Zechariah Ashkew

This character has two versions. The version I'm posting here is a hybrid of the two, since the second one was kind of an elaboration of the first, with only minor actual changes.

GENERAL INFORMATION

"The sum of a person's parts would surely create an infinitely complex number."

Name Zechariah Ashkew

Nickname Ash The Cheshire Cat The Blind Hunter

Age 17

Gender Male

Race Human Mage

Guild Hiraeth Seis

Occupation Mage

Tier C (White Rank)

Birthday April 9th

Gemstone Labradorite

This iridescent blue stone with its marble-like quality is particularly notable for the series of black cracks that appear to mar its surface, even when cut to be a smooth, round stone. Although it is generally reputed to be a stone of spiritual magic and healing, it is this stone's broken, almost surreal visual that suits Zechariah the most, particularly as it matches his now useless eyes.

Zodiac Sign Aries Many things are said about Aries. That they are stubborn, energetic leaders. Courageous, optimistic, honest, but also aggressive and impulsive. Very little of this appears to apply to Zechariah upon first glance, as he lacks obstinacy, enthusiasm, and any apparent interest in taking a leadership role, but he a closer look would reveal more similarities with this type than one might think.

BIOGRAPHY

「私にとって「記憶」というものを捨てた方がいいんだ。」

Long story short, Zechariah was born to a good, normal family in an isolated village hidden deep inside the mountains. When he was five, most of his village was burned down, and in the process he lost his sight and badly burned his left hand and forearm. He ran into the forest and wandered there for some time before finding his Exceed, Serinia. The two of them ended up stumbling upon the Yakuma clan, where he was abused in the pursuit of the perfection of his magic. Eventually, he left the village, went on the run with Serinia, and came out into more civilized areas, eventually choosing to join Hiraeth Seis.

DETAILED BIOGRAPHY

「俺はもう命全部の涙は流し来ちゃったから。」

Good Beginnings Do Not Always Lead to Good Ends Zechariah was born to a pair of Ashkews whose names and faces he does not remember. His hometown was a small, unassuming village deep in the mountains behind the Waas forest, though it is now nothing but dilapidated, scorched buildings overrun with wildlife. His family and village were poor and isolated, but still happy, friendly, and kind, and he was raised with love for the first five years of his life, a robust mountain child with a love for his parents, a natural talent for tracking, and a tough, but cheerful disposition. He grew up on whatever hardy animals the men could hunt, and whatever tough plants the women could find or grow in the rocky earth and chilly weather. He had never heard of magic or thought about the outside world, content and confident, as he was, in his own little quiet world.

But it seemed, the universe had other plans.

When Zechariah was five, a man arrived in their little town. A stranger. They did not get strangers, very often, and the mysterious man was met with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. He was cautiously welcomed in by an older couple without children, and fed and told reluctantly that he could stay for the night. At dinnertime, they all gathered together to have their meal as a community, and he delighted the children by telling them stories of his adventures. The children, Zechariah included, listened eagerly to him talk of things they'd never even heard of, and did not notice that it made the adults uncomfortable to hear him expounding on such flights of fancy to their impressionable kids.

That night, Zechariah awoke to shouts. He ran to the doorway to see what was happening, and saw the elderly couple fighting with the stranger who had come to the village, shouting and pushing him out of their home. He didn't understand. What was going on? "Zechariah, come away from the door." His mother said from behind him, pulling him from the doorway. Her voice was worried, so he complied, but his bright blue eyes strained to watch the proceedings curiously as he was pulled away. The man shouted something, and a burst of light lit up the square, temporarily stunning the child. The next thing he knew, the house was burning. No. The whole village was burning. Burning in bright purple flames that seemed to be laughing. Was that a face? How could it be laughing? Creaks and crackles and pops mingled with screams of fear and pain and loss and anger. All of it, all of it. Too much noise. And he was still blinking spots out of his eyes. He could hear his mother yelling, but it was a far-off kind of sound. Where was she? WHERE WAS SHE?

Reality came flooding back to the small boy in a flash, and he started crying, frightened by the flames, but not knowing what to do. What had been an open doorway moments before was now wreathed in death. His mother was yelling for him and his father, having escaped moments before, not realizing she'd lost her grip on him. He was crying and crying, and suddenly his mother had his right hand in a death grip, pulling him out. But the doorway. It was so bright and scary. "GO!" His mother roared at him in a voice he'd never heard from her before. They almost made it out. Almost. In a moment that remains very fuzzy for him, a burning beam in their small wooden house fell, nearly crushing him. Although the bulk of his body escaped too much damage because he was so small a target, his arm got trapped under the beam. He screamed in pain. In a burst of inhuman strength, his mother ripped him out from under the burning piece of wood. The splinters that tore into the flesh of his fingers went ignored as they were instantly "cauterized" by the fire itself. Twisting around, Marianna Ashkew flung her son out of the doorway before a chunk of the ceiling collapsed on top of her.

