Concept: Maculari
Maculari are half-human-half-Immortal beings that resemble an Immortal soul in a human’s body. They have immense amounts of power, though have little initial control over it.
The Birth of the Sullied
Maculari are a somewhat recent development in the history of Immortals. They first appeared during the First Demi War, a grizzly set of battles between Demis and Immortals in which Demis fought for their right to better treatment. The Demis were beginning to lose the war and their morale was running low. Running out of options, they turned to drastic measures: using living time bombs to cause as much damage as possible.
Thus, the Maculari were born; Children of humans and Immortal allies, considered abominations by the enemy. These children grew at a slightly faster rate than human children and were more likely to be covered in half-body birthmarks. They were physically human, but their souls were that of an Immortal’s. Maculari were able to resist wards and other Immortal-specific weaknesses, though their bodies were extremely fragile, causing many of these children to explode with power. Their human bodies were too weak to completely contain their souls. Even if they were stabilized at birth, many died as newborns in an explosion of elements. While not entirely intentional, this effect was used to the Demis’ advantage. Maculari that didn’t die within a year of being born were raised to become infiltrators who would self destruct if captured. These beings changed the tide of the war, eventually ending in the Demis’ favor. However, these hybrid children remained.
Both of the Kings realized how dangerous these creatures potentially were to all the realms; not only was the Earthen realm at risk due to the destructive power of the Maculari, Immortals with poor intentions could use the ward-resistant children to upset the Balance of All.
As a first attempt at control, the Kings banned the union of immortals and humans entirely, with the punishment for birthing a Maculari being the shattering of both parents and the child. This, however, did not stop the Maculari from being born. In fact, it increased their numbers for a short time until the Kings rescinded their rule. Still needing an answer, the Kings used their power together to shield the souls of all Maculari, keeping their power dormant and rendering them essentially mortal. The existence of Maculari was swept under the rug, and the world carried on for hundreds of years. However, there was a flaw in this solution as well: If a Maculari learned of their power, their soul would “reawaken,” breaking that shield and unleashing their power immediately..
The Kings quickly noticed this side effect and they both scrambled to fix the issue, but nothing they could do seemed to stop it. The White and Black Kings together had the power to create anything, but they could not suppress what what already existed. The exact reason why is unknown, but the most common theory is that the Maculari are connected too closely to the Earthen realm for the shattered Kings’ power to truly take effect.
With all their efforts resulting in a mere bandaid solution, the Kings agreed to monitor the Maculari of their respective realms separately in order to protect the Balance of All. The White King prioritized its angelic Maculari among its Guardians, while the Black King followed suit by assigning its Assassin demons to watch any of these children that appeared.
Maculari in Modern Times
In modern times, Maculari are still rare, but not as much as before. They typically live rather “normal” lives. However, most Immortals can identify a Maculari within a few minutes of being around them, leading to judgement and prejudice against them.
Because they are part Immortal, Maculari can end up giving off extreme amounts of energy, making other mortals around them uncomfortable due to the feeling being unstable. Their energy is not quite human, though it is not quite immortal either. They can be mocked and bullied for their odd eye colors, and if not bullied, these children can be overwhelmed with attention from their peers and DHOW.
Among Immortals, they are often treated poorly as well. The nature of their creation remains a bitter memory in the minds of many older Immortals, making them predisposed to dislike or even hate any Maculari they come across. Even younger immortals have a predisposition to distaste due to the culture of the communities being distrustful and/or afraid of the Maculari. There is a slight difference in how these children are treated depending on their heritage, but the general discomfort is constantly present.
Angels
Angelic Maculari (Maculari-A) are generally treated with an air of sympathy underlying the disdain. Among angels, the common sentiment is that the Maculari themselves are not at fault for their existence, and thus are somewhat pitied for their condition. Many angels will scorn the parents of a Maculari-A rather than the child, but they are often wary and disdainful towards the child as well.
Demons, on the other hand, tend to see Maculari-A as immediate threats. This makes Maculari-A often considered “kill on sight,” or subject to other acts of subjugation in order to get some semblance of control over them. If the Maculari-A are not killed immediately, demons tend to torment and stalk these children in order to find their parents and potentially strike at them instead.
Maculari-A tend to be rarer than Maculari-D in the modern day. The proportion used to be shifted more towards Maculari-A, as angels were more likely to ally with the Demi-Immortals than demons were. However, due to the recent Civil War in the Heavenly realm, their numbers have dwindled.
Demons
Demonic Maculari (Maculari-D) are treated with more disgust than their angelic counterparts. As agreed by the Kings, they are assigned an Assassin Class demon to watch them for the first 6 years of their life. Once this time is up, the Assassin makes a choice: kill them, or let them live.
If the child seems to be capable of getting a grip on their powers and unlikely to stray far from their caretakers’ (and Assassin’s) whims, they are allowed to live. If not, the Assassin is to kill the Maculari and move on in order to prevent future damage.
Those who survive are treated much like they were at their initial creation, as soldiers. Maculari-D are more likely to be picked up by demons looking for ward disarmers, as well as any demon simply looking for some canon fodder for something dangerous they want to try.
Biology
Biologically, Maculari’s bodies are completely human. Their blood, cells, and any other sample that could be taken from them register as completely human. This means that unlike other Demi-Immortals, they are able to fall ill with mortal disease and can have varying disabilities, such as deafness, blindness, and any other disability that a human may have.
They typically have slightly better than average immune systems, as well as develop physically approximately one to two years faster than a completely human child. They develop mentally at approximately the same rate. Because of this growth factor, they also seem to heal from injury slightly faster than the average human does. Unfortunately, while they do heal faster, many of the wounds inflicted by their surges are more likely to scar, especially those on the back from their wings ripping through their body.
