Zephyr Shadiene
Player Information
Name: Levi
LJ: N/A
Contact: AIM: Lethalscribe
Current character(s): N/A
Character Information
Name: Zephyr Shadiene
Age: 22
Canon: Original Character
Timeline: Prior to the end of the history section.
Affiliation: Trainer
Starter(s): Ralts (14, 78)
History: In the past, humans worshiped three monstrous entities that controlled the elements. The Behemoth, a creature that ruled over fire and earth. Quetzalcoatl, who lorded over wind and lightning. And last of all, the Leviathan, which reigned over water and darkness. These three gods kept the balance over the elements, at least until humans began to use magic mimicking the powers of these gods. These people were wizards, sorcerers, monks, arcanists, warlocks. They all had many names, but all sought the same power. However, seeing how corrupt humanity had become, a young man named Amon Shadiene sacrificed himself to awaken the Leviathan, which destroyed the highly advanced capitol of the spellweavers, Atlants, before being subdued, its soul sealed within a black orb.
The world Zephyr hails from is a fairly modern, almost futuristic Earth. Resources have over time, begun to drop dramatically, wars breaking out across the planet as each country vies to get their hands on as much as they need to sustain themselves. By this point, most third world countries have been wiped off the map, or have been inducted into a larger country. America is now the powerhouse of technology, almost rivaling Japan. Everyday, they manage to create new and more effective weapons to protect the country and take resources from others. The country is quite stable, as they had managed to get many resources stockpiled for such a crisis. However, there is a darker side to the government, despite what they've achieved for their country.
Without consulting the president, or any cupboard members, the secretary of defense and a team of the most esteemed genetecists and biologists, began ruthless human experimentation. The orb conttaining the soul and DNA of the Leviathan had been found at the bottom of the ocean, as well as the ruins of Atlantis. Scientists believed that harnessing the power of the Leviathan would create an unstoppable superweapon. The project was to create a new kind of 'Super-Soldier', with enhanced intelligence and abilities, to aid in the psychic squad already amassed by the government. This would give America a great advantage, being able to send these genetically altered soldiers out in secret to wipe out opposing figures in other nations. However, not all of the experiments went as planned, and many freed themselves, hiding out from the government.
Zephyr Shadiene was born to Alexander and Victoria Shadiene, the last remnants of a very powerful family of arcanist bloodlines.He was a very bright child, excelling in history, science, and literature, although lacking in math. He grew up along his twin sister, Ceireia, whom he got along exceptionally well with. Throughout high school, Zephyr continued to stay in the top of his classes, Ceireia aiding him with math, while he helped her out in science. An even trade off for the two siblings. However, stress and the upcoming college year pressured Zephyr greatly, and after graduation, he left for a road trip after telling his family he was going off for a while to explore. Several days later, due to a sabotaged car, he wrecked, and was pulled out of the area by government officials, whom had been watching him for years. The time had come to put their experiments to the test.
Two weeks later, after a horrible nightmare where he had been suffocating in darkness, he awoke after hearing a strange voice, and was shocked at his surroundings. It seemed like a hotel suite, equipped with bathroom, bed, and such, if not for the glass wall and door across the front of the living room, where a scientist was sitting, taking notes. Something in him told him that he need not be caged like this. He could be free. He could fight. After a moment, he realized he was stronger, faster, and looked different than before. Slowly, he began to manipulate the darkness around him, and then he blacked out, hearing random bursts of noise for hours. One of them being that a subject named Ceireia Shadiene hadn't survived.
When he awoke again, several hours later, all he could remember was brief flashes of the lab, the room, the dream, and the statement of his sister's death. He was shocked, scared, and depressed, but the voice in his head refused to let him rest, stating that there were things that had to be done. It was then that Zephyr first created his dual katanas, and began practicing their use. Still wearing a super-soldier bodysuit, he heard a somewhat familiar voice through the transmitter on the extended shoulderpad. The voice of his best friend, Kevin Ceres.
