Ætherside

The Ætherside is an overarching term for describing areas where Depth reading is at 1 in subterranean, surface, atmospheric, and orbital regions of Talos-II. Given the time scale of Talos-II, the Ætherside is currently overlapping with realspace. Flow of matter and energy between the two dimensions has been verified as a feasible possibility.

In Talos-II, the barrier between the realspace and Ætherside may sometimes rupture to create an inter-spatial conduit (and in rare occasions, disrupt the very time scale itself) colloquially referred to as the "rift". Depth readings near rifts typically approach 0.5, which also means that Active Blight has a higher probability of occurring at these places.

Cultivating Originium or deploying activated Originium can effectively reduce depth readings in surrounding areas, thereby helping contain breaches in Æthersides to some extent. However, this effect lacks consistent patterns. At times, Originium activity may instead be suppressed by rifts. In regions with active Ætherside phenomena, facility and machinery reliant on Originium Arts often experience significant operational interference.

The consequences of matter transitioning from reality into Æthersides are random and unpredictable. What remains certain is that all biological processes essential to sustaining life experience severe disruption and obstruction within these domains. Conversely, when matter emerges from Æthersides back into realspace, it generates Active Blight in realspace. Consequently, matter exchange experiments between realspace and Æthersides face strict restrictions under the Band Accord, with the vast majority of related live-subject testing explicitly prohibited.

Unlike physical matter, energy flows unidirectionally from Æthersides into realspace through potential energy conversion. This phenomenon occurs even in the absence of rifts, making related studies a primary focus in the field of Ætherside utilization. However, when this energy flow exceeds certain thresholds, it frequently triggers random and uncontrollable explosions.

Humanity's comprehension of Æthersides remains profoundly limited, particularly since distinguishing them from known subspace. The prevailing hypothesis suggests Æthersides constitute a separate universe, one quietly undergoing heat death while saturated with lethal toxins. Subspace, in this framework, would serve as the membrane separating Æthersides from realspace. Yet such theories currently lack substantiation through mathematical models or experimental observation.