Metaphysical Realm

**The Metaphysical Realm**, also known as **Fons**, is a dimension parallel to the real world that composes of every creature's collective thoughts. It is inhabited solely by Shadows, which are the creatures' darkest and most supressed thoughts in living form. The Metaphysical Realm has had many names in the past, such as the Metaverse, the Source, Spiritus/Anima Galaxia, the Galactic Unisoul and the Collective Unconscious in more scientific circles.

## Layers

The Metaphysical Realm consists of many layers, the most known of which are the Shadow Realm and Niflheim, the Realm of the Dead. One of the lesser known layers is Destati, which is the Metaphysical Realm's form in every creature's soul/heart.

There is also the Nether-Realm, which was part of the Metaphysical Realm as well before it was partly dragged away by the creation of the Aetherlife. Nowadays the Nether-Realm is the midway point between the Aetherlife and the Source, and its inhabited by the Netherkin, dangerous dragonoid creatures who plot for complete obliteration of everything.

### The Shadow Realm

The most famous portion of the Metaphysical Realm, the Shadow Realm, is perhaps the most important part of it all, since most of the people's shadows live here. It is also home to the Matrix of Shadows, which is physically located on the planet Matrix, and which controls the flow of time so that no outside threat can destroy it and erase creatures from existence. The Matrix also prevents the Darkspore and other forces from the outside of the galaxy from invading the galaxy through the Edicts of Sporix, which were erected after the Ea attack on Sixam by Sporix himself.

### Niflheim

The realm of the dead, where the shadows of the deceased people usually went before the creation of the Aetherlife. In planets which were important during certain wars, certain events might cause this plane to remember the events it suffered, making the shadows within battle against one another again.

### Nether-Realm

A chaotic realm which lies halfway between the Aetherlife and the Metaphysical Realm. It is home to the Netherkin, a dangerous race of dragonoid demons. Recently it was captured by the Ea Empire in the Battle of the Nether, forcing the Netherkin to relocate to the real world.

### Dreamscape

A world of dreams, and where the strongest dreams of creatures originate. Every creature's dreams are reflected in this realm, and in turn its visitors can interact with the creatures' dreams. Some malevolent forces try to sometimes use dreams to possess certain people, but they have usually been stopped before they could do anything worse.

### Destati

The layer which represents the minds of the creatures themselves in the Metaphysical Realm. It can dived to by special, skilled individuals to remove curses, but also add them. Xenolate is a very skilled user of Destati, as are some Liskian foretellers and diviners.

## Lifeforms

### Shadows

**Shadows** are what forms part of the creature's psyche. They form when a creature starts to repress their dark thoughts from the outside world, or when they do something which they then later regret. Shadows are an integral portion of the creature's soul, and if they are destroyed completely, the creature loses their will to live and suffers a mental breakdown, which will lead to certain death if the creature is not tended for.

Shadows cannot be brought to the real world by normal means, as they will refuse to leave the Metaphysical Realm on any condition. However, if a creature with a Persona defeats a Shadow and persuades them to change their ways, the Shadow will unite with its real counterpart and trigger a change of heart in the creature whose Shadow was defeated.

There is one device, however, which can summon Shadows of the Metaphysical Realm, and it's called the Staff of Shadows. Its whereabouts are currently unknown, but last time it was seen in the hands of the Anthrantus, specifically Supreme Highlord Miaron, the inventor of the X-Sporids.

### Personas

**Personas** appear when a creature faces their own Shadow in the Metaphysical Realm, or when they meet their friends' Shadows' reflections in the Matrix. The creature will most likely accept their darkest thoughts, and become a mask that is a Persona. Personas have the power to defeat Shadows without killing them completely or without the Shadow just teleporting elsewhere. Persona appearing somewhere in the galaxy is a rare occurence, and they became common knowledge to modern galactic scholars with the rise of the Jadé Order, who still work in secret though.

Personas can also appear in the real world with the help of the Phantom Jade, a mystical gemstone with capabilities and powers over spacetime continuum. Shards of the gemstone can be used in different items to store the Persona within them outside the Shadow Realm, such as the Ele-blades that the Jadé use in their operations.

### Phantoms

**Phantoms** are reflections of Shadows which appear in set locations in the Shadow Realm. They reflect the local planet's residents' thoughts and fears, and usually take form of familiar figures. Phantoms can trigger a Persona appearing if they manage to taunt a creature with the potential for Persona-summoning.