Focus

***Focus*** is a concept created and nourished by the Kains. A Focus is any theoretical construction capable of preserving the human soul, spirit, and memory. The term was coined by Georgiy Kain while working on his doctrine in necrosophy. Despite being quite abstract, it's said to be governed by mathematically rigid regularities. Yulia Lyuricheva states that no one other than the owner of a Focus may enter it, and that no physical objects may be taken into it either.

According to Victor Kain, a Focus can be compared to a study, a creative labaratory, a camera obscura, "almost perfectly sealed off—except for the door that was visible at all times". Victor believes it's impossible to break into Focus, as it's akin to entering someone else's mind or a drawn picture.

Many architects attempted to create a Focus on behalf of the Kains. Three architects in particular, Andrey Stamatin, Peter Stamatin, and Farkhad, were commissioned to create a Focus in their designs — to varying results. The Stillwater, Cathedral and Polyhedron were all created with the intention of becoming a Focus, with at least one of these intended to contain the souls of Simon Kain and Nina Kaina. The Polyhedron was the most successful attempt at the creation of a Focus: after Nina Kaina's death her memory resided in the tower.

Peter Stamatin built the Polyhedron as Focus for an immortal soul, a concept fervently believed in by the Kains. The Focus of the Polyhedron is described as "repeatedly reflected by reflections of reflections, disconnected from the ground, endlessly soaring between the firmament and the void…".

Buildings that are created with the intention of becoming a Focus but are never used as one hold strange energy to them. It is perhaps due to its abandoned purpose that the Cathedral is believed to be a soulless place by many in the Town.

## Plot

Before Simon Kain's death, Nina Kaina's Memory had resided in the Focus of the Crucible. The Polyhedron was built as Simon Kain's Focus initially, but being occupied by Khan and his Dogheads the Tower couldn't house Simon in it. To make room for Simon, Nina's Memory was removed from the Crucible. Instead, Maria Kaina gave her mother shelter "inside her own heart", making two souls inhabit Maria's body.

After Simon Kain's death, his body was kept in the Focus of the Crucible. Despite the Kains believing the Focus to be impregnable, it is revealed that Simon brought his own murderer into the Focus — he was infected with the Plague. However, even though Simon was deceased, he still could communicate with the living through the Focus.

Victor believes that Eva Yan could become the Soul of a Focus, were she not enamoured of death so bizarrely and persistently. In The Bachelor's Route, Eva commits suicide in the Cathedral in attempts to turn it into a real Focus. According to Georgiy Kain, Eva died the very second Simon's soul reemerged in the Focus of the Crucible.

The Focus of the Crucible appears to be too small to contain Simon's soul, so Georgiy decides to transfer his brother's Memory into the Polyhedron. To achieve that, Georgiy must use the power of his mind, which will ultimately end in his death. It's speculated that Georgiy will die from the collosal strain that this work will have put on him; from the concentration of will, intellect, and all his mental powers.

At some moment, Nina left Maria's body and let Victor carry her soul into the Focus of The Crucible. As transferring a soul to the Focus takes enormous effort, Victor will die in order to preserve Nina's Memory.

## Notes

* In *Pathologic: The Marble Nest*, nuts can be formed into a Focus.
* In *Pathologic: The Marble Nest*, the Polyhedron on the Bachelor's map is labelled instead as "Focus".

## References

1. ↑ *Indeed, Eva died because her soul was parted from her body… severed from it in the very moment Simon's memory reemerged in the Focus of The Crucible.*
2. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20081225003627/http://www.pathologic-game.com/reader\_08.htm