Distortions

"Wait!"

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Distortions (Hangul: 뒤틀림, Dwiteullim) are powerful, monstrous entities in the City. They are former humans who have been overcome by their emotions, typically having given into the lulling words of a charming voice heard by no one but them. The process by which humans distort is referred to as the Distortion Phenomenon.

No official announcement regarding Distortions has been offered to the general public, and the average City denizen has a subpar understanding of how they work.

As of Limbus Company, the Distortion Phenomenon has recently been becoming a niche business venture, as it is made clear that a secondary goal of Limbus Company is to procure and research distorted individuals with their LCD department, partnered with the Distortion Detective team.

Origin

The Distortion Phenomenon came to be as a result of the White Nights and Dark Days, an attempt at spreading Light across the City which was ultimately cut short. The plan—known as the Seed of Light project—was a project led by Carmen, and later Ayin, to cure the "disease of the mind". It is heavily implied in Leviathan that Carmen's ultimate goal of the aforementioned project was to let people reveal their true selves, unswayed by the world's judgment, yet her assistant Ayin held the belief that such a concept would instead be best in moderation and with consideration of others, similarly to how E.G.O holders function with clear intent opposed to the animalistic emotion of a Distortion. Complimenting Ayin's belief, Angela claims that the Light was spread with the intention of allowing everyone in the City to manifest their own E.G.O and defend themselves.

Despite the intended seven days needed for the Seed of Light project's fruition, the spread of Light was stopped only three days in by the main L Corp. facility's secretary, Angela. With this limited spread of Light, an "unstable power" was spread as a result, "incubating other possibilities", hence the establishment of the Distortion Phenomenon. City residents could now distort or manifest Effloresced E.G.O upon reaching a significant mental impasse, and either embracing or forgoing Carmen's words.

The two people at the forefront of the Seed of Light project, Carmen and Ayin, had both become one with the Light before the White Nights and Dark Days as part of the Seed of Light project. Carmen's position in the Light would allow her to watch over the City (and all versions of it across different Mirror Worlds) and preside over both the E.G.O and Distortion phenomena.

As such, Carmen would use her power within the Light to instigate Distortions. She would prey upon people at their lowest in a conversation heard by her target and no one else. It is impossible to interfere with a naturally occurring Distortion, which "occurs as though it has been ordained by fate itself"; other parties are even physically pushed away during the resulting conversation.

Although Angela would return the vast majority of the Light to the City at the end of Library of Ruina (close to the entire seven days' worth), this would not mitigate the Distortion Phenomenon, as Carmen would continue to make deliberate attempts to distort the denizens of the City. Carmen's actions still affect the City in the present day of the setting.

Details of the Distortion Phenomenon

Distortion Requirements

Cityfolk can end up a target of the Distortion, regardless of status or location. However, it requires a particularly intense mindset and the wholehearted pursuit of one's own wishes. Angela describes those with the potential to manifest E.G.O or distort as people "who strive to accomplish what they sincerely desire, unbound by any obstacles".

Then, to be susceptible to distorting, one must experience the "complete breakdown of a firmly-held belief in a massive personal shock". In this state of exceptionally heightened emotion, the mind "crumbles".

For example, victims of the Distortion may be shown to have been working for a meaningful, life-defining goal before realizing it cannot be carried out in a sudden and dramatic event.

Distortion Process

The Voice of the Distortion.

To be targeted by the Distortion is to be spoken to by Carmen herself. Someone undergoing the Distortion process will hear a warm, alluring voice unable to be heard by anyone else. The voice will speak to the target about their present situation and prod them into giving into their heightened feelings, using specific words meant to make them focus on their negative emotions.

If the target chooses to embrace these feelings, agreeing with Carmen's discernment of their life, they "consent" and therefore distort. Distorting includes transforming into a being which reflects the person's ultimate feelings and desires. Stronger desires will lead to a stronger Distortion.

Distortions come in all shapes and sizes, tending to appear animalistic or otherworldly, and rarely containing any visual traces of the distortee's human form. Once someone has distorted, they are consumed by the negative emotions which had been so thoroughly heightened, more or less embodying those feelings. As a result, many Distortions are violent, operating on feelings like rage or despair.

Although some Distortions are unable to be reasoned with, that is not the case for many of them. Depending on the cause for Distortion, many Distortions are capable of acting calmly or participating in regular conversation. They simply prioritize acting on the feelings that had spun them into distorting.

After enough time passes, a Distortion will turn into an Abnormality, which is an irreversible process.

Distinction from Effloresced E.G.O

Not to be confused with the E.G.O extracted from Abnormalities.

