Manami Shimizu

Most Sin Eaters are created from the emotions and desires of the dying during events of great tragedy. Formed from this wishes, regrets, anger, and despair the Sin Eater comes into existence carrying with it the will of the people who died creating it. Manami was brought into this world in a very similar but with one fundamental difference, her ‘parents’ didn’t stay dead after she came into existence. Instead they were reborn endlessly in an endless cycle of fire and ash.

Towards the end of the Ancient War a number of Phoenixes were captured and dragged off as POWs into Arka. While some were just held in captivity, others were handed down a much darker fate. Carried off to a lighthouse on the coast of this nation, carried up to the top of the tower, and placed in a giant container of water. Once inside these poor individuals were cursed to a fate endless rebirths as they drowned in the water only to be reborn only a few moments later in the same situation. Taking advantage of these phoenixes’ death Arka managed to create completely self sufficient lighthouses who’s lights never went out as long as the phoenixes continued to reincarnate inside.
While one of this POWs ever stayed dead for long their endless suffering and desire for salvation still accumulated and condense in the area around them. At first the guards only reported seeing a silhoutte hanging around the container at night but whenever they tried to approach the figure it would vanish into mid air as if it never existed. These reports were simply disregarded as tricks of the mind that had simply been created from superstition and the boredom the guards experience as they watched over the lighthouse’s lanter. Yet as time went on the figure only seemed to grow more clearer. What had once been a silhouttee now had a 3D shape and was decorated with color yet still continued to flicker in and out of existence.

An investigation was final order after an incredibly disturbing report came in from a guard who retired from duty shortly after filing it. According to the report while on guard duty at night he spotted the phantom figure that had appeared in many other reports. Except this time it wasn’t some faded figure or collection of loosely collected colors but a fully formed humanoid figure. A young girl who could’ve easily be mistaken for a human being if it wasn’t for the horns that decorated her head and claws in place of her nails. She was simply staring through the glass at the flickering lights of phoenixes inside seemingly completely unaware of the guard who had begun to yell at her. Before the guard could apprehend her, however, she suddenly slammed her hands on the glass container and opened her mouth wide.

A sudden stir suddenly erupted throughout the entirety the glass container as a stream of what the guard could only describe as a black liquid flowed out of the each of the phoenixes’ chest and collectively flowed towards the girl. The black mass then passed through the glass of the container and flowed into the mouth of the girl clad in the yellow kimono. As the girl ate her horns seemed to grow and red scales began to grow up the side of her arms giving her a much more demonic appearance. In fear of what he had just encounter the guard dropped his weapon and fled from the tower. However, by the time the investigation finally occured the report figure had seemingly completely vanished from the tower though the stories of the mysterious girl continued to be passed down from one generation of the guards to the next.

The Sin Eater’s story on the other hand doesn’t end there. While the girl had spend many weeks, possibly even months(Manami hadn’t really been keeping track of time), coming to visit her so call ‘parents’ she had to make a changed of plans after she saw how much she had spooked the guard. So after she finished feeding she made her escape, saying goodbye to the phoenixes as she left regretting that she had never grown strong enough to help them. Breaking out of the tower had been a pain, since she had to avoid getting spotted by anymore guards, things became much easier as she got outside. She was free, no longer held within the confines of the tower, and she could go explore the world she had recently been born into. She had learned something very important from her time in the tower though her current appearance simple wasn’t going to work. So with a bit of effort she changed her appearance so she appeared like any other human child.

For the many years following that day Manami spent her days wandering from town to town, from city to city, constantly reminder herself to stay in human form. There were many times where she would become to relaxed and let her true form show, which resulting her being driven away many of times. It was an adventurous life style but also a very lonely one. She was an outcast, constantly having to travel from place to place with no friends or a place to rest in peace. Hunger was also becoming a major problem with the girl having to lurk around hospital and other places where death was prevalent in order to find sins to feed on. Life carried on like this for awhile until eventually the girl’s body reached the verge of total collapse. Just as the girl thought she was going to fade away she ran into a member of her own kind, a Sin Eater named Haruka.

The older Sin Eater took Manami in and sheltered her. It was during this time that Manami was at her happiest. She was no longer alone in the world and was kept well fed. It was from Haruka that Manami learned about the rules of the Sin Eaters, what they were and weren’t allowed to do. She also was taught how to survive as a Sin Eater in a world that feared and shunned them like outcasts. These years of her life were peaceful and happy but unfortunately they didn’t last. As the people came after them and Haruka hid the Manami away.

