Souls are a manifestation of a person's
aura and spirit.
SOULS
Souls are a manifestation of a person's aura and spirit. They usually do not take any physical form, but they can be seen as a colorful whispy flame or gas. Different people can have different colored souls.
INFO
LIGHT & DARK
Souls are made up of a balance of light and dark, kind of like Yin and Yang. The light within a soul is what is used to create Light Magic, and vice versa. The light embodies positive emotions, and the dark negative ones.
All magic of any kind uses either Light or Dark Magic, and some people can use it in its pure form. This involves using the respective part of the soul as a source of power. Read more about magic here.
DARKNESS
A Soul needs both light and dark to be balanced, but darkness can consume a Soul if a Nightmare consumes the light or it gets lost in another way. This makes the person overrun with negative emotions, which can lead to things like depression or even malicious actions. Light can be brought back into the soul, but if all light is consumed, it is often a point of no return.
SOUL GUIDES
SOUL GUIDES
Soul Guides are protectors of the soul, and each person has a unique creature it takes the form of. It can be any living thing, even plants. These are spiritual guides, and maintain peace and harmony within a soul. They can materialize and take on a physical form, and speak to their host.
Soul Guides can also be killed or injured, and this is extremely dangerous for a soul. This leaves them very vulnerable to Nightmare attacks, as they can sense this weakness. Soul Guides fight Nightmare invasions, and without them, souls have less of a defense.
Parasitic Nightmares essentially put this Soul Guide to sleep and poison it over time. This renders them unable to fight back and protect the soul. This can also kill them, leaving them exposed for the Nightmare to feed.
PHYSICAL FORMS
Soul Guides take on different forms, and each is unique to the person (repeats are possible but unlikely). A child's Soul Guide does not have to resemble the parents' at all. The specific organism chosen often correlates to personality traits of the person: for example, a bird for a free-spirited person, or a shark for an aggressive person. They use Light Magic to ward off Nightmares, so the physical strength of the creature does not make much of an impact on the Soul Guide's ability to fight off Nightmares. However, this physical strength can have a small influence. Plants often have a fluid, more magical form and can still speak aloud.
This physical form can often appears more whispy and magical, and does not have to be a fully solid materialization. They also are often very specific species - "real" or mythical. (Almost all species that exist in the Human World also live in the Dreamscape, but the Dreamscape has additional species unique to it.)
CONNECTION
When Soul Guides take on a physical form, they can speak to and connect with the person. Guides with a stronger connection to their host are often more able to fight off Nightmares.
DEATH OF SOULS
NIGHTMARES
Nightmares consume souls, and can deplete the light inside them. Some are parasitic, and leach off the soul over longer periods of time, killing the victim slowly.
Light brings joy to the soul, and as more light is taken away, the person can become overrun by negative emotions. Some survivors of Nightmare attacks even end up killing themselves to escape the pain.