Cosmology

Overview

Cosmology within the Continuum Universes is the study of the origin, structure, and divine geometry of all existence. It is both science and sacrament — the discipline by which mortals and immortals alike seek to fathom the pattern of creation across countless universes.

Unlike local cosmologies that chart stars or galaxies, Multiversal Cosmology regards every universe as a distinct, living system: a self-contained law, birthed by its own Divine Parents, and floating within the immeasurable expanse known as the Yonder Realm. Each universe differs in shape, elemental constants, temporal rhythm, and divine authorship, yet all share a common ancestry in the First Creation — the awakening of the First Divine Parents.

The Structure of the Continuum

The Continuum is not a single expanse of space but a vast hierarchy of realities layered through dimensional membranes known as the Veils of Division. Each Veil isolates one universe’s law from another’s, preserving its internal logic. The Contradiction—a metaphysical wound—can rupture these barriers, allowing bleed-throughs of magic, matter, or time.

At the macrocosmic level, the Continuum is arranged into:

• Universes — self-contained domains of matter, spirit, and law.
• The Yonder Realm — the trans-spatial meta-domain where Divines dwell and traverse between universes.
• Outer Darkness — the void beyond law and time, where uncreated potential and corruption coexist.
• The Continuum Axis — the theoretical lattice binding all universes to a single point of divine origin.

Many scholars believe the Axis is an expression of the Divine Heart itself — a singular pulse resonating through eternity, sustaining the laws that keep universes distinct yet tethered.

Origins of the Universes

Every universe begins as an act of Divine Creation, wrought through the union of two Divines who become its Divine Parents. Their conjoined essence generates the first spark of space-time — a “Fathoming.” Each universe’s physical constants, species potential, and metaphysical framework are determined in that instant.

The First Divine Parents are said to have fathomed the earliest universes: Aerenda, Galaxa, Kosmos, and others that later diverged under their descendants. While the Divines can shape and populate universes, none have yet discovered the origin of the primordial field from which their power flows. Even they confess ignorance of the Source beyond the Continuum.

Interuniversal Relations

Under normal circumstances, universes are isolated. Energy, souls, and matter cannot cross between them without divine sanction. The Convergence shattered this order, when the Deviants forged The Contradiction, tearing the Veils and binding many universes in unstable resonance. This catastrophe marked the first known failure of Cosmological Law and remains an ongoing crisis.

Cross-universal phenomena include:

• Magic Bleed: Mana or psionic energy passing from one universe into another, creating hybrid magics.
• Temporal Echoing: Reflected timelines interfering with their parallels, causing déjà vu or prophetic visions.
• Soul Migration: Rare cases where spirits reincarnate across different universes — a breach of Universal Law.

The Role of Cosmology in the Grand Archive

The Grand Archive classifies Cosmology as one of the **Three Pillars of Understanding**, alongside Metaphysics and Divinity. To study Cosmology is to map the body of Creation; to study Metaphysics is to trace its soul. The two cannot be separated without error.

Archivists describe the Continuum as “an infinite library of laws, each book written by a different god, all bound in the same cover of eternity.” The Archivist’s sacred duty is to read, record, and reconcile these laws — to know how one universe’s physics echoes another’s spirit.

Philosophical Interpretations

While Divines see Cosmology as proof of divine lineage, mortal philosophers often interpret it as a grand simulation of recursive consciousness. To them, each universe may be a dream within the mind of another, a reflection of an infinite regress of creation.

The most radical scholars of The Yonder Realm propose that even the Divines are sub-creations within a greater unknown continuum — a notion bordering on heresy, yet tolerated for its elegance.

Trivia

• The term “Continuum Universes” was first inscribed by Medriel herself, defining the multiverse as a continuous act of divine self-expression.
• During the Convergence, cosmological constants such as the Planck ratio and mana density shifted in measurable correlation, confirming physical connectivity between universes.
• Some Divines claim to hear harmonic “music” resonating between universes, suggesting that cosmological boundaries may be formed of vibrational law.