So. Sorry if the quality of the writing had dipped. Crazy things happened like pc trojan false-positives to a literally pc short-circuit incident... Oh yeah. Ao3's curse is probably 95% real because this happened while I was writing two fics at once.
Who knew xD
I can only force myself to laugh.
The entire hall was full of small fires and dying embers. The thick, overgrowth of vines was rife with flames and charcoaled ends and leaves.
"Good lord," Thomas gaped. "What happened?"
Did some hostage put up a fight against the mages?
He looked to the pendant in his hand and considered dragging out one of the mages he captured from this very hall.
Yeah, it's a bad idea, he concluded and tucked the pendant under his shirt, observing the room.
"Theseus reporting," Thomas tuned to his radio. "I'm at the mural hall, staring straight at an aftermath of a fight. Fire damage everywhere with holes on either end of the area."
"Fire damage? Did a mage throw their flames at you or something?" asked Chamomile.
"Nope, I just sent them in the pocket dimension as soon as I came right at the scene. But- I'm getting the feeling some kind of fight happened before I caught them. Speaking of-" He eyed the burning vines and grimaced at the damages. "How inconsiderate of them to fight with fire without realising flames eat up the air within an enclosed area."
"Not exactly. The air on this side is thicker than on the Northern Realms. Did you forget that, Theseus?" William added.
"Touché," He remarked, then grabbed a flashlight from his pocket to assess the damage around. Seeing the wall that depicted the map and mural had been blackened by the fire and smog, he tutted and shook his head. "And another Hin artefact dies. At least respect the ancestors dammit."
With a tap of his foot, he opened a portal on the floor and jumped straight down to save himself some time to walk the long-winded paths. He gauged at the possibility there might've been an escaped hostage on the run, thus he was prepared to give them his best smile while playing things casually. But as he turned the corner, he saw nothing but an empty hall with a dead end.
"I guess I was wrong," he muttered to himself and made his strides forward to assess the long path. As he did so, he sensed a portal on the wall and casually sealed it shut with a flick of his wrist.
"This is Overwatch, requesting Theseus to retrieve Hunter. I repeat, Theseus retrieve Hunter. The tides have turned to our favour," Linda reported.
"On it." He turned his heel before he snapped his fingers, opening yet another portal on the floor. Just as he did, he felt an unsettling itch, something he couldn't quite scratch or put to words.
Did I… miss something?
Thomas wasn't sure. But all that he did know for certain was that Reina should be freed first. He jumped down into the portal and landed into one of the isolated cells.
Empty.
He moved to another cell.
Empty.
Hopped onto another one.
Empty.
Empty.
Empty.
After the sixth cell, Thomas scratched his head and fold his arms.
"Was the fight so bad that they sent her to the lower cells?" he thought aloud.
If there was one thing to say about Reina, he knew she was always the kind who would allow herself to be beaten to a pulp if it meant getting the job done. Everyone in the squad knew that. That's exactly why William had always been opposed to missions like these. The acknowledgement alone made him worry. If push comes to shove, he would come out of her and start parading in her skin.
He immediately teleported into the lowest cell he could think of and found the door open. And at the foot of the cell door lay four bodies of dead mages in an unceremonious heap.
"Oh no."
Toshinori stood ajar from the unconscious girl Izuku Midoriya had picked up. His eyes were fixed at the sight of her bioluminescent skin, right before he turned his focus on the bandages on her arms. Even upon calling the authorities, the police decided it would be prudent to keep this entire ordeal under wraps.
Three UA students were found unconscious on campus grounds since this morning. And yet another three disappeared, only to reappear with an unconscious stranger. Under normal circumstances, this girl should have been sent to the hospital by now; but given Midoriya and Shinso's testimonies, the hasty decision was to keep her under watch for now in the nurse's office.
"I've seen my fair share of healing extreme injuries in all my time," Recovery girl began as she typed her report on her desk. "But never once have I seen a condition like this."
"What do you mean?" Toshinori asked.
"I took a few blood samples from her. Her blood has signs of radiation."
"Radiation? You mean-"
"Nuclear radiation, yes," she nodded. "The closest I could think of is something akin to Uranium. Worst of all is that this girl is high on adrenaline. Then there's the state of her injuries too."
She swivelled her chair to face the girl and shook her head. "Her body is always on a constant state of alert; the cuts on her arms showed signs of repeated trauma. I'm not sure where to determine the source of her quirk factor is, but I can confidently conclude her luminating skin might be caused to a nuclear fusion in her body."
Toshinori dropped his jaw then quickly said; "Isn't that dangerous? Won't this mean we're going to have to go through quarantine?"
"That's precisely what's making this case rather different from the rest," she interjected. "Her body appears to contain radiation, but that same radiation is locked beneath her own skin. Maybe that's her quirk factor in all of this. I'm going to need further tests to determine a definitive diagnosis."
He gave out a sigh of relief and glanced over the girl one more time.
"Doesn't she- remind you of something?" he said absent-mindedly.
"-The shining baby, yes. Even until now, there hasn't been a record of a quirk like that since his passing." She turned her attention back to her desk, typing away on the keyboard- "Quirks are known to grow, mix and evolve. We have a case like little Eri who could reverse the state of a person's body. Perhaps this child too might also be a testament to the radical theory that sparked the Humarise terrorist acts."
"The quirk singularity theory," he muttered.
"I'm glad I made the right call to have her kept under your ward, Miss Shuzenji."
Both turned around to find Principal Nezu by the door, accompanied by Aizawa.
"Principal Nezu."
"It was good to hear that the students have come back hail and whole, All Might," Principal Nezu said in his usual calm demeanour. "I merely wanted to see how everyone is doing."
Toshinori glanced at the other three students who had been found unconscious. The retired hero could empathize the rising concerns that lay hidden beneath the principal's smile. To find random warp gates across the campus grounds is one surefire way to put any fortified fortress into a frenzy.
"The robots on patrol have reported that after Midoriya, Bakugo and Shinso returned to campus grounds, there have been no more signs of those warp gates," the principal added.
"But it won't change the fact that someone was able to kidnap our students undetected," piped Aizawa.
"No, it will not," Principal Nezu agreed. "I'm not one who would easily advocate for silence on the matter. But in a time like this, a few weeks after the Humanrise case, now is not the time to release this entire ordeal to the public. Hosu and the 89-incident are already enough to incite the public's anxiety."
"Has anyone informed the HPSC about this yet?" Toshinori asked.
"They will be getting back to us sometime in the day."
Aizawa walked up towards the unconscious girl, appearing more sleep-deprived than ever. He gave the girl one good look and asked; "I've heard from Midoriya and Shinso on what happened. Apparently, this girl has some kind of dual-entity about her. But it was thanks to her they were able to gather as much information about the world on the other side of the warp gate. More importantly, according to the students' testimonies, this girl is part of a secret organisation known as the Secret Global Intelligence. Does that name ring any bells?"
"Secret Global Intelligence," Toshinori muttered, holding his chin.
Principal Nezu gave a thoughtful nod, "The title certainly sounds ominous; one that raises many concerns. Are they world-class villains? Or are they allies to the World Heroes Association?" -he turned to the girl; empathy reflected in his eyes- "What made them decide to employ a child into their ranks?"
"Hitoshi Shinso emphasized the potential dangers this girl possesses," Aizawa reminded. "As I stated before, Shinso reported this girl has a dual-entity problem; one body with two personas. Almost like a Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde kind of problem. Whoever wakes up first can spell out trouble for the rest of us."
"Then what do you suggest?" Toshinori asked.
"I think we should table this discussion tomorrow," the principal interjected, glancing at the teachers in the room.
"But what about the girl?" Aizawa crossed.
"I have a feeling this girl will be in no danger to us, given the testimonies our students have shared with us." Principal Nezu then walked apace towards the girl and hopped onto one of the stools to stand to get a better look. "Besides that, it has been a long night for all of us. And some of us looks like he is in dire need of some beauty sleep."
Aizawa scoffed.
Toshinori couldn't entirely settle with the new information in their hands. He gave the girl one last look as he worded his fears aloud; "Whatever the case, I have a bad feeling we might have stumbled into something far bigger than we imagined."
The same dream plays out once more.
The same memory.
Shimmering lights of crushed orange stones roll with every wave, intermingling with seafoam as it reached the Berenian shores. The scent of salt and minty dilla herbs wafting in the night air. And the little girl stood by the edge of the cliff, watching the sparkling sea that mirrored the starry sky.
Back then, the nights were the fears she beheld. Back then, pain existed. But even then, there was also warmth. Warmth, and a bottomless emptiness.
"Reina Orion shall be your name," her guardian said. "In many nations across the Northern Realms, Reina means many things. Queen or pure; wise or beautiful; lightning to receive and accept. As for Orion, it is the name of the hunter who stands there in the night sky."
Her guardian grasped the child's scarred, glowing hand and raised it up. Her rough, gentle hand arranged the girl's little fingers to point to the three stars that lined up in that darkened hue.
"Do you see those three stars?" she asked the child, who then nodded. "That is known as Orion's belt, and over there-"
She pointed to the brightest star next to the constellation-
"-That star is called 'Sirius'. The Northern Realm's brightest star that has ever blessed the night. No matter what may come, I want you to be strong, Reina. I want you to be strong as the brightest of stars; to be wise as a hunter and to shine like lightning in the dark. But more importantly, I want you to live, Reina. I want you to live to the best of your abilities; to be kind and wise and find people whom you can trust."
The little girl could barely see her guardian's face, but the kindness in her voice was like the cold waters that soothed the aches of her bruises. She held her gaurdian's hand right before she was lifted up from the ground and cradled into the adult's chest like her father once did. The rough hands began to smoothen the child's head before her guardian cooed the words;
"So long as you live, you are no blight of this land. No matter how cursed you may be, I will show you that you are worthy, Reina. You who are born endowed are vested with a duty; a task in which you alone can carry out and none other. No matter how cruel; no matter how terrifying and ugly the world may seem; life is precious. Life is worthy. And we are living it. Take heart, child, for you will see it for what it truly is."
It's hard, Polaris.
It's hard to live.
It's hard to breathe.
It's hard to believe in that.
It's hard to trust me.
She gasped in her wake, bolting upright soon after the memory ends.
Where am I?
The agent's eyes quickly scanned her surroundings. Four walls made from a medical curtain, isolating her bed.
Hospital room? Was I admitted? How-
Then she remembered.
GoOd moRNing, child, Dark Matter sneered in her head.
"Tch," she winced at the sound of that familiar taunt. "Shut up."
It irritated her knowing the damned demon was in a talkative mood. Reina looked to the closed curtain and saw the line of morning light spilling between the gaps. Her memories began to knit together piece by piece.
Thomas must have locked the portal shut.
Dark Matter hijacked my body again.
The mission… what happened to the operation?
Reina took off the sheet from her and got off the bed, pried her fingers to the end of the curtain and pulled it back. The sunlight streamed through the window, unveiling a vicinity she couldn't recognize. She patted herself down, checking if she had anything on her and found nothing in her pockets.
The mages stole the stones.
She dragged the curtain away even further and discovered she was inside something akin to a nurse's office.
I'm… in a school?
Another memory pieced itself together.
UA students- oh bother!
Pacing towards the window, she quickly analysed the type of lock this window had.
Sliding window... double pane... no locks.
She slid the window open and looked down and found herself placed three stories high from the window.
Trees down below… she turned to the side of the building and found no signs of guard-railings or AC motors for her to jump on top of. Just more windows.
Reina looked to the door and frowned.
Cameras. Possibly more students and staff. Dammit, why did it have to be UA?
She took a risk and headed for the door. No sense of the building's floor plan to gauge in her mind; no spirit stones to mess with one's perception. Sometimes unexplained events can work to an SGI agent's advantage. Treat their work like a rumour and not a confirmed myth.
She slid the door open and found no sign of teachers and students. The first thing she did was place her hand to her chest and breathed, letting her skin brighten to obscure the sights of others. And then, she bolted across the wide hall.
Hurry Reina, hurry!
She ran light on her feet, only ever realising now that she had long since lost her boots.
Good, no need for extra baggage.
'Speed is your ally'
One of the doors slid open from one side before a grey-brick headed man walked out of the opening.
First witness. Dammit. She already broke SGI's anonymity protocol. Bird's beak!
"What the-!" the brick-headed man jolted. "No running in the hallway!"
Reina sped past him, and immediately made a sharp turn towards the stairs and leapt onto its guard rail.
Faster!
She jumped off onto the bottom of the first flight of stairs in a roll and leapt onto the second set of guard rails.
Reina you must flee!
Upon reaching the second floor, she bumped into a uniformed student, bringing the girl into a yelp as she fell. A girl with a round face and bobbed hair looked stunned.
No time, keep going.
