In literature, the term “substance” is deployed with remarkable versatility, spanning from the tangible to the abstract. It occurs as a descriptor of physical matter—such as the delicate, separable layers of bark ([1]) or the jellylike, decomposing material in a marine setting ([2])—while also serving as a metaphor for the essential core or heart of an idea. Philosophers and writers extend its meaning further, using “substance” to denote the underlying, often infinite, foundation of reality as seen in discussions of identity and existence ([3], [4], [5]), or to evoke the vital essence of ambitions, conversations, and even literary texts ([6], [7]). Thus, its diverse usage underscores both the material qualities of objects and the abstract qualities that constitute the very “gist” of thought and experience.