The Codex

The Codex is a metaphysical device, anomaly, or power created by an unknown species billions of years before the events of the stories. Originally, it was assumed that it and **the Inferno** were interchangeable terms- but this was later revealed to be false, as the title of 'Inferno' only refers to the current holder of the Codex, not the Codex itself.

## **History**

#### **The Architects**

The exact origin of the Codex is unknown, though it definitively predates the birth of **the Architects** by hundreds of thousands of years at the least. Once they discovered it, the Architects wasted no time in using its power for the advancement of their own species; most notably in rewriting their genetic code and ascending themselves to the third stage of life as an advanced species- entwinement.

Reverse engineering the anomaly's properties and functions, they were able to create the **Arks** and the **fold-weapons** with which to be fueled by them. It allowed them to rapidly to dominate most of the known galaxy and grow their territory. In addition, they would continually adapt themselves by harvesting other species' essence through the use of the Codex and adding any desired genetic code to their own gene pool. Unwanted or excess essence was cast aside and stored within the extra-dimensional plane the Codex grants access to.

Ironically, their use of the Codex to conquer the galaxy would also be their downfall. Within its confines, the discarded essence and genetic material of all the civilizations the Architects had assimilated began to stitch together, forming a massive, sentient mass of organic matter. Its nature mirrored that of the Architects as a hive-mind species, and its creation had imbued it with the ability to use the powers of the Codex naturally rather than through the anomaly itself. Watching how it behaved and the patterns it exhibited, the Architects dubbed it **the Seed**.

Its near-annihilation of the Architects effectively ended their reign of dominance over the galaxy, as well as their use over the Codex. Since the Seed was drawn to its power as well as the fact that they could not conventionally kill the Seed and its Amalgamates without killing themselves in the process (as both entwined species would be targeted by the arrays the Architects constructed as a countermeasure), the Architects used the fold-weapons to instead seal the Seed within the core of an ice-world, and set events in motion that would result in a future race taking the Seed from the past and placing it in the future.

To facilitate this event, the Architects stored their collective consciousness and knowledge into the Codex save for one individual; **Al'cor**, the current **Inferno**. It became her job to hide an orb containing the Codex itself on the Architect **home-world**, where it would hopefully be discovered by an entwined species in the future.

#### **Humanity**

Millions of years later, the ARES Division of the IMC discovered evidence of the Architects existence spanning the galaxy. Realizing they could repurpose the ancient fold-weapons left behind by them into planet killers, they sought to find the Codex to learn of how to repair the derelict structures, as they believed the Codex to simply be a record of the civilization's history and knowledge. While they did find the orb that Al'cor had hidden on Erebus, they were unable to remove it from its location nor interface with it.

The orb was discovered again by **Tobias Four** when he was stranded on the planet and wandered into an excavated cave. Making his way through the ruins, he found it on a pedestal overlooking a long since defunct fold-weapon. Mistakenly recognizing him as an entwined form of life due to his neural link with the Titan **KT-0298**, an imprint of Al'cor's consciousness embedded within the orb guided him through the necessary steps to retrieve the Codex. Once completed, the Codex merged itself with his essence and transformed him into the next Inferno.

Though the IMC wished to keep the Codex for themselves, they were unable to remove it from Tobias without the risk of killing him- and in turn, potentially destroying their prize. As such, they took him captive after the **Assault on Erebus** and studied him for information. It is not stated if anything ever came of this research.

After Tobias was rescued from his imprisonment, the Codex remained within him and provided him with visions of the Seed and the potential reality of an **Amalgamation** **event**, guiding him and KT on a path which would lead them to the world of storms.

After receiving instructions from Al'cor, the three of them embarked on a journey to three arrays that had been constructed across various systems to form a galaxy-wide field that would, when powered by the Codex, instill brain death in any form of entwined life in an event known as **the Tempest**.

While searching for the final array on **Harmony**, the Seed attempted to read Tobias's mind while he was linked to KT. The action resulted in both of their consciousnesses being brought into the extra-dimensional plane inside the Codex. It then rectified the presence of two entities by copying the status of Inferno onto KT, essentially granting her the use of its energy without any of the knowledge or consciousness of the Architects which had been stored inside it.

When KT attempted to activate the final array, it accepted the energy within her as the Codex and proceeded to form the Tempest without triggering the second stage of the Architect's plan; dispersing their consciousness throughout whatever entwined species had taken hold of the Codex, and allowing them to return without fear of retribution from the Seed.

Afterwards, the Codex was not utilized again until **Spyglass** learned of the anomaly's true nature from Al'cor. He then decided to use it as a universal power source for his modified fold-weapon in order to distribute capsules filled with nanites designed to replace the consciousness of an individual. He also intended to become the next Inferno, and use his new connection to all of humanity to ascend them as an entwined species, one through which the Architects could return and safeguard humanity's continued physical existence by merging the two species consciousnesses into one.

After Spyglass's death and the implosion of Regis, the Codex was assumed destroyed.