Arcaenion began with the continent of Luminaris—the Subconscious Mind—where he formed the life-giving tree later known as Aeiaris, the Mother Tree. Beneath its roots, he anchored the Arcaenyx Sanctuary, where the crystal pulsed with magic, quietly sharing its power with the world above. Atop the highest peaks, he raised the Aetherspire—his refuge and watchtower—so he could look out over the realm he had shaped.

Next came Aetheris—the Conscious Mind. Here, Arcaenion carved a place where Ryder’s thoughts and imaginings could flourish. A realm of creation, it would become the foundation for the imaginings Ryder would one day bring to life.

Finally, he shaped the third and smallest continent: Obscyra. He cloaked it in a magical barrier, invisible to all but himself. Only his power could lift it. Within this secluded land, he built the Vaelgate—the hidden portal to the Sanctuary—ensuring access only when truly needed.

Over the millennia—as time flowed strangely in this place—Arcaenion continued to shape the realm. He painted lakes and mountains, forests and rivers, each detail born from the swirling storm of imaginations within him. And so he named it: Aetherealm.

Though the realm was taking shape, it remained a blank canvas—full of promise, but empty of presence. Arcaenion found joy in creation, yet he had no one with whom to share it. From the depths of the Arcaenyx, he drew forth the essence of Visible Imagination and the captured soul of the toadstool—fragments tied to Ryder’s origin. From these, he shaped companions: Bastian and Aman, the incarnations of essence and soul.

No sooner had Bastian and Aman emerged than Alice appeared. Yet unlike the others, she was not of Arcaenion’s making. The moment he saw her, he was struck by her presence—elegant, mysterious, and clearly born of Ryder’s conscious mind. The first imagining.

Arcaenion wished for his first companions to flourish. Bastian, gifted with the power to transform from familiar to protector in an instant, remained by his side as both protector and closest friend. Aman, whose spirit was pure and unformed, he kept hidden in the highest tower of the Aetherspire, shielding them from harm. For Alice, he conjured a haven: Felrose. He named her its queen. Flattered, she accepted the title and wore her crown of roses with pride.

After the arrival of the founding three, Arcaenion began to shape more life—creatures both fantastic and mundane—drawn from the ever-growing well of Visible Imagination. Soon, the Wilds overflowed with all manner of beings: some wondrous, others fearsome, each vying for space within the untamed landscape. Even Arcaenion came to regard the Wilds with caution.

As time passed, he noticed Aman’s quiet sorrow. In response, he allowed them supervised freedom beyond the tower—first around Aeiaris, then into the bordering Glimmerglade Forest. The change was immediate. Their spirit brightened, and something within them began to awaken. From this freedom bloomed floramancy—the rare ability to commune with and control the flora around them. In Aman’s magic, Arcaenion saw the beauty of unbound potential.

Then he did something he had never done before: he gave Aman a choice. They could remain in the safety of the Aetherspire, or live freely among the forests. Aman didn’t speak—they simply ran to him and embraced him. That was answer enough. The Wilds were calling.

And so, Aman thrived. Amongst myth and legend, they carved their place in the realm—ruling gently over the creatures of the land and discovering the secrets hidden within. One such secret was the existence of the Dovaa, living deep within the Wilds.

As Aetherealm grew, Arcaenion knew he could no longer guide it alone. To preserve balance, he divided his immense magical power—splitting it in half, then halving it once more—to create two beings: Vaelric and Oberon.

Vaelric was forged as the embodiment of Ryder’s conscious mind—his inner voice and magical will—and was entrusted with Aetheris, where he could help shape its evolution. Oberon, born of the subconscious and representing Ryder’s innate sense of order, was given dominion over Luminaris. He was named Grand Luminary, charged with guiding the realm and preserving its harmony.

In those early days, Vaelric made his purpose known: to unearth the realm’s deepest magical truths and forge something that mattered from them. Oberon, by contrast, fulfilled his role with quiet resolve—never seeking power, only using it to sustain balance across Aetherealm.

With Arcaenion’s mentorship, Vaelric crafted a spell unlike any before it—one that could pierce the Vael, the boundary between the subconscious and the waking world. He named it Vaelbreak. For this, Arcaenion gave him the title Vaelbreaker. It was this very magic that would one day allow Alice, Bastian, other muses—and eventually Ryder himself—to cross the Vael into Ryder’s waking world.

Yet even as its creator, Vaelric could not open the Vael alone. And in that moment, he understood the magnitude of his own power—surpassed only by Arcaenion himself and beyond any other mage in Aetherealm.

As Ryder began forming bonds in his waking world, echoes of those individuals—known as Aethereans—began appearing across Aetherealm. Drawn from his thoughts and emotions, they stepped through magical rifts in Aeiaris trunk, emerging with fragments of lore embedded in their minds. Though none knew the full truth, each carried a piece of it, shaping their own beliefs. Over time, these scattered souls formed communities, and an entire society began to take root.

As the realm grew, so too did Vaelric’s discontent. He watched from the shadows as Oberon rose in prominence, celebrated as the Grand Luminary and hailed as a beacon of peace. Vaelric, though arguably far more powerful, remained on the sidelines—relegated to hiding away in Sporehold. While Oberon ruled from the Aetherspire alongside Arcaenion’s unseen guidance, Vaelric buried himself in research, convinced his purpose lay elsewhere: to uncover the deepest truths of magic and unlock Ryder’s full potential.