After a few minutes of deciphering where Kevin was, and explaining the situation, a female voice spoke into the tranceiver, a younger male voice also present in the background. Ariana and Steven Vespers. They too, had escaped from a different lab, and were searching for other refugees. Only about thirty miles away, Zephyr made a beeline towards their coordinates, only to walk directly into experiment 002. Ceireia Shadiene, his sister he believed to be dead. Now able to control plant matter, and a variety of toxins, she fought against Zephyr under control of a nearby psychic, a member of the T-Unit. Refusing to harm his sister, Ceireia nearly succeeds in killing Zephyr, only to be thwarted by another presence in his body, as the voice takes over, turning the tides in their battle in a brief moment. The psychic, seeing this, fled for his life, leaving Ceireia to snap out of his control. After seeing Zephyr and trying to talk to him, he reverted to normal, remembering that a voice offered to help him.
Reunited, Zephyr and Ceireia meet up with the other three, Kevin, Ariana, and Steven, and begin to plot a course of action. Rather than hide, they decide that these experiments need to be stopped, and select one of the labs as a target, Lab T, or Telekinesis. Lab T is the home of the T-Unit, the government's special squad of elite soldiers that have ESP. After destroying many of their records, and hacking into information they wish they hadn't discovered, such as the entity implanted and combined with Zephyr's DNA, a force hits them that leaves them stunned, a teenage girl standing in their way. Illina Feir, the head of T-Unit. After speaking with her, they can understand. She was not a normal child, a test tube baby created to harness extreme ESP potentials. She literally begs Zephyr and his allies to bring her along, as all she desired in life was to be free, not merely a science experiment, and they gladly accept her.
It is then that Zephyr loses control once more, this time heading in a familiar direction after abandoning the others. His hometown. The other arrive too late, to find most of the small town eradicated, houses and complexes still aflame, a dark figure standing over what appears to be a large symbol in flame. Zephyr snaps out of it and pleads for the others to kill him, before the Leviathan could regain control and kill them instead. Extremely reluctantly, they do as he asks, and believe to have killed him, his hair returning to its black color, and a stream of darkness flooding out from his body to swirl into the flames.
A voice rings out from the shadows and flames, taking the shape of Zephyr, but with silver hair, but the voice was not Zephyr's at all, raspy and menacing. Just before the Leviathan would have struck Ceireia down, a katana intervenes, an uninjured Zephyr blocking the attack and a determined, infuriated look in his eyes. He and the Leviathan do battle, matching each other's swordplay easily and both become exhausted. The Leviathan gloats, and in that brief moment, Zephyr shoves his blade through the abomination's chest, the beast in human form dissipating again, it's last words stating that it will never die.
The group of friends then begin their run across the country again, now attempting to find a safe place to hide from the government, without revealing their identities or abilities. Which happens to be nigh impossible. Steven performs one of his cyberkinesis net dives, only to receive a code from the government, stating that if they come back, their lives will be spared. Steven, being only 15 leaves the group and makes off for the most infamous lab of all. Area 51. Ariana, stricken by her brother's choice, still remains with Zephyr's group, and pleads them to go after him. She explains that their parents were scientists and had volunteered them for the project.
Zephyr and the others make for Area 51 with haste, infiltrating the underground base's defenses with quite some difficulty. Shocked by all of their findings, suddenly a familiar voice rings out, a black cloaked figure blocking the door in front of them. The Leviathan in human form takes off his hood, his blade already in his hand. The group fights fiercely, and manage to destroy several small labs in the course of the fight with it, finally being backed into a larger lab with a sealed container. On a whim, Zephyr smashes the container to reveal an onyx orb, and remembers something he had never previously known. The song of sealing. Quickly, he repeats the lines, which Ceireia manages to sing, the beast, even though fading continues to try to attack them, but is ultimately sealed away, its last words following. "I will never vanish. You will never rest."
Ignoring the creature's words, Zephyr takes the orb and sets off with the others, still fighting off and evading government forces, to find a secluded place in which to set the orb to rest. Off the keys of Florida, they find what must have once been a small island, a lagoon and a dense forest upon it. After sinking the orb in a deep pool in the center of the island, Zephyr and Ceireia return to shore to their comrades, to discover Steven, Ariana, and Kevin beaten and bloody, agent bodies scattered across the beach. One thing is apparent. Illina is missing, taken by the soldiers. The group rushes off, having Steven hack into the government's computers to find out where she was taken. After arriving at the base, the group waits until nightfall to launch their rescue, and split into two teams to infiltrate.
