insp. rhinestone heart by slayyyter

for sorcerers that take on the magical journey of becoming stronger there exists an important milestone: summoning their soul bound. a soul bound is a creature made of magic that lives within the other plane. a sorcerer will cast a summoning spell to contact their soul bound and draw it into the origin plane. however, not all soul bounds come willingly. in the process of being summoned the soul bound's "heart" is torn from their body and forms a perfect jewel once carried over to the origin plane. the sorcerer receives this "heart" and with a drop of their blood touching its surface the connection is complete.

soul bounds come in all shapes and sizes, personalities and abilities. there are dog-like soul bounds the size of a bus stop with strong magical energy; and there are humanoid soul bounds with horns and wings and powers to rival the elite supernatural of the world; others are less strong, but because a sorcerer only has one soul bound for their entire life, it's not like weaker ones can be pushed off to the side.

sorcerer: a human being that possesses the innate ability to harness magick.

soul bound: a creature that lives within the other plane, and can be called on by a sorcerer to enhance the sorcerer's magick abilities.

other plane: a plane of existence separate from the origin plane where sorcerers live. it is invisible to the human eye and cannot be accessed through any other means besides a soul bound summoning spell. soul bounds are able to exist in both the other plane and the origin plane; humans would not be able to survive in the other plane as it does not have the necessary elements (air, water, etc.) to keep a human alive.

origin plane: a plane of existence that is also referred to as the earthen plane by some sorcerers. it is considered the physical realm of existence where humans live.

heart: a manifestation of the soul / inner being of a soul bound that is formed upon a successful summoning ritual by a sorcerer. this "heart" is a jewel-like object the size of a plum. to complete the summoning ritual a sorcerer must smear a drop of their blood on the "heart" which will connect them to their soul bound. the color of a "heart" determines the affinity of the soul bound, and the shape of the "seed" in the center of the heart determines the power level of the soul bound.

heart color	seed shape
red = fire	circular = low
orange = air	diamond = medium
yellow = star	triangle = high
green = plant	organic = unstable
blue = water
violet = illusion
black = shadow
white = mental
iridescent = multiple (up to 3)

melo's character(s) ;
— zhong chenle
— ??? years old (appears 22)
— soul bound
— black heart
— organic seed
— looks like any other human, minus the sharp canines and shadow-like tattoos that move and crawl over his skin (has a second form currently unknown in which his eyes turn fully black and wings made of shadowy tendrils spring from his back)
— considered a low level soul bound. there's not much he can do to enhance his sorcerer's power, and it makes him feel frustrated and inadequate. the reality is that his seed looks very similar to a circular shape, but not quite; the abnormalities of his seed shape are hidden within the structure of the seed instead of showing on the outside. this is why he is seen as a low level soul bound when he is actual unstable and has the potential for great power at the risk of his and his sorcerer's safety, since the power is also uncontrollable.