Indefinable Shadow Beasts

ISBs surrounding a ranger cabin.

**Indefinable Shadow Beasts** are a species of lost spirits that haunt the Execrated Forest in *Silylily - The Story*.

Debuting in Camp Lily, the Indefinable Shadow Beasts (also known as ISBs) have been recurring threats faced by Lily and her friends. They are responsible for many of the conflicts faced by characters throughout the series.

## Etymology

Indefinable Shadow Beasts are the physical representations of spirits lost in the accursed Execrated Forest. Cursed by the gods to never leave, they wander the woodlands as demonic entities that seek to possess any humans they come across. They are incapable of speech and their movement is limited, but they are able to seize humans by attaching themselves to them. They are also able to possess humans by phasing inside of them, giving them full control of the host.

ISBs appear in the form of blob-like shadows with only glowing red eyes that allow them to see. They appear to onlookers as clouds of thick, dark fog with a pair of disembodied eyes. While they do come in several different shapes, only the typical blob formation has been observed and noted. Some are known to be limber or to even come in the shape of animals such as spiders. They blend in with dark spaces and are often found in caves where they are less likely to be distinguished.

Despite their hardly physical forms, it is possible for ISBs to be fought or inflicted with a weapon. They are said to back down when struck with a sharp object or a powerful force, but there is no known way to kill them directly. The only known way to kill an Indefinable Shadow Beast is to kill a human host possessed by one. Nevertheless, they have been depicted as killable in a few fictional appearances.

While ISBs are hostile to outsiders, they are shown to be passive or even cooperative with fellow captives of the forest. They do not attack humans who are already possessed, nor do they attempt to harm one another. They do not need to eat, drink, or even breathe. They are kept alive only by the divine curses placed on the Execrated Forest.

## Appearances

Indefinable Shadow Beasts are first spotted following Lily, Gumi, kokone, Sukone Tei, and Maika's attempt to flee a cabin haunted by the possessed Suzune Ring. In an underground cave system, a swarm of ISBs emerge from the darkness to attack the group. With a single knife, Tei and Maika attempt to fight them off, but the girls are captured by the beasts. The ISBs trail Lily's group and corner them in a ranger cabin just before nightfall. Gumi provides a distraction, allowing Lily to escape with Cocorobo, but the beasts are able to capture Gumi. Following orders from the possessed Nekomura Iroha, the ISBs imprison their captives, but do not curse them.

Guided by Iroha and Ring, a swarm of ISBs arrive at the sacred Fountain of Diolacov to capture Lily and Cocorobo. Before the prisoners are able to be sacrificed, Tei breaks free from her restraints and engages in a battle with them. After everyone is untied, a battle unfolds and they are able to escape in the midst of the havoc. Iroha is cured of her possession at the Fountain of Diolacov, then the Indefinable Shadow Beasts chase the humans out of the forest.

In The Unheard Voices, Hiyama Kiyoteru reveals he is possessed by an Indefinable Shadow Beast that is only active when he removes his glasses. During Lily's Mansion, Maika recalls her encounter with the ISBs and tells the story to the other guests at Lily's new mansion. When the mansion turns out to be haunted, it is speculated that the spirit is actually an Indefinable Shadow Beast. This is later disproven when the ghost is revealed to be Luna. Later, when Lily is lost in the Execrated Forest with Namine Ritsu in Lily and the Haunted Forest, red eyes of what are believed to be ISBs stare at the two when they take shelter in a cave from a storm.

In Merli Teaches Lily to be Evil, Kiyoteru explains how he came to be possessed. He tells of when he explored the Execrated Forest and met the Indefinable Shadow Beasts. He tried to run away from them, but tripped and allowed one to phase inside of him. He was gifted glasses by the goddess LUMi, of which kept the beast contained unless the glasses were to be removed. Following prodding from Lily, Merli, and Kaai Yuki, Kiyoteru unleashes his demon in order to help break Iroha out of a magic prison. His "divine" curse powers prove to be superior to magic. However, Kiyoteru is later killed by Aoki Lapis, who claims killing a possessed human is the only way to kill an Indefinable Shadow Beast.

## Conceptualization

With the events of Camp Lily being largely influenced by audience interaction, the Indefinable Shadow Beasts were never intended to be made. The admin of silylilyanimove initially drew them to be an obstacle faced by the main characters during the underground cave sequence of the story. As the plot came together, the beasts developed a backstory and became recurrent throughout the adventure. The lore was expanded upon in later appearances, but with the cancellation of two separate projects, it is questionable how canon some of the implementations are. They remain go-to antagonists in *Silylily - The Story*, often acting as an explanation for the paranormal events that happen throughout the series.

## Cancelled Appearances

Before the establishment of the silylilyanimove continuity, Camp Lily was intended to be a two-part project. A sequel, intended to be made as a game in RPG Maker, would conclude the events of the story. In it, the Indefinable Shadow Beasts would act as antagonists regularly fought throughout the adventure. They would migrate beyond the Execrated Forest and attack civilizations, often prompting the heroes to step in. For the demo, different types of ISBs were made to increase variation among the enemies. Regular ISBs would act as the most recurring foe, tall ISBs would be slightly more challenging to fight, bomb-shaped ISBs would be explosive, and spider-shaped ISBs would have toxic and web-making abilities. The game was cancelled after the demo received little attention and the overall project received little interest.

The ISBs would also appear in Vocapocalypse, an attempted ARG in the style of Camp Lily and Lily's Mansion. The story involved an apocalypse brought on by an invasion of Indefinable Shadow Beasts. They were shown to be far more killable than in previous iterations, but silylilyanimove's admin made it clear that the events would not be canon to the overall continuity. The project received little attention when compared to its ARG predecessors, and it also proved to be a lot more challenging to make due to the large cast. It was cancelled less than midway through and has been a subject of disdain from the admin ever since.

## Trivia

* As ISBs are shown to be passive toward possessed humans, it is unknown how they would react around Hiyama Kiyoteru, who is only half-possessed.
* There is a chance that the ISBs yield to Aoki Lapis, as the possessed Suzune Ring is shown to be a minion of hers. This is possibly due to Ring containing at least some amount of control of her own actions.