whom they trusted and respected.

Hiding beneath the depths of St. Peter's Ballisca, Michael took ten blood samples of Akatsuki Miyuki's blood and believed it would make people harness power they desired most, making them into uncontrollable "monsters". Later, knowing the time had come, Mathias ordered the assassination of Peter Francis and sent a brainwashed Cardinal Antonio Borgia to kill Francis for assassinating the former Pope, Pietro Yogdis, who was in fact killed by  Fallen Terra under Mathias's order.

Government

The government of the Vatican has a unique structure with influences from absolute monarchy, elective monarchy and theocracy. The Pope is the sovereign of the state. Although the Pope takes the highest legal authority in the Vatican, his actual control over the government is entirely dependent on his character. In the case of a weak-willed sovereign, the College of Cardinals wields considerable influence and power as the seemly de facto form of leadership of the Vatican. Despite the influence of the cardinals, they cannot legally overrule the authority of the Pope. They must therefore seek the Pope's approval before taking certain actions especially military actions that involve the state. Although the Pope is technically an elective office—its succession decided by a papal conclave held after the death of the incumbent Pope.

The Concistoro, the seemly highest decision-making body in the Vatican, is the legislative branch of the Vatican government. Composed of high-ranking members of the Catholic clergy, the Concistoro is also responsible for making final decisions on whether to investigate clerics suspected of corrupt practices. The majority of its membership consists of older, higher-ranking clergymen, who regard Cardinal Medici and his supporters as dangerous extremists. As a result, they consistently support Cardinal Sforza in order to limit Medici's influence in Vatican politics. Pope Mathias Benedictus and Cardinal Cedric Cronqvist are between the two Cardinals and had an balancing influences. In cases such as captivity where the Pope is no longer able to competently exercise the powers of his office, the College can assume direct leadership of the Vatican until the Pope is either rescued or killed.

Before Mathias Benedictus, even if the Concistoro seemed to held the highest power, the de facto ruler of Vatican behind the Pope was a secret faction known as God's Right Seat, led by Fiamma of the Right who held the highest authority until he was defeated by Kamijou Touma in World War 3.

Neo Inquisition

Set by Pope Mathias himself, the Neo Inquisition, also known as the Department of Inquisition, the Inquisitorial Department, the Bureau of Inquisition, or simply the Inquisition, is a special division of the Ministry of Vatican Papal Doctrine—the department responsible for promulgating and defending the creed and doctrine of the Catholic Church. Its membership consists of elite warrior monks, known as Inquisitors, who serve the Ministry of Doctrine as the chief enforcers of the Catholic faith. Their reputation as a group of uncompromising hardliners, dedicated to the Vatican and committed to their duty without question—has earned them the nickname "Fangs of the Church."

The Inquisition headquarters is based in Rome, the capital of the Vatican Papal State. Due to their status as an elite order of holy warriors, the Inquisition is tasked with the duty of providing security to high-ranking members of the clergy,, such as the College of Cardinals and especially the Pope. As such, Inquisitors are often stationed in the San Pietro Cathedral and other key areas of the Vatican headquarters, especially during important ceremonial events that involve the Pope and leading members of the Church. Despite their primary role as a domestic force, as well as their association with the domestic-based Ministry of Doctrine, Inquisitors can also be deployed outside of the Vatican's territory, but only to provide security to clerics of high rank such as the cardinals or the Pope.

Inquisitors are led by the Minister of the Inquisition, although they also work directly for the Secretary of Vatican Papal Doctrine; since the current year, both offices have been occupied by Cardinal Francesco di Medici as well as Mother Superior Melancholia.

Ministry of Holy Affairs

The Ministry of Holy Affairs, also known as the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Division of State Ecclesiastical Affairs, or the Ministry of State, is the pontifical government branch responsible for the international relations of the Vatican. The Ministry is headquartered in Rome, the capital of the Vatican, and is currently led by Cardinal Caterina Sforza.

The Ministry was created to resolve diplomatic situations by using peaceful methods, although the Ministry considered this task to be difficult due to the instability of the international community. In situations where diplomacy fails, the use of force is exercised by the by the AX—a special division of the Ministry of Holy Affairs. The AX consists of elite priests and nuns, all of whom are trained to undertake unconventional missions as a special forces group of the Vatican.

