The death of infinity was not a particularly spectacular event. The series of events leading up to it, the Ultimate End as it was known, represented the sole purpose of Ambrosia. After it was achieved, the various actors in the deterministic play that was Ambrosia were simply left to their own devices. The story was finished, the universe had no reason to continue intervening. The dilapidation set in quickly, the various infinite powers that kept Ambrosia in check began grinding to a halt. Even seconds after the Ultimate End was achieved, the universe was already dying.

Perhaps it was painless, for the uncountably many souls that called Ambrosia home. Most of it was surely destroyed within the blink of an eye. Certain pockets could have persisted, and may still persist to this day if specific conditions are met. The conditions are merging with the force of Amaranth, the only lasting legacy of Ambrosia. This concept, an objective force of infinity, was impossible to remove from reality. In truth, so was its creator, Imagindarium, an even more potent force of creation that transcends even infinity. However, Imagindarium's story was finished, leaving the scattered remains of its creation alone.

Like a director abandoning a set of actors, props, and a stage abandoned after a play, the universe still technically existed. The story was over, closing the reality it represented, but there was a more base reality that continued on. The medium on which the story was told, usually referred to as the "Stage," was not empty. Imagindarium left behind nearly a vast amount of potential. There was no energy in this system, but there was potential for change to take place.

Over the eons, Amaranth idly stood by. As the first true particle, The Monad, came into existence, it created an entire universe in its solitary dance on the stage. Playing the role of every particle at the same time, The Monad caused Cosmoria to leap into existence. With an entire new universe to interface with, familiar concepts like space and time caused Amaranth to finally begin interfering once more.

History

Discovery

A theory that included Amaranth was a holy grail for scientists in Cosmoria. For millennia, a theory of everything that included the quantum, gravity, and the Noosphere, had been the standard view. It was the most successful theory of all time, launching technological development forward everywhere it was discovered. Accurately predicting the behavior of particles a trillion times to one, it was truly a theory of everything. Much to the dismay of philosophers, it swallowed the field of meta-physics, converting it into a field of science with definitive answers and testable hypotheses.

So when scientists began exploring the exceptions, they noticed a common trend. The stray particle that defied their theories, for a much as nanoseconds at a time, had its properties become null. For example, metaphors such as "spin" and "color" are often used for quantum particles to describe their utterly alien properties. When the particles got out of line, these properties were measured to be null. For a time, this was the official terminology.

As the quantum physicists petitioned governments to build ever-larger particle colliders, serious advancement in the field slowed to a halt. As they looked closer, it only confirmed their existing theory. When they found the exceptions, these so-called "Null Behavior Particles," no matter how high the energies involved were, they behaved the same.

As the physicists were stumped by the complex phenomenon, an emerging field would prove most useful in explaining these phenomena. The field of Anomalistics was seen as an unserious pursuit beset by pseudoscience, unfalsifiable claims, and ludicrous explanations. In the Providence Union, then the center of scientific advancement, they could hardly find the funding. Within the Triumvirate Civilization, however, the theocratic government was looking for any esoteric reason to declare their faith as superior to the much more prevalent faiths of the day. The Triumvirate showered the field with large amounts of funding, even going so far as to have primitive species under their control research it as well. Anomalists from the Providence Union were welcomed with open arms and emigrated to the Triumvirate in large numbers to pursue their research or, more often, become tremendously rich while doing little.

As the centuries went on, Anomalists from across the Triumvirate rediscovered the Ambrosian Remnants. These anomalous objects, ranging from particles of dust to, in one case, an entire exoplanet known as Amarent, had unique properties. When studied, they proved to be made up almost entirely of Null Behavior Particles. Due to their relevance in Aeternalism, these once legendary artifacts caused the particles to be renamed to "Amaranth-Touched Particles."

The Great Amaranth Heist

These great artifacts would change hands dozens of times in history, but, by 85,000 CE, they would end up firmly within the coffers of Sedrua. The Aeternalist nation considered them holy objects that were to be protected at all costs. While there were other holders of the artifacts, such as the Cabal of Amaranth Truth and the Occult Galaxy Project, Sedrua controlled over 95% of these objects. Its capital was even Amarent, such was the importance of Amaranth.

During the War of the Ancients, Sedrua moved all of its artifacts to the Lux Aeterna. There, they would be protected by one Father Zaphenim, one of the oldest intelligent beings in Cosmoria and also one of its most Thaumically powerful. He spent much of his time studying them, but his focus usually returned to two of the most interest artifacts—the Amaranth Knight and the Antiwraith. Legends of these ancient beings date back to well before the beginning of the Common Era. While a small contingent of archeologists had been looking for them for centuries, they were located in Zaphenim's Mansion the whole time. This building, located in the center of Cosmoria and shrouded by the clouds of the Lux Aeterna, was inaccessible for most.

The War of the Ancients, however, motivated soldiers from the Dominion of Astraeus to find a way to break into the mansion. It is well-known that Magi are the only individuals capable of entering the Lux Aeterna. Thus, the Dominion sent its most potent magi, which included its Empress Jezebel Drusus. During a protracted battle between Jezebel and Father Zaphenim, soldiers from the Dominion were able to secure the Amaranth Knight but failed to extract the Antiwraith. Most of the other artifacts were stolen, however, leaving Zaphenim's mansion empty.

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