Bound
Philosophy of Bound
Two halves of a whole.
The notion of Bound originated from one of the Grandmasters, who felt it was too sad for Ancients to live without their other half. Rather than search for their mate, Bound were born as "Twin Souls" so they could live out their lives together.
The Fallen
During the Formation of Mu, those who had lost their Bound and lived were renamed the Fallen.
This was due to the belief that in becoming Fallen, one must betray their destined partner. It is considered honorable to die with your Bound instead of live without them.
On Left, High Queen Iunu Heqet, one of the most notable fallen. She, along with her new husband, Khnum, were forced out of Thule after losing their Bound.
Forced Bindings
For those born without a Bound, or those like the Fallen who lost theirs, a forced Binding may be performed with supervision by the Grim. It is important to note that a forced Binding is merely a pact between souls.
Although the conditions can be made to replicate a natural binding, the pair will not share the same connection as one.
An example of this would be Hero and Fate from Book 1.
Types of Bindings
All Bindings share one common trait and that is they share energy (anima and ether.) However, the ways Bound choose to do this varies.
There are different 'types' of bindings and even if they might overlap and share traits of another 'type' of binding, most Bound have a primary type.
Blood Binding
This pairing has immense bloodlust. They get their rocks off from the battle field and may be seen sparring, going to war, or even just honing their bodies.
Physical Binding
Sure, most Bound are initimate, but these Bound take it to a new height. They constantly thirst for each other, even in front of others. They seem insatiable and may even seek out others or share partners.
Spiritual Binding
By nature, Bound are more spiritually connected to each other than to others but this type of Binding is more intense. When they reach a certain level of connection, they may appear to read each other's minds, and will move in tandem.
Bound and Death
When one Bound is injured or distressed, their partner can feel it even at a great distance. Therefore, when one of them dies, the pain is so immense that the other will generally die alongside them.
However, there are situations where one of them may survive and become Fallen.
A Binding can only be severed by a Grim or Grandmaster, as doing so is incredibly dangerous and can result in a spiritual fracture.
If Bound die separately, they will also be reborn separately and the longer they're apart, the more they'll starve.