As Zephyr, Ceireia and Kevin infiltrate the base, Ariana and Steven provide a distraction with which to keep the guards occupied. Once inside, the three split up to search for Illina, agreeing to meet at a window on the first floor after they find her. Several minutes pass by as Zephyr grew more anxious with the search, before stumbling into a small lab room, when the lights are switched on, causing him to be disoriented for a brief moment. His eyes widened in shock, seeing Ceireia being held at gunpoint by a scientist in his 40s, a female scientist standing by.
In a brief flash, Zephyr disarmed the man, before slaying them both, a bullet grazing his shoulder. The anger he had felt rivaled even the Leviathan's own two years before. Taking Ceireia, Zephyr met up with Kevin and Illina at their rendevous point, before making their escape, unaware at what would be brought from the actions at this lab.
Over the next year, the group continues to evade and fight off attacks from both the government and the new, sadistic lieutenant of the Super Soldier forces. After discovering the murder of his parents at the hands of Zephyr, Neill went insane, dedicating every moment to destroying the group completely. In a last ditch effort, he sets a trap, claiming that if the group does not return to Ceireia and Zephyr's hometown, that all the citizens will die. Unable to allow that to happen, they rush into the trap, and a bloody battle between Zephyr and Neill ensues, while Ceireia and the others attempt to free the hostages. Zephyr, nearly killed by Neill, lies broken and bloody on the ground, as the sadistic lieutenant readies to finish him off. However, Illina stuns him briefly with a telekinetic shriek, and Zephyr plunges both katanas through Neill's chest.
Leaving the man for dead, Zephyr turns back to the group and is eagerly hugged by Illina and Ceireia, even in his battered form. Illina suddenly gasped, a thin trickle of blood coming from the corner of her mouth. Neill's arm lay outstretched, having used the last of his energy to throw a hidden knife-now embedded in Illina's back. Zephyr pulls the blade out of her, and begins speaking in the arcane language, which only Ceireia and himself understood. He was going to use the last of his own life energy to heal Illina. Ceireia held Zephyr's fading form as he slowly dissipated into the darkness he had controlled so well. After giving Zephyr a proper funeral fit for a hero, the others set forth in order to find a place where they could live freely. Months later, the group would slowly break apart, as they followed their own dreams, but Ceireia, Illina and Kevin all stayed in Zephyr's hometown as it was rebuilt, and resided within a small mansion on the outskirts. A sanctuary for those whom were experimented on.
However, after 100 years of his eternal rest, the gods reach out to Zephyr in the afterlife. Someone is destroying the balance of all that is natural, and the culprit is none other than his sister, who has been using forbidden dark magic to extend her lifespan indefinitely. However, this magic has also corrupted her soul. Zephyr agrees to aid the gods, and is temporarily given a new body on earth. Upon reaching his sister, he realizes she is so far gone, words will do no good, and she attacks him relentlessly. Although her powers had grown to match his own, Zephyr maneuvers it such so that both kill each other at the same time. In her dying breath, Ceireia smiles and thanks him for saving her. Then Zephyr too fades back to the afterlife.
As balance is restored, due to Zephyr's actions, the remaining two gods make a decision. The six major elements spread among three makes it hard to keep the balance. They decide that the elements should all be spread among six instead. They restore life, and give immortality to those who would serve as honorable, dutiful beings who would retain the balance of the elements. They strip themselves of their godhood, but remain immortal, and have smaller scale control of the elements, but give full power to the six they have chosen. The Leviathan's powers too were stripped, and he was freed from his prison. Thus, six new semi-deities were formed. Illina Feir, who would control the flow of water. Kevin Ceres, manipulating lightning. Steven Vespers, the patron of wind. Ariana Vespers, the mistress of fire. Ceireia Shadiene, guardian of the earth. And Zephyr himself, the emperor of darkness. All had these powers, but alone they were nothing. Only together could they keep the earth's elements in balance, and do their best to keep the world peaceful.
However, a game of the gods has been heard of, and they are interested in watching. Zephyr decides to go, and splits his power in half, so as to be able to keep the balance in his absence. He would keep in contact with the others while he stayed in this game, to report on the happenings.
