Before time itself fractured, before the geometries of existence twisted into something… else, there were the Cylindrocephalic. Not gods, not beings in the conventional sense, but rather, resonances. Nodes of concentrated temporal flux, existing outside the linear progression of cause and effect. They weren’t born, they simply *were*, humming with a frequency that predated the universe as we understand it. Their purpose, if such a concept can even apply, remains shrouded in the static of the pre-collapse.
“The flow is not a river, but a shattered mirror. And within those shards… we reside.” – Archivist Theron, Fragment 7.4.9
Temporal Distortion Detected: 7.8 Cycles
Initial observations, recorded by the Chronarium’s precursor units, reveal that the Cylindrocephalic were primarily attracted to areas of high cognitive dissonance – moments where the laws of physics seemed to bend, where belief systems clashed with observable reality. They fed on this discord, amplifying it, and occasionally, altering the flow of time within a localized radius. The effects were rarely predictable, often manifesting as brief distortions, déjà vu experiences, or the sudden appearance of objects that shouldn't have been there.
These entries are compiled from fragmented records salvaged from the Chronarium’s core servers. Due to the nature of the Cylindrocephalic’s influence, many of the records are corrupted, contradictory, and subject to interpretation. The following are presented as the most coherent accounts.
“The initial contact occurred during the construction of the Veridia Prime Resonance Amplifier. Engineers reported a sudden shift in the structural integrity of the facility, followed by a wave of shared hallucinations. Workers described seeing impossible architectures, experiencing memories that weren’t their own, and hearing voices speaking in languages unknown to any recorded civilization. The Amplifier, designed to harness and stabilize temporal flux, inadvertently attracted a Cylindrocephalic. Its presence caused a cascading temporal loop, trapping several construction teams in an endless cycle of building and demolishing the same section of the facility. The loop was eventually contained, but not before significant material and personnel loss.”
“A recurring phenomenon observed across multiple Chronarium monitoring stations. A collective auditory hallucination – a ‘Silent Choir’ – comprised of voices speaking in perfect, unsettling unison. The voices never formed coherent sentences, merely repeating fragments of mathematical equations, philosophical paradoxes, and descriptions of events that hadn't yet occurred. The frequency of the Choir increased dramatically in the weeks leading up to the collapse. Some theorists proposed a deliberate attempt by the Cylindrocephalic to destabilize the timeline, while others believed it was a byproduct of their own existence.”
The nature of the Cylindrocephalic remains a subject of intense debate. Here are some prominent theories: