Spirit Labyrinths

A spirit labyrinth is the name for the physical manifestation of the mind. It isn't anything that the vast majority of people would even know about much less interact with, but for Kamiyoki and Shinigami, it is of great concern.
A Spirit labyrinth may also be accessed by a kamiyoki or shinigami that has the capacity to open a rift into the mind of an unconscious host. Entering the spirit labyrinth of a host is the primary means by which a shinigami travels from the spirit world to the physical world.
The owner of a spirit labyrinth has limited to no control over how it manifests. The labyrinth of every individual will look different from any other person, usually very different so in fact. The spirit labyrinth of a good natured, simple, and peacefully minded person will be a serene and calm place, perhaps like a remote house on a tranquil lake. Conversely a tortured and contemptuous soul will manifest in a more erratic and chaotic way, full of danger, surprise, and constant change, something like a decaying town beset by storms and monstrosities.

Levels of the Labyrinth

The Subconscious - Ishiki

It is here that the mind has the highest degree of fluctuation, and is easily responsive to the external actions and feelings of the host. The conscious mind is the manifestation of whatever the host is thinking of and concentrating on. For this reason it can shift the most easily. It is only possible for a kamiyoki to enter or exit a mind from the edge of the Ishiki via dreams

The Unconscious - Mu-ishiki

The deepest level of the spirit labyrinth is the unconscious mind. It is the most dangerous and sensitive part of the mind. It is here that is found memories and traumas made unrecoverable by repression. These deepest parts of the mind are responsible for the manifestations of behaviors we exhibit but don't understand. Not only does the host not have control over this aspect of their labyrinth, but it is unknown to them. It is from these depths that one who infiltrates the mind of the host may manipulate or fully co-opt them unbeknownst to them. A shinigami will enter the mind of the host through their dreams directly into the Mu-Ishiki where they will immediately be able to control and manipulate. The Shinigami will typically leave by devouring the soul of the host from the inside and automatically being expelled from the body into the physical world as a result. The Mu-Ishiki is likely to be more primal and shrouded in darkness than the Ishiki. The inner most parts of the Mu-Ishiki is where the collective unconscious resides; those things that are universal to all people, like love and fear. It is from this point specifically within the center of the mind that one may access and assume control of the psyche of the host. This is done through entering the core of the host that invariably override them, who becomes shut out of their own connection to the outer world. The host will regain consciousness in the real world once the intruder relinquishes control.

Inhabitants of the Spirit Labyrinth

Perceptions

A perception is a manifestation of how the host sees a specific person, who may manifest somewhere within their mind. The bigger of an impact the person has on their life, the larger the presence and power they are likely to hold within the spirit labyrinth. If the host sees a specific person as sufficiently malevolent an threatening, that person may manifest as a demonic perception, a powerful and destructive entity that can haunt and cause chaos within the mind of the host, and they will be unable to suppress the power that entity has within their mind so long as it has that level of psychological power over them in real life. They will likely be larger or more imposing and twisted looking than other perceptions. If a person is able to enter the spirit labyrinth of someone they know, they will find a perception of themselves through the eyes of the host.

Eradicators

Like the white blood cells of the mind, eradicators scour spirit labyrinths for things that don't belong. They seek to bring order and coherency to the mind of their host, and will work to eliminate intruders or the sources of psychological woes. However it is not uncommon for eradicators to be insufficient from preventing the damage of powerful demonic perceptions. Furthermore a psychological issue suppressed one day may simply return the next, meaning the work of the eradicators is never over. Eradicators will target kamiyoki and shinigami if they enter into a mind since they are foreign entities. Another function for eliminators is to repress certain things and contain them to the unconscious. This is often done on behalf of the Kamen against the kage which is typically confined to the Mu-Ishiki unless it sneaks or breaks out into the Ishiki.

Kamen

The Kamen is the front that the host wishes to display to the outer world. The Kamen dwells within the Ishiki, and a host may even have multiple Kamen if they live a split life. The Kamen can be identified by the fact that they wear a mask over their face, and will have a resemblance to the host, but it will be them as they believe the world sees them, good or bad.

Kage

The opposite of the Kamen, the Kage is the aspects of the host that are repressed because they are socially unacceptable. Despite the hosts desire to keep the Kage restrained, or destroyed completely, it remains, and emerges from time to time. Desire and feelings the host wishes they didn't have are represented by the Kage. In a normal person the Kage is often characterized by things considered disturbing, but within the Spirit Labyrinth of a shinigami, the Kage may actually be a far more peaceful entity due to the brutal societal norms of the spirit world, where the Kamen is more likely to represent a harsh and aggressive demeanor. Kage can be identified by their ghostly and semi-transparent appearance, but they might be less obvious outside of this fact since they will be displaying characteristics less obviously relatable to the host by outside observers. If either the Kamen or the Kage is killed, the other will take over as the whole of the self, and will become a reductive and impaired being, likely to behave in extreme ways, and generally be a less shaded and nuanced version of themselves, or if the Kage assumes full control, a very different person entirely by the perception of an outsider.

