Reif

The term "reif" comes from the Japanese word Reikon (霊魂), meaning soul, and the Chinese word Jiuweihu (九尾狐; literally: "nine-tailed fox"), the latter of which is also the name for a Chinese shapeshifter. It is used to describe the alternate forms of the Suki Clan, as open discussion about these alternate forms in public situations is strictly forbidden.

The process of transforming into a Suki's reif is quite lengthy and painful, each transformation lasting about 9 minutes. During this time, the bones and muscles of the individual shrink/grow and move themselves around to adjust to the proper placement of the animal the Suki is turning into, and again later to fit the proper proportions and placement of a human. In some cases, this involves the internal skeleton disolving altogether, such as with Katsu (a spider), or Ruby (a python). Far more often, however, this requires bones to break and lengthen to create new limbs, such as tails or wings (in the case of Hirei).

The mental connection to one's reif varies from Suki to Suki, and the connection can become stronger or more broken as the individual ages, often due to hormone changes.. This is often judged by a animal-human percentage scale, with individuals like Hirei standing at about 7% connected (or 93% human), and Sarco at about 95% connected (5% human) during his early years. In Sarco's later teens, his percentage changes to approximately 67% connected. A change this dramatic is incredibly rare, however, and subjects normally only increase or decrease by 5-10%.