The agent picked herself up and continued to run down.
"Hey! Come back here!" she heard another male voice call out.
Two more floors to go. Elevator's a trap.
A few students who climbed the stairs yelped in either panic, confusion, or surprise. Either way, the agent automatically grabbed the shoulder of one of them and used them as a spring board to leap over their heads before landing on solid ground. Already, she could sense the growing chain of chasers double behind her back. It took a quick glance from one side to another to estimate the doors to her escape. Switching gears, she could hear panicked noises from every direction as she made her way towards the doors.
"-You!"
"Oh my g-"
"-What is going on?"
"-Something crazy just happened-"
"-too fast I almost missed-"
Focus! Almost there!
She bursts through the doors and was met with the sight of trees. No matter what, she had to escape. She must.
Feet touched the asphalt ground, somewhat cold but she could barely feel the scrapes. Reina took her path to the forest, relied upon the trees to act as the natural obstacle. The trees' scents were of a neutral wood, not like the rainforests of Berene.
Even now, she could hear her pursuers trampling to hound her down.
What do they care? A student picked me up unconscious, I shouldn't be in any of their business.
"Please wait!" another yelled. "You can't run in those injuries-!"
Reina could care less, ignored the voice and continued to run.
How much farther?! How much farther before the clearing?!
"I said wait!"
Before she knew it, the world toppled over before she found herself on the ground; held down by a familiar weight. She could hear the gasps of the one responsible as she struggled to move.
"Please do not resist-" he huffed.
The voice alone sounded familiar.
"-You're only going to make things worse for yourself."
Reina continued to struggle, tried to pry her arms free.
"Midoriya!" another voice called out.
"Mr Aizawa!" said her captor. "I've got her down but-"
"Good work."
Caught again. You've gotten sloppy Reina!
Within her periphery, she saw a pair of shoes walking up to her direction. She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her throat lump in frustration. The twigs snapped closer, right before she could feel the second man's presence looking down on her.
She opened her eyes again. Her sight met the face of a scowling man with tired eyes. The scar under his right eye reminded her of her guardian's scar on her left cheek.
"What a pain," he drawled. "That was some escape attempt. Not a bad one, but you made too much of a scene to upset the entire student body."
"Let me go," she curtly said.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," he retorted. "You're too much of an unknown to risk letting you escape."
"And what would you do, classify me as a villain?"
He narrowed his eyes. She could tell he was observing her despite being pinned down.
"If I let you go, will you cooperate with us?"
"…"
"I'll take that as a no."
HoW mUCH lLonGeRr muSt I suFferR your hesitatiON?
Shut up.
The light upon her skin faded, revealing a clear view of her face for the Northerner before her to see; a risk she was willing to take.
I haven't collected enough; have to be more ergonomic.
Heat began to spark at her fingertips, channelling her radiance onto the palm of her hand. Before they could react, Reina expanded the light from her hand, creating a force-field within her perimeter. Her captors tumbled and she was able pull herself back up on her feet.
I can't waste anymore radiance-
She absorbed the barrier of light back into the palm of her hand, clenched her fist and fused its light into a solid star stone. The agent turned to run-
-Only to be once again, caught by a strap of an unknown dark energy that caught her by the arm.
"-You're not getting away," gritted the student with green hair. "We still have more questions."
"Do you, now?"
Reina yanked the black, aethereal rope, intent on pulling him to stumble. The boy did not budge. She changed tactics, bolted forward to charge at the boy; her fist at the ready to throw at his stomach. The boy then threw his fist towards her. She quickly channelled her heat onto her fist, letting the light burst from her fingers; manifesting a shield of light.
The boy's fist recoiled upon impact; the skin of his knuckles burned at the touch of her shield. He yelped in pain, the sound brought her to hesitate for a moment.
Do not kill him. Do not injure him. Do not wound them needlessly. They do not know. They are not your enemy!
"Dammit!" she dragged her foot on the loose soil and kicked the dirt at the boy's face, obscuring his vision.
The adult Northerner then whipped his strange looking scarf at her to latch onto her other arm. Reina grappled the strip of fabric, focused her heat onto the material and melted it with the palm of her hand, breaking her free from his hold. Her eyes pointed to the man and glared at him as the fabric-turned melted metals dripped from her fist.
Let me go. This is my warning shot.
But the man only glared back at her, his eyes focused on her as his hair raised. He will not back down. That was what his eyes were telling her.
