Quantum Time-Lock

are a type of "universal" event implicated in the culling and management of . The static course of history locked into place through these Quantum Time-Locks is, in the Thaumaturgical community of the modern world, referred to as the . The imposition of Quantum Time-Locks is one of the functions performed by the World.
==Overview==
A Quantum Time-Lock is a "universal" event iterated at regular intervals within a domain for the purpose of anchoring "the average expression of phenomena and occurrences" as immutable absolutes within a confirmed History.
In the Prologue of the Altera Route in Fate/EXTELLA, it is stated that the intervals between Time-Locks are a century in scale, but Fate/EXTELLA Material indicates that two Time-Locks in fact manifested between the beginning of the game and the ending of True Nero Route — separated by a bit more than a month in time.
Though the permits the birth of unlimited possibilities, countless Adjacent Worlds, and divergent developments of history, as the unrestricted propagation of this process would quickly exhaust the Universe's lifespan, those extraneous removed of the category of "timelines characterized by strength and stability" are periodically by so as to prevent the needless expenditure of energy. The facilitation of this process is referred to as , effected by way of a heuristic of cumulative timeline — judging the persistence of a timeline's across the subsequent century.
The Moon Cell Automaton has concluded that the means by which the Human — fundamentally unstable by nature — is stabilized across Past, Present, and Future lies in the execution of "culling" and the formation of .
If left alone, will branch without restriction, and the behavior of culling serves to remove those divergences that are unnecessary, leaving only the "trunk" to advance. This is the simplest image by which to comprehend the phenomena. Worlds that lie within the "trunk" are said to be of ; the human civilizations extant within them largely resemble one another in expression and format.
As worlds that advance too far into ruin or prosperity can only tend toward immutable outcomes, they are considered to be bankrupt of , and therefore culled; consequently, that which is preserved and anchored as absolutes by the manifestation of Time-Locks are described to be "the of phenomena and occurrences" — both because the contents of preserved realities tend to be "commonplace" amongst Adjacent Worlds, and because their outcomes on average aren't biased toward positive or negative valence.
Fate/EXTELLA states that the energy required to account for the ceaseless proliferation of unnecessary worlds exists nowhere within this , and that the Dimension itself may eventually exceed capacity if propagation persists unchecked. Furthermore, absent of culling processes, the Earth can persist at its present level of civilization for only another century before the Solar System dissolves beneath the sheer volume of the data produced by humankind. With culling processes safely in place, however, it's likely that the status quo can be sustained for another hundred million years.
The purview of events to be registered to record in an upcoming Quantum Time-Lock may be dictated only those who live within the era. Intervention from the past or future is incapable of directly influencing the formation of a Time-Lock. In Fate/EXTELLA, the factor that determines the purview of a Time-Lock is referred to as .
===Interference Correction===
Any history that has been secured as a become as an existence impervious to interference from the past and future; events or phenomena that exist within the purview of the anchoring band are utterly immovable. Hypothetically, if one were to move to a chronological position in the past of an "anchoring band" to the end of modifying history, as time progresses unto the Time-Lock, history would be to its state of record.
In those universes wherein Quantum Time-Locks are imposed, the "outcomes" that have been registered to anchoring bands are categorically unchangeable. Thus, that which would be open for time travelers to modify would be invariably restricted to "process."
For example, let us presume that the "outcome" that "Britain was destroyed" is secured as a matter of record. In the circumstance that a process wherein "Britain comes to prosper; its wars are concluded; and happiness is granted to its people" is successfully brought about, in the moment that history advances unto the anchoring band, the outcome whereby "even so, Britain came unto its destruction" manifests.
One or two—or any number of lives might be saved. However, modification to the overall course of the is decisively beyond possibility.
To rephrase, it is potentially possible that by some immense undertaking, the course of the History of Man could be fundamentally denied by the successful of a "Quantum Time-Lock" — but even by this method, that which is denied is restricted to "the History of Man that falls subsequent to the anchoring band." As seen in Fate/Grand Order, interference of this scale requires energy that is at least equivalent to a Holy Grail, and has a catastrophic effect on the History of Man to the extent that it is reduced to a mass of arbitrary possibilities. A total rewrite of history would require more energy than exists on Earth, a limitation which Goetia overcomes by the Incineration of Humanity. 