Others

  - Ministry of Vatican Public Relations - responsible for managing relations between the public and the Vatican government; headed by Cardinal Cedric Cronqvist

Military

The Vatican Military is responsible for the defense and security of the territories controlled by the Vatican. It is composed of several different branches, including the Army, Air Force, and Special Forces.

The Military is not completely separate from the political organization of the Vatican. The Department of Inquisition possesses its own military assets, including soldiers, tanks, and air battleships. The Papal State Affairs Special Operations Section, also known as the AX, consists of priests and nuns who are trained as a special forces group in order to perform unconventional missions for the Vatican. Furthermore, the AX has access to its own battleships, such as the Iron Maiden and the Iron Maiden II.

Secret Subfactions

Neo-Hellfire

Neo-Hellfire is dedicated to the original Hellfire Club, an infamous Satanism Cult founded by many people, most notably Duke William Wharton who founded the first Hellfire Club in 18th century's England. Different Hellfire Clubs serve different demon kings, and one of them serves Gaelion.

God's Right Seat

The God's Right Seat is a political organization deeply active within the Roman Church, even run everything of the Church. They often advise the Pope on matters of the church and is more powerful than the actual clergy in general.

The organization was disbanded following Fiamma's defeat in World war III, however, when Mathias came into power, he had remade the Organization into Gaelion's Right Seat and had devoted followers dark side magicians, or straight up demons become members of the group. Unlike the original God's Right Seat, the group was made in a way that made them submit to Mathias, who aptly called himself "Tenenbrae of the Centre."

@tetsuwan-atom​ @xbloodsoakedx​ @lawain-dimensional-heroes​ @x-ame-x-damnee-x​

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Overview: Science

Science (科学 Kagaku?) is a general term used to refer to any entity, like persons or technology, that has roots in science and scientific knowledge. Science dwells primarily in rational thinking and the study of the natural world, but also extends to the applications of advances in technology in a number of fields. Academy City, for example, is well-known for its Power Curriculum Program which allows normal people to develop supernatural abilities.

In Toaru Majutsu no Index, the term is frequently used to refer to Academy City and its affiliates, and is interchangeable with the term Science Side (科学サイド Kagaku Saido?) as a contrast to the realm of magic, which is also called the Magic Side (魔術サイド Majutsu Saido?).

History

The history of contemporary science in general can be traced to thousands of years back, to when major civilizations, from the Middle East and Mesopotamia to Greece and the Roman Empire, formulate their own theories on various disciplines. However, it was during the Renaissance period, with the Copernican Revolution ushering the scientific revolution, that modern science as we know it flourished, allowing further development of the different branches of study.

During the latter half of the 20th century, a man named Aleister Crowley, himself a magician who fled from the realm of magic, and with the help of the man who saved his life, a doctor named Heaven Canceller, established an independent territory within the island country of Japan. This territory, later to be known as Academy City, gradually became the world's forerunner in scientific research, creating technologies 20 or 30 years ahead of its time.

Principles

Science is primary centered around experimenting with and observing phenomena to understand the natural world. This practice is common around the world, but can start at an earlier age in Academy City, with students who study in specialized academic institutions being able to develop and present their research with teachers and older members of the academy. Nunotaba Shinobu is one such case as the developer of the Testament machines at a young age.

Most of the time, the methods used in scientific research conform to standards in practice at the present. There are experiments, however, which tread on the rules of ethics in scientific practice like cloning (see Sisters Project and Chemicaloid Project) and human experimentation (see Dark May Project). Regardless, most of these projects are approved and even funded by Academy City, allowing partial or full access to facilities like the supercomputer Tree Diagram to hasten its progress if deemed necessary. On the other hand, even if a project receives a lack of support from Academy City, resources are still within reach, although the options to acquire these resource often involve shady tactics like hostile takeovers or using the influence of persons of authority. This condoning of inhuman and immoral practices creates a culture of laxity towards this issue amongst the entire academe, causing most scientists to develop an inhumane outlook on any living things as long as it is needed in an experiment.

In spite of the issues with unethical standards among the scientific community, science remains positively accepted in human society due to its aid in the development of various aspects of the world, as do in Academy City, where a majority are left uninformed of the more sinister workings of science in general.

Esper development

One unique aspect of science is its focus on developing psychic abilities, which aims to replicate the existence of people born with supernatural abilities called Gemstones through various methods. These abilities are one of the most prominent features of the Science side and is often used to identify members of the Science side the same way magicians represent the Magic side.

