Eden Ataraxia Winters
Torment the mind.
Name: Eden Ataraxia Marseilles Winters
( Ataraxia: ‘peace of mind’, ‘tranquility’.)
Aliases: Winter, Axia, and Mint/Minty if you really want to get on her bad side.
Age: Over 23 years.
Race: Human, but a curse was etched into her early on in her life. The curse gives her longevity and other abilities which shall be explained later on.
Sex: Female
Hair: Straight and long. White. She was once a redhead, but the curse turned her hair to the colour it is now.
Eyes: Mint green.
Height: 5 feet 7 inches.
Weight: 132lbs.
Weapons:
Shattered Angel: An abnormally large revolver made up of a material called Innocence, a holy ore. Her father shaped the ore into the gun and her mother helped activate the power of the Innocence. The revolver is an extremely powerful weapon, the bullets never need to be reloaded (even though shells fall out of the gun after it is fired) but needs a second or two to ‘recover’ or ‘recharge’ after all the shots have been fired. Any ‘unholy’ being standing up to this weapon will be dealt great damage, having been hit by raw holy power. Shattered Angel cannot be destroyed in any way. The gun is also able to have different ‘levels’ of functions called ‘Purging Levels’:
Purging Level 0: Straight Shot – Like a normal revolver. Normal firing rate and handling.
Purging Level 1: Rapid Fire – It enables the weapon to fire all six bullets in rapid succession. It makes it seem (and sound) as if only one bullet has been fired, when actually, all six bullets have been shot.
Purging Level 2: Twisted Split – The gun clones itself temporarily. Although the power of the guns is now half of the original, the speed of fire is the same. None of the other Purging Levels (aside from Rapid Fire) can be activated at this time.
Purging Level 3: Revolving Wind – The bullets are fired a lot slower than usual. They also move through the air slower. To make up for the speed cut, the air around the bullets begins to ‘ripple’ visibly. If the bullet hits the target, a larger, rounder wound is made instead of a smaller bullet hole.
Purging Level 4: Arrow of Angelic Sin – A powerful, single-shot mode. A large demonic-looking structure forms over the gun with a single hole for the shot. Eden pulls back a ‘string’ made of Innocence and uses the whole structure like a bow. The single, powerful arrow of light shot out hits only what Eden wants it to hit. The Arrow can disintegrate lesser (ie. very weak) demons in one shot, while powerful demons and other beings are only burned badly. Only one arrow can be shot at a time. And it takes longer to fire an arrow than use bullets.
Broken Butterfly: An
EDM Arms Windrunner XM 107 Tactical. A bolt-action, magazine-fed sniper rifle chambered for the Browning Machine Gun cartridge (.50 Cal. BMG.). The rifle can be differentiated from all others in the fact that it can be taken-down into 5 pieces or assembled, without any tools, in less than 1 minute. The complete take-down overall length is less than 32 inches. It’s carried (along with ammo) in a neat, black briefcase that has the shape of half of a butterfly (hence the name) engraved on the top right-hand corner on both sides. The other briefcase with the other half of the butterfly was destroyed long ago. The gun itself is normal, meaning that it isn’t modified magically or physically.
Excalibur – Chained in Fate: The legendary sword itself. The blade always shines brightly with a golden light. However, due to Eden not being a ‘chosen’ wielder, its full power cannot be implemented. As a result, when the sword is drawn, numerous chains appear and wrap themselves around the blade. The chains’ lengths are seemingly infinite, as they create more links if one tries to remove them from around the sword. The chains will sometimes bind themselves to Eden’s arm or connect to the walls and floor of an area, forming a formidable ‘web’ with the sword suspended upright in the middle.
Avalon – Extinguished Flame: Excalibur’s scabbard, which supposedly has the power to heal any wound and make its holder immortal. However, that power now seems non-existent. Instead, Avalon’s only use is healing other people (and not Eden) of any wound they can sustain, even if it’s fatal. Avalon also plays a part in helping Eden’s body reject the curse; when the curse’s ‘presence’ reaches its potential and takes over Eden’s body for a while, Avalon ‘resets’ the presence, making Eden’s body normal again. It cannot destroy the curse totally.
Inventory:
She always keeps a few things with her (aside from weapons), these include:
-Bullets for the Broken Butterfly, which she keeps in the same briefcase. Since the gun is not modified, the bullets can be bought if she runs out of ammo.
