Amaranth (Cosmoria)
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The death of infinity was not a particularly spectacular event. The events leading up to it, the Ultimate End, were, but the aftermath was anticlimactic. It represented Ambrosia's sole purpose. After it concluded, Imagindarium abandoned the actors in its deterministic play. The story concluded; that the universe had no reason to continue to exist. The dilapidation set in quickly; the various omnipotent powers that kept Ambrosia in check began grinding to a halt. Even seconds after the Ultimate End, Ambrosia was already dying.
Perhaps it was painless for the uncountably many souls that called Ambrosia home. Dissolution took place in the blink of an eye. The only thing to have survived was Amaranth. This infinite concept was etched into what it meant to exist, thus making it impossible to destroy. In truth, so was its creator, Imagindarium, an even more potent force of creation that transcends even infinity. However, without a story, Imagindarium may as well not exist anymore.
Like a director abandoning a set of actors, props, and a stage after a play, the universe still technically existed. The story was over, closing the reality it represented, but a more base reality that persisted. The medium where the story played out, usually called the "Stage," was not empty. Imagindarium left behind nearly infinite potential. The stage had no energy, but there was potential for change.
Over the eons, Amaranth idly stood by. As the first 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 once, The Monad made Cosmoria leap into existence. With an entirely new universe to interface with, familiar concepts like space and time caused Amaranth to cease its inactivity.
Creation
In the first few moments of Cosmoria's existence, Amaranth split into Evil and Good. Perhaps it was imitating the quantum field that was Cosmoria, or perhaps it was breaking down without Imagindarium to guide it. Either way, these two forces would have a lasting impact on Cosmoria. Good and evil, while not objective in Cosmoria, are better described as the names for Amaranth's two fundamental halves. Evil and Good would remain separate and mostly inert for nearly the rest of Cosmoria's history.
As the fire of Cosmoria's creation settled down, the Ambrosian Remnants precipitated out of the primordial plasma. The Remnants ranged in size from specks of dust to an entire planet. These remnants exhibited exotic properties that were usually impossible. They evenly spread themselves throughout most of Cosmoria long before life began.
Discovery
A theory that included Amaranth was a holy grail for scientists in Cosmoria. For millennia, a theory of everything, which included the quantum, gravity, and the Noosphere, had been the standard view. It was the most successful theory of all time, launching technological development everywhere it was discovered. Accurately predicting the behavior of particles a quadrillion times to one, it was truly a theory of everything. Much to the dismay of philosophers, it swallowed the field of metaphysics, converting it into a science with definitive answers and testable hypotheses.
When scientists began exploring the few exceptions, they noticed a common trend. The stray particle that defied their theories, for only nanoseconds at a time, had only null properties. For example, metaphors like "spin" and "color" are often used for quantum particles to describe their utterly alien behavior. When the particles got out of line, physicists measured their properties as null.
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. No matter how high the energies involved, these so-called "Null Behavior Particles" behaved the same.
As conventional physicists were stumped, an emerging field would prove an attempt to explain these phenomena. The scientific community saw the field of Anomalistics as an unserious discipline beset by pseudoscience, unfalsifiable claims, and ludicrous explanations. In the Providence Union, then the center of scientific advancement, Anomalists could hardly find the funding to conduct planetary-scale quantum research. Within the Triumvirate Civilization, however, the theocratic government was looking for any esoteric reason to justify their faith. The Triumvirate showered Anomalists with large amounts of funding, even going so far as to have primitive species under their control research it as well. Anomalists emigrated to the Triumvirate in large numbers to pursue their research or, more often, become tremendously rich while doing little.
As centuries passed, Anomalists from across the Triumvirate rediscovered the Ambrosian Remnants. When studied, they proved to be made up almost entirely of Null Behavior Particles. Due to their relevance in Aeternalism, these once legendary artifacts inspired their new name, "Amaranth-Touched Particles."
Throughout the history of the Triumvirate, it gathered most of the Ambrosian Remnants, only for its collapse to scatter them once again. Collectors, religious fanatics, and governments were quick to collect them.
The Great Amaranth Heist
The Remnants would change hands dozens of times in history. By 85,000 CE, they would end up firmly within the coffers of Sedrua. The Aeternalist state considered them to be holy objects that were to be protected at all costs. While there were other holders of remnants, such as the Cabal of Amaranth Truth and the Occult Galaxy Project, Sedrua possessed the vast majority.
During the War of the Ancients, Sedrua moved all of its Remnants to the Lux Aeterna. There, they would be protected by Father Zaphenim. He spent much of his time studying them, but his focus usually returned to two of the most interesting artifacts—the Amaranth Knight and the Antiwraith. The former, an indestructible living suit of armor, and the latter, a violently boiling mass of liquid, had legends told about them since before the Common Era. They respectively represented both the good and evil portions of Amaranth.
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 dispatched its most potent magi, led by empress Jezebel Drusus. During a protracted battle between Jezebel and Father Zaphenim, soldiers from the Dominion secured the Amaranth Knight but failed to extract the Antiwraith. The soldiers fled with most of the other remnants.
