The newest donghua hit, Lord of Mysteries, is a darkish fantasy set in a Victorian-era world full of arcane secrets and techniques, shadowy organisations, and a surprisingly grounded system of magic. But for newcomers, its dense lore and layered power system can shortly really feel overwhelming. If you’re simply moving into the story, whether or not by way of the unique net novel or the new anime adaptation on Crunchyroll, this guide will allow you to perceive how its complex power system works.
Originally serialised on China’s Qidian platform between 2018 and 2020, Lord of Mysteries — written by the pseudonymous Cuttlefish That Loves Diving — is broadly thought to be one of the most formidable and tightly structured net novels of its technology. A genre-blending epic that fuses steampunk aesthetics with Lovecraftian horror and esoteric mysticism, it has amassed tens of hundreds of thousands of readers, impressed passionate fan theories, and now finds itself tailored right into a gorgeously animated sequence.
Lord of Mysteries is primarily a narrative about data and power — how to achieve it, how to survive it, and the way simply it could possibly unravel the self. This guide is for newcomers inquisitive about the world’s unusual however meticulously constructed framework of rituals, potions, Pathways, and personas that form the destiny of each character in the story.
It goes with out saying however, contemplate this your [SPOILER WARNING] in case you aren’t caught up but.
What is a Beyonder?
A Beyonder is somebody who has consumed a potion tied to a selected supernatural Pathway, which is type of like a magical profession path. Each Pathway presents a singular theme and a ladder of powers referred to as Sequences.
Each Pathway in Lord of Mysteries is loosely impressed by a Major Arcanacard from the Tarot deck — very similar to in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders — with every title reflecting archetypal roles that form a Beyonder’s skills, identification, and destiny. Once you decide a Pathway, switching to one other is extraordinarily dangerous except it’s an adjoining one. Most folks stick to one Pathway for his or her total journey.
The Fool card in a nonetheless from ‘Lord of Mysteries’
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Crunchyroll
Our major charcter Klein Moretti, as an illustration, begins on the Seer Pathway, the place the focus is on instinct, foresight, and rituals. Leonard and Dunn Smith, two members of the Nighthawks, belong to the Sleepless Pathway, which centres round psychological resilience and dream manipulation. Audrey is a Spectator, skilled in observing and influencing human behaviour. Alger, a sailor-turned-occultist, is following the Sailor Pathway, which leans towards elemental and storm-based powers. Other characters like Daly Simone and Old Neil comply with Pathways tied to dying, spirits, and forbidden data.
There are 22 Pathways in complete, and every one grants a special set of skills as an individual progresses by way of it.
What are Sequences?
Each Pathway is structured like a ladder of Sequences, counting down from Sequence 9 (the weakest) to Sequence 1 (on the edge of godhood). Klein begins at Sequence 9: Seer. His subsequent step could be Sequence 8: Clown, which grants new powers but additionally larger dangers.
Here’s how the power tiers typically break down:
Lower Sequences (9–8): Beginner-level powers. Beyonders can carry out fundamental supernatural feats however stay principally human.
Mid Sequences (7–5): Powers develop stronger and extra harmful. Mental pressure will increase. Klein’s allies like Dunn (Sequence 7: Nightmare) and Daly (Sequence 7: Spirit Medium) function at this degree.
High Sequences (4–1): Demigod-level skills. Beyonders at this stage can manipulate actuality on a big scale, however are always in danger of insanity or dropping management.
To advance to the subsequent Sequence, a Beyonder should devour the subsequent potion of their Pathway. But it’s not so simple as consuming and leveling up.
How do you degree up?
The key to safely progressing by way of Sequences is named the Acting Method. This is a core half of the Lord of Mysteries power system and one of the causes it feels so grounded and unique.
Here’s the way it works: Each Sequence is tied to a title — Seer, Clown, Spirit Medium, Nightmare, and many others. — and that title isn’t merely symbolic. A Beyonder should act like the title to digest the potion correctly. In Klein’s case, as a Seer, he wants to carry out divination and interact in prophetic rituals. That’s why he joins the native Divination Club.
The mysterious clown from ‘Lord of Mysteries’
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Crunchyroll
By appearing according to the nature of their Sequence, Beyonders progressively stabilise the chaotic components inside the potion. This course of is named digestion. Only after absolutely digesting a potion can they safely transfer to the subsequent one.
