Ki

"Everybody uses ki. You can't be alive without doing that. What we teach is how to harness and optimise it- to realise its full potential."
-excerpt from an inaugural lecture on metaphysical science at the Academy of Arikanda

Ki is the name given to the spiritual energy present in every being in the universe. All life, from microscopic forms of life all the way up to the Elder Gods themselves, all possess a soul/spirit, and as such have access to and are powered by two pools of spiritual energy;

• A being's life force, which is a finite source of spiritual energy tied to their vitality and health, and;
• A being's spiritual power, a renewable source of spiritual energy which can be replenished.

While these energies are primarily used to give life to the world and all living beings, it is possible for people to learn to manipulate ki, which allows them to perform various feats that would not be accessible otherwise.

Life Force

A person's life force, as the name describes, is a person's pool of spiritual energy which their vitality and health draw from. Each person is born with a finite amount of life force, which is drawn from over time. Once a being's life force has been drained, they die. It is possible for a person's life force to be supplemented through magical means, but it is not possible to do so once a person's life force has been expended. While it is theoretically possible to use life force to fuel ki manipulation, it will permanently drain their life force, potentially leading to a shortened lifespan or even more immediate coma and death. Beings such as gods, spirits, celestials and demons usually have either extremely high, renewable or infinite life force, resulting in their immortality.

Spiritual Power

A person's spiritual power is a pool of ki separate from the person's life force. This particular pool can be used to alter how a person can interact with reality itself. In most people this power lies dormant, save for fight or flight moments or extremely high rushes of adrenaline where people can perform feats beyond those of normal human limitations. It is possible for individuals to learn to harness these abilities with intense training, such as the physical feats carried out by members of the Orders of the Elements. In a very small percentage of people who have a particularly potent source of spiritual power, it is possible to use one's ki to carry out changes to reality such as pyrokinesis, spiritual healing, energy blasts, and other such feats.