A Genom (ジェノム, jenomu?) is a type of creature native to planet Ra Ciela that is said to possess souls more refined (with a higher wave frequency) than humans, and also have the ability of transforming the power of feelings into concrete phenomena, or in other words, into magic.
While they can have any shape ranging from normal animals like birds, cats or dogs to fantastical creatures like dragons, they are distinguished from the normal animals by the fact their DNA is triple-stranded, forming a triple helix rather than the normal double helix all creatures have. Thanks to this, they can communicate with the humans through the sharing of their consciousness through the Genometrics.
Despite the amazing power they have, they can't really put it to use: as they have the same physical form as an animal, they lack vocal cords, which renders them physically unable to produce the energy necessary to sing the Song Magic they have crafted. It is because of this that they typically seek human partners to make a pact with (Harmonize), as their vocal cords allows them to use together the Song Magic. Once they have established a Harmonization, they will usually reside in the unused areas of their partners' brains.
While Genoms were relatively abundant during the times of Ra Ciela, most of them went extinct when said planet was destroyed 5000 years ago, so only a scarce number of them remain now.
There are several kinds of Genoms, as it can be seen below:
Animal-Type[]
These Genoms have the same form as a normal animal: cats, dogs, birds, butterflies... a Genom can have the form of any of them, and usually are born as a mutation from a normal animal. Due to this, they can breed normally and need to eat in order to sustain themselves.
Imaginary-Type[]
The most common type of Genom. Imaginary-Type Genoms are usually born when a Genom or Sharl wishes to have descendants, and thus create them themselves within their own Soulspace. Given they are basically the imaginations of another being given form, they receive this name, and are always considered the children of the Genom who gave birth to them. However, they need to receive energy from a being they have Harmonized with, which can be a human or other Genom, as they feed on the power of feelings of other creatures and thus can't receive energy from eating food. If they go for too long without Harmonizing with anyone, they will die.
There are cases in which a human can give birth to a Imaginary-Type Genom accidentally as they asleep while holding particularly strong feelings or having extremely vivid dreams, but they are very rare. Another way of creating these Genoms is through the Astrocyte Modulation Virus developed by Zill, which forcefully consumes the life form of the people infected with it to produce Sharls, though this is considered more an abnormality than anything. This also means that Sharls are considered as Imaginary-Types.
Incarnate[]
Main article: Incarnate
This is the name given to the Genoms that possess a human form. Given this, they possess vocal cords of their own, so they can sing themselves the Song Magic they have crafted, and can also Harmonize with humans in order to allow them to sing Song Magic. Being able to manifest their own Song Magic also means they can use their powers to their fullest, though if they go too far, they can up falling unconscious due to depleting completely their own energies.
Incarnates are extremely rare, and even back during the times of Ra Ciela, they were considered more like legends because only a few were seen throughout its history. They can be born human or be created in the same way as a typical Imaginary-Type Genom. However, a normal human can also become an Incarnate if they are administered the gRNA Virus Zill developed, though the likelihood of the prospective Incarnate of surviving the transformation process is extremely low.
Sharl[]
Main article: Sharl
A sub-type of artificial Imaginary-Type Genom that is created by forcefully making the life force of those infected with the Astrocyte Modulation Virus produce another type of life form. While the first Sharls lacked an ego and instead acted on orders preset in them at the time the virus was administered to its victims, they later on began developing their own wills. As they are similar to the Incarnates, they also have vocal cords and can sing Song Magic, making them very dangerous.
Right now they are the force that attacks the humans living in Felion and abducts them, taking them to the Sea of Flasks in order to Purify their souls. They think this is the only way to bring peace to this world, as well as being the way in which they can prepare the humans' souls for the creation of Sharanohiar.