The Notary

Just a little thing I dreamed up today on the train. Absolutely inconsequential, but fun to write.

The Notary is not a man. In fact, the expression "sentient living being" contains three terms which in no way can be associated to the Notary. The Notary is in fact not alive; the Notary does not think, feel, want or need. The Notary is a manifestation of the collective unconscious generated by Nen, or rather, of that part of the human psyche that regulates aura: even more specifically, the Notary is the manifestation of all the conditions, Limitations and penalties stipulated with oneself to create a Hatsu ability.

The Notary is intangible, and its presence cannot be registered with the normal five senses; however, Nen user will receive an image of it, as if they were physically close to it. Its appearance varies depending on who's looking at it, but in all its incarnations, the Notary carries a scroll, tome or other device on which every Vow ever made is recorded, including those formed by long dead Nen users, although their conditions are no longer legible. If one were able to consult the Notary's register, they'd be able to read information about Nen users from other cultures and who speak other tongues, as its content will appear to the reader in their own tongue, albeit in the style of the owner of the ability.