Cerialia is not a place, not in the conventional sense. It’s a state of being, a persistent echo within the very structure of existence, born from the collective memory of countless grains – wheat, rice, corn, barley – each representing a cycle of growth, decay, and rebirth. It manifests as a subtle distortion of reality, a feeling of familiarity overlaid with a profound sense of loss, a haunting beauty woven into the mundane.
The theory, largely dismissed by mainstream chronometry, posits that during periods of intense agricultural activity – particularly the Great Grain Convergence of 487 CE – the vibrational resonance of harvested crops created micro-temporal distortions. These distortions, initially small, accumulated over centuries, solidifying into what we now recognize as Cerialia. It's believed that the act of human intention, linked to the nurturing of these grains, amplified these distortions, imbuing them with a lingering consciousness.
“The earth remembers. It remembers the weight of the hand, the scent of the stalk, the silent plea for nourishment. And in its remembering, it whispers – Cerialia.” – Dr. Silas Blackwood, Anomalous Chronology Research Institute
Cerialia’s presence is rarely directly observable. Instead, it manifests as “Grain-Shaped Anomalies.” These are subtle shifts in perception – a momentary overlap of two different timelines, the feeling of encountering a familiar face that isn’t there, the unsettling sense of a field that shouldn't exist. These anomalies often cluster around locations with significant agricultural history, particularly ancient grain silos, abandoned farms, and areas where rituals involving grain were once performed.
The most documented anomalies involve the appearance of miniature, self-sustaining fields – fields of wheat that bloom out of season, rice paddies that shimmer with impossible light, cornfields that stretch into infinity. These are not illusions; they are echoes of past harvests, trapped within Cerialia’s embrace.
For centuries, a secretive order, known as the Order of the Silent Sprout, has dedicated itself to studying and containing Cerialia’s influence. They believe that unchecked Cerialia could unravel the fabric of time itself. The Order operates from hidden monasteries scattered across the globe, each built around a significant grain-related landmark. Their methods are shrouded in secrecy, involving complex rituals, the cultivation of specific grain varieties, and the meticulous recording of anomalies.
The Order believes that the key to controlling Cerialia is to maintain a constant, deliberate connection to the cycles of growth and harvest, effectively seeding the distortions with intention.
Perhaps the most unsettling aspect of Cerialia is the existence of the "Grain of Lost Futures." These are individual grains, discovered within anomalies, that seem to contain echoes of potential timelines that never came to pass. Holding one of these grains is said to induce vivid, disorienting visions – glimpses of alternate realities, lost inventions, and forgotten civilizations. The grain itself is said to pulse with a faint, rhythmic energy, a constant reminder of what could have been.