The younger Sin Eater never saw what happened to her older kin all she knew was by the time she got out of her hiding spot everyone was gone. She had been cruelly tossed back into a world of isolation from, which she couldn’t see anyway of escape. Alone again the girl fled from the kingdom that kidnapped Haruka. It was during this flight that the voice began to present itself inside her head. It began as a whisper and only grew louder as the days passed by. It always asked the same thing. “What do you desire? Revenge on the people who took Haruka? Maybe the destruction of all those who left you out in the cold? Just tell me and I will grant you your wish. All it will cost is your soul and I mean how much could the soul someone who spent their whole life alone be worth?”

For almost a century Manami ignored the pestering voice in her head but after so many years of being alone she finally gave in and made a request. One simple request that would change her life forever. “Will you be my friend?” Before the girl could even hear the voices response she slipped into unconsciousness. When she awoke the voice was still there though this time it seemed to be originating from somewhere inside of her and it no longer asked her for any requests. It wasn’t always pleasant at times but at the very least it kept her company. She didn’t find out till much later that the voice that had taken residency inside her body had been a daemon. A daemon by the name of Leviathan.

Overview:
A Daemon, generally speaking, is a being that was usually once alive, but has remained dead and in the afterlife for so long that death became their life. They can be any kind of spirit, typically, but have lived to the point where they begin to consume souls, who then become a part of them. The more souls they consume, the more powerful the spirit becomes, as it starts to take on characteristics in regions such as appearance, powers, and even personality. As such, a being who has begun to eat souls in this manner has become a Daemon, and therefore must 'balance' what they choose to devour. Consume too many demons or tainted souls? Become one. Consume too many angels or holy souls? Become one. The same goes for neutral souls or specific ones.

What makes the Daemons unique is the fact that their own personality can begin to become blurred the more they devour. They take on characteristics from other souls, though a single strong soul's personality can potentially become the dominant mind of the Daemon. This is why balancing is so important, and is also why weaker Daemons typically leave strong personalities and souls alone.

Behavior:
Death is their life, but how does one grow stronger? Daemons are beings with little to no influence or touch on the physical realm; most of them hardly care or even think about mortal affairs in their daily lives. As such, any Daemon who somehow touches or appears on the physical world is incredibly weak, and often susceptible to any dangers that could befall them. Daemons live on the Third Astral Plane, and even are weak if they manage to visit the Second Astral Plane of the deceased.

A Daemon's main strength is its nearly limitless potential for growth and gaining power. This is what a Daemon's true desire is- to grow stronger. It is a difficult goal that few Daemons every reach and fulfill, however, as they can easily be killed and eradicated by other spirit beings, destroyed by strong mortals with spiritual powers, or even end their own lives as Daemons by not balancing what they consume.
Should the latter happen, they will completely become what they have eaten, be it a demon, some holy being, or just a humble former-mortal spirit. Sometimes if this happens, they could still possibly retain their soul-consuming capabilities, but must 'restart'. By this point, the chances of them ever reaching their full potential are low.

Properly balancing the consumption of souls in a stable and steady manner can make a Daemon become a truly ambiguous creature, but alarmingly powerful, as they retain most of the abilities and strengths of what they have absorbed. A skilled Daemon is able to counter a certain consumed soul's weakness by absorbing something else that properly balances it and patches the weakness, without cancelling out any strengths. Being clever, smart, strategic, and calculating is how a Daemon truly becomes powerful, but most are unfortunately blinded by the promise of power, and make poor and hasty decisions.

Contracts:
A Daemon who has at least a fairly balanced 'diet' eventually has to find a way to leave the Third Astral Plane - The Spiritual World, in order to move down in the tiers to the Afterlife Planes, and eventually the Physical Realm. The easiest way to make this leap is by gathering enough strength to make a brief appearance to once chosen individual on the plane directly below. A completed contract results in the Daemon freely being able to either take, control, or consume the contractor's soul. If on the Physical Realm, they may take their body as their own; possession. The mechanic to these contracts include a Daemon placing a "claim" on a soul. This Claim is like a supernatural bond connecting the contractee and the Daemon. Once the terms of a contract are met, or if a contractee dies, its soul finds its way to the Daemon, and not to any sort of afterlife or void.

