Soulbound

Soulbounds are Human beings without the strange ability to manipulate the world around them. They are given this name because, unlike the Unbound, their self-energy is cemented, and even harder to manipulate than that of other Unbound, giving them a natural defense against the new breed of powerful humans.

It is a general consensus among the Soulbound that the Unbound have a sort of arrogance about them, and most can pick up on an “air” that Unbound exude without even realizing it; Thus, many Soulbound become wary, and as they are seen as unable to protect themselves, they further resent the Unbound for having to “protect” them from bad situations involving the Nihilex, feeling like herds of animals that have no say in their circumstances.

Note: The only known "Unbound" abilities that some Soulbound are able to harness is shapeshifting, although this is usually limited to one form that they feel spiritually attuned with and is not easily controlled by their own will.

Soulbound, Unbound, and Forced Change
While it seemed unlikely that any Soulbound would have the opportunity to become one of the Unbound, there were some rather peculiar happenings throughout the history of the Unbound that made quite a few think otherwise. There had been cases of Soulbound being strung about to varying levels and sorts of extreme emotional states, survivalist instinct, and other extreme situations that had, in fact, created a sudden adaptation within Soul-bound that seemed to “awaken” an Unbound state within them.

Once “awakened,” these once Soulbound individuals were highly unstable. Most were very unsure of their abilities and what they could “focus” on, as their natural attunement with their surroundings was far from as adept as a natural born Unbound. However, they also had a upper hand over natural born Unbound; being they were once Soul-bound, they seem to retain their natural defensive nature against Unbound, making it even harder for other Unbound to manipulate their bodies and minds.

Unfortunately, though these discoveries were fascinating, they were also a threat to many Soulbound. Since many individuals sought the power of the Unbound, experiments began to see what it took to unlock these abilities, if any individual could be forced to display these abilities, and so on. Many were taken as captives to be used as lab rats, especially in the case of Anillexes, and many fatalities were recorded.

True results were varied – while many methods of torture, bewilderment, and even exposure to Nihilex was a common theme, it seemed hard to place exactly what would awaken Unbound tendencies, and if any individual could truly attain such status.