Each of them carries a unique connection to the MC across time, and each plays a vital role in guiding her towards the resolution of this long-standing Kārmic entanglement. It is precisely for this reason that all of them exist within the current timeline simultaneously. Their presence is neither arbitrary, nor accidental. It is a fundamental part of the narrative’s deeper mythological and philosophical framework.

To understand the purpose of the LIs, one must first understand the cycle of Saṃsāra: भवचक्र (Bhāvāchākrā). This cycle of existence which encompasses birth, suffering, death, and rebirth is divided into 6 Realms where sentient beings reside in. Each of these Realms is intrinsically linked to one of the LIs featured in the game —

🔥 Rafayel: देवलोक (Devālokā)

God Realm of pleasure and pride

🏹 Zayne: असुरलोक (Asurālokā)

Demi-God Realm of jealousy and strife

🗡️ Xavier: मनुष्यलोक (Mānuṣhyalokā)

Human Realm of opportunity and enlightenment

🌕 Valko: पशुलोक (Pāśhulokā)

Animal Realm of instinct, fear, and servitude

🩸 Sylus: निर्ऋतिलोक (Nirṛtilokā)

Underworld Realm of chaos and decay

🪷 Caleb: प्रेतलोक (Pretālokā)

Hungry-Ghost Realm of endless insatiable hunger

As we know, each LI possesses unique abilities and latent potential beyond their Evols, granting them the power to create, shape, preserve, or dismantle whatever they deem necessary. The intricate Strings of Fate connecting the LIs to MC was deliberately woven by CosmicMC Herself.

It’s purpose was to ensure that Her vessel on Earth could draw upon Her true power through all 6 Realms, with the aid of every LI. Only by uniting these connections can She access the fullness of Her divine potential, and ultimately shatter the endless cycle of anguish that has bound Her across countless lifetimes.

Needless to say, it is unlikely that any additional LIs will be introduced to the game. With Valko’s arrival, the narrative now possesses all the pieces it was designed to have from the very beginning, allowing the story to finally move forward.

[⚠️ Please note: There are numerous realms of the Underworld described throughout Vedic scriptures. I chose to highlight the one that appears most relevant to Sylus’s storyline. Pretāloka is another such realm, and it has connections to Caleb’s narrative. If anyone is interested in Vedic mythology and would like to learn more about these realms beyond the context of the game, please feel free to ask. I would be delighted to share and discuss them further. 🤍]

divider by @diviniyae

In my previous post I explained why I think the game is hinting pretty heavily that Raf and maybe all Lemurians went through some pretty big changes and went from winged to fish-tailed people.

So, what mythological bird could give them inspiration for Raf's background? Well, the most famous - and most relevant to Rafayel lore is undoubtely the phoenix. But which one? The Greek phoenix or the Chinese one, also known as the fenghuang? Well, why not both?

1. Rebirth through the flames, dates and special colors

The Greek phoenix is famous for its peculiar life cycle - once it reaches old age it bursts into flames and is then reborn from its own ashes. This naturally has served as a metaphor for change and renewal in Mediterranean and European cultures for centuries. Because of its connotations of the cycle of birth, full strength, fall, death and rebirth the Phoenix has also been strongly associated with the sun. Later on, it was also used to symbolize Christ, who saved humanity through His death and resurrection.

This feels relevant to Raf lore, given that in God of the Tides Rafayel gives us this info: "My predecessor passed away and they found me years later, bathed in the flames under the union of dusk and dawn"

I'll take this as proof that Rafayel is special, even among Lemurians. Even in main story, when we meet his mother's ghost he introduces her to mc by saying she is the woman who raised him - his mother. Why the emphasis on the first part? It makes me think him calling her "mother" is especially meaningful, that he recognizes her as such because she took care of him when he was a child. In short, I think the king and queen adopted little Raf. We don't know much more than that, but maybe the lemurian queen and king also found baby raf in similar circumstances as God of the Tides raf has been found. Unlike elder Amund, they actually give him a loving family and a happy childhood. Thank you king and queen!

