Atal Creation

Atal is a world between worlds and is comprised of three Domains: The Domain of Sky, Atlas, The Domain of Land, Atland, and the Domain of the Seas, Atlantis.

It's nothing like the your typical world: especially with how it's constructed. In the center is the sun and the skies around it is in the world: Atlas. Then orbiting the sun are a multitude of floating islands which are always moving and changing: Atland. And surrounding that is a vast ocean which is known to be the Domain of Atlantis. This world's basically inverted.

## Creation Myth: Domain of Wars

There was only nothing. Just a vast empty infinite Abyss in need of something. The Abyss called out. It was lonely and in need of something. Anything. Someone. Anyone. As if to answer it's prayer, a bright light was born within the void. A sun that lit the void and revealed vast beautiful infinite skies, fluffy clouds, fresh air, and fantastical birds: the Domain of Atlas.

Atlas.

Not much conversation can be made between sky and void though. When Atlas came, he had no one before him. He wondered if he was the Abyss. Perhaps if he simply took the Abyss's place. Either way Atlas was lonely and his tears rained down until it filled a vast beautiful infinite ocean: the Domain of Atlantis.

Atlantis.

The ocean was bottomless just as how the skies had no discernible limits. And it was home to all kinds of fantastical fish. Atlantis's potential and magnificence mirrored Atlas's. The sky mirrored the ocean. However the skies remained dominant. The birds fed on the fish. The fish hid from the birds. Thus a war of fear between the two began. Atlas fought for resources. The birds feared they'd die of hunger without the fish. The fish fought out of fear of getting eaten alive.

It was a long and terrible war. Eventually Atlantis held the upper hand as the fish hid as far they can in the Abyss of the seas. The birds started to starve and get desperate. They dived in at any cost to eat. At any rate, the population shrunk. And so did Atlas. He felt terrible and small. The ocean surrounded him and turned the boundless sky into an ever shrinking bubble of air. The sun started dim. It was a really long ass and fucked up war. Bodies floated among the waves. And piled up into floating islands. These were the first pieces of land. From death, life rose. After all, dead bodies made the lands fertile. The land was the perfect foundation for people to live on. Lush greenery. Diverse life and culture, on a solid foundation like this, civilization thrived: this is the Domain of Atland.

Atland.

Such a place unlike Atlas and Atlantis. It wasn't infinite. Even so, it reached possibilities Atlas and Atlantis couldn't have. The birds have a place to perch on. Some of the fish started to live on lands...as amphibians or whatever. People could build upon her foundation to make something greater. The point is land is great.

The fact that the people brought the war to Atland wasn't so great. Pressure came from Atlas and Atlantis. Atland was a foundation for an infinite amount of possibilities. Sadly for Atland, that includes that it was also a wonderful place to become a battlefield. People knew about Atland and Atlantis. Atland didn't know she was the same as them. But the people were her family: her greatest treasure.

It was civil war for her.

People took sides. They made advancements. Their wishes, hopes, and dreams to see the other annihilated cultivated into divine weapons of Titan class. Atlas's titan, **Dyeux** was born. Its lightning bolts and storms devastated the land. Atlantis's titan **Newyatan** was born. As war waged on, during the 100th installment of the war, the two beings struck at the land at the same time. A lightning bold struck Atland from above. A hurricane erupted from below. And Atland was torn apart as she screamed.

Her scream tore through the skies and was felt in the depths of the seas. It was only until then that Atlas and Atlantis knew that Atland was like them. By then, however, Atland was dead. Her foundation crumbled and decayed and her Core fell into the Abyss. They never realized how much they depended on her. She shielded Atlantis from Atlas's attacks. She was also the barrier that prevented Atlantis from collapsing into Atlas. So they sought a way to revive her. Using their titans, they made it so. Dyeux gathered the pieces of land to keep it from falling apart. Newyatan delved into the Abyss to retrieve her Core. Atlas cared and nursed Atland's islands. Atlantis brought the pieces he could find to mend her injuries as well as medicine. But the world kept dying all the faster. They need her Core to revive her.

Once she is revived, the world will enter a new age.

## Behind the Myth

### Atal's Location: Parallel Worlds

Atal is a world between worlds, hence, the title: The Place Between. As it is a place between parallel words, where incomplete realities are all mashed together and made indistinguishable.

Let's put it this way:

In theory, there are an infinite sets of numbers. Also in theory, between each whole number, there is an infinite amount of irrational numbers. If each whole number represents a parallel world, Atal is made up of a bunch of irrational numbers somewhere between. A lot of the properties within these incomplete worlds are irrational as well. And by that irrationality I mean magic.

### Magic

The more incomplete or "irrational" these worlds are, the more the reality that they're made of is malleable. Magic is the umbrella term of manipulating that reality. Here, "magic" is any method that can be repeated that can create the same possibilities that defies logic. For example, by clapping your hands and muttering some mumbo jumbo, a mage with the right training can produce lightning from their hand with no damage to the user. The same result can be done by inscribing drawings on some sword. The more irrational and incomplete the world is, the easier it is to conjure stronger magic. Though by now a lot of that has been lost as Atal has developed.

### Atal's Development and Where Do They Come From and Where Do They Go?

The first couple stages of Atal's development was no where near to being a "whole number." Here, the world (if it can even be called that) was complete chaos.

Remember that Atal is between parallel worlds. Within this space between worlds, there are strong sources (or Cores) of realities that draws souls in from parallel worlds. (where else do all the fish, birds, and people come from anyway?) As more souls came, the more Atal spreads within this space between worlds. After all, these souls held bits of stable reality within them (or at least concepts of such). Thus Atal slowly became more stable over time.

Using the number analogy again, it's like combining (or adding) decimals until it becomes a whole number. That being said, Atal isn't a whole number yet though.

### Cores

Within the spaces between parallel worlds, there are strong points of realities that are bunched up together. These are Cores and they are basically the hearts of potential whole stable worlds. Each of the Domains have one. They are, however, incomplete. This is why each of the Domain's Cores, once more developed, became more attracted to each other until the other part of the Core was tangible. In other words, they are like compounded atoms bonded together, continuously depending on each other.

With that in mind, how do the Cores develop?

Good question! Glad you asked.

The souls they draw in counter Cores' disabilities. In a sense the Core's bond with the souls are similar to how Cores bond with other Cores once they are more developed. An immature Core must bond with souls in order to become stable. Once matured, Cores need other Cores to bond with in order increase growth, strength, and capabilities. Once bound to a Core, these souls has a little bit of the Core within them. As such, they can't leave the Core's Domain. If they do, a part of the Domain will disappear. Not only that, but the deserter's existence may actually disappear with it. It's almost as if they are the place itself. This is why Atlas, Atland, and Atlantis are personified. They are also people. It's kind of terrifying and trippy. These people are known as Chordae.

### Chordae

These people are powerful but by no means are they gods no matter what they believe. At the cost of their own individuality, the world may become more stable. Once these people die the Cores absorb their souls. They just become a part of the Core.

In some cases, they merge and become something monstrous. Like a Titan.

In other cases, they may merge and create a single person. Both cases are sub categories of Chordae.