Laphicet

Laphicet (ライフィセット) is a protagonist in Tales of Berseria. A child of the Malakim race, he is initially seen as an emotionless tool, but through his interactions with Velvet Crowe, he gains feelings and selfhood.

History
Laphicet was originally a child without name or personality, serving only as a magical tool for Exorcists. He first appears as a Malak serving under Teresa Linares, being referred to simply as "Number 2". He assists Teresa in stopping Velvet, dealing considerable damage to Velvet and her group until a fire distracts them. When Teresa and Eleanor Hume intend to stop them from escaping, Velvet orders Laphicet to help her, threatening that she will devour him if he refuses. Following orders, Laphicet blasts Teresa and Eleanor away, giving the group time to escape. Deeming his magical abilities to be useful, Velvet decides to take the Malak boy with her.

Laphicet initially clashes with Velvet due to his lack of personality. Laphicet stays quiet unless someone talks to him, or if he is given an order, he will follow it without question. Laphicet begins showing emotion when he becomes interested in a compass used to navigate the ship, always carrying it with him. As he interacts more with Velvet, Laphicet gains knowledge far beyond his initial blank slate and eventually develops a sense of self. He begins to become close with Velvet after she decides to name him after her younger brother, Laphicet. After the defeat of Artorius and Innominat, Laphicet becomes the dragon Maotelus so that he, along with the four reincarnated Praetor Exorcists, can protect the world from malevolence, but this also causes humans to lose the ability to see the Malakim.

Appearance and Personality
Laphicet appears as a young child in pale, innocent colors. His white and blue contrasts strongly with Velvet's red and black. He initially appears shy and withdrawn due to his enslavement to Exorcists, but he eventually develops his own sense of self and ability to smile. He soon becomes close with Velvet, determined to protect her. He loves studying new things and reading.

Fighting Style
Laphicet battles using paper sheets, similarly to Lailah from Tales of Zestiria. He can use hidden artes to corral his opponents at a slight distance, but his specialty is in his magical artes, over which he has a wide mastery. His Break Soul is Divide Pain, which expands a field that decreases damage received while healing his allies. His mystic artes are Bind Order, which entraps his target in a magical cage before he blows them away, Chaos Bloom, and Indignation. He also shares a dual mystic arte with Velvet known as Innumerable Wound.

Trivia

 * Laphicet's cameo costume in Tales of Berseria is based on Richard's Tales of Graces main arc appearance.

Laphicet