Vision blurred with tears and still blubbering a little from the pain, Zechariah turned this way and that, wondering where his mother had gone. His house, still being consumed by that cackling purple fire revealed a little of her outstretched arms, though her face was already burning and unrecognizable. Suddenly, all tears stopped. In shock, Zechariah took a stumbling step closer. The fire was so hot, and something was wrong with the smoke. Something was weird around it. It felt like it was choking him, it stung his eyes, but he could not blink, could not look away. He could only stare in horror. "M-mom. Mooom!!" Someone grabbed him, tearing him away, but he fought them. They were saying something, but it didn't matter what it was. He barely registered it. Shoving the adult off, he rushed closer to the fire, only to have a lick of it fling itself gleefully right at his face, seeming to sear it a little. He fell back, closing his stinging eyes hard for a moment, and the "whoever-it-was" took the moment to grab him and begin running. He opened his eyes wide, looking over the man's shoulder, the image of his destroyed home didn't look right. His eyes watered, having stayed open too long, and he thought he blinked, but he didn't feel his lids move. He must have blinked. The image was darkening, fading. No. No. Why? "MOM!" He yelled one more time.

The person carrying him stopped abruptly and more yelling ensued. Too. Many. Sounds. He struggled to get back to his house before it got too dark and he wouldn't be able to find his way back. His parents had always told him to come home before it got too dark, because he got lost easily. Angry words, spitting flames. He was jostled in his father's arms, and he yanked himself free, falling to the ground and running, running towards where he'd thought he'd last seen his home, but it was all just vaguely purple now. Where was anything? It was getting dark. All dark now. As his vision turned black, Zechariah ran unknowingly into the neighboring forest. Where was he going? Was this the right way? No? This way? He ran, then stopped. There was a sound from over there. That must be the right way. No. But then, did he see a light from over there? It must be that way.

Several hours in, Zechariah understood that he was well and truly lost, and had no idea how much longer it would be until the sun rose again. He sat down and cried until sleep finally took him. When he awoke, the world was warm, and the birds were chirping. The world was awake, but he could not seem to open his eyes. Was he opening them? Everything was still dark as night. He must have slept through to the next night, but what was this warmth? Fire? FIRE. Panicking, the boy ran as fast as he could to get away from the fire, but then stopped. That wasn't right. Fire was not so silent, nor so gentle. Fire was not dark any more than the sun. Now that he was a little calmer, he realized it should not have been last night, either. His fingers reached out until he felt warmth touch them again, and this time he moved slowly closer to it until his face, also was engulfed in the familiar, comforting warmth. He turned his face up towards the sun and opened his eyes as wide as he could, ignoring the pain it still caused him to do so. He blinked hard and tried again. Nothing.

He understood. He would never look upon the sun again.

If a Random Stranger Tries to Adopt You, Always Politely Say No The next few weeks were hard. He had lost almost everything. Unable to find his way back home, Zechariah survived warily on vegetables. His ears strained to hear every little crackle of a branch, his fingers to feel the difference in everything he touched, his nose to smell the poison from the food. Had birds always sounded like that? Had this kind of tree always felt like that? Had this berry always tasted like this? Luck smiled on him for those few brief weeks, as he managed to escape death one day after another, forcing himself to memorize what each sound, smell, taste, touch meant, sometimes even muttering mnemonic devices to himself to help him along. Just because he'd lost his sight and the use of his left arm didn't mean all of his senses had become magically enhanced. Always, always, he kept his eyes wide open in the hopes that someday he would find light and color again. His left arm, too, caused him much trouble. He would try to move his fingers without thinking about it, only to face the searing pain all over again. As time went by, it quieted to a constant, quiet throb, but the pain never seemed to completely leave. Unable to fully give up his old lifestyle, he learned to climb with just his one arm, so that he could sit atop large tree branches and rest for a moment. Working around these losses helped him forget, during the day, how he had lost them in the first place, and he gave up finding his home again, but when the air cooled again and all the animals went to sleep and so therefore must he also, the quiet allowed everything to come back again. Most of his nights were miserable ones.

One day, as he was wandering about, a high, childish female voice informed him. "There's a poo there."

Startled, Zechariah whipped his head around, instinctively looking for the source of the sound, though he wouldn't have been able to see it if his eyes were pointing straight it. He hadn't said anything to anyone for weeks, so it was with a little hesitation that he asked, "W-who are you?"

"Over here." Carefully, he turned to face the sound, which was oddly slightly upwards. A very tall person, perhaps? But the voice sounded like a very young girl. "Can't you see me?" The voice asked again. He shook his head. He heard an odd sound he'd never heard before, a bit like fluttering, or flapping? A sort of sparkly noise accompanied it, and then he felt a light warmth and the voice came from right in front of his face. "How about now?"

He yelped, and stumbled backwards. "W-what are you?" He asked, shaking.

There was a brief silence, and then she said, "I'm a cat! A flying cat. At least, that's what Granny Whinny calls me. And I saw you. You stepped in the poo."