Also, we have been told he is supposed to be the Last Sea God - and I think there's enough material to suspect he's been the first too. He also has lines like "my flames will never be extinguished" - I'd say it's not unreasonable to think that he, like mc, is going through reincarnation.

"bathed in the flames under the union of dusk and dawn" he says - so he's born from the flames? In the moment where death meets new life? Isn't this exactly how the Greek phoenix life cycle works?

Another point in favor of the Greek phoenix being relevant to Rafayel's narrative: its ancient greek name is φοῖνιξ. There's speculation about where it comes from and its original meaning (is it Greek? Is it Phoenician?) but its meanings include:

purple/crimson (Rafayel's color)

palm tree/date

phoenix, the mythological bird

a guitar-like instrument played by the Phoenician (music keeps making an appearance in Raf's possible sources of inspiration)

Fun fact: the word "Phoenician" appears to be from the same root, meaning "those who work with red dyes". So phoenix might also have meant "the Phoenician bird" or "the purplish-red bird". This dye was a luxury product - the process to create it was rather complicated, required extensive labor and rare ingredients. As such it was associated with nobility. This truly fits our picky, obscenely rich artist raf - expensive pigment that's difficult to make? That's him alright. Not to mention shades of reds and pink are super important in his paintings.

TLTR: the Greek phoenix and Raf have some points in common, such as:

being born from the flames

their death is not the end, but rather the beginning of a new life

association with godhood

association with the color purple /crimson - a luxury product, rather hard to create

music

2. Everything revolves around... the Sun

Rafayel has a fascination with sunsets, and his own birth seems to be linked to sunrise and sunset meeting - so two Important Moments related to the sun. But there's more.

Traditionally, a link was drawn between the Greek phoenix and the Egyptian Bennu bird, both methodologically and etymologically. The bennu bird is a self-created deity with the form of a bird that features in the Egyptian creation myth and is the soul of Ra - the egyptian god of the sun with the head of a bird (though modern scholars are a bit skeptical about the origin of the greek phoenix being linked to the egyptian god bennu)

Rafayel's connection to the sun is rather explicit. Let's take a look at his God of the Tides myth.

Here's what Algie has to say about Lemuria and its flame: "Do you recall Lemuria's Flame? We call it the Sun Below the Waves (...) Sunlight cannot reach this place (..) without this flame, Lemuria will be plunged into a horrifying darkness. If we were not able to see each other, we would transform into hideous beasts"

Another quote from God of the Tides, about the Flame: "Like the sun above, it (the Lemurian Flame) rises from the east and sets in the west. It has brought light and warmth to Lemuria for generations"

And "Lemuria was in the bottom of a fissure in the Deep Sea a place light would not touch. Only a fire provided a source of warmth and light"

So the Flame is the de-facto Sun for Lemurians. Who ignites this flame? The Sea God - Rafayel, through the Sea God Ceremony

TLTR: the Greek phoenix has been traditionally linked to the Sun - exactly as our favorite fishie (birdie?). Without him, Lemuria has no sun - no warmth and no beauty.

3. is the infamous fruit of knowledge actually an apple?

The word bwn = bennu bird (god of the sun) also means dates - as in, the fruit of the palm tree. Dates are famous in the Mediterranean are for being very nutritious; they also make an appearance in Abrahimic religions, but I'm no expert on the matter so I'll leave it at that. What I want to point out though is that they're often associated with longevity and the passing of times - it takes a lot of time for the plant to bear fruit. If a man palnts a palm tree, he won't be the one to harvest dates. That's an interesting tidbit for Rafayel, who is so linked with the themes of the passing of time, immortality and mortality - not to mention Lemurians seem to have a super long lifespan and almost eternal youth.

