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Praesepe[2] (積尸気 Sekishiki) are the blue stars connecting Earth and the Underworld.[2] Normally, they only serve as a natural passage for the souls of the deceased, but the Cancer saint can use them to open up a path to Yomotsu Hirasaka through which a living soul (and even the body) can pass.
Additionally, Praesepe[1] (or Sekishiki) is also the name of an ability that allows the user to see and interact with disembodied souls in ways that are impossible to most humans.[3]
Etymology[]
Praesepe is the anglicized form of the Latin word praesēpe, which is an alternate spelling of praesaepe ("crib", "cot", "craddle"). The original form is praesēpiō, formed by 2 words:
Sekishiki (積尸気 Sekishiki) is formed by three kanji:
- 積 (せき Seki, "accumulate", "store up", "amass")
- 尸 (し Shi, "corpse", "dead")
- 気 (き Ki, "spirit", "mood")
The approximated translation would be "amassment of dead spirits", and it is one of the names used in the Japanese language to describe the Beehive Cluster of Cancer. In China, 積尸気 is called Jī shī qì ("accumulated corpse spirits"), and has been considered in the local mythology to be the place where the souls of the deceased eventually gather, after death.