Twofold Soul
Having a twofold soul or being a World Crosser isn't a disease, it is simply a condition some people are born with, which changes the way they experience the world. It isn't pathological, except for painful side-effects.
Causes
In Kaat and in certain parts of Deya and Drifeyer, it is believed that when someone is born, their soul passes from the Spirit Realm into the Earthly Realm and into the body of the person who is about to be born. Passage from one realm into the other is granted by the Spirit of Death and the In-between, Emaela.
Once a soul incarnates into a body it can't leave the Earthly Realm, unless the person dies. The soul is more or less trapped in the body.
However, it is believed that Emaela chooses certain souls she takes a liking to, and splits a tiny part of the soul off. That part is kept in the Spirit Realm or the Void in between the realms, which is Emaela's domain. Because of that these souls exist "twofold", because they are in two places at once.
Once a soul incarnates into a body it can't leave the Earthly Realm, unless the person dies. The soul is more or less trapped in the body.
However, it is believed that Emaela chooses certain souls she takes a liking to, and splits a tiny part of the soul off. That part is kept in the Spirit Realm or the Void in between the realms, which is Emaela's domain. Because of that these souls exist "twofold", because they are in two places at once.
Symptoms
The consequences of having a twofold soul are that the soul is not entirely earthbound anymore, which means it can pass the void and cross to the other side. "Normal" souls can't do that because they are completely earthbound. The crossing from one realm into the other is difficult and requires years of training and immense control, otherwise it can hapen that the soul gets stuck in the Void or the Spirit Realm. This can be deadly, if the soul isn't retrieved by an experienced Spirit Wanderer. Once they can control their ability, however, they can visit the Spirit Realm, talk to souls and spirits there and even guide the souls of the dead to either side of the void. When someone with a twofold soul crosses the Void, they go into an altered state of consciousness, where their awareness shifts from the part of the soul in their body to the part in the Spirit Realm.
Individuals with twofold souls also aquire one of the following transcendental abilities:
Seeing the Dead
Speaking to the Dead
Prophetic Visions
Prophetic Dreams
Prophetic Auditory Experiences
Glimpsing into the Past
Seeing beyond the Void
And more, but these are the most common ones.
These abilities are often acompanied by flights of anxiety, apathy, mania, fevers, back pain, headaches, full body aches, sluggishness or brain fog.
Another "symptom" of this condition is a non-adherence to social norms because of the different way these people experience the world. This leads them to identify outside of or in-between the gender binary, or as the opposite gender they were assigned at birth. The realisation isn't always immediate, with some taking centuries to figure it out and others knowing at an early age. Usually, the abilities are dormant until one realises one's gender identity, but there are cases where the abilities awaken first.
Individuals with twofold souls also aquire one of the following transcendental abilities:
Seeing the Dead
Speaking to the Dead
Prophetic Visions
Prophetic Dreams
Prophetic Auditory Experiences
Glimpsing into the Past
Seeing beyond the Void
And more, but these are the most common ones.
These abilities are often acompanied by flights of anxiety, apathy, mania, fevers, back pain, headaches, full body aches, sluggishness or brain fog.
Another "symptom" of this condition is a non-adherence to social norms because of the different way these people experience the world. This leads them to identify outside of or in-between the gender binary, or as the opposite gender they were assigned at birth. The realisation isn't always immediate, with some taking centuries to figure it out and others knowing at an early age. Usually, the abilities are dormant until one realises one's gender identity, but there are cases where the abilities awaken first.
Treatment
There is no "treatment" in that sense, and it would be inhumane to want to treat something that is simply a different way of experiencing the world. However, training is often required, especially for those who want to cross the void, because it can happen to inexperienced people that they get stuck, which can have horrible consequences.
The physical symptoms also get treated often with pain-killing tinctures, potions or salves.
The physical symptoms also get treated often with pain-killing tinctures, potions or salves.
Prognosis
Usually, pain, anxiety and the like of those symptoms lessen with age, as one gets more familiar with one's abilities. Training to control the abilities also helps in alleviating painful side-effects. It's usually the lack of control that causes these symptoms in the first place.
So this is a "condition" that gets better with age, instead of worse.
So this is a "condition" that gets better with age, instead of worse.
History
The twofold soul or World Crossers and many other names given to this "condition" are as old as elves themselves. The reasoning behind the abilities and the linked gender identities weren't always the same but it usually had something to do with some kind of deity worshipped in the respective culture.
In countries with Spirit Worship as their Religion the "condition" is known as having a Twofold Soul. In the Redwoods it's called being a "World Crosser" (Naosh: Kadch Kuadz). The Estirians call it being "the God's or Goddess's Chosen Ones".
In countries with Spirit Worship as their Religion the "condition" is known as having a Twofold Soul. In the Redwoods it's called being a "World Crosser" (Naosh: Kadch Kuadz). The Estirians call it being "the God's or Goddess's Chosen Ones".
Cultural Reception
In Kaat having a Twofold Soul and becoming a Spirit Wanderer is associated with high social status and reverence. In other countries that practice Spirit Worship, the concept of Spirit Wanderer wasn't taken over, so there is no change in status or class. However, Twofold Souls are still respected and often wanted as healers.
In Zayth Tcheor, they are associated with the Red God and many become acolytes, which puts them in this weird place of being revered and feared at the same time. Those who don't become acolytes aren't treated differently, but there are always people who are afraid of them.
In Estira they are also associated with becoming priests of Nature Dualism, even though not all of them choose that path, obviously. They are revered as divine healers and envied for their stronger connection to one of the deities of Estira.
In Zayth Tcheor, they are associated with the Red God and many become acolytes, which puts them in this weird place of being revered and feared at the same time. Those who don't become acolytes aren't treated differently, but there are always people who are afraid of them.
In Estira they are also associated with becoming priests of Nature Dualism, even though not all of them choose that path, obviously. They are revered as divine healers and envied for their stronger connection to one of the deities of Estira.
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