Quantum Time-Lock

A **Quantum Time-Lock** is a metaphysical event caused by All of Creation and carried out by the Regulator of Existence at regular intervals. It is an event that calculates the average "value" of timelines and realities, then locks down past events as immutable absolutes in history. It is an event that implicates the culling and management of useless timelines, realities, and universes.

The **Principle of Balance** that guides the Deterrence Force's actions builds upon this system, using it as a basis.

## Information

The Quantum Time-Lock metaphysical event that occurs regularly across All of Creation and that is carried out by the Regulator of Existence in order to cull certain timelines, universes, and realities that have become ***Targets Designated for Removal***. It is an event that ensures that which can no longer evolve, progress, or that has been completely destroyed is gotten rid of to open up more space in All of Creation for more, new thing.

This metaphysical event must happen because All of Creation has limited amount of "space". And if everything that exists within it is "data", then that data takes up space. As a result, "data" that has become useless, and in this case, universes, timelines, and realities that have become unable to progress for one reason or another, must be culled to free up more space.

## Characteristics

A Quantum Time-Lock occurs at regular intervals and involves culling ***Targets Designated for Removal***. In this case, these targets refer to timelines, realities, and universes that, for one reason or another, have lost the ability to progress and evolve. Maybe they were destroyed or maybe they have reached their full potential. Either way, these targets are culled by the Quantum Time-Lock. However, before there is a culling, there is a process that has to be followed.

A Quantum Time-Lock locks down phenomena and occurrences as immutable absolutes in the confirmed Historical Fog. While unlimited possibilities exist in All of Creation, including countless timelines, universes, realities, and divergent developments of history, allowing the unrestricted propagation of this process would quickly fill up all the "available space" in All of Creation. Thus, the existence known as the Regulator of Existence, the "Son" of the Creator, periodically culls extraneous timelines, realities, and universes that do not possess strength and stability to prevent needless expenditure of available space. This process is known as the ***Conservation of Phenomena***, and it involves heuristic audits of cumulative "targets" to judge the persistence of a "target" over the subsequent centuries.

Without a regular culling, these "targets" would branch off without restriction, continuously wasting more available space and making it unavailable space. The culling serves to remove unnecessary "data" from the unavailable space, freeing up more space. This leaves only the "useful data" to continue. What constitutes becoming a ***Target Designated for Removal*** is advancing too far into ruin or prosperity, which prevents these targets from evolving and progressing further, and therefore resulting in being culled.

All of Creation does not have the space to account for the ceaseless proliferation of unnecessary "data", and if unchecked, it may eventually exceed capacity. Thanks to the Quantum Time-Lock taking place regularly, the status quo can be sustained endlessly. The only way to change one's home from becoming a ***Target Designated for Removal*** is to be an inhabitant of said target for only then may one dictate the events to be registered for an upcoming Quantum Time-Lock. Intervention from the past or future cannot directly influence the formation of a Quantum Time-Lock.

## Interference Correction

Once a history is locked in a Quantum Time-Lock, it becomes impervious to interference from both past and future. Any events or phenomena within the anchoring band's purview become immovable and unchangeable. If one were to travel to the past and attempt to modify the history within the anchoring band's range, the "target" would forcibly correct itself as it progresses towards the Time-Lock.

In places with Quantum Time-Locks, registered outcomes within anchoring bands are categorically unchangeable. Time travelers may only modify processes within the range. For instance, if "the Empire was destroyed" is a secured outcome, attempting to bring about a process where "the Empire prospers, wars end, and happiness prevails" would ultimately result in the outcome of "the Empire still faces destruction" once history advances to the anchoring band.

While such efforts could potentially save a few lives, modifying the overall course of the Historical Fog is decisively impossible. The only way to fundamentally alter the course of the Historical Fog is to successfully revoke a Quantum Time-Lock. Even then, only the subsequent history falling after the anchoring band is affected.

## Terminology

### Targets Designated for Removal

**Targets Designated for Removal**(Removal Targets)
refer to universes, timelines, or realities and items that can no longer progress or change. 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 target's inhabitants can no longer effectively impact its future; possibilities no longer exist.
* The past of a target can no longer be undone.
* Continuous advancement unto ruin or prosperity has occurred, to the extent that the target has been bankrupted of possibilities, 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 target fails to meet the qualifications to ensure "the operation of the subsequent eras" within a century's time.