It's a bit interpretive BUT basically exspheres are a parasitical crystal which when attached can give a person superspeshul powers, either in a lesser form (exsphere) or angelic form (cruxis crystal). Canon establishes that they feed on emotions/experiences so natch the people in charge go ahead and attach them to people without proper safety mechanisms and torture them to make the exepheres get stronger. Cruxis crystals are basically exspheres which have evolved.
For some reason literally no one in the game asks whether this works with positive reinforcement (c'mon Raine you're meant to be a scientist!) but there's a few hints here and there which do suggest crystals get better benefits with positive emotions over time.
Add to that a spaceship full of lobotomised angels, which act exactly as if a parasitical inorganic life-form has been put in charge of a squishy body and has no idea what to do with it except to follow a bunch of previously experienced behaviours/patterns, and I headcanon that crystals can become at least pseudo-sentient based on the emotions/experiences/lifespan of the host.
Based on Kratos's age/experience, his crystal is probably on the verge of that and he just doesn't know it, because he's a good boy and is wearing the proper safety mechanisms.
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It's a bit interpretive BUT basically exspheres are a parasitical crystal which when attached can give a person superspeshul powers, either in a lesser form (exsphere) or angelic form (cruxis crystal). Canon establishes that they feed on emotions/experiences so natch the people in charge go ahead and attach them to people without proper safety mechanisms and torture them to make the exepheres get stronger. Cruxis crystals are basically exspheres which have evolved.
For some reason literally no one in the game asks whether this works with positive reinforcement (c'mon Raine you're meant to be a scientist!) but there's a few hints here and there which do suggest crystals get better benefits with positive emotions over time.
Add to that a spaceship full of lobotomised angels, which act exactly as if a parasitical inorganic life-form has been put in charge of a squishy body and has no idea what to do with it except to follow a bunch of previously experienced behaviours/patterns, and I headcanon that crystals can become at least pseudo-sentient based on the emotions/experiences/lifespan of the host.
Based on Kratos's age/experience, his crystal is probably on the verge of that and he just doesn't know it, because he's a good boy and is wearing the proper safety mechanisms.