Jumpscare warning. Xerxes wasn't always a bad guy, and still isn't. Of course, he's done plenty of bad things in his past, as well as many good things, but you make your decision on his guilt or innocence. He was originally the main villain of Vampire Magic, which I have ultimately destroyed, and have now taken him (only him) and revamped him to become an antihero and perfect for a story, if I wanted to. This is his (tragic) origin story. When he was nine or ten, his village was raided, and his parents killed as he watched on. Xerxes is a species like an elf, who each have a piece of their "soul" embedded within a crystal that matches their eyes. When something traumatizing happens, their crystal corrupts and turns on its owner for some time, until they can learn to overpower it. Xerxes' corrupted about a year after the death of his parents, when the raiders returned to take what was left behind, and he used his newfound power to destroy them and save what was left of his home. Unfortunately, after saving his village, he was banished for using the corruption of his soul crystal. Years later, when he was an adult and had finally managed to control his corrupted soul crystal again, he found a little girl of the age of three, abandoned and alone, like he had been all those years ago. Feeling sympathy for her, he took her in and raised her as his own daughter, until one day, five years later, the corruption suddenly returned with a vengence, and he accidentally killed her with it when she suddenly appeared behind him. Torn and anguished, he tried to destroy his soul crystal, but only managed to willingly remove it from around his neck, disconnecting from the corruption and ending it permanently. He'd left it off for a few days until he grew too weak to go without it, and put it back on, the corruption gone. With the corruption gone, and his daughter dead, he had nowhere to go, and wandered the world for a long time, trying to find a new people that would accept him for who and not what he was. Unfortunately, he couldn't find any multiple people, but did end up falling in love with a girl of his own people. Even more unfortunately, war fell across the land, and they were separated. He is still searching for her to this day, though he is still helping out with the war effort, in the hopes that perhaps he'll find her and they can be together once again.
Thanks to @R10T for the coding and words. Art and characters are mine. Species: Litchen (LITE-kan) General Appearance: Pale olive skin, light hair, sharp canines, soul crystal medallion beneath their clothing, eyes that glow in the dark. Males and females each have long hair, and no body hair. The only hair on their bodies is what is on the top of their head. They are near-immortal with their soul crystal, and are frail without them. Pointed ears, tall, slender, elf-like in appearance. Needs: Sunlight (LOTS of it, because that is their source of energy and sustenance [food]), tranquility General Disposition: quiet and passive-agressive, though they are capable of fighting in wars. They will only fight for a just cause Soul Crystal information: Soul crystals require care and contain a small piece of a Litchen's soul. When that piece of soul becomes corrupted, the power within can and will take over the user's will until they fight back and return to their normal state. Corruption is often characterized by some types of psychological problems, such as multiple-personality disorder, depression, and self-harm. Corrupted magic can be useful, but is ultimately detrimental to the near-immortal species. Separation for several days from one's soul crystal is a slow and painful death, as it also allows Litchens to absorb the sunlight they consume. If you remove the soul crystal before running one through with a sword made of iron and silver, you will kill the owner. Special Abilities: Some forms of magic, light manipulation (invisibility through manipulating light through the cells, concealment of their cities using mirrors and manipulated light, force fields through solidifying light energy). They are also capable of telekinesis. They basically photosynthesize. They don't need to eat food, don't feel cold or heat, and the only reason for their elongated teeth and a mouth, for that reason, is because it's for defense. When they hit their ancient form (1000 years old), they turn into a light dragon-type being, and are no longer as vulnerable as their original form, as long as they live to that age. Their soul crystal becomes completely embedded in their chest, and the only way to kill them (complete pacifists and benevolent beings at this point) is to remove their well-protected soul crystal. They are seen as guardians at this point. Very few remain, though, as they are able to choose whether they continue to live or to completely join their soul crystal and, in essence, die, their soul crystal darkened and eventually turning to dust after a few centuries of sitting alone, able to guide their descendants, as long as there are some who are still surviving. Among the Ancients is Xerxes' gran-gran, who is 2000 years old. Xerxes information Species: Litchen Gender: Male Age: 188 (appears about 21 years old) Height: 6'8" (average for a Litchen) Appearance: Long golden hair kept in a braid most of the time that goes to his knees, blue-green eyes, tanned pale olive skin, sharp canines. He's tall, and his ears are short for a Litchen's, because of his early soul crystal's corruption when he was young. Looks tired most of the time, since he doesn't get much rest at night thanks to the nightmares he has from his past. General Disposition: He can be sarcastic, but he's very fatherly and sweet most of the time. He doesn't like talking about his past, and gets depressed from time to time, especially at night. Soul Crystal: gold chain and blue-green sapphire-type crystal. Abilities: Light manipulation, telekinetics, teleportation, general (minor) magics. Family: Mother and father (dead), gran-gran (still living), Laruai (missing), Tara [8-year old child adopted at age 3] (dead) Current Foster Children: Aria and Levant Firesong, Cadriel Stormbreath - all alive and thriving and happy. Also, they're all three dragons. Almost the last of their kind in their country of Voltask
