The Future of Reality
What Comes Next?
The Weave Shattered, The Leylines Persist
Even after the monumental 4,000-Year War, the world stands at the edge of an uncertain future, fragmented and incomplete. The Weave, once the binding force that connected all magic and reality, lies shattered, torn apart by the forces unleashed during the war. Yet, despite its destruction, the Weave has not been erased entirely—its essence still lingers, fractured and unformed, like an unfinished tapestry hanging on the edge of oblivion. Without the Weave to provide structure, order, and balance, chaos now seeps into the cracks of reality itself.
In the absence of the Weave’s steadying presence, the Leylines—those primal currents of raw magical energy that flow beneath the world—continue to persist. However, without the Weave to direct their flow, the Leylines lack guidance, wandering aimlessly and at times spilling over their boundaries. Once a mere tool for enhancing magic, the Leylines have now become something greater: they are the foundation upon which the new world is built. Their raw power pulses through the fabric of reality itself, creating a new, unstable magic system that is both limitless and unpredictable. The divine structure that once bound the universe seems to have crumbled, leaving the world to stand on these untamed currents.
But, while the Leylines persist, their future is uncertain. Without the Weave to bind them, can they continue to sustain reality itself? Will they form a new system, one that will give birth to a new natural order? Or will the absence of the Weave lead to an inevitable collapse, as the balance between magic, life, and the fabric of reality itself begins to unravel?
The Spiral and the Leylines: An Unfinished Revolution
The Leylines themselves are, in many ways, a distant echo of the Spiral, the ambitious project once pursued by the Netherese, the dragons, and the phoenixes. The Spiral was envisioned as the next evolution of reality, an unbreakable and limitless lattice that would replace the Weave entirely. Its potential was boundless—no artificial restrictions, no limits on power, no ceilings on magical potential. The Spiral aimed to create a universe where magic could grow beyond the confines of the Weave and the existing divine constraints, much like the Leylines now are, flowing freely without oversight or boundaries.
However, the Spiral was never completed. It was interrupted by the fear of the gods, mortals, and even some dragonkind—afraid that its unrestricted power would bring about an end to their own reigns and destroy the delicate balance they had fought to maintain. But in its unfinished state, the Spiral still exists as an idea—the potential to create a reality where magic is both unrestricted and limitless. The Leylines, though not the full implementation of the Spiral, are in many ways the closest thing to this vision. They are raw, unbound currents of power that pulse through existence, ready to be tapped into, yet undefined and unregulated. Without the Weave to guide them, the Leylines have become the closest approximation to the Spiral, allowing individuals to access greater and more chaotic magic than ever before.
Yet, with this new freedom comes the same danger that the Spiral posed: a universe without limits. The Leylines, ungoverned and untamed, may create a world where reality itself begins to bend and break under the sheer weight of unchecked magical energy. The Spiral itself was meant to be an evolution of existence, a means of advancing beyond the limitations of the Weave—but if the Leylines continue to flow without guidance, it could lead to the very collapse that the Spiral sought to prevent.
If the Weave is Not Restored, Can the Leylines Sustain Reality?
The Leylines, in their current form, are a force of nature—untamed, raw, and powerful. They have sustained magic and existence in the absence of the Weave, but scholars and practitioners of the arcane are divided over whether they can continue to do so in the long term. Some believe that, over time, the Leylines will find their own natural order. As the currents of magic continue to flow, they argue that the Leylines will settle into a new rhythm, one that will allow reality to stabilize without the Weave’s guiding hand. This natural evolution would replace the rigid structure of the old order with a more fluid, dynamic system—one where magic is free from the celestial controls that once governed it. In this future, mortals would have greater freedom to explore and manipulate magic, tapping into the Leylines without limitations.
However, this view fails to take into account the dangerous precedent set by the Spiral. In the unfinished form of the Spiral, the universe was meant to operate without restrictions, but without control, even the most well-intentioned evolution can lead to chaos. The Leylines could stabilize into a new natural order, yes—but the question remains: how much control can be maintained over power that is so unrestrained? If the Leylines flow without guidance, could they lead to unpredictable consequences? Could reality itself eventually collapse under the weight of unlimited magic?
Some fear that, without a Weave or a guiding structure, the Leylines will trigger a chain reaction, one that could spiral the universe into irreversible decay. Could the power unleashed by the Leylines, like the potential energy of the Spiral, tear apart the very fabric of reality? Some even believe that the unbridled flow of magic would lead to the return of long-forgotten chaotic powers, the very forces that the Spiral sought to protect existence from.
The choice, therefore, is not simple: can the Leylines truly sustain the world, or will they, like the Spiral, lead to the unraveling of all things? The absence of the Weave creates new potential, yes, but also new risks—and it remains to be seen whether the world is ready to face the dangers that come with unlimited magic.
The Weave Can Be Rebuilt… But Should It?
The aftermath of the 4,000-Year War has left the world at a crossroads, torn between competing futures. The Weave, once the very structure that held reality together, lies in ruins, leaving a fragmented and uncertain world in its wake. The question now arises: Can the Weave be rebuilt, and should it be?
This decision will not only determine the course of magic but the very fate of existence. The Twigs of Fate, ancient fragments of power scattered across the remnants of the old world, hold the key to reshaping reality. By gathering them, the ultimate choice becomes clear:
- Restoration – The attempt to return to the old order, to mend the broken Weave and restore it to its previous state. This would bring back the balance that once governed magic, though many question whether such a return is even possible, or whether the forces unleashed during the war have permanently altered the fabric of reality.
- Reinvention – The idea of creating a new design, a new structure for magic and existence, one that may even surpass the Weave itself. This would be a revolutionary step—an evolution of magic, similar to the ambitions of the Netherese with their Spiral. The Leylines, untamed and free-flowing, may offer the foundation for such a design. But will this new order be better than the old one, or will it simply bring more chaos, as the Spiral once threatened?
- Abandonment – A third path, one that embraces the collapse of the old system entirely. Rather than attempt to restore or reinvent the Weave, the world could abandon it and allow the Leylines to dictate the fate of reality alone. This would be a risky move, essentially leaving reality to unravel and form a new natural order based solely on the erratic power of the Leylines. This could free mortals from the control of gods and deities, but at what cost? Would it plunge the world into uncontrollable chaos, with no structure or guidance to anchor it?
Each path carries its own weight and consequences, and the decision will ultimately shape the destiny of not only the world but of every being within it. The choice is not just about the restoration of the Weave, but about the very nature of existence—will it remain structured and controlled, or will it embrace the unpredictable power of limitless magic and reality?
The Sealed Threats Remain
Despite the apparent end of the 4,000-Year War, the world has not fully healed. Many of the Unbound—ancient and powerful beings trapped in prison-realms—still remain imprisoned, but for how long? These cosmic forces, kept at bay for millennia, are the very sources of the chaos and destruction that led to the war in the first place. Their power is immeasurable, and their potential to unleash havoc upon the world is ever-present.
If the Weave is reforged and restored, there is a dangerous risk that its new form could weaken the ancient seals that hold the Unbound in place. These seals were forged through the Weave’s control and divine magic—its unifying force—but with the Weave fractured, their integrity is compromised. The delicate balance that keeps the Unbound imprisoned could collapse, allowing them to break free and wreak destruction once again. The consequences would be catastrophic, plunging the world back into the kind of chaos that led to the Weave’s creation in the first place.
If the Weave is abandoned entirely, there is no guarantee that the seals will hold. The Leylines, left unchecked, could create a power vacuum where the Unbound—who feed on the very fabric of reality—might slip through the cracks and unleash their horrors upon the cosmos once more. The collapse of the Weave would mean that there is no structure left to keep these ancient entities confined. The prison-realms might collapse, and the forces of chaos could once again spread across the world, leaving no realm or order untouched by their malevolent influence.
As the future of reality teeters on the brink of destruction or evolution, the sealed threats are a constant reminder of the dangers that lie beneath the surface. Will the Weave be restored, and with it, the hope of maintaining order and stability? Or will the abandonment of the Weave allow the Leylines to run wild, offering a future where power is limitless, but where the world is ever on the verge of falling apart—unbound by the very forces it once sought to control? The decisions made now will determine if the world will ever recover, or if it will simply succumb to the forces that threaten to tear it apart.
