Aethrelia

This article is a WIP created during World Anvil Summer Camp 2022 and contains incomplete sections. Please stay tuned!

Aethrelia is a level of reality that some witness in dreams and in mindscapes, physically appearing as an enormous nebula near the galactic center of Luridity Galaxy.  It is visible as a bright star in the sky on most planets in Luridity, a cosmological body so large that it appears the size of other planets in a star system, despite its proximity in realspace as near galactic center. This is not a construct made by cyberpunk technology, like the Net, instead, it is a naturally occurring phenomenon. Perhaps other nebulae are made of the remains of dead planets and stars, but Aethrelia is a birthplace instead, a true space between spaces, a wellspring of magical power beyond the imagination of even a god.  

In fact, Aethrelian magic birthed gods from its cosmic spectacle.  After billions of years of functioning as one of the focal points in the vastness of the multiverse, the nebulous Aethrelia's capacity for magic grew so much it became unstable, and eventually from the overflow of power came the Overlords.  These cosmic births functioned as multiple spigots of overflow management for the magic in the phenomenon and thus, Aethrelia stabilized itself.

Aethrelian Entities

Overlords both occupy and are critically connected to Aethrelia, another level of reality where their power resides and they have full access and capabilities in.  They cannot leave Aethrelia and do not possess physical form, however this is countered by an array of creation powers.

Hinata was one of the original experiments of the Overlords, and as a result of the way they created her, her power is special.  She can connect to the Aethrelia nebula on a similar wavelength to the Overlords, however cannot draw creation power.  She is able to manifest a spirit/out-of-body form and speak with the Overlords directly--if she ever wanted to.  Hinata is able to commune with Aethrelian power itself in ways which allow her to read the rhythms of the galaxy, interpret possible futures, and flow through Aethrelia to encounter any number of dreams and mindscapes at any point in the Galaxy.

Next to spring from the Aethrelian magic were the Owners, created by the Overlords in a successful bid to manipulate the magic to their own whims--though a failed attempt to give themselves physicality.  The first generation of Owners were able to access a vast supply of power from Aethrelia. Their physical selves provided a natural limit to how much power could be expended.  They were able to manage entire planets.  The second generation of Owners were able to create much less power, partly by design and partly by a lower capacity of available magic.  These Owners were more like demigods, capable of managing peoples at the city level instead of whole worlds.

Finally, the Oracles were the Overlord's last attempt to bend the magic to their will in creating an original species.  They are incapable of creation magic but can otherwise use small amounts of innate Aethrelian magic by focusing through specialized crystals seeded across the galaxy by the Overlords.  Oracles originally were able to communicate with the Overlords during ritualized out-of-body experiences, but such practices have been lost to time in many Oracle communities, leaving few to follow their creators' whims today.

The Collision

After The Collision, Aethrelia experienced a power shift, capping off much of the magic flow in the Galaxy and diminishing the need for the Overlords to act as protection against overflows as well.  The Overlords now consolidate their power to Eros Zone and regularly receive reports on some regions via Aethrelia from Owners and those Oracles who still contact them.  Rebuilding entire planets and shuffling entire civilizations from the remains of those planets turned out to create a significant power drain for Aethrelia.  After the subsequent and sudden redistribution of magic, both generations of Owners found their powers significantly lessened, creation magic available at a cost rather than freely, and on a much much smaller scale than before.  Beings from other species--native to the galaxy and otherwise--were recreated in Eros during this process, creating species capable of holding power available for Owner use and blending existing extranatural abilities into new and exciting combinations.

Species across the galaxy, additionally, began to see an uptick in hyperrealistic-yet-wild dreams and visits from Hinata. Those with existing extranatural powers outside of Eros noted stronger abilities as well, thanks to the redistributed Aethrelian magic.