Is The World of Darkness the Void? [3.4 spoilers]

[Chewy2nd]

So, I realised the name of the World of Darkness that we visited in the Crystal Tower took on a whole new meaning, given that it is the 13th reflection, and it was destroyed by darkness.



Is this the Void? Or is this just the remains of the 13th reflection that the Cloud of Darkness now has dominion over? Is the void bigger than the one world?

[Anonymoose]

This is something I've been trying to dig into with little success.

Did the Thirteenth become a void, as void, or the (entire) void?

It sure sounds like the latter. The Ascians and the Cloud spoke of [perfect darkness] as if it's what came before and lies beyond the Source (or so it seemed to me). In some cases they even claimed that "the void" would consume our Light and our world. But the void is what now occupies a world-shaped hole where one reflection used to be? Something about this feels very strange to me. Am I the only one who viscerally senses something amiss there?

I'm mulling possibilities trying to find a pleasing headcanon. I've always assumed that the [Perfect Darkness / Chaos] and the [World of Darkness / voidsent origin] were essentially one and the same. Perhaps the former was introduced to the Thirteenth via the flood of Darkness and transformed it into the latter. My understanding of the cosmology just took one step forward and two leaps sideways.

The one thing that feels right is that Arbert's interpretation explains the voidsent and their variance - they could be the former life of the Thirteenth, trapped in an eternal state of ... other-ness.

Yet the World of Darkness, to me, felt like a small corner of the void (whatever it is) where specifically the things sacrificed to the Cloud by Xande ended up. Perhaps the buildings, as well, perhaps not. I'm unsure.

I'll probably have to dig pretty deep to get these answers. This is one of the background themes of which I have a very tenuous grasp.
I could be talking about it in ways that don't apply at all.

Any ideas in the meantime?

[Cilia]

In all fairness, if I recall correctly it was said the World of Darkness is only on the precipice of the Void, not in the depths. So a little... "normal" stuff, hospitable terrain, is to be expected.

However, knowing what we know now about the Void... could it be hypothetical remnants of the Thirteenth? Maybe...

[Hinoto-no-Ryuji]

Wait, wasn't it explicitly said by the WoD that the 13th was swallowed by Darkness and thus became what we know as "the Void"? I'm a bit confused as to what the debate here is; it seemed pretty plainly stated.

[myahele]

Yeah, the 13th shard was consumed by darkness and became the void.

Interesting how he said "you" rather than "we" could that mean that Voidal rifts/ Voidsent could not get into the 1st world due to it having much more light. Or was the "void" called something else in their world? Or am I simply over thinking that part?

[Yuella]

FF13's world was swallowed by Darkness and Lightning had to escape it at the end of Lightning Returns. hmm....

[Cilia]

FF13's world was swallowed by Darkness and Lightning had to escape it at the end of Lightning Returns. hmm....

Separate universes. It's been iterated time and again that there is no connection between Eorzea / Hydaelyn and any other Final Fantasy world except names used as homage (well, beyond the normal "it's possible to traverse the Interdimensional Rift and visit other worlds," which holds true in all FF games).

[swiss_Momo]

there is no connection between Eorzea / Hydaelyn and any other Final Fantasy world.

But do the 13 shards technically still count as Hydaelyn?

/darkstelfoilhat

[Cilia]

But do the 13 shards technically still count as Hydaelyn?

/darkstelfoilhat

Considering the Warriors of Darkness seem to know of Her, and are angry at Her for abandoning the First Shard to the Flood of Light until Urianger's gambit to get Her to do something worked... yes? Probably? I mean, they're stated to be Reflections of the Source, so basically the same as our world only with (what seems to be) an aetherial balance that leans toward Light or Dark as opposed to our normally neutral state. So they're essentially the same place, just separated by dimensional barriers.

Dammit, another question I thought to ask just a little too late, along with "Is Lahabrea totally 100% bona-fide dead forever?"

[Zul]

Mayhaps the position of the shards and hydaelyn is more like a solar system? With zodiark being at the very far end and hydaelyn is the center(or the source is the center idk). It kinda falls apart when the void gets mixed in but there is probably a ways it could work. /shrug