Contracting with Spirits
Generally, Daemons gather enough power to move to the Second Astral Plane - The Afterlife, in order to seek out a spirit looking to reincarnate. The Daemon may create a contract with the knowledge and consent of the contractee, or they may do it discreetly, with no formal appearance made to the contractee. Consent is not required, either. The spirit looking to reincarnate usually is returning to the Physical Realm for a reason; perhaps unfinished business, or a wish they want granted. Traditionally, the spirit may reincarnate under one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues or Seven Deadly Sins, for which you may read more about below. Other contracts can be formed with consent should the Daemon promise to grant a wish in life. The spirit must be specific with the extent of their wish; else the Daemon may twist the contract as they please.

For example, if a spirit wants to be reincarnated for social power, but does not declare to what extent, the Daemon may ensure that they are born into power, such as royalty. The instant they are born, the contract has been completed, and the Daemon may take/banish/consume their soul, whichever they wish to do, and possess the reincarnate's body.

Contracting with Mortals
If a strong Daemon eventually gets a tight hold in the First Astral Plane - The Physical Realm, they may contract freely with mortals and other various spirits they encounter. This type of contract is usually not for possession, but is to simply have an easier time gathering souls to feed on. Strong souls are nearly impossible to hunt or catch alone, but if a Daemon has a contract with one, the strong soul's fate is sealed; they will belong to the Daemon.

Often, the easiest way a Daemon will contract with a mortal is by once again offering to grant a wish, such as helping the mortal get revenge, destroy an enemy, complete a goal, etc. Once the goal is completed, the Daemon has complete ownership of the soul. Another type of contract is the promise of physical power, such as giving abilities. This usually is given from the Claim itself, as the Daemon lends use of one or more of its abilities to the person it is contracting with. In these types of contracts, the Daemon might not necessarily go for the soul right then, but perhaps ask for something in return, such as loyalty, servitude, or some sort of physical thing, even. Contracts like these often can be made for fun by Daemon, who are often sadistic by nature and enjoy watching the powers and Claim begin to potentially corrupt or despair the contractee.

These are the various ways that Daemons can contract, but just like the Daemon and their potential, contracts may be versatile. A strong Daemon may develop its own type of contract, or preferences in how they go about doing it. Some Daemons manage just fine without contracts, even though it generally is a harder path to take.

Sins & Virtues:
As stated before in creating contracts with spirits, one of the ways to contract includes having the contractee reincarnate under one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues or Seven Deadly Sins. This simply means that the reason or goal the reincarnate has falls under the category of a sin or virtue. Are they reincarnating for revenge? Wrath. For power? Greed. To prove themselves over somebody? Envy. To have a second chance at something? Diligence or Kindness, etc.

A Daemon may target a specific sin or virtue in their contractors to prey off of- often one that they find easiest to see the contract to a close. Should a Daemon rely on one main sin or virtue only for their contracts, they are often referred to as a 'Daemon of Sin/Virtue', such as a Daemon of Pride, Daemon of Patience, etc.

A unique thing about Sin/Virtue contracts is the fact that many times, a Daemon need not make its presence known to their contractor. They set the claim, and the reincarnate may live its entire time in the world with no knowledge of the Daemon stalking its steps. Often times, when this is done, the Daemon has set the terms on their own, and forces them onto the contractor with the Claim. Sometimes, the terms can be excruciatingly simple, such as fulfilling an act of Kindness, or perhaps falling to Lust, etc. The instant the Claimed one has met the terms, the Daemon has complete right and ownership to their soul, and typically devours the soul, kills the spirit, and possesses the body.

Naturally, any Daemon must be careful with their contracts, and choose their Claims carefully. Should a Daemon Claim too strong of a soul or personality, the soul may be able to ignore/stop or change the terms, or even break the contract.

While the exact origins of Sin Eaters isn’t entirely understood, though their are some theories, it is well known that they come into existence during times of great strife and despair. It is well record that when people die in massive numbers be it from war, famine, or plague Sin Eaters are known to appear at the scene of the event. A flickering phantom walking amongst the casualties of the catastrophe feeding of the sins and negative emotions of the dying allowing them to pass on in peace.

For the first few days of their existence Sin Eaters’ bodies are incredibly unstable and can be seen constantly flickering in and out of the physical plane. It is for this reason that Sin Eaters are usually mistaken as ghosts of the fallen or reapers who have come to take the souls of the dead. After feeding on a numerous number of sins and negative emotions, however, the Sin Eater’s body will eventually stabilize allowing them to exist in a state between the spiritual and physical planes.