===Differences in Localization===
In the English localization of Fate/EXTELLA, the explanation of Quantum Time-Locks in the Prologue of the Altera Route subtly differs from the Japanese text. Differences may be roughly summarized as follows:
====Japanese====
:"Solitary Otherworlds and / or worlds that advance too far into ruin or prosperity are bankrupt of Parallel Worlds / Branching Potential, tending toward immutable outcomes. Being incapable of guaranteeing survivability, these timelines are culled by the World, as the energy to account for the proliferation of unnecessary worlds exists nowhere within the Dimension. As of the manifestation of a Time-Lock, past histories become immutable."
:*Proliferation of branches is a behavior that a timeline automatically engages in, without external input.
:*"Worlds that advance too far into ruin or prosperity" lack Branching Potential, and are biased toward singular outcomes (either of positive or negative valence). They are inherently incapable of further branching.
:*The Dimension's energy is used to "account" for the proliferation of branching timelines.
:*When a Time-Lock manifests, minimum Branching Potential timelines are "culled."
:*The agent that enacts Time-Locks is referred to as "the World." The domain in which Time-Locks exist is referred to as "the Dimension."
:*As of the manifestation of a Time-Lock, "past histories" become immutable.
====English====
:"Worlds where the future cannot be changed and / or evolved too fast / crumbled too quickly are effectively Dead Ends with predetermined outcomes. The Dimension contains a finite amount of energy, and does not hold energy to spare for the creation of further divergences from Dead End worlds. Only outcomes that would not cause undue difficulty in managing the next generation are supported; other futures are closed by the Dimension. As of the manifestation of a Time-Lock, future histories become immutable."​
:*Proliferation of branches is a behavior that a timeline engages in only when allotted energy by the Dimension.
:*"Worlds that evolved too fast or crumbled too quickly" are "Dead Ends" with predetermined outcomes, where the future cannot change. However, they are capable of further proliferating into "new worlds" if continuously allotted energy by the Dimension.
:*The creation of worlds expends the Dimension's energy.
:*When a Time-Lock manifests, timelines recognized as "Dead Ends" are closed to the future, and cease to be allotted energy for branch proliferation.
:*The agent that enacts Time-Locks is referred to as "the Dimension."
:*As of the manifestation of a Time-Lock, "future histories" become immutable.
==Terminology==
In the Avant Title of the Fate/Grand Order - Accel Zero Order event, Lord El-Melloi II makes references to certain terminology pertaining to the cosmology of Adjacent Worlds and Quantum Time-Locks, available to his comprehension as a consequence of temporarily becoming one with a Heroic Spirit. It is unclear if these terms are in general parlance within the Thaumaturgical community.
In Fate/EXTELLA Material, and are collectively referred to as . However, their relationship with is unclear.
===Parallel Worlds===
===Primary Branch===
:The or Trunk refers to that form the central axis of -- comprising of the pathways of the History of Man; that which remains as of the completion of processes. The worlds of Fate/Zero and Fate/Grand Order are stated by Romani Archaman to "lie near the center" of this cluster -- amongst many that closely approach one another in their historical course. 
Worlds within the Primary Branch are said to exist along their , representing "the of phenomena and occurrences" across the timelines of humanity.
===Items Permissible to Revision===
: is a category name applied to the set of worlds within the Primary Branch. Refers to timelines wherein, outside of the confirmed by a Quantum Time-Lock, the leading up to an outcome may still be modified by time travelers. Beyond the circumstance that an "immense undertaking" overturns a Quantum Time-Lock, however, confirmed Outcomes within these timelines are immutable, regardless of interference from the past or future. Prior to the manifestation of a Quantum Time-Lock, all open and unculled timelines fall under this category.
===Items Designated for Removal===
: is a category name applied to divergent timelines that have -- that is to say, wherein the is sufficiently deviant that its civilization no longer resembles those within the timelines of the Primary Branch. Pruning can also occur if the divergence between branches is so small as to be irrelevant. As the name implies, these realities are designated for culling.
:In Chapter 11 of the Shinjuku Singularity of Fate/Grand Order, Leonardo da Vinci explains that within timelines removed of the established History of Man, Human Order is inactive, and defensive measures of the planet normally rendered by the Counter Force are therefore non-extant. It is as a consequence of this that James Moriarty is able to -- within the context of a timeline designated for culling -- implement his plan to physically annihilate the planet.
