Soul

The **Soul** is the immaterial aspect of a sentient being, such as humans and Magical Beasts who evolved with enough intelligence. The Soul is bound to one's body until death. Once its physical vessel expires, the Soul returns to the *Origin Point* of everything*.* Within the Soul of a being is attached memories, its Gate, and their **Essences**. Once a soul returns to the Universal Origin point, it is recycled, wiped clean of any previous memories, Gates, and Essences before being returned to back to a world.

Celestial Bodies such as the Earth also possess a Soul, however, its soul is vastly different to the mortals that populate the planet, and has a very long "shelf life" in comparison to a human soul.

The Soul can be prolonged by replacing the physical vessel or increasing the longevity of its current vessel. This has been a key concept shared by many magi who have pursued immortality throughout the years, however the Soul still has an "expiration point" and no matter how long the physical body is preserved, a Soul will eventually degrade and return to the Origin Point, unless a method of directly preserving or prolonging the lifespan of a Soul is done, which is a rarity within the world of magi. *Vampirism*, *Lichdom*, *Xiūliàn Cultivation*, and several other forms of "immortality" have been devised by magi throughout the centuries, but no true eternal preservation of the Soul has been discovered by humanity.

The fact that the Mana Gates of Mortals and Magical Beasts are connected to their Souls meant that many magi in the past have utilized many methods of storing the souls of others as a source of Magical Energy. Many Magical Beasts also possess the ability to consume the souls of others as a method of sustenance, especially after the Post Collapse Era, since a good way of remaining in the Mortal Realm and counteracting the effects of Decay is to constantly consume the Souls of Magi, Non-magi, and other Magical Beasts in order to anchor their existences despite the Decay constantly trying to correct their illogical existence and weaken their existential grasp in the world.

## The Origin Point of Everything

The Origin Point, known by many names such as *Heaven*, The *Unseen World*, *The Source*, *The Root,* *God*, *The Origin*, *The One*, *The Universal Line*, or *the Akashic Records*. Whatever name is used, the Records are a metaphysical space that encompasses and transcends all concepts. The full grasp and understanding of the Records is vast ocean of mystery that even after millennia of research and study, what mages have grasped of it is but a drop of that ocean. Penetrating even the lowest boundaries of the The Source is an incredible achievement that would make a mage go down in legend, and few have managed. Yet to go beyond accessing it, but entering it and leaving behind the world has been an even rarer feat and one that none have ever returned from. To entities like gods and demons, the Root is simply a convenient resource. They record their beings and powers there and have carved out realms within it to solidify and expand their power. When they appear within the physical world, they do so by manifesting a portion of their self.

## **Essence**

Similar to how magical plants and materials contain magical properties that can be extracted through Herbalism, Minerology, or Alchemy, the Soul also contains a property similar to these magical effects called "Essence", an inherent trait that is bound to their Soul. As each soul is unique, each has different essences, though some may share similarities with one another. These Essences typically pertain to abstract concepts such as "Confusion" or "Determination", although there are instances where the Essences of a Soul is related to a physical concept, such as "Sword" or "Shield". These Essences grant the physical vessels inherent properties, and sometimes make their bodies ideal for certain magic. Essences also affect their personalities consciously or unconsciously, unless they possess the willpower to "defy" the Essence of their Soul. For example, a mage whose Soul contains the Essence of "Nurturing" will find themselves more kind-hearted and also have an affinity for Healing and Restoration magic. Sometimes the Essence of one's soul is so insignificant that it doesn't affect the mind and body of a person. This is common in non-magi as they are ignorant of the concept, although there are some instances where their Essences do affect them. Some magi go their entire lives not knowing what their Essence is due to how insignificant it affects their mind and body. Essences are typically identified by magi through rituals that analyze one's body and soul.

The Essence of a Soul can be inherited through selective breeding, a breakthrough magi discovered since the Mythic Age. This typically occurs when the children have parents who share the same Essence.

The physical properties granted by one's Essence also means that their entire body can become a vessel for that Essence. For millennia, magi have used their own body parts or the body parts of others as materials for creating magical items and artifacts. A spear made from the bones of a beast with the Essence of *Death* makes for an excellent assassination weapon, while the bullets made from the teeth of a mage with an Essence of *Healing* can actually save a person instead of killing them when shot with it.