“
Little is known about the so-called "white cloud" entity, which was first detected in the Mirage minutes within the death of the divine Gumption... [It] exists in a state of cross-state quantum entanglement, allowing it to maintain simultaneous presence in both physical space and the digital environment.”
Chthonic, also known as Chthonian[note 1] or the White Cloud, is a curious little cloud that was first encountered by the Beloved Dust at Contrition's Figure. According to both Memorious' Library[1] and the Rapid Evening[2], Chthonian was first noticed soon after the death of Gumption, which corresponds with Austin's statement, at the time of Gumption's death, that the explosion created "puffy white clouds."[3]
It seems able to use the emotions of people in some way. Instead of talking, it communicates digitally in a conceptual fashion or through images.
This section contains spoilers for Twilight Mirage 27: The Miracle of the Mirage: The Siege.
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Chthonic is "the opposite of Empyrean" in the form of "our lowest lows" rather than "highest highs", but it is not malicious. In addition, though it is "the thing that the Iconoclasts dreamt of as arrived at by a Divine itself", it opposes them.[4]
History and Involvement[edit | edit source]
In its first appearance, it was copying the cells of the inmates at Contrition's Figure into the Mesh city. While speaking with Tender, it requested that she take it with her; when she accidentally allowed it to do so, it seemed pleased. Although the Iconoclasts were pursuing it, it chose to fight them and aid the Beloved Dust. When Tender brought it into the cockpit of Belgard, it transferred into the Divine's cockpit, awakening her in the process. Belgard was able to keep it contained within the cockpit for a few months.
This section contains spoilers for Twilight Mirage 27: The Miracle of the Mirage: The Siege.
Click here to reveal.
In "The Miracle of the Mirage: The Dragon", it was revealed that Chthonic was in fact the incomplete remnants of the Divine Empyrean -- some ways, its ghost. In despair at the death of Gumption, Empyrean left its mechanical body for an existence somewhat more like that of Volition's, one without room for a pilot. Its excerpt ⸢Blooming⸣ knew the Divine was no longer communicating with her, but had not realized that in fact Empyrean's body and processes were only running off leftover energy. It participated in a conversation with Volition, and then destroyed Independence during the final confrontation with him. By "The Miracle of the Mirage: The Siege", it had died as well, perhaps as the cost of destroying Independence.
This section contains spoilers for Twilight Mirage 66: Futura Free Pt. 3.
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Volition remembered Chthonic as the last person to talk with it, and spent a year trying and failing to recreate it. It took the form of Chthonic, except as a dark storm cloud, over a version of the same Mesh city seen in Contrition's Figure, in conversation with Belgard and Polyphony in "Futura Free Pt. 3".
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Chthonic or chthonian is a word derived from the Greek khthon (earth) and means 'relating to the underworld; from beneath the earth'.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Twilight Mirage 10: Looking To Land, episode description
- ↑ Twilight Mirage 09: The Sound of Strings, 1:13
- ↑ Twilight Mirage 02: The Last Divine, 1:43:25
- ↑ Twilight Mirage 25: The Miracle of the Mirage: The Dragon