Preta Magic

Preta Magic ( 餓鬼の魔法(ドप्रेत)  Gaki no Mahō; literally "Hungry Ghost Magic"; Sankskrit "Deceased Person") is, by the standards of most magic, a nascent Caster Magic created within the previous century. This magic revolves around the manipulation and resurrection of souls, channeling a soul through a medium and anchoring to the world in a new body.

Resurrection
Preta Magic is a form of magic that centers around resurrection; the act of bringing a soul from either the land of the dead or its wandering state, and returning it to a body. Preta Magic specifically targets souls with unfinished business, aspirations they failed to achieve, as they already possess an anchor to the World of the Living with which to draw them.

The user of the magic must first acquire the genetic material of the target they wish to resurrect, in addition to the soil from where either where the target was killed, or where the target is buried. These locations have the strongest affiliation to the soul, particularly the latter. By using clay designed specifically for this purpose, creating a 'shell' with which to house the revived soul, the user bakes the shell, casting the soul and the genetic material into it. Through this ritual, the soul is drawn in, either from the afterlife, or from the World of the Living itself, should the soul prove to be a Jibakurei (地縛霊; lit. Earth-bound spirit), a soul whose unresolved desires are so strong they wander the earth as opposed to passing on.

Drawn into the shell, the soil and genetic material form a body for the revived soul; a body made primarily of dust, ash, and general dirt. This body, while at first appearing as a featureless doll within the clay shell, takes on the appearance on the resurrected individual from the point in which they died — however, skilled users can manipulate the 'time' of the body to restore it to an earlier state if this proves to be more beneficial. Perhaps a slight downside is the target is revived with whatever modifications they had in life; transplants, amputations, modifications, they all remain present.

Upon the moment of their revival, the target is referred to as a Preta.

The Preta
The revived individual is no longer considered a human from the point of resurrection, and instead is referred to as a Preta. When revived, the Preta retains their memories, personality, as well as the abilities they acquired within their lifetime, and are more than capable of acting independently of the one who revived them. Worse yet, due to using the desires of the lost soul as the means to anchor them to the World of the Living, the souls desires are amplified, and for souls with desires that burned brightly within their being, this amplification can often become an obsession, their main driving force. To be revived as a Preta can be considered the very definition of 'Hell'; a statement that is far from exaggeration, as, in addition to their own personal desires, a Preta suffers from constant starvation and parching thirst. Despite their human appearance, no matter what they devour, or what they ingest, the hunger and thirst of a Preta can never be sated. To mitigate this, many Preta resort to devouring the souls of living humans; while not permanent, it can calm the hunger and thirst that plagues them, and give the some sense of relief from their own desires and obsessions.

This is, perhaps, the detriment to Preta Magic; when a Preta is brought into the world with a particularly strong desire, it can consume them, leading them to betray their summoner. Many users of Preta Magic who are not prepared to deal with a sufficiently powerful Preta have been murdered by the very being they sought to use, allowing the Preta to wander free and become a blight upon Earth Land. Because of this, many users who know the history of this magic devise their own seals, the formula of which is usually unique to the user, to eradicate the personality of the revived soul, rendering them a doll to be commanded by the will of the summoner.

Due to the false bodies of the Preta, they are notably far more durable than an average human — paradoxically so, as their bodies are created from earth and ash. While not immediately noticeable, damage to a Preta heals far faster than a human; the Preta is even capable of using surrounding dirt to restore their wounds, sealing them, or even recovering limbs, though the process is far from instantaneous.

Trivia

 * The Preta Magic gets its basis from one of the six Buddhist Paths of Reincarnation, also referred to as Samsara (輪廻 Rinne). The specific Path, in this case, is the Preta Path. The Preta 'Realm', also known as the Hungry Ghost Realm, is a realm based on reincarnation due to a particularly strong desire, which were cultivated in a previous life or lives. The Preta are humanoid, emaciated creatures that are perpetually hungry and thirsty, but find themselves unable to sate their cravings. The Preta revived through Preta Magic possess this trait, in addition to being creatures of pure desire.