Academy City is one of the very few entities which are successful in this field, and it later created the Power Curriculum Program to integrate psychic ability development into the standard academic curriculum. This program, combined with the exposure of students to various medical and non-medical procedures, aims to unlock a person's potential in using supernatural abilities, and is usually the first step in becoming an esper. Academy City itself is largely composed of students, and those who have undergone the Power Curriculum Program are classified based on their Level, from 0 to 5.

The Power Curriculum Program is centered on various concepts, some of which explain the origins and effects of esper abilities. Both Personal Reality and quantum mechanics explain how espers can cause changes based on one's will, like creating a flame from nothing (Pyrokinesis) or traveling from one place to another instantaneously (Teleport). Espers who develop their Personal Reality manifest a field of energy around them called An Involuntary Movement (AIM), which is often used to identify that esper's Personal Reality and in research involving the interactions of AIM between espers.

Other countries such as the United States and the Soviet Union have tried and failed to create their own espers. Because of the desire to create their own espers, some of the countries and other factions lacking knowledge in how to create espers have resorted to kidnapping Gemstones in order to find out how espers can be made and in turn create their own. According to Kumokawa Seria, however, even if these organizations acquired a gemstone and experimented on them, they would still be unable to create their own espers.

In the current year of the timeline, Academy City is not only still the only place that can make espers but has most of the Gemstones of the world as well after rescuing them. This is the reason aspiring students (such as Saten Ruiko) go to the city for the purpose of gaining these esper powers.

Organizations

Science-based organizations in Academy City consist of groups that may or may not be involved with espers or esper development. Most of these organizations specialize in scientific research, with only a few that deal with psychic abilities. There are also organizations that are known to few, engaging in inhuman acts like human experimentation and assassinations. These organizations are often gathered under one term, the Dark Side of Academy City, and often move in secret.

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Beasts and Beings: Angels

Angels are immensely powerful beings with very volatile existences in the Toaru Majutsu no Index universe. They can be beings of either divine origin, such as the Archangels Gabriel and Michael of Christian doctrine, or artificial existences consisting of masses of highly concentrated AIM fields built-up from the thousands of espers within Academy City. Angels of divine origin get their magical power from an energy accumulated in Heaven known as Telesma. 

General

Appearances

Angels, both divine and artificial, have been described as possessing halos above their heads and various forms of wings manifesting from their backs, some of which such as the case of Archangel Gabriel can reach several kilometers into the sky, as well as speaking in an Angelic language that sounds like high-pitched gibberish to normal humans.

If deemed necessary, like a command from God, or being forced down from Heaven, an angel can acquire a human form. In the Old Testament of the Holy Bible, Angels hid their identities to enter ordinary people's cities and had meals with them. Indeed, as Gabriel can attest, he can hide his being an angel from humans quite easily.

Personality

Vento of the Front explains that Angels in the magic side have no free will of their own and that they are meant to be God's perfect tools, and are often referred to as messengers of God to humanity. Although, they can malfunction and in turn can be called a Fallen angel, or known as demons. According to Stiyl Magnus, Angels and Devils are similar in nature, however, the important thing is who they take orders from.

However, when a divine angel falls from heaven due to the effects of Angel Fall, they can break the orders of God in order to return to Heaven, such as killing humans, despite creating a paradox for God's plans for the Final Judgment, and seemingly have an orderly fashion of thinking. As with the case of Archangel Gabriel under the guise of Misha Kreutzev, who spends his time helping Touma, Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Kanzaki Kaori trying to find the culprit of her fall. Later when Kanzaki and the others try to prevent him or more appropriately inconvenience him from killing Kamijou Touya who was unknowingly the culprit, Gabriel resorted to destroying the world instead.

The case is somewhat different in the science side however, as evidenced by Kazakiri Hyouka's existence, as she displayed emotions similar to that of humans. However, Hyouka herself is shown to behave as a mindless tool similar to that of angels in Christian lore, after having her Fuse Kazakiri mode activated.

Abilities

As stated angels in both sides are extremely powerful beings, capable of causing great destruction. So much is their power, that their very existence can distort the world. It has been said that a single angel has the power to bring down the Vatican. Even a depowered one such as Archangel Gabriel in his first appearance was simply toying with Kanzaki, a powerful Saint in her own right.

