Zaiphon is the "magic" of 07-Ghosts's world, the ability to convert life energy into various forms of power (it is Zaiphon that keeps the continent floating). It is controlled by converting strong emotions into energy, and the power that comes from Zaiphon often takes the shape of words, though people may use weapons to channel said energy. Those who have the ability to use Zaiphon are rare and thought to be blessed by God. Every user's capabilities are different, and in many cases, reflect their nature. Zaiphon is generally categorized into three types:
Healing Zaiphon: People with healing Zaiphon are able to heal wounds and share or transfer their Zaiphon to others. Characters who primarily use healing Zaiphon are Labrador, Assistant Archbishop Bastien, Ouka, and Capella.
Offensive Zaiphon: People with offensive Zaiphon can attack enemies and protect themselves from attacks directed at them. Characters who primarily use offensive Zaiphon are Teito, Mikage, Ayanami, Hakuren, Frau, and Capella.
Manipulation Zaiphon: People with manipulation Zaiphon (which is particularly rare) can move other objects at will. Castor uses this type of Zaiphon.
It is possible to learn to use more than one version of Zaiphon; however, people who can successfully do so are few and far between.There are a variety of weapons used to manipulate Zaiphon, the most common being the bascule. With the bascule, people can channel their Zaiphon and use it for several purposes. Different types of Zaiphon have different effects when used through a bascule: those with healing Zaiphon cannot directly attack a Kor, but they can restrict and remove Kor from afflicted people, and those with offensive Zaiphon can directly attack a Kor.
According to a centuries-old myth, the God of Death, Verloren (Dutch or German for Lost or Doomed), 'killed' the daughter of the Chief of Heaven and was forced to escape to the earth. In retribution, Verloren invaded the hearts of the people, who slipped into despair. Lamenting over the people's suffering, the Chief of Heaven dispatched seven heavenly lights in order to punish Verloren. Called the "Seven Ghosts", they are said to have sealed Verloren on the earth and served forevermore as the guardians of the Empire. Mothers often tell their children that if they are naughty, the Seven Ghosts will come to take them away.
Though Verloren has been sealed away in Pandora's Box for over 1000 years, his messengers, the Kor, find and contact humans to bring them under his influence. If a contract is made, a mark appears on the person's chest. This is known as "Verloren's curse," and it indicates one's heart being eaten by darkness. One of the duties of the "07-Ghosts" is to fight against Verloren and his curse and try to stop contracts from being fulfilled. Only the Bishops can remove Verloren's curse.
The 07-Ghosts are embodied in humans with such extraordinary Zaiphon abilities that they are considered to be blessed by God. They were originally fragments of Verloren, and they were sent down to the earth by the Chief of Heaven in order to stop Verloren. Each of the 07-Ghosts has died in his previous life, and they all retain their memories of their past lives. Frau, Castor, Labrador, Fia Kreuz and Lance have been revealed to be Ghosts thus far; all of them have the mark of their Ghosts on their hands. The Ghosts' names are Zehel, Fest, Profe, Landkarte, Reliquie (or Relikt), Ea and Vertrag, all of which have Dutch or German origins. Each of the Ghosts has a specific power:
Zehel – 斬魂 "the cutting spirit" (Frau; the Ghost who severs bonds)
Fest – 繋魂 "The Tying Spirit" (Castor; the Ghost who binds souls together)
Profe – 言魂 "The Speaking Spirit" (Labrador; the Ghost who prophesies)
Reliquie (can be also written as "Relikt") – 遺魂 "The Bequeathing Spirit" (Lance; the Ghost who sees one's past)
Vertrag – 契魂 "The Pledging Spirit" (Fea Kreuz; the Ghost who manipulates souls)
Landkarte – 消魂 "The Extinguishing Spirit" (Katsuragi; the Ghost who sent something or himself away to a certain place)
Ea – 醒魂 "The Awaking Spirit" (Kal; the Ghost who assigns numbers to every soul in the world and determines their destination after death)
Some editions may translate the Ghosts name wrong. Since all their names come from German, the names have a meaning in this language, and are not just a name. For example, It is common to see the name "Randkalt". "Rand" means "edge", "kalt" means "cold", making the name meaningless. In the other hand, the name "Landkarte" means "map", which corresponds with Landkarte's ability. The same happens with the Ghosts Reliquie (translated Rilect, not a German word) and Eher (Ea, not a German word).