So be it.
She threw her hand onto the ground, grabbed a fistful of dirt and threw it straight onto her opponent's face. The man's cloth whipped at her to latch upon her leg; but she was quick to grab hold of the tether and singed the cloth, detaching its piece from his grasp.
"This is turning out to be one hell of a morning!" the man charged onto her, his body twists for an upcoming kick.
Reina blocked his kick with her own arm, unflinching at the sting upon impact. His fist swung with the aim to her stomach; she parried his fist with her forearms, grabbed his wrist and threw the side of her other arm onto the side of his head. She could hear the impact of her blows, how the man gave out a pained grunt. Not missing her chance, she throws her knee to his stomach, punched the wind out of him and used her leg to lock onto his and wrenched to the side and brought him down to the ground.
One down-
Her eyes turned to the student next.
-One more to go.
Reina gripped her star stone tightly in her fist, transforming it into a glass quarter staff.
Do not let this weapon burn human flesh, she absorbed her weapon's heat with her palm. Do not make this weapon be made to kill. He is not my enemy. They are not my enemies!
The girl before him stood her ground; gasping in her breath as her blue eyes glared daggers at him.
Blue… Not red like last night.
It wasn't hard to realise who Izuku was fighting against. This girl's moves were less grandiose and more reactionary than that of Dark Matter's. Minimised movements. Waiting for him to strike first.
Why?
If the shadow lance he faced from Dark Matter is anything to go by, then he can only assume that this glass-like polearm of hers must be made from light. She gripped her weapon on her front in an angle as if to guard herself with its reach.
Dark Matter fights on the offensive.
This girl stands on the defensive.
"Why are you doing this?" Izuku yelled. "The more you resist, the harder it'll be for you! Cooperate with us and we can find a way for you to go back!"
She narrowed her eyes, her grip tightened on her weapon.
"You cannot help me. Nor do I seek aid or trouble from your lot."
"Even so-!"
The girl slams the end of her polearm onto the ground, making it sing in the air like a glass chime before she pointed it at him. "Whatever pity, duty or convictions you hold; I will not allow you to interfere. Release me and you will not see me again."
"I can't do that!"
"So be it."
She charges at him, the blunt glass weapon aiming at his chest like a spear. Izuku was quick to guard the blow with his forearms; pain screaming down to his nerves upon impact. She then aimed low and swung the staff onto an exact point on his leg; setting him off balance to make him fall to one knee.
Her strikes were precise and less unhinged compared to Dark Matter, each blow he received was heavy and pain-inducing and yet-
-She's holding back.
Izuku's experience in fighting villains always had him guessing what their next move was. But this girl, this person was warning him; telling him to give up while she herself trivialised his resistance. Every strike. Every swing. He could see it. He could read her next move.
From above-!
He blocked her strike to his head by catching the glass staff. And then, she wrenches it back, dragging him with it in his grip before she slams her forehead on his head. His vision blurred, felt his scull ringing upon impact as she threw one final kick to the side of his head, sending him down to the ground.
Izuku groaned at impact. He had fought hardier villains than her. How was she able to send him on the floor?
She… did something. I don't even know what-
He craned his head up despite the dizziness. His blurred vision could define her silhouette looking down on him before she turned her back to him and started running again.
"N-no," he grunted as he began to pick himself back up. His limbs and his head screamed in pain. "I'm not giving up!"
One for all. 5%!
He bolted straight towards her, raising his fist as he knew this could be the only means to stop her from running.
Black whip!
He sent the fifth user's quirk at her, its black tendrils aiming for her legs with the intent of losing her footing. But the girl turned and spun her staff to block the approaching appendages; latching onto the glass weapon instead. Izuku now faced an inconvenient tug of war as she yanked her weapon with a trembling grip back. Her knuckles glowed, its unnatural light travels to the length of her staff until it reached the attached black whips; its coiling grip then disintegrates into a whiff of black smoke.
'Boy, am I seeing this?' Izuku could hear the Fifth's voice gasp.
It's just like that last time, he recalled. When Dark Matter absorbed my black whip!
Except the girl's eyes were blue. Striking, terrifyingly, hypnotic blue.
So, this is who she is.
In seconds, the girl slams the end of her glass staff onto the ground, her weapon sings in the air before it broke into splinters of light. Her fist opened as it absorbed the shards of light back into her hand. The sight was so mesmerizing he had almost forgotten she was his opponent.
