Nasuverse Ontology/Metaphysics

The Nasuverse, a masterful creation by Kinoko Nasu, is a vast and complex fictional cosmos that weaves together narratives across notable titles such as "Tsukihime," "Fate/stay night," "Mahou Tsukai no Yoru (Mahoyo)," and "Kara no Kyōkai." This expansive universe explores the complexities of magecraft, a sophisticated and mystical art of magic passed down through generations. Magecraft involves elaborate rituals and spells that are intricately tied to specific bloodlines, adding to the universe's allure and complexity.
One of the main features of this magical realm is the Holy Grail War, a ritualistic conflict where Masters summon heroic spirits, known as Servants, to compete for the Holy Grail—a powerful artifact capable of granting wishes. This battlefield introduces strategic nuances and moral dilemmas, enhancing the storytelling experience.
The Nasuverse also introduces additional layers of complexity through works like "Mahoyo" and "Kara no Kyōkai," which offer unique perspectives and delve into the rich history and metaphysics of this expansive universe. "Mahoyo" explores the origins of magecraft, providing insights into its intricacies, while "Kara no Kyōkai" investigates the supernatural, blending mystery and fantasy seamlessly.
As the Nasuverse grows, it becomes even more complex for people to understand its aspects properly, such as the world building, the multiverse and even magecraft. This page aims to clarify all of that (hopefully).
==Magecraft==
A general term representing activities that artificially reenact Mysteries/Miracles. Although there were some differences depending on traditions and schools, the basic principle was still “the transformation of the magical energy that exists within the practitioner or the environment.” The practitioner would issue Commands according to the Foundation (System) of his school, and this would cause the execution of a predetermined Program.
Magical energy was the electrical current required to deliver the command.
Although Magecraft gave the impression of omnipotence, it fundamentally produced Mystery through the principle of equivalent exchange. It was possible to transform one thing into another, but it was impossible to produce something from nothing.
However, the essence of Magecraft as a discipline was to challenge that “Nothingness,” and endeavor towards the impossible. Large-scale spells such as the so-called Grand Sorceries, Grand Rituals were really purposeless if not for attempting to reach “ ” (kara) or True Magic.
Kara no Kyoukai was a story of one magus’ attempt at challenging “Nothingness.”
===Resistances===
====Mystery and magical circuits====
There are different types of ways to resist magecraft within the nasuverse
First is through authority ways in which only gods and divine spirits do. Second is through magic circuits people with magic circuits inherently gain resistance to magecraft unless it's of a higher level than them. Third is through using the layered concepts ideation that I explained in origin through mystery of which we'll talk about later on same for the authority that but let's look into the first two ways. As seen here people with magical circuits automatically gain resistance to magecraft unless is imbued with greater mystery then theirs, which is responsible for powering magecraft, we've seen this further demonstrated with a magus resisting Curse Manipulation through their far powerful magic circuits.
Furthermore, having magical circuits as a magus allows for you to resist effects of bounded fields, as magical circuits run throughout the body containing magical energy. They can negate effects of bounded fields if the current/circuit is greater than the other. Next is through mystery people who use magecraft with greater overpower people using magecraft of lower mystery and example is Arcueid who has so much mystery that not even modern magecraft can do harm to her or servants being spirits possessing divine mystery that normal magecraft of the modern Era is incapable of touching them and they're invulnerable to it in fact. As its very consistent for greater mystery to overpower lower mystery which is why authority is superior to magecraft due to its mystery being that of a deeper level from the age of gods.
Mystery resistance is cross-dimensional, that is to say it takes precedence over ontological status of things, it works regardless of whether or not you're a higher dimensional being for example. It allows for even a resistance that infers with higher infinities in this instance the higher infinity being the higher dimension from a lower one even if something is of a lower order of Dimension with a necessary amount of mystery it can even damage a higher dimensional object allowing for a complex number of layers some for other people even reaching layers/represented with it piercing even gaps in dimensions. This allows for magi to interact with higher dimensions, magi such as Ritsuka Fujimaru perceiving higher dimensional beings like Goetia shouldn't come out as a neither should it be treated as a contradiction to nasuverse higher dimensions like I've seen people do so.
Alignment determines orientation of magic the magus is skilled in; Attribute are factors determining the effect of one's magic (like Shirou's reinforcement attribute). Fate/complete material III
Examples of alignments and attributes and the correlation to both.