Personality: Zephyr at first may seem somewhat distant, yet this is but a ruse, used to ward off potential annoyances, and keep those he distrusts away. However, once he begins to open up, he is a very fierce and loyal friend. He may look quite serious most of the time, but he's actually a rather friendly person, and does enjoy having a good time every now and then. Although he's been dead for over one hundred years, and has seen what humanity is capable of doing to destroy itself, he still holds hope that things will change. There may be evil in the world, but there is also good, and as long as that holds true, he strongly believes there is hope for a better future.
Zephyr is not a very social person, usually sticking with a close group of friends, but if someone initiates contact, he will gladly respond. Depending on Zephyr's mood, he can be either quite talkative, or a man of few words. Although he usually acts by instinct utilizing his emotions over intellect, Zephyr is actually very intelligent, which shows through from time to time. He tends to be very calm and rational, and since losing the darkness that corrupted his soul and body, rarely feels anger anymore. However, he does feel pangs of sorrow and regret from his past actions, and wishes he could have done things differently. He also holds a very high respect for nature, even though he's from a world in which most of it is ruined due to civilization. This is due to his historic roots in arcane, elemental magic.
One word that could describe Zephyr would be that he is selfless. He would much rather help others than himself, which is as much a weakness as a strength. He is also very modest, even though his friends call him a hero. He believes that anyone with a good heart would have done the same. Zephyr also has little need for physical belongings, as all he needs is his friends. However, he wears a pendant with an odd looking sapphire around his neck. A twin to the one he gave his sister for their 18th birthday.
Zephyr never has any trouble finding something to do, whether it be reading a book, going for a walk through the woods, anything. So long as it keeps him occupied, as he greatly dislikes sitting around doing nothing. He is a rather courageous young man, fearing little, but what he does fear is loss. Loss of his friends, family, of everything he holds dear to him. However, Zephyr will fight to the end to protect what and who he believes in, even if it will cost him his life.
Powers & Abilities: Zephyr in canon, possesses mastery of dark energy that rivals that of the gods of his world, as well as inhuman speed and strength. However, in game, all he will retain is the ability to sense nearby things through shadows, albeit faintly, and slightly better than average reflexes.
Posting Samples
Third-Person Sample:
It had only been a day since Zephyr had arrived in Sinnoh. Confusion had struck him first, having been pulled from the afterlife without warning. However, this world was faintly familiar. It hadn't taken him long to realize that he was in a world from a series of popular games that he and his friends had used to play long ago. Although he was disappointed that he had been separated from his friends once more, he was also excited. Another adventure, one without being hunted awaited him, and these Pokémon made great companions. Although he missed his friends greatly, he knew in his heart that he'd see them again someday.
He turned to look down at the Ralts he had been given to begin his journey with, whom he had since named Kei. The small psychic Pokémon looked up at him and tilted its head. Truth be told, this small creature had made Zephyr extremely happy. He couldn't wait to gain more friends and companions along his journey, so he spent the morning studying maps of the region, and plotting a course to travel. The other items he had been given along with the bag seemed fairly self explanatory, but it certainly helped that he already had some knowledge of them.
After folding the maps up and storing them back inside his bag, Zephyr hoisted it back up onto his shoulders. "Are you ready to go, Kei?" He asked the Ralts, which responded with a small nod. He bent down next to Kei for a moment, producing a berry from his pocket, earning him a squeal of delight. Zephyr couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the Pokémon's enthusiasm. "If you need to rest in your ball, just let me know." And with that, the trainer and Pokémon began their journey into the Sinnoh region.
First-Person Sample:
[Video Feed]
[The video feed flickers on to show a young man dressed entirely in black, from his trench coat to his shoes, sitting beneath a tree. Next to him is a Ralts, who tilts its head at him in curiosity. He smiles faintly before he begins speaking.]
Hm. Oddly enough, I know where I am. Quite a stretch from where I was, but that must mean I'm here for a reason. It's actually rather...exciting. A new journey.
[The Ralts nudges his hand lightly, tilting its head to the other side. Zephyr pauses a moment, before pulling a berry out of the bag leaned up beside him and handing it to the small Pokémon. This earns him a delighted sound as the Ralts munches on the berry.]
Oh, before I forget. Is there anyone in need of a few berries? I've come across quite a few and have some to spare.
Anything else? Zephyr would have some knowledge of the Pokémon universe. He would likely recognize some of the names, towns, and such. Not all of them however, as its been a long time since he's played any of the games or seen them played.