Dusk Spirit

Memory Made Manifest

Dusk spirits are apparitions in the form of the recently deceased. They inhabit spaces they were associated with in life, act as they did in life, and can even hold simple conversations. However, though they have the deceased's memories, they can't form new ones or react to novel situations, nor can they be touched. They may look, sound, and act like the deceased, but they're merely an echo of the past trapped in the present.   This type of ghost is believed to be caused when the living aren't ready to say goodbye to the deceased. Sudden deaths - such as from accidents or murders - are more likely to result in dusks. Unlike dawn spirits, which can only be seen by seers, dusks can also be seen by those who contribute to its presence.  

Behavior

A dusk spirit's behavior doesn't change once it's manifested, and is often categorized as peaceful, tormented, or vengeful. A spirit's nature seems tied to how they died, though could be equally related to the living's perception of that death. A traumatic death often results in a traumatized spirit. The more traumatized the spirit, the more dangerous the consequences.   The danger of vengeful and tormented spirits is clear in the shattered glass, rotted food, destroyed crops, and other events. Hauntings from peaceful spirits can be benign, but in some cases, the living become dependent upon the spirit. The spirit feeds on the living's inability to say goodbye, and their presence in turn allows the living to stay in a past that death never reaches, often at the cost of their present.  

Another flood season, another parent haunted by the tormented dusk of a drowned child. I don't blame them for not wanting to let go, but then they see their child's spirit, scared and crying for help, and... Part of me dies each time I explain what they already know. I can't cure a tormented spirit. I can only help the living grieve.

— From the journal of a seer

 

Treatment

While grief never truly disappears, working through it is what causes a dusk spirit to fade away. The process sometimes requires recovering from "survivor guilt", in which the living feel guilty surviving what their loved one did not. Deaths by murders are the most difficult, as the murderer commonly needs to admit to their crime in order for the spirit to fade.   In cases of tormented or vengeful spirits, as well as those of unhealthy dependency, Seers commune with the spirit to determine the best course of action. They always attempt to find a solution, but often need to work with others like detectives or grief counselors, to either find the murderer or help the living.   In the end, the only ones who can put a dusk to rest are the mourners. All anyone else can do is help them find the strength to say goodbye.