Where
The far side
This story unfolds across a distant region of the universe, unimaginably far from Earth and the world we know.
The Umbra Universe
At the far edge of creation, magic has just been born.
On the other side of the universe from our own, civilizations stretch across city-planets, frozen outposts, and the dark between stars. For all their science and warfare, none of them had ever known magic—until Kiva was created.
“The universe did not discover magic. It met Kiva.”
Known story space
The far side of the universe.
Select a location to see what has happened there and whose path crossed it. The map will expand as new worlds enter the story.
Drag to explore
Schematic map · Route follows story order · Not to astronomical scale
Uncharted: Kiva's place of creation has not yet been named. When that truth is revealed, it belongs here.
What we know so far
A universe divided into before and after.
Kiva's existence changes what every civilization believes is possible. Some will try to protect her. Others will try to own her, study her, or turn her power into a weapon.
Before Kiva
A universe without magic
Empires rose through technology, military power, and conquest. Magic belonged to myth because it had never existed.
After Kiva
The first impossible thing
Kiva is the beginning of something entirely new. Her creation brings magic into existence—and no one yet knows where it will lead.
People in motion
Every path bends around Kiva.
These are the lives closest to the moment magic enters the universe. Their stories are still unfolding; this guide will grow as the world does.
01
The First Spark
Kiva
Where they stand
A hunted fourteen-year-old whose creation brought the first true magic into the universe. Gareth calls her an asset; Kiva is fighting to become her own person.
Their trajectory
From someone defined and controlled by others to the center of a chosen family—and, eventually, the person who decides what magic will mean.
02
The Exiled Commander
Lucian Bourienne
Where they stand
A disgraced war hero and escaped prisoner who once commanded soldiers. Beneath the scars and hard edges, Lucian still cannot abandon someone being hunted.
Their trajectory
From a man concerned only with surviving his past to a protector willing to risk everything for Kiva and the family forming around her.
03
The Masked Protector
Aurelian Marrow
Where they stand
A former soldier living two lives on Neuroxis: loyal pilot and comrade in the light, violent masked vigilante in the city's shadows.
Their trajectory
Aurelian must decide whether his need to protect people can survive the anger and instability that threaten to turn him into the kind of monster he hunts.
04
The Hunter
Gareth Unduly
Where they stand
A scarred commander who claims Kiva as both his child and his property. To Gareth, her power is something to possess, control, and deploy.
Their trajectory
His pursuit of Kiva will force the truth of her creation into the open—and reveal how far he will go to reclaim the future he believes belongs to him.
05
The Detective
Mara Crowe
Where they stand
A relentless Neuroxis detective following the trail of a masked killer through a city where the law is always a step behind the truth.
Their trajectory
Her hunt begins as a case to solve. It may become a choice between enforcing the law and confronting the forces that made the Arlequine necessary.
06
The Partner
Wren
Where they stand
Crowe's steady, observant partner—a family man whose humor and humanity keep their investigation grounded as the violence escalates.
Their trajectory
The deeper the case reaches into Neuroxis, the more his loyalty, judgment, and belief in the system will be tested beside Crowe's own.