Archavast, the Boundless Reach

The Archavast, also known as the Outerworld or the Boundless Reach, is the infinite and treacherous void that encircles the Myst from the outer “space” beyond the Myst’s broken borders. Within this void are the Annons, which are the planes of existence that harbor the forgotten secrets of the Idolons from ages past. Academic research of the Archavast is still in its early stages.

Origins

A few years before the birth of Aesor, marking the third megaanum of the Scionic Wars (approximately a three million years period), the conflict between Radiance and Shadow escalated to a point where desperate and reckless decisions had to be made, and there were consequences. Kyro, the leading figure amongst the Scions of Haeis had already knew that they were closing in at a breaking point.
The Scions of Haeis had protected the Heart of the Myst for millions of years without using its power, as they believed it was too great for them to hastily decide on its use. They did not trust the motives of the shadows or their own judgment in using it. They believed that the war-torn environment was not suitable for creating true life, so they chose to defend the Heart from the Scions of Vals until they either emerged victorious or died trying. The Heart of the Myst was the true power that held the Torus shape of the Myst together, serving as its center.
It provided structure, system, and order for the existence of the Myst. However, as the years passed, the Scions of Haeis started losing the war rapidly. Each year, their line of defense diminished as the Scions of Shadow relentlessly attacked, taking advantage of their growing numbers. The Scions of Radiance could not match their enemy's increasing fighting force. As a result, the Scions of Shadow approached the Heart of the Myst. Eventually, one skilled and agile Scion, Iln-Har’xe, managed to get past the struggling Scions of Haeis and remove the Heart of the Myst from the centre of the torus, causing a crack in the Myst's reality.
According to Scionic legends and rumours, through these cracks, beyond reality, an unknown godly being appeared before Har’xe. An alien being that had been watching from the "edge" of the Myst all along. The cracked boundary revealed the immense Oculus of something beyond the Nexus, which stared deep into Iln-Har'xe's being (but only appeared to her exclusively). With an otherworldly shriek, this mysterious being tore down the weakened and cracked boundaries of the Myst, revealing an endless space beyond it later known as the Archavast, the Outerworld.
The Myst's ability to maintain its reality and structure had greatly weakened after billions of years of Scionic War. Without any life created (as the Heart of the Myst was never utilized), the Myst was unable to preserve its structure after the Heart was removed from the centre of its void. The Heart was the only thing that kept the Myst's reality intact. Staying true to the tales, after revealing itself to Iln-Har'xe, the godly being disappeared into the emptiness of the Archavast.
Some of the Scions attempted to venture into the shattered boundaries, but as soon as they stepped into the emptiness, they too became empty. The Archavast contained no material, and nothing could exist independently within it. The reality of the Myst could not enter the Outerworld, and materials could not exist there.
Many Scions claimed that Iln-Har’xe was the first Scion to attempt passing through to the Outerworld. According to them, she lost her sanity and spoke of seeing an Idolon which led her to follow it into the Nothingness. A meeting that everyone knew is a rendering of her potential insanity; since, no one has ever actually seen an Idolon before, and as per Scionic lore, no one is meant to. Also, there is little belief in her actually succeeding in reaching her destination in one piece.
There are also rumors that she was immediately destroyed by the Heart. These stories are all based on speculation, but one fact remains: Iln-Har’xe disappeared after removing the Heart from its original position. Surprisingly, she did not take the Heart with her, leading many to speculate that she was destroyed. After Iln-Har’xe’s disappearance, Kyro, realizing that the Heart had already been removed and seeing it as a lost cause, decided to take the Heart and throw himself into the nearest star he could find, later known as Aesor.