Most Beyonders don’t find out about the Acting Method. When Klein shares it with different members of his Tarot Club — like Alger (Sequence 8: Folk of Rage) and Audrey (Sequence 9: Spectator) — they’re shocked. Alger, a veteran sailor together with his personal secrets and techniques, instantly understands how helpful this info is.
What occurs should you fail?
If a Beyonder fails to digest a potion or advances too shortly, they threat dropping their sanity. This loss of management can flip them into violent, deformed monsters or inhuman beings consumed by the very power they tried to harness. Failed Beyonders are sometimes harmful and unstable, which is why official organisations like the Nighthawks attempt to regulate potion use and monitor their exercise.
Who regulates all this?
The supernatural is essentially hidden from the public. Instead, it’s managed by main non secular and navy establishments. Each church holds dominion over a number of Pathways. For occasion, the Church of the Evernight Goddess oversees the Darkness and Death Pathways and runs the Nighthawks.
Other official factions and rogue organizations compete over magical data, potion components, and historical texts that assist decode the guidelines of being a Beyonder.
Leonard Mitchell and Klein Moretti in a nonetheless from ‘Lord of Mysteries’
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Crunchyroll
The Antigonus Family Notebook
The Antigonus Family have been as soon as highly effective nobles deeply entrenched in occult analysis. But like many who rose too shortly by way of the Beyonder ranks, they have been destroyed by the very powers they sought to grasp. One of their surviving relics is a pocket book containing handwritten information of their research, rituals, and most dangerously, Beyonder potion formulation.
This pocket book performs an important position early in Klein’s journey. It offers uncommon and secret data — most notably about the Acting Method — and introduces Klein to the concept that climbing the Sequence ladder is feasible with out succumbing to insanity, if one is disciplined and cautious. It’s additionally a cursed object, succesful of triggering hallucinations and psychological collapse if dealt with incorrectly.
What are Sealed Artifacts?
Beyonders usually use highly effective magical objects referred to as Sealed Artifacts. These are uncommon, harmful, and distinctive. Think of them like cursed instruments that can provide you unimaginable power, however they arrive with unwanted effects that change from inconvenient to life-threatening. Artifacts are ranked from Grade 3 (least harmful) to Grade 0 (most harmful). Because of their power, Sealed Artifacts are closely guarded and often solely dealt with by high-ranking Beyonders.
Sealed Artifact 2-049 in a nonetheless from ‘Lord of Mysteries’
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Crunchyroll
A good instance of a Sealed Artifact in the Lord of Mysteries anime is 2-049 (or the Antigonus Family Puppet), which is a Grade 2 Sealed Artifact. The creepy, jointed doll wearing oil-stained brown material with a painted clown face and a large grin is distributed to Tingen City from the Backlund diocese to observe Ray Bieber, a suspected descendant of the Antigonus Family.
The puppet passively slows close by people, each mentally and bodily. Once caught in its affect, you’ll want exterior assist — often a bodily faucet — to break away. If not rescued in time, you turn out to be paralysed and fall fully beneath its management.
What’s the Gray Fog?
Klein features entry to a mysterious house above the spirit world, generally known as the Gray Fog. From right here, he can talk with others, conduct rituals, and even defend himself from divine interference. It additionally turns into the base of operations for the Tarot Club.
What makes this Power System so distinctive?
The power system in Lord of Mysteries is each strict and versatile. It runs on clear guidelines however permits for thriller, improvisation, and development. The Acting Method turns each new power right into a check of identification. Advancing by way of the Sequences can’t be achieved by brute drive, however requires self-understanding, self-discipline, and studying how to put on a masks with out turning into it.
It’s not a system you possibly can cheat. You have to earn each step, and should you’re careless, you may not survive the climb. This creates a world that feels each magical and plausible, with no shortcut to turning into highly effective. You have to examine, adapt, and survive. That’s what retains the world grounded, even because it grows more odd.
If you’re simply beginning the anime or the novel, take your time. The story doesn’t rush its explanations, however when you begin to see how the items match, the world opens up in intelligent, satisfying methods.
Lord of Mysteries is at present streaming on Crunchyroll
