Tales of Berseria

Tales of Berseria (Japanese: テイルズ オブ ベルセリア, Hepburn: Teiruzu Obu Beruseria) is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Windows. It is the sixteenth main entry in the Tales series and a prequel of Tales of Zestiria. It was released in Japan for PlayStation 3 & PlayStation 4 in mid-August 2016, and was released worldwide for PlayStation 4 & Windows in late January 2017. A manga adaptation of this game was serialized on Ichijinsha's Monthly Comic Rex Magazine since October 2016. The third and last volume was published August 2018 with an English translation finishing April 2020.

Plot
When she was a child, Velvet Crowe and her younger brother Laphicet were saved by her brother-in-law Artorius when a Scarlet Night happened and daemons attacked their village; Velvet's pregnant older sister Celica was killed during the event known as the "Opening". Seven years later, Velvet takes care of her sickly brother with Artorius. The Scarlet Night returns, with the entire village succumbing to the Daemonblight: when Velvet finds Artorius, she sees him sacrifice her brother as part of a ritual, known as the "Advent". Artorius attempts to use her for the Advent as well, but she fights back and the Daemonblight possesses her arm, mutating it and turning her into a Daemon called a "Therion", with the ability to absorb Daemons. In a rage, she slaughters the nearby Daemons before passing out. She awakes in a prison for Daemons on the island Titania, swearing to kill Artorius and avenge her brother's murder. A group of beings known as Malakhim, who were previously only visible to "resonant" individuals, become visible to most people of the world after the "Advent". Over the next three years, Artorius forms the Abbey to bring peace to the Holy Midgand Empire, becoming the Abbey's "Shepherd" and is seen as a savior by the people for establishing the Exorcists using the malakhim.

After three years in prison, Velvet is freed by Seres, Artorius' former malak, who has broken away from him. During her escape, Velvet aids fellow prisoners Rokurou and Magilou and fights against the Praetor Exorcist Oscar Dragonia. Seres takes a fatal attack when Oscar turns one of his Malakhim servants into a dragon to face them. Absorbing Seres at her own request, Velvet makes a final attack on Oscar that blinds him in one eye before he escapes. Velvet realizes at this point that Seres must be a reincarnation of her deceased sister, Celica. Velvet and company then escape the island. Over the course of her journey to get her revenge, she also meets Laphicet, a Malak formerly in service to Praetor Exorcist Teresa Linares until being kidnapped and named by her; Eleanor, an Abbey Exorcist who questions their methods; and Eizen, a Malak who travels with pirates who grant the group sanctuary. They are also joined by Bienfu, a Normin Malak originally contracted with Magilou and who had since been bound to Eleanor while Magilou was imprisoned. Eleanor is initially reluctant to join Velvet, attempting suicide before being asked to spy on the group and then learning the Abbey's full plans.

The group learn that Artorius, Oscar, Teresa, and Legate Exorcists Shigure Rangetsu and Melchior Mayvin are trying to purge the Daemonblight by erasing all emotion from humankind: to do this, they needed to summon Innominat, one of five powerful Malakim called the Empyreans, into the world. The Abbey has been creating Therions and feeding their power to Innominat to awaken him. The Abbey is ultimately successful, with Innominat taking on the form of Velvet's deceased brother. It is also revealed to the group early on that Daemonblight is actually an impurity called "malevolence" generated by the negative emotions of humanity, which can turn humans into Daemons, and that Daemons and Malakhim are visible to only humans who possess "resonance" in them. Artorius' actions caused humanity's latent resonance to be amplified, revealing Malakhim and Daemons. Laphicet is revealed to be the reincarnation of Celica's unborn son. Initially disheartened by the revelations, Velvet embraces her role as the "Lord of Calamity" who will topple the Abbey.

In order for the group to defeat Artorius and Innominat, they pursue each of the Exorcists, defeating them and using their souls as sacrifices to awaken the four Empyreans. They then face Artorius, who merges with Innominat in the final battle before Velvet kills him once and for all. Innominat begins going berserk, and Velvet decides to seal herself away with him, allowing him to feed off of the malevolence in her soul and feeding off of him in turn, so that Laphicet and the other Therions (whose lives are linked to Innominat's) can survive. Laphicet becomes Innominat's replacement with the help of the four Empyreans who would serve Laphicet as his Lords. Laphicet then transforms into a benevolent dragon and purifies the land of malevolence, at the cost of humans not being able to see the Malakhim. Eleanor decides to become a Shepherd to guide the people, Magilou records the events of the world in her role as a scribe, while Laphicet renames himself as "Maotelus"—these events set the scene for Tales of Zestiria, which will occur 1000 years later. The game ends with Velvet embracing Innominat and living in a never ending dream of what might have been.