I sighed as I watched another realm disappear; devoured to become fuel for the enemy's growth. I had the thought that if frustration were one of the feelings deemed necessary for me to function, I would be feeling it now.
The situation was not improving. Just as there were multiple realms within a reality, there were also multiple realities; though if there was a connection that bound realities the way a reality bound the realms, I didn't know it. The hostile reality that was attacking this one was relentless, and the danger it posed was very real.
Many of the peoples of this reality referred to their foe as the void or oblivion. The truth was that the void was a result of the conflict, not the cause. Every reality had to have a method to grow, expand, and increase the strength of it's existence. As with everything, if a reality wasn't growing, it was fading. The enemy was simply another reality; one whose growth concept was based on devouring. When they won, the result was a cessation of existence for the losing realm, as it was turned into food for the enemy.
It was both similar and opposite to the growth concept of the reality which I served. This reality's growth concept was based on perseverance. Both this reality, and that of the enemy grew through conflict and strength, but while this one grew by survival of the fittest on it's own merit, the enemy grew through devouring other realities.
Shifting my attention, I observed that one of the growing branches in the sector I was responsible for was nearing a new stage in it's progress. Soon, it's connection to the greater Astral would be opened. There were countless branches, with countless Arbiters like me; each one with their own realms that fueled the cycle of growth for the nebulous essence that was the heart of this reality. Each of the branches were different, and grew with their own rules, laws and concepts, yet they each fed into a whole that perpetuated existence.
As an Arbiter, one of my responsibilities was to give reality the opportunity to continue to grow, and this newly developing branch would be my next task. There were five material realms on this branch, four of which had grown properly aligned with the Astral. The fifth realm would have little hope of surviving, as it had grown away from the Astral, and thus had no experience with aether nor any of it's refined energies. The idea of magic and mysticism for them was little more than a fantasy.
The material realms and the astral realms both played an important part in creating the aether that sustained reality. They existed on different layers of reality with different rules to govern them, but they were meant to connect to create a cycle. When a connection was weak as it was with the fifth planet of this branch, the laws of the Astral couldn't properly effect the Material.
Still, I had to have some hope. Having developed separate from the Astral, the realm was filled to bursting with the mental and emotional energies that fed the cycle. If it could survive, it might produce some powerful support for this sector. It was nearly unheard of for a realm such as this Earth to survive integration, but hope was one of the few emotions deemed necessary for an Arbiter, so I would do what I could.
This Earth was nearly in alignment with the Astral now, but having matured this far without magic of any kind, it had no one powerful enough to survive the conflicts that were to come. As the alignment drew closer, the realm would face great change and painful struggles. It would need powerful defenders if it was to stand a chance of survival.
I observed it closely. While there was little hope for this place, there were at least two advantages it had gained. The first was that the creativity of the people of the planet was larger than most. It was steeped in emotion and thought, which gave way to impressive and diverse possibilities for growth. The other was the amount of Potential energy it possessed. Some of the souls in this realm had enough capacity that they could grow rapidly —with a little help.
I thought as I observed. There were several methods I could use to bolster this realm that still fit within my directives of minimal interference. One of the options was to create a class of being that would grow in power alongside their realm. It would allow the being to increase their growth capacity alongside a pocket realm that was tied to their material plane.
In order to maintain balance, the other four realms on this branch would need to have the same opportunities given, yet the unconnected Earth would have the possibility of growing faster, so long as someone there found a proper path.
Making my decision, I began my preparations. I started gathering the Potential I would need to create a host of defenders on this realm. At the same time I observed the inhabitants, selecting those with enough soul capacity to withstand an influx of Potential. The energy was flexible but volatile, and no soul could survive holding it for long. I would need to find souls capable of holding it for the short time it would take to use it.
The next thing I would need to do was decide how much information I could give and how. I decided I wouldn't influence their choices too much. Instead, I would program the Potential to react with the individual it was fused to in order to maximize their latent talents. I would also give them enough knowledge to use the Potential to create a pocket realm and generate new abilities.
Many of the beings, or spire lords as I preferred to call them, would fail to use their potential correctly and expire. Yet for those who succeeded, they would gain the strength needed to bring their realm hope.