Zechariah blinked in her general direction. "A... flying cat?" Another silence he did not know was her nodding.

"Yep. I'm a flying cat. You can't see very well, can you?" She asked, childishly, and suddenly he felt something soft and warm land on his hand.

He gave another jump of surprise, but managed to reach his right hand up in time to stop the poor thing from falling off. He instinctively brought his left hand up as well, but when it clumsily touched the Exceed, he gave a hiss of pain and withdrew it. Carefully holding her with just his left hand, he brought her down to his face level. "I can't see at all." Cradling her in the crook of his left arm, he patted her gingerly with his right hand. From what it felt like, the creature did appear to be telling the truth. About the cat part, anyways. He couldn't feel anything in the way of wings. "But cats can't fly. Or talk." He said, quietly. They'd had a couple in his village.

"I can." She said, springing from his arm and into the air. It hurt his arm, but she didn't seem to notice.

He nodded, obediently. "I'm Zechariah, who are you? Is your granny close by?" PEOPLE. Maybe there were people nearby! He didn't remember anyone named "Whinny," but it could still be someone from his village, maybe! He tried to convince himself that he had known someone named Whinny.

"I'm Serinia." There was a flutter as she gave a mid-air curtsy. "And Granny Whinny is gone, so it's just me, now. And you! You're not like Granny Whinny, though, you're smaller. And your arm looks funny." His hope was instantly crushed. This cat had never seen another person before, clearly. Nor did it appear this "granny" of hers had lived with anyone else. Maybe she had been a flying cat, too, now that he thought about it. He drooped a little, and made as if to walk away, but Serinia just continued to follow him, chattering a little.

Serinia did not leave him alone from then on. She continued following him, and Zechariah found himself enjoying her company. It was nice to talk to someone else, and she helped him avoid doing thing like running into trees, falling off cliffs, or slipping on mud. It was not uncommon for her to follow him up a tree and just sit on his lap, the two of them simply enjoying their time together, and it became habitual for her to curl up on top of his chest when they slept. He told her about the village, and the strange man, about his mother and his arm, and she told him a couple stories of her few days with the woman known as "Granny Whinny" who had passed away not long after she had hatched. Little by little, he felt her healing him a little, giving him hope of finding his family again. Finally, one day, it seemed like his wish had come true. She excitedly came back and told him she'd seen a village. It was next to a large waterfall, which his had not been, but it was people.

He arrived at the mysterious village excited. This village, however, was even more unwelcoming to visitors than his had been. He had unknowingly stumbled upon the remnants of an ancient people. The Yakuma clan. When he walked into the clearing where they were set up, the nearest person jumped and reached for a weapon, pulling out a knife and demanding to know his identity. He looked over at her without quite meeting her eyes. He was not afraid of her, because she had pulled the knife from where it had been secured in her clothes, and he did not recognize the sound. It took little for her to realize he could not actually see her at all. Bringing the child in, she told him to wait inside her house and went to tell the elders of the clan. They were not happy, and held a council to discuss what to do with this unknown boy. Some thought it would be best to send him back into the forest. He had seen and understood nothing, surely. Others wanted to put him to death. Just because he couldn't see anything, didn't mean he wouldn't end up telling anyone else what he had found. Finally, one elder, Geilig Yakuma, declared that he would teach the boy in their ways, in the one magic that could only be taught to blind children, Contact. He would be taught as one of them. Live as one of them. Die as one of them. And their secret would never get out.

Zechariah knew nothing of this discussion, only that he had been told to wait in the strange woman's home for quite a long while. He ate whatever she gave him and fell asleep, hugging Serinia happily. The next day, Serinia was pulled from his arms. The man who came to pick him up spoke in a rough voice. "Zechariah Ashkew, is it? You are not Zechariah anymore. Forget that name. You are Ash. You were born a weak-willed child of fire. We will change that. I will teach you magic, the magic of our people so that you can be reborn as one of us." It was an odd surprise, but not an unpleasant one. He was excited to hear that such a thing existed, and that this village was being kind enough to teach it to him, so that he could be stronger, overcome the lack of his sight.

That optimism was ruthlessly crushed over the next year or so. Serinia, who had escaped when they had tried to kill her, watched over Ash fearfully from the shadows of the forest. Before teaching him any magic at all, Geilig taught him the Yakuma language, which was necessary for casting Yakuma magic, and put him through a horrific physical training. His natural clumsiness got him into immense trouble, and every time he made a mistake he was punished severely. He was forced to run through the village and forest at top speed for what felt like miles, to bathe in the freezing cold waters of the waterfall every day, to try and grab things with his mangled arm, to stay in a squatting position for hours. If he could not complete these things he was beat by Geilig who told him over and over again that he was worth nothing if he did not get stronger. He cried a lot at first, but eventually grew used to it. He had thought that Serinia had abandoned him, and found no comfort in the other children, who were treated similarly each in their own forms of the eighteen.

"On the Run" Very Rarely Entails Any Actual Running A little over a year after he had joined, Geilig decided that it was time for "