Near SoulWorker

A Near SoulWorker (Nier SoulWorker) is an artificial SoulWorker created from NED Company's Near SoulWorker project. Near SoulWorkers are created by using Pike and other mediums to reinforce the human body and have SoulForce forcefully pumped into the body until the person is stabilized. Very few Near SoulWorkers were successfully created from this method and many victims perished from the experiments. Unlike normal SoulWorkers, Near SoulWorkers do not use the power of emotions but use SoulForce as an energy medium.

## About

In NED Company's quest to produce artificial SoulForcers and SoulWorkers to oppose the Starry Forest League, NED Company started Project Ark which eventually led to the Near SoulWorker project at Ruin Fortress. The project had many failures and desperation led to mad experiments in hopes of an experimental success. NED Company resorted to kidnapping and purchasing young children and teenagers in hopes that their turbulent emotions could control SoulForce. As a part of the process, many children received multiple modifications, subject to different drugs and had their limbs taken apart and placed together. In order to reduce the trauma induced by this method, NED Company also wiped the memory of their test subjects as the experiments proceeded. The mad experiments were nothing short of desperation as many victims perished and NED Company was unsuccessful for some time.

## 1st Generation Near SoulWorker

Eventually, NED Company was successful with producing two Near SoulWorkers, Suzie and Marie. For unknown reasons, Marie was moved over to the Resurrection Project and was no longer managed by the Near SoulWorker Project. Suzie's initial success appeared to bring hope to NED Company's madness but Suzie shortly went berserk and killed a majority of the scientists in the Ruin Fortress lab. Suzie wielded more power compared to NED Company's ordinary SoulForcers and SoulWorkers at the time and were unable to stop her. At some point, they were able to control Suzie and she entered a slumbering state in Ruin Fortress. The first generation Near SoulWorkers were considered too powerful and too dangerous to control, and as a result was considered a failure. According to Suzie, her full power is equivalent to eight SoulWorkers. The data from 1st Generation Near SoulWorkers would later be used to create the 2nd Generation Near SoulWorkers.

It is currently unknown if the 1st Generation SoulWorkers were truly a success by a part of NED Company's scientists or was a result of Lakasha's repeated intervention on Second Stair. According to the story PVs, Lakasha needed to manage the irregularities that emerged when the parallel worlds occurred which Suzie was included alongside Chii and Naomin. However, some degree of success can be attributed to NED Company since Marie was considered to be a being that defies of Lakasha's planned Schedule. For unknown reasons, Suzie's strength is drained whenever she is nearby Chii or Ephnel. It is unlikely that this case applies to Ephnel due to her transition as a SoulWorker.

## 2nd Generation Near SoulWorker

The 2nd Generation Near SoulWorkers were apart of the Ruin Fortress experiments but were kept in a slumber after Suzie's rampage. After the SoulWorker arrives in Cloudream, NED Company begins to analyze the data of the SoulWorker and uses it to apply the necessary adjustments to create the 2nd Generation Near SoulWorkers. These Near SoulWorkers were considered more of a success compared to Suzie since they could be controlled. Ravan, Nita, Abel, and Naran were the successful products of the data between the SoulWorker and Suzie. In truth, the 2nd Generation Near SoulWorkers were only a mild success since only Ravan was fully controlled but Nita, Abel, and Naran slowly gained their consciousness and escaped to Ruin Fortress to find Suzie. Unlike the 1st Generation, the 2nd Generation does not appear to have the power to exceed a normal SoulWorker or a SinWorker compared to the first.

### BloodNova

Second Generation Near SoulWorkers have the ability to use ,a BloodNova(Exceed), the equivalent ability of a SoulWorker's Supernova. By using this ability, Near SoulWorkers gain a large energy spike but are unable to maintain it for a extended period of time due to the burden that it places on their body. Using a BloodNova appears to have a transformative effect compared to a SoulWorker's Supernova as Ravan's appearance changed, Naran being able to create floating rings at will, and Nita utilizing a hologram. Abel has never used a BloodNova and it is currently unknown if this ability to unique to second generation Near SoulWorkers.

## Abel's Group

Abel's group or more commonly referred to as the "Near SoulWorkers" are the surviving Near SoulWorkers found at Ruin Fortress. These Near SoulWorkers have family-like relationship due to their shared time as test subjects with NED Company. Abel serves as the linchpin of the group as the other Near SoulWorkers are willing to assist with Abel's wishes. Despite Ephnel being considered a Near SoulWorker, she is actually more often paired together with the members of the SoulWorker unit. After the events of Ruin Fortress, they serve as Dr. Frances' secret assistants. During the West War arc, the group supported the Starry Forest League and helped defend Ruin Fortress.

## Kill-Switch

In case of an emergency, the NED Company scientists placed control unit in the Pike that is found within the bodies of the Near SoulWorker. Activating the control unit causes the Pike to reactivate which would clash with Near SoulWorker's SoulForce causing them to explode and perish. It does not seem like this mechanism was placed onto first generation Near SoulWorkers as NED Company could have stopped Suzie before and this mechanism was made to prevent a second occurrence of uncontrollable Near SoulWorker with the second generation. Ephnel suspected that the device would also kill her as well and destroyed it as a result. After the events of Ruin Fortress, Dr. Frances has removed the control mechanism from the Near SoulWorkers.

## Known Near SoulWorkers

 Ravan
 Nita
 Naran
 Suzie
 Ephnel

## Trivia

* In one of Oden's subquests in Ruin Fortress, he takes a mission where he appears to misspoke "as a Near SoulWorker" but does not clarify his statement and immediately changes the topic to his request for the SoulWorker. This implies that Oden is aware of or has some relation to the Near SoulWorker Project