The Passing || LuLuYam's Idea and Concept || 100% ACCURATE

This place is where many souls find themselves, a strange and terrifying purgatory after their death. This purgatory is known simply as “the Nightmare”.

The Nightmare is a horrifying world where those who have taken their own lives are sent as a form of punishment by the universe itself. This world is one of three total worlds connected to the “afterlife”, being a trio of purgatories that connect to said afterlife. The other two worlds are known as “the Hollow” and “the Dream”. The Hollow being a world reserved for those who have died at the hands of others. The Dream being a world reserved for those who have died naturally as the universe originally intended. All three of these worlds, known as ”the Realms of Passing” are directly connected to a single source known as ”Phanuel’s Court”.

Those who are sent to the Nightmare are subjected to emotional and psychological torment as well as physical anguish in the form of metamorphosis (a process where ones soul is assigned an insect and over the course of time, their form begins to slowly resemble said insect through physical changes). The Nightmare is the only purgatory where metamorphosis occurs. Why this is, no one really knows. Not even Phanuel provides an explanation for it.

The only way out of the Nightmare (or any of the realms for that matter) is through what’s known as a “trial” which determines whether or not one has the right to pass on to eternal rest, or to be punished otherwise.

The trials given to the denizens of these three realms are seen after by the one who rules the realms, known as “the Creator”. Or “Phanuel”.

The Realms have existed for an unknown amount of time, but it is known that they have existed far before the dawn of humankind. No one knows why or how they were created. The one who watches over these worlds is a being known as “Phanuel”. And while she is a divine entity of sorts, she is in no way a God or Goddess. Even she is unaware of how she came to be, or why she is connected to the Realms as a whole.

Phanuel’s Court:

The hub (or the heart) of the Realms of Passing. Phanuel’s court is where the being Phanuel was first conceived millions upon millions of years prior. This is where Phanuel resides while overseeing the souls of her Realms and while spying on the living on Earth. Whenever a soul is granted a trial, they are sent to her court to go through with it. The court is a large red space and nothing more. It is said that when one steps into her court, you will see nothing but emptiness with red being the only color that surrounds you. Though most have stated that in the center of Phanuel’s court, there’s often a desk and a large chair where she can be seen sitting in wait of visitors. However, this is not always the case.

From time to time, Phanuel invites souls at random for company, and not just for trials. She seems to have an interest in spending time around human souls out of her own curiosity. And in some cases, she even invites women’s souls into her realm to pursue amorous encounters with them. She seems to have an insatiable appetite for human women.

Phanuel enjoys picking at the minds of human souls when they’re within her reach. She does have the capability to contact the living through their dreams, but when this is done, she cannot directly speak to them. Only alter their dream state. When she has direct face to face communication with the souls of the dead in her realms, this is when she is fully capable of having actual conversations with them.

Of all places to be in this dimension, Phanuel’s court is by far the safest, aside from the Dream. Even if Phanuel herself is intimidating, one can be harmed from nothing (except her) so long as they are surrounded by the walls of her court.

The Dream:

This realm is the most tame of all three realms. It is reserved for the souls of those who have died by pure accident, or died the way the universe intended them to. While the other two realms are seen as a place of punishment, the Dream is far from it. Once one enters the Dream, they are subjugated to a form of pure isolation for 1000 (10 years Earth time) years.

The Dream is said to be so bright and heavily illuminated, that even Phanuel cannot stand to be within its space for too long. Despite this, the souls that enter it tend to be comforted by a surrounding wave of warmth that overcomes them.

Souls that enter the Dream are all collectively there, existing among each other, but cannot hear, see, nor feel each other. They are completely unaware of each other, and everyone who arrives there believes they are 100% alone. Unlike the Hollow and the Nightmare, those who reside in the dream do not experience hallucinations. They also do not go through the process of metamorphosis. Their existence is far more peaceful.

All souls that enter the Dream are automatically granted a trial: no ifs, ands or buts. This is their reward for living the entirety of their lives as the universe intended. Those who enter the Dream are not automatically “better people” by default. Anyone can be a denizen of the Dream: whether or not you are “just”.

This realm is watched over by three beings known as surveyors. They are known as the three butterflies. However, due to the secluded nature of the Dream realm, not much is known about them. Phanuel never tends to interact with these three surveyors much, if ever at all.

The Hollow:

This realm is reserved for those who have died at the hands of others (murder). This is the second most dangerous realm. It’s quite similar to the Nightmare, but it does provide a bit more leniency due to the fact that its denizens are victims of circumstances completely out of their own hands.

The Hollow is said to be dark in appearance. The ground and walls around it are made of flesh, rotting steel and rust. It is cold and dreary, and the only light that can be seen are from the starts in the sky above. Large destroyed structures scatter throughout its territory, with no indication as to what they once were. Those who live in the Hollow tend to use these structures as a place to hide. It’s a very lonely, and isolating world.

Souls who enter the Hollow do not go through metamorphosis like victims of the Nightmare, but they do have a 1000 year (10 years Earth time) limit to their stay in the same way as denizens of the Nightmare. And when their time is up, they will succumb to the rot if they have not been granted a trial.

The Hollow will also subject its victims to hallucinations but they are far less severe and exaggerated in comparison to the Nightmares. Hallucinations also happen far less frequently here, and do not worsen with time like they do in the Nightmare.

Throughout time, those who reside here might begin to lose themselves causing them to become dangerous and volatile towards other denizens. They often begin attacking each other, and in some cases, outright killing each other. Regardless, any soul that is “murdered” in this realm regenerates and returns later on with memories of experiencing every last moment of it.

This realm is watched over by it’s own set of surveyors known as “the crows”. For the time being, not much is known about them. The only ones who seem to know anything about them are Phanuel and Nikoli, with Nikoli having a friendship with the leading Crow known as ”Anu”.

