- "He's like a lion in a cage."
- —A young Jodie, describing Aiden's presence
Aiden (pronounced "EYE-den") is the secondary playable character, and the invisible protagonist of Beyond: Two Souls. He was the son of Jonathan Nichols and Norah Gray, and the twin brother of Jodie Holmes. He died during childbirth by strangulation from the umbilical cord. His spirit, however, remains tethered to Jodie, allowing him to communicate with her at all times.
Character Information[]
Aiden is an Entity that has been linked to Jodie Holmes since birth. They are connected by an Ethereal Tether, that can be seen when switching to Aiden's view. This tether acts as a spiritual link between them that keeps Aiden bound to Jodie. Though he can travel farther away in some situations, the separation causes Jodie excessive amounts of pain and lasting disorientation.
Jodie and Aiden seem to age in sync, for as Jodie grows older, Aiden grows stronger, as does their bond. As the story progresses, it is revealed that Aiden is Jodie's stillborn twin brother. Jodie was delivered safely from her mother's womb, but her brother was strangled by the umbilical cord. Rather than passing on, his soul became linked to Jodie and remained that way, growing up as if it occupied a physical body.
The man Aiden would have been was shown briefly after Jodie shut down the Black Sun condenser; however, his facial appearance was obscured. After the events of "Black Sun," Aiden was separated from Jodie, causing a massive memory lapse in Jodie that spurred her to write about her experiences in a personal journal. It seems that Aiden is linked not only to Jodie's active mind, but also to her memories, which might explain why his behavior matched Jodie's so often as if they were shaped by the same experiences. Eventually, Aiden returns to Jodie, but as an entity separate and unbound.
In the final mission, Aiden gets ripped out of Jodie and gets stuck in the Infraworld. Even though Aiden's soul is free, he returns and watches over Jodie, as seen in the very last scene of each ending in the game (unless you choose to live with Zoey), where the writing: "Still here" appears in front of Jodie.
Personality[]
Throughout the game, Aiden shows that he is capable of human emotion through his interactions with Jodie and his own frustration at the restraining tether. While his personality and actions depend on the player, Aiden genuinely cares about Jodie and will go to great lengths to protect her from harm. Jodie in turn is the only one capable of listening to or communicating with Aiden. Cole and Ryan can also communicate with Aiden when Jodie is being sedated by the CIA. However, whether she is able to control Aiden against his will is up for debate. While she often instructs Aiden in various tasks throughout the game, he usually does so willingly. Jodie does force Aiden to open up her apartment door for her in "The Dinner" when he tries to lock her out, but it required some discomfort and gave her a nosebleed. He tries to stop her when he disagrees with her, not by directly hurting her, but by making obstacles for her. It is unknown what Aiden's main goal in the game is, although he appears to think of Jodie as his charge. Still, since he is bound to Jodie, his sole purpose in life (in his case, Jodie's life) is to protect Jodie from whatever danger.
Though normally indifferent or hostile to anyone Jodie meets, Aiden greatly distrusts Ryan Clayton, to the point of destroying Jodie's laptop to prevent her from going out with him and (if the player chooses) sabotaging Clayton's visit to her apartment at every opportunity. Due to the CIA's ulterior motives, however, it appears this behavior was not completely unjustified. Nevertheless, Aiden was forced to turn to Clayton for help after Jodie had been captured and drugged by the CIA.
Powers and Abilities[]
As an entity, Aiden possesses a myriad of supernatural abilities.
Aura Perception: Aiden can perceive auras around other people and objects. The color of the aura depends on how he can interact with them: people and objects that he can move or affect emit blue auras, those that can be strangled emit red auras, those that can be possessed emit orange auras, those that can be healed emit green auras, and Jodie emits a purple aura.
Clairvoyance: Aiden can direct mnemonic imprints from certain objects to Jodie, which she experiences through visions. She in turn can see the world from his point of view, allowing him to warn her of threats she cannot physically see.
Force Field Generation: Aiden is capable of creating a protective field that can withstand great amounts of force, and can shield Jodie and others near her from harm like bullets and fire. His force fields can allow Jodie to remain unharmed after falling from potentially lethal heights.
Healing: Aiden can heal others by greatly speeding up their healing process and relieving their pain. It is possible that this ability can relieve afflictions such as withdrawal from drugs. However, there appears to be a limit on the severity and type of injuries he can heal; even if Cole is healed in "Black Sun," he is still too injured to continue and must be left behind.
Intangibility: Aiden can phase through any solid surface, regardless of its density, thickness or material. However, entity-proof doorways are capable of temporarily separating him from Jodie, as seen in "Dragon's Hideout."
Levitation: Aiden can float and hover at any height, but can only travel a certain distance from Jodie.
Psychokinesis: Aiden can deliver powerful psychokinetic thrusts that can move or damage physical objects and harm other spiritual entities. He can also perform a Vaderian "force choke" to strangle enemies, or perform more complex actions like lighting a fire in "Dragon's Hideout." This power is referred to as "Blast" in the game files and the user guide.
Possession: Aiden can take over the minds of nearby humans, allowing him to more directly interact with the physical world. Possessed individuals usually have rolled-back eyes and are incapable of speech, and physical contact with another human causes Aiden to be ejected from their bodies. When possessing an enemy, he usually has them commit suicide once their services are no longer needed. He is also capable of possessing animals, as he is able to take control of Ashkii to lead him into the enclosure.
Telepathy: Aiden is psychically linked to Jodie through an ethereal tether, which appears as a purple cord of energy emanating from Jodie. The nature of their tether allows them to communicate telepathically, and Jodie's mental and physical health has a proportional effect on Aiden's powers. Aiden can also link Jodie's consciousness to another person's, allowing her to communicate with them if they are otherwise unable to communicate. When used on Norah, the effect was temporary due to the drugs she was given.
Trivia[]
- The name "Aiden" comes from the word "aed" which means "fiery, little fire" in Gaelic.[1][2]
- Aiden is pronounced /ˈaidᵊn/ as opposed to /'eidᵊn/.
- Oddly, his name is mispronounced several times.
- Nathan pronounces it the latter way during "The Condenser."
- Nathan can say Aiden's name incorrectly if Jodie takes revenge on the teens in "The Party," and if she is caught before she and Cole leave the parking lot in "Like Other Girls."
- When Jodie is about to leave for the CIA, Nathan can potentially say it incorrectly again.
- Jodie can also mispronounce his name in "Dragon's Hideout."
- Oddly, his name is mispronounced several times.
- During development, Aiden was called Anael. This name can still be seen in the game files and in the debug menu.[3]
- In "Navajo," though it is very faint, Aiden will say goodnight to Jodie on the First Night.[4]
- If Aiden had been born alive, he would have been adopted by another family.