Anima: Beyond Fantasy Cosmology

The world of Anima spans across several realms, dimensions and planes of existence, but the heart of everything is the Soul Flux.
==The Soul Flux==
The Soul Flux, or Sea of Souls is the origin of all that exists. It is the existential foundation that forms and governs the laws and concepts within which reality participates. Even dreams, and the void itself are conceptually bound to the Soul Flux.
Structure-existence.jpg|Essence is the soul/concept of any particular thing, which gives everything a shape and meaning.
Soul-flux.jpg|All things that exist have their essence birthed in the sea of souls, an infinite plane that is in truth the essence of reality itself.
magicxflux.jpg|It is the "material of creation" that governs the very foundation of reality and causality.
summoningxfluxlaws.jpg|The laws of the natural world are also governed by the Soul Flux.
The Flux is the plane where concepts and ideas are born. A sea of infinite potential, it holds concepts yet to even exist. When a being dies, their essence returns to the sea. All that ever was, is, or will be, can be found within it. The only exception to this rule, are beings that have their souls destroyed, and the select few who transcend the Soul Flux in its entirety.
==Magic==
Magic is very strongly linked to the Soul Flux; it is the very fundamental aspect with which supernatural objects and entities rely, and without it, they could not exist. In many ways, it is another facet of the Soul Flux itself, a product of the former's being, likened to its shadow.
Magic is the abstract force encompassing all concepts, which has the power to control the very essence of the creation. It comes into contact and merges with souls, elements and strong emotions, evolving as a result. Wizards can channel this abstract force in order to mold the very fabric of reality. Spells are simply how magic manifests itself in the physical realm via a caster. With their very will, a sorcerer uses these mystical energies to control the essence of reality itself, in turn producing the outlandish effect caused by a spell.
Magic-theory.jpg| Magic influences everything equally, regardless of existential status. This is likely due to its relation to the Soul Flux, within which even nonexistent elements reside.
Magic-theory2.jpg|Users of magic warp reality by controlling the very essence of the world itself.
Magic-origin.jpg|Magic is an omnipresent force intertwined with the sea of souls. Those able to use it are able to directly shape reality.
==The Lords of Light and Darkness==
From the very beginning of time, mankind has been watched over by godlike beings beyond comprehension. While the origin of these alien entities is a complete mystery, it is clear that they transcend the Soul Flux entirely, and can manipulate it however they please. The vast majority of supernatural creatures were created by these beings. Disagreements eventually rose among the creators over their work, and before long, a war erupted which desolated all of Creation, leaving only 16 of the beings as survivors. C'iel, "the Lady of Light", and "the Dark Lord", Gaira, stood at the top. These supreme beings were the unequivocal victors of the bout, with power severely eclipsing those that they destroyed. Although each one's ideals opposed the other's, they felt no reason to continue their confrontation. Among the surviving generals of the conflict, seven stand by each supreme being. The Beryls, Daughters of Light, stand with C'iel, while the Shajad, Lords of Darkness, follow Gaira. As primordial entities lacking a concept within creation, C'iel, Gaira, chose to incarnate the ideas of Light and Darkness respectively. As such, the Beryls and Shajad followed suit, embodying concepts of their own that acted as facets of the ones incarnated by their leader.
LightxDark.jpg|C'iel and Gaira pt 1
LightxDark2.jpg|C'iel and Gaira pt 2
Arrival.jpg|The creators pt 1
Arrival2.jpg|The creators pt 2
War of Heaven.jpg|The War of Heaven
Beryls.jpg|Beryls
Shajads.jpg|Shajad
Shajads2.jpg|Shajad (continued)
==The Wake==
The Wake is a parallel reality that lies in between the physical and spiritual worlds. In one sense, The Wake is a distorted reflection of the material world. For every object or place in the real world, its duplicate exists within The Wake. By its very nature, this realm is particularly receptive to human emotions. A location inside The Wake will change depending on the type and intensity of the emotions that surround it. When a being dies and its essence returns to the flow of souls, there is a chance that those with strong emotional ties will produce "echoes" within The Wake, leaving behind a warped duplicate of their former existence. The Wake is filled with these Spectres as well as many supernatural entities forced there in the aftermath of the War of God, which rid much of the material world of the magic they needed to survive. Being the place where dreams are held, The Wake is ruled by powerful beings known as the Nightmare Lords, who hope to extend their domain into the real world by steadily increasing their power through the fear mortals give off in their sleep. A number of dimensions also exist either between the physical world and The Wake, or as layers within it.
The Wake.jpg|The Wake
Wake Dreams.jpg|Dreams and The Wake
Wake Rules.jpg|Special properties in The Wake
Wake Settlers.jpg|Wake settlers
Wake-Access.jpg|Entering The Wake
Wake-Access2.jpg|Entering The Wake (continued)
Nightmare Lords.jpg|Nightmare Lords
Nightmare Lords2.jpg|Nightmare Lords pt 2
==The Barrier==
For centuries, mankind and the supernatural races would coexist, albeit rarely in peace. A great number of large scale wars would continually permeate the world. Tensions among the different races would steadily grow, until, by the end of the War of God, a man named Rah would activate a machine that threatened to destroy all of reality on a physical and conceptual level. Only due to the swift intervention of C'iel and Gaira was creation saved, though it was still not without cost. The activation of Rah's machine permanently altered the structure of existence. Magic in the physical world had been nearly wiped out, making life for supernatural beings impossible to sustain. Due to this event, the Powers in the Shadows realized that a peaceful co-existence between the different races was not possible. They convened with the supreme beings, and The Barrier was created, forming the existential gaps that would divide what was once a single reality into three separate planes of existence. Mankind would remain in Gaia, the realm most affected by Rah's machine, while the other races would inhabit their own parallel worlds created by The Barrier. The fragmenting of existence was not a clean one. Numerous territories were caught within it, forming inhabited pocket realities known as interreigns.
Rah's Machine.jpg|Rah's Machine
The Barrier.jpg|The Barrier
Prelude to the End.jpg|Barrier (continued)
The Separation.jpg|The separating of the world
Interreigns.jpg|Interreigns
Entering Interreigns.jpg|Interreigns (continued)
Category:Anima: Beyond Fantasy
Category:Explanation Pages