Vergilius' manifested E.G.O.

While it was possible to manifest Effloresced E.G.O even prior to the event, following the White Nights and Dark Days, E.G.O became intrinsically linked to the Distortion Phenomenon. Both phenomena require the same set up: a world-shattering event leading to intense emotion, and a visit from Carmen. However, while Distortions are formed by the target agreeing with Carmen's words, E.G.O is instead manifested by denying them. As such, the line between distorting and manifesting E.G.O is a thin one, similar to walking a tightrope. Still, it is not equally easy to end up on either side. The outcome is considerably rigged in favor of the target distorting, considering they would be both in a very fragile state of mind and being talked into it by Carmen. It is not an easy feat to reject Carmen's comforting words and manifest one's own E.G.O.

While Distortions are generally associated with antagonistic efforts and E.G.O with heroic efforts, there is no such rule of thumb. For instance, Dongrang would manifest E.G.O on the basis of killing Yi Sang and destroying everything tying him to the past that weighed him down. What mattered was that Carmen was telling him it was hopeless, and Dongrang disagreed with that.

Additionally, Distortions are complete transformations from one's human self, while E.G.O takes the form of something separate. This is most frequently some kind of armor and/or weapon to be brandished by the person.

Once someone has managed to manifest E.G.O, they gain an immunity to the Distortion Phenomenon. However, only managing to manifest an incomplete or Volatile E.G.O (as in Philip's case) will still leave the user susceptible to distorting.

Distinction from Abnormalities

Ebony Queen's Apple, an Abnormality.

While very similar to Abnormalities, a key distinction between the two is that Distortions are ultimately willingly manifested from their original form's desires (or letting their emotion get the better of their desire), while Abnormalities are in large part created through artificial means. Lobotomy Corporation formed Abnormalities through the use of the Well, Bucket, and Cogito without any conscious agreement from the person involved. On the other hand, Distortions come to be through adverse effects of the Light allowing an agreement between the individual and Carmen.

Distortions are also capable of being permanently killed, and do not temporarily revert to an ovate form like Abnormalities. It is additionally important to note that that Abnormalities themselves are only fragments of the mind extracted from living subjects, unlike Distortions which are the entirety of the person now corrupted by their beliefs.

However, Library of Ruina frequently amounts Distortions and Abnormalities to the same thing. Angela states that "Abnormalities manifested through the Distortion are selves that have lost control…" while Binah tells Roland that "Those may manifest in the form of E.G.O or an Abnormality... the phenomenon has now been named the 'Distortion'". Despite this, the sentiment does not persist into Limbus Company, where they are treated as entirely different types of beings with correlations to each other. In the Risk Levels & Classifications Mini Episode, the LCD states that Abnormalities and Distortions are even distinct to the point of requiring different kinds of classification codes.

Distortions Becoming Abnormalities

Abnormalities can also arise from the Distortion Phenomenon, as with enough time, Distortions are guaranteed to "hatch" into an Abnormality. Hohenheim describes this to be when "all preexisting individuality is erased, replaced with the totality of an Abnormality". At this point in the process, there is no hope for the affected individual, as an Abnormality cannot return to normalcy like a Distortion can.

There has been only one shown instance of this, with Jumsoon in Leviathan. In this case, the individual went still and silent, before Schadenfreude suddenly split him open and emerged from within his body. Interestingly, this demonstrates that the process can result in the creation of a second copy of a preexisting Abnormality, and contradicts the established notion that all Abnormalities are one of a kind.

Although both Hohenheim and Ezra credit the transformation to the passage of time, Leviathan additionally suggests that Distortions may turn into Abnormalities as a result of a second shattering of the individual's mental foundation.

Peccatulum Irae, representing the first of seven types of Peccatula.

Distinction from Peccatula

Peccatula are referred to as the origins and byproducts of the Distortion phenomena. Like Abnormalities, Peccatula are very similar to Distortions, but still a different kind of entity. However, Peccatula behavior more closely resembles beasts, and they are more aggressive than Distortions are. Peccatula also always come in seven different types (each with at least three "evolutions"). While Distortions are unique and will reflect something deep within the heart of the affected person, Peccatula, on the other hand, entirely dispose of the transformed's individuality. The only thing that could be considered a remainder of the person-turned-Peccatulum is the type of Peccatula they come to be, which is based on the Sin they embodied in life.