The girl then wound back her arm, her glowing hand ready to strike until she suddenly froze. Her furrowed brows raised as her gaze caught sight of something.
"-Spirit of the hunt," she muttered.
"What?" Izuku turned to the direction of her gaze and saw the same sackcloth creature now waddling its way in front of her.
Her arms fell to her sides, her attention now fixated on the creature.
"Where is the rabbit?" she asked, her voice laced in alarm.
"Rabbit?" Izuku asked.
The glow on her hand then dimmed; her eyes now turned towards him. "This omen always carries a doll. Those that receive it are marked."
The sackcloth creature then stood before her, shook its head and stared at her silently. Her frown deepened and loosened her stance. It was only then did Aizawa groan from the ground before he slowly picked himself up.
"Mr Aizawa!" Izuku immediately ran to his side to help.
"You." Aizawa glared at the girl, ready to bark his reprimand; only to frown at the sight of her frightened gaze.
She raised her gaze to Aizawa, then glanced at Izuku before she turned to the creature. The creature gave her a small nod; the fright in her features then fell into a grave expression.
"I... concede," she finally said, raising her arms up in the air.
Just like that? Izuku then saw the sackcloth creature wink at him. The girl winced at the creature, inching a step away from it.
"You seem to know what that thing is," Aizawa pointed. "Mind answering a few questions?"
She glanced at the creature, to which it nodded in turn. Her grimace deepened at it before she answered; "Not here. Not while there are spectators surrounding us."
"Spectators?" Izuku asked.
She stretched out her arm, her finger pointed at a tree at their direction; "There."
Her finger then points to the left of her side; "There- and there. Four of them hide in the thicket of trees and bushes."
Aizawa gave the deepest of frowns when he barked; "Come out, the lot of you!"
Sure enough, out came a floating uniform, to which Izuku immediately recognised as Hagakure out from the direction the girl had last pointed. A loud 'tch' could be heard as Bakugo followed, right after Todoroki and Uraraka. Their guarded stances told him their intentions to intervene.
"You sure have one hell of a way on being a nuisance," Bakugo barked.
The girl gave him a steely glance, only to twitch at the sackcloth creature inching closer to her.
She really is afraid of it! Izuku noted.
"Ha, scared of some walking raindoll?" Bakugo taunted.
"…That 'raindoll' is the Spirit of the Hunt," the girl retorted. "An omen of a calamitous fate to those whoever it reaches out. For omen's emissary to appear before you can only mean that I must adhere to its cause."
"An… omen?" Izuku muttered.
Her eyes turned to Izuku, then to the rest of those who stood before her, regaining a sense of composure. Aizawa's long sigh broke the growing tension in the air, then glanced over at his students; "Head back to the classrooms, homeroom is coming in about ten minutes."
"But Mr Aizawa!" Hagakure and Uraraka protested.
"-We can discuss this incident on a later time. Besides, I doubt she'll be making more trouble by the looks of things."
Todoroki had been silent the entire time, but decidedly nodded as he turned his heel back towards the campus building.
"Tch," Bakugo scowled, digging his hands into his pockets as he followed in suite.
Izuku on the other hand grew hesitant to even move an inch. Not too long ago, this girl was possessed and tried to kill him. She glanced at his direction, her frown unreadable before she turned her focus towards Aizawa.
"Will you arrest me? Hand me over to Tartarus?" she asked.
"No," Aizawa replied, then eyed his student. "Midoriya, what did I say?"
"Ah, right." At that, Izuku reluctantly turned his back and headed straight towards the main building.
"I ask one last time," the girl said. "Who received the rabbit?"
Izuku turned to face her. "…I have it."
She lowered her gaze towards the creature, her face now more sombre. "I see."
I'm rather excited/nervous to finally (finally!) give a proper introduction to Reina and her perspective. She's a hard character to write because of the sheer amount of weight her character carries. Though she was introduced in the prologue, I felt that her characterisation is rather difficult due to some the many elements I had to cut off in order to make her character more tangible to the plot. One of the key things that was difficult to write about was the idea of how does she hold back in a fight. She had always fought with the intent of delivery of lethal blows to her opponents; always on survival mode. So it was tricky to think about the means for her to hold back against folks who she doesn't want to kill. And so I hope this came out alright.