Yurei

Yūrei are Anian ghosts. They are thought to be spirits kept from a peaceful afterlife. They can be found all over Ania, but for some reason, Luxias is more prone to yūrei hauntings. They have the same rights as human beings as long as they aren't committing criminal acts.

Anian Afterlife

In Ania, all humans have a spirit/soul called a reikon. When they die, the reikon leaves the body and enters a form of purgatory, where it waits for the proper funeral and post-funeral rites to be performed, so that it may join its ancestors. If this is done correctly, the reikon becomes a protector of the living family.

However, if the person dies in a sudden or shocking manner such as murder or suicide, or if the proper rites have not been performed, or if they are influenced by powerful emotions such as spite, love, jealousy, hatred or sorrow, the reikon may transform into a yūrei, which can then bridge the gap back to the physical world.

Not everyone is able to manifest as a yūrei, however, and it requires someone who has extra psychological and emotional strength.

The yūrei then continues to exist on Terra until it can be laid to rest, either by performing the missing rituals, or resolving the emotional conflict that still ties it to the physical plane. If the rituals are not completed or the conflict left unresolved, the yūrei will persist in its haunting.

Appearance

The appearance of yūrei is somewhat of a uniform, instantly signalling the ghostly nature of the figure, and assuring that it is culturally authentic.

• White clothing - Yūrei are usually dressed in a white kimono. This kimono can either be a katabira (a plain, white, unlined kimono) or a kyokatabira. They sometimes have a hitaikakushi (lit., "forehead cover"), which is a small white triangular piece of cloth tied around the head.

• Black hair - Hair for a yūrei is often long, black and dishevelled. A yūrei's hair continues growing after death, which helps to account for the unnatural length.

• Hands and feet - A yūrei's hands dangle lifelessly from the wrists, which are held outstretched with the elbows near the body. They typically lack legs and feet, floating in the air.

• Hitodama - Yūrei are frequently accompanied by a pair of floating flames or will o' the wisps in eerie colors such as blue, green, or purple. These ghostly flames are separate parts of the ghost rather than independent spirits.

Classifications

Yūrei

While all Anian ghosts are called yūrei, within that category there are several specific types of phantoms, classified mainly by the manner they died or their reason for returning to Terra.

• Onryō - Vengeful ghosts who come back from purgatory for a wrong done to them during their lifetime.

• Ubume - A mother ghost who died in childbirth, or died leaving young children behind. This yūrei returns to care for her children, often bringing them sweets.

• Goryō - Vengeful ghosts of the aristocratic class, especially those who were martyred.

• Funayūrei - The ghosts of those who perished at sea.

• Zashiki-warashi - The ghosts of children, often mischievous rather than dangerous.

• Warrior Ghosts - Veterans of a war who fell in battle.

• Seductress Ghosts - The ghost of a woman or man who initiates a post-death love affair with a living human.

Ikiryō

In Ania, not only the dead are able to manifest their reikon for a haunting. Living creatures possessed by extraordinary jealousy or rage can release their spirit as an ikiryō, a living ghost that can enact its will while still alive.

Obake

Yūrei often fall under the general umbrella term of obake; thus obake are preternatural beings who have undergone some sort of change, from the natural realm to the supernatural.

Hauntings

Yūrei do not wander at random, but generally stay near a specific location, such as where they were killed or where their body lies, or follow a specific person, such as their murderer, or a beloved. They usually appear between 2 and 3 a.m, the witching hour for Ania when the veils between the world of the dead and the world of the living are at their thinnest.

Yūrei will continue to haunt that particular person or place until their purpose is fulfilled, and they can move on to the afterlife. However, some particularly strong yūrei, specifically onryō who are consumed by vengeance, continue to haunt long after their killers have been brought to justice.

Exorcism

The easiest way to exorcise a yūrei is to help it fulfill its purpose. When the reason for the strong emotion binding the spirit to Terra is gone, the yūrei is satisfied and can move on. Traditionally, this is accomplished by family members enacting revenge upon the yūrei's slayer, or when the ghost consummates its passion/love with its intended lover, or when its remains are discovered and given a proper burial with all rites performed.

The emotions of the onryō are particularly strong, and they are the least likely to be pacified by these methods.