Light of Evolution
Light of Evolution is a type of energy emitted by the majority of living things, both Analog and Digital; specifically, it seems to be living things in possession of a nervous system or analogue therefore. It is also called the "Light of the Soul" by many older-model Digimon, by those who are precisely attuned to their own, and those who have glimpsed the Sea of Memories. According to Mishima Dagashin, it could be called "a power representing progress".
It's usually referred to by the shorthand form, LoE.
Every Light of Evolution wavelength carries a different Hue--this coloration, and any shapes within the color, tend to reflect the user's "soul", and additionally to reflect their emotional and mental state. Light of Evolution carries memories, emotions, and strong thoughts within it, and is believed to be the basis for the Digivice technology; certainly, Evolution would be impossible without it. Most Digimon only evolve through accumulation and high production of Light, which Digimon tend to produce more rapidly than humans. The reason Contract Digimon are so much stronger than other Digimon is because they process not only their own Light, but the Light of their partner.
The Light of most Analog lifeforms, even most humans, isn't visible outside of a cymatic scan, but Contractors are different, again due to the combination of their Light wavelengths, and seem to possess the capacity to not only project their Light out of their bodies, but to use it for a variety of different purposes, from a personal energy shield or "LoE Field" to the mysterious power called Finalize.
When LoE is actively being produced, the eyes tend to produce a spinning gear in the pupil of a matching Hue to their LoE.
Information about LoE is believed to be amongst the topics covered in The Manual.
Grades of LoE
The Daedalus Initiative has developed a system for measuring the general LoE capacity and capability of a given Light-possessing lifeform, which aids in their assessment of Tamer capabilities; it is called the Grade System as shorthand, and measures them on a general scale of 1-10, with decibel points denoting variations within a given Grade.
The scale is as follows:
Grade 1: A nonsapient animal, with only a lpark of its own self-awareness and what might be called a "soul".
Grade 2: Most humans are somewhere on the upper end of Grade 2, especially humans who've never been exposed to the Digital World.
Grade 3: A human who's been exposed to the Digital World or is otherwise spiritually strong.
Grade 4: Tamer threshold. Anyone who's made a Contract with a Digimon is at least a Grade 4 as a general rule.
Grade 5: Average Tamer LoE level.
Grade 6: Above-average Tamer LoE level.
Grade 7: Talented Tamers; often ranking members of one of the factions.
Grade 8: Exceptionally talented Tamers--the offspring of the Chosen Children are a good example.
Grade 9: The upper limit of Contracted Tamers, observed only within a very few subjects.
Grade 10: A Chosen Child, post-Chosen War era.
Types of LoE
Pale Rainbow/Rainbow-class LoE
A variant of Light of Evolution where the energy wavelength can't settle on a Hue to reflect in the soul; it is thus prismatic and translucent, usually emitted in blooms or spurts from the subject in question.
A product mostly of the Sea of Memories; Ghosts (Digital Phantoms) are comprised of this type of LoE. It's also emitted when a person's LoE structure has become unstable, such as during Operation GLASS CHIROPTERA and the period of time in which Nagisa Akurei's body was rejecting the incomplete Lost Drive.
Rainbow-class LoE is utilized in LoE amplification technology both by Daedalus and the Crowns.
Dark LoE
An extremely dangerous variant, Dark LoE is Light of Evolution that has been corrupted by trauma, insanity, and/or despair. Unlike most LoE, which is benign unless focused and weaponized, Dark LoE is harmful to be exposed to; it drains and corrupts the LoE of those in contact with it, and due to the cymatic/psychological wavelength carried by it, it can actually spread the mental pollution that caused the LoE to darken in the first place, like a plague of madness. Dark LoE is pure black, with only small slivers of the former Hue running through it if its creator is especially high-Grade.
The only safe way to process Dark LoE is through a procedure called Darkness Taming , offered exclusively by Igormon, proprietor of the Velvet Room, and even then the process usually requires having been previously exposed to a Dark Evolution in order to function properly.
Dark Evolutions deal in truly massive amounts of Dark LoE, which. in the case of the modern Dark Evolution, the mechanism of the Dead Number amplifies and helps to cycle much, much faster than normal, often creating a huge construct of surplus Dark LoE to "nourish" the Dark Evolved Digimon before it emerges fully into its environment.
The only blessing of Dark LoE is that it is inherently destructive, even to its producer, so it is extremely rare to see any self-sustaining sources--there is only one confirmed such source in existence.
