taiyakinonaku

The world of spirits is a modern fantasy, flavored by the existence of, well, spirits. By this world's definition, a spirit is a soul with no physical body to attach itself to. The term contrasts definitions such as human, which is a soul with a physical body to attach itself to.

Because spirits have no physical form, they are unbound by physical laws and rules. On the negative side, this means that a spirit cannot feel, smell, or taste. And though they can see and hear, they cannot be seen or heard. It isn't uncommon for a spirit to not even be able to interact with other spirits: They live long, lonely existences without the guarantee of acknowledgment.

On the plus side, spirits are not bound by physical laws. While a human soul is attached to its body, a spirit can possess any physical object. Through this object, they can potentially experience some of the physical world. An object that a spirit possesses is called a 'shrine.'
Shrines aren't limited to only physical objects either. They can be a person, for example, or a concept. The most common form of shrine is a mystery. When a spirit inhabits a mystery, they can gain magic powers over it. This turns them from a spirit to a Kami. And the strength of their magic is determined by faith.

The easiest way to illustrate this concept is by example.

A spirit who inhabits the mystery of agriculture becomes the Kami of Agriculture. The new Kami is able to manifest in small ways with magic, thus alerting humans to their existence. The more that humans believe that agriculture is controlled by this particular Kami, the stronger that Kami's influence over agriculture actually becomes.

This cycle of dependence once benefited all parties. In the 'Golden Age of Kami, the world was really ruled by the Kami that humans believed in. The Kami were seen briefly, they were heard, and most of all... They had an impact on the world they were born into.

But there is a drawback: Once a mystery is solved, the Kami loses their shrine. When humans discovered the science of agriculture, they solved the mystery and destroyed the Kami's shrine. And gradually, that Kami would lose faith until they reverted back to a lonely spirit existence. As scientific advances swept human civilization, the Golden Age of Kami gave way to the 'Era of Forgetting.'

By the 21st Century, Kami and Spirits are folktales and legend. The very few who believe have managed to keep their Kami in existence, but their power is only a percentage of what it once was. Mysteries are hard to come by, and it isn't uncommon for spirits to fight each other over the chance to inhabit a mystery.

There was, however, one last shrine available to spirits. A secret kind of magic that even the Kami affected by it didn't understand: Naming Magic. If a spirit was given a name out of love, and for as long as someone called them by that name, they could use it as a shrine. It's a very tricky kind of shrine. Once you know it is a name, its mysterious power disappears. You also cannot consciously use naming magic... and all of this relies on you being able to see spirits, love them, and being able to have their name heard. So it is a very rare kind of magic.

The life of spirits is further complicated by the existence of Spirit Hunters. While every hunter has their own reasoning, the vast majority simply believe that spirits and kami should not exist. There is a story passed down about how all souls, spirit and human, are fighting for the right to exist. It is believed that the overpopulation of spirits, who cannot die natural deaths, is quickly overloading and destroying the planet.

Spirit Hunting in the 21st Century is a quiet business, but a threat none the less. They solve mysteries as scientists, and use ancient magicks to destroy spirits all together. They will even destroy the Kami who still reside in unsolved mysteries.