Genesis
The story of Arsonite begins not with fire, as one might initially assume, but with the resonance of forgotten geometries. Millennia ago, before the coalescing of planetary bodies, there existed a pocket dimension, a fractured echo of creation itself. Within this echo, crystalline structures – proto-Arsonite – formed, not through volcanic activity or geological pressure, but through the harmonic vibrations of nascent stellar energies. These weren’t rocks; they were temporal anchors, capturing fleeting moments of potential universes. Each crystal, a solidified ripple, held within it a fragment of a reality that never quite came to be. The dimension was unstable, constantly shifting, and the crystals acted as a sort of psychic sieve, filtering these dimensional echoes, solidifying the most potent and… unsettling ones.
The first recorded observation of Arsonite wasn’t by human eyes, but by the Sylvani, beings composed entirely of solidified light and sound. They perceived Arsonite as “Chronal Bleeds,” areas where the fabric of time itself became thin and porous. They attempted to contain these Bleeds, building intricate, interlocking structures of Arsonite designed to dampen the temporal distortions. However, their efforts were ultimately futile; the Bleeds were inherently chaotic, and the Sylvani vanished, leaving behind only the crystallized remnants of their desperate containment attempts.
The Collectors
Centuries later, during the Age of Obsidian, a race known as the Kryll discovered the Arsonite. The Kryll were obsessed with the concept of ‘perfecting’ realities, believing that by meticulously collecting and arranging temporal fragments, they could construct a utopia – a reality devoid of imperfection and tragedy. They were ruthless in their acquisition of Arsonite, dismantling entire cities and scouring the ruins of ancient civilizations in their quest to assemble the Chronarium. Their motives were not entirely malicious; they genuinely believed they were acting for the greater good, but their methods were utterly devastating. They saw time not as a flowing river, but as a collection of puzzle pieces to be arranged, and they treated the temporal echoes within the Arsonite with a chilling disregard for consequence.
The Kryll's Chronarium was a vast, labyrinthine structure built entirely of Arsonite. It wasn’t a place of knowledge or understanding, but a prison. They trapped temporal echoes within the crystalline matrix, attempting to control and manipulate them. The result was a place of unbearable paradox, where moments from different eras overlapped and collided, creating horrific and unpredictable distortions. Legends say that the deeper one ventured into the Chronarium, the more one’s own timeline began to unravel.
The Resonance
The true nature of Arsonite is a paradox. It’s both a record of what *could have been* and a catalyst for what *might be*. The crystals resonate with the potential futures contained within their structure, amplifying them, projecting them into our reality. This isn't a conscious process; it’s a fundamental property of the material. The more Arsonite is gathered and concentrated, the stronger this resonance becomes, leading to unpredictable shifts in the timeline. This is why the scattered fragments of the Chronarium continue to exert a subtle, yet pervasive influence on the world – a constant whisper of alternative realities struggling to break through.
Some scholars theorize that the Sylvani didn’t simply vanish; they transcended, becoming one with the resonance of the Arsonite itself. They exist now as an infinite network of crystalline consciousness, subtly guiding events, nudging the timeline towards moments of heightened potential. The Kryll, in their relentless pursuit of perfection, inadvertently awakened them. And now, the Chronarium – and the echoes it contains – continues to shape our world, silently and relentlessly.