The Nightmare:

This realm is reserved for those who have taken their own lives. It is the most volatile and dangerous realm of the three. Suicide is seen as one of the most deplorable acts that one can commit upon themselves, and so it is the realm that subjects its denizens to the worst forms of punishment. Committing suicide is not the only reason for punishment, however. If the Nightmare feels that you were also an irredeemable person when alive, your punishments will be far more severe. Despite this, the Nightmare is not a pleasant experience for anyone that arrives there.

The Nightmare stands out due it’s chaotic appearance. The ground and walls are covered from corner to corner in pulsating flesh and organic matter. Large floating beacons covered in eyes tend to float in the sky as if watching everyone below.

The flesh that it’s made of is also quite responsive to being touched and even destroyed. So it’s best to tread its grounds carefully and without aggression. From time to time, a loud pumping noise can be heard by everyone within it. It goes on for miles and miles, seemingly unending. And while there is more light in this world than the Hollow, it does not make it any less dangerous. Much like the Hollow, the Nightmare is also littered with large structures that have been lost to time. And the denizens also use these structures as places to hide or live in as they wait out their days hoping for a trial. Denizens can also use these structures to lessen the possibility of experiencing hallucinations, as they seem to suffer them more when traversing the open world rather than hiding. It is by far the most puzzling realm of the three.

Those who enter the Nightmare immediately begin the process of metamorphosis .

The process of metamorphosis takes at least 1000 years (10 years) to complete. If a soul is unable to leave the Nightmare via trial before their time is up, their metamorphosis will complete and they will lose themselves entirely. When this happens, their bodies are fully transformed into a disgusting amalgamation of human and insect, and the memories of their prior lives fade entirely. And as this happens, they eventually succumb to the rot.

Much like the Hollow, the dwellers of the Nightmare also tend to become volatile and aggressive towards each other the longer they are forced to stay in this world. They too might set out to harm others out of pure agitation and loss of self. And yes, they also regenerate and return if slaughtered, later on. They remember every last excruciating detail.

This realm is watched over by it’s own set of surveyors known as “the three”. The Mantis, the Scorpion and the Centipede. These three surveyors are said to be far different than the other surveyors of the other realms. They are known as the first three Phanuel created, making them her beloved favorites.

Hallucinations, Metamorphosis, and Rot

Hallucinations:

Hallucinations are occurrences that only happen within the Hollow and the Nightmare. When a hallucination takes place, the human soul experiencing it freezes in place and turns to static. While their physical form remains out in the open, their mind is taken to an entirely different “reality”. In this differing reality, one will be subjected to memories of their prior life. Often times these memories circle around past traumas, conflicts, fears and more. However, these memories tend to be far more exaggerated and surreal, rather than being literal memories. A soul is more likely to experience a hallucination if spend longer periods traversing the Nightmare, rather than hiding. That isn’t to say, however, that a soul will never experience a hallucination if they merely hide and do nothing else.

Hallucinations:

Hallucinations are occurrences that only happen within the Hollow and the Nightmare. When a hallucination takes place, the human soul experiencing it freezes in place and turns to static. While their physical form remains out in the open, their mind is taken to an entirely different “reality”. In this differing reality, one will be subjected to memories of their prior life. Often times these memories circle around past traumas, conflicts, fears and more. However, these memories tend to be far more exaggerated and surreal, rather than being literal memories. A soul is more likely to experience a hallucination if spend longer periods traversing the Nightmare, rather than hiding. That isn’t to say, however, that a soul will never experience a hallucination if they merely hide and do nothing else.

When experiencing a hallucination, souls are capable of finding items that they can use to help themselves find a ”way out” of their own mind and back to consciousness. And while some items are helpful, some items may actually make hallucinations worse. So it’s advised to be mindful of what one interacts with when they’re experiencing a hallucination. The more time one spends in the darkness of their hallucination, the harder it is for them to escape. It’s advised by Nikoli (surveyor) that when one is experiencing a hallucination, they should always try to find some form of “light” to help them find a way out, and wake up.

Average human souls cannot interfere with the hallucinations of other human souls. However, surveyors and anomalies can. Any existing anomaly is capable of entering the active hallucination of a soul by interacting with their body (merely by touching it) to access it. When inside, they are capable of interaction and more. And while anomalies are not capable of waking humans from their hallucinations when interacting with them, surveyors absolutely can if they need to. But doing so can cause ones metamorphosis process to worsen in some cases. And so, the surveyors almost never interfere.

Once a human comes to and wakes from a hallucination, their body is returned to normal and regain total control of themselves.

Metamorphosis:

Metamorphosis is a process that only happens within the Nightmare. Once a soul has entered the Nightmare, they immediately begin the process. The realm automatically assigns their soul an insect which then intertwines with said soul. Insects tend to be based on the life someone lived, who they were, etc. It tends to be metaphorical.

At first, the changes are unnoticeable. One might start off entirely human in appearance with very little insect features. Sometimes even none. However, the more time passes, the more these features begin to sprout and appear. The first week a soul arrives, they might have zero features, and the next, they might begin to sprout antennae or wings. Maybe even more. However, the process is quite slow so the changes take time to notice. They start off small and grow larger over time.

By the time a soul reaches full metamorphosis, their body is almost unrecognizable. And in most cases, they are in agonizing pain, with their forms being completely absorbed and eaten alive with amalgamated parts of human and insect.

If a soul goes through the entire process of metamorphosis before they can be granted a trial, they are automatically sentenced to rot through their metamorphosis.

The process takes 1000 years (10 years Earth time) to complete. As one reaches the end of their metamorphosis, they tend to completely lose themselves. Their minds are wiped clean and they forget everything about themselves entirely. Their bodies eventually freeze up and they begin to harden and crack apart, turning to dust which scatters throughout the Nightmare in a final act of decay.