:In Fate/EXTELLA, a set of overlapping criteria is outlined for the culling of Items Designated for Removal as of the manifestation of a Quantum Time-Lock:
:*The choices of a timeline's inhabitants can no longer effectively impact its future; possibilities no longer exist.
:*The past of a timeline can no longer be undone.
:*Continuous advancement unto ruin or prosperity has occurred, to the extent that the World has been bankrupted of , and its future has been consequently rendered immutable -- inevitably approaching utopia or destruction without deviation.
:*As of a heuristic audit of cumulative survivability prior to the fall of a Quantum Time-Lock, a given World fails to meet the qualifications to ensure within a century's time.
==="Universe"===
:Refers to a domain that encompasses space and time. In the world of Fate/EXTRA CCC and Fate/EXTELLA, two varieties of existence are referred to as "Universe":
:* refers to a domain of reality wherein is expressed as ; also referred to as . Per the circumstances of human consciousness, the events of the Past, Present, and Future cannot in this expression of time be distinguished as categorically discrete, as the Future continuously passes unto the Present, and the Present into the Past. In exchange for an incapacity to perceive that which lies beyond the Present, one whose awareness is attuned to the "Universe of Observation" obtains the capacity to alter the Present referred to as Tomorrow.
:* refers to a domain of reality wherein the Concept of Time is expressed as -- such that the Past, Present, and Future can be distinguished as categorically discrete entities per a chronological record of proceedings. The timelines represented within the of the Moon Cell Automaton may be collectively considered a "Universe of Record."
:Per Fate/EXTELLA Material, the "Universe" discussed within the context of Quantum Time-Locks refers to Humanity's "Universe of Awareness." It is however unclear if this phrase is synonymous to the term referenced in Fate/EXTELLA; or how indeed the "capacity" or "energy limitations" inherent to the "Universe" restricts the propagation of timelines.
==Examples==
===Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver===
:If Manaka Sajyou had succeeded in fulfilling Saber's wish of an eternal Britain, the Human Order Foundation would have collapsed and the modern world would have been destroyed.Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver Volume 5: Knight of Fate Arc - Act 4 Part 1-A
===Fate/Grand Order===
:By way of the establishment of , Goetia overturns seven of the most significant Quantum Time-Locks within the History of Man so as to facilitate his plan.
:In the context of Fate/Grand Order as a whole, Quantum Time-Locks are referred to as as they form the premises upon which the rationality of humanity necessarily operates. In their absence, the History of Man is itself reduced to chaos of arbitrary possibilities. The Lostbelts function similarly, albeit on a much more drastic scale such that their revised versions of the History of Man are all but unrecognizable. Only the presence of the Fantasy Trees keeps them from being immediately culled. 
===Fate/EXTELLA===
:In Fate/EXTELLA, the objective of Archimedes was to manufacture an outcome whereby "Moon Cell is destroyed" prior to the manifestation of the coming Quantum Time-Lock -- establishing a reality premised upon this condition.
:Whereas originally, such a development could not occur, Archimedes repeatedly shifted between realities to the end of achieving his goal. From Archimedes' perspective, so long as the operation of Moon Cell could be entirely brought to a halt prior to the fall of the subsequent Quantum Time-Lock, victory would be his.
:However, even if there were outcomes in which Archimedes was victorious, a route in which the complete termination of Moon Cell's processes occurred could not be reached. In the meantime, the Protagonist was able to confirm "an average world that bears the greatest potential" -- establishing the purview of the coming Quantum Time-Lock. Archimedes' machinations were consequently brought to ruin.
:Incidentally, Quantum Time-Lock A manifested as of the start of the primary story-arc in Extella, when "the Protagonist enters the Stone Chamber of the Titan with Archimedes, and is split into parts"; Quantum Time-Lock B manifested as of the ending of the True Nero Route.
:Regardless of the actions taken by Archimedes between these two points in time, the "Outcome" was already decided.
==References==
vi:
Category:Cosmology
Category:Metaphysics
Category:Magecraft terminology
Category:Terminology in Fate/Grand Order
Category:Terminology in Fate/EX
Category:Terminology in Fate/Prototype
Category:Terminology in Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA