What is the Veil?
The question that racked everyone’s brains, but fear not, The Fal Chavam the Timelost comes bearing answers. As it turns out, it was sitting right in front of us the entire time. Since the very beginning of Destiny as we know it.
So, what is it? Patience, let me present the evidence. We didn’t know much about anything about the Veil, but we found out in the quest Bluejay that the Black Garden’s Heart was a failed copy of the Veil. So to better understand the Veil, we need to look into the Black Heart. So what do we know about it? Not much, BUT, we do know a function it performed. In Destiny 1’s final mission “The Black Heart”, upon entering the Garden, Ghost states that the Garden isn’t on any known map of time or space. Once we defeated the Heart, Ghost says that “We’re back on Mars” even though we were still in the Garden. Therefore, it’s a safe assumption that the Black Heart was responsible for the Garden’s displacement in space/time. Let’s pocket that for later.
Let’s also take a look at the grimoire card The Black Garden:
“Look into the Vault, Guardian, for it is said to hold powers the Progeny were meant to bring forth."
So the Heart was supposed to be an upgrade from the Vault of Glass. What exactly was the Vault of Glass? Well, that’s kind of a mystery as well. The Vault is a place where time frays and unravels, permitting the Vex to simply blink things out of existence, but only within the confines of the Vault. Atheon is a tool used to rethread frayed time as the vex see fit. So how does that help us understand the Black Heart and the Veil?
Consider, we know the Black Heart is capable of rewriting space, but limited effect on time. The Vault of Glass is capable of rewriting time, but only in a limited space. So a combination of both of these artifacts gives you something that can create/control time and space. With all that in mind, it gives us a good guess of what the Veil is: something that creates/manipulates time and space.
Now, it’s all fun and games to know “It messes with time and space”, but it’s not a very satisfying answer, right? Good news, I’m not done. We know the Veil has a universal reach, not only because everyone in the universe seems to want it, but also because of Strand, FWC, and the Ishtar Collective.
For those unaware, Lightfall is not the first time we’ve heard of the Veil. Before the collapse, the Ishtar Collective created a device based on Vex technology that permitted them to see across time. After the collapse, it was found and used again to see across time. Ghost Fragment: Future War Cult records the various futures they witness. These visions and the desire to prevent them are what lead to the creation of the Future War Cult. The important part is, how the Device works. It “Opens the Veil” and displaces the consciousness.
Now, why is that significant? What is underneath the Veil? Egregore, the fungus with unique psychological properties. Its mycelial network spans across the universe. When someone uses the Device, it’s not like they’re pulling an image from some random shoot of time, they’re sending their consciousness through the Veil and falling through the Garden of possibility.
“Garden of Possibility, what’s that?” For those who have done some reading, you’ll find the lore book “Unveiling.” It is the story of the Gardener and the Winnower in a Garden of possibility. They play a game of flowers with rules and patterns and blah, blah, blah, there’s a lot and I encourage everyone to read at least that if you haven’t already.
So why is that relevant? Well, it answers all our questions after you get a good look at the Veil:
[b]*Refer to picture above*[/b]
The Veil is the seed and root of our universe. Everything that exists in our universe is the flower that bloomed from that seed. We are but one flower in the infinite field of possibility. This also explains where the Witness went and why we can’t follow it at the moment. With the power of the Gardener, the Darkness, and the roots of our universe, the Witness was able to open a portal to what would effectively be the place beyond the multiverse.
The Witness states he wants to end all pain and suffering and complete the final shape. What does that mean? He’s going to the Garden of possibility to raze the entire Garden, and maybe attempt to kill the Gardener and the Winnower. With that, there will be no pain or suffering because nothing will exist. Furthermore, there will only be one possible shape for the field of flowers to take: a barren Garden. And as for why we can’t go through the portal right now, it’s because we’d be stepping into a plain of higher existence that we are not physically capable of existing in. It’s essentially like trying to enter the 4th-dimensional plane.
So how will we get there? I wager “The right mindset” will take us where we need to go. We know consciousness can move through the Garden of possibility with the Device, but a lot of people go crazy or die from that. We need to be able to perceive 4 dimensions and have a body that can handle existing on that plane. All in due time.
[b][i][u]TL:DR:[/u][/i][/b]
The Veil is the seed/root that was used to create our universe. The Witness used the power of the light, the dark, and the very root of our reality to escape to the Garden of possibility where he will burn the flower game to ensure one final shape for all existence across all time, free of pain and suffering.
Cheers
:D
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That was a good read, I’ll have to post my thoughts later.