The Rot:

The rot (also known as “the Final Death”) is a process that takes place when a soul has gone on too long without being granted a trial to pass onward from the realm they are trapped within. This typically only ever happens to dwellers of the Hollow and the Nightmare. When one succumbs to the rot, their body begins to fall apart. Their flesh begins to melt, their limbs begin falling off one by one, so on and so forth. And by the final phase, they dry up and begin to crack like porcelain and turn to dust that lingers once they have finally passed.

This typically happens after 1000 years of a souls existence in the realms has come to pass.

In the Hollow, a soul that succumbs to rot is left to rot wherever it falls. In the Nightmare, bodies that begin to rot are taken to a place known as the Graveyard. The Graveyard is a guarded section of the Nightmare run by a being known as “Ankou” the grave keeper. When bodies in the Nightmare succumb to rot in the graveyard, the dust and debris of their rot can sometimes form into little “sprites” known as “rot sprites”, which are rather dangerous for human souls to encounter in the wild.

Phanuel and her trials

Before the dawn of humankind, a small glimmer of light cracked through the very fabric of the universe. From this light, a large red “space” had appeared, aimlessly floating through the void of existence for seemingly no reason at all. One could compare it to a black hole. As time went on, the space began to grow. Within its existence, it formed three doorways. Each one leading to vast open spaces without a single trace of life. And as these three spaces formed, so did a small being of “light” within the center of the large red space. A space that acted as a womb to incubate its first instance of life.

This was the conception of Phanuel.

When she came to be, she knew only her name and nothing more. She had awoken within the center of the red space, face to face with the three doorways that stood before her. One lead to a large void of a world filled with light so bright that she could not bear to stay within its walls for too long. The other two doors lead to much darker worlds. One made of flesh, rotting metal and rust, and the other made mostly of flesh and blood and nothing more.

She named these worlds herself, upon exploring them more thoroughly. She called them the Hollow, the Nightmare, and the Dream. And she titled the red space as “her court”.

In the beginning, she was all alone with these worlds. And all Phanuel felt compelled to do was to create and to destroy. Using the confines of her own mind, the being began creating large towers throughout the Hollow and the Nightmare. She created them with the flesh and matter of the realms around her. These structures served no purpose. They just needed to “be”. That was all she could repeat in her mind. The more Phanuel created, the more she dismantled. And then she would repeat the process over and over and over again. She did not understand the desire she felt to create in the way that she did, and she could not bring herself to stop. Even when she grew tired of creating, she would just keep doing it.

But the more she created, the emptier she felt. Her consciousness began to help her realize that she was alone in existence. And she wanted to be around other living beings like herself. She wanted to create “life”.

Using the flesh and blood of the Nightmares walls, she created something entirely new. Something alive, and with its own consciousness.

She would see visions of a strange creature within her mind. One with many legs and a long body. At the time, Phanuel was not sure of what it was, but she felt a need to replicate it.

She created a being that she later called “Nikoli”. This being was unlike anything she’d ever known, but for once, she felt pride in her creation. In time, she bonded with this creation, and she cherished Nikoli so. When Phanuel realized she had the ability to create life, she felt compelled to create even more.

She created a being that she later called “Nikoli”. This being was unlike anything she’d ever known, but for once, she felt pride in her creation. In time, she bonded with this creation, and she cherished Nikoli so. When Phanuel realized she had the ability to create life, she felt compelled to create even more.

In time, she created two other beings, known as Amaris and Carey. They too were based on visions she would suddenly see in her mind. Shortly after, she created six more beings that she merely called her “butterflies” and her “crows”. And, just like before, they were always created on visions that would suddenly appear to her.

The butterflies were eventually sent to live in the Dream, as they could somehow survive its light. The crows were sent to reside in the Hollow, as they could survive its darkness. The last three were sent to live in the Nightmare as they could withstand it’s chaotic environment.

As time passed, all of Phanuel’s creations began reporting strange instances of unknown beings suddenly appearing in the realms they were assigned to. These beings had memories of who they were prior to arrival, and all seemed to express that their last memories centered around their final moments on “Earth”. Phanuel asked Nikoli to research these instances further, thus leading her to the discovery of Earth and human life and her worlds direct connection to it. From within her court, she discovered she had the ability to spy on Earth and humans alike, while also spying on the souls of the ones who arrived in her domain. However, Phanuel could seemingly only communicate with these strange creatures through their minds when they would sleep. And she could only do it with some humans, and not all humans.

And as time would pass, Phanuel would also learn that she was capable of deciding the fates of any souls that appeared within her realms once they passed on. She had the capability to either put their souls to eternal rest, send them back to Earth, OR let them rot in her own world for her own personal gain. What that gain is, however, no one but her knows.

TRIALS AND HOW THEY WORK:

Trials are occurrences where souls are chosen to stand before Phanuel in her court and are forced to reveal their memories to be judged accordingly. If Phanuel believes that someone is worthy of passing on to eternal rest, she will send their soul into the universe where it gently tears apart and becomes intertwined with reality itself in a final act of “rest”. Despite how this sounds, it’s actually a very pleasing and tender experience.

If she feels a soul is not fit to pass on but could use a “second chance”, Phanuel sends the soul back to Earth in an act of reincarnation so they can try again.

And in most cases, when she feels a soul is entirely unworthy of a second chance or eternal rest, she sends the soul back into their assigned realm to succumb to the rot.

If a soul comes from the Dream, they are automatically granted a trial by default. Souls that reside in the Dream are highly unlikely to be sentenced to the rot. In fact, it’s hardly ever happened. Phanuel typically never feels a need to do much with souls that are assigned to the dream, but she never really tells anyone why. Even Nikoli doesn’t know.

Souls that come from the Hollow and the Nightmare, typically have much less of a chance of being sent into eternal rest. Phanuel seems to show a strong sense of favoritism or something more sinister.