Specifically, Peccatula arise when someone tries and "fails" to distort. It is currently unknown how or why someone might fail to distort. Rather, LCE Researcher Hohenheim states that he believes turning into either a Distortion or a Peccatulum is a simple game of chance with an equal 50/50 shot for either outcome. However, this is in the context of the Monolith, and it is not entirely clear if his theory applies to all cases of Distortion or just those that are Monolith-induced.

Breaking the Distortion

Heathcliff falling out of his state of Distortion.

Distortions are not a permanent state of being. In order to bring a Distortion back to their status of humanity, one must appeal to the reason why they distorted in the first place. Faust describes the process as tearing down the wall they have constructed around their heart using methods the Distortion would approve of. The method should in some way convince them "otherwise" in the face of the reality which caused them to distort. Violence has, in many cases, also been its own tried and true method of breaking cases of Distortion.

A human who has broken free from the Distortion does not gain immunity to it. Instead, people are capable of distorting and un-distorting an infinite number of times. However, having once distorted also does not mean gaining an immunity to manifesting E.G.O. It is entirely possible to distort, undistort, and then manifest E.G.O.

Monoliths

A Monolith is an artifact capable of forcing an individual into distorting or turning into a Peccatulum. It has the appearance of a flat black stele, around two meters tall. Similarly to the Golden Boughs, Monoliths have recently started appearing around the City, scattered throughout the Backstreets of the various Districts, where they have caught the attention of the Five Fingers and other Syndicates, as well as that of a number of Wings. Limbus Company began its research on the artifacts and recovery expeditions much earlier than other factions and firms, allowing them to create a large stock that makes them the main providers of Monoliths in the City. Specifically, it is the LCA that works to retrieve the Monoliths, after which they are transferred to Moses and her team.

Golden Boughs and Monoliths share other similarities. Much like a Bough, a Monolith amplifies and releases feeling— unlike a Bough, the Monolith releases a "signal" that specifically pushes someone to face the emotions boiling within their mind, therefore pushing them into distorting. A Distortion caused by a Monolith is noted to differ from a naturally occurring Distortion, as it can be cut short by external forces, such as knocking out the affected individual. Despite this, its appears the voice of the Distortion is still involved in Monolith-induced Distortion. A Monolith's effect may also turn the individual into a Peccatulum, however. Researcher Hohenheim describes this as a simple "game of chance", believing there to be a 50/50 shot of either becoming a Distortion or Peccatulum.

Additionally, unlike the Bough, the Monolith is described as a supposedly human-made device with an inner mechanism, which can be turned on or off. Dante describes this process of "locking down" the Monolith as the act of drawing a trail of light over the device.

Monoliths are also a part of Limbus Company's purchase catalogue. During November 984, T Corp. Executive Director Herbert requested to purchase the Company's entire stock of Monoliths, which Faust ultimately permitted.

Assessment Levels

Observation Levels

Similar to Abnormalities, Distortions have their own Observation Level, albeit only between 0 to III (with majority of them only present at I). The Observation Level increases by one every time the Distortion is defeated a number of times equal to the next Observation Level. There are, however, cases where certain actions or occurrences need to take place for the Observation to increase. Like with Abnormalities, doing so will unlock more of its story logs.

If a Distortion is suppressed by a status effect, gift, other enemy, or event, the Observation Level will not increase. Forfeiting or losing a fight usually preserves kills from failed effects, with Refraction Railway's "Retry" option being a notable exception.

Risk Levels and Classifications

Limbus Company Distortions were given basic Risk Level classifications until early Season 4. In-universe, these were redacted so that the higher ups at Limbus Company could rework the classification system to differ from how the old Lobotomy Corporation classified their Abnormalities and be more accurate to the Sinners' experiences. This occurred within the April 11th, 2024 "Risk Levels & Classifications" update, and was a server-wide change that affected all accounts regardless of story progression. Afterwards, Distortion Risk Levels were instead indiscriminately labeled as (Undefined).

However, the Risk Level classifications were reworked with the release of Intervallo V: LCB Regular Check-up. The Risk Level classifications update upon completion of the Intervallo.

The updated classifications consist of five different indicators (??-??-??-??-??).

• Firstly (XX-??-??-??-??): a Risk Level ranging from ZAYIN to ALEPH, potentially meant to describe the expected damage scale.
  • Dante's Notes written post-Intervallo clarify that the Abnormality Risk Levels are carried over from Lobotomy Corporation, and therefore still measure Enkephalin production rather than battle prowess, indicating that a ZAYIN-10 Abnormality would likely cause more damage than a WAW-05. In that case, it is unclear what the Risk Levels describe in cases of Distortion, given that they were never worked with by L Corp. nor produce Enkephalin.
• Secondly (??-XX-??-??-??): a number ranging from 01 to 10, meant to describe the expected damage scale.
• Thirdly (??-??-XX-??-??): a two-letter designation referring to the most dominant Sin Affinity of the Distortion (Ex: PI refers to Pigritia: Sloth).
• Fourth (??-??-??-XX-??): a number designation indicating the District the Distortion was encountered in.
• Fifth (??-??-??-??-XX): currently unclear.

