Post by Lepa on Jan 5, 2023 18:37:20 GMT -8
Name: Akirou
Alias: Akiro Hikami
Gender: Male
Age: ~600 (Appears to be early 20s)
Race: Sun Wolf
Home: A hidden forest in Japan
Alliance: None
Alignment: Neutral
Family: Siku (younger sister); various sun wolves
Friends: None
Rivals: Katsurou Shiroda
Enemies: Spade Moonbay
Likes: Swords, the mountains
Dislikes: Firearms, cities, Katsurou Shiroda
Job: None
Relationship: He was once friends with Katsurou, but it ended in betrayal. He has several siblings but has taken it upon himself to seek out his younger sister Siku.
Personality:
Though noble at heart, Akirou is stern and cynical after centuries of living. He prefers to keep his distance and observe. He is incredibly distrustful of others - humans in particular - and will keep his guard up around anyone he deems a potential foe. He detests violence and corruption of power and prefers interacting with simpler folk who are unconcerned with such things. Despite his sour outlook on the world, Akirou nonetheless continues his duties as a guardian. This means he'll still intervene to protect others as needed, grumbling to himself while doing so, even after initially dismissing them as suspicious.
Powers:
In his true wolf form, Akirou possesses great speed and agility. He seems to favor speed and finesse over raw power.
Nichiyōken - "Sun Sword"
A magic sword representing valor, it radiates a warm, pleasant energy similar to that of the sun. Akirou is an expert in swordsmanship, and his techniques using this blade tend to be light or fire affiliated. He cannot use them as projectiles, as the blade is for close combat only. He's best suited to use it while in his humanoid form, though he can still use the sword as a wolf as well.
Jade Rosary
Curved jewels meant to represent benevolence, Akirou uses it to channel his innate magic. Though it can be used as a weapon, Akirou has it take the form of a small necklace. It can be used to reduce or block magical attacks, depending on his reaction time. It can also enchant items by bestowing a blessing from nature, but the blessing must come from Akirou's heart. Since he more often relies on his blade than magic, these beads most commonly serve as means for Akirou to maintain his human disguise with no effort.
Weaknesses:
Though a magical creature, Akirou can still be killed by conventional means. He's also wary around water as his kind in particular are incapable of swimming. He also has an aversion to firearms and reacts to them more erratically than other weapons.
History:
Born in a hidden forest in 15th century Japan, Akirou spent much of his youth observing humanity in a constant state of unrest and civil war. It was his first impression of humans, and he wasn't sure if he could ever grow to trust them. How was he supposed to be a guardian when most of their prayers were to kill others of their kind? Akirou didn't understand. He didn't want any part in it, only intervening to protect the few innocents that he could.
Even when the conflict ended and ultimately united Japan, Akirou wasn't sure if the ends justified the means. He was appalled at what he had seen. The fact that humanity was capable of such terrible things... Well, Akirou decided he was better off making as little contact as possible with them. He would become more secluded than his siblings, focusing on his training and bettering himself as a fighter. Even though he chose to distance himself from people, he was still a guardian. The least he could do was protect everything else from humanity itself.
While Akirou's outlook on humanity changed very little, over the centuries he found himself most comfortable with small, humble villages that dotted the mountains. The people that lived there were simple. They had not known war. They lived to survive, struggling only against the forces of nature. It was these sort of people that he would protect, and it was here that he would befriend a young orphaned villager named Katsurou. The young boy showed a curious kindness and reverence towards Akirou, and in turn the sun wolf slowly warmed up to him. It was the first time Akirou had learned to truly trust a human, and the two became close friends.
As Katsurou grew older, he took up swordsmanship, claiming he desired to be a protector like Akirou. The sun wolf encouraged it. It had been so long since he'd seen a true swordsman... He'd even sparred with Katsurou to help improve his skills. Once he'd developed his abilities entirely, Akirou gifted Katsurou with a blessing on his blade, imbuing it with the power of the icy mountain wind as a token of their friendship.
When a group of foreign men appeared over the horizon, both the sun wolf and Katsurou's mentor Jiro knew they had murderous intent. Jiro went ahead to confront the men, taking several down before ultimately getting killed himself. Katsurou was tasked with protecting the village with Akirou, but when he learned what had happened to his mentor... The young man shifted into a savage rage, viciously slaughtering the remaining aggressors.
Akirou was startled by the change in demeanor. Katsurou was so mild-mannered and polite, if not idealistic... He'd never seen him in true combat before, but would he have even called that combat? It was murder. But... it was to protect the villagers, wasn't it? Conflicted as Akirou was, the sun wolf understood Katsurou was in emotional pain. Akirou wrote it off as grief at the loss of his father figure, but even long after the threat was gone, he had noticed that Katsurou had changed, even if it was ever so slightly. The man remained polite as ever, but... he almost seemed eager to use violence in the name of protection. It was as if the smallest amount of darkness had taken root in the corner of his heart, and Akirou didn't like it.
When Akirou tried to voice his concerns to Katsurou, the latter became cold and turned his blade on the sun wolf. Katsurou now knew what it felt like to have power against the forces of evil, and Katsurou thought Akirou sought to take it away from him. He had the power to avenge his mentor. He had the power to dispense justice as he saw fit. So, why would his so-called friend disagree with him? Akirou was mortified by the betrayal. Though he threatened to kill Katsurou in return, he was too disgusted by the treachery of their friendship and left without any more words.
With his perception of humanity again tarnished by violence and greed, Akirou retreated to seclusion once more. He remains wary of humans and avoids them as much as he can. It's not helped by the fact that he witnessed a man kidnap one of his siblings fairly recently, prompting him to leave Japan in search of her. He's since followed the trail to Aster City, where he fears the worst might have happened to his sister...
Anything else:
- Having witnessed the era of samurai, Akirou grew to hate firearms once they started to appear. He hates their loud noises and views them as brutish tools that any fool could use compared to the finesse and training required to use a sword. (He may have been injured by a bullet at some point as well, further driving his disdain.)
- Conversely, he loves swords and is a huge dweeb for them. Blades and swordsmanship are admittedly a guilty pleasure for him, especially since his disdain for humanity stems from a warring period that heavily used swords.
Human disguise:
Wolf form:
