A Network is what forms when multiple Chains and composites interconnect in non-linear or branching patterns: an integrated web of connections.
A Chain is a linear sequence. When multiple Chains and composites interconnect — branching, merging, forming cycles — they assemble into a Network: a structured configuration that organizes complex relational architectures through an integrated web of connections.
Within a Network, each distinct relational unit or composite functions as a Node (a positional element, a hub or endpoint for connections), and the relational bindings between Nodes are Edges (typically realized as tension composites).
Networks are the first non-linear structures in the derivation. Where Chains propagate dynamics in one direction, Networks allow dynamics to flow through branching and interconnected paths.