The Amaranth Knight would go on to kill Jezebel as she attempted to eliminate the Dominion's limited democratic elements. Her crusade to secure power for the aristocracy called Jezebel's War, ended with her death.
Aylathiya's Ignominy
The Antiwraith played a great role in the coup attempt known as Aylathiya's Ignominy. After Zaphenim surrendered, he spent nearly all of his time plotting against the newly-created Greater Martial Consilium. He often paced through the empty halls of his mansion, waiting for the best opportunity to strike. He spent the most time with the Antiwraith. Being the manifestation of Amaranth's evil half, Zaphenim became slowly influenced by its whispers.
Under its sway, Zaphenim began planning a coup. His subordinate, Mother Ohko, took power over the Consilium but refused to surrender her position to him. Zaphenim recklessly attacked the Consilium, resulting in a great battle. During the coup, The Administrator seized the Antiwraith for itself. Unlike Zaphenim, who never dared to release it, The Administrator contacted the Antiwraith. Within seconds of escaping, it disappeared. As The Administrator recovered from the attack, thanks to the Antiwraith's power, it began its plan to harness Amaranth.
Penultimate End
By 110,000 CE, the remnants of Sedrua had largely disappeared. Their capital, Amarent, had become the base of operations for the Occult Galaxy Project, which had subsumed the Cabal of Amaranth Truth some centuries prior. The unified organization had become devoted to researching Amaranth in all forms. Nearly every nation in Aylathiya contributed to the organization's coffers. In return, Cosmoria's governments received the Project's fruits. The group had been diverting a great deal of funds towards a project that sought to trigger an Amaranth Contravene. This phenomenon was infinity in action, Amaranth acting upon reality.
The ability to grant any wish was too tempting for the Project to ignore. In 110,364 CE, by a slim margin, the Project voted to allow the Antiwraith to come into contact with the Amaranth Knight. The experiment resulted in the two entities beginning a great battle. As the embodiments of Amaranth's two halves, their reunification released an immense amount of energy; energy that sealed away as Cosmoria formed. The result was enough gamma radiation to sterilize over half of all worlds. In the aftermath, surviving governments began warring over the remains.
The leader of the Occult Galaxy Project revealed the Project's aim, to unlock the ability to manipulate The Monad via Thaumaturgy. This was the ability to create and destroy universes. The prospect tempted anyone with the resources to pursue it; the race for omnipotence had begun. Azurade joined in, hellbent on using the power of Amaranth to preserve Cosmoria forever. Many governments had to choose between securing the power for themselves, which was still unconfirmed, or spending on their militaries to mitigate instability. Making the wrong choice meant utter annihilation from their neighbors.
The Administrator would be the first to understand Amaranth. It became clear that manipulating Amaranth required full immersion in it. Esoteric Thaumaturgy is based on alignment between the mind and a certain concept. To use Esoteric Thaumaturgy based on Amaranth was key to directly interacting with it. The Administrator, only having experience with the Antiwraith, became fully aligned with Amaranth's dark half. After embracing abject evil, The Administrator began using its new-found abilities to annihilate all competition.
Imperator Uriel quickly filled the space left by the burning civilizations, using the power vacuum to seize dozens of stars. This ruler united worlds that had never been under the same banner, only to drain them of resources in resisting the Administrator's tireless onslaught. When the High Warlock began attacking the Administrator, who was now too evil even for the galaxy-eater to tolerate, the Neural Amalgam entered the fray. The unlikely alliance sought to unify all of Cosmoria in the fight against The Administrator. Uriel ventured light years into the void to conquer the forgotten colonies of old, the High Warlock attempted to consume the nebula-like Administrator, and the Neural Amalgam supplied resisting armies.
By 120,300 CE, Uriel had slain the last Aberration in Azurullya that defied his rule. He fulfilled the prophecy of Martial Civil Religion, that all would bow and all Overlords humbled. While the religion was inaccurate about the final obstacle, and many other things, it was correct that Mars would wage war against an omnipotent power. Mars fused with Uriel as it had with all of the rulers in history. The climactic final confrontation mirrored the origin of Mars standing alone in front of the same enemy. However, it was with the help of their allies that Mars was finally able to enact vengeance on The Administrator.
Azurade decided to follow The Administrator's example, absorbing Amaranth into herself. Without anyone else's blessing, she mastered Esoteric Thaumaturgy for both of Amaranth's halves. She triggered the final Amaranth Contravene, causing Amaranth to become one with her. The ability to manipulate The Monad was beyond Amaranth's potential, however. It was a disturbance in the stage, the stage created by Imagindarium and beyond Amaranth's influence. Cosmoria's lifespan was absolute. The Monad reached its 6-billion-year time limit; the various particles of the Monad began annihilating with one another. Cosmoria simply faded away.
The aspects of Azurade under the purview of The Monad fell away, resulting in the creation of Amaranth-Azurade. She helped to usher in the new era of Galvyria.