Stygian Seeds

Stygian Seeds are the core essence of the Stygian race, serving as the brain and/or heart that contains the consciousness of the Stygian.

## Physiology

Stygian Seeds appear as small, gelatinous blob-shaped eggs with a violet/indigo coloration. When purified, gold hieroglyphics will be imprinted alongside the gelatinous indigo coloration. When tainted or corrupted, intricate evil crimson sigils will be imprinted onto the Seed instead.

Stygian Seeds can be implanted into organic hosts, or inanimate objects.

When implanted into humanoid creatures, they instinctively amplify their negativity, corrupting them in some sense. They also amplify their powers and grant the host new abilities. When possessing humans, the consciousness corrupts the human’s mind and personality. They become much crueller, and depending on the host personality, a worse version of themselves, without any limitation.

The hosts’ bodies are transformed into corrupted versions of themselves. For example, the angel themed Nora becomes a dark, black-winged seraphim with pale skin, sprouting multiple eyes that drip blackened ooze from these eyes. This is because the Seed is imprinting its corruption based off the negative emotions of the human host, among other things.

And all living creatures possessed by daemon seeds such as humans, plants, and animals can reproduce, with offspring forming daemon seeds of their own.

The hosts have upgraded versions of their capabilities, especially if they happen to be superpowered individuals with extraordinary capabilities pre-corruption.

Additionally, when the hosts are attacked, they can regenerate their wounds, albeit under pain. Blackened ooze-like blood will drip from their bodies as they regrow new appendages or sew back their skin. This makes them nigh-immortal and functionally ageless due to their regeneration and self sustaining power, save for neutralizing the daemon seed.

One exception is when multiple daemon seeds are in the mannequin, so that the daemon can use primordial chaotic powers and model itself from its own darkness. This new organism can also adapt itself on the fly by observing the situation and concentrating on molding the darkness that exists in their bodies to a certain shape or attack.

When possessing objects, the daemonic consciousness inside the seed permanently transforms the object into a humanoid creature. Then, this uplifted object learns more about the world, and is functionally the same as humans. The reason why these seeds take after human shape was because Ethan Cross' memories of the human form was imprinted into the Dark Force, which spread to the trees that birthed the daemon seeds.

They possess powers and weapons based on the properties of their host object’s body (e.g. a daemon possessing a drum kit can produce sound-based shockwaves, a daemon possessing a motorcycle can hurl tires, and move at high speeds, etc.)

When implanted into inanimate objects, the object then takes the form of a humanoid creature with the ability to think, move and communicate like a human being.

Possessing non-human living organisms allows for the creature to permanently mutate into a humanoid being, even if the seed is removed.

Additionally, the Stygian not only is

They do not suffer the drawbacks of having

## Strengths

The Stygian Seed provides its hosts with a regenerative factor, allowing them nigh-immortality so long as the Seed remains intact. Any host, organic or inanimate could live forever, without aging or having the need to eat or drink.

The Stygian Seed also grants its host a nigh-unlimited supply of energy to form attacks, or whatever they so choose.

## Weaknesses

However, regeneration of the demon's body is halted until the seed is fully healed first.

If the Seed is destroyed, the Stygian's consciousness within dies.

The daemon seed can recover from shallow wounds and grazes given enough time to heal. This is achieved by the seed sealing up its walls, stopping the flow of bleeding essence and letting the remaining energy flow back into the fully healed seed. But if the seed is fully penetrated, causing it to swell up and explode, the essence or left to bleed out, the daemon seed, and by extension, the daemon itself will die, leaving behind an empty husk, should the body remain intact.

Any subsequent Seed will be that of a new individual with fresh memories and consciousnesses.

Another way to destroy the Seed is to use a tremendous amount of power in an attack, killing both the host and the Seed itself.

If one were to defeat a Stygian non-lethally, they could learn to seal away the powers of the Seed inside the host's body using the Aurum Gem, or tear out the Seed and implant it into a blank mannequin body, rendering the Stygian powerless, but alive.

If the daemon seed possessing a living organism is destroyed in a non-vital area, then the host will survive, but remain vulnerable, as in their ordinary selves. If the daemon seed destroyed was in a vital area, such as the heart and brain, they die instantaneously, due to the attack penetrating that vital organ as well.

To save them from the corruption, the seed needs to be sealed or extracted from their bodies, helping them remove the corrupting effect of the seed and restoring their sanity.

The Luminous and Aurum Gems are most effective, though well executed conventional attacks work just as well. Daemons can be taken down with well placed shots and attacks, and even ordinary warriors not empowered by the Gems have been known to either destroy or tear out the daemon seeds from their bodies.

Should the daemon seeds be extracted from their bodies, the bodies are left in a permanent coma until the original or new seed is implanted in the body.

The extracted daemon seeds can be placed in ordinary mannequins, allowing them to be alive and conscious, but the mannequins are so bland that they are powerless and akin to ordinary, naked humans, albeit retaining the daemon’s skin and hair.

While there is the possibility of committing crime in their mannequin bodies, the daemons are not only proud of their powers, they are also relatively inexperienced without them. Additionally, the trauma of having your mind and soul extracted from your body and having to see your own lifeless body is horrifying to some daemons.

Other times, the extracted seeds are sealed in containers to prevent this, or both bodies are captured simultaneously. Or the gem empowered heroes are willing to restrict their powers by the original body by sealing away the cores inside their original bodies.

## Trivia

* The Stygian Seeds resemble the Daimon Eggs in the anime *Sailor Moon Crystal* - being small, gelatinous, dark-colored eggs that infect targets.
* They also represent the Philosopher's Stones in Full Metal Alchemist in function - a concentration of gelatinous soul/essence that grants the user regeneration and powers