Shade

An example of a shade, Jérémie Aumerle.

**Shades** are a unique species of shape shifting demon created by Vahit. Also known as Shadow Demons or shadow people, the term Shade and Demon can be used interchangeably.

## Anatomy

Shades are made out of 'black blood' a substance produced by fusing dark energy into blood. They are humanoid in shape with horns, claws and a tail. Some shades known as 'elites' will roughly resemble animals, other wise they tend to all look the same in their demon form.

Shades usually have large red eyes that glow in contrast to their dark bodies. they usually have sharp fangs and the inside of their mouth will glow dimly red as well. If the are an elite the head shape can change to resemble an animal such as a lizard, rabbit or bird. The horn style will usually change in this case as well.

All demons have a human form that resembles what the looked like when they were alive, with minor alterations.

### **Biology**

Shades are the result of fusing Blood Demons with the dark magic produced by the Voidstone gem. Each demon has a voidstone heart that produces a thick, black liquid known as "black blood." This black blood allows the shade to have a physical form, a large mass of black blood that encases the heart.

Shades can control and shape shift their blood at will, and in a variety of ways. The blood can be moved, molded, change consistency/hardness, or in some cases recolored. Shades have a wide diversity of abilities and creative uses of their blood, giving every demon a unique fighting style. Some can turn their blood into weapons, other can shape shift into other people, some can temporarily split into two beings, etc.

Shades do not age, do not require sleep, and do not eat. They can eat or sleep if they want to, but it's not required for their survival.

Shades can see in the dark and sense each other from a distance. Shades are overly sensitive to light, and bright lights will often hurt their eyes.

#### Human Form

Every shade has a human form. This form is the form of the soul bound to the heart, and the form that said person took before they died. This form looks almost identical to their old forms, and can even pass for humans, with the only difference is them all having red eyes and a jaw full of sharp shark-like teeth.

Since this form is bound to the soul's memory of the body, this will often be the 'natural' form most shades take. They can't permanently change much about this form. While they can change different clothes or hair styles, changing their physical body in anyway only works as a temporary change. This form also has most human organs as well, those these are fake and only for aesthetic reasons, and can be injured, or melt away with out negatively effecting the shade... much.

Despite having no nervous system, shades can still feel pain, for example, if you were to stab one, or if they were forced to shape shift unwillingly.

Injuries don't kill them. If a shade loses a limb in their human form, it can quickly grow back, but usually in it's demonic state. (For example, cutting off a demons arm would cause it to grow back with a black monster arm. This would eventually heal and turn back to normal). If they sustain enough damage, the may end up 'evaporating' away, leaving behind their demon heart. If left alone in the dark, the heart will eventually reform their body from scratch. The only way to stop this is to keep it in the light, or break it.

Minor injuries will only cause the shade to bleed similar to a human, but with black blood.

### **Weaknesses**

Like most dark magic, light magic is a very powerful tool to use against them. Usually one good charge of light magic is enough to evaporate them. But they also are weak to other forms of light as well. Something like sunlight will burn up their blood faster than the heart can produce more. While not immediately burning in the sun, like say a vampire, being in the sun for them is like slowly bleeding out through an open wound.
At max, a shade can spend maybe 5 hours in direct sunlight. The demon will start out uncomfortable and tired, and slowly start to feel weaker and more anemic as the hours go on. At about 4 hours is when most shades need a break and will have issues walking or standing. At this point their body will start to break down and visibly fall apart. Their body will eventually completely break down, leaving only their heart, which will need to be brought somewhere dark to recharge. While light doesn't kill them, is an effective means of incapacitating them.
Since shades are essentially made of water, mixing them with water doesn't often work out to well. They are pretty water soluble and more often than not, if a shade is fully submerged in water, they will diffuse into the water. (Think how blood moves if you start bleeding while in the water).
One explanation for this is that when underwater, the shade loses sense of what is and is not a part of their body. While most demons can handle water deep enough that their feet can still touch the ground, like an anchoring point. But shades can't swim.