There are types of sources of magecraft.
=====Greater Source=====
the air while similar to the lesser source the amount is distinct from the lesser source as the greater source has many more digits than that of the lesser source however the limitations come from a magus because magical circuits can only use a limited amount of magical power so you can't really use this source without limits.
=====Lesser Source=====
This one doesn't come from the life force of the planet but from the life force of the magus because it exists in the inner World you can absorb similar to the greater source many magi prefer the lesser source because it's easy to handle since it comes from the Magis life force using it too much has negative effects on the Magis body, so they prefer to generate small magical power.
Information on both
The greater the magi the greater the amount that can be accumulated
====Authority====
You can't resist no deal with a god's authority that's superior to your gods with a superior authority to another gods gains resistance to all authority based hax of another God, and God's with greater authority resist resistance of another God's resistance who has lower authority.
An example is ereshkigal who has the power to negate authority of other gods but couldn't negate tiamats due to the God in question having greater authority in comparison to hers additional she was able to completely overpower her authority by using authority of her own, Granting anyone within the nasuverse Resistance Negation and resistance to every hax.
====Magical circuits, Higher Dimensional Hax and The Soul====
Magical circuits are a fundamental thing which form basis for magecraft, magic circuits are the basis for magical power and the usage of od/magical energy, the latter which powers magecraft itself allows for magi to create miracles. Magical circuits exist within the soul; specifically, the part of the soul containing the mind (Nous) existing beyond the naterial world, the soul acts as the "source" and very concept of that person, but when a soul disperses, it is sent to the root If not it remains using third magic.
Similar to Neoplatonists who held the view that the human soul consists of a lower irrational soul and a higher rational soul (mind), both of which can be regarded as different powers of the one soul.There are two souls one that exist in the material world and the true essence of the soul that exists in a plane beyond the material world and is not rooted in any physical phenomena.It is made synonymous with the origin. As it is said the true essence of the soul is the origin; which exists in akasha, which the material world is regarded as corrupted and illusionary. We'll come back to that later. The mind exists in the soul and the mind exist beyond the material world Kara No Kyoukai -Light Novel Volume 2 as such the soul in it's true essence exists in this "immaterial, objective reality". Which the one we know of only is the great akasha.
====What is meant by origin?====
======Origin======
The direction of everything that arose from fundamental cause. The α that enabled the existence of α, the absolute order that existed at the very core.
For instance, something with the Origin of “taboo, ” regardless of being born as a human, animal, or plant, would always exist to go against the morals established by the collective.
It was the idea that, independent of the process of reincarnation, humans acquired bodies and wisdom from the directional force at the point of origin, and acquired personalities that were only slightly different from their prior lives.
Individuals who awakened their Origins would be consumed. This was due to “personality ” being something merely on the magnitude of one hundred years; it would be overwritten by the directional force born from the origin. However, humans (human bodies) who were overwritten by their Origins would acquire great powers.
Araya Souren learned the technique to awaken Origins during his research into the root of humanity.
Of course, he only awakened the Origin of one person.The origins themselves being likened to something platonic. That is to say aspects of reality say humans if they awaken it, they are driven by this force by metaphysical necessity. It is an immutable, absolute and unchangeable concept, it lives outside of reality and dictates what it should directly beyond the material world in the great akasha, an unchangeable and real reality as opposed to the illusionary or dream-like material world.
It is symbolic of the theosophical notion of Neoplatonism, which takes the demiurge (Which they have also referred to the great akasha as the demiurge; Satsuki Kurogiri can access the akasha Unconsciously, this was likened to communicating to all man, a channel through which that demiurgic force a reference to the akasha, the ultimate origin passes through) to shape the illusionary material world with archetype that are immutable.The origin is the last connection to the root that human beings wield, the unified language speaks to this true essence of the soul which wields a connection to the transcendent akasha. It is an equivalent of speaking to the Anima mundi, a neoplatonic notion called the world soul which represents a bridge between the transcendent, ultimate source and the material world.This conception of a universe that is alive and pervaded by a soul or by rational and divine forces is presupposed in the religious contemplation of the universe that forms an essential part of Hellenistic culture. In the first centuries of Christian literature, one finds copious references to these animistic doctrines; they furnish, as it were, the background for Christian teaching on God's omnipresence and paternity. Thus, it is the spirit of God that, in the words of Gn 1.2, "moved over the waters." St. Paul had already made use of a famous Stoic verse to remind the Greeks that even their poets had felt the paternity of God (Acts 17.28). The Greek Fathers resort quite frequently to the Neoplatonic doctrine of the three hypostases to explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity, wherein the Holy Spirit is often likened to the anima mundi.