-The other half of the mask. It’s just a mirrored version of the one she has now, with a narrow hole cut out for her to see through. She sometimes puts this on when entering a fight.
-A carton of cigarettes. Always.
-A box of matches. They’re rather loud when she strikes them.
-A cigarette lighter. It’s small, sleek and silver. Used when the matches finish or if they get wet. Refillable.
Strengths:
Because of the curse’s effect on her eye (the world’s movements are sort of ‘slower’ to her sight), she can aim flawlessly with her guns or move to dodge a fast attack just in time. She takes mental ‘snapshots’ twice as fast as a normal human would. Another effect of the curse; her body can take immense amounts of damage and she’ll still be able to move, attack and dodge without much trouble (at some point in her biography, she brought down half of a stone mansion on herself when she created her companion, and was able to get up and walk away). Eden is naturally graceful, agile and swift, trained to handle different ammunition by her father (who wanted a son rather than a daughter), and trained in the basics of
Piguaquan by her mother.
Weaknesses:
First of all, although she wields a holy weapon, she actually takes a lot of damage from holy/light magic because of the curse. Holy/light magic bypasses the curse’s ‘endurance’ and slowly eats away at her body even after being hit. The wound will stop eating away and will heal over time. The curse’s presence (described by her as ‘The Darkness’) will increase every time she takes a blow, especially a supposedly fatal one. The Darkness will be seen by herself only when she looks into a mirror or reflective surface. Because of the mask covering the right side of her face, she is unable to see anything on that side of her body. She is also totally blind in the dark, even when some light is present, bright light (a single torch won’t help) is needed. She is also extremely dependent on Avalon to keep her curse in check, which forms a weak point.
The Darkness/Skills/Magic:
The Darkness – Harmonious Nightmare: When the curse’s presence reaches it’s full, Eden is engulfed mentally and physically by a dark form called a ‘Nightmare’. Physically, she is covered in shadow by a hooded cloak, so much so that none of her features are distinguishable, even if you shine a light to her face, the light would be seemingly absorbed by an ‘abyss’. Nothing can touch her at this point; a sword would slash nothing and a bullet would go straight through her. Also, at that moment, Eden will exist no more on that ‘plane’, replaced by that silent form of darkness. This Nightmare can attack and move of its own accord, slashing with claws that cut deeply and burn at the same time.
Eden herself will be transported to a different ‘plane of reality’ that is exactly the same, but filled with other forms of Nightmares. The Nightmares attack her relentlessly, inflicting great physical pain each time they land a blow, until she succumbs and is pulled back to the original reality, in her normal form, where she experiences suffering and pain like no other. She’ll be unable to move, or even blink without feeling severe pain. At this point, without Avalon, she’ll be unable to recover; if she falls asleep, the Nightmares would attack again, starting another cycle of pain. Avalon stops the cycle after she’s brought back, so she only experiences pain for a while afterward. Since the curse gives her longevity, it was meant to give her an eternal life of pain and suffering.
The Darkness – Dormant Dream: When the curse is dormant, Eden is normal, save for the fact that the ‘abyss’ still exists on the right side of her face (hence the half-mask) and her body’s endurance and longevity. Any attack directed at the right side of her face will have the same effect as when the Nightmare takes over; it’ll go straight through. If she takes off the mask and tries to view the abyss in the mirror, she will see the right side of her face as normal, while the rest of her body as an abyss (basically an ‘inverted image’). Occasionally, the image in the reflection will speak in a language that Eden cannot understand, and is not recorded in any library or website, anywhere.
Magic – Ragnarok -- Fate of the Gods:
“The sun has been devoured, the moon is no more. The stars have burnt out; the world shivers in the darkness. The fate of all Gods is decided, Ragnarok has been unleashed.”
—Translation of the characters on Excalibur’s blade.
When chanted once while Excalibur is out, the sword’s sturdy Chains of Fate stretch out and attach themselves to their surroundings so that the sword is suspended upright in the middle of the web of chains. Excalibur begins to pulse repeatedly, sending out numerous golden embers as far as the eye can see. Each golden ember becomes a replica of a weapon from legend or myth. The weapons remain suspended in the air, all pointing towards the center, towards Excalibur. The weapons remain suspended in mid-air and can be used to stand on (if you’ve got the balance) or they can be plucked out of the air and wielded. Anyone within Ragnarok’s range can use the weapons it brings out. Legendary weapons such as Mjolnir (Thor’s hammer), Gungner (Odin’s Spear), Gae Bolg (the lightning spear from Irish mythology) and the Claiomh Solais (The Sword of Light, also from Irish mythology) are among thousands of other weapons replicated by Ragnarok’s golden embers.