True Self

The combination of the Kamen and the Kage creates the fullness of the actual person. Within a spirit labyrinth the Kamen and Kage may join or separate into or from the true self.

Labyrinth Manifestation

A labyrinth's appearance will be a culmination of several factors derived from both the personality of the host as well as the context of their life. The labyrinth may appear seamless and logical, or manifest as a chaotic bastardization of a multitude of disparate components fused together.

• Relevant Physical Locations - Settings and places that hold a critical part of the host's memory and soul, especially from childhood, are likely to manifest in some way shape or form within the spirit labyrinth.
• Life Circumstances - A spirit labyrinth will never remain wholly constant, rather as the experiences and context of the host's life changes, so will the labyrinth to reflect it. if a person feels their life has left their control, their labyrinth is likely to be chaotic.


• Desires, and Worldview - That which the host wants out of and believes about the world will help to form their spirit labyrinth.
• Introversion - An introverted host is likely going to have a less densely populated labyrinth
• Neuroticism - A neurotic host will manifest a more fluctuating and unstable labyrinth. While it may seem structurally sound one moment, it may become fragile and decaying the next. Manifestations of emotions are likely to be more potent within these hosts as well.
• Conscientiousness - The labyrinth is likely to manifest in a well structured and logical way. It will likely be clean and organized as well
• Openness - The likelihood of a labyrinth displaying characteristics outside of the direct experience of the host
• Agreeableness - The labyrinth of an agreeable person is likely to be more tolerant and less combative against foreign entities and demonic perceptions, and more likely to assist and cater to entities that the host likes.

Spirit Labyrinths in Xinyang

The existence of spirit labyrinths is an arcane secret within Kamiyoki communities. Outside of them it is merely a fringe concept discussed in abstract by other religious individuals. Even within Kamiyoki society it is a mysterious and illusive concept due to the power to enter a labyrinth through dreams is only held by a slim number of the already numerically small number of Kamiyoki. Despite this Kamiyoki are extremely strict about usage of dream hopping. It is forbidden to manipulate or posses the mind of any person. A Kamiyoki may enter a mind if they are pursuing a shinigami hiding within a person's labyrinth.
Alternatively within the ranks of Shinigami, entering the minds of dreaming mortals from within the spirit world is a common place practice by necessity. Because shinigami are so powerful, it is actually much more difficult for them to pass through the seishin barrier even at its thinnest points. However the existance of dreams and the shinigami's unique ability to sense and enter them from the overlaying parts of the spirit world allows shinigami a portal to the material world. The shinigami may use their possessed host to stealthily navigate the human world, or simply consume their soul and exit the mind of the host in order to directly enter the physical world.

Misc. Metaphysics

Host Awareness

A host is completely unaware of the ongoings of their spirit labyrinth. With the one exception of Shinigami who do not sleep, and are able to manifest their spirit labyrinths while conscious, almost always for the intent of trapping and consuming powerful opponents on favorable terrain.

Entering and Exiting

Kamiyoki are only able to enter and exit from the very edges of the Ishiki, as it is the closest part of the labyrinth to the physical world. Kamiyoki enter only when the host is asleep, and they are able to create rifts in reality allowing them and anyone able to enter in time before the rift closes to enter the labyrinth of that person. Alternatively the part of the mind closest to the spirit world is actually the collective unconscious region of the Mu-ishiki where the core of the host is. Within the spirit world shinigami can sense the areas where sleeping people are in the physical world, and go to those overlayed areas in the spirit world. From there they are able to expend some of their great power to create a rift into the labyrinth. This technique is unable to be used by other yokai, and the shinigami are unable to use this technique in any other circumstance to enter the physical world. Due to the expenditure endured by a shinigami to open these rifts, it is imperative that they consume a multitude of souls during every trip they make to the material world in order to both stay fully energized, to grow more powerful, and to replenish the energy expended to make the trip.

Passage of Time

Because of how quickly the mind works, time within the mind will pass four times as quickly as it does outside, so in theory if a person was to spend a year within a labyrinth, they will enter back into a world four years older than they are. This however does not include when a dream hopper or Shinigami assumes control over a host.

Death

The host can be killed by either eliminating both the Kamen and Kage, or by possessing them and forcing them into committing suicide. Once a host dies, any foreign entities within the spirit labyrinth are physically expelled A dream hopper who is killed within a spirit labyrinth will physically remain inside until it is erased by an eliminator unless brought out by another dream hopper.

Multi-layer Dream Hopping

In the minuscule chance you choose to try to enter the mind of dream hopper within a spirit labyrinth, this is actually entirely possible so long as said dream hopper is asleep. This will compound the effects of time passage.