Athena Moonflow
Warrior of Light. Shepherd to the Stars. Scion of the Seventh Dawn
Basic Info
Name: Athena Moonflow ( née Kha)
Age: 26
Race: Xaela Au Ra
Height: 5 foot 3
Sexuality: Pansexual
Gender: Cis Female
Pronouns: She/Her
Nameday: 22nd Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon
Birthplace: Azim Steppe, Kha tribe
Eyes: Right eye - light blue due to loss of pigmentation. Mostly blind in that eye.
Left eye - dark blue with white speckles
Originally both dark blue
Hair: Blue with teal highlights.
Job: Summoner
Character playlist: Spotify
AssociationsColours: Blue, Black, Teal
Animal: Silver Fox
Flower: Hydrangeas
Celestial: Moon, Stars
Element: Water, Light
Season: Spring
Tarot Card: The Star
Athena is a quiet natured, introverted individual who cares deeply for those around her. Despite being the centre of attention a lot of the time, Athena prefers to take a step back from the limelight. She is shy, but extremely friendly when approached, and always willing to lend a hand to those in need. She's a little bit of a bookworm, so you'll often find her scouring local bookshops and libraries - most of the time, she is searching for any tome about magic.Whilst deeply empathetic and caring, Athena has a major flaw of not putting herself first, brought on by the pressure of being the Warrior of Light. This can often lead to Athena keeping things inside, and struggling to express her own feelings.After the events of 5.3, and struggling to deal with the trauma of the light sickness, Athena became extremely distant, and put on a mask of being cold and callous. Deep inside, she was screaming for help, but the pressure of being the hero stopped her from seeking help for herself.As she learned to process and overcome her trauma, she is slowly learning to set boundaries, express her feelings and allowing herself to take care of herself first.
The Echo and Blessing of LightAthena's Echo awoke in her teenage years, when she started peering into the past of people she met on the Steppe. She thought nothing of it, until she started having unusual dreams about a time much different to her own, yet inciting a sense of strong familiarity within her soul. It wasn't until her early 20s that Athena set out to find answers. During her adventures, she discovered that she had a strong defence against the Primals' tempering, which lead her to become the Warrior of Light.PhysicalWhilst close combat is not Athena's speciality, Athena knows just how to get out of a sticky situation if she ever finds herself cornered. She can become extremely light footed, which makes her dodging skills remarkable, and makes it easy to slide her way out of a corner.Magical AttunementAthena's ability to control and manipulate aether in the form of magic exceeds that of most people in Eorzea, making her one of the most powerful mages as her journey goes on. She becomes exceptionally talented in all forms of magic once she starts training. Her preferred weapon to channel her magic is a grimoire.Bahamut's AetherDuring her investigation at the Carteaneu Flats, the lingering aether of Bahamut fused with Athena, triggering her Echo to show what really happened to Bahamut. Spurred on by this revelation, Athena joined Alisaie investigating the coils. After the investigation came to it's conclusion, the remnants of the Dreadwyrm's aether chose to remain within the Warrior of Light, amplifying her summoning abilities. Whilst Athena knew it was still there, she chose to ignore it, worried about if it could ever take over her.Because of the aether sitting within her, the other members of the First Brood would be able to sense the remnants of their brood brother. This made some members trust Athena more easily, whilst some members became more weary.The concern about Bahamut's essence grew as she watched Nidhogg take over Estinien during the events of Heavensward, despite the fact that Bahamut's aether never showed signs of controlling her.During the events of ShB, the Light corruption touched upon Bahamut's aether that was resting within her, unleashing part of it's potential when Athena almost turned into a Lightwarden. This pushed Athena away even more from the potential power within her, afraid it could choose to take over and she would lose her sense of self completely.During her brutal battle against Zenos in Ultima Thule, it came down to an 'all or nothing' fight to the death. Finally accepting the power that lay within her, Athena's own aether merged with Bahamut's, priming her with a sliver of the Dreadwyrm's power, at the cost of the severe depletion of her own aether. A risky trump card.After surviving the battle with Zenos, Athena's physical appearance would change to reflect her acceptance of holding Bahamut's power. The plus side, despite looking more draconic, Athena still held onto her sense of self and her will.
