Support my other work 'Valis of the Forgotten' ~~~~~ The firmament isn’t exactly a specific place, it ruptures at random locations in the free realm releasing essence and monsters born of essence and can also suck in some things and people from the free realm, The rupturing can be in small scale which ends up releasing small beasts or in some cases can be large scale which can suck in a whole person, once a person gets sucked in and as somehow made it out they are said to have stared into the abyss. Essence can be seen as a form of energy that’s alive and stares into your deepest uncontrollable desires, it basically sees you bare and stripped of any excesses just as the desire that makes you human and manifests to the outside world based on that and since it’s a life force on its own it enhances the persons lifespan and physical capabilities. It’s a connection to the void, the void itself is less of a place and more of a being, think of essence as a part of the void and the void is constantly trying to get it back which is why it ruptures from time to time but that rupturing takes in but also gives out hence there will always be essence in the free realm, whenever there is a high concentration of essence in one location then a large scale rupture occurs which is why two pillars should never be in the same geographical location, the price for using essence itself isn’t free as the moment you start you’ve stepped on a path of agony, sadness and betrayal. It blurs the line between right and wrong as you ascend to divinity forgoing your humanity. It is the path of the damned, but it’s the only path they've come to know, watch as Icarus battles through the madness and monsters in a hope to survive.