The Purpose of the Archavast

Think of the Archavast as the older sibling of the Myst, created solely to exist without any material or practical purpose. Now, the Archavast, much like the Myst (since they are essentially the same entity), longs for creation.
However, since it lacks materials to create with, it must find alternative means to fulfill this desire. The connection between the non-material Archavast and the tangible Myst is incredibly strong and inseparable. Essentially, the Archavast is somehow designed to tend to its own devices, with the only rule that the Archavast would never be able to consume the material essence of the Myst (Radiance, Shadow, and the five elements) because that would result in the end of creation and the legacy of the Idolons. Or at least, that is what mortal studies want to believe, since there is no real proof of how the Archavast selects the things it wants to consume.
If the Archavast was allowed to feed on the material essence of the Myst, the Myst would disintegrate and eventually perish entirely, as the Archavast is constantly expanding and nothing could satisfy its insatiable hunger for consumption. Since the Archavast is eternal, ever-expanding, and driven by an insatiable need to consume (in order to create), it derives sustenance from the only thing that will never cease to exist: the thoughts, dreams, life events, emotions, and feelings of those who already exist or have passed away.
The Archavast derives its sustenance from the emotions, spirits, senses, and experiences within the Myst (and later Aesor), using these elements to engage in creation. These creations could be referred to as worlds, although they do not manifest physically. They are known as the Annons, which are planes of existence.
Now, the Archavast surrounds the Myst and is endless, without boundaries. It is the embodiment of endless nothingness, consuming anything that enters it. However, there is a desire and purpose to create that must be fulfilled. The Archavast lacks the ability to create eternal gods like the Idolons or materials to build worlds like Aesor. So, it does its best with the limited resources it can gather from existing things (note that the Archavast, like the Myst, is not a living being).
During the Scionic Wars, various emotions like pain, agony, victory, and defeat were experienced. Additionally, death became a reality. The Archavast filled this void by creating things that had not existed before, though it is not Archavast that directly creates them. Instead, it is the result of the connection between reality and nothingness, with the purpose of creation. This led to the creation of the first Annons, Haeisia (Annon of Radiance) and Valsium (Annon of Shadow), that serve as a place for the souls of deceased Scions. Later, Mordium, the Annon of the Dead, was created as a place for the souls of deceased mortals in reality. This connection can be seen as: After reality comes nothingness, and within this nothingness, the Archavast created a place to house these souls, to essentially drain them. The purpose of this creation is to draw from their memories and lives to create more and more Annons and to expand on those already existing.
The Archavast is a constantly changing place that relies entirely on the Myst and its inhabitants. Each day, new Annons are created, destroyed, or abandoned when they are no longer of use. However, there are certain Annons that are considered infinite planes because they are always needed. For instance, Mordium, the Annon of the Dead, will likely never cease to exist as people continue to die every day.
This will only change if everyone and everything in the entire Myst becomes immortal (which is quite impossible to say the least). It's important to note that this effect does not only affect people, but also materials such as dead plants, fallen leaves and anything that can go to waste or die. Everything in reality eventually becomes part of nothingness, fueling the insatiable and eternal Archavast. This cycle of life and death is an inseparable connection between Nothing and Reality. It is important to note that the nothingness of the Archavast might sound extremely evil in nature, but it has no such alignment.
The Blind Dimension, refers to the empty spaces (99.999999% of the Archavast) between the Annons where no material has yet formed in reality. Creatures that enter the Blind Dimension are consumed by it because a place without material cannot accommodate or contain anything made of material. Pure nothingness only begets nothingness.
To better comprehend this, think of the Annons as safe havens within the Archavast. It is crucial to understand that once someone becomes permanently part of the Archavast, leaving reality and being consumed by the nothingness, for instance, someone on Aesor whose soul becomes a part of the nothingness on the Annon of the Dead, they will provide the Archavast with their memories, past life, emotions, and so on.
That person or thing will never experience reality again. As a general rule, there is a window of 1-2 weeks after someone's death during which they can still be revived (this depends on the person), but after that time has passed, the individual is consumed by the nothingness and will forever remain a part of it, unable to return to reality.

