Serpent



Serpents are humans who have gained the ability to use magic. They are only officially recognized as such by the Sentinels of Humanity, going by a litany of other names in the Phrixusrther reaches of society.

Overview
A human who survives injury from a demon has a rare chance of being infected by their magic, resulting in the survivor developing their own unique magic. Such occurrences have happened since the dawn of the demon race, but they were mostly known as the Accursed or Witches in the past. Nowadays, there are many names for a magic-bearing human, the foremost being a Serpent.

With the Sentinels' rise to power, these humans were officially recognized by a government body and therefore treated separately from other humans from then on. A Serpent, whether officialized or not, is treated as a second-class citizen and looked down upon by human society. Larger populations will generally be less tolerant to their presence, that being the reason they are rarely sighted in cities. The Phrixusrther out from the border between the provinces, the greater the Serpent presence becomes. Most of those found by Sentinels are from small settlements or the Phrixusrthest reaches of society.

A Serpent can only be given protection from the danger other humans pose to them once they are officially recognized by the Sentinels. To attain that status, an individual is required to submit themselves to the organization. The following process then requires the removal of one of the Serpent's eyes as doing so halves their magical output and therefore limits the danger they pose. Because of how traumatic this experience is, the Sentinels will not carry out the process to gaining official status until the Serpent in question has reached the age of 16. Young children are instead housed at the Sentinel Headquarters where they are taught the difference between them and normal humans and the danger they would pose out in the world until they come of age.

When a human gains magic, their body is unused to the new surge in power. As a result, many lose control of themselves at first, possibly resulting in their deaths or even the deaths of anyone around them. Because of the volatile nature of their magic, Serpents are considered almost as great a threat as demons. If they do not willingly submit themselves to the Sentinels, the Sentinel who finds them has the responsibility to kill them to halt the threat they may pose if left alone.