Distortions may be labeled shorthand with just their Risk Level and Sin Affinity, such as HE-06(-PI), or with the full designated code, such as HE-06-PI-20-01.

List of Distortions in Limbus Company

Distortion Code	Icon	Name	Risk Level	Distortee	First Encountered
LU-11-04		The Dreamer of Human Wholeness	HE-06	Kromer	Canto III
IR-11-02		Papa Bongy	ZAYIN-03	Eunbong’s Bar & Fryers Owner	Intervallo I
GU-11-10		Who Denies All	TETH-05	Dongrang	Canto IV
??-??-??		Rim	???	Rim	Canto V
SU-20-05		Distorted Bamboo-hatted Kim	WAW-05	Bamboo-hatted Kim	Intervallo III
IN-20-12		The Reaved Lamenter	TETH-04	Hindley	Canto VI
IN-20-13		The Heartbroken	TETH-05	Heathcliff	Canto VI
PI-20-01		The Time Ripper	HE-06	Unnamed ex-District 20 Yurodivy, possibly other District 20 residents as multi-Distortion	Intervallo IV
SU-??-01		Distorted Hohenheim	HE-05	Hohenheim	Intervallo V
GU-08-03		Muddled Heishou of the Corpse Palanquin [混覺轀輬黑獸]	HE-06	Jia Mu	Canto VIII
??-??-??		The Human Thunderbolt	???	Unnamed District 12 resident	Canto IX

This list does not include Distortions removed from the game.

Notable Distortion Attempts

Library of Ruina

• The Pianist (successful; Pianist died a Distortion)
• Philip (was originally rejected, however not entirely– ultimately successful; Philip died a Distortion)
• Xiao (unsuccessful; Xiao manifested E.G.O)
• Yan (successful; booked in the Library, but freed at the end of Library of Ruina)
• Roland (temporarily successful; Roland returned to normalcy)
• The Reverberation Ensemble (successful; Ensemble members died Distortions)

The Distortion Detective

• Moses (unsuccessful; Moses manifested E.G.O)
• Ezra (temporarily successful under Monolith influence; Ezra returned to normalcy)
• YuRia (unsuccessful; YuRia manifested E.G.O)
• Fei (temporarily successful; Fei returned to normalcy)
• The Photographer (temporarily successful; The Photographer returned to normalcy)
• The Mock Exam (successful; mass Distortion found in a high school on N Corp. Nest)
• Laundry of Dreams (successful; was suppressed by Moses, Ezra and Vespa Crabro)
• The Human Thunderbolt (successful; was suppressed by Moses, Ezra and Vespa Crabro)
• Marksman of the Mist (successful; The Marksman died a Distortion)

Leviathan

• Vergilius (unsuccessful; Vergilius manifested E.G.O)
• Jumsoon (successful; Jumsoon later turned into an Abnormality, Schadenfreude)

Limbus Company

• Kromer (successful under Golden Bough influence; Kromer died a Distortion)
• Eunbong’s Bar & Fryers Owner (temporarily successful; the owner returned to normalcy)
• Dongbaek (unsuccessful; Dongbaek manifested E.G.O)
• Dongrang (temporarily successful; Dongrang manifested E.G.O)
• Ahab (unsuccessful; Ahab manifested E.G.O)
• Bamboo-hatted Kim (temporarily successful under Monolith influence; Kim returned to normalcy)
• Aeng-du (unsuccessful; interrupted during Monolith influence)
• Hindley (successful; Hindley died a Distortion)
• Heathcliff (temporarily successful; Heathcliff returned to normalcy)
• The Time Ripper and possible other T Corp. residents (successful; under T Corp. care)
• Hohenheim (temporarily successful under Monolith influence; Hohenheim returned to normalcy)
• Jia Mu (successful under Golden Bough influence; trapped within the Tiekan Temple)

Trivia

• Within the Library, there existed a phenomenon very similar to Distortions whereas especially emotional guests or librarians subconsciously shape the surrounding area to their thoughts, likely caused by The Library's unique connection to the Light within the guests and librarians within. However, the exact connection between it and the Distortion Phenomenon are unknown, yet notable due to the connections between Angela and Carmen themselves.