The air itself thrums with a dissonance, a subtle fracturing of the perceived. It began, as such things invariably do, with an absence. Not a void, precisely, but a thinning – a capillary rupture in the fabric of temporal resonance. We call it the Schistose Indiscriminating – a term born not of rigorous taxonomy, but of the visceral sensation of a world bleeding at the edges of comprehension.
Initially, it manifested as minor fluctuations. Objects would momentarily shift position, colors would bleed into each other, and memories would unravel with unsettling precision. Individuals reported experiencing ‘echoes’ – fragments of events that never occurred, superimposed upon their present reality. These weren’t simply hallucinations; they possessed a tangible weight, a disconcerting familiarity. The sensation was akin to standing within a half-remembered dream, where the architecture is familiar yet fundamentally incorrect.
The source, as far as we can ascertain, lies within the convergence of several previously unacknowledged ley lines – conduits of latent chronal energy. These weren't the grand, sweeping currents mapped by ancient geomancers, but rather a network of minuscule channels, woven through the earth like the threads of a forgotten tapestry. The Schistose Indiscriminating amplified these channels, creating a feedback loop that distorted the flow of time itself. It’s theorized that a resonance frequency, a particular harmonic vibration, was accidentally triggered – perhaps by a forgotten ritual, a discarded technological artifact, or simply the accumulation of accumulated temporal stress.
The effects are far-reaching. Localized temporal distortions have created ‘chronosculpts’ – pockets of altered reality. Within these areas, the laws of physics become pliable, causality dissolves, and the past and present collide. We've documented instances of individuals briefly existing in multiple iterations of themselves, experiencing the same moment from different perspectives. The results are invariably chaotic, often with devastating consequences. Entire buildings have undergone retroactive renovations, reverting to earlier states, only to be rebuilt again in a different configuration. Personal histories become fluid, unreliable, subject to the whims of the distortion.
The concept of ‘indiscriminating’ is crucial. It's not a targeted phenomenon. It doesn’t discriminate based on age, social standing, or even awareness. Everyone is affected, to varying degrees. The more prolonged the exposure, the more profound the distortion. Some individuals have become completely unstuck in time, existing as ghosts within their own memories, perpetually reliving moments from their past.
Our research has revealed a disturbing correlation between the Schistose Indiscriminating and the human capacity for grief. It’s hypothesized that intense emotional trauma – particularly the unresolved echoes of loss – acts as a catalyst, amplifying the temporal distortions. The more deeply a person is entangled with a specific sorrow, the more vulnerable they become to the effects of the distortion.
The ethical implications are staggering. If we can understand and manipulate the underlying mechanisms of the Schistose Indiscriminating, could we potentially rewrite history? Could we erase our regrets? The potential for both good and unimaginable destruction is terrifyingly real.
We are currently exploring methods of ‘chronal stabilization’ – techniques designed to mitigate the effects of the distortion. Early experiments have yielded mixed results, with some showing promise while others have resulted in catastrophic temporal cascades. The challenge is immense – we are essentially attempting to repair a shattered mirror, while simultaneously wrestling with the very nature of time itself.