Light-Bond

As marriage binds the hearts of lovers, the light binds their souls together in kind.

I took down his shrine a while ago, now. It's just... he'd spend so much time standing at it, and he'd look so sad.
I know, "how can a faceless form look sad?"
But really, when you knew him the way I did, you can just see it in the way he stands...

— Hevati Widow

The light-bond is a ritual practiced in Everbright during most traditional marriage ceremonies.

Love and Light

In Everbright, where light is eternal, many seek to tie their bonds with it, that they may be just as everlasting. This particular emergence of the Leyline of Revelation cast the entire region in perpetual light, and has made its magic abundant, and this magic has interwoven itself into local marital traditions.
The tradition of light-bonding is among the most common, requiring an officiant who is attuned to the leyline enough that they may pluck and weave leyline fibers. The light-bond is achieved through a form of handfasting which substitutes physical cords for fibers of the leyline which dissipate as both parties are spiritually linked.

A light-bond is forever — if you choose it. Would you hold on?

Location

Everbright

Type

Marital Tradition, Lovers' Bond

Duration

Perpetual, until performed again

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Dipping into Revelation

The Leyline of Revelation is incorporated into local marital traditions in numerous ways, this ritual being but one of several.
With its connection to truth and clarity, its symbolism is often applied to the unity of marriage as a way of ensuring lasting, loyal bonds.

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Everlasting Bond

While both bonded parties remain alive, this ritual is primarily symbolic in nature, as no effects present themselves during this stage. Despite this, many couples will claim that the bond has made it harder to hide things from one another, and that they are more connected than before.

Til Death, and Beyond

The bond continues to show no effect until one member of the bonded pair passes away, after which the bond's everlasting nature makes itself known. Though the body of the deceased may be laid to rest, their spirit — or at the very least, a visualization of it — carries on, appearing to live alongside their living partner.
This spirit appears as a light, shimmering silhouette of the deceased, which embodies all of their usual mannerisms and body language, but lacks a face or voice, or any other identifying details. They can be seen by all, but cannot be touched except by their living partner, from whom they seldom stray farther than a few meters.

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New Lights

Society is torn on the subject of remarrying due to this cultural ritual, citing reasons ranging from faithful to physical, among others to justify their stance. No province restricts being re-wed following the death of a spouse, but many will harbor negative feelings towards those who do, in spite of a lingering light-bond.

"A part of them is still with us..."

Those who speak against remarrying most often do so by focusing on the fact that a piece of the deceased remains in the world, and continues to manifest visually in the world. They bear the same mannerisms, and respond to inputs the way they did while alive, and appear to live autonomously — though never too far from their bonded companion.
Their lack of a physical form or voice sets them apart from their once-living counterpart, but many argue that the soul of their loved one lives on, and should be honored for life. Those who lost their spouse in a traumatic way often hold tightly to the light-bonded visage of their deceased love, taking comfort in their lingering presence. Many groups campaigning against the breaking of such a bond are made up of the surviving victims of such tragedies, who believe that accepting the practice will require them to acknowledge that their late partners are truly gone.

"... but the person is gone."

Comforting, though it may be, to have a remnant of one's partner remain after a loss, the lingering presence is distressing to just as many people as it is comforting. While an echo of their physical form remains, one can only converse with it as though with a ghost; the presence is faceless, cannot speak, and has little impact on the space around it. All semblance of partnership is lost, and only a walking faded memory remains.
Many will choose to remarry after losing their bound companion, opting to move on after their losses. Even those who are in favor of this action voice that, once time comes for the decision to be made, it is a difficult one to commit to.