Fear Wight
Fear Wights seem to be invisible to sight most of the time, but when visible, a fear wight resembles a withered skeleton with no flesh remaining and a thickened, elongated skull that tapers to a point, much like a huge bird's beak protruding from it's brow. The hair is matted and and unkempt, but its length is unchanged from life. Ruby embers shimmer from deep within the eye sockets, and motes of opaque and impenetrable darkness, situated at the joints between the now naked bones, pulse gently in concert with the creature's movements. If viewed in the infrared, the motes of darkness at a Wight's joints appear markedly colder than its surroundings. Fear Wights give off no heat whatsoever.
Fear Wights seem to subsist on the fear of their victims, consuming it as though it were their food. They seem to be highly adept with powers of Illusion, and may be able to read minds in order to enhance their ability to feed from the fear of their victims. The single Wight that has shown itself in the House mentions that merely startling Matsumi Kaze is "delicious." One Wight, at least, claims that the fact that she does not kill her food makes her superior to Humans. This attitude, and their addiction to terrifying people, contributes to there being no lost love between themselves, (who seem to be responsible for The Fingernail Man and The Swarm that he unleashed) and the occupants of the Ten'Aino House.
Practically speaking, a Fear Wight is a sentient, slowly-charging battery of terror, who slowly becomes empowered and able to use fear to even greater effect. The most (literally) terrifying ability of the Fear Wight is referred to as "Psychic Ruin," a withering blast of supernatural fear that can snuff out the life force of sentient beings, but mercifully, it takes several decades for a Wight to accumulate enough power to call upon it.
A Fear Wight old enough to have its Psychic Ruin charged exudes a palpable aura of dread and fear. It has become what is known as an "active Wight." Wights this old can kill the cells of plants and animals by contact, and are easy to track, as they leave a trail of dead flora behind them. A Wight that is about to reproduce becomes more active and feeds more frequently, driven to darker deeds by the accumulated anguish of their victims.
Sages believe that the increased activity of Active Wights is due to the dark energy that animates them, driving them harder, in order to draw attention to themselves so that they can spread their curse; they claim this functions much like an obscene parody of organic reproductive urges.
Every 7 years, after a Fear Wight has persuaded a living being that life is not worth living (for whatever reason, such as pain or utter meaninglessness) and to embrace death in order to turn one's back on life, they gain one "free" use of Psychic Ruin against that individual. (Fear Wights seem to be keenly empathetic when approaching the living for this purpose.) Each successful "conversion" performed by a Wight will make their Psychic Ruin ability awaken 10 years sooner--thus it is common for these creatures to be found around the depressed or terminally ill, hoping to accelerate their own powers. This would explain why they favor locales such as Aokigahara, as the visitors who are already strongly considering suicide would make easy conversions.
People who become Fear Wights suddenly gain a talent for scaring people, almost like a form of racial memory. If the Fear Wight who spoke to the guests of the Ten'Aino house is to be believed, victims who become reborn this way DO remember their former lives.
If a sentient being is killed by Psychic Ruin, a bump or gnarl will appear on their forehead and grow larger and more pointed over a period of 7 days. Eventually, on the seventh day after death occurred, this protrusion breaks the skin of the forehead and is revealed as a barbed elevation of cranial bone. At about this time, the corpse's knuckles and knees will begin to darken progressively until they turn ebony black. Next, over a period of 6 days, this protrusion, now visible through the rotting flesh, will keep gaining size as the victim's skull continues to deform. Eventually, after a period of about 13 days, this outgrowth of bone will form into a conical point, not unlike a bird's beak, about 8 inches forward from the eye sockets. At this point, all remaining flesh will slough off of the fallen body and the victim then rises as a Fear Wight.
Note: Characters in the Box with great spiritual power or knowledge might know some of this.
