Tether

Main article: Master

To return to the waking world, each Ascended had to create a tether — an intangible mark that served as their beacon on the return journey. They would appear at the spot where their tether was placed. Creating or moving a tether was not too hard, but required some time. Ambushing a Master at the moment of their return was the best way to catch them in their weakest state.^[2]

Leaving a tether in the waking world took more time and some essence but it was as instinctual as summoning Memories or commanding Echoes.^[3]

Main article: Saint

Transcendent tethers were more robust than Ascended ones due to the soul of a Saint being connected to the world, so it interacted with the world much closer. They could absorb spirit essence and in rare cases pour their soul essence out into the world. The latter was less vital as it would quickly dissipate without a special vessel, like a Memory, for example.^[1]

However, pushing one's essence onto the world was necessary in the process of creating a tether. If manipulated specially, the essence would leave an Imprint on the area where it had been unleashed before dissipating. This imprint is the tether and maintains a faint connection with the Saint's soul, allowing one to step between realms and return to the place where their soul was imprinted. Only two tethers could exist at a time, one in each world.^[1]

There seemed to be a strange reaction between the Gateway and the forming tether as if they had been created to exist together. Claiming a Citadel by imprinting on its Gateway is the same process as placing a tether but deeper and different because it creates a replica of the citadel within a Saint's soul sea.^[1]

• In Sunny's case, each of his incarnations could place two of their tethers, which took time and was arduous.^[1]