The short answer

On The Mainland, adulthood begins at fifteen cycles. That’s about 18 years old on Earth!

When a Korainian on the island of Uji reaches this age, Mainlander and Colony Outlander alike, The Government initiates and inaugurates their adulthood: a formal series of events and ceremonies that mark the end of childhood and the start of new-adulthood.

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Birth groups and coming of age

To understand adulthood on Uji, it helps to understand birth groups.

Every Korainian has both a birth day and a birth group. A Korainian cycle contains 88 days, and each day corresponds to one birth group.

As a result, Korainians do not think about age only as individuals. They also think about themselves as members of a generational cohort. Someone might be referred to as “52nd born,” “53rd born,” and so on, identifying with the birth group to which they belong.

This system exists because births are tightly regulated under The Government’s Seasonal Birthing Law. Rather than births occurring continuously throughout a cycle, reproduction is organised into controlled schedules so that each cohort is officially born on a designated day once a cycle.

So when Korainians come of age at fifteen cycles, they do it alongside their entire birth group.

It’s kinda strange, but also kinda sweet.

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The Jump

The Jump is The Mainland Government’s official coming-of-age kick-off ceremony.

Once a cycle at The Cliff Edge, an entire birth group of fifteen-cycle-olds gathers above the sea, dressed identically in white, high-neck, sleeveless swimwear.

Then, together, they leap...
A child leaves The Cliff Edge...
But a new-adult emerges from the water.

By the cycle 267AL, The Jump is not only a rite of passage. It is also part of a larger ceremonial calendar managed through Government departments, vendor contracts, and public expectation.

The Orientation Centre & Maturity Ball

After The Jump, the process continues at The Orientation Centre.

Here, the new-adults are formally received into adult life. Names are called. Government Officials are met (including a rare citing of The Universe guided Chief of Uji).

One of the most important objects given to new-adults is The Adulthood Handbook, which outlines the laws and responsibilities now attached to their age. It includes guidance on housing, temporary commitments known as flings, intimacy (which many naive Korainians require instruction on), Soulmate declaration, insemination, and other matters of adult life.

New-Adults are expected to collect their ‘A’ mark, a stamp of maturity singed into the skin below their palm at The Adulthood Initiation and Inauguration held in The Orientation Centre. Later, they are expected to attend The Maturity Ball in The Ovum Hall.

The swimwear worn for The Jump, along with Maturity Ball outfits, are provided by The Government. For many Korainians, these are the finest clothing items they’ll ever wear. In fact, competing Mainland clothing workshops Calcite Textiles and Dadi Garments have been in a bidding war for the illustrious Government contract for cycles.

Maturity Ball attire is a highlight of many young Korainians’ first night of adulthood, along with the often raucous Maturity Ball itself.

And can you blame them?

It’s their first taste of Lemongrass wine. Drunken declarations are a given.

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What changes after fifteen cycles?

After fifteen cycles, a Korainian is no longer treated as a child.

They are now old enough to enter adult-only venues, old enough to be held to adult laws, and old enough to begin moving towards the systems that shape mainland life: housing, work, social rank, romance, Soulmates, and family.

A new-adult may try their hand at a betting house, show off their moves on the dance floor of an aqua club, or give a go testing a potential Soulmate at an intimacy inn.

In other words, fifteen cycles does not simply open the door to adulthood.

It opens the door to everything the world has been preparing them for.

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Why it matters

Coming of age on The Mainland is about more than growing older. For most Korainians, fifteen cycles means one thing. Just as the Chief of Uji traditionally welcomes each birth group at their Adulthood Initiation and Inauguration, a new-adult knows:

“The hunt for a Soulmate, is on!”

This is because Soulmates are central to Korainian life. They shape relationships, families, and Uji’s entire reproductive system. So adulthood on Uji is more than Maturity Ball attire, aqua clubs, and finally getting that ‘A’ mark.

Adulthood is when the hunt for a Soulmate begins.


Learn more about The Soulmate Law and the Glow Phenomenon that inspired it in this feature.

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