This series is spoilerific and as a result spoilers may be unmarked. You Have Been Warned.
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Main Characters
Ruska and Friends
General Tropes
- Nice Guy: Every single one of Ruska's allies, with the slight exception of Chandra, is unfailingly kind, understanding, and supportive.
- Sixth Ranger: Chandra takes this role for the last 1/3rd of the series, joining Ruska's group despite not having been through the Vertical World with them.
- True Companions: Their adventures through the Vertical World and beyond have made them as close as can be.
Ruska
A young boy, and the protagonist of the story. Is actually a human from Earth who escaped into space with a batch of human survivors, only to get pulled towards a black hole. The Vertical World was created as a way to escape from the black hole and exist as a new home for humans, but Ruska lost his memories upon entering it, leading Chandra to modify its world to ensure he would eventually be able to get out.
- Artificial Limbs: After losing his fingers, he has them replaced with sturdy metallic ones by Zupa. They prove to be useful on many occasions.
- Amnesiac Hero: He's been living in the Vertical World for as long as he can remember, and has never seemed too concerned with his past. Chandra reveals he should know much more than he does, and has had amnesia since entering the Vertical World.
- Character Development: Is spurred on only by sheer curiosity at first, but with each challenge becomes more and more resolved to uncover the world's secrets and eventually save it. His unflinching decisiveness and ability to face danger without hesitation is remarked upon by Chandra, who is startled by how much he's changed since they last met.
- Determinator: When pushed against the wall, Ruska thinks only of moving forward. Has a tendency to even be somewhat reckless in the name of doing what he thinks is right, such as when he eats an Omeganium capsule to prevent the Gluon at the top of the tower from getting to it.
- I Choose to Stay: He gives his friends a wormhole to go to Earth's past and choose to live in a normal world, but opts to remain in the Vertical World on the dying Earth, as the world's denizens will disappear in the new world.
Omega
A mysterious girl whose falling from the sky kicks off the plot.After being separated from Ruska early in the story, she is eventually revealed to be at the bottom of the Vertical World, working to save it from disaster.
- Human Sacrifice: Was raised purely to be thrown down the Vertical World and told that she would be used to stop a famine. Also applies to the Omega from the past, who had her DNA encoded with what was necessary to save the world.
- Really 700 Years Old: Omega has supposedly been falling down the Vertical World for centuries, with her body not decaying or rotting away during that time.
- Living Battery: Is said to be this. Omega is actually a sentient power source, and multiple Omegas are replicated and then dropped down the Vertical World's tower so they can add onto it once they reach the bottom.
- Minor Major Character: Despite kicking off the plot and playing a major role in the series' mystery, she is separated from Ruska less than 5 chapters in, and doesn't appear physically (at least, not the same version of her) until many chapters later.
Omega II/Risa
A second Omega, who joins Ruska after he rescues her in the past. This Omega is truly a girl from Earth named Risa, and her death in the past leads to the very creation of the Vertical World.
- For Want Of A Nail: In the end, the defining factor that breaks the time loop and prevents the Vertical World's creation is the disappearance of Risa and the creation of the Omega System. Using a wormhole to travel to the first past, Risa simply deletes Professor Gluon's Omega System and Chandra works to ensure the meteorite won't hit Earth.
- Spell My Name With An S: Her name is initially spelled as "Lisa", before later chapters opt for "Risa", despite the abnormal nature to English speakers.
- Stable Time Loop: Was only able to meet Ruska because Ruska's attempt to prevent the Vertical World from ever being created in an alternate past caused Risa to fall and merge with a crashed Vertical World, sending her into the Omega System and allowing for Ruska to meet her.
Professor Kelvin/Calabi-Yau
A human-turned robot, and the first person Ruska meets on his quest to reach the bottom. Was once an elderly man known as Calabi-Yau, and the one responsible for discovering the poison gas used in the Lambda war.
- Cool Old Guy: Is actually an elderly man who turned himself into a robot, and is nothing but kind, resourceful and knowledgeable, with a tool for any situation.
- Easily Detachable Robot Parts: Kelvin gets disassembled quite easily throughout the story, with him either retrieving his parts or having Zupa build him new ones.
- Extendable Arms: Gains these upon Zupa modifying him into "Kelvin Mk. 3".
- For Science!: His motivation for turning himself into a robot was so he could investigate the lowest levels of the Vertical World.
- Identical Stranger: His human form resembles Gluon. He deduces he may have been designed in the image of the professor.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In the simulation of the past, he comes across the heavily wounded Kepler and fixes him up, saving his life and allowing him to continue the war.
