A hellion (憑魔 hyouma?, "possessing evil") is a type of creature in Tales of Zestiria. Hellions are created when a human, animal, Seraph, or object, is overcome with malevolence, impurities born from the negative emotions of humanity. They threaten the existence of both humans and Seraphim. In the time of Tales of Berseria, they were known as daemons.
History[]
The Lord of Calamity is a being that gives rise to the hellions. They cannot be perceived by the average human and often appear as if they were normal, though at times they can take on the form of various abnormalities, such as spontaneous combustion. Seraphim and humans with high spiritual energy are able to see a hellion's true form, which can range vastly depending on the individual.
Their capabilities far exceed that of the beings they once were, gaining the power to wield seraphic artes as well as various other abilities relating to their transformation, such as cloaking or growing wings. They are also capable of venomization, a process which involves consuming others in order to evolve. Many hellions, particularly those greedy in nature, hunger for Seraphim.
Hellions are naturally powerful and extremely difficult to deal with, the average person being able to drive them away at most. While a powerful enough individual is capable of killing them, it would result in their malevolence releasing into the environment and, if powerful enough, latching to the nearest living being to create a new hellion. The Shepherd's power is the optimal solution for this, as their Silver Flame is capable of purification, resetting the hellion's malevolence and restoring it to its original form. Purification does have its limits, however, as it will not affect hellions who believe too strongly in their ways, and the process can kill a mortally wounded individual as opposed to save them. Zaveid's unique firearm, Siegfried, is able to kill a hellion without releasing its malevolence.
Trivia[]
- Hellion is an alteration of the word Hell, which is depicted as a place of eternal torment in many mythological, folklore, and religious traditions. The word hellion means "an unruly, rowdy or mischievous person" or "an evil person", fitting for their role in the game.