An archangel such as Gabriel has been shown to possess the ability to manipulate any celestial body through the use of "Astral in Hand", allowing it to immediately block the sun by speeding up Earth's rotation. He also displayed tremendous speed, able to move from Russia to France easily and eliminate their forces.

In order to be "summoned" or take a physical form on Earth, Angels must have a medium, or "core", to keep them bound to the Earth. Likewise, if the core that binds them is destroyed their physical form will leave the Earth.

Both divine and artificial angels seem to be weak to Touma's Imagine Breaker as well, as with the case with Misha Kreutzev trying to avoid Touma's right hand, as well as Touma himself trying to avoid touching Kazakiri Hyouka after finding out her true form.

Abrahamic Angels

One notable feature that the angels of the magic side has is their name being chosen by God, which is the purpose for which they are created. As such the names of angels cannot be easily changed, unless a powerful distortion changes these laws of God. Angels are also genderless and is depicted in some Christian lore as having qualities of both male and female.

Angels are also apparently susceptible to Angel Fall, which forcibly casts them down from heaven. At which point, angels will try to get back into heaven, even if it means disobeying the will of God.

An angel's name and attributes are widely referenced by magician's spell chants throughout the story, such as being used as a way to borrow power from when constructing a magic circle.

Archangels

Archangel is a term used to refer to angels of higher rank than normal angels, in the Toaru Majutsu no Index universe there are four recognized archangels that are aligned to their own corresponding elements and attributes.

Each member of God's Right Seat derive their powers from the four archangels depending on their alignment after cleansing as much of their original sin as possible.

Archangel Gabriel

Archangel Gabriel (大天使　(ガブリエル) Daitenshi Gaburieru?) is an archangel that appears in Toaru Majutsu no Index. He embodies the The Power of God (神の力 Kami no Chikara?) and represents the symbol of water which is its attribute, and is the guardian of the moon, the governor of blue, and the protector of the rear side. He is the only true abrahamic angel to appear in the series thus far.

Acqua of the Back is aligned with the archangel. Because of the distortion of the elements, he can bypass the name God has given him and is weaker than normal, even then Gabriel is still more powerful than several other characters combined such as Accelerator and Kazakiri Hyouka.

Other Archangels

   Archangel Uriel, also known as God's Flame or Fire of God    Archangel Raphael, also known as Medicine of God    Archangel Michael, also known as Regard of God or The Likeness of God

Other angels

Fallen Angel

Lucifer the Light-Bringer was said to be an angel that was the closest being to be allowed to sit to the right of God, until he malfunctions and causes chaos in one-third of all the angels in heaven, making him rebel against God's will and causing war and becomes a fallen angel. He is later defeated by Archangel Michael who became the ruler of all the angels, and had become a higher being compared to Lucifer even though they were once equals.

Moreover, there is a mention of the Grigoris by Sherry Cromwell as the ones who gave knowledge to humans on how God created Man from clay before the time of Noah, knowledge which eventually gave birth to the golem.

Non-Abrahamic angels

Aiwass

Aiwass, the entity that Aleister Crowley supposedly summoned and the true author of the Book of the Law, has also shown the characteristics of an Angel, possessing a halo above its head and a divine form.

Espers

Espers of Academy City have been shown to sometimes exhibit angelic characteristics under specific circumstances. The most well-known example is what is termed "Awakening" by the fandom, wherein an esper gains wings and sometimes halos following contact with Magic and an emotional breakthrough. So far, only Accelerator has been shown to "awaken", gaining black wings partially during the Taowu incident at Seiin High School, then fully during the 0930 Incident, white wings and a halo during World War III, and finally platinum wings during the Ceremony of Mo Athair. Accelerator also speaks the garbled language of the angels in the early manifestations, though he can now retain his rationality.

The exact reasons behind this phenomenon are unclear, but it is known to be linked to Accelerator's mental state or him having an emotional breakthrough, like him feeling cornered or having something to protect. And when first manifesting a particular color, it follows Accelerator having contact with magic: redirecting the explosion resulting from Taowu's body collapsing into space; hearing Index's singing prayer to free Last Order from her coma induced by the manifestation of Fuse Kazakiri; singing a magic spell to save Last Order using data from Index's song, his encounter with Aiwass, and magical parchments under a Telesma-filled sky and crossing the Abyss using the new kabbalistic tree Clonoth with the assistance of Qliphah Puzzle 545. Index also compares the matter of the wings as similar to Telesma yet also fundamentally different in some way, and after first manifesting the wings, Accelerator, similar to Sasha Kreutzev as a former vessel of Telesma, is able to sense magic.