- The Professor: Intelligent and observant, with many plans for dangerous situations.
- Reluctant Mad Scientist: Tearfully reveals he is responsible for the polluted nature of the Vertical World thanks to his research on Omeganium.
- Turning Back Human: Has his existence unified with the human Kelvin from the past, briefly giving him back his fleshly form.
Zupa
A young girl who lives on the Outer Wall of the Vertical World, and a talented engineer who joins Ruska in a quest for food.
- Big Eater
- The Engineer: Is good with operating and fixing up machinery - she has robotic pair of spider-like limbs that she made for herself to retrieve the eyeballs hovering around the Outer Wall.
- Exotic Eye Designs: Her pupils are swirls.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Zupa's strange eating habits, enthusiasm, and emotional tendencies lead her to serves this role compared to Ruska and Kelvin.
- Robotic Reveal: Kepler decapitates her, revealing she's actually an android born from a computer virus made for the Vertical World.
Professor Laniakea
An intelligent old woman who plays a key role in the Lambda War of the Vertical World's past. Upon Ruska's arriving in the past, she takes the opportunity to follow him on his adventure, enticed by new knowledge.
- The Ace: States that ever since she was a girl, no one could beat her at what she did, to the point that they accepted anything she did without question.
- Cool Old Lady: Laniakea is confident and coolheaded, with great intelligence and experience in various technologies. She has a tendency to have a backup plan for everything, and is one of the few people within the Vertical World to have an actual understanding of the truth beyond it.
Geezer
]]A brash middle-aged man who Ruska meets on a tower of sand.
- Acrofatic: Probably the largest looking character in the party but capable of really putting in work.
- Disaster Scavengers: Collects food and other materials from the stations that crumble above him.
- Cool Old Guy: Not the most well-mannered guy around, but a quick thinker with little fear.
- Family Man: Appears to have been one to his wife and kids.
- His Name Really Is "Barkeep": Calls himself "Geezer", and is insistent that this is his actual name.
- Ret-Gone: After going to the past and saving his family, the old-timeline Geezer begins to fade out of existence since the events that lead him to meet Ruska and friends never happened.
Chandra
A young man in a tie who seems to know Ruska. Is revealed to be a human from Earth and one of the key designers of the Vertical World, making him one of the "true" architects.
- Affably Evil: Though "evil" is thoroughly stretching it, he's the one responsible for the entire conflict that Ruska had to deal with in the Vertical World's past, as well as the unfortunate lives of those living in it, and acts rather callous about it all. Despite this, he's willing to help Ruska wherever possible, and isn't really hostile towards anyone so much as pessimistic and cynical about his situation.
- Complexity Addiction: Chandra claims that due to being unable to retrieve Ruska from the Vertical World directly, he had to design a reality to break him free of it. While this can't be completely refuted, his enthusiasm as he describes what he had to design to give Ruska a way out implies he wasn't being as pragmatic about it as he could have been.
- The Cynic: In sharp contrast to Ruska, he's often the first to remark on how hopeless or impossible a situation is.
Enrico
Vertical World Figures and Officials
The Senior Official, Kepler
- Artificial Limbs: Has many, from his legs to his hands and even the top of his head. He states they were the result of him trying to save others. In the Ruska-modified past, he got them after a near-death experience, allowing him to be rebuilt by the human Kelvin.
- Ambiguous Situation: For whatever reason, despite being created for the Vertical World from the start, he knows of the "true Vertical World" and understands that Omega is down there to fix it. It's later revealed it has to do with him using wormholes to go to the past after continuously experiencing the destruction of the world.
- Bad Boss: Is extremely unforgiving and cruel to his subordinates during the Lambda War.
- Big Bad: Appearing as a threat multiple times throughout the story, including the finale, he's the closest thing Ruska's gang has to one.
- Hate Sink: Has no redeeming qualities, being sadistic, cowardly, cruel and petty. He harasses the heroes at every turn and makes things worse, even with his knowledge of the true vertical world.
- Revenge: Claims this to be his motive for killing Kelvin, as he hates Ruska due to Ruska's actions inadvertently leading to his endless looping and experiencing the destruction of the Vertical World.
- Sadist: Explicitly describes himself as such. His plan to stop Ruska and his friends on the wormhole transport is to simply prevent them from moving and wait things out as they slowly die of starvation.
- Sanity Slippage: Becomes increasingly unstable over the course of the war in the past, and Ruska's influence in the past and present alters his current self to become vengeful towards him for all his experiences.
