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Introduction

Cantus (呪力 Juryoku) is the official term used for the ability to use telekinesis. Other terms used include Psychokinesis (PK), Telekinesis, Force, Gods' Power and Cursed Power.



Description[]

Cantus is an alleged psychic ability allowing a person to influence a physical system without physical interaction. Examples of cantus include moving an object and levitation.
Such manipulation of the physical world requires a keen sense of one's spatial perception, with sight being most important. To invoke cantus, one forms a mental image of an existing physical object being moved or manipulated in relation to a fixed point in the environment.[1] Another way is to mentally visualize imaginary objects, such as a basic wedge shape or hands, that act on other objects.[2]
It is against the Code of Ethics to interfere with another person's cantus. If two canti were to come in contact with each other, a rainbow interference pattern would appear and space would become distorted, creating an extremely dangerous environment.[3]
  • Mantra: A sacred utterance, numinous sound, or a syllable, word, phonemes, or group of words believed by some to have psychological and spiritual power. Mantra may or may not be syntactic or have literal meaning; the spiritual value of mantra comes when it is audible, visible, or present in thought.[4] Mantras are words offered to the gods, which are the key to activating a human's cantus. All humans receive a warning to never use them in vain lest the power be lost, during their ceremony. A cantus user has a natural defense against exposing their mantra in the deepest parts of their subconscious.
  • Personality Index: The personality index shows the mental stability of a human who is able to use the cantus. A person with a high score on this matter is more likely to be able to remain themselves if it comes to an unexpected turn of events, while a person with a low score is more likely to turn into a Karma Demon.[5]
In the society of Kamisu 66, one's cantus initially manifest around ages 11 to 12. Usually occurring in their homes, it often involves the inexplicable levitation of various household items, which is consequently explained by psychokinesis. When this happens, they are said to be visited by the Spirit of Blessing.
Almost immediately, one is brought to the Temple of Purity located outside the Holy Barrier, where a long, tedious ritual conducted by the Head Priest Mushin aims to assess their cantus ability by controlling a large hearth fire, and their reaction to other's pain. The ritual proceeds to "eradicate" the newly-attained power and to bestow a Mantra. Once they passed this, they are said to "graduate" their previous schools and enrolled the Sage Academy to join (most of) their former classmates.
The practical courses at Sage Academy aims to hone one's cantus ability further, but at their own pace based one's aptitude. Most scored average, and by the time of their graduation is to have sufficient cantus aptitude to blend with the Kamisu 66 society.

Uses[]

In Kamisu 66, cantus is a major, if not the main, power source, though electricity and mechanical energy is still preferred for long, passive work. People often use their cantus instead of oars to move their boats around the district. Phosphorescent lamps containing paint with platinum and iridium are charged with cantus, producing light that can last an half hour before dimming. Various other cantus-acted vocational and other specialized skills taught at Sage Academy would have been used and provide the people with occupations. Experimental animals raised and plants grown at the Lotus Farms would have been augmented by cantus.
Specific examples of cantus use by Group One members and students of the Sage Academy include:
Through the millenium, cantus leakage have mutated the environment at a radically accelerated pace and unexpected direction. This resulted in creatures not known to exist in the Golden Era such as the Minoshiro, the Haythatcher, and the Tiger Crabs, to name a few, to emerge. The Holy Barrier serves to control the area where these mutations occur by redirecting the unconscious cantus leakage outside of it. The rate of mutation is inversely proportional to the distance from the barrier.
Cantus have also been used to actively alter existing species. Most of the time these made the animals safer and unable to harm humans. This include the elephants, lions and giraffes, which are no longer the same animals as they were in the past civilization. The effect is that virtually no animal with their habitat within the Holy Barrier have the ability to harm humans. Despite this, several species were mutated to specifically kill humans such as the Tainted Cats. Queerats were also the result of cantus.

Poltergeists[]

Reports about poltergeists are recorded in ancient literature, dated before psychokinesis was discovered (see World's History). In these reports, there is mention that whenever things such as "ghosts knocking on the walls, silverware dancing in the air, furniture moving by itself, creaking sounds in an empty house and other strange phenomena", occurred, there seemed to be adolescent children in the household. It is speculated that as most children are going through a lot of emotional struggles during that time, their sexual energy is unconsciously manifested as psychokinesis, and poltergeists are actually events of recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis (RSPK), known as the Spirit of Blessing in the modern time.[6]

See also[]

References & Citations[]


  1. Part II: Chapter 01
  2. Manga, Chapter 1
  3. Part I: Chapter 05
  4. Jan Gonda (1963), The Indian Mantra, Oriens, Vol. 16, pages 244-297
  5. Episode 12: The Weakest Link
  6. Part I: Chapter 03


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