Skills: Eden is versed in the basics of her mother’s fighting style, Piguaquan, which focus on fluent and graceful attacks that rely on combinations rather than attacks with raw power. She is also no pushover when it comes to fixing certain devices and machinery.
Appearance (with Avalon and her half-mask):
Personality:
If you were to put her into a category of ‘alignment’, the most fitting classification would be ‘Chaotic Neutral’; Eden is an individualist who follows her own goals. Or just that one: to rid herself of the curse and be ‘normal’ again. She typically acts out of self-interest, but doesn’t necessarily enjoy seeing others suffer, so despite her willingness to kill, she does not necessarily do it for enjoyment. Eden usually dismisses any form of authority and she has no qualms about breaking any law. She can be crafty and devious, but can also demonstrate a capacity for moral thinking. Sometimes, her actions will border on the odd to the extremely insane, believing that she cannot die so easily. Eden is also a heavy smoker, but not much of a drinker.
Because of the trials she’s been through her personality has hardened instead of making her insecure. It is in such a way that nothing seems to really excite or scare her anymore. Eden rarely speaks or smiles, but can force a good pretend smile if she has to; as seemingly nothing can really make her smile. She is also bisexual, but attracted to women more so than men. Eden also shows great care for Ticker, her companion, and treats it as more of a pet than a tool.
Themesongs:
Soundgarden – “Blow Up The Outside World”.
Biography:
Excalibur’s History:
Just before his death, King Arthur ordered his loyal servant to return Excalibur to the one who gave the legendary sword to him: Vivian, the Lady of the Lake. Instead of destroying the sword, Vivian kept it, so that it could be bestowed upon another worthy king. However, many years came and went, and she found none as worthy as the former king. Decades more would come and go; Excalibur’s history would become legend, the ‘Legend of King Arthur’, the ‘Legend of the Sword in the Stone’. People soon stopped believing in things like the legendary sword and the Lady of the Lake.
Vivian decided that she would go dormant, so she entrusted the sword to a woman (known only as “The Keeper”) whose duty was to keep Excalibur until the sword stopped glowing, which would mean that a worthy ruler has ascended to the throne. The Lady warned the Keeper that if the sword was drawn out and blood touches its blade before that time, a curse of nightmares would plague Vivian and the Keeper’s descendants. Years continued to pass by, the Keeper handing down the responsibility of the sword to her descendants, who, in turn, gave it to their descendants. It was only a matter of time before one would forget to pass on the knowledge of the curse and blood would fall unto the blade.
Vivian’s descendants began to suffer from hellish nightmares. The Keeper’s family was wiped out in a war. It was revealed that a child in every seventh generation would have it the worst, being inflicted with both physical and mental pain. Excalibur’s ownership changed numerous times, finding its way back to Vivian’s final descendant.
Avalon’s History:
A little simpler than Excalibur’s; the scabbard was stolen from King Arthur before his final battle. Eden’s mother is a descendant of one of the thieves.
Eden’s History:
Eden and her twin sister, Eve, were born into an odd family. Their mother was a woman who knew an ancient Chinese fighting style and dabbled in sorcery. Their father was part of the military; a military scientist, to be exact, but he knew how to handle his guns. The father was disappointed, having two daughters and no son, but the mother was happy. As they grew, their mother taught them some of her skills, including some of her black arts, while their father taught them sciences and ammunition.
Their father had his own laboratory in their old stone mansion where he kept his experiments and secrets (including Excalibur, which his wife did not know about). It was there that he created the Shattered Angel, from powerful, holy, angelic ore called Innocence, which he had experimented on earlier. The two girls broke into his lab (using their mother’s sorcery. It was good practice) numerous times, coming across the hidden Excalibur and the gun made from Innocence. It was after Eve touched Excalibur for the first time when she began to experience nightmares, night after night. She began to lose sleep and strength, until eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore.