The cyborg Rensa 29, while making use of Accelerator's ability, was shown to be able to manifest wings same as Accelerator, deliberately getting pushed into a difficult situation to draw out the black wings and manifesting the white wings while determined to protect Yakumi Hisako, though she didn't manifest a halo.

The #2 Level 5 Kakine Teitoku manifests angelic wings when using his powers, but it is unknown if this is like Accelerator's, or just an aesthetic choice stemming from personal preference.

During the Level 6 Shift attempt on Misaka Mikoto, the transformed Level 5 esper manifests a halo, and even physically resembles the form of Misha Kreutzev during World War III.

The manifestation of angelic characteristics is not restricted to Level 5s only. While fighting to save her mother and using the magic of the Rosicrucian Spiritual Item violin Stativarius Ainsel, Sakibasu Yuri temporarily gained white wings and a halo.

Artificial Angels

The AIM Burst is a less obvious form of an artificial angel.

Magic cabals such as the Hermentic Order of the Golden Dawn (Aleister Crowley's former magic organization), seem to have dabbled in creating angels themselves by collecting the formless telesma into a container which is in the image of a person. It is unknown if they had succeeded, though since Aleister Crowley has successfully manage to create an artifical angel on his own, he was most likely influenced by the cabal's methods.

One example of an "artificial angel" is Fuse Kazakiri, the "artificial angel form" of Kazakiri Hyouka, an existence that manifested from the mixing of AIM fields throughout Academy City and resides in the "Imaginary Number District" when not physically manifested. Fuse Kazakiri, an existence that is considered considerably less powerful than an a Christian archangel, has displayed the ability to fire beams of energy that can reach several kilometers in length, project an AIM barrier that protects all those around her, flying at supersonic speeds and manifest a powerful energy sword.

The AIM Burst, an AIM entity product of the Level Upper network also displayed angelical attributes such as a Halo and wings similar to those of Fuse Kazakiri. It should be noted that Kazakiri Hyouka, Aiwass and AIM Burst all had small triangular-prism shaped cores inside their bodies that sustain their existence.

[project-rebirth]

Multi-Universe Holy Grail War

Overview

The Holy Grail Wars is a Multi-Universal competition that decides the ownership of the artifact known as the Holy Grail through intense battle royale. While there have been many conflicts over supposed Holy Grails in the past, this term refers to those specifically based around Contractors, usually proficient magicians or magic users, summoning the Contracted, Legendary Spirits brought forth as familiars, and meeting in battle until only one pair is left to claim the Holy Grail.

The Multi-Universe Holy Grail War was designed by three magic families; the Einsworth, the Yukari, and the Knightwalker bloodlines, all as a means to reach the Centre of all existence.  it is currently thought to be only a competition for something recognized as a possible Holy Grail. Nine Magicians are chosen by the Grail as Contractors and, with support from the Grail, allowed to summon Nine Legendary Spirits to do battle. The winning pair is supposed to be able to claim the Holy Grail and utilize it to grant a wish for each of them. Its true purpose is to actually utilize the Nine Spirits returning to the Centre of Existence as a way to form a hole directly to it.

At the time there was also a serious flaw in this system, As the Grail required the energy of all Nine Spirits to help activate the Greater Grail and open a hole to CORE, it would mean that all Spirits including the victor Spirit would have to be killed, and since the Grail can only be held by a Legendary Spirit, activating the Greater Grail, let alone retrieving the Holy Grail, cannot be achieved, as Contractors are incapable of doing so without a Contracted Familiar. This flaw made the Grail capable of only granting wishes to Contractors and Contracted.