But time and solitude twisted that ambition. The choices made by Arcaenion weighed heavily on him. What began as a pursuit of knowledge became a hunger for power and eventually, due to the events explored in Aetherealm’s story, a thirst for revenge. Quietly, Vaelric vowed to escape the confines of the Vael and unravel the very world that had cast him in shadow. He would make Aetherealm remember his name.

While Vaelric plotted in silence, Oberon continued his work, unaware of what stirred a continent beyond. That was until the blue aeiablooms began to flourish. When he brought word to Arcaenion, the Architect immediately understood the truth. The blooms were not a blessing—they were a warning. The Arcaenyx was weakening. Small fractures had begun to form, leaking aether into the world above. Its once brilliant blue light had started to dim, a creeping darkness pooling at its base. It was dying.

Arcaenion searched for Vaelric, returning to Aetheris for the first time in an age. But what he found was devastation. Vaelaris Lake shimmered with excess aether, its waters unnaturally charged. The damage was done—the Arcaenyx had been torn, and its lifeblood spilled into the land. Though the cause remained unclear, there was no denying the truth: something deeper was unraveling beneath the surface.

As the blooms spread, the realm was divided. Some viewed them as a plague, watching helplessly as mages succumbed to the aether sickness. Others saw them as signs from Aeiaris—a divine warning to turn away from magic. This era became known as the Blue Bloom Plague.

Amid the chaos, Vaelric made his move. He was able to shatter the Vael, locking Alice away in Grimhollow, with Ryder and Bastian held captive in Sporehold during the harrowing events of the Nightmare Arc.

With no other option, Arcaenion took drastic action. He had to find a way to stem the bleeding, to stabilize the Arcaenyx—no matter the cost. If the crystal failed, Aetherealm would collapse… and Ryder would die with it.

Arcaenion’s first step was Glyntvael. There, he carved a perfect cube from the sacred glyntstone—its facets smooth, its form precise. He adorned it with golden accents, knowing what it would one day become: the Vaelstone.

From within his own spell tome—later known as the Lexicon of Luminaries—he began crafting the Sealing Spell, the most powerful incantation in all of Aetherealm. But he no longer held the magic he once did. He would need help. He turned to Oberon.

Together, they descended into the Sanctuary, only to find the Arcaenyx on the verge of death. Its radiant core was nearly extinguished—only the tip still faintly pulsed with life, a fragile thread barely holding the realm together. Time was running out.

Combining the cardinal elements—Terra, Fire, Water, and Wind—with Arcaenion’s own aether magic, they enacted the ritual. Arcaenion transferred his consciousness into the Vaelstone, giving up his physical form to reignite the Arcaenyx. His body became sealed within the crystal, encased as if frozen in time, his sacrifice restoring the life force needed to keep Aetherealm—and Ryder—alive.

The spell worked. The Arcaenyx flared with light, its magic pulsing once more—its heart beating anew. However, this was but a temporary fix, as the Arcaenyx still bled, albeit at a much slower rate than before.

Oberon returned to Aetherspire with the Vaelstone and the Lexicon in hand. There, he vowed to uncover the truth behind the Blue Bloom Plague and honor Arcaenion’s sacrifice. In time, he discovered the depth of the Vaelstone’s power. Not only would it empower his own magical spells, when placed upon the cover of the Lexicon, Arcaenion’s voice would return. Pages began to appear with a glowing golden light within the tome, filled with his thoughts, his warnings, his wisdom. In this way, Arcaenion lived on—his spirit entwined with the relics, and with Oberon, who became their guardian.

Arcaenion’s sacrifice is what kept Ryder alive—hidden beneath the floorboards of his own bedroom during Vaelric’s reign in the Nightmare Arc. When the arc came to its end, and Vaelric was finally cast back into Aetherealm, he was found unconscious near Aeiaris. Oberon brought him to the highest peak of the Aetherspire and sealed him away—using his magic—enhanced by the Vaelstone—to craft a prison that sealed Vaelric in the tallest tower, where Aman was once held.

This marked a turning point in Aetherean history, prompting a new chapter to be written. That of the Aetherial Ascension. A grand tournament; a gathering of mages to test their skill, seek truth, and push the boundaries of magic itself, the winner earning the title and responsibility of the Grand Luminary.

Finding that he was still able to influence reality in even a small way through the revived Arcaenyx; Arcaenion’s magic reached up into Aeiaris. The Mother Tree’s leaves pulsed with new aetheric energy, and the wind carried memories of the tournament across the realm. Aethereans who breathed in this mystical air began recalling the tale as if from childhood—familiar and nostalgic. They now knew the name Arcaenion as the God of Creation and first Grand Luminary—the Architect, and Oberon as his successor.

With Vaelric locked away, the realm slowly began to recover. Oberon, ever watchful, turned to a new ally—the Echo of Ryder’s guardian: Eon. He entrusted Eon with the truth of Aetherealm, revealing its origins and its fragile balance. In turn, Eon pledged his aid should the realm ever face such peril again.

With the Vaelstone’s reality-shaping power, Oberon conjured Eon’s Estate near Aeiabloom Field—where Ryder had first begun shaping the realm within his consciousness. It was a strategic decision, one made in quiet foresight, in case Ryder ever crossed into the world fully. A wise move.

By then, Bastian had established himself as the Keeper of Stonehaven, placing himself at the edge of the known world to watch over the borders—and to ensure that those loyal to Vaelric would not rise again.

And so, it is here that our story begins.

Aetherealm: The Vaelbreaker.