This in turn allows for any statement made by the user to become the truth, which is an undeniable metaphysical necessity as the fallen selves (the parts of the created entities that exist in the material world) are forced to obey it, as denying it is to logically deny the very structure of reality and thus is impossible.
It is thoroughly explained in the Swirl of the root page and in the cosmology blog. The material world is composed of anything material, it even includes dimensions. As a result of the material world being Bi-Conditional with things that can continuously change as a result of the existence of the temporal dimension.
While the akasha
The record of all thing's existence, it is also regarded as an unchangeable omniscient recorder of everything in existence Kara No Kyoukai - Light Novel Volume 3. The 3rd (even tho technically she's the first personality) who refers to herself as the great akasha and states because she is not only connected to it, but she is it. She knows all that has happened and will happen (the future deterministically so). This is obviously as a result of the akasha containing these records.
In the case files it was said the soul was divided into two parts, the "ethereal soul", which supported the mind and consciousness and the "corporeal", which supported the body and its functions The Lord El-Melloi Case Files Volume 1. It is unclear whether or not this is actually how it works in the nasuverse but it can be used in conjunction with the statements beforehand as supporting evidence for them. However, it is still unclear as ever.
====Now what is meant by the material world?====
In philosophy, the material world refers to nature, or the parts of existence that are made up of matter. This is in contrast to the ideal world, which refers to objects that exist in the mind.
In the Nasuverse, the material world is composed of anything that can be explained by materialistic explanations. It is subject to change and is said to be mutable, with the prediction that it will crumble one day. This contrasts with the Akasha, which remains as an immutable and unchangeable record of creation. The Akasha is an aspect of the true Godhead, the Swirl of the Root.
The material world is often depicted as less real than the Godhead, even being described as a dream or illusion. The third personality of Ryougi, who is so deeply connected to the Root that it’s almost impossible to distinguish her from it, speaks of the material world in this way. If she were to exercise her power, it would be meaningless, akin to dreaming. It is said that the mind is corrupted by this fallen material world.
Reaching the Root is akin to leaving this false material world. The Swirl of the Root is immaterial and fundamentally unchangeable. It is the ultimate truth, the place where origins are cycled within the great Akasha. This journey to the Root represents a departure from the finite and mutable material world, towards the infinite and immutable realm of the Root. It is the ultimate truth; it is where origins (well in the great akasha are cycled there).
====What of true magic? What is magic?====
====Detail on the five known types of true magic====
First Magic
One of the oldest True Magics but the details about it are unknown. What it involves appears to be common knowledge to some magi of privileged rank. The user of the First has already passed away, but it is said that the person that would be his heir is still alive, barely.
Second Magic
The True Magic that observes the infinite parallel worlds and travels between alternative worlds. Its user is Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg. With this magic, this man was able to create a jewel sword to absorb mana from the other worlds and a box that could store an immense amount of objects.
Third Magic
Materialization of the soul, in other words, the magic that realizes true immortality. When accomplished, the practitioner will acquire an unlimited source of magical energy due to the soul becoming analogous to a perpetual motion machine. This is the Magic of the Einzbern lineage, and the Holy Grail War was established to acquire this Magic.
Fourth Magic
Like the First True Magic, the details about it are unknown. What it involves hasn't been heard of either. But, the currently existing wizards, when pointing out to the Fourth True Magic, they'll all say, "it is there for sure", and will agree that it exists. Also, they don't know the name of the user either.
Fifth Magic
The True Magic that the Traveling Magician Aozaki Aoko inherited from her grandfather. Its nickname is "Magic Blue." The user Aozaki Aoko is average as a magus but displays transcendence with destruction. Because of this trait, there is a rumor that "Magic Blue" is also a True Magic involving destruction.
====More Details====
True magic/magic and sometimes rarely referred as pure magic is a byproduct of True Gnosis (a reference to how it stem from knowledge on the Swirl of the root), true magic directly derives from the root.
Although it's specified one doesn't touch the root, it is as touko those who touch never return to the material world. The reason for it is unknown, some theorize your soul is absorbed back into the Swirl of the root (not that great akasha that records events but the transcendent force that is responsible for the beginning and end of everything). That is why mages only stand close to it to only stabilize their magecraft.