While a shade can be shot in the head, or stabbed in the gut and still walk it off, it's still possible to chop away at them until there's nothing left. Demons that sustain severe demage to their bodies, such as being blown up, having their head cut off, sliced in half, chopped up into little bits, crushed, etc. will end up evaporating.
Aiming for the heart is another way to 'poof' them, as shades are very protective of their heart (being it's their only means of dying) the shock of being hit in that region along may be enough to knock them out, this only works if you catch them be surprise though.
Their heart is their major weak point. If anything happens to it, such as it being broken, they will die, forever. This can be accomplished by evaporating their bodies, and then smashing the heart while it's vulnerable and unprotected. While effective, this is considered cruel, as since demons are already undead, dying again just means their soul is destroyed and they stop existing.
Minor damage to the stones, such as cracks or chips, while not fatal, can cause the heart to be less effective at doing it's job. This can range from the demon having a weaker, squishier body, to the demon just devolving into a blobby mess that can no longer hold a solid form on it's own.

### Creation

Shades are created when a voidstone is fused with a Blood Demon. This causes the stone to leak black ooze whenever in the presence of the recently deceased. Vahit will usually enchant these stones himself and see out souls to have them bind to.

The binding process involves the black substance rapidly consuming the 'body' of the soul, crawling around like a slime mold. Despite being dead, the process has still been described as 'excruciatingly painful' by those who have experienced it. Perhaps painful on a spiritual level rather than a physical or emotional one.

The substance will usually suffocate and blind the person, before they later wake up on the surface. They will be in their human form and it would seem like they were still alive but a bit 'off'. In reality they have awakened in their new body.

## History

When their leader, Vahit was alive, he would often study dark magic for fun. One thing he studied was necromancy and specifically another way to use it in low mana conditions such as New Earth. He would come across a species of demon, the memory eating Blood Demons who were able to possess bodies and survive on the surface.

After a lot of research and attempts, Vahit had managed to fuse a blood demon to a Voidstone. At first it didn't do anything, but Vahit realized that when a creature dies around it the stone would start to produce a viscous black liquid. He was still studying the properties of this he himself was killed. When his soul left his body, the heart activated again, and the black liquid began to move on it's own towards him. Despite souls being incorporeal, the liquid was able to stick to his form and start consuming his 'body'.

The liquid and the heart it'self would then become bound to his soul, and give him a new physical body. This made Vahit the first known Shade.

### Social Structure

Elites are shades that are considered to be higher ranking than other demons. Since most shades in their demon form look nearly identical, elites are recognized by their unique animal like features. Elites tend to spend most of their time in the Vahit's Tower in the Shadow Realm, and are entrusted with special missions. Usually in order to become an elite, the demon has to have killed and absorbed a certain number of souls.

Lower ranking shades tend to be used as cannon fodder, or to do missions too simple for elites to waste their time on. Vahit is also less forgiving to lower ranking demons who screw up.

### Relations

Most other races, including other demons consider them abominations. Shades aren't something created by natural means, and are fairly new compared to everything else. Most people don't know enough about them to properly defend themselves from them, meaning most people are terrified of them.

Other demons simply find them disgusting.

## Trivia

* The reason all the voidstones are shaped like hearts is because Vahit's is. The stone that took his soul over was actually a gift that was given to him. Vahit actually takes the time out of his day to cut every stone into this shape himself, as he feels the shape makes a good symbol for his movement.

* A shade can be identified by the fact that, similar to a blood demon, if a piece of their body, like a hair is removed, it will sizzle away in the sun.
* Shades cannot produc tears or cry in their demon forms, instead their bodies will react to extreme emotion physically, such as their bodies bubbling or dripping upwards.

* Since their blood is made from a fusion of blood demons, their blood technically has a mind of it's own. If separated from the body, it will often attempt to get back to it's body all on its own. (If it doesn't shrivel up before then, that is.)

* Shades are surprisingly light weight. They are much lighter than humans, and are in fact no heavier than a house pet. They are pretty easy to pick up and throw around.

* When shades are in their demon form, they're voices will change to sound more gurgly, watery, and echoed. (Think like the Inklings from Splatoon)