Overview
The Void, formally known as the World of Darkness, is the Thirteenth reflection of the Source—a parallel shard of the original star that was catastrophically consumed by darkness-aspected aether. Unlike other reflections that maintain some form of balance or life, the Thirteenth exists in a state of total collapse, a lightless dimension overrun by creatures of shadow known as voidsent. It stands as a grim testament to the dangers of aetherial imbalance and a failed Ascian experiment, representing the polar opposite fate of the First, which was nearly lost to an overwhelming flood of Light. The Void is not merely an empty wasteland, but a hostile, structured realm with its own hierarchies and territories, ruled by powerful voidsent entities who constantly seek to breach the barriers between worlds.
History and Lore
The Fall of the Thirteenth
In the ancient past, the Thirteenth was a vibrant reflection much like the Source, with its own lands, cultures, and peoples. Its doom was orchestrated by the Ascian Igeyorhm, who sought to trigger a Rejoining—a calamity that would merge the shard back into the Source to restore the world to its primordial state under Zodiark. The Ascians typically worked by subtly tipping a shard's aetherial balance toward one aspect, then orchestrating a collision with the Source. However, in the Thirteenth, the process spiraled out of control. The infusion of darkness was too rapid and extreme, corrupting the very aether of the shard beyond reclamation. Instead of a controlled calamity, the Thirteenth was utterly consumed, its landscapes twisted, its inhabitants transformed into monstrous voidsent, and its light extinguished forever. This catastrophic failure left the shard as a useless, corrupted void in the Ascians' plans, though it would become a persistent threat to the Source in its own right.
Nature of the Void
The Void is a dimension almost entirely devoid of natural light, illuminated only by eerie, unnatural sources such as corrupted crystals, voidsent energies, and faint astral glow. Its geography is largely fragmented and surreal, with landmasses floating in an endless abyss, twisted remnants of the world that was. The ambient aether is so heavily aspected to darkness that it is toxic to most living beings from the Source, corroding both flesh and spirit over time. Within this gloom, a strict hierarchy of voidsent has emerged. Lesser voidsent—imps, void sprites, and demons—roam in packs, while more powerful beings known as voidsent lords carve out territories and command legions. These lords, such as Scathach, Diabolos, and Ferdiad, possess intelligence, ambition, and a deep hunger for the light-aspected aether they lack.
Voidsent and Cross-Dimensional Incursions
The creatures of the Void, collectively called voidsent, are beings either born from the darkness or former inhabitants of the Thirteenth transformed by its fall. They are driven by an insatiable craving for aether, particularly light-aspected aether, which they must consume to sustain their existence. This hunger has led to countless attempts to breach the barrier between the Void and the Source throughout history. Voidsent summoning, a forbidden art of dark magic, has been practiced by various cults and mages—most notably the Mhachi civilization during the Third Astral Era. These summoners would open gates to the Void, allowing voidsent to pour through, often with devastating consequences. The Allagan Empire also studied and weaponized voidsent, containing them within prisons like the Syrcus Tower. In the present day, voidsent remain a persistent threat, summoned by those seeking power or knowledge of the dark arts.
Recent Explorations and the Thirteenth Restoration
For much of recorded history, the Void was considered an irredeemable hellscape. This perception began to shift during the Endwalker post-patch narrative, when the great wyrm Vrtra enlisted the aid of the Warrior of Light to find his sister, Azdaja, who had been lost in the Thirteenth. Their journey revealed that the Void was not entirely monolithic. Within the darkness, pockets of stability and even remnants of civilization exist, maintained by voidsent lords who impose a brutal order. More importantly, it was discovered that some of the original inhabitants of the Thirteenth survived its fall, their souls trapped within voidsent forms but not entirely extinguished.
This revelation sparked a new endeavor: the potential restoration of the Thirteenth. While fully reversing the corruption may be impossible, efforts led by figures like Zero—a voidsent-hybrid ally—and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn have focused on stabilizing the realm, rescuing trapped souls, and establishing a fragile peace between its factions. This ongoing storyline represents a significant expansion of Final Fantasy XIV's cosmology, moving beyond the dichotomy of Light and Dark to explore redemption, balance, and the possibility of healing a world once thought lost.
In-Game Depictions and Content
While the Void as a physical location is not fully explorable in open zones, its presence permeates much of Final Fantasy XIV's content. The Void Ark raid series (including The Void Ark, The Weeping City of Mhach, and Dun Scaith) takes players into floating ruins and strongholds steeped in voidsent influence. The Shadow of Mhach alliance raid storyline directly deals with the aftermath of Mhachi void-summoning and the machinations of the voidsent lord Diabolos. In the Endwalker patches, the Void is accessed through specific gateways, with players venturing into its depths in instanced dungeons and key story duties. These experiences depict the Void as a realm of oppressive darkness, vertical floating landscapes, and constant danger, where the very environment seeks to drain the light from intruders.
Trivia
- The Void is sometimes poetically called "the World of Darkness," a direct contrast to the First's epithet "the World of Light" during the Flood.
- The concept of the Void and voidsent draws heavily from classic Final Fantasy elements, such as the Interdimensional Rift and demons like Scathach and Diabolos, who have appeared in previous titles.
- Despite its corruption, the Thirteenth is confirmed to have once had its own version of Hydaelyn's blessing, suggesting its people were protected by a similar mantle of light before the fall.
- The failed Rejoining of the Thirteenth made the Ascians more cautious in their manipulations of other shards, leading to their more subtle, long-term approaches seen in the Source's history.