One last point: China's date cousins, the Jujube, are linked to a rather interesting legend. Wikipedia informs me that: "An ancient jujube tree in the city Al-Qurnah, Iraq, is claimed by locals as the Tree of Knowledge mentioned in the Bible. Local tradition holds that the place where the city was built was the original site of the Garden of Eden. The tree is a tourist spot in the town." Jujube and Dates aren't exactly the same, but since this is a Chinese game I'd like to keep them in mind.

They seem especially relevant in light of the Lemurians role in Linkon - isn't Ever after them in hopes of discovering the secret of immortality? And isn't Ever damning humanity and the planet in their quest for this knowledge?

TLTR: the phoenix and the sun bird are also linked to dates, symbol of longevity - and possibly the fruit of forbidden knowledge that damned humanity.

4. a lore relevant background to Rafayel's urge to put a ring on it?

Tamino puts a ring on mc's finger, Linkon Rafayel had a wedding dress ready for the occasion when we were stuck with him in last year's wedding banner, God of the Tides and Lemurian Sea God seemed to be rather into the whole "bride" thing.... and maybe there's a lore relevant reason for this that goes beyond "otome game fantasy".

The Fenghuang is known in the west as "the Chinese Phoenix" even though there aren't many points in common with the Greek Phoenix - the main one seems to be that they're both Very Important Birds in their respective cultures. Like the Phoenix, the fènghuáng is also associated with fire, as it is sometimes depicted with a fireball.

The name of the bird is super interesting: fènghuáng - 鳳凰 in traditional Chinese, 凤凰 in simplified Chinese. Both characters that form the name of the bird mean "phoenix" - so a literal translation in english could be "phoenix phoenix".

Much like the Greek depictions of sirens changed over time, so did the one of the fènghuáng; originally the first part of the name, 鳳 / 凤 fèng, was used for the male phoenix, and the second part, huáng 凰 /凰, indicated the female phoenix. With the time this distinction was lost, and nowadays the fènghuáng - 鳳凰 / 凤凰 is generally considered a feminine entity (to be paired with the traditionally masculine Chinese dragon. Crowfish jumpscare?) So, like it happened with Greek sirens, the male of the species was lost to time.

The fenghuang symbolizes the union of yin and yang (as it originally consisted of a separate male feng and a female huang) .The male feng represented the yang aspect while the huang represented the yin aspect; and together, the feng and huang image was symbolic of love between husband and wife.

TLTR: fènghuáng 凤凰 = 凤 fèng (male phoenix) + 凰 huáng (female phoenix) = symbol of the union of yin and yang + love between husband and wife. Who seems to love getting married? Raf, that's who!

5. Raf's bitching about humans and their greedy, exploitative nature might be a trace of his original nature?

In Chinese tradition it is believed that the fènghuáng only appears in areas or places that are blessed with utmost peace and prosperity or happiness. The fenghuang represents virtue and grace. If a fenghuang was used to decorate a house it symbolized that loyalty and honesty were in the people that lived there. Or alternatively, a fenghuang only stays when the ruler is without darkness and corruption (政治清明).

This seems to be in line with the Lemurians we know from the game: they're uninterested in wars and conflicts and consider humans as selfish, untrustworthy and greedy. While Lemurians themselves aren't exactly sweet little angels, it is true they seem to be loyal and sincere (to the point of bluntness) as a whole and Lemuria is described as a peaceful, harmonious civilization where people live happily, dedicating their time to love and art. Of course this idyllic depiction might not be entirely truthful, but that's what we have so far. The fact remains that Lemurians seem to be easy prey for humans and seem to need to train themselves to interact with humans.

Linkon Rafayel seem to have a bit of an identity crisis going on about his gradual adaptation to interacting with humans, and while there are episodes where he plays it up to get mc's sympathy (oceanic nightfall) he does seem genuinely anguished that he might become something monstrous (will you love me, no matter what i become? - Omnipotent perception*) and he worries that mc might not see him as a good person (Ignited echoes).