The Scions
ThancredAthena and Thancred are extremely close. He was the first Scion she was introduced to when she arrived in U'ldah and it was him who brought her to The Waking Sands after he discovered her unique abilities. As they grew closer, Thancred grew quite protective over Athena, and became almost like a fatherly figure to her - always there for her and willing to help her out. They always had a good laugh together, and confided in one another when needed. When Thancred found out about her secret relationship with Emet-Selch, it did not go down well at all due to his own dealings with Ascians. Tension grew between the two, which hurt Athena even more as she trusted Thancred a lot, even as she tried to explain to him that she saw a different side to Emet-Selch -Thancred would not listen. His reasoning spurred on by concern that Athena was just being manipulated by the Ascian. The tension between the two continued post- ShB, which would contribute to Athena's PTSD worsening as she felt she could no longer talk to one of the people she trusted most, and Thancred felt extreme guilt that he couldn't muster the courage to fix the rift that had grown between them. One morning, Thancred found out that Athena had defected from the Scions. Panicked, and overcome with shame and guilt, Thancred scoured every corner of Eorzea, his whole being filled with determination to find her and repair that rift that contributed to Athena's declining mental state.When Athena was trying to push everyone away during Endwalker, Thancred often clashed with her because of this. He would confront her a lot, which only caused her to argue back, but Thancred knew this was not the Athena he knew, and suspected she was pushing everyone away as part of a bigger issue.After Endwalker, Thancred made Athena promise that she would talk to someone rather than keep it all inside, and he became one of her top confidants.Thancred very much reminds Athena of her father, and that is part of the reason she trusts him a lot.
The TwinsThe Twins are very much the younger siblings Athena never had. Alphinaud and Alisaie very much see Athena as their big sister, and the 3 of them grow extremely close throughout their journey. Athena is very much a confidant to the both of them, even if they're nervous about telling the other.Despite Athena being older, the twins are also very protective of Athena, especially as they start to grow a sense of just how much being the WoL was having an affect on the Xaela; even though Athena did her best to hide it from them. Alisaie especially was extremely vocal about how Athena needed to take better care of herself as the journey went on.The twins took it the hardest when Athena defected; with Alisaie joining Thancred in his search and Alphinaud trying to ask anybody who might have seen her. During Endwalker, they didn't understand why Athena had changed so much personality wise, but the WoL never had the heart to tell them what she was planning.After waking up from her almost death, Athena had strict orders to rest from the twins; their faces red and puffy as they thought they had lost Athena forever. Athena felt a lot of guilt having had put the twins through such heartbreak coming back from Ultima Thule in a near death state, so she promised she would, from now on, take better care of herself.Sometimes during disagreements between the twins, Athena often has to step in and be a mediator between the two, taking on that 'big sister' role very seriously.
EstinienEstinien and Athena didn't have the best start to their friendship due to Estinien's need for revenge against the dragons. Since Athena held a remanent of Bahamut's aether, and had a growing friendship with Midgarsormr, she felt the need to keep those a secret from the dragoon. She didn't necessarily see eye to eye with him in regards to plans of actions, and often had to become a mediator between him and Ysayle.Despite their differences, Athena still respected him, and vowed to help against Nidhogg. When Estinien fell to Nidhogg's control, Athena vowed to save him, to which he was extremely thankful for.It was watching Estinien lose himself to Nidhogg's power that scared Athena about her own powers with Bahamut. When she finally plucked up the courage to tell Estinien about Bahamut's power within her, he offered to help her train her mind and will so she would never have to fear said power, for he did the same with the remnants of Nidhogg's power after he was saved from the wyrm's control.Their friendship deepened through these training sessions, and they gained a better understanding of one another. Even as Athena accepted the power Bahamut had given and became more draconic looking, Estinien still highly respected her.
UriangerJust like Thancred, Athena saw a little bit of her father in Urianger, though he did intimidate her at first when she met all the Scions in the Waking Sands - purely because of how knowledgeable he was, but she soon learned that he was a kind man with a lot of intelligence.She would often spend countless hours reading in the company of Urianger, usually in a peaceful silence which they both appreciated. Athena was one of the few that Urianger let borrow his tomes, as he realised that she took very good care of his tomes - something which was taught to her religiously by her father.Urianger and Thancred would often tease Athena together, which usually resulted in her pouting but she soon learned to give as good as she gets, and the banter between all three of them would result in a lot of laughs. She often teased Urianger and Thancred were like an old married couple.Urianger was one of the first to find out that Athena carried a slither of Bahamut's aether. When he did, he promised not to tell anyone else since he could tell Athena was nervous about it, and he even offered to help her whenever she needed it if she ever wanted to learn more about the power resting within her.
Y'shtolaAthena sees Y'shtola as a mentor type figure. She highly respects the woman because of her magical knowledge and practices, and sometimes even asks Y'shtola to help her when she starts studying magic herself.As Athena's abilities grow, Y'shtola and Athena often pair up to do valuable research together, as they are considered the most powerful mages within the Scions.
G'raha TiaThey didn't have much of a relationship during their exploration of the Crystal Tower except near the end, when G'raha started to have some respect for the Warrior of Light before he sealed himself away.It was that developing respect that made G'raha summon Athena to the First during the events of Shadowbringers.As the Exarch, Athena and G'raha grew closer, however G'raha held a lot of guilt as he picked up on the changes that the light sickness were having on Athena; picking up on the way her eyes were subtlety changing, and knowing that he was putting her in danger, even if he had a plan to save her.G'raha slowly began to develop feelings for the WoL, however it was entirely one sided. He had a small hunch that Emet-Selch and Athena had something going on, as he always caught the soft looks the Ascian was giving Athena when she wasn't looking. He noticed that Emet-Selch always looked at the WoL differently to how he looked to the rest of the Scions.After Shadowbringers, G'raha tried everything to help Athena deal with ther PTSD; the guilt eating away at him as he felt he was partly responsible.As Athena came to terms with her own demons, she grew closer to G'raha platonically, and even though he still held strong feelings for the Xaela, he knew deep down that she didn't feel the same. He vowed to still be there for her as a friend. He took it upon himself to look after the Warrior of Light during her recovery after the events of Endwalker.
'Goodbye, my almost lover.'
Athena and Haurchefant's relationship, though short, was extremely sweet and comforting.Athena had always been grateful for everything Haurchefant did for her and Alphinaud when they took refuge in Ishgard, and it became a regular thing that Athena would share hot chocolates with the knight during her stay in the cold city.Haurchefant also went out of his way to accompany Athena whenever she went out to explore, protecting her from the few Ishgardians who may have still held a negative view of Au Ra due to their similar features to dragons.Athena adored Ishgard as a city, and she often spent her free time exploring with Haurchefant, which made their friendship deepen.As the course of Heavensward went on, their feelings grew deeper, but as the Dragonsong war worsened, both of them kept their feelings to themselves to defend Ishgard together.When Haurchefant was killed during the assault on the Vault, Athena felt her heart ripped in two as she held the knight's hands as he lay there with his life slipping away. It was in this moment that Athen regretted never telling him how she felt, and the pain of losing her almost lover would stay with her forever, his parting words never leaving her mind.'A smile better suits a Hero.'
'Speak of the devil
Look who just walked into the room
The guilted invaded
Notion of someone I once knew.'
In the simplest terms, their relationship was complicated from the get go.Even as Emet-Selch revealed himself to the Warrior of Light for the first time, Athena experienced a strange - but also familiar, feeling towards the Ascian. It was a mix of heartbreak, confusion, anger and longing, even though she had not met this man before this point. The Ascian would also feel the same pull, almost convincing himself that she held the long lost fragments of his friend's soul, but he dismissed it during that first meeting.What followed was a secretive, intimate yet confusing whirlwind of emotions.During the events of Shadowbringers after he had introduced himself to the Scions, Emet-Selch started appearing to Athena when she was alone wondering the Crystarium during the evenings. Naturally, the Warrior of Light was on guard the first few times this happened since he was her enemy - the Ascian himself couldn't explain why he did that, but the pull he felt towards the Xaela was too strong.This eventually developed into multiple quiet, uninterrupted meetings between the two when the Crystarium was the quietest, under the agreement of co-operation which he had presented to the Scions upon their first meeting. Athena never understood why Emet-Selch would propose such a strange arrangement considering their statuses, but Athena agreed nonetheless.As the course of Shadowbringers went on, the two of them found themselves becoming closer, that strange pull becoming stronger as they got to know one another. Those secret evening meetings became a regular occurrence. Athena kept them a secret from the Scions as she felt guilty for what could be considered 'conspiring' with the enemy, but she weirdly felt at ease with the Ascian - it was time where she could be herself, where she could have a break from being 'the Hero' and he a break from 'the Villain'. Their get togethers were usually at the Cabinet of Curiosity, as Athena was usually there reading the mountains of tomes contained within. It's within those walls that Athena got a glimpse of the man behind the Emet-Selch title, and he got a glimpse of Athena behind the Warrior of Light title. When suspicion began to grow from the Exarch about their meetups, Emet-Selch proposed a new meeting place. He would whisk her away to places he conjured up from his memories in Amaurot - secretly hoping it would spark something within Athena if she truly held the soul of Minerva. He would fill these places with things that held a lot of importance to his time with his dear old friend - a violin that she used to play occasionally whilst he played the piano, shelves upon shelves of books that Minerva would lose herself to whenever in the presence of his company. Athena and Emet-Selch's relationship deepened, their feelings growing as they had more privacy, it began to pain Emet-Selch to let Athena go come the sunrise of a new day, but she had to continue her duty as the Warrior of Darkness. Secretly, Emet-Selch was hoping that he could convince Athena to stay with him; to give up the path of the hero and join him on restoring the world they once shared.They confided in one another as they grew more comfortable. This amplified the feeling Emet-Selch had that Athena was Azem, despite being the complete opposite to his old fiery friend - there was just something about Athena that resonated with his longing for Azem, thinking that if he could continue with the Rejoinings, he could make Athena whole again. He could have his friend back. Even as he watched Athena struggle with the developing light corruption inside her, he truly believed that this was the course of action he needed to do to bring his friends back.Despite the feelings that harboured between the two, they still sat on the opposite ends of the moral compass.Athena did fall into the trap of thinking she could make Emet-Selch change his mind, but when he stopped the Exarch on top of Mt.Gulg, Athena felt the ultimate betrayal from him. It's this moment that she realised that no matter what he felt for her, he still had an end goal that he would never give up on, and even she could not change his mind.However, despite feeling the heartbreak and anger from his actions, Athena still found herself going to the Tempest alone before the Scions to find him once more. That invitation he gave her to deal with the light sickness pulling on her heart strings, for he was the only one at the time she could trust to help her deal with it. That final, intimate meeting between the two was raw; anger spilling over as they realised they were never destined to be together - but they still couldn't help but feel for one another because they ultimately had the same goal, and this broke Athena apart.When it was revealed that Athena did hold Azem's soul, but broken by fate to never be together, Emet-Selch intentionally did one final deed for her as he realised he was going to lose. He made her use up the Light that was corrupting her, eventually saving her life from turning into a Lightwarden.As he faded, leaving Athena with the words to 'Remember us' - Athena felt something in her soul break all over again.Even though they were never destined to be together, Athena could not help but feel the heartbreak tearing her apart. With the revelation of Azem now in her mind, and the only one who could have helped her understand was now gone. She knew their relationship was wrong, but he understood her in a way no one else did.When she saw him again in Elpis, that heartbreak reared up again as this was the man she caught glimpses of in the Crystarium - the one who wasn't tempered by Zodiark. The deeply caring man, hiding behind a mask of indifference. It was shock to see the difference in him from a time before the Sundering, to the Ascian she had come to known - a man tragically warped by the love he felt for his people.The one who held her heart for a short, yet intimate moment in her life.And if there's one thing Athena took away from him, is that anyone can change for better or worse, when it comes to saving the ones they love.Fate brought them together, and Fate broke them apart.
To be developed in Dawntrail (WIP)
'I want you. I want only you. I want all of you. But I'll take whatever you're ready to give'
@BunniFaye
@Contresixted
@doriandotexe
@etroveria
@ak81194
@TwoSecondDork
@KamisArtss
@AfterMagi
See this as a little FAQ:- I do RP, but my writing muse fluctuates a lot between working full time and other hobbies. You can ask me about RP though.
- I am open to discussion about collabs, however all I ask for is communication. Please don't hype me up then ghost me. I understand life gets in the away, and I appreciate just some small communication just to know where we stand. If things change, that's fine but I'd rather know than be ghosted. Same goes for RP.
- I am WCIF friendly. You can either DM me, or use my screenshots (with credit) in WCIF channels.
- I am not my OC, nor is my XIV twitter acc a RP acc, so I would prefer if you didn't refer to me like I am my OC i.e calling me "you" when you're talking about Athena.
- I have a line of GPOSE studios built on Chaos DC
-I also dabble in pose making, but very infrequently.
Have a question about Athena or Azem? Find my Curious Cat below!
Long before the Seventh Umbral Calamity, Athena was born a member of the Kha tribe of the Azim Steppe - child to Drago Kha and Nova Malaguld.Athena's father was highly respected in their tribe; he was an intellgient man with an insatiable thirst for adventure and knowledge, and kept up the tribe's teachings of learning non-Auri cutlures with great respect. On the opposite nature, Athena's mother was very much a homebody, preferring to stay within the borders of the Steppe than travel too far for long periods of time. Regardless, it was clear that the love between Athena's parents was strong.Every time Drago returned from one of his excursions, he would recount the stories of his travels to his young daughter, filling her mind with curiosity. He was a talented scholar; well equipped with magical prowess which caught the attention of the young Xaela and lead the father to teaching his daughter very basic magic in small quantities. Drago also taught Athena to speak Eorzean from his own teachings in traversing the lands. Through her mother, Athena was taught survival skills and wielding physical weapons. Even though Nova was supportive in her daughter learning magic, she also thought it would be beneficial to still learn these skills for protection.As Athena grew into her teens, she started experiencing strange visions and dreams of a time much different to her own.At 17 years old, Athena's father departed from the Steppe due to concerns of the strange phenomenon of a descending red moon that had appeared over Eorzea, something that Drago had learned about during one of his excursions. He knew he couldn't bring his daughter or wife with him this time, so he bid them farewell and promised that he would be back soon. Drago ended up dragged into the battle of Carteaneu after he spent months researching the strange moon that was descending, promising to help the Grand Companies figure out what was going on. His effort in the battle made him a war hero of Eorzea, but he was severely injured whilst attempting to help soliders retreat.On the night of the battle, Athena experienced a vision of her father after witnessing a stranger meteor shower, abruptly ending before Drago got injured. After the vision, Athena sobbed as she felt deep down that she may have just lost her father. After the battle, Drago spent time in Gridania recovering from his injuries, and he was given the title of a war hero by the Order of the Twin Adder for his valiant efforts in helping the Alliance. Drago requested that once he was deemed well enough to leave, that he was allowed to return home to his wife and daughter. Kan-E-Senna approved this request, and even commanded the Order help transport him back safely to the Steppe so he could spend the rest of his recovery with his family. He returned, at the ultimate relief of his family knowing that he was alive, and spent the time recovering surrounded by the love of his wife and daughter.
WIP
WIP
WIP
WIP
'I believe in kindness. Also in mischief.'
Long before the world was sundered, the soul of the Warrior of Light was known as Minerva, who would take up the seat of Azem as Venat's successor.Azem doesn't remember much of her childhood or her parents. At a young age, her parents chose to return to the Star, leaving a young Azem behind in the hands of her two childhood friends and their families. This decision was not taken well by her, and caused so much emotional distress for the young child that her memories became a blur. She cannot remember much, not even her parents' faces, and she often avoids the topic of her childhood due to the trauma.She was raised alongside her only two friends, Hades and Hythlodaeus, and the trio were almost inseparable. Those two were the only ones Azem allowed herself to grow close to, as her abandonment issues caused by the loss of her parents often stopped her from forming bonds with others. This often led to Azem getting into fights and trouble, a habit which followed her into adulthood, but she saw it as a defense mechanism to stop anyone from getting too close, and in turn, to stop herself from getting hurt. The closest she would let anyone get is indulging in one night stands of lust, which happened often to fill the void inside Azem's heart, and to feel wanted for once.Azem grew up to be extremely talented in magic use, even powerful enough to be on par with Hades. They would often spar to see who was the more powerful sorceror, and even though Hades would often win, he would never admit that Azem was the only one who could possibly outdo him in the future. Whilst Azem is proficient in all types of magic and magical weapons, she prefers to channel her magic through a cane as her weapon of choice.Even as Hythlodaeus and Hades grew busy with their job roles, it didn't stop Azem from causing mischief and dragging the two of them into her schemes. Through those two, she met Venat, who she was sceptical of as she was with every other individual, but through time and patience on Venat's end, Azem accepted Venat into her close circle.Through Venat's work as the previous Azem, she would share stories of her travels with her soon to be successor. This is how Azem learned about the different civilisations that existed outside of Elpis and Amaurot, and piped her curiosity. The young woman was well aware how different she looked compared to the other citizens of Amaurot, and she kept wondering if there were others like her in the world.Seeing the potential, Venat chose Azem to be her successor, a decision which did surprise the scaled woman. Through many training sessions, Azem eventually took the14th seat in the Convocation alongside Hades.Despite now working within the Convocation, it didn't stop Azem's hot headed nature and stubborn streak. She often argued with other members of the Convocation, refusing to back down and be looked down upon. This would cause tension between her close friend Hades, who was caught between a rock and a hard place between his duty and his close friendship. Azem found solace and peace when she was travelling, but often found herself feeling lonely. During these lonely moments, she would find herself drifting back to Amaurot to seek comfort in Hythlodaeus. She often missed her two closest friends, especially Hades whom her heart was aching for since their friendship started to get strained. It was then she realised she was developing feelings for both her close friends, but not knowing how to cope with loving two people are the same time, she chose to keep it to herself.As the phenomenon known as the Final Days grew closer, the strained relationships Azem had with the Convocation grew tenser. She argued and outright refused to go along with the Zodiark plan, as it meant all the people she met on her travels, all those civilisations outside the city would also get sacrificed. The more she argued, the more Hades was pushed to an ultimatum by the other Convocation members - outcast Azem or doom everyone. Bound by his duty, and refusing to let his home be doomed, Hades stripped Azem of her title and outcast her. Enraged by his betrayal, Azem left and cut contact with everybody. It was then told to Amaurot that she defected by choice.Suffering with the decision that was forced upon him, Hades continued on to continue his duty, but deep down, he knew he had lost one of his most precious friends.As the Final Days come upon them, Azem finally returned to Amaurot amongst the destruction. Her hope was to try and persuade Hades and Hythlodaeus to leave so they could try and escape. Upon finding Hades, she learned that Hythlodaeus had already sacrificed himself to Zodiark. Furious, and outraged, Azem lashed out at Hades and blamed him for letting the Zodiark plan go ahead.They fought - brutal and unbridled grief clashing with one another, and in a cruel twist, Azem finally won a spar with her dear friend. Bruised, broken and exhausted, Azem stopped before she could kill Hades.Her dear friend tried to convince her that they could bring Hythlodaeus back - that Zodiark could save their friend and their home with just more sacrifices, but Azem refused again. Not willing to sacrifice more innocent souls to these so called Gods that they had never seen.Tired, bloodied and broken, Azem dragged herself away from Hades - away from the Summoning of Hydaelyn - another proposal she had refused to be part of.As Hades escaped the Sundering, he watched his last dear friend get caught in it, and his last memories of the time he wished to recreate was Azem's soul getting shattered along with his home.He would spend the next thousands and thousands of years carrying the burden of feelings left unsaid.
Name: Azem
True name: Minerva
Race: Unknown
Sexuality: Bisexual + Polyamorous
Gender: Cis Female
Pronouns: She/Her
Height: 4 foot 7
Birthplace: Unknown/ Believes it's Amaurot
Eyes: Light blue with the Ancient's mark
Hair: White
Playlist: Spotify
AssociationsColours: White, Orange, Light blue
Animal: Fennec Fox
Flower: Fire Lily
Celestial: Stars, Sun
Element: Fire
Season: Summer
Tarot Card: The World
On the outside, Azem presents herself as a chaotic, fiery, energetic woman who's not afraid to show off her flirty side. Deep down, she hides a lot of insecurities and emotionally vulnerability which she masks on a daily basis. She's incredibly stubborn, which often leads her to arguments with others. She has a bit of a temper, and refuses to back down when she believes she's in the right. She's also full of mischief, and loves the chaos that can erupt around her. Despite her short temper, she's extremely passionate about what she believes in.Her masking of her emotional vulnerability means she often lashes out whenever she feels herself slipping with her walls. It's an automatic defense mechanism, the downside is that this causes strains in her relationships, and she often struggles to make friends because of it. This can often lead her to feeling extreme loneliness, which will cause her to find a temporary relief through one night stands.On a more intimate level, when she feels safe enough to let anyone in, she has a loving soft side that not many people get to witness, whilst also being a bit of a brat on times.
Similar to Hades, Minerva grew up to be somewhat of a magical prodigy. Her ability to manipulate and control aether standing almost on par with her dear friend, marking both of them as incredibly powerful sorcerors - something Hythlodaeus complimented about religiously when talking about both of his dear friends.It's through this ability that Minerva was able to help with the creation of concepts, even if they appeared as weird and wonderful as her chaotic personality. Problem was, Minerva had a tendacy to create concepts on a whim, often forgetting the rules regarding concepts and submitting them to the bureau. It was through this fault that Proto-Carbuncle was created; fuelled by her desire to have a travelling companion in a beast like form to help with her loneliness. Unfortunately, the beast came out extremely unstable, and had to be locked away to Pandaemonium at the orders of Lahabrea.Saddened, but determined to have a companion, Minerva would carry on with her studies in secret to create travelling companions, and decided to create two familiars instead who would join her on her excursions.
OrionBasing him around her failed Proto Carbuncle concept, Minerva tweaked the design until she came out with a smaller, fluffier version of what she had originally created. Shimmering like the light of the moon, this small little creatue was given the name Orion by Minerva herself. One would often see this small, little creature at Minerva's side whenever she was travelling, accompanying her on whatever mischief she decided to create.Orion would also often be used as a messenger for Minerva; his small size perfect for such a job. Orion's appearance often signalled to Hades and Hythlodaeus the return of their dear friend from her current travels was soon to be upon them, as if Orion was acting as her guide to lead her home.It was in Orion's image that the future of Etheirys would continue the use of Carbuncles for those training to be Summoners.
AstroBased around the winged horse concepts she watched in Elpis, Minerva knew she needed a more efficient way to travel around, thus bringing life to her 2nd familiar who would act as her noble steed.Astro would become her personal mount, summoned when she needed his help to traverse around every corner of Etheirys. When she was upon his back, Minerva felt free - unstoppable, like nothing could bring her down. She felt the most at peace upon Astro's back, unbound by the shackles of expectation from the Convocation. Astro would never fail to answer her call whenever she needed him. His appearance was based around the stars, built upon Minerva's wishes to one day expand her travels further to the universe itself.Minerva would often tease Hades into racing her amongst the clouds upon his own mount Grani, much to his reluctance - even though those races were often more like Hades trying to stop his friend from doing something stupid. Whatever the reason, his own mount could never keep up with the speed of Astro; his speed comparable to that of shooting stars.Many years into the future, there's some rumours that astrologians have seen the image of a celestial winged horse amongst the path of shooting stars, like the apparition is answering a call only it can hear.
'And all of that hurt, and all of those words that we said
You'd think we poisoned the ground on which we tread
But the lining is silver.'