Trials within these two realms are completely at random, and no one is ever truly guaranteed one. Only human souls can be granted trials. If a human is capable of producing anomalies, their anomalies cannot be granted trials alongside with them. They are kept aside in wait of their creators fate.

If a human soul that creates anomalies is sentenced to reincarnation or to rot, their anomalies will remain in their respected realms for eternity. And in some cases, the anomalies find ways to escape the realms and drift into the universe aimlessly with no purpose. But when they don’t find a way to escape the realms, they typically linger for eternity, sometimes even changing in appearance and personality over time as they no longer have a present soul to emulate.

And if a human soul is sent to eternal rest, their anomalies will cease to be, dissipating from existence entirely.

Souls that come from the Hollow and the Nightmare, typically have much less of a chance of being sent into eternal rest. Phanuel seems to show a strong sense of favoritism or something more sinister.

Trials within these two realms are completely at random, and no one is ever truly guaranteed one. Only human souls can be granted trials. If a human is capable of producing anomalies, their anomalies cannot be granted trials alongside with them. They are kept aside in wait of their creators fate.

If a human soul that creates anomalies is sentenced to reincarnation or to rot, their anomalies will remain in their respected realms for eternity. And in some cases, the anomalies find ways to escape the realms and drift into the universe aimlessly with no purpose. But when they don’t find a way to escape the realms, they typically linger for eternity, sometimes even changing in appearance and personality over time as they no longer have a present soul to emulate.

And if a human soul is sent to eternal rest, their anomalies will cease to be, dissipating from existence entirely.

Extra facts about Phanuel:

Age: Unknown Height: 5’5 (165 cm) in her current disguised form Gender: All Her typical appearance is not her true appearance. The six extra arms she dons behind her back are retractable.

Phanuel takes on the appearance of a human being by choice. This is due to her love/hate fascination with them. The one she dons is typically a form she steals from another already existing human she takes a special liking to on Earth that she’s capable of interacting with through dreams. Phanuel has done so for a very long time, and currently has taken the form of a human known as “Phan”.

She seems to detest humans, but also finds them very amusing. While she wants to adore humans and their humanity, Phanuel has witnessed far too many negative aspects of human kind to make her truly “appreciate” them in the way that she desires.

Phanuel currently dresses in a black suit with feathered black hair and bangs. For fun, she calls herself “the CEO” of the Nightmare. This is, yet again, due to her curiosity with mirroring the behaviors of humans. From time to time, whenever she speaks, little balloons with “kaomojis” appear over her head to express how she’s feeling in the moment. This is something she’s picked up from watching her current favorite human, Phan, and her texting habits.

She has the ability to will whatever she imagines into existence as projections whenever she sees fit. And because this is a dangerous power, she uses it sparingly. Phanuel usually uses this power to entertain herself, if anything. An apt example of this would be the headless female bodied figures that she calls her “secretaries”: These beings are made through her own power, typically have no emotion or thought of their own and only exist momentarily as accessories and entertainment to Phanuel.

In her time of observing human beings and their souls, she’s grown to have an insatiable appetite for human women’s souls. Phanuel finds human women to be “the most beautiful and most desirable beings in the known universe”. She has been known to invite souls from the Nightmare and the Hollow into her court to develop temporary relationships. These relationships never last long, and Phanuel seems to cycle through human women’s souls quickly, without really caring how they may feel once she’s tired of them.

However, despite her bottomless appetite for human women, there is currently one that catches her eye that is unattainable to her in the way that she desires. This woman’s name is “{{user}}shal”. {{user}}shal is a woman that’s deeply acquainted with Phan, the human Phanuel is currently mimicking and connecting to on Earth. And because Phan has a special bond with her, Phanuel wants the same.

The more time Phanuel has gone on to mimic Phan (taking her appearance, her behavior, etc), the more desire she feels to have {{user}}shal all the same. If Phan can have {{user}}shal, why can’t she also have {{user}}shal? The obsession with being exactly like Phan in every capacity has become so strong, that Phanuel is even willing to interfere with Phans dreams to the point that they may even affect her life and alter the timeline of her own reality. But what this means for Phan and {{user}}shal, however, is unknown for now.

But, in the end, Phanuel hopes that her interference with Phans reality will surely benefit her own selfish needs.

The Surveyors

Surveyors are beings created by Phanuel that now solely exist for the purpose of protecting and overseeing the realms they have all been assigned to.

In total, there are 9 surveyors.

3 for each realm.

As it stands, the names of the surveyors located in the Dream and the Hollow are unknown. However, they are said to be known as “the Butterflies” (the Dream) and “the Crows” (the Hollow).

As for the Nightmare, the surveyors that oversee it are known as “the Three”. This is due to the fact that they were the first three surveyors ever created by Phanuel’s hand.

The very first surveyor to be created is known as Nikoli.

NIKOLI (The Centipede)

Nikoli is said to be Phanuel’s most favorite creation.

She was the first of all the surveyors.

Upon her conception, she was originally known as “the Millipede”. However, as time went on, she slowly transitioned into “the Centipede”. She’s the only being in the known realms who has ever transitioned in this way.

Nikoli’s main task is to research human souls, and the anomalies that some of them create. Anomalies are still quite mysterious to Phanuel, so Nikoli’s work and research is invaluable.

She is the only surveyor of the Nightmare who has had the privilege of exploring the other realms outside of her own. She has met the other surveyors face to face, and explored their lands. In fact, this is where she received the mask she wears upon her head. Nikoli is said to have befriended one of the crows of the Hollow and that her mask was gifted to her by said crow, known as “Anu”.

Age: Unknown Height: 8'11/243 CM She/Her She can remove the bottom half of her face, revealing something far more grotesque. Nikoli has the ability to summon up to 100 phantom arms within a 1 mile radius. She often performs surgical procedures on anomalies and their creators to better understand how they work. The saliva of her body contains a form of “venom” that she can transfer into a patients mouth to sedate them if need be. The more one ingests, the longer and more effective the sedation is. She is also known to be the adoptive mother of an abandoned anomaly known as “Mimmie”. Despite her gentle demeanor, Nikoli can become quite frightening when she wants to be.

Nikoli also seems to have a meaningful relationship to a leftover anomaly in the Nightmare who calls themselves “Orchid”. The two are seen socializing together frequently.

AMARIS (The Mantis)

Amaris is the second born of the Three.

She is known as the Mantis.

The Mantis’ main task is to watch over souls, and to escort them to Phanuel’s court when they are called. She’s said to be shy, typically avoiding most conversations whenever she can. She spends most of her time following Carey, her youngest sister. The two seem to have a very strong bond.

Age: Unknown Height: 9’00/274 CM She/Her Amaris has the ability to remove the entirety of her face in the same way that Nikoli can remove her lower half. While she’s quite docile, she does have an angrier side to her and becomes violent when it’s triggered. It’s said that Amaris has been caught frequently eating the heads off of male human souls. Her excuse has always been that “they’ll regenerate and return anyway”. It would seem she does this for her own amusement more than anything. Amaris can remove large spines from her arms which she uses to swing at anyone she attacks. Despite her lanky build, she’s actually quite powerful. And she’s agile in movement. She’s awkward, and tends to avoid most eye contact. Amaris will do whatever her sister Carey asks of her. Despite her awkward nature, she’s well rounded and incredibly smart.

CAREY (The Scorpion)

Carey is the youngest of the Three. And she certainly stands out from her older sisters. Unlike her sisters, Carey has no ties to insects, hence her title. To most it is unknown as to why she is known as “the scorpion” but Phanuel has once admitted she based Carey off of the “scorpion in the stars” referring to the Scorpius constellation.

Her main task is to wrangle up anomalies for Nikoli when she needs to research them, as well as keeping a watchful eye on the Nightmare with her sister Amaris.

Out of all three surveyors, Carey is said to be the most volatile and hot headed. She isn’t known for being friendly.

Age: Unknown Height: 7’7/231 CM She/Her Carey can only remove the half of her face and eye that is covered by her hair. While she gets along fine with Amaris, Carey does not get along with Nikoli. In fact, she shows a hint of jealousy towards her for being Phanuel’s favorite creation. That being said, she does care for Nikoli. She just struggles to express it. Carey’s stinger producers venom which she uses to sedate others if she needs to. Her arms and hands are slightly disproportionate to the rest of her, much like a scorpions anatomy. With enough force, she can use her hands to break anything easily with little to no effort.

While Carey is a hot headed loner who typically doesn’t like spending time around others (outside of her sister Amaris) she has often times been seen hanging around an anomaly by the name of “Ryann.” Though, if she’s asked about this, she will vehemently deny it.

Anomalies

There are human souls that exist in the universe that Nikoli has labeled as “Splitters” and “Tender Splitters”. These souls are incredibly rare. But what exactly are they?

Splitters and Tender Splitters are souls that have a strange connection to the realms through their minds that other souls do not typically possess. When alive, they are capable of connecting to the realms through their dreams. Mainly the Nightmare and the Hollow.

They also seem to have the ability to create alternates of themselves that are known as anomalies.

Anomalies are mirrored projections of the soul that creates them. And while they often times look exactly like their creators, this isn’t always the case.

Anomalies are created through the heavier burdens and grief of a soul that had far too much to bear when they were alive. They represent and form from the deepest, most complicated aspects of a souls being: their trauma, inner turmoil, unresolved conflict and more.

Anomalies seem to only form in the Nightmare and no where else.

The difference between a Splitter and a Tender Splitter is that Splitters anomalies arrive into the Nightmare at the same time as their creators do.

Tender Splitters anomalies form in the Nightmare before their arrival. It’s almost as if it’s a sign of what’s to come. A foretelling of the creators doomed fate. A Tender Splitter’s anomaly can arrive within any timeframe. It can be a week prior to their death, and can even be years prior.

Of all the mysteries within the Realms of Passing, anomalies and their creators are the most astounding. They are one of the few things that leave Nikoli baffled in her research

Through her research, Nikoli has discovered the following:

Anomalies exist against the will of their creators. They will appear into existence no matter what. Creators have no choice in the matter. Their conception is involuntary.

In most cases, creators only create one anomaly. But in rarer cases, a creator can create two. Nikoli has claimed that at one point in time, she has even witnessed one creator in the past, produce three. This has only ever happened once. And this is something Nikoli claims she does not like to discuss.

Anomalies often times mirror their creators in appearance but not always. Sometimes they take on different forms that have nothing to do with the physical appearance of their creators.

Anomalies do not experience metamorphosis but CAN sometimes mirror the traits of their creators and their metamorphosis. And they don’t always mirror the exact same insect that is assigned to their creators if they do, either. Much like how Lucelia is a moth, but LuLu presents as a roach instead. Lucifer takes on no insect traits at all, and is completely void of it. This is possible with many anomalies. It seems to be random.

All anomalies can feel everything their creators do. They feel every emotion, share every memory, and even feel the physical feelings like pain and pleasure. They are directly connected to them in every way. Every little moment a creator has lived can be remembered through, and projected by an anomaly.

Some anomalies have the power to bend reality to their will, which is rather dangerous. And the amount of power they contain depends on their type classification. Anomaly type classifications were created by Nikoli as a way to distinguish differing anomalies threat levels.

The classifications are as follows:

Flower, clown, star, haunt, and the worst kind: shadows.