In some traditions, the fenghuang appears in good times but hides during times of trouble, while in other traditions it appeared only to mark the beginning of a new era. Much like a new Sea God is born at the beginning of a new era. Rafayel in particular seems to be born at Very Important Times - it is stated in God of the Tides that he's supposed to be the last Sea God, and there are hints that he might have been the first Sea God.

The fènghuáng also symbolizes the Emperess and her heaven-sent power. There does seem to be a recurring theme of Rafayel being willing to let mc put him on a leash (metaphorically speaking) - under certain conditions. Fires of Devotion is veeery interesting under this light - a dark mirror of what might be/might have happened?

In China and Japan, it was a symbol of the imperial house, and it represented "fire, the sun, justice, obedience, and fidelity" - again with the sun and fire motif. "Justice" is also linked with Rafayel, and so is fidelity. Obedience.... he sure isn't particularly obedient, but he seems to inspire it in other people.

TLTR: the fènghuáng:

symbolizes the divine power given to the empress (Rafayel seems to be a leader in more or less all his incarnations, and a religious one at that in 99% of the cases. His power is often divine in nature. He seems more than happy to put all this power at mc's feet - if certain conditions are met)

is attracted to happiness, harmony and honesty, to the point it won't stand for corruption - this is also in line with what we know of Rafayel (who does have a rather pragmatic steak but it seems to cause him grief to give into it)

marks the beginning of a new era - much like Sea Gods in general and Raf in particular

Great. What does it all mean for our favorite artsy birb, Rafayel?

Now that I'm done with research, let the speculation begin

all Lemurians were once fenghuangs - hence the peculiarity of the Lemurian bond and the importance of romantic love in their culture. We're talking about a bird that symbolized love between husband and wife, to the point the two halves literally fused in one single bird.

their love for harmony, beauty and peace is reflected in their nature as artists with no interest in wars and conflicts

Rafayel might be a special fenghuang (just feng?), one that is also the sun god

Raf as the feng, mc as the huang

Hear me out: what if, originally, it was Raf and mc's love as husband and wife that fueled the sun?

Here's what happened when kiddie Raf touched the Lemurian flame in God of the Tides: "Two flames merged, burning together as if they were once a single blaze" feng + huang = fenghuang? Two halves making a whole? The love of two people becoming one? Forming the original flame = the sun??

re: Lemurians turning into monsters if the light of their sun can't reach them... could it mean that if love can't reach them they turn to hate and corruption the way Hawkern did and thus turn into monsters both physically and metaphorically? Due to them turning on their nature as peace -loving fenghuangs? Although the physical transformations in Hawkern seemed to be at least in part due to him absorbing monsters to get more power but. That was such an interesting for Algie to say with almost no follow up I can't help but speculate

We also know that

Lemuria was a civilization that wasn't supposed to exist (it was stated somewhere in main story I believe, but I can't find it again)

Lemurians seem to be close to immortal - and even their death isn't an end

Underwater Lemuria seems to be surviving out of determination and stubborness alone. They see the Flame as their means of survival in the long term - and that requires the sacrifice of the Sea God's follower. A voluntary sacrifice made out of love for the Sea God. And yet that flame is but a pale imitation of the sun. If the above theory of the sun = Rafxmc love is true, this is... quite the change.

So it seems some calamity befell Lemuria.

We also recently got these tidbits:

"once upon a time the ocean and deepspace were one (...) sunlight could reach the deepest depths. Perhaps it was a dusk or a dawn. In any case, it was when the blue-violet sky blushed pink at the edges"

This is from the last Raf chapter of World Underneath. We also recently had a passage that said something like "the heaves and the abyss exchaged places as the world turned upside down" - but, for the life of me, I can't remember where (if someone knows where it's from I'll be forever grateful).

maybe the causes of the fall were external - someone wanted eternal life perhaps, and stirred up trouble

maybe the causes were internal - some kind of misunderstanding perhaps?