True magic is gained by standing next to the root after you find a path to it. As you stand next to it you stabilize your magecraft. True magic or sorcery is regarded was mystery beyond magecraft, it can create miracles and make the impossible possible.
It is symbolic, in a sense that it comes from the root and can make the impossible possible, while the unfathomable status of the root makes even the impossible possible.
==== Summary for true magic and unified language and its tiering ====
The Origin is an intrinsic essence, a driving force behind a being’s existence. It’s closely connected to the Root, a metaphysical plane of existence that represents the sum of all potentialities and possibilities. Here, all truths exist, and everything is defined and decided. The Anima Mundi, considered the soul of the cosmos, bridges the gap between the finite and the ultimate source, the physical and the higher transcendent realm. 
In Hegelian Philosophy, self-determinacy, true infinity, and pure beings are central to his ontology. Hegel’s true infinity is not an endless series (also known as bad infinity), but an infinity that includes and transcends finitude. It embodies a process of self-realization and self-overcoming. This true infinity is dynamic, a concept whereby the finite recognizes itself as part of the infinite, and in doing so, achieves self-determination.
In the Nasuverse, true magic and the unified language are beyond the realm of human capability and beyond the finite. They both represent a fork of self-actualization and godhood, akin to the process of becoming. Self-determination leads to the realization of true infinity, with the self-recognizing the unity with the absolute and achieving its ultimate potential.
Thus, True Magic in Hax is considered to be High 1-T.
Similarly, the Unified Language is also considered to be High 1-T. This is a reflection of its transcendent nature and its role in the process of self-actualization and realization of true infinity.
==Physiologies==
True Ancestors have access to the Akashic records?????
Well, they can manipulate the information there directly, as a result of the information itself being unchangeable. They can take advantage of the information in there to manipulate the every-changing material world and it's created beings throught marble phantasm.
With Marble Phantasm: Matter manipulation,Reality Warping,Subjective Reality, Probability Manipulation, Organic Manipulation and Earth Manipulation (True ancestors possess the ability to manifest marble Phantasm which is the ability to rewrite the world, Rearrange the planets constituent atoms and manifest their own universe they imagine within they use can manifest whatever they can imagine through probability alteration, using the marble phantasm to bring the crimson moon from the future that Altrouge used to turn Zepia into a phenomenon that reincarnates infinitely from the akashic Records using the origin; the true immutable essence of the soul connected to the root and instead of doing what Altrouge did. She disregards the contract and turns him back from phenomenon to human and removing the applications of his reincarnation using his origin from the akashic Records to be killed. She goes as far as to say "there's no world she cannot create" with her imagination.)
What Altrouge did is similar to the effects of true magic and the unified language, unifying the material body of Wallachi with the transcendent source the akasha, allowing for Wallachia to reincarnate from the akashic records infinitely. Arcueid used the marble phantasm to cancel this contract, allowing for Wallachi to die permantly making them High 1-T (Strictly in hax using this only), There's a limit to what a true ancestor can manifest into reality when weakened as seen with Arcueid fought Roa while severely weakened and failed to even finish him off using it; so this only scales to true ancestors at their peak.
Servant/Heroic Spirit PhysiologyAcausality (Type 1 and 2), Beyond Dimensional Existence (Type 2, Heroic spirits are unbound from the concept of time, it's their nature of existence to be unbound from time and separated from the time axis and are rendered immune from changes in the past and future and only exist and are summoned in the present; They exist in the throne of heroes said to exist beyond boundaries of space timeFate/Requiem - Volume 1 | Chapter 1 and is entirely dimensionless aswell implying qualitative superiority over space time), Invulnerability (Servants are divine mysteries that are invulnerable to modern weapons like guns and knives and because their spirits only a servant can hurt another servant with a gun or weapons except for like people who possess mystery that's enough to harm a servant, such as a servant against a servant), Abstract Existence (Type 1, They exist as concepts and information in the throne)
Immortality (Type 9)
Servants are mere copies of heroic spirits, the true form of them exist inside the throne of heroes, Soul Manipulation, Information Manipulation (Type 1), Conceptual Manipulation and Power Absorption (Servants can eat souls to rejuvenate their magical energy, which makes them tougher or whatnot), Incorporeality (Servants normally exist as spirits; they can transition between material bodies and spirit form. The latter turns them into spirits.), Reactive Power Level (The more famous you are in a country that you currently inhabit as a servant, the more powerful you grow. Similarly, if you're not famous in that same country you grow less powerful), Reactive Evolution (Heroic spirits/servants noble phantasms do not change over time, but their basic abilities change over time either for the better if more people worship or if less people worship over time just like God's)
====Dead Apostle Physiology====
Statistics Amplification, Immortality (Type 1 and 3) and Power Absorption (The more victims dead apostles have (in blood sucking) the more powerful they get; they also prolong their life's by drinking blood.), Memory Manipulation (Mystic Eyes of powerful Vampires like dead apostles (only exclusive to the powerful ones) and true ancestors can erase your memories or brain wash you, With only eye contact), Body Control and Matter Manipulation (High class vampires can scatter the particles that make up their bodies to turn into mist or something similar), Duplication (for some they can make clones and imbue their consciousness and magical energy to pilot them around), Possession (Dead apostles can possess familiars to compensate for their body reaching their limits.)