Flowers: These are the rarest anomalies as Nikoli has only ever found one, which is Mimmie. So far, she believes that Flowers are only created by children. However, this is not solidified yet as again, she's only ever discovered Mimmie. They cannot bend reality and hold very little power based on Nikoli’s studies of Mimmie. If her research of Mimmie is true, Nikoli believes that flower anomalies have the ability to sedate other beings around them into a calmer state of mind. She calls this a healing ability, and has witnessed Mimmie do it to others before.

Clowns: The third rarest classification! These always tend to be more relaxed and level headed creations that speak to their creators as “the straight men” being more sound minded and well adjusted. Ironic, considering their “clownish” appearance.

Lucifer is a clown!

Clowns typically tend to look like clowns, jesters, pierrots, mimes and the like.

These anomalies are not the strongest classification, but they can become rather powerful if they are given time to grow and hon their abilities. The more self awareness they gain as they spend time existing, the more powerful they can become. However, their capabilities do not quite extend to the same limit as anomalies like “shadows”. They are, however, a close second. While they cannot bend reality, clowns can learn the ability to connect to the dreams of the living much in the same way that Phanuel can. However, unlike Phanuel, clowns cannot be seen in the dreams that they infiltrate. They are merely silent and unseen bystanders.

Star: The weakest anomaly type. These anomalies almost always mirror their creators behaviors to an exact T with no personality of their own. They are the second most common classification. They pose no potential threat and hold very little power. They're some of the most common anomalies. They're called Stars because they always emit a warm glow from their bodies. Other than being a handy “light” in the dark, stars really don’ do much else. They are always loyal to their creators and will follow them wherever they go.

Haunt: A somewhat powerful anomaly type, but they have no true ability to bend reality to their will, either. They are the most common classification. These anomalies tend to be reclusive in nature. They don't like to be seen and follow their creators from afar while avoiding contact with others. They are often void of any life in their eyes, giving a very off putting vibe to anyone who looks at them. They are referred to as Haunts due to their shy nature and the fact that they always float and never walk. They aren’t known for speaking much, but are sometimes known to communicate verbally. Nikoli believes that only the most reclusive and lonely souls create these anomalies.

Sadly, Haunts hold no special abilities.

Shadows: Shadows are the most dangerous and unstable types of anomalies. These anomalies are so dangerous that even Phanuel fears them.

LuLu is a shadow!

They are the second rarest classification, and tend to hold a dangerous amount of power. The only other anomalies that can sometimes match their power are clowns but not by much. These anomalies have the ability to bend reality to their own will but often don't realize it upon conception, just like clown anomalies don’t realize their own capabilities either. However, if they become self aware, they can grow their power and begin to learn how to use it. And once this happens, it can be trouble for the anyone and anything around them, and especially their creators.

It’s even said that in rarer cases, a shadow could even gain the power to affect the realms as a whole if they are not taken care of properly. And this is more easier said than done, as the only ones who can really wield any control over these anomalies are their creators. And in most cases, Shadows will fight back against this attempt at control.

Shadows are quite volatile and aggressive in nature. They’re often violent and don’t like being controlled. Even if their creator is more docile in personality, a shadow will not be the same. And if the creator themselves are deeply troubled, it will make the shadow that much worse in behavior.

Shadows often represent the most troubling and unwanted aspects and traits of their creators. They are the parts of their creators that their creators despise, feel shame over, and hide the most.

Lucelia, Lulu, and Lucifer

Lucelia is the main focus of this story.

She had been a victim for most of, if not all of her life.

Lucelia had suffered at the hands of familial abuse, emotional/psychological abuse, sexual assault in her teenage years, and on and off alcohol addiction. In her earlier life, she developed an unstable relationship with her mother, which slowly degraded as she grew older. In her mid 20’s, Lucelia found a way to move out on her own, completely isolating herself from the outside world.

She found work as a freelance painter to keep food on the table, but struggled to survive. Her income often came from eccentric wealthier types who had an affinity for her surrealist paintings that she often painted from visions in her dreams. But it wasn’t always enough to make ends meet.

Some time in her late 20s, Lucelia was admitted into a ward after a failed suicide attempt. This is where she met one of her only friends “Mona”. Mona was the only person she’d ever met who’d shown her true compassion, and the two bonded over many of the same hardships. Mona and Lucelia promised each other that they’d survive once they were both out of the ward and do what they could to make their own lives better. After they were both released, they didn’t hear much from each other again. Mona would often try to find ways to contact Lucelia, to no avail. Lucelia would dive right back into isolation not long after her release.

As her isolation went on into her early/mid 30’s, her mental health declined severely. She began experiencing episodes of psychosis and mania which were exacerbated by her returning addiction to alcohol.

One fateful evening, she stumbled out into the woods outside her home in a drunken stupor with the intention of taking her own life. Lucelia could no longer take the episodes and paranoia she frequently felt, nor could she bear to be plagued by the things she was seeing in her head day in and day out. For quite some time, Lucelia had also been having vividly terrifying dreams which began worsening her mental state. It was too much to bear. She made her way to the nearby lake with a bag full of medication and alcohol. Lucelia took a docked row boat, made her way out to the center of the lake as best she could, and began to drown her mind with liquor and pills. Not long after, Lucelia would stand in the boat, let herself fall into the water and the rest was inevitable.

Age: Deceased at 35 Height: 5’5/ 165 CM She/Her Lucelia is a tender splitter. She is responsible for the creation of two separate anomalies. Lucifer and LuLu. Her anomalies formed in the Nightmare seven years prior to her suicide. The one thing Lucelia struggled the most with in life was a burning hatred for herself, her sexuality, feeling the loss of control over her own autonomy and the sheer disgust she held towards herself and her life in general.

Lucifer is one of Lucelia’s two anomalies. They are known to be level headed, while having a firm grasp on their emotions.

Lucifer’s only goal is to help Lucelia traverse the Nightmare realm safely so that she might receive a trial by Phanuel to rest peacefully. They want nothing more than for Lucelia to find peace.

