Soulcrystal

**Soulcrystal** is a naturally-forming crystalline substance that rapidly soaks up structured soul energy into its simple lattice structure. As soul energy is naturally resistant to elemental magic or manipulation, soulcrystal can be used to prevent, ward off, or protect against elemental energy or magic. It can be used to prevent mages from performing elemental magic, or used as magical shielding to protect against corruption, among other uses.

## Structure and Properties

Soulcrystal is a relatively uncommon form of Primordial Stone that naturally occurs on the surface and underground. Its crystal lattice is similar to that of lacrima crystal, but instead of attracting elemental energy, it builds up soul energy at a uniquely fast rate. Soul energy is most commonly found in living things, which possess dense lattices of soul energy, and the antimagic properties living souls possess are found in soulcrystal as well. These properties are also due to the fact that, unlike most other things, soulcrystal binds the soul energy in a dense lattice, making its antimagic properties far more potent. Due to its soul energy buildup, soulcrystal resists manipulation by stone magic, but it can still be used as a sturdy construction material. Shaping or manipulating the physical structure of a chunk of soulcrystal doesn't change the actual internal soul lattice, and thus it can be manipulated into precise forms for various uses, such as the scalpel the Collector uses. Soulcrystal can also be altered to only filter out specific kinds of elemental energy.

All elements absorb soul energy to some extent, and some fused materials seem to absorb soul energy more readily than single-element matter, but these materials are significantly rarer and more volatile than soulcrystal, as well as not absorbing the energy in as structured a lattice. Adamant, especially older Adamant, absorbs soul energy similarly to soulcrystal and giving it similar antimagic properties, but it is pretty much impossible to acquire in large quantities. It also binds the energy in a much less tightly woven lattice, making it able to be manipulated comparatively easier than soulcrystal with the right mage.

##### Appearance

Soulcrystal appears as a shimmering purple crystalline substance, although, if cut thinly enough, it becomes translucent enough to see through.

## Uses

Soulcrystal's antimagic properties have a myriad of uses. Soulcrystal itself can be shaped into various tools that can be honed to sharp points, such as knives, which can then be used to interact with souls and soul energy directly in a way that a mage cannot. While proximity to a small amount of soulcrystal will not strongly impact a mage's ability to channel elemental energy, if they are surrounded with it, its magic-repelling properties will create an environment that they cannot cast in.

##### Cleanrooms

Soulcrystal is commonly used to make magical "cleanrooms," which are rooms lined or constructed from soulcrystal where no elemental energy can enter. These cleanrooms are commonly used to store blank lacrimas, since otherwise the blank lacrimas would begin to acquire an ambient elemental charge and make their power less potent overall. A mage inside a cleanroom is completely powerless, since without ambient elemental energy to channel, they cannot manipulate the elements. This is not directly impacting the mage's magic ability, however; a lacrima, for example, would provide the mage with enough energy to channel and cast normally.

##### Magical Shielding

The properties of soulcrystal make it useful for protection against elemental corruption or other dangerous elemental energies. Magical hazmat suits can be constructed from an outer shell of waxed leather lined with thin squares of soulcrystal, with a thin, transparent faceplate and a wind lacrima to provide uncontaminated air. These suits can be adjusted to only filter out certain kinds of energy, such as the hazmat suits used during the Chimeric Plague outbreak in Vash. These and other kinds of soulcrystal shielding can also be used to prevent against cave-corruption when diving into the singing caves.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Magic (comicaurora.com)
2. ↑ "*Cave corruption is impossible to cure once...*": message in #aurora-discussion in the OSP discord server (discord.com)
3. ↑ *"Lacrimas are made of a kind of crystal that accumulates elemental energy quite easily - it's similar to soulcrystal, but slightly differently arranged"*: message in #aurora-discussion in the OSP discord server (discord.com)
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 So we know that certain materials can accumulate soul energy, like soulcrystal and to a lesser extent adamant. Can any material accumulate soul energy given a long enough time, or is it specific to certain things? (tumblr.com)
5. ↑ Could the lattice of soul energy in a soulcrystal be restructured - either by soulshaping or careful carving - into something resembling the soul of a sentient being? (tumblr.com)
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Page 1.11.17 (comicaurora.com)
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Hi Red! I was looking at those Hazmat suits all the way back in Chapter 2 and I noticed one of them in the back seemed to be using fire magic. I was under the impression that the suits blocked out elemental energy, so how is the mage still able to cast? (tumblr.com)
8. ↑ Howdy Red, can soul crystals power things like how lacrima does? Ie a golem powered by a soul crystal. (tumblr.com)
9. ↑ Sorry if I missed it and it's on a lore page, and sorry for the flood of questions, but what are the properties of adamant?... (tumblr.com)
10. ↑ if elemental fusions collect more soul energy, does this compound the more elements in the fusion?... (tumblr.com)
11. ↑ Page 1.2.13 (comicaurora.com)
12. ↑ How are lacrimas made? (tumblr.com)
13. ↑ Just out of curiosity, how do the magical hazmat suits work? (tumblr.com)
14. ↑ Page 1.6.18 (comicaurora.com)