the dates being the forbidden fruit in one tradition makes me think that either the lemurians started wanting more (maybe on some external enemy instigation) or someone saw them as the forbidden fruit in their search for eternal life

So my theories are: a) the lemurians flew too close to the sun and asked too much of their sun god b) the lemurians discovered something that was their ruin c) someone managed to exploit either lemurians or the sun/sungod in their quest for immortality

the consequences were the fall. The swapping of the sky and the abyss, the lemurians thrown into the depth of the ocean

they survived thanks to raf's powers as the sungod, but - in the fall, mc was probably lost and as such his flame was not as strong as before

some misunderstanding about how to fuel the sun happened and voilà - here's the ritual of self sacrifice. This is not how you obtain a healthy sun though, so the ritual needs to be undertaken again and again (and the Flame will never be on par with the original sun). Afterall, here's what Rafayel has to say about the Lemurian Flame:

"perhaps Lemuria's fire is just a poor imitation of the sun"

This fits perfectly with the theory that Underwater Lemurians were trying to replicate their pre-fall civilization and source of light and warmth but were falling short because of a misinterpretation of what love actually means.

Final thought because this is way too long as it is: during Lemuria's fall, did the world truly rearrange itself? Or did it create some kind of illusion? More on this on my... next post 😭

In conclusion:

You see, every cell in the human body has a limit for how many times it can divide before it starts to break down and that number is called the Hayflick Limit. When a cell pushes past that number, it becomes like an invasive species. It begins multiplying uncontrollably, introducing mutations and crowding out everything around it, eventually spilling over into other tissues and organs where it doesn't belong, all with the single-minded goal of survival.

Something similar happens in game during the Chronorift Catastrophe when Wanderers invaded Earth, nearly destroying all of Linkon city and attempting to spread across the globe. It's also seen on a smaller scale when humans transform into Wanderers as black crystals erupt across their body and spread until there's nothing left of the person underneath.

Now, if breaking this limit causes destruction both in life and in game, what does that make MC? She has an aether core, she can't die, and she's even been called a bomb. She has all the makings of a monster.  

MC gives us the answer herself in Death and Rebirth, when she is asked what separates humans from Wanderers: 

"The line between humans and monsters depends on whether they've lost control. Once someone loses control, they become a monster capable of hurting others." 

MC doesn't seem to be out of control so where does she fit in all this?

Well, there's a type of cell that ignores normal limits without destroying everything. Normally, cells have a protective boundary (telomere) that loses a small part of itself every time it divides. This boundary keeps shrinking with each division until there is nothing left, then the cell starts to break down. 

But stem cells on the other hand, can rebuild that boundary and keep dividing forever without mutating and going out of control. And under the right conditions, a stem cell can transport to different parts of the body to become any cell the body needs.

That sounds a lot like MC. She loses part of her memory every time she dies and every time she is able to rebuild it. Like how she named a fish Reddie without knowing that in another life she had a fish familiar named Red or how songs that should be foreign bring back feelings from a past life.  And just like a stem cell, MC's evol allows her to support different evol types and travel to different timelines (which we saw in the Wander and Wonder cards).

But in World Underneath 6: Sealed in Dust, the scientists at the Gaia Research Institute only focused on her immortality and how the energy inside her continued growing with each death cycle they inflicted on her. They did this to her for 49 days.

The Catastrophe hit after day 42.

The Hayflick Limit is 40. 

What they didn't realize was that for MC every death was another division. Every division, another mutation, and every mutation, another broken timeline. The Wanderers invading Earth wasn't some random event, they were mutations entering the timeline. 

The main story was never set in one chronological timeline, instead it plays out across many timelines and what we see happening to MC on a large scale is also repeated in the smallest unit of life. 

Infold put the explanation for the Catastrophe in the teaser and if you look at that image again, it isn't just a planet suspended in a web of stars. It's a nucleus, sitting inside a cell.