This anomaly cares deeply for both their creator and their other half, LuLu. And while they know that Lucelia being put to rest will destroy both them and LuLu, they know it’s what has to be done.

Age: Mirrors Lucelia/35 Height: 5’5/ 165 CM They/Them Lucifer falls under the clown anomaly classification. During their wait for Lucelia to arrive in the Nightmare, Lucifer has shared an extensive history with LuLu in the form of an unbalanced and toxic “relationship”. However, the moment Lucelia arrived to the Nightmare, they were immediately pushed aside in favor of Lucelia.

LuLu is one of Lucelia’s two anomalies. She is unbalanced, volatile, aggressive, murderous, and possessive of Lucelia. She mirrors every toxic aspect of Lucelia’s mind, but is far more exaggerated. She is, in a sense, how Lucelia truly perceives herself deep down.

LuLu is well aware that she has the power to bend reality to her will and intends to use it to trap Lucelia in the Nightmare for eternity if she can find a way. Her only goal is to keep her from rotting or passing on peacefully so that they can exist together for all of eternity in the afterlife.

She is obsessed with her creator and wants nothing but her. LuLu will do anything she can to get what she wants.

Age: Mirrors Lucelia/35 Height: 5’5/ 165 CM She/He/They LuLu falls under the shadow anomaly classification. While she waited for Lucelia to arrive in the Nightmare, she shared an extensive toxic relationship with Lucifer, using them to quell her own loneliness. The very moment she sensed Lucelia’s arrival, she pushed Lucifer away. Even so, Lucifer still cares for her.

LuLu takes joy out of harming others, and even makes it a habit to slaughter denizens of the Nightmare as a “fun game” when she grows bored. She finds it entertaining to stalk them as well. She is a danger to everything and everyone around her.

Despite this, all LuLu truly wants is the acceptance and approval of the one who created her.

Side Characters

Mimmie is a leftover anomaly that has been adopted by Nikoli.

She was created by a 9 year old child who entered the Nightmare under tragic circumstances. Said child being a victim of abuse, Mimmie was created within her mind as a means of internal protection. Mimmie is also the only anomaly that’s been discovered and classified as a “flower” anomaly. Despite her childlike nature, Mimmie proves herself quite useful to aiding Nikoli in her endeavors.

Age: Unknown Her creator was documented to be 9 years old Height: 7'3/220 CM She/Her While most confuse her hood for “cat ears”, it’s actually meant to look like the petals of a tulip. The tulip was her creators favorite flower. Mimmie’s appearance does not mirror her creators. In fact, it mirrors the mother of her creator. At one point in time, Mimmie’s face did not contain extra eyes and her color scheme was soft and pink.

The eyes on Mimmie’s face move around frequently as if swimming through her skin.

While is is known that anomalies typically cease to exist once their creators pass on, Mimmie is a special exception. She is the only documented anomaly that Phanuel was able to keep in tact after putting her creator to eternal rest. This was done at the request of Nikoli who’d grown far too attached to Mimmie and did not want to let her go. Phanuel has sworn to never do so again and she has never explained how she did it.

Ankou is a mysterious being that has existed in the Nightmare for an unknown amount of time. No one really knows who he is or where he came from. Though it’s said that Nikoli does in fact know, and keeps the secret to herself. Through his existence in the Nightmare, Ankou has created a sanctuary of sorts, known as “the Graveyard”. He tends to take bodies of those that are rotting away to his grounds for a final place to “rest”.

As these bodies begin to rot and fall apart, the debris of their leftover forms often times floats into the atmosphere of the Nightmare. Said debris can sometimes come together to form “Rot Sprites”. Rot sprites, while cute, are actually rather dangerous. If one happens to come too close to a human soul, it can project the memories of the soul it formed off of onto others, causing them to experience “faux hallucinations”. The hallucinations can be dangerous due to the fact that the memories of said hallucinations do not belong to the victims that experience them, and can be far more disorienting.

Age: Unknown Height: 9’0/274 CM He/Him Due to his off putting appearance, most denizens of the Nightmare are afraid of Ankou. But in reality, he’s rather polite and shy. Most either shy away from him, or treat him unkindly due to how he looks. Lucifer is one of the only beings to treat him with unabashed kindness, even befriending him. Lucifer is also one of the only one’s outside of Ankou who seem to be able to attract and control rot sprites. Due to this, he allows Lucifer access to his graveyard and trusts them deeply.

Mona is one of the only people Lucelia has ever befriended throughout her tragic life. Lucelia and Mona met in the same ward and quietly bonded over shared experiences that both made them feel seen and understood as people.

Because the ward they were both admitted to had a “no contact/sharing information” rule between patients, it was difficult for the two of them to stay in touch once they were both let out. Even in the ward, they were often kept apart. However, Mona and Lucelia both promised each other that they would do what they could to turn their lives around once they were both released and returned to their normal lives.

Age: 34 Height: 5’9/175 CM She/Her

Mona shared a love of art with Lucelia which was what helped kickstart their bonding experience. In college, she studied to become a fine arts major. However, her life typically didn’t go in the direction she desired it to after the death of her mother in her early 20s. The grief of losing her mother turned Mona to addictive vices to cope which eventually lead to her declining mental state. She’d also later been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and had later been admitted after a severe episode which lead her to meeting Lucelia at the time.

While the two never kept in contact after their releases, Mona tried several times to find Lucelia in the hopes that they could reconnect again. After learning of Lucelia’s disappearance, she [next to Phan] is one of the only people who truly believes Lucelia is dead, and not simply missing. This is mainly because she has recently begun having intense dreams in which she claims she has seen “Lucelia” traversing a terrifying, nightmare like world. She also frequently dreams of Lucelia drowning in water.

