◇《Akijan》◇ Age: 105 Gender: Male Gender Identity: Cis Romantic Orientation: Pan Personality: Apathetic, Cold, Cynical, Quick to anger. A stark contrast to the man he once was before his imprisonment.. Current Entry pieces: Art: -TBA Writings: The Tale of the Misbegotten Prince (Akijan's backstory) -More TBA Animatic (possibly) -TBA ◇《The Tale of the Misbegotten Prince》◇ "To be, or not to be, that is the question." A quote from a poet much wiser than I am, or could ever be. It's ironic how a line so widely quoted can hold so much meaning, both in front of your claws and hidden just behind them. To live, or not to live. Truly is the question, one that I ponder often in my prison. To live a slave, or not to? A difficult answer to know. There is a difference between the others chained beside me and myself. They had their lives stolen before they could begin. I had a chance to life freely, yet enslaved myself. Born of the highest blood, yet never destined to hold a candle to my kin. My father, brother of the monarch of the time, sired my egg outside of wedlock. From the moment that I had emerged I was a mistake, and he never quite let me forget it, nor did my stepmother and half-siblings. It only continued after the time-frame that any normal Felnine was supposed to have their magic awakening had come and passed, yet here I stood. Powerless, and most importantly, Fmiliarless. The only Felnine who held their claws out to me was an old priest by the name of Kaazib. Even when I was a young pup, he took me under his metaphorical wing and taught me the ways of our almighty god: Evros. He told me the old tales, read me the old scripts, and guided my paws to the holy man I am.. Or was. As soon as I was old enough, I completely abandoned any claim to the throne that I had (if I had any at all) and became a pious monk, devoting every hour of every day for so, so many years at the altar. I prayed, I preached, I studied every word of every tomb and even once I memorized the entire library I studied them again. In my pursuit of religion, I threw away anything that didn't comply, even the things I held dearest to my heart. One of these treasures I willingly let fall into the abyss was Ira. My dear, sweet, angelic Ira. I had met Ira when I was still young, a Felnine of the 4th order. I knew I loved them the moment they took my claws into theirs, and they loved me back. I loved them so painfully much, I still do. I would crusade each of the Arcane Empires and slew their monarch's heads one by one if it just meant to see them smile. I loved Ira more than the sun loved the moon, but in the end even the great flame of the heavens had to bid their love goodbye in order to bring the coolness of night, and that's just what I did. In the worst mistake I ever made, I chose Evros over Ira, and continued to each time I got another chance to re-enter their life. I knew that Evros would reward me for my loyalty, to bring my soul salvation... Then, my magic finally came. My age of Awakening at the ripe age of 81. Rare, but not unheard of for magic to awaken so late. I remember a flash of light before me as I had been praying at the Crown of the Abyss. A sea serpent reared it's head to look at me, and the next thing I knew, I awoke in chains. I was confused, till I learned that I was still in the Temple.. Just on a different side. A side with several other chained royals, all with sea serpents in tow. Familiars. They were familiars. The very god I had worshipped piously for almost a century.. Was nothing more than an illusion. My world shattered around me and stabbed my soul, erupting a pain so violent I was certain I would perish. I had given everything to Evros. Every waking moment of my life was devoted to his worship, a life that could have been spent with Ira. A life that I had the chance to live, and gave it all to the very temple I was imprisoned to because there was no guardian of the reef. There was no mighty serpent that I had traded the love of my life for their blessing. There was no Evros. It was a lie. All of it. And now that I finally knew the truth, it was too late. The life I could have had was already stolen. I would never take Ira's paw in marriage. I would never have a family with them. I would never grow old, watching pups of my own that would never be hatched grow into proud young Felnines. Now all that's left for me is to continue this wretched path of faith that I had embraced long ago, that I had enslaved myself to long before they ever did. Now it's my turn to, like my misbegotten kin before me, to continue the lies of a false idol. Lure other Felnines of the Reef down the same path I had fallen victim too. My dear Ira, I pray one last time. Not for Ervos, but to you. Oh be all my sins remembered.
Trivia: - Akijan means “ocean” in Belarusian -Ira means "watchful one" in Hebrew -Kaazib means "liar" in Arabic -Akijan is the cousin of King Iyun's late mother, though was not close to her -He had a few siblings that he was close with, though he abandoned them alongside his other family in pursuit of being a monk. They're all dead now :) -He often went by Aki as a nickname -His torn ear is from an earing of Evros's temple depiction that he wore all throughout his monkship. He ripped it out upon his imprisonment -His element is crystalline, though he doesn't really know how to use it. His mother was a fire element and his father was earth. Lots of black crystals have been grown from the spot he is normally chained to -Ira is still alive and in the kingdom, working as a Merchant. They make toys -Ira doesn't actually know that Akijan ever disappeared, as they lost contact awhile after their last attempt to rekindle a relationship with the ex-prince and no grand announcement of his death or disappearance was ever made. To their belief, he still is at the temple.. Which isn't entirely wrong -Akijan's sea serpent familiar holds the same colors as Ira's pelt, which is golden colored. Her name is Nura -Akijan was once a very humble and kind Felnine before. Now he is very cynical and apathetic. Anyone, the Abysskeeper included, is very likely to get snarkily quipped -He really just hates everything and makes it everyone else's problem -He still upholds his role as playing "Evros", having conveniently gotten level 2 magic. Despite his pessimistic life view, he ties to use his time as a monk to guide Felnines down the right path and give meaningful council whenever it is his turn -Kaazib, of course, was also none the wiser about the truth behind Evros, but Akijan still irrationally despises him. After all, if it weren't for him, he could have had some form of a life before it was ripped away from him -Before his imprisonment he really liked tuna. No reason he just really loved it -He's not very good at flying with his wings the few times he's been to the surface, he mostly used them to catch currents and swim faster -His horns actually connect at his brow with the front-most "third" horn, and resembles a crown when looking at him eye-to-eye. Something that he finds very ironic -When he was younger he hoped his familiar would be a seahorse -His pelt is a mix of hard plate-like scales and very short fur other than his mane -Was a very fast swimmer when he was free, oftentimes would go out into the open ocean with Ira -Speaking of Ira, they are non-binary, but afab -Ira would often read old religious tales out loud and dramatized to annoy him. -Akijan still wonders what his life would have been like with Ira, and regrets choosing Evros over them immensely -Akijan has never attacked anyone his 24 years at the Crown, the nature he build from his time as a Monk forbidding such violence, though he has tries to escape numerous times, leading to him being chained by his paws, neck and tail. -He is surprisingly quite sane.. Maybe just hasn't been in the crown long enough (more tba if I think of more)