Since the creation of a Sin Eater is a rare event, due to the fact that it requires a large death toll in a very short period of time, the population of Sin Eaters world wide is significantly smaller than that of many other species. At the same time this species is also very scattered throughout the globe making it very hard for any unifying culture to form and as such many Sin Eaters either act independently or adopted the most prevalent culture in their area. There is, however, a governing body simply called The Council that creates and enforces a general set of laws all Sin Eaters are expected to follow.

MORE INFO

Propogation: There are two major theories on how Sin Eaters are created. The first of these theories states that Sin Eaters are created from the collective feelings of regret, anger, and despair of the dying. While normally these emotions just fade away with the dying when they occur in high concentrations it is believe they can condense and gain a consciousness in the form of a Sin Eater. The souls of the dying that summoned the Sin Eater are than used as a sacrifice to give the entity is physical form.

The second theory views this species in a much more positive light and states that they are created from the dying wishes of the fallen for salvation, hope, and peace. The Sin Eater in this case is believed to have been brought into the world to help the living and ease the pain of the dying. Their physical bodies are created from the collective wishes of the living in this scenario and Sin Eaters are seen as being doctors for the soul instead of entities of darkness.

It should also be noted that while these two theories are used to explain how Sin Eaters spontaneously appear into the world this species is also able to reproduce on their own. However, with Sin Eater numbers so scattered throughout the world it is far more likely for a Sin Eater to mate with a member of another species than they are to mate with one another.

Society’s View: Sin Eaters are usually shunned and abhorred by the general population except during times of great despair. Due to the appearance of their cursed form they are commonly mistaken for demons and monsters causing them to be driven out of towns and cities since they are believe to be a threat. Unfortunatelty, even when their species is recognized by the people of a town they are avoided since they are viewed as being unclean, since they eat the sins of others. They are generally more welcome during times when death tolls are high but this is because the people are hoping to use them as tools that can provide them with a better afterlife.

The Council/Laws: The Council is the closest thing you could call a ruling body for the free spirited Sin Eater species. This government is composed of ten members, who are recognized as being oldest Sin Eaters currently in existence. The true names of these council members are also kept anonymous and instead they are referred to by pseudonyms. This council is further divided into two groups, The Grigori and The Chairs of Sin. The Grigori are the absolute authority in the Sin Eater government, having the last word on the creation of laws and the administration of punishment. This part of the council is composed of three members referred to as Azazel, Ramiel, and Samael. While The Grigori hold absolute authority they tend not to get involved in a most rulings unless it is absolutely necessary or a grave offence has been committed. This is where the Chairs of Sins come in and take care of most situations. The members of the Chairs include Acedia, Ira, Superbia, Avaritia, Luxuria, and Gula.

The Laws

1.All sins eaten from a dying individual must be record so they can be brought to correct afterlife.*
2.Before eating the sins of someone who isn’t dying the Sin Eater must first make sure two conditions are met.*
2a.They are given permission
2b.The person who is to have their sins eaten must regret their sins and be seeking redemption
3.Sin Eaters must not interfere with the fate of the dying. If a mortal is meant to die than they must die
*Newly created Sin Eaters will not be accountable for breaking these rules due to their ignorance of the law

Punishment

The primary punishment used by The Council for punishing those who break their laws is starvation. Sin Eaters who are found guilty of breaking one of the laws are held in containment and denied sins and negative emotions of any kind until their sentence has run its due. While it is rare a Sin Eater might also be starved to death if they are found to be a repeat offender or committed a grave offence that has put the whole Sin Eater species at risk.

Flickering/Overconsumption: When a Sin Eater is starved or receives a significant amount of damage their physical form becomes incredibly unstable. Just like when they first appeared in the world their bodies will begin to flicker in and out of view as it begins to lose its hold on the physical plane. In this state Sin Eaters are at their weakest and are plagued with fatique. Given time and a supply of sins/negative emotions the Sin Eater will be able to repair their body and restabilize themselves. However, if a Sin Eaters fails to find something to consume they can faded out of existence all together.

On the other side of the scale Sin Eaters are also capable of overeating resulting in temporary corruption of their personality. When a Sin Eater eats more sins and negative emotions than they can handle they will find themselves temporarily taken over by them. Consuming too much wrath with result in the Sin Eater finding themselves unnatural angry, too much sadness and the Sin Eater will find themselves falling into a temporary depression. It is because of Flickering and Overconsumption that Sin Eaters have to pay very close attention to how much they are eating.