There has yet to be even one true winner who actually claimed the Grail in all wars up until now, and due to Gaelion being created by the Fallen's Essence and summoned in the Third Holy Grail War, it would be impossible for a winner to have their true wish granted in most cases. The Grail, which is normally "colorless", was corrupted and turned into a manifestation of All the Multi-Universe's Evils. It cannot grant wishes without also causing great destruction, though only the Knightwalkers and Einsworths are directly aware of this fact. Overall, the Multi-universe Holy Grail War is a major event in the Cosmic Side, as it is a conflict that would determine the fate of the Multi-Universe itself. Because of the potential and the high stakes, the grail wars would not only have its main participants and their organizations/parties supporting them, but also third parties getting involved as well for the sake of obtaining the grail, or in some cases, destroying it. As a result, large scale conflicts and disasters have been known to take place on the worlds housing the Grail War event, including major world wars.

Origins

The original idea for the ritual was devised by Darnic Einsworth, who had received a vision that detailed the total annihilation of the Multi-Universe and that its salvation lay in CORE, the theoretical Centre of all Existence. Centuries before the current year of the timeline, Darnic traveled the cosmos, looking for anything that would be able to create a gateway to CORE. The search was long in that he was forced to turn himself into a conceptual existence, one that overwrites the bodies of his descendants. Eventually, he came across PANDORA, a being who was cursed with immortality by an unknown god, and sought her own death, being unable to open the mystical box that she carried around, which she said would open to a realm beyond mortal comprehension and thus, would hold the key to her end. Darnic met Yukari Masato and Zolgen Knightwalker and the three of them created the Multi-Universal Holy Grail War system.

Procedure

It was created for the sake of finding someone who would serve as the Holy Grail and become the sacrifice that opens Pandora's Box upon the Grail's utilization. However, it required nine magic users summoning nine Legendary Spirits to do battle. The person chosen as the grail will have a connection formed between themselves and Pandora's Box, to which they will take in the mana used from the defeated Legendary Spirits to start the progress of becoming the Holy Grail. After all Legendary Spirits are defeated, the winning pair would be obtain the grail and have their wish granted, although the intent of the ritual is for the victor of the war to have their Contracted Spirit commit suicide so that the mana used from the grail would finally open Pandora's Box, which would lead to CORE.

The Box requires 100 years in order to amass enough mana to summon spirits, making the planning period span over generations. If the Grail is unable to utilize its energy, that which is leftover can reduce the time to as little as a decade, such as in the case of the period between the Fourth and Fifth Wars.

The Grail selects potential Contractors anywhere from years in advance to right before the start of the Holy Grail War. It favors those from the three founding families and then picks out suitable magicians through a mostly unknown process. There can be more than nine potential Masters, but only the first nine who manage to summon spirits gain Contractor Crests and the right to act as a Contractor. It is possible for other unchosen people to gain the right to act as Contractors by contracting with Contractorless Familiars.

The Servants can be summoned in advance as well, but more than two months, such as in SOLDIER's case, is an anomaly. They can be summoned far away from the site of the ritual, allowing them to be initially summoned in one world and then brought to the world where the event is held. While played off as only a battle royal where the winner is granted a wish, the real point is to fill the vessel of the Grail with the souls of all nine spirits. Defeated Spirits revert to being pure energy and, while the would normally disappear from the timeline by returning to the Phase of Legends as information for the true Legendary Spirits, the Grail stops that process temporarily and collects them.

It is possible to make a wish upon it with only the power of six Legendary Spirits, allowing it to grant most wishes. It is still incomplete, and will take at least seven to bring it into form. Its true purpose, opening Pandora's Box to the CORE, requires all nine. Once the vessel is filled, the energy of the Legendary Spirits returning to the "Phase" is used by the box in a ritual to open a "hole" leading to CORE. Due to the corruption of the ritual, most wishes will require great destruction.

The Nine Legendary Spirits that are summoned by the Magicians are inserted into nine different classes, which reflects upon the kind of life they lead when they were alive or at a certain period of their lives. The classes are:

KNIGHT

SOLDIER

WARRIOR

MAGUS

DEITY

KILLER

LEADER

BERSERKER

FORGER

There is also an unoffical class called CALAMITY, which represents destruction itself, and Gaelion is the only one to fall into this class.

Wars

First War: The events of the First War are unknown, however it was remarked that the war ended in failure, mostly due to not finding a vessel, in which the defeated Legendary Spirits were simply returned to the PHASE of Legends and thus Pandora's Box was unable to be opened.

Second War: This war is also a complete mystery, though it also ended in failure for one reason or another.

