Soulless

“I... am a mortal. Weak, frail, subject to false truths. I have been victim to these truths given by the light; the power of a soul is one that should never be trusted. I, however, can be given a new purpose. I can be made stronger. I can pawn my weak soul... in exchange for the powers of darkness. I will be... eternal. I. Will. Be. Soulless.”

―Creed

Soulless are beings who retain a physical form yet lack a soul, making their existence "incomplete" without one. They share the same appearance as their "complete" selves, although they have golden eyes and anagrams of their original names with an X added to differentiate themselves. All Soulless have been conceived in the realm of Limbo, most of which have aligned themselves with darkness.

Though it is possible for a Soulless to conjure a new soul should they remain in the universe from which they originated from long enough, most of the Soulless created have been destroyed long before they ever could. Usually, a Soulless and their complete counterpart cannot co-exist since they share the same body and initial soul, although if a Soulless is able to form a new soul and regain another physical form, then both selves can exist simultaneously.

History[]

After Roach used the power of the Harbinger to extract the souls of O'Ryan, Chris, TJ and himself, their physical forms faded out, rematerializing in Limbo as Soulless, where they became corrupted by the darkness of Limbo, which was later revealed to have been caused by the Prophets of the Soulless, the original creators of the Harbinger. During their time in Limbo, Xarcoh discovered it was possible for the four to become human again if they were destroyed and their original souls were freed from the Harbinger or if they were to merged back with their souls. Despite this knowledge however, Xarcoh believed the only way to ensure that Unit 14 would never complete their cycle was if the four remained as Soulless.

Four years after becoming Soulless, a rift leading to reality opens in Limbo, allowing the four to escape Limbo. Upon exiting the rift in an underground chamber in Mateur, Tunisia and reaching ground level, they see the aftermath of Unit 14's plan, which had caused the world to be nothing but a barren wasteland. The four Soulless head to the Gilze Rijen Air Base in Hulten, Netherlands, where they make that, along with an abandoned coastal bunker in Genoa, Italy as a base of operations. Learning of a Unit 14 hideout in Hamburg, Germany, Xarcoh sends Lextyr, TJ's Soulless, to investigate the facility. On the morning of July 17th, 2035 however, the three Soulless lose communications with Lextyr, who was destroyed by Mac, Doc, Peterson and Gary in hopes of finding the original personas of the Soulless. Fearing that the base has been compromised, Xarcoh and Xirsch head to the bunker in Genoa while Yaxnor, O'Ryan's Soulless stays behind in order to distract the four. However, Yaxnor was captured and interrogated by the four, who then learns the truth about the Soulless. After learning of Yaxnor's execution, Xarcoh decides the only way to ensure the cycle would never be completed was if he was to seal himself within Limbo. Ordering Xirsch, Chris' Soulless to stay at the bunker and distract the four, Xarcoh then retreats back towards Tunisia.

The next day, Xarcoh learns that Xirsch was slain, ultimately leaving him as the sole surviving Soulless. As he was in the process of re-opening the rift, he was confronted by the four. Enraged by this, Xarcoh explained that he needs to be sealed away within Limbo if he was to ever stop Unit 14 from completing the cycle, a cycle he would never be able to break otherwise. He then offers the four to become Soulless themselves, with the four refusing. Saddened by this, Xarcoh explains he will do whatever it takes to stop the cycle before summoning the Harbinger. He then further says even if he has to kill his own friends before charging at the four. After battling them for a while, the rift fully opens, with Xarcoh jumping into it. The four follow him in, engaging him in one last battle. The four manage to defeat Xarcoh, who says he's sorry before fading away. As the rift closed in on the four, Mac uses the Harbinger to release the four's souls, allowing Roach to return, as well as the others. As the four managed to awaken back at the sawmill, Mac, Doc, Peterson and Gary were ultimately trapped within Limbo and eventually the Fractured Realm.

Known Soulless[]

Original[]

Xarcoh (Soulless persona of Roach) (K.I.A.)
Xirsch (Soulless persona of Chris) (K.I.A.)
Yaxnor (Soulless persona of O'Ryan) (K.I.A.)
Lextyr (Soulless persona of TJ) (K.I.A.)

New[]

Axel (Soulless persona of Alex Miller) (K.I.A.)
Soulless of the Prophets of the Soulless (K.I.A.)

Weapons and Abilities[]

Each Soulless had a special weapon and ability that they gained when they were formed, controlling certain "elemental powers".

Xarcoh - Wielded the Harbinger, the very weapon that turned him and his friends into Soulless. He also wielded the power to control "Space".
Xirsch - Wielded the Silverlight, a silver and black version of his Katana. He also wielded the power to control "Wind".
Yaxnor - Wielded the Oblivion, a silver war scythe. He also wielded the power to control "Moon", which would give him tremendous power whenever the moon was out.
Lextyr - Wielded the Scorpion, a silver and black version of a normal Crossbow embued with his elemental powers, which was the power to control "Shadows".
Axel - Wielded the Purge, a silver and black chakram. He also wielded the power to control "Water".

Deaths[]

Over the course of "The Disaster" saga, the four Soulless would be hunted down by Mack "Mac" Davis, Rick Peterson, John Doc, and Gary Arlington in an attempt to restore their human personas.

Lextyr - Destroyed by the four heroes during his scouting mission at an abandoned Unit 14 factory in Hamburg, Germany on the morning of July 17th, 2035. He was the first Soulless to be defeated.
Yaxnor - Executed by John Doc following his interrogation for information on the Soulless at the Soulless' main base of operations at the Gilze Rijen Air Base in Hulten, Netherlands a few hours after Lextyr's death on July 17th, 2035. He was the second Soulless to be defeated.
Xirsch - Destroyed by the four heroes while buying Xarcoh enough time to escape from an abandoned coastal bunker in Genoa, Italy on the morning of July 18th, 2035. He was the third Soulless to be defeated.
Xarcoh - Initially, Xarcoh was destroyed by the four heroes during his attempt to return to Limbo in Northwestern Mateur, Tunisia a few hours after Xirsch's death on July 18th, 2035. However, he was able to develop his own soul, which escaped to other timelines, where he would eventually be killed two more times on September 7th, 2028 at the Temple of Terminus via a sacrifice, and September 13th, 2028 on the streets of Green Mountain, Colorado by the hands of Ataraxia with the Infinity Gauntlet. He was the fourth and final Soulless to be defeated.

Trivia[]

The Soulless are a reference to Organization XIII from the Kingdom Hearts series.
The colors used to represent the Soulless faction are black and silver.
Lextyr's weapon is the only Soulless weapon not to be a melee weapon.
- Yaxnor is the only Soulless not to utilize both his weapon and powers when he was confronted. However, he displays them or mentions them in cutscenes.
Xarcoh was the first and only Soulless to develop a soul of his own.
- He was also the last surviving Soulless up until his death in The Final Struggle and later The Greatest Threat of All.
"The Disaster" saga is the only saga to feature all four of the original Soulless alive at the same time.