Blood Pearls / Immortality



“I can’t guarantee that you will never regret your choice, I can’t guarantee that you’ll never question in one hundred, two hundred, even five hundred or a thousand years whether or not this was the right decision. But what I can guarantee you is that there will be times when you will get hurt. There will be times when you will be in such pain that you wish you could die, but you must always remember that this will never happen. That’s why you can’t ever give up. If you give up then you will live an eternity disillusioned to everything around you. You must always fight to live like your life is on the line. If you can’t do this, then regardless of your feelings for me or for anyone else you must put down that crystal and live and die like a normal human being.” – Nero’s speech to Mio about taking the Blood Pearl

Blood Pearls are what Nero calls the small red crystal orbs that grant permanent immortality to an individual. They are made by a process that only Nero knows how to do – not even Crystal, Jackie, or Lolita know how to make them. The process has never been revealed to anyone, though it is known that it takes about a week to make a single pearl.

The effects of the pearl are permanent and can be applied to any living being with the only requirement being it has a “sentient soul”. Once taking the pill one immediately ceases to age (when applied to Pokemon – at least via familiar contract – the Pokemon become unable to evolve past their current state) and their body is lifted to the peak physical condition for the individual’s particular build. However it should also be noted that one's physical age can be affected by age and time based magics, but the effects will quickly revert unless a constant supply of power is given to the spell. It is also assumed that the Pearls boost spiritual growth rate, as Nero and Ling in particular have been seen to grow immensely in spiritual power over time even after taking them.

However even after taking them they are still living beings. They require the basic needs – food, water, and the like – and though they won’t ever die of dehydration or starvation living through them is understandably not fun. However a benefit is that the immortal is immune to all poisons (including the effects of alcohol and non-magical drugs), illnesses, and internal parasites (though external ones such as leeches and ticks can still feed on them, any diseases they can transmit won’t ever take effect). An accomplished mage however could possibly replicate physical sustenance with magical power for a time, though not for truly extended periods.

Immortals also have an increased healing rate compared to normal people. They can heal from extreme wounds (such as being cut in two at the waist) in little more than a day (though some of them have learned to increase healing rate at the expense of using a lot more energy than it would normally take). Small cuts and bruises will also heal in a matter of minutes if not seconds.

Immediately after swallowing the Pearl it will take effect. However the transition from a mortal being to an immortal one is a harsh process filled with numbing, deafening and blinding pain. Though the pain spasms seem to last for a very long time to the one afflicted, in reality they only last a few minutes and have never been recorded going over five. Once the pain suddenly vanishes the person may notice that they feel a bit “lighter” than before due to the increase in physical condition, but otherwise they won’t feel any different than before.

However the greatest danger facing any immortal is their own eternal amount of time to spend. It is important to keep one’s mental discipline strong – having hobbies that can span many universes helps a lot – or else they risk complete insanity from living too long. This is one major reason the group of immortals remains so tightly-knit, as they give each other purpose and reason to continue living.

Trivia

 * The effects of the Pearls can be given to inanimate objects by connecting the "soul" of the item to the undying soul of the immortal. This is one of the "Basic Immortal Magics" taught to each new group member.