Annons & the Annonic Pathways

The Annons, which are like miniature worlds floating in the eternal emptiness, are composed of emotions, memories, feelings, and certain life events of those existing in the reality of the Myst. These Annons can be visited, but it comes with its own risks and high dangers, requiring the use of the Marcry powers. The Shattered Light itself has its own Annon called the Azury, which greatly influences the Myst and its fate. One can only travel to Azury from Aesor, but from Azury, the options expand as the Annons are interconnected, resulting in the creation of Annonic Pathways.
The Pathways are channels similar to tunnels that connect a specific Annon to another. A Pathway can only be present when two Annons possess something in common, which can be found in reality. However, traversing these Pathways is highly perilous. The immense disorder caused by the amalgamation of millions of emotions and feelings fills these "tunnels" with their own manifestations, provided that they are sufficiently intense.
For instance, let’s say you desire to travel from the Annon of the Shattered Light to the Annon of Shadows. As you enter the Pathway, you experience every emotion, sensation, or event related to Shadow or Shattered Light's existence (such as the emotions of Scions, the corruption of Vals, the power and conflict of the Shattered Light, etc.). Initially, this overwhelming flood of feelings and memories threatens to drive you insane within the first few seconds of the journey.
However, these emotions and memories have the potential to materialize into actual beings, existing beyond the realm of reality, composed solely of nothingness and pure emotions. Continuing with our example, if you are unlucky, not only will you lose your sanity, but a manifestation of shadows, anger, and corruption may materialize beside you, seeking to consume you for the Archavast. Similarly, when traveling to the Annon of Radiance, a similar scenario could arise, albeit with the possibility of a Radiant angelic entity appearing to aid you in enduring the arduous journey.

Notable Annons

1. Haeisia, the Annon of Radiance: Haeisia is the embodiment of order, harmony, and law. Time operates differently in this realm, which serves as the afterlife for the Scions of Haeis. Although it is rare, there are instances where mortal individuals are sent to Haeisia instead of Mordium. This occurs only when someone epitomizes goodness and purity to such an extent that the Archavast perceives them as a Scion of Haeis or a being aligned with order and law. The Archavast does not possess the ability to think, but rather instinctively categorizes the entities it consumes for the purpose of creation. It does not view them as mortals, Volkran-kind or Alarians etc, or any specific identity, but rather as mere creations fulfilling their intended purpose.
2. Valsium, the Annon of Shadow: The manifestation of chaos, free will and darkness. Time works differently here and it is the place of afterlife of Vals' descendants. There are very rare cases where mortals are sent to this Annon instead of Mordium. This only happens when someone is essentially the mortal representation of this evil and corruption, so much so that the Archavast "thinks" that they are not even a dead person, but either a Scion of Vals or something from Darkness and Shadows.
3. Mordium, the Annon of the Dead: Mordium depicts the afterlife of Aesorian beings. When they pass away, their souls journey to this place, merging with the Archavast's void within 1-2 weeks in Aesorian time.
4. Azury, the Annon of the Shattered Light: Azury is the Gateway to all of the other Annons (for living beings of reality), and it is the Annon that is completely embedded in Marcry, representing the miraculous wonders and protection of the Shattered Light.
5. Aeos, the Annon of the Elements: Aeos represents the manifestation of the elemental planes for the five elements of creation.
6. Abovia, the Elemental Gate: Abovia is the gateway of the Annon of the Elements, which determines if a soul can enter the Annon or not. It is the sole entrance to Aeos, the Annon of the Elements, a separate Annon (plane of existence) to decide who can pass and who cannot.
7. The Forsaken Realm: This far-away realm is surrounded by speculation and gossip regarding its existence. The Scions and the Paragons believe that it should be the home of the godly Nexian being that tore into the Myst’s reality, however that it obviously nothing more than speculation. No one actually knows the truth behind the Forsaken Realm.
8. Aurorum, the Annon of Hope: Aurorum is one of the positive Annons, representing hope and serving as an example that even positive emotions and feelings can give rise to the creation of an Annon, or a "paradise", and that there may exist countless others similar to it.
9. Luna, the Annon of Dreams: Luna is primarily fueled by the greatest dreamer in the Myst’s universe, the dragon-god Kalzamaath himself. Although the Archavast consumes every person's, dragon's, or Scion's dream equally, those dreams are accumulated and piled up here.

General Information

Primary Essence - Nothingness
Aliases - The Outerworld, The Boundless Reach
Source - The Néero
Purpose - Eternal feeding and the creation of Annons
Alignment - Neutral. Can be seen as the destructive self of "universal nature"