Anderis

Possessed

• The foreign creature that has taken root inside of Mazaki’s body is called an Ika. It is a pseudo-spiritual monster that latches onto the souls of children before they are born, following them into the physical world. Individuals haunted by an Ika are often born odd with abnormal traits, an example of this would be a near complete lack of pigmentation. An Ika is typically a malevolent force that seeks to influence its host to commit acts of self-indulgence that will eventually lead to complete possession. It is not uncommon for a host to develop mental conditions due to the nature of the monster such as schizophrenia, detachment, paranoia, etc.
  
  Humans native to the land of Anderis, superstitiously believe that an Ika is a voracious fragment of ‘the end’ and that their hosts are destined to see them to the end of the world, whereby the individual is devoured and the Ika amass to eat away at whatever is left of existence. There is no known cure for someone possessed by an Ika, the soul of the host and the creature are nigh inseparable.

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  Hidden Aura
  An odd occurrence that usually manifests later in life, the aura of the host vanishes. It becomes unreadable to those with the capacity to see or sense such things. This signals that the Ika has begun devouring certain aspects of the person it has possessed.
  
  Hidden Mind
  Those that attempt to read, manipulate or otherwise delve into the mind of a possessed would be unable to. There would appear to be nothing there to see or interact with.
  
  Scentless
  Those with keen sense of smell would notice that the host of an Ika bares no native scent that would identify them as human or otherwise. However this trait is often undiscovered by most, as a possessed will continue to collect scents from their surroundings.
  
  Trackless Steps
  The footprints and tracks that a possessed leaves behind will vanish of their own accord several paces after one is made, leaving the dirt, grass or otherwise unscathed by their passing.
  
  Possessed Endurance
  Despite the malevolent nature of an Ika, it wants to remain in the physical world. If the host dies, the creature is forced to follow wherever the soul of the host departs to. It is not abnormal for a possessed to have supernatural resilience as a result.