Xeriar/Aparaspara
Echoes of Aparaspara
As with the account of Seven Crystal Shards, I could find no Unshaped who knew of another Shinma 'deeper' than Aparaspara. Most of them do not even believe it exists, or do not remember. Some merely believe it is a base pattern. While we might be inclined to agree, many Unshaped claim that Nirguna is as well, despite our evidence to the contrary. They, of course, rarely trust us on such matters, though most Shaped comprehend. Not that many hold opinions for long, but there is a certain trend to them. Still others believe it to be a mirror aspect of Nirguna. As in, one and the same, not a lesser shadow like the rest of those that Nirguna encompasses.
A few things are, of course, clear. Nirguna itself is not a base pattern. We have several evidences for this.
The first is, of course, Oblivion. An ever-reaching wound, only its edge exists, and, near as can be told, within lays an existence, which to us is not. As further points will reveal, it is clearly not 'another Nirguna', but rather a hostile state - a patient, eternal one. No doubt, it itself could be classified as Shinma, but not one under Nirguna's umbrella.
The second is the Well of Udr. No Raksha can cross its depths - it is as hostile to them as Oblivion is to us. Mortals and ghosts fair little better. Without Charms potent beyond the reach of the Elementals and those touched by them, it is not possible to cross a Fault in the maze beneath the Well. These Faults, as we have come to call them, are the boundaries where Nirguna touches another. It is for this reason that my colleagues and I reject the notion that Aparaspara, should it exist, is tied with Nirguna, for it is not possible to violate causality even through the Well.
The third is through our own dabblings in these areas, rending holes in Existence itself and making new, if fragile, realms within them. These take different forms, though all of them build upon our knowledge of extending things into Elsewhere, along with the assistance of Gaia and the Gods in such matters, particularly in the construction of the Great Prison of the Yozis. Though time itself may flow differently and in different manners in all the realms which we know of, causality has remained inviolate.
The fourth is the Dremakhe Catastrophe, of which the reader should be well aware. Though contained, we at least gained the knowledge that Nirguna's own form, such as it is, is not immutable.
These facts have led to the conclusion that, should Aparaspara exist, it is by far the vaster of the two 'great shinma'. However, given our utter inability to circumvent it, many suspect it to merely be a fundamental property. I, personally, do not see this as a bad thing. If it were possible to 'travel back in time', then that would suggest far more than just temporal problems.
