Fabric of Reality

The **Fabric of Reality** is a important concept in the Universe of the angelic tetralogy. Simply, it is a membrane that separates the Physical World (the Haled) from the Spirit World.

## Concept

As stated above, the Fabric of Reality is the name given by angels (and by some human scholars) to a metaphysical membrane that divides the Universe into two main parts: the Physical World, known as Haled by the celestials, and the Spirit World. Before the appearance of the Fabric, both worlds were the same and there was no distinction between them, but now they are completely different realms, with laws and properties of their own.

The origin and continuity of the Fabric is intrinsically linked to humanity as a collective. As already proved by the angels, it is formed by the rational mind of men, when, even unconsciously, they reject magic and the supernatural, things that reason and science cannot explain. In this way, the Fabric acts as a protection of humanity, although few even know it, against supernatural entities and forces that could be a threat.

### Emergence and History

Many have mounted theories about the true emergence of the Fabric of Reality. The Seraphim believe it appeared when Adam, the first man, became aware of himself and the world around him. The Malakim, and some Elohim, believe that the membrane rose when humanity as a whole began to gradually become aware of its position in the Universe. Either of the two theories traces the origin of the Fabric of Reality to at least the beginning of the Seventh Day of Creation, approximately 200,000 years ago.

At the dawn of civilization, the Fabric was fragile and inconsistent, in addition to being more concentrated in large populous centers, because as said, it was an unconscious product of the collective of the human mind. Because of this, in ancient times, the world was a different place. Wizards and sorcerers existed almost everywhere, as the fragility of the Fabric allowed for an ease in the practice of magic and the study of occult forces. However, despite seeming an advantage, this fragility allowed spiritual beings to have no problems when visiting Earth and harassing human communities.

Over the years, the development of rational thinking, the scientific method and the favoring of the use of new technologies hardened the vision of humans in relation to the supernatural. Most of society became skeptical and believed that miracles and magical deeds were nothing more than tales and legends of yore. Because of this thought, the Fabric has thickened more and more over the ages, leading to consequences such as the near extinction of human magical practices in modern societies and the difficulty of spiritual beings, including angels, in the crossing of the Fabric and its divine manifestations.

### Stiffness

As stated above, the Fabric of Reality can be classified according to its density, often called stiffness by experts. In areas further away from urban centers, such as rural areas, forests and abandoned places, the Fabric is thinner than normal, that is, it allows the execution of magic and the materialization of spiritual entities, both beings and objects.

On the other hand, in the midst of cities and industrial centers, the Fabric is so thick that those who have any connection with the supernatural will find it difficult to perform some tricks. Wizards and sorcerers cannot easily perform magic; psionics cannot see the Astral Plane; angels and demons can only materialize their avatar under "normal" conditions for the present society, that is, no wings or mystical animal forms.

### Materialization

Materialization is the act of a spiritual being to build an avatar and interact with the physical world and its inhabitants. To create an avatar, the being needs to use ectoplasm, the material part of the Fabric present on its external face, to build the body, which, as said, must fit into acceptable standards for the modern community. Angels are experts in materialization and don't waste a drop of ectoplasm, but beings like demons end up using more than they need to and leaving traces of the substance behind.

The opposite of materialization would obviously be dematerialization, that is, when the spiritual being leaves its avatar, crosses the Fabric of Reality and returns to the Spirit World. Dematerialization can be voluntary, when the being has already accomplished its mission in Haled, or it can be involuntary, when the avatar suffers fatal damage, being called banishment. As the avatar is just a shell, the spirit being does not die along with the body, but is brutally thrown back to the Spirit World without any kind of damage. However, the trauma of the banishment is so strong that the spirit being can take months (even years) to build a new avatar.

Not all spiritual beings can materialize. The Daimoniuns, one of the infernal orders, can only reach Haled through the possession of human bodies, while the ethereal spirits communicate with their worshippers at vertices and sanctuarys.

## Routes and Pathways

Main Page: Cosmic Routes

The Fabric of Reality is not completely impassable. Spiritual beings materialize and dematerialize every day at all times, causing certain vibrations in the Fabric that can be felt by beings with a high supernatural sensitivity. When humans die, their souls detach from the body and cross the Fabric, heading to the Astral Plane. This process is known as disincarnation.

In addition to these means, there are other ways to travel between the Physical World and the Spiritual World, such as:

* **Portal:** They link the Physical World to the Ethereal or other parallel dimension, allowing spiritual beings to emerge in Haled in their original form. In the same way that a mortal can visit spirit realms (the Seven Heavens, Asgard) while still alive.
* **Sanctuary:** Regions in Haled where the Fabric of Reality is extremely thin, allowing for the performance of magic and the materialization of spirit beings. Rural areas and environments further away from urban centers can become sanctuaries.
* **Vertices:** Regions where the Fabric of Reality does not exist and where the Physical and Spiritual Worlds are one. This allows spirit beings to appear in their true form, but means they can meet their true demise as they do not inhabit an avatar.