Human Domain/History

Summary

Asterion's Domain posed a covert threat to the Human Domain by drawing individuals away from Nephis' Longing Domain without immediate outward signs of death or disloyalty. Nephis perceived this threat through changes in her connection to humanity: not all disappearing flames within her Domain corresponded to confirmed deaths. Some individuals, as she suspected, ceased to be subjects of the Longing Domain and instead became servants of Asterion.^[1]

These individuals were later identified as true subjects of Asterion's Domain rather than people merely infected by knowledge of his name. They functioned as sleeper agents serving the Dreamspawn. Their existence was difficult to detect because they showed no abnormal behavior, committed no acts of sabotage, and did not undermine the Human Domain or their comrades in any observable way.^[1]

The threat was confirmed through focused investigation. By concentrating her healing Aspect on specific high-casualty regions, Nephis enabled Sunny and Cassie to identify Awakened warriors who were grievously wounded but did not receive her healing flames. Monitoring these outliers and using Cassie's abilities revealed several of them as subjects of Asterion's Domain.^[1]

The discovery revealed that these hidden thralls were more numerous than expected and were spread evenly across various human armies. Their distribution demonstrated that Asterion's influence had penetrated deeply and widely into the Human Domain, to the extent that it could not be easily isolated or removed. The only distinguishing sign of their allegiance was their absence from the sea of flames that represented Nephis' Longing Domain.^[1]

Summary

After the fall of the Longing Domain, leaving only the Hunger Domain and the Mirror Domain at war, a new conflict unfolded in the Dream Realm. When Cassie and Rain arrived at Ebony Island, Mordret was advancing relentlessly, his vessels spreading like an unstoppable wave across the River of Tears and threatening the Black Mountains. However, once the Dreamspawn seized the last bastions of the Longing Domain, including the four Great Citadels, all of humanity fell under Asterion's control—not out of belief, but because they had been infected by the idea of him and enthralled by his power. With humanity unified and devoid of internal conflict, their military cohesion grew beyond human limits, and Asterion began leading battles personally, using his insidious Aspect to assault Mordret's mind directly or from afar, slowly poisoning it despite the difficulty of influencing a Supreme.^[2]

This gradual erosion of Mordret's mind should have weakened him, but it did not, due to Lady Cassia, Song of the Fallen, who protected him and was blamed by humanity for the war's casualties and the creation of new vessels. Even so, the tide shifted against the King of Nothing. In the west, humanity established a blockade on the River of Tears, forcing Mordret to withdraw his forces, while in the east, his advance in the Black Mountains stalled amid the fiercest fighting, where the Dreamspawn often appeared in person. What followed was a stalemate that eventually turned into a reversal, as humanity pushed Mordret back, causing him to lose ground and vessels faster than he could replace them, even though he could still wound or destroy Asterion's body, which always returned due to the persistence of his idea.^[2]

The prolonged battles reshaped the Dream Realm, collapsing peaks, melting glaciers, flooding plains, and forcing migrations of Nightmare Creatures, while the River of Tears changed course, causing catastrophic floods and forming new landscapes. Amid this devastation, the stalemate ended with Mordret retreating. Unable to contend with the unified and strengthened forces of humanity, he began abandoning territories—first the River of Tears basin, then the Black Mountains, the Moonriver Plains, and regions northward, including Godgrave. Instead of retreating to the Hollow Mountains as expected, he moved east, leading to humanity conquering the Glass Hell and the remaining northern regions, until only the Chained Isles remained under his control.^[2]

Summary

The disappearance of the Longing Domain would also change how humans interact with the Nightmare Spell. Humans living in the Dream Realm currently have two ways to challenge the First Nightmare: leave the Longing Domain or ask Nephis to withdraw her protection so that the seeds of Corruption within them can bloom. Asking Nephis is unreliable because she cannot constantly monitor the billions of sparks that make up her Domain. Leaving the Domain is difficult because it covers all settled regions of the Dream Realm.^[3]

Without Nephis, her Dream Gate would also lose its unique ability to function as a Nightmare Gate. Normally, Dream Gates only allow people to enter the Dream Realm from Earth. Nephis's [Dreamspawn] Attribute allows her Gate to also return people to Earth. Without her, leaving Earth would become effectively final for most settlers.^[3]

Within the Dream Realm, however, leaving a Domain would become easier because the Human Domain would no longer be a single unified Domain. Instead, it would become a coalition of smaller Domains controlled by different Sovereigns. People would have to petition their respective Sovereigns to leave their protection rather than appealing to Nephis.^[3]

See also: Dissolution of Longing Domain

Summary

The remaining Supremes have different strengths and limitations when establishing Domains. Some do not need the Nightmare Spell, while others benefit from controlling Citadels. Jet, for example, has no use for ruling a Citadel. These differences are taken into account when deciding how to divide the Longing Domain and preserve as much of humanity's strength as possible.^[3]

The tentative plan divides the remaining Sovereigns between the Dream Realm and the waking world. Jet, Kai, and Effie are assigned to defend Earth and oversee the resettlement of humanity. Effie's Soul Garden is particularly useful for accelerating the evacuation.^[3]

The remaining four defend the Dream Realm. Ananke remains in Silver Web and oversees the Stormsea. Seishan claims Ravenheart and the Citadel Cities in the River of Tears basin. Morgan claims Bastion and the former Sword Domain. Nightwalker takes control of the Night Garden and turns it into a wandering stronghold that keeps the different parts of the Human Domain connected.^[3]

As a result, the Longing Domain is divided among multiple Supreme protectors rather than remaining under Nephis. The Human Domain becomes a coalition of smaller Domains, with each area governed and protected by different Supremes.^[3]