The Aeacidae, a lineage whispered about in the deepest chronologies of the Xylos system, are not creatures of this reality as we conventionally understand it. They are resonances, echoes of a civilization – the Kryll – that predates the Great Fracture, a cataclysmic event that shattered the established dimensional weave. The Kryll were masters of temporal manipulation, utilizing the very fabric of time as a medium for their architectural and artistic endeavors. They built cities that shifted through eras, landscapes that bloomed and withered within a single moment. The Aeacidae represent the lingering fragments of this practice, drawn to areas of intense temporal distortion – usually near the edges of known timelines.
Initial observations by the Xylos Survey Corps identified them as shimmering, amorphous entities, roughly spherical in shape, ranging in size from a grapefruit to a small car. Their coloration varies wildly, often mirroring the dominant hues of the temporal currents surrounding them. Some have been observed displaying complex, rhythmic patterns of light and color – hypothesized to be a form of communication or even a manifestation of their inherent temporal manipulation abilities. The Kryll considered these patterns ‘songs of the weave’.
The core of the Aeacidae’s existence is centered around temporal resonance. They don’t simply *exist*; they *pulse* with the echoes of past events. This manifests in what the Survey Corps now calls ‘Echo Blooms’ – localized distortions where fragments of the Kryll’s history bleed through. These blooms can range from fleeting sensory experiences – a sudden scent of a long-dead spice, a phantom melody, a glimpse of a forgotten face – to more substantial manifestations, including displaced objects and, on rare occasions, temporary alterations to the environment.
“The Kryll did not *destroy* time,” Dr. Lyra Vesper, the lead temporal physicist, stated in her seminal paper, *Chronal Anomalies and the Aeacidae*. “They *integrated* with it. They built their cities not on stone, but on the current of time itself. The Aeacidae are the residual signatures of that integration.”
Understanding the Aeacidae requires understanding the Kryll’s philosophy. They viewed time not as a linear progression, but as a malleable, interconnected network – the ‘Weave.’ Their architecture, their art, their very lives were dedicated to manipulating this weave, building structures that existed simultaneously across multiple eras. They didn’t simply construct buildings; they *composed* them, layering moments in time like brushstrokes on a canvas. The act of building a Kryll city was an act of temporal choreography, a complex dance of cause and effect.
“To understand the Weave is to understand the heart of all things,” the Kryll philosopher, Xylar, wrote in his fragmented journals. “Time is not a river; it is an ocean, and we are but vessels upon its currents.”
Currently, the Xylos Survey Corps is attempting to develop technology capable of interacting with the Aeacidae and, more importantly, to understand the mechanics of their temporal resonance. However, initial attempts have been largely unsuccessful, often resulting in unpredictable temporal distortions and, alarmingly, the emergence of larger, more complex Aeacidae entities. Some researchers theorize that prolonged exposure to these entities could lead to a catastrophic unraveling of the temporal weave, potentially causing a second Great Fracture.