==Miscellaneous==
===Counter Force===
The Counter force is a safety mechanic created from the collective unconsciousness, Alaya responds to unconscious desire of humanity it is responsible for preserving humans existence. Gaia is the collective unconsciousness of the planets will survive it is responsible for the protection of planet earth and responds to anything that's regarded as a threat to the planet. Collective unconsciousness which manifests in a form of the counterforce and unlike Gaia which preserves the planet and protects the planet and is the will of the planet to survive
Alaya is where all of archetypes of humanity's collective history and ideas reside protects the humanity and preserves it and is humanities collective unconscious will to survive, Alaya aka the ⁠collective unconsciousness which has become a metaphysical rule of the world and every extension of humanity, it is viewed as humanities greatest ally and a magus greatest enemy. It takes mankind's collective will and turns into a consensual paradigm shift which can restore or warp reality into stable state as per mankind's will.
Because magus reenact mystery and supernatural phenomenon which shouldn't exist logically, they are in consistent danger of being a target of elimination by Alaya, it has no apparent emotions or feelings and doesn't really take into consideration a human's happiness it just simply follows humanities Consensus and takes action. By either enacting coincidence which saves humanity or sending guardians to eliminate people who are a threat to humanity or eliminate paradoxes of the world including a mage along with his experiments with illogical art.
Because it's unconscious its formless and doesn't draw any apparent attention. It takes mankind's collective will and turns into a consensual paradigm shift which can restore or warp reality into stable state as per mankind's will. Because magus reenact mystery and supernatural phenomenon which shouldn't exist logically, they are in consistent danger of being a target of elimination by Alaya. It has no apparent emotions or feelings and doesn't really take into consideration a human's happiness it just simply follows humanities Consensus and takes action.
By either enacting coincidences which saves humanity or sending guardians to eliminate people who are a threat to humanity or eliminate paradoxes of the world including a mage along with his experiments with illogical art. If a person as deemed a threat to humanity Alaya will respond to that threat formed from collective unconsciousness of humans desires to exist and would effectively execute that person. The counter force would send heroes known as counter guardians as a way to complete their roles as protector of humanity and the planet itself.
Additionally, the counter force holds nigh-limitless energy and authority, it allows for beings like Arcueid to sustain their status as perfect beings and grands true ancestors limitless power; furthermore, it is the only known force that can summon true heroic spirits and not just servants. Arcueid utilizing the power of counter force was even capable of accessing the akashic records (Refer to the Arcueid page) with marble phantasm and despite being the will of the planet itself. The immense power of the counter is such that it can remake the entire planet itself, as seen with arcueid who was utilizing the power of the counter force and wielded enough energy to re-create the planet itself. The luminous body of Arcueid gets its power directly from the counter force itself.
It is even said that the power Arcueid uses in luminary is too much for a vessel of the true ancestor in her base form (not archetype earth), despite being blessed with planet status (a rank beyond God's, servants and true heroic spirits) granting true ancestors full authority over earth and its extension such as human history and the throne of heroes alike. The true ancestors can't handle the full planetary scale power and full overflow of its near limitless energy for their own ends; it's too much for their vessel and as such they will self-destruct if they abuse it. It even nullifies her perfection, and she becomes a being capable of death if she keeps using for her own needs extensively. 
Category:Cosmology