Soul

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"Souls are predictable. You go up or you go down."

*Souls are the spiritual life essence of a human or monster, which resides within a physical body while they are still alive. After their physical body dies or is destroyed, their soul continues to exist and typically moves on to an afterlife. After death, humans can refuse to move to an afterlife, and remain on Earth as a ghost. If they go to Hell, they will end up being tortured into a demon. Monster Souls go to Purgatory. And when a demon gets killed, the soul goes to The Empty.*

## Creation

*When God created humans, he gave them a spiritual essence or soul, so that after their physical bodies perished, they could move on to either be rewarded or punished, depending on the life they chose to lead. Eve, the Mother of All, created monsters whose souls function similarly, but are destined instead to Purgatory.*

*In the Natural Order, human souls are transported to the afterlife by Death's servants, Reapers; however, the reaper Tessa refused to tell Reya on more than one occasion where she takes them. The destinations of souls are Heaven, Hell, The Empty and Purgatory.*

## Characteristics

*Souls are magical by nature and could be used by several creatures to cast spells or to increase their power. They are said to be impermanent and immune to harm. A soul can't be fully destroyed, because even if a demon is killed, the corrupted human soul is cast out into The Empty.*

*It was previously thought that burning their bones would get rid of them completely, but that was shown to be untrue.  According to Valeria, a damaged soul could heal in due time. Usually, souls leave their vessels when they die, being taken to their final place, but they can be removed by force, leaving their owners soulless. However, it seems souls have a link to their vessels; when removed, the souls return to them (if they are still alive) when they have the chance to do it.*

*It is known that one soul contains the same amount of power as one-hundred suns.*

*According to Heaven, the human soul would theoretically act as a filter for the Prophet translating the Word of God and inoculate them from any of the corrupting effects of the tablet's power.*

## Uses

### Deals

*In exchange for a soul, Crossroad Demon's will grant humans any desire they wish. Once the exchange was completed, the demon usually would give the person ten years before they came to collect. It can be as little as one year to as long as twenty-five years. Either way, the demon has to collect and send the soul to Hell, other higher demons like the Princes of Hell, White-eyed Demons and even angels can make deals and hold contracts as well.*

### Gaining Power

*Beings can use souls to gain more power. On one occasion, an angel was shown healing himself with the use of a soul. Angels are also able to absorb and transfer memories from souls. Eve can draw power from the souls in Purgatory, calling it "her supply". After the Grigori Angels turned away from Heaven and were almost completely destroyed, some of them began to slowly feed on human souls, gaining power. This slowly damaged their soul, which could not be healed by other Angels. However, after the victim is dead, should their soul go to Heaven (if any of their soul remains intact), they appear to return to normal, fully healed. Containing a huge amount of souls can prove detrimental to the vessel, causing them to slowly "melt" and ultimately die.*

### Spells

*To perform certain spells, one must tap energy from their soul. It will eventually heal and retain full power, so that the spellcaster may perform the spell again.*

## Types of Souls

### Humans

*Human souls are the spiritual essence of a person, which typically reside inside a physical body. After that person dies, should they choose to move on, a reaper will take them to either Heaven or Hell, depending on how they lead their life. The soul allows the body to feel emotions, such as happiness, sadness, and remorse, and for an unknown reason, it makes it so that humans need to sleep. Human souls hold an immense amount of light, said to contain the light of at least 100 suns.*

### Demons

*Demons are human souls which have been twisted and tortured until they are nothing but a cloud of black smoke This occurs when a human soul goes to Hell, either by making a deal, witchcraft, or leading a bad life. They will be tortured by other demons until they become one themselves. To manifest on Earth, most demons have to possess the bodies of humans and use them as vessels. As their soul is twisted, their personality and emotions become corrupt, where they no longer feel sympathy or empathy. They also gain powers, which they can use in Hell, or while possessing a vessel on Earth. Using the Demon Curing Ritual, a demon's soul can be returned to its original human state.*

### Ghosts

*Ghosts are human souls that refuse to move on to an afterlife and remain on Earth. They typically reside in The Veil, but with enough strength, they can manifest in the physical plane, usually in the form of their past bodies. Staying on Earth usually turns souls into Violent Spirits, however. Like, demons, they are also able to possess humans to accomplish things. When they are put to rest, a Reaper takes them to where they belong.*

### Angels

*When an angel loses its grace, they become human (having no powers or immortality) and gain a soul. This allows them to feel more human emotions, as angels typically don't feel them. When an angel who became human dies, it can move on to an afterlife, such as Heaven or Hell.*

### Monsters

*Monsters are humans that have been tampered with and altered by Eve. It has been shown that not only are their bodies physically different than humans, but their souls are altered as well. When a monster dies, its soul goes to neither Heaven nor Hell but instead goes to Purgatory.*

### Nephilim

*Nephilim have a special kind of soul which is essentially the same as a humans but is mixed with angelic grace. This mixture of soul and grace enhances the Nephilim's power beyond the strength they'd have without it, making it extraordinarily powerful. When a Nephilim dies, at least when their grace has been removed, their soul can go to Heaven or Hell like a regular human being.*