In most cases, Maculari of any kind are sterile, making any sort of reproduction incredibly difficult. On average, 91% of Maculari are unable to bear children. There appears to be a mutation in their sperm and egg cells that make them incompatible with either side of their heritage. Even so, It is not completely unheard of to have a child of a Maculari running around, but it is incredibly rare to see.
On the immortal side of their biology, Maculari are near identical copies of their immortal parent’s soul. While there can be small differences between the two, such as differing elements, slightly different shades of color, ect, the souls of the parent and child are typically incredibly similar.
The Surge
A “surge” is the term coined for when the energy of a Maculari unleashes itself. A Maculari has to deal with these surges for their entire lives once their soul is revitalized. Before this occurs, they are unable to use their powers at all. Once they are revealed, the First Surge begins.
The First Surge is the most dangerous to the Maculari and those around them. This is the first time their power has been unleashed, and thusly that power is the most out of control it’s ever been. Consider a Maculari like a pressure cooker. If the pressure rises too much, the entire thing explodes. This is what happens to Maculari. The first surge must be contained by a Witch or mass destruction can occur.
All the Maculari’s elemental powers grow out of control and begin attacking the environment around them at random. Their wings can burst from their back at any moment, along with any and all other powers that they may contain. The Maculari themselves will gain a molten fever, being too hot to touch without burning. Their skin cracks and breaks apart, letting wisps of energy the color of their soul escape through the wounds. The pressure causes cramps, headaches, and overall mass discomfort as their soul attempts to destroy their body from the inside. They will eventually reach a tipping point in which they will destabilize completely, making them a ticking time bomb of energy. If a Witch does not stabilize them at this point, the explosion could destroy a moderately sized town.
If the Maculari survives their first surge, their soul is able to restabilize itself with the self-inflicted wounds and now repeats this process --though less extreme-- for the rest of their lives. Their power continues to try to escape out from every orifice and cut, as well as causing headaches and uncontrollable power. However, they do have a slight advantage after they survive. During a surge, they are able to use their powers without aid from crystals as long as they learn to control them. The more they learn to control their power, the less extreme their surges will become.
Power
Maculari, as stated above, are unable to use any power whatsoever before their soul breaks through the barrier. In this state, they barely give off any energy at all and are likely able to register as human from a quick Energy Test.
Once they are awakened, a Maculari can freely use their powers while not surging as long as they have the proper energy crystal on their person. They function like a typical demi-immortal in this sense. However, when using said power, it is much closer to a full Immortal’s abilities than even a True-Demi’s.
When surging, a Maculari can be considered to simply be an incredibly fragile Immortal. Their power comes out fully with no need for a catalyst at all. However, unless the Maculari has properly trained themselves to deal with their power, anything they do in this state tends to be much more difficult to make work as the Maculari intends it to.
Life Expectancy
Most Maculari are not expected to live past 16 years of age. The longer they go without learning of who they are, the more pressure is built within their soul. If they remain ignorant of their power, without an outside source reinforcing them, a Maculari’s soul simply grows too powerful to be held back by the shield and bursts open by itself, beginning the First Surge without being prompted. This is typically the death of a Maculari.
Being told early in life is not much more forgiving. The surge is still just as intense as it would be later in life, however, it is more likely for the child to survive as human children are surprisingly resilient to damage. Because of this, not many Maculari reach adulthood without the aid of their Immortal parent and/or a Witch.
If a Maculari lives past this point, they are expected to have incredibly long lifespans. Some can verge upon 500 years if they gain control over their power, rivaling the True Demi-Immortals.
Once they die, their souls act as an Immortal soul does. This means that upon death, a Maculari soul shatters.
Exceptions to the Rule
The average Maculari is unable to find a way to escape their permanent death at the end of their lives. There is no simple way to combat this, though there are three ways to prevent a Maculari soul from shattering. Note, these methods cannot be used for a full Immortal to keep them from shattering as they use the unique properties of an Immortal interacting with a Mortal ‘s soul.
The first of these methods is to have a demon claim the Maculari’s soul. This process can be exceptionally difficult, as Immortal souls do not like to claim other Immortal souls. However, much like wards do not seem to recognize a Maculari as a full Immortal, a demon can force their way around a Maculari’s soul if they are determined enough. Typically, this would be done by an Assassin, Dealer, or Seducer type demon. However, an Assault or Natural Assault demon could also do this if they are fast enough on the draw. The demon must claim, then kill the Maculari. There are a few moments in which the soul is kept in a sort of limbo in order to determine what happens to it. Within these moments, the demon can collect their claim on the soul and physically carry it. This allows the demon to bring the soul into the Hellish Realm and begin the demonetization process. Take note: a Maculari’s soul cannot be stored by a demon. If the demon attempts this, the soul simply shatters due to not being in that state of limbo anymore.
The second method is to have a Guardian Angel guard and bring the soul to the Heavenly Realm. Like in the first method, the Maculari must be killed by or nearby the Guardian in order for the method to work. In the moments of limbo, the Guardian can cradle the soul within their own power, using their ability to bring a soul to the Heavenly Realm and begin the angelization process. This is significantly more difficult than the first method, as it requires defiance of a soul’s natural behavior without the boon of limbo being as long as it is for a demon.
The third and final method is to be attacked by a Turner. Turners are an odd type of demon with the power to turn mortals into Immortals near instantaneously. They are released as a last resort in times of crisis in the Hellish realm. If a Turner attacks a Maculari, their body is ripped apart, but their soul is protected for long enough for them to generate their own new body and continue existence. Note that this will only create demons, as is the nature of the Turners.