Hades/Emet-SelchFriends since childhood, Hades has been one of few that Azem considers close. He was there when her world fell apart after she lost her parents, and in turn, has grown quite protective over his old friend, though he hates to admit it; and just shows it in his usual, grumpy ways. In many ways, Azem is an annoying thorn in his side - often getting bugged by her, but soft enough with her that he lets her get away with it. They have often had friendly, magical spars with one another, in which Hades has always triumphed, but he will never admit that Azem could one day beat him.Whilst he doesn't show it on the outside. he worries a lot about Azem. He knows about the troubles she masks, but unable to comprehend how to show his concern, it often results in a 'tough love' approach, which sometimes ends in the two of them arguing. Azem will often find herself drifting to Hades when she's itching for a fight, as she finds it cathartic to let out her emotions in an explosive manner if she's in the mood for it, and Hades delivers that attention with great care. Regardless, Hades cared deeply for Azem, and would always make sure she was okay, even if sometimes he had to do it from the shadows.When they both joined the Convocation, their friendship started to go through some tension. Hades would often find himself as a mediator between Azem and other Convocation members. Too many times Hades would find himself physically carrying Azem away before she started a physical fight.Despite the tension, feelings grew stronger. Hades tried to bury his feeling for his friend, for he did not know if she felt the same. However, he always felt intense feelings of longing and missing her antics whenever she was on her travels, and would always look forward to her returning home for a short time (even if he never let it on that he really missed her). Hades also felt that his work as Emet-Selch was of high importance that feelings would just get in the way, and his relationship with Azem grew more complicated as the Final Days grew closer.When he was tasked to outcast Azem, the feelings he experienced were an explosive force of rawness, and seeing the heartbreak on Azem's face when he betrayed her would forever continue to haunt him, but in his mind, the only way to save her was to go ahead with the summoning of Zodiark. Even if he meant he had to bury those feelings for her deeper.The Final Days arrived, and Hades found himself in an explosive battle of grief, anger and heartache as he clashed with Azem after she learnt Hythlodaeus had sacrificed himself. The brute force of that specific fight was enough to rip the earth around; an accurate reflection of the emotions that were raging between them. Azem eventually came out on top; broken and defeated herself, she left him there, despite his desperate protests for her to stay.When the Sundering happened, one of Hades' last sights was the back of his dear friend leaving him, and he would spend the next thousands of years carrying the weight of feelings left unsaid.
'Look at me with a smile in your eyes
No more tears no fears of goodbye
Thankful now for the time that we spent
Dancing our way through the stars.'
Hythlodaeus
Another one of Azem's childhood friends who grew up alongside her with Hades. Compared to Hades, Hythlodaeus had more gentle approach when it came to dealing with his fiery tempered friend, and often joined in on her shenanigans to cause mischief together. Hythlodaeus was not immune to giving into Azem, and also often let her get away with things.When it came to looking after their friend whenever she was out on one of her lustful excursions, Hythlodaeus was always the one Azem would go to afterwards if she was feeling extra vulnerable with her emotions and couldn't handle the tough love approach from Hades. This would often make Hythlodaeus the middle man whenever his two close friends would be butting heads, and he was needed to mediate the situation.During his shifts at the Bureau, he would often see Azem crash onto his desk and interrupt his shifts, recounting tales of her travels to him, and secretly, he didn't mind one bit.Hythlodaeus started to find himself caught in the middle of his close friends when their friendship started to become strained. Internally, it broke his heart to see his two closest friends at each other's throats from the demands of the Convocation, and plenty of times he had to intervene before things got too heated.Azem found herself drifting closer and closer to Hythlodaeus when her strained friendship with Hades became too much. Many a night, she would wonder to Hythlodaeus' place - confused, angry and in turmoil with her emotions regarding Hades. Hythlodaeus was the only one she could console in. This would eventually lead to both of them sharing a night of passion together, and where Azem would finally realize her feelings she had for Hythlodaeus alongside her own feelings for Hades, but unable to comprehend how to love two men at the same time, she chose to keep it to herself.Following Azem's defection from the Convocation, Hythlodaeus confronted Hades- feeling his own anger towards his friend for betraying the woman they both loved. Up until the Final Days, Hythlodaeus would work tirelessly with Hades to figure out the cause, but to no avail when they all found the Final Days upon them.Giving up the dream of returning to the Star together with his two friends, Hythlodaeus did the next best thing in his eyes - give himself up for the Summoning of Zodiark, despite the loud protests from Hades.As he made this decision, his mind wandered to Hades, then to the woman they both failed in some way.Some time would pass before Hythlodaeus found himself summoned at the edge of the universe alongside Hades, summoned forth from the ancient power nestled within the sundered version of their old friend. It would be here, that the Warrior of Light would allow Azem's soul to finally get a sliver of closure for the two men she yearned for, and promised that one day, the three of them would be together again in another lifetime.