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Chapters (67)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. PART ONE
  5. CHAPTER I
  6. CHAPTER II
  7. CHAPTER III
  8. CHAPTER IV
  9. CHAPTER V
  10. CHAPTER VI
  11. CHAPTER VII
  12. CHAPTER VIII
  13. CHAPTER IX
  14. EXEUNT I
  15. PART TWO
  16. CHAPTER I
  17. CHAPTER II
  18. CHAPTER III
  19. CHAPTER IV
  20. CHAPTER V
  21. CHAPTER VI
  22. CHAPTER VII
  23. CHAPTER VIII
  24. CHAPTER IX
  25. CHAPTER X
  26. CHAPTER XI
  27. CHAPTER XII
  28. EXEUNT II
  29. PART THREE
  30. CHAPTER I
  31. CHAPTER II
  32. CHAPTER III
  33. CHAPTER IV
  34. CHAPTER V
  35. CHAPTER VI
  36. CHAPTER VII
  37. CHAPTER VIII
  38. EXEUNT III
  39. PART FOUR
  40. CHAPTER I
  41. CHAPTER II
  42. CHAPTER III
  43. CHAPTER IV
  44. EXEUNT IV
  45. PART FIVE
  46. CHAPTER I
  47. CHAPTER II
  48. CHAPTER III
  49. CHAPTER IV
  50. CHAPTER V
  51. CHAPTER VI
  52. EXEUNT V
  53. PART SIX
  54. CHAPTER I
  55. CHAPTER II
  56. CHAPTER III
  57. EXEUNT VI
  58. ADDENDUM
  59. APPENDIX I
  60. APPENDIX II
  61. APPENDIX III
  62. APPENDIX IV
  63. AFTERWORD & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  64. Also by Christopher Paolini
  65. A Conversation between Brandon Sanderson and Christopher Paolini
  66. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  67. Newsletter Sign-up

The three different continua—the subluminal, the luminal, and superluminal—coexist within the same time and space, overlapping at every point in the universe. The luminal exists in a fluidic membrane that separates the subluminal from the superluminal, acting as an interference medium between them. The membrane is semi-permeable, and has a definite surface on both sides, upon which all EM forces exist.

The membrane itself, and thus the entirety of three-dimensional space, is made up of Transluminal Energy Quanta (TEQs), which are, quite simply, the most fundamental building block of reality. A quantized entity, TEQs possess Planck length of 1, Planck energy of 1, and a mass of 0. Their movements and interactions give rise to every other particle and field.

Figure 2: Simplified diagram of spacetime

Taken as a whole, TEQs—and spacetime itself—behave in a quasi-fluidic way. Like a fluid, the luminal membrane exhibits:

  • Pressure
  • Density and compressibility
  • Viscoelasticity
  • Surface and surface tension

We will examine each of these in detail later, but for now, it’s worth noting that viscoelasticity is the property that gives rise to gravity and inertia and is what allows for all relative motion. As mass accumulates, it begins to displace the spacetime membrane, which thins beneath the object. This is gravity. Likewise, the membrane resists change, which means it takes time to displace when force is applied. (The viscousness of spacetime results in friction between boundary layers, which is the reason for the Lense–Thirring effect, aka: frame-dragging).

Since subluminal and superluminal space are physically separated by the spacetime membrane, STL mass and FTL mass can occupy the same coordinate points simultaneously, although this arrangement would be short-lived as (a) all matter in superluminal space moves at some speed faster than c, and (b) the shared membrane means that the spacetime displacement from mass, which is to say gravity, has an equal and opposite effect on the opposing realm.

An example to illustrate: in STL space, a planet will press down upon the fabric of spacetime to create the sort of gravity well we are all familiar with. At the same time, that depression will manifest in FTL space as a gravity “hill”—an equal and opposite prominence in the spacetime fabric. And the reverse is also true.

This has a number of consequences. First of which is that mass in one realm of space has a repulsive effect in the other. Stars, planets, and other STL gravitational bodies no longer act as attractors when one transitions to FTL. Quite the opposite.