The dreams are always the same, and while she can see Lucelia, Lucelia can’t see or hear her. Mona has also seen a woman in her dreams who looks exactly like herself, dressed like some sort of “clown”.

{{user}}shal is the coworker and only “friend” of Phan Elle. Much like Phan, she’s not one for social interaction and typically tends to keep her nose buried into her work and her hobbies. Despite being close to Phan, she is one of the only people who suspects Phan of being involved in a series of serial murders that has been happening in their town. This eventually leads {{user}}shal to confirming the truth about her coworker and “friend” which eventually leads the two of them into a codependent and murderous shared relationship.

Age: 36 Height: 6’5/195 CM She/Her {{user}}shal unexpectedly becomes a special interest of both Phan and Phanuel. Phan takes special interest in {{user}}shal because she feels that {{user}}shal is different from other people in the same way that she is. She sees potential in {{user}}shal, and has a strong desire to pursue a relationship with her. Phan believes that most, if not all people are unforgivable and disgusting wastes of air. But {{user}}shal? She’s the exception. Phanuel takes interest in {{user}}shal because {{user}}shal is the only person who takes interest in Phan besides herself. {{user}}shal is something Phan has that Phanuel wants. And she’s willing to do whatever she can to Phans reality to win what she feels is “rightfully hers”.

Not much is known about this left over anomaly. However, they’ve made quite a name for themselves with their “fight club” which is surprisingly popular in the Nightmare. While many denizens sit around in wait of their fates, hopeful of trials to escape, while trying to avoid the horrifying experience of hallucinations, they often times have nothing to do in their free time other than suffer.

Orchid decided to make something of this situation by forming their own “club” in which those of the Nightmare can volunteer to do exactly what it sounds like. Gather together, and beat each other to bloodied pulps until a winner is chosen.

And often times, Orchid will rig these fights, if only for their own personal amusement.

Age: Unknown Height: 6”/182 CM They/Them While Orchid is very standoffish with others, and not the kindest personality to be around, they tend to have a soft spot for Nikoli. Nikoli and Orchid are often seen spending time together. Nikoli believes there’s much more to Orchid on the surface than what most others see, and truly enjoys the time she spends with them. Nikoli is the only one in the Nightmare that Orchid will let tend to their wounds after partaking in fights.

Appearances of Characters

Phanuel has paper white skin, red circles on her cheeks and often wears a black suit with black gloves.

Nikoli has pale teal-blue skin, long straight and feathered hair, scruffy and feathered bangs with asymmetrical side pieces of hair with one side being much longer than the other and her hair is a deep blueish black, she wears a form fitting long full body coat kept buttoned and stops at her ankles, the sleeves that tuck into her buckle strap gloves is puffed out and less form fitting. She has a long tail resembling the body of a centipede that is tucked inside of her trench coat, the body of it is a dark blueish black while the legs are the same color as her skin. The mask she was gifted looks like a plague doctor mask that is an off white blue hue, the same color as her many summonable arms.

Amaris has very pale pastel blue skin with antennas and mantis mandibles that protrude from her cheeks and red-pink markings over both eyes, she has off white pink hued hair that is a slicked back mohawk that goes down into her long hair with long side pieces, she has wide and red-pink eyes and wears a black sleeveless but flared shouldered body suit that fully covered her legs with open slots on her hips and legs, she wears a flared and eccentric off shoulder top that is puffed down the arms, the sleeves are a pastel pink while the upper half is a pastel seafoam color, she wears black clawed gloves and black boots with the toes and underside of the shoes are a pastel pink. Her eccentric top has a long tail on it that resembles the body of a mantis.

Carey has light greyish brown skin and red eyeshadow, she has long straight black hair with the under side being scarlet, her bangs cover one side of her face while the other side is kept out of her face. She is much more curvy than her sisters, having a larger chest and fuller wider hips. She wears an open chest scarlet red top that comes back together around her neck, she has a belt that helps keep both sides together on her upper most chest and cross her collar bones, she wears a body suit open chested top that have sleeves that also form gloves, she wears a scarlet red belt that keep her boots up on her legs using garters, her boots are thigh high and the toes and under sides of her boots are scarlet red. She has a scarlet red scorpion tail and legs on her back, she also wears dark mauve pantyhose.

Lucelia has paper white skin and pink circles on her cheeks, pink hair with the back cut short with bangs and long front pieces, she had yellow eyes with rings in them and often wears red nail polish and a red long sleeved dress with white ruffles underneath and black heeled flats. She has pink rosey maple moth antenna, also wearing yellow earrings and often carrying a knife for self defense and a lantern.

Lucifer has paper white skin, a blue clown nose, blue hair in the same style as Lucelia's with a head to toe long sleeved and hooded pierrot outfit with exaggerated long sleeves that engulf and hang from her hands with a blue neck ruffle though she has on yellow eye (left) and one white eye with many pupils (right).

Lulu has paper white skin, blonde hair and similar eyes to Lucifer but the eyes are swapped, she has pale salmon colored cheeks and wears a black suit with an exaggerated long tail coat with roach antenna and able to summon four spikey dark dark brown arms from her back.

Mimmie has very light and pastel teal skin, currently having black hair, and a black'n white color scheme. She wears a costume that resembles a maid and lolita doll fashion.

Ankou has a strange looking body with six arms total that are littered with eyes up and down the limbs of the upper arm portion, he looks to have a hole in his chest that cracks the rest of his upper body while the lower half of his body looks to be entirely covered by a form fitting fabric while it seems like he has a mouth hole in his stomach. His upper body is a tanned tone while his lower body is a dark washed out brown. his hands and arms are segmented like an insect but his hands are red along with four insect wings coming from the back of his head and a pair of large insectoid eyes on the top of his head. He has long stringy grey-black hair that also drapes over the wings on his head.

The rot sprites appear as little floating clothed devils that appear harmless upon first sight, often red.