Chapter 0: Zero State
This chapter provides key details about the setting where the story takes place, offering a clear overview.
ARAM is a fictional state within the same world as ours, featuring technology, brands, industries, and organizations like those outside—cars, electronics, and global companies are present, alongside ARAM’s own local brands and groups. Trade links ARAM to the outside world, bringing in goods and ideas, but personal contact remains limited. Its people live normal lives, similar to those elsewhere—working, raising families, pursuing dreams—but they avoid competition or conflicts with other regions, maintaining a quiet existence.
Within ARAM lies the Ripple, a region named for its settlements rippling outward from the central city of Vernell, the most influential and advanced hub in the state. Key locations include Varnell, Torsen, and Havern, large towns with significant influence, alongside Clyne, another large town known for its sway in the Ripple. Smaller places like Ashwick and numerous hamlets also dot the landscape, all contributing to the region’s importance. At the center, Vernell stands as a vast city, a powerhouse of trade and progress, its reach a mystery yet to unfold.