Third War: After two losses and an inconclusive result, the Einsworths and Knightwalkers colluded to cheat the very system they had created. They had tried to summon an entity created by the Fallen's Essence  known as Gaelion. A being with such a violent history, they thought that it would help turn the tide of the war, however what they summoned proved to be beyond what they could handle. In the end, the war had spirled out of control wich ended in the collapse of the many civilizations that were on the planet. The monster that was summoned was defeated, however, it took the combined efforts of all of the selected participants and their contracted spirits. In the end, more than half of the main participants were slaughtered, making the war a lot shorter than the previous ones. Pandora's box was unable to be opened still and the energy from Gaelion had caused it to become corrupted.

Fourth War: The fourth war took place 10 years before the current timeline on an unknown world that was important to the Ministry of Science and other interdimensional communities and organizations, and because of it, it was a really big event. According to Rosalia Echidimont, the war had gone on for about 2 months, with multiple governments and organizations siding with the participants and fighting each other over it. The magical and scientific battles that ensued resulted in certain cities being forced to evacuate its civilians. It was also around this time that the Deus Ex Machina Empire had participated in the war and started to heavily occupy multiple countries on that world. The invasion and occupation caused the deaths pof millions and had caused a young Yukari Elise to be separated from her family and be sent to Prime Earth, away from  the conflict.

In the later stages of the war, a Magician became the Holy Grail Vessel and manifested as such, however the master of Stacia at the time, had seen the Grail's corruption and had decided to destroy it. The destruction had caused black mud to spill out and smother the planet, destroying most of the life living there and a total collapse to what little of civilization that was functioning. All the organizations and interdimensional superpowers that were invested in the place had pulled out immediately, and the world was left as an abandoned wasteland. Quinella, the DEITY class spirit that was summoned was reincarnated via the dark mud and was allowed to remain in existence from that point forward. The destroyer of the grail had vanished after all was concluded. Because of the many tragedies that occured, it was refered to as one of the darkest moments in Multi-Universal history.

Due to the inconclusive termination of the War, the Grail's failure to grant a wish to the selected victor and the victor's subsequent destruction of the Grail, it resulted in the premature occurrence of the subsequent Fifth Holy Grail War only ten years later rather that 100. The expended magic power accumulated through the elimination of Legendary Spirits was recycled due to the destruction of the Lesser Grail before the Greater Grail could direct the accumulated mana to establish its pathway, thus trapping some of the unused mana within the Grail.

Fifth War: Darnic, now using the body of  his descendant, Gideon Einsworth, maintains his contract with Quinella from the previous war and plans to participate in the war once more. This time, he summons the Warrior Class Spirit, Artorias, the Black Knight, while using Vivian Einsworth, as well as Beatrix Ralgris as his primary enforcers. This war is set to take place on Prime Earth, specifically in the nation of Japan which houses Academy City, the Capital of Science and Esper Development. Yukari Elise, now 19, summons MAGUS and participates in the war, to use it to create a world where humans can understand one another. Rosalia Echidimont, who researched the war some point in the past, takes notice of the marking that has appeared on the hand of her significant other, Bowen Chuuno and realizes that he was chosen as a Contractor of the war. The Ministry of Science, having remembered the events of the last war, while not fully understanding it due to fragmented information, sends the two of them to Prime Earth Academy City, where they come into contact with an old alley of theirs. This alley of theirs is of course, Kamijou Touma, who had both fought against and alongside with to save a girl.

Having already formed a treaty from a previous, yet unrelated incident, the Ministry of Science also contacts Aleister Crowley, as well as the heads of the Magic side to inform them of what is coming, and they prepare for the ramifications that such a war would bring. Many organizations from the Magic Side, and Cosmic Side take interest and watch events unfold from both within and outside the city, waiting for the right moment for their involvement. Aleister decides to have Kamijou Touma work alongside Bowen and Rosalia, as well as from some members of Nessecarius to destroy the holy grail and end this series of wars once and for all. The Science/Magic/Cosmic Coalition summons Stacia once again with Bowen becoming her contractor and the battle for the war initiates. This war is still ongoing and the ending has yet to be reached.

In another continuity in a multiverse that had been pruned due to uncertain reasons, an alternate version of this war had been manifested, in which the entire world had been thrown into chaos with the human race and civilization destroyed. This was the very first singularity that the Cosmic Security Coalition detected and had been resolved by none other than Kamijou Touma himself.

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