With the drums of rebellion echoing across the kingdom, ARIADNE LAENAS is currently sworn to OBSTINATAM. THEY currently bear the face of HOYEON JUNG and are 29 YEARS OLD.
ARIADNE is a Fire Mage from the Blackspine Mountains. They are one of the rare fire mages with a blue flame, which gives their powers extra heat and strength compared to those with a regular flame. Their childhood in the Blackspine Mountains gives them insider knowledge on the perilous region, and their current stay at the palace allows them to learn the inner workings of the castle and the current occupants.
Trigger warnings: Kidnapping, injury, murder
YOU ARE BORN FROM A FLAME SO VIOLENT THAT IT NEARLY CONSUMES YOU. It instead consumes your mother, who gives her last breath in sacrifice of your first. A flame licked child comes as no surprise to the mages of the Blackspine mountains, not until your fire first reveals its ghastly, blue hue, instead of the standard red one. The first in several generations, you immediately understand what it means to lead a dual existence, an existence that invokes both a gift and a curse. You feel the weight the prior Caeruluem mages carry long before it’s explained to you outright. The fate of your clan is said to fall upon you. You, in all your blinding, volatile rage, would lead the life of a black sheep. Poor, motherless, cursed little thing, they’d whisper just loudly enough for you to hear. It is when another boy your age attempts to tease you about something that the truest extent of your power is revealed. In all reality, you’d wanted nothing more than for him to leave you alone. But the flames had come to your defense, the only one who ever came to your defense, and it resulted in burns so severe that he’d wear your mark for the remainder of his life. A monstrous, little thing, is what you would become, and you preferred it that way, for no longer did the other villagers meet your eyes with patronizing pity. They’d simply turn away, out of fear of prompting your wrath.
It would all come full circle once word of the Maximus siege makes its way to the outskirts of your clan. The mages are only able to hold off the king’s forces for so long before eventually surrendering. The promise of death looms above you all, but it is you who takes the threads of fate into your own hands. The king’s army planned on removing several young mages in order to discover the root of their powers, but it is you who volunteers yourself in their place. For why waste their efforts on their modicum of power, when you existed— you with the power to wipe out entire civilizations? They would not find another like you, at least not in this lifetime.
To this day, you don’t fully understand why you did it. Your clan did nothing but treat you as if your very existence had been an abomination. Part of you understands that any other place would have been better than there, and you’re right, for even in your makeshift captivity, you’ve found people who don’t look at you as if you bear the brunt of a clan’s curse. The potential for change and purpose are now in your reach. Despite it all— you never allow yourself to forget that you were born alone, but that you would not die in the same manner. You would do everything in your power to ensure that in the event of your destruction, the king and his kingdom would burn alongside you.
JUNO CALIDUS. Captor. The last time any army ventured into Blackspine had to have been a few years before you were born. Your clan received word of the Maximus siege, and the eventual outlawing of magic. Regardless, the Blackspine Mountains were ruled by no empire. They did not fall under the Maximus jurisdiction. After several failed attempts to ward them off— your clan surrenders. It is Juno who explains they will be collecting several mages for the purpose of the king’s experiments— something they assured was a significantly better option than a death sentence for practicing magic illegally. You despise them the moment you see them, and still you volunteer to go in place of several young, inexperienced mages. You were the strongest mage in the clan after all— and a few demonstrations are enough to make them agree to their terms. Leave the Blackspine mountains alone, and I’ll leave with you for the castle voluntarily. You did not trust them— but your options were presently limited. Any potential to run away disappears when you learn of your curfew— that if you aren’t back by a designated time each day to check in, that an army would be sent into the forest to massacre your clan. You would find a way out, someway somehow, and Juno would be one of the first to succumb to your flame. That much you could promise.
CATO SEVERAN. Student. You are intimately familiar with the history of their life in a discomforting way. They know little to nothing of their origin, and you understand that you of all people weren’t meant to handle such… delicate matters. You can’t even begin to imagine how to start such a conversation, and it doesn’t help that you’re unable to tell them the nature of your stay in Celeia. It’s only one more secret that you have to withhold from them. What you are able to share with them are lessons concerning your mutual abilities. They’ve taken to the lessons fairly well— but you know they’ve been attempting to bridge the gap between you— something you can’t allow yourself to do, if only for their sake. At the moment, they’re nowhere near strong enough to take on the forces that you’re dealing with. You know if they discover the truth of your stay that they’d attempt to take on Juno head on, regardless their level of preparation. They were just as brave as they were foolish, and you’d have to protect them from that. For both your sakes. They were one of the only chances you had at undoing the deal that bound you to the city.
EMILIANUS CAESO. Reluctance. It’s not long before an experiment goes wrong and you wind up in need of some medical attention. You pushed yourself beyond your capabilities, verging on the edge of burnout, which is how you wind up in the presence of Emilianus. He was one of the few people who understands the fullest extent of the task you’re undertaking. The fact that he bore witness to the injuries and after effects made it near impossible for him not to know so. You can tell there’s something akin to pity or empathy that he feels— and you know it would make everything easier if he didn’t. You never liked people getting wrapped up in your own problems. You can’t blame anyone for feeling sorry for you, for that was part of the reason why you’d volunteered to go on behalf of the clan in the first place. Neither of you fit in here, but in differing ways. You’ve grown close enough to him— for the situation usually called for it. Sitting in silence while someone healed your aches or stitched up a wound didn’t manage to bother you. Besides, he was becoming more and more tolerable with each injury.
PAX CURIO. Scholar. You first spot them when you’re returning to the castle minutes before your curfew. Their clothing was nowhere near nice enough for them to be part of the nobility, but too nice for them to have worked some sort of labor job. They run into you again a few times, but it’s not until they come across you assisting Juno with one of her latest contraptions that you truly notice them. You lock eyes— and you are unsure what to make of their look exactly. They stop you the next time they see you, and you learn of their position and schooling— but you readily decline when they ask you to discuss magic. They looked so hopeful, and it was easy to tell how much the subject meant to them. Though you weren’t entirely against doing so— there’d be no use in getting their hopes up. Eventually you decide to pay the library a visit, partially to look around at the books, and partially to inquire further about what the librarian knew. Perhaps they could show you something that would assist you with your plans, but it wasn’t exactly easy to explain to the librarian of all people your intentions of burning the castle to the ground.
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