Harvester theory

The Harvester theory is a purported explanation for the absence of any recorded civilizations capable of creating the numerous relics which have been found scattered throughout the Sora. Widely dismissed as a conspiracy theory, the Harvester theory has nonetheless found support and belief from a number of high-profile individuals.

Claims

The theory states that the Dranomyr Archive has been perpetrating numerous genocides throughout its history, regularly destroying other civilizations for some nefarious purpose. Supposedly, every thousand years or so, the Archive unleashes a swarm of monstrous creatures known as the Harvesters that destroy any other sorafaring civilizations, consuming their populace, reducing their realms to ash, and erasing nearly every trace of their existence. It then waits for the next cycle of civilizations to arise before repeating this cycle again.

Purported Evidence and Rebuttals

Promoters of the theory point to numerous unexplained mysteries of the Sora as evidence that the Archive is behind the disappearance of lost civilizations. Most of the evidence is considered circumstantial, coincidental, or counterfactual by scholars.

Archive destruction of relics

The Archive regularly seeks out relics, with numerous people witnessing their agents destroying and dismantling them completely. According to the theory, the Archive does this because these relics were weapons used during previous cycles to fight back against the Harvesters. They thus claim and destroy the relics so they cannot be studied, replicated, or improved upon by the current cycle.
The Archive states it is destroys only dangerous relics that could be misused or harm a great number of people through misunderstanding of their functions. This claim is largely believed by those who do not put stock in the Harvester theory, pointing to the fact that a number of relics, such as needlers, are fairly common and the Archive largely does not care about their use.

Noninterference Decree

The Archive also has mandated that no sorafaring empire can interfere with a realm that has not naturally reached the Sora. The theorists claim this is due to multiple reasons. First, bringing primitive realms to the level of magical power of the empires would increase the chances that the Harvesters would fail, due to the sheer number of people and realms with the ability to fight back. Second, if they were forced to destroy these realms earlier, they would be unable to harvest as many realms in the next cycle.
The reason given for this decree by the Archive is that advancing realms too quickly can result in disastrous consequences with civilizations often tearing themselves apart with magic beyond their moral maturity to use properly. The theorists say this makes no sense, as the Kamakari Mandate has inadvertently brought numerous realms to the Sora with no ill effects. Second, the current empires often use their magical power for ill, causing a great degree of death and destruction.
Doubters state that if the Archive would fear numbers, they surely would already be frightened, as the Sora contains trillions of people and thousands of realms. Unless they were all destroyed in relatively quick succession, there would be some survivors. Additionally, they dismiss the second part of the claim because the theory does not give a reason the Archive would even destroy civilizations. Next, they say the Mandate is a special case due to their psionic link and that other civilizations, without such a bond, would not have such success. Finally, they turn the hardships of the Sora against the conspiracy, saying that if the sorafaring empires can barely control their power, imagine the destruction caused by a more primitive civilization.

Minor realms

No one is sure why minor realms form. These incomplete worlds lack some fundamental aspect that makes them true realms. The theory says that these realms are the remains of worlds destroyed in previous cycles. Relics have been found on many of these minor realms, lending strength to their claim.
Skeptics counter that for such total destruction supposedly wrought by the Archive, the presence of these remnants seems particularly sloppy. Some of these minor realms even have their own sapient life, raising the question of why the Archive would leave them alive while all others are consumed. Additionally, relics are found on full realms as well. They would have been destroyed under the Harvester theory, yet clearly are not.

Sameus

Sameus is an utterly unique realm, being the corpse of some titanic creature. No other realm is like it in any way. The Harvester theorists say that the creature was actually a Harvester, one which was slain in a previous cycle. Opponents point out that if the Archive was truly trying to hide terrible acts of the past, it would have surely destroyed the corpse long before it was ever discovered.

Archive Response

The Archive has soundly rejected the Harvester theory, in contradiction to their rather obfuscating responses to other questions. Theorists believe this is proof of their ill intent, as the Archive wants to hide their actions and thus must strongly deny the theory to prevent it from being taken seriously. Skeptics say this is circular reasoning, as an untruth would be denied, which is just taken as more proof of truth by the believers. They also say that if the Archive did not deny it, believers would take this as tacit admission, though theorists frequently deny this.