A theory on Amaurot (end MSQ and Eden spoilers)

[Hezzlocks]

So, with the new Ascian lore, we learned that the Ascians used to be part of a great civilization, one where everyone had access to powerful creation magics. But then *something* happened, something we still have very few details on, that caused their creation magic to go wild, causing a great calamity that threatened their very existence. But... what could that calamity have been?

Well, FF8 has been a very heavy theme for this expansion thus far, and seems to be reintroducing the concept of GFs. Primarily, we have Eden out in the Empty, and one Amaurotian summons Quetzalcoatl to fight us. Now, this is a rather large leap in logic, but perhaps this indicates a closer connection between the power of creation and FF8's GF system than we think. Perhaps when an Amaurotian creates something, it, in a sense, becomes bound to him. He is, after all, essentially using some of his own vast reservoir of Aether to create it. If there is even a little connection between the two, though, there is one important factor that needs to be remembered about FF8's GFs: Memory loss.

In FF8, the more someone used and relied upon a GF, the more "space" it took up within their head, specifically where long-term memories are stored. Amaurotians had been using creation magic their entire lives, it was a normal part of society and even children were able to use it to great effect. What if, then, the living creations they made followed the FF8 GF rule and affected their memory? This could have many implications.

Directly, it could have started causing wide-spread memory loss of some important but long taken for granted fact about creation magic, something Amaurotians needed to be wary of lest they lose control of their powers and unleash horrific nightmares. Alternatively, *one* Amaurotian could have forgotten this important fact and created something hidden that began spreading it to other Amaurotians, or indirectly they could have long forgotten about some entity imprisoned deep underground, which began to break free and affect the minds of the Amaurotians like some kind of Lovecraftian nightmare. We *do* know that they heard something coming from below before the nightmares started, and reinforcing a forgotten prison is very much so something Zodiark could do.

If memory loss is a thing, then it poses a possible plot point in the current story, as well. For one, the WoL is now creating Primals. This is done through Eden, however, so I suspect this wouldn't be a big deal. Eden, however, is. When Ryne tried to gain control of Eden, it initially fought back against her, screaming at her. Now that they seem to have come to some kind of understanding, Eden is much more cooperative with Ryne, doing everything she tells it to - almost like a GF accepting a new master. Even more coincidentally, this happened at about the same time that the Oracle of Darkness arrived, trying to stop us from taking Eden, and suddenly having a bout of confusion before collapsing. What if Eden was once controlled by the Oracle of Darkness, and when Ryne rested control of it, it was essentially ripped out of the OoD's head, causing significant head trauma with a touch of memory loss, and now it occupies a portion of Ryne's head.

This is all, of course, wild speculation, and I have very little in the way of proof of any of this. Simply musings I had to myself when considering the strong connection with FF8 this expansion has, and so I'm likely very wrong. Still, with so much mystery surrounding both Amaurot and Eden, it's interesting to think about, and there's a *lot* of room for speculation.

[Milea]

It was implied that to make a GF, they had to sacrifice their life.
So in a sense they will be losing memories, all their memories.

To summon Quetzcotl, that one dude ceased to exist. Then we know Zodiark and Hydealyn were no different.

This is even explained by some npcs that the more complex a construct the more it requires, even to requiring sacrifice.