While I have mentioned a few times what a Pain Bearer is, the scars they bear, and what they can essentially do, I thought it would be good to really go over the essence of a Pain Bearer. So, there might be a little recap from my Dante post, if there is I apologize for that, but it's always good information to have. Let's get started.
Becoming a Pain Bearer means 107 years of training. As it is a rare magic, the council will grant immortality to those pursuing this primary only if they pass the initial 7 years of training. Why? During this time is when the disciple of the current Pain Bearer gets tortured daily for 7 years. It is as much a way to enhance that persons tolerance of pain as it is to harden their mind against what they have to do and will ultimately become.
I would like to point out, quickly, that a Pain Bearer is actually a neutral magic in my universe. Why? It is due to the ability to give/take pain. Which is clear through the initial 7 years of training. The Pain Bearer must understand what pain is, how it affects the body and the mind in order to properly doll it out, or, to properly take it away from someone else suffering through the same thing.
Now, the hardest part of Pain Bearer training is getting the mental side of it. The physical torture begins to subside rather quickly, considering that it is a daily occurrence; however, learning to combat, compartmentalize, tolerate, and understand the mental side of what is happening in the physical sense is a lot harder to do. Pain Bearers are actually quite adept at creating mirages and illusions to help project the emotional and mental side of the training. It is important to note, here as well, that the training is limited by what the prior Pain Bearer has been through.
Example: Dante did not understand the pain of losing a mate because his instructor never had a Soul Mate. However, since he had learned to combat loss to a certain level, Dante was able to somewhat hold himself together. Hence why he wound up leaving for 400 years after the fourth time of losing Henrietta.
I have been skating around this a bit, mainly because I am sure most have an active enough imagination to realize what I'm talking about, but, in case it was not clear, when I say torture, I mean any and everything under the sun you could possibly think about. Furthermore, since we are dealing with magical beings, there is no worry about them dying.
Wait, I thought you said they did not get immortality until after the 7 years of torture?
True. However, that does not mean that the current Pain Bearer does not know how to keep someone alive. The Pain Bearer does. Adds a new level of cruel to the torture years.
Alright, moving on from the initial 7 years.
Within the next 100 years of training, besides continuing to undergo daily torture, the Pain Bearer in-training now begins to doll out and take away others pain. This is not done simultaneously, yet. It is one or the other. Since the trainee is used to taking pain, normally, the Pain Bearer will continue the training by having that trainee start to take others pain. Dante's master was a rather benevolent and compassionate Pain Bearer, so it was relatively easy on Dante, at first. The master would have Dante take the pain of someone dying or take the pain of someone in the midst of a fight, usually an unfair one.
Oh, I forgot to mention that after the 7 years of conditioning are done, the trainee's receive their first mark as a Pain Bearer, which is the slash across their face. This would be the diagonal cut from the bridge of the nose down to the collar bone. This is the first mark given because it helps the populace to identify Pain Bearers. Unless they wish to glamour themselves.
Moving on. After about another 7-10 years, the trainee will receive their next mark, the permanent blinding. The reason this is the next mark to come is to enhance the training and to get the trainee to realize that they are not going to be able to help every time, nor help everyone. It's a metaphor. I blind you so you realize that this power, while immense, is not a cure-all for the world. Helps to keep them from developing a savior complex or a thirst for nothing but pain on others. There have been both in the history of Pain Bearers. Which is why certain marks were added. The original Pain Bearer only had the mark on his face as was the classing for that magic. As the years went on and new Pain Bearers came and new issues were discovered, it became apparent to the council that other marks were needed. Since being a Pain Bearer is a rare magic, in increased in these increments: 1, 3, 7.
I will also say that while the mark on the face and blindness are always the first two marks given . However, the rest of the marks, when they are given, are up to that master.
This is becoming a bit longer post than what I thought it would be so, to do a recap really quick, at least for the marks that will be coming, they are:
1. Laceration from nose down to the collar bone.
2. Blindness
3. Branded barb-wire along both forearms.
4. Dominant leg receives three slashes, like an animal attack. Starts at the knee and works it's way down toward the ankle.
5. Burn scar on non-dominant leg.
6. Embedded whip lashes, 3, on the back.
7. Straight gash across the abdomen.
So, the first is given after the initial 7 years. The second after the next 7-10 years. The third comes at the 25th year of training. The fourth comes at the 45th year of training. The fifth comes at the 55th year of training. The sixth comes at the 66th year of training. Finally, the 7th comes on the 99th day of the 99th year of training. A graduation of sorts.
Each mark is accompanied by a special task that the trainee must complete. They test the physical capabilities and the mental/emotional capabilities of the trainee. This usually has to do with one individual, picked solely for this purpose, rather than randomly as the other times were during the training.
It is said that the hardest training times are the ones that have to do with extremely young children. Yes, that is a part of training. Becoming a Pain Bearer is a very cruel process and most are repulsed by what a Pain Bearer does during their time training. This tends to get associated with how the Pain Bearer is for the duration of their time as the reigning Pain Bearer, but that is not always the case. However, people don't bother to try and understand this. It is just a "how could you" scenario, or, a "what's wrong with you" "You are a monster" type of deals.
As I said earlier though, a Pain Bearer needs to understand all types of pain. How to give it and how to take it. They are not fully able to take the pain of someone who has lost a child if they do not understand this. They do not fully understand how to punish a killer or rapist unless they understand the pain being done to the victim. Like I said, it is a very cruel process which is why it is a rare magic. Very few can understand or are capable of compartmentalizing and processing enough to go through what happens during those training years. Most Pain Bearers never speak of their training years.
Dante, while he did reveal himself fully to Henrietta, has still not openly talked about his training years. Due to how he was and what a Pain Bearer encompasses, he probably never will. Even though Soul Mates have an uncanny gift of forgiveness and acceptance, it is still not enough to really get Dante to open up about that.
I hope this helps anyone who has read Volkenheim and was curious about the Pain Bearer to understand it better. If there are still questions, leave them in the comments and I will answer them as best I can. Remember, though, each Pain Bearers paths are unique, so what happened to one is not readily going to happen to the other. Depends on their master.
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