- Took A Level In Cynicism: Implied. His artificial body is, at least according to him, the result of him continually trying to save and protect people over the course of multiple time loops. It's unclear how truthful he's being. It's later revealed the true Vertical World is on its way to a black hole, and he'd been using wormholes to go to the past in an attempt to fix it, to no avail.
- Too Much for Man to Handle: His ultimate fate. Using Omeganium capsules allowed him to create a giant body for himself made similarly to the Vertical World, giving him Super-Intelligence as a side effect of the disparity in time processing inside. When Ruska faces his true body after a few minutes, however, he is reduced to just a face, his intelligence having accelerated to a point where one second to Ruska ages his body for an eternity, and asks for Ruska to end his life.
The Old Man With The Dove
- No Name Given: Only suggests he be called "The Old Man With The Dove" after Ruska asks for his name.
Higgs the Postman
- Chekhov's Gun: The gum he gave Ruska was actually Neutralizing Gum, which has the added effects of protecting one against atmospheric pollution.
- Mellow Fellow: Doesn't express much more than a nonchalant, relaxed attitude, which makes the moments where he takes action all the more notable.
Judah
An ill-tempered girl and a Vertical World Official who Ruska meets inside a worm.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She's mean, but only to those who intrude upon the world she created for herself. She ultimately decides to help Ruska out of respect for how much he cares for Omega.
- The Mourning After: Lost her lover, and clings so desperately to him that she created a whole artificial world for them to exist in.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Appears to be a genuinely kindhearted, if naive and lonely child in the simulation of the past.
"Gluon"/P.P.
A being who claims to be the first architect of the Vertical World, and a being who exists as a large, floating city. Actually an amorphous, shapeshifting entity created by the true Architect who absorbs Omeganium to sustain itself.
- Affably Evil: Even after he's revealed as wanting to drain Omega's lifeforce to sustain himself, he seems genuinely remorseful for his actions and appears to be acting out of an uncontrollable impulse of self-preservation rather than any maliciousness.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Was created by the true Architect as an experiment, but was abandoned as a failure and lacks the ability to exist independently, forcing him to absorb Omeganium to prevent himself from dying. Makings things worse is how across multiple instances of time, he has calmed down enough to try and seek out the Architect for answers to his existence, but strands himself each time in a field of converging probability, never realizing his mistake until he's done it. He is nothing but grateful for his death, no longer needing to stay alive by hurting others.
- Creepy Good: Appears as a giant, unsettling face with black sclera and a cold gaze. Despite this, he does not seem to want to hurt the heroes in any way, and is genuinely hospitable and helpful to them. Subverted when his true intentions are revealed.
- Sanity Slippage: Started as a cute, innocent, bug-like robot, but somehow became something without an individual form. His desire to sustain his own life and abandonment by the true Architect warped him over time.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: As P.P., he's very innocent and childlike.
- Was Once a Man: Claims he used to be a human, but turned himself into the city as he "did not need an individual vessel for the mind". This is revealed to be a lie, and he was always an artificial being created by the true Architect.
Gluon, The Architect (Major Spoilers)
The creator of the Vertical World. Is actually an elderly man from Earth, who died prior to the creation of the Vertical World, but lives on through its Omega System.
- And I Must Scream: Though his mind is in the system, it's implied he is tortured by his inability to understand why he's there or why he has to keep dropping Omegas down the tower. More notably, a projection of him reacts in confusion and anger out of an understanding that Omega took his soul from him.
- Hoistby His Own Petard: Gluon's physical body was killed by his own Omega System, which classified him as a terrorist upon knowledge of his plans. Ruska going to the past unfortunately doesn't change this.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Has been grieving over the loss of his daughter, Risa, ever since the Earth's destruction.
- Set Right What Once Went Wrong: The purpose of the Omega System and the Vertical World was actually this. Professor Gluon planned to save his deceased daughter, Risa, by wedging open a black hole to turn it into a wormhole to the past.
- Identical Stranger: Heavily resembles Kelvin's human form as Calabi-Yau. It's implied Kelvin may contain a part of his soul.
Other Characters
Max (Major Spoilers)
An entity who exists outside of Ruska's universe, and later explains himself to essentially be the living system that makes up the universe itself.
- A Form You Are Comfortable With: Though he himself is Ruska's entire universe, to communicate with Ruska he takes on a form from the group's memories- more specifically, their old friend Geezer.
- Ghost Memory: He seems to have Geezer's memories and identity as a result of embodying the universe and taking on his form.
- God Is Good: He is an entity that both helped create Ruska's universe and 'is' Ruska's universe, but is an amicable, laid-back and helpful guy.
