The Afflicted

Formers (Kurayami/Military codename)

Artificial Demon

**The Afflicted** are a unique species of Artificial Demon. They are former humans who have been possessed by Shadows, and turned into bloodthirsty creatures that hunt and kill anything around them.

## Physical Description

The Afflicted do not have a uniform appearance, only taking shape after a human has been possessed. Their appearance varies greatly from person to person, resulting in numerous different forms. More specifically, they either take the form of the host's greatest fear or greatest desire.

One trait they all seem to share are glowing eyes, a black body with strange "smoke" rising up from the surface of their skin, and usually a skeletal appearance. Many Afflicted have sharp claws and teeth, and some have spikes on different parts of their body resembling bone shards.

Those who have been possessed, but haven't fully turned yet have their bodies surrounded by this smoke, glowing eyes, and black veins running across their torso, face, and limbs, before they fully transform.

## Behavior

The Afflicted mostly act on their instincts, attacking any living thing they come across. Although they do not attack other Demons, or any one affiliated with the Nightmare Realm. Some Afflicted show signs of intelligence, such as using machinery or picking up certain objects to use as weapons. It has been theorized the the Afflicted have the memories and knowledge of their former human selves, though this is still unconfirmed. These creatures are widely known for killing and feasting on the corpses of their prey, it's unclear if this actually provides them with sustenance or not.

## Abilities

The Afflicted can vary in abilities depending on their transformation, but some noticeable ones are:

**Toxic Blood:** During transformation, the victims bodily fluids are diseased, most notably their blood. Which means that killing, or even wounding them is hazardous to humans. See "Black Lung" section for more information.

**Claws/teeth:** Most Afflicted possess these which can easily tear people in half, or tear through solid steel.

**Random Debris:** Many Afflicted have been known to either throw objects at people, or tear other objects (lampposts, columns, etc) and use them as weapons.

**Energy Manipulation:** Afflicted can manipulate matter and energy in various ways, some can create portals, some can blast flames, ice, or other elements, and some can even increase or decrease gravity.

## Possession Process

Afflicted were created by Shadows possessing the bodies of humans, which transforms them into the monsters. There is no way to prevent or cure this.

The victim often has their transformation begin by black veins and black chitin-like growths appearing on their body. Their bones begin to grow and change form, and the eyes start to glow and the person's teeth become sharper. Many who go through this process lose their hair and most human features, with some even growing horns or tails that can be used as weapons. While most retain a humanoid structure, their are some whose physiology is completely changed.

Both living and dead humans can be possessed, though both have drastically different results. When a living human is possessed, they are still somewhat conscious and aware of everything that is happening, while going through unspeakable pain. Their body is completely controlled by the Shadow.

When a dead human is possessed, it results in a [REDACTED]. At this point, the Shadow is brute force piloting the corpse. The body also tends to go through more extreme mutations.

Many Leiche are creating by having Shadows re possess the corpse, although it's unclear how this is achieved.

## Black Lung

Black Lung is an extremely fatal disease that emerged after the Afflicted starting appearing on [DATE REDACTED]. It has a nearly 100% mortality rate. The victim goes through severe muscle spasms, with black veins appearing on their body starting with the chest before moving to the arms, legs, and head as the disease progresses. The most common symptom is violently puking up black bile and blood. Over exposure, such as being submerged in a pool of Afflicted blood causes the process to overreact to the point of causing a far more violent death. The victim gets impaled from within from numerous dark spikes resembling tree roots sprouting from every direction, most commonly the torso and head, and in the end will become what is known as a Black Root.

## Types

**Regular Afflicted:** The most common and basic form, these Afflicted tend to stand around 5-10 feet tall (roughly), they mainly use their claws and teeth to attack, and also have remarkable durability and agility.

**Turning Afflicted:** A person in the process of transforming, it is often recommended to kill them in this state before they finish the process, as they are still about as fragile as a regular Human.

**Leiche:** To be updated

**Verzerrt**: A type of Afflicted that is formed when a Shadow possesses a host that has already experienced brain death, resulting in a more mutated and grotesque form. They are also considered a type of Revenant.

**Colossal Afflicted:** To be updated

## Weaknesses

While the Afflicted do have remarkable durability, they can still be killed. However, once a person turns, they can never come back, nor be saved or cured, meaning that victims of the transformation have to be put down.

**Incendiary Weapons:** These weapons have been shown to kill the Afflicted rather quickly, so they are given to squads sent to kill the creatures whenever they pop up.

**Decapitation:** Cutting off their heads will kill the Afflicted quickly, although given how dangerous the creatures are, this method is rather difficult to pull off.

**Complete Destruction of the Body:** Dismembering or completely annihilating's their physical forms will also kill them.

**Light:** The Afflicted appear to be sensitive to bright light, which disorients them.

## Gallery

Afflicted can come in many different forms, but they typically all have a visible skeletal system, glowing eyes, sharp teeth and claws, and black almost corroded skin. While it is rare, some Afflicted retain minor human features such as hair, or might be barely transformed at all, these are classified as Humanoid Afflicted.Most Afflicted show limited intelligence, relying more on instinct. They will rip apart and devour any human they come across, both civilian and military.An example of a transformation into an Afflicted. Keep in mind that this transformation is slightly different than most cases.
## Trivia (to be updated)

* The term "Afflicted" is a past tense that relates to a problem, most commonly an illness. It also means to cause pain or suffering to something or someone.