⚠️WARNING⚠️
This article goes into existentialist topics about death.
If you are easily bothered by these topics, you may want to turn back.
The truth tends to sting while it heals,
and the only way back is screaming the words,
"Oh my God, what have I become?"
Azadia is filled with many mysteries. Even within this fantastical world of magic, there are still some phenomena that people still have trouble wrapping their head around. One of these things is the topic of death, which is a pretty heavy topic to begin with. There are a number of theories as to what happens after death, but the most common idea is that the God of Death, Kamaparu, carries you to your afterlife by collecting your spirit via their Reaper Butterflies. This has been proven to be the truth, as there have been numerous reports of special butterflies appearing in times of near death.
However, there is one more fate that an Azadian may be met with. Those with a strong desire can be introduced to a second chance at life and become mysterious beings known as Remnants. Cases of this have rarely been reported; counting 2 to 3 cases in the past thousand years or so. But that isn't much of a surprise, considering the factors of this phenomenon would make properly diagnosing it incredibly difficult. When someone becomes a Remnant, it's said that they will lose all of their memories excluding something in relation to a deep desire. This deep desire is what would have pushed them into the second life, and their mission is to complete it if they want to pass peacefully.
Remnants are "lost souls" that can be born after a person with unfinished business dies. They are formed by the deceased's magic spirit, causing their appearance to match that of their element (flowery or tree-like for Floran elementals, ghostly and cloud-like for Wind elementals, etc.) They may also bear a small resemblance to their former self, but it is not immediately obvious to someone who might otherwise recognize them. Due to their strange and anomalous nature, Remnants also seem to take on more monstrous forms, bearing sharp teeth, long horns, and beastly claws. The appearance of a Remnant is not at the person's will, but some theorize it may relate to their death in some way.
Since Remnants are not largely reported on due to their mysterious nature, it is mostly unknown how one can become a Remnant at all. Sometimes those with big dreams end up dying with no satisfying closure or achievement, and it doesn't seem like anything comes out of it. However, those who study the Remnant phenomenon have continuously stated that the main drive would be some sort of longing—whether that would be finding love, travelling to a place of dreams, or taking revenge. That is what brings a Remnant into the world—and they must fulfill that longing, as that is their soul-bound quest.
When a Remnant is born, their only way out of the conscious world would be to complete their soul-bound quest, or find a way to regain their memories. The main option would be to complete their quest, as that is the main cause of their birth. That, and also the fact that Remnants don't really realize that they have died, at all. So for most Remnants, the only path is toward their desires.
This, naturally, can be very troublesome for Remnants with especially difficult missions. Which means that there may be Remnants walking among us, as they could not fulfill their quest. So far there have been no reports of this, but if a Remnant could not fulfill their quest in this time (maybe they were looking for someone who has since long past, or perhaps the location they want to return to may have changed) they may be stuck here forever. Remnants cannot be killed unless they themselves wish for their own death. This desire can easily overwrite their soul-bound quest if they feel they've been at it for too long.
While the idea of a second chance may sound amazing at first, it seems that not everything is without a twisted catch. Remnants are filled to the brim with tragedy. There are still studies being conducted on whether or not they truly exist; some believe it, some do not. Most people likely haven't even heard of them. For those who do believe in them, most of them fear the idea of becoming a Remnant. After all, you would be losing everything upon doing so—your history, everything that would have defined you up until that point.
It would be best to live your current life to the fullest before it's too late. You'll never know what may happen next.