Eternity

Biodata

Nature and Interpretation

• Eternity is not necessarily unchanging. Ye Yan describes it as diverse, accommodating different understandings of what can be eternal 26.
• Continued existence is sufficient for its Aeon. Ye Yan concludes that simply remaining alive keeps him aligned with his Path, allowing him to pursue other activities without abandoning Eternity 1.
• Persistence can embody Eternity. Ye Yan recognizes both Lan’s endless pursuit of Yaoshi and Belobog’s seven hundred years of perseverance as expressions of the concept 2 26.
• Its effects extend beyond living beings. Drinks, weapons, bodily states, and ongoing pursuits can all be made enduring through its power 2 5 9 24.
• Its relationship to other Paths remains partly speculative. Ye Yan theorizes that Eternity might devour other Paths because Aeons themselves endlessly follow their respective Paths; no such absorption is demonstrated 3.

Interpretations Among Followers

History

After arriving in the universe and drifting through it for an unknown length of time, Ye Yan experienced a thought about Eternity and ascended to Aeonhood. A system also awakened, supplied him with survival-oriented abilities, and then became inactive. He subsequently understood himself as Eternity itself 1.

Ye Yan spread the concept to emerging civilizations. His hostility toward Nanook intensified when the Antimatter Legion destroyed a planet whose inhabitants he had just taught to comprehend Eternity. During the Swarm Disaster, the conflict between Tayzzyronth and Oroboros also destroyed worlds where he had spread the concept, which he regarded as a grave affront to Eternity 4.

Abilities and Applications

Fixed System Skills

These abilities were supplied to Ye Yan by his system; they are not established as standard techniques available to every follower 1.

Temporal Stasis and Longevity

Eternity can hold a human body at a particular moment on every level 24.

• Emanators use this principle to keep their bodies and ages unchanged 24.
• Its longevity can make followers difficult to distinguish from people blessed by Abundance 7.
• Ye Yan identifies it as a counter to Firefly’s Entropy Loss Syndrome: sealing the condition would prevent the chronic dissociation of her physical structure. The discussion establishes a proposed treatment, not a completed cure 24.

Protection and Concealment

Ye Yan’s protective blessing grants safety and concealment without causing its recipients physical discomfort 35.

• Dan Heng, March 7th, and Stelle receive the blessing while staying in Belobog 35.
• It can automatically render them invisible in dangerous situations; they later use invisibility to withdraw from the Silvermane Guards 40 46.
• Objects associated with Ye Yan carry protective measures so that others can safely handle them while exploring Eternity 8.

Enduring Objects and Weapon Modification

Eternity can give ordinary objects persistent or enhanced properties 5 9.

• Never-ending drinks: Ye Yan creates an inexhaustible Immortal’s Joy Tea, through which he first meets Tingyun 5.
• Cloud-Piercer: A secret art of Eternity makes Dan Heng’s spear unbreakable and adds damage over time 9.
• Bulwark: Ye Yan incorporates Eternity-associated preservation into Gepard’s instrument-case weapon, alongside an amber-assisted enhancement to its existing Preservation power 42.
• Mimetic weapon: Stelle’s baseball bat contains the powers of Eternity and Elation. Changing its form requires understanding the Eternity within it; demonstrated forms include a longsword and a trash-can lid 26.

Eternity · Finality

A system-derived ability allows a target to travel through any time and space to any location 11.

• Ye Yan uses it to modify Lan’s weapon so that an attack can seek its target across time and space without coordinates 11.
• Despite its name, Ye Yan states that he has never met Terminus; the ability came from his system 11.

Followers and Organization

Recorded Numbers

Herta’s investigation distinguishes Eternity’s overall following from the membership of its Church 19.

Access to the Aeon

• Summoning: The Church’s faith allows its believers to summon Ye Yan to them at any time and place 19.
• Spatial travel: Every Emanator of Eternity can tear through space and teleport regardless of distance 19.
• Audience and wishes: Ye Yan says that anyone who steps onto the Path receives one wish. In a later explanation, he specifically describes every Emanator as receiving one audience in which they may make a wish or ask a question 20 26.

Notable Adherents

• Blake — Presiding bishop of the Church. Uses soap as a weapon and actively pursues those who spread false accounts of its Aeon 20 31.
• Fulisina / Little Fu — Elven priestess and Emanator associated with spreading Eternity. Her interpretation of peaceful conversion includes treating those who refuse to join as bad people 14 24 39.
• Stelle — Becomes a devoted believer after receiving Ye Yan’s weapon and witnessing his intervention against Nanook; later introduces herself to Natasha by urging belief in Yite 18 33 48.

Doctrine

The Church’s teachings combine broad forgiveness with intense devotion to Yite and hostility toward Destruction 38 39.

• Forgiveness: Ye Yan identifies perpetual forgiveness as one of the Aeon’s eight great virtues, including forgiveness for believers who criticize their own Aeon 33.
• Sanctuary: The Church is presented as a safe harbor open to believers wherever they come from 38.
• Blame directed at Destruction: A draft doctrine tells believers not to blame themselves for their shortcomings and recommends shifting responsibility to Nanook 39.
• Practical conversion incentives: The same draft advertises a free baseball bat from Lady Fulisina for submitting a membership application 39.
• Intolerance of perceived blasphemy: Despite its teaching of forgiveness, the Church imprisons Silver Wolf and Sampo following incidents involving the Aeon’s statue. Silver Wolf is made to copy the Book of Eternal Virtues as punishment 38 39.

Relations with Other Paths

• Elation — Eternity and Elation are described as inherently compatible: making laughter endure forever appeals to Aha. Their Aeons’ friendship is widely known within the Elation faction 26 30.
• Trailblaze — The Church welcomes the Trailblaze faction, reflecting Ye Yan’s friendship with Akivili 6.
• Destruction — The Church despises Destruction and its followers. Ye Yan’s personal hostility stems in part from Nanook destroying a civilization he had introduced to Eternity 4 6.
• Abundance — Both Paths can grant longevity. Eternity achieves lasting youth through temporal locking rather than requiring a Blessing of Abundance 7 24 43.
• The Hunt — Ye Yan treats Lan’s ceaseless pursuit of Yaoshi as Eternity, then reinforces it so that Lan can always find Yaoshi while Yaoshi cannot be killed 2.
• Preservation — Ye Yan regards Belobog’s prolonged commitment to Preservation as a form of Eternity and sees no need to convert its steadfast Supreme Guardians 26.

Simulated Universe

• Representation: The simulated Aeon appears as a rainbow-colored infinity symbol rather than Ye Yan’s trash-can disguise 19.
• Blessings: At Ye Yan’s insistence, Eternity’s blessings are designed for ease of use and encompass blessings from most Paths 19.
• Combat effect: Stelle observes percentage-based true damage against elite bosses 23.
• Special Curio: An Eternity-associated Curio allows passage directly to the final area. Its unfinished implementation can malfunction during the jump and shock the user 19.

Misconceptions and False Accounts

Notable Quotes

“All things could be eternal!” 1

“As long as I wish it, anything and everything can become [Eternity].” 5

“Eternity isn't unchanging. It's full of diversity. Everyone has a different view of eternity, and they respect every form of eternity.” 26