Eve’s suicide weighed greatly on the family, and the curse was transferred to Eden, who, even at her sister’s funeral, was more angry than sad. She did not cry. The curse now began to take its toll on Eden. Not knowing what to do, Eden’s mother bestowed Avalon upon her, which seemed to quell the curse. The father locked himself up in the laboratory, not wanting to face the problems in his family, only coming out at night to crawl into bed. During those nights, Eden used to creep down to the lab and break in, confident that he was researching and working on some sort of cure. This was when she found out the translation of the markings on Excalibur’s blade, and other documents that proved that her father was ignoring the family almost completely.
She found letters and notes in his date book that implied that he was having an affair, even before Eve’s death. Aside from the affair, when he was not meeting the woman, he was working, developing miniature ‘Golems’ that would act as spies for the military. Unfortunately, he couldn’t animate them. Out of curiosity, Eden decided to make an attempt to animate one of them using her mother’s magic. The result was an explosion so powerful that it destroyed the lab and almost everything in it (the other butterfly briefcase included), bringing almost half of the stone mansion down on her. The explosion also blew off half of her face, revealing the abyss beneath.
When she finally climbed out of the rubble, she didn’t come out alone. Eden was followed by a small, silver ball with wings and a long tail, Ticker, which would become a faithful companion from then on. Despite the massive damage she received, she was still strong enough to push away large stones and then get up and walk as if nothing had happened.
Thinking that she had lost another daughter, Eden’s mother started making preparations to do away with her own life. Before she could finish, however, Eden came in at the same time. Her mother was happy for a small while, before looking into the abyss for too long. She lost her mind right there, the depth of the abyss driving her mad, provoking her to hang herself right in front of her daughter. Not wanting this to happen to her father, she locked herself away in her room with some materials and tools from the destroyed lab, along with Excalibur, Avalon and Ticker. There she made two halves of a mask, one for the right side of her face and one for the left, which had a hole cut out for her to see through.
When she went to find her father afterwards, she found that he had shot himself. The note he left behind explained that he couldn’t handle the guilt of destroying his own family. It was then that she decided to leave the place in an attempt to leave most of these memories behind. After taking all of the items that were valuable to her, she set fire to the mansion and walked away without shedding a tear.
She was fourteen when her sister died, eighteen when her mother hanged herself and just turned nineteen when she left her home.
******
Name: Ticker/Tick-Tick
Age: Four years
Race: Miniature flying golem. Made from silver and animated by magic.
Gender: None.
Weight: Extremely light, less than 1 lb.
Height: About two inches tall.
Wingspan: A little more than one foot from the tip of one wing to the other.
Tail length: Two feet.
Strengths:
This little bugger is airborne, swift and stealthy. It can be used to spy or deliver messages. Even though it is light and can be destroyed in one direct hit, it can rebuild itself just as easily. And even so, Ticker is extremely hard to hit, just like a fly, which makes it an expert at annoying anyone.
Weaknesses: Ticker is small and delicate, and although it can understand humans perfectly, it sometimes isn’t very bright when it comes to some circumstances. Humans can’t really understand it, even Eden has some trouble. It sometimes wanders off on its own, and can get lost, even if it’s not far from Eden herself.
Appearance:
Not seen: A large mouth with very sharp teeth.
Skills/Magic:
Shapeshift: Its ‘face’ (above its mouth) can morph into various small images or icons to help communicate. For example, when it changes into an exclamation mark, it means surprise or danger.
Rebirth: If it is destroyed, it crumbles into small rocks. After a small while the rocks pull themselves together, reforming the golem. Ticker can also crumble at will and rebuild itself whenever it likes.
Black Hole: This little golem has a massive appetite, eating things as large as tables and chairs in one go, without stopping. The hardest thing it can eat and digest is iron.
Other than changing the shape of its face to communicate, it ‘speaks’ in clicks and whistles. Even though it can’t speak human languages, it can speak to other animals perfectly. It can also fly at very high speeds, but only in a straight line, it has to slow down a lot before it can turn.
Personality:
Ticker is fiercely loyal to its master, but also enjoys the freedom that Eden gives it. Usually when Eden meets other people, it will hang around those it likes, sometimes sitting on their shoulder and becoming their temporary companion until Eden is ready to move on again. When it is with its master, it will either be sitting on her shoulder or hiding inside her clothes. It can sometimes be crafty in complicated situations, but when it comes to simple situations, it’s not very intelligent. For example, it would fly repeatedly into a glass window before realizing that it has to find another way. Ticker can also cackle or giggle audibly when it’s happy, but only shiver when it’s sad or angry.