Aura Masters
From PlotBunnies
A new idea, based on a random thought yesterday. Sorry if this one is more than a little disturbing; its growing in my mind as I write, and I think it has the potential to be horrific. (Or to be an action movie; you never know) -- Angel
[edit] Background
God is all-powerful, right? And it seems to be pretty "obvious" that a person, with a soul, is more than just a biologically-interesting object.
A soul is a valuable thing, and too important to waste. So if a fetus isn't destined to survive and be born, it doesn't need one. But for that matter, you could say the same for a baby destined to die young. But where do you draw the line?
An answer: 'God' (whose nature within the fictional universe isn't really debated; could be an actual being, or a committee, or even just blind fate) gives each person a soul; but it doesn't stay on Earth their whole life. After they have fulfilled all their destiny, done the last meaningful thing in their life, God takes away the soul and it passes on to the next life. So when an old person seems somehow thin, weary, as if they have no desire to live any longer, it could be because their soul has already passed on. This is also how people can sometimes become suddenly resigned to their fate on the point of death: They have nothing to keep them behind.
Ghosts are souls that didn't pass on. Maybe their destiny included something too close to the moment of death, and God (or maybe the reaper, or some equivalent figure) didn't have time to take the soul away. Trapped on earth by their death, these souls wander eternally and hope they can some day find a way to pass on.
Some people can see 'astral auras', the physical manifestation of the soul. Fewer, though, can see clearly enough to know that not every body has a soul. If you realise that your soul can pass on as soon as all the important bits of your life are done, would you strive to fulfil your destiny, or put it off as long as possible?
But it seems that a true hero sometimes has another fate. They use their soul, burning it like a fuel to allow them to achieve the impossible, right up until they run out of power and the body and soul die together. In this way, a human can actually have enough power to fight against destiny and change the world for the better.
A couple of aura-sighted guys manage to figure out how the world really works. And they decide to change the world. Maybe - just maybe - if you create a new destiny for a body whose original owner has already gone to heaven, a ghost could take on that body and get a second chance to pass on. Will it work? I'm not sure. I'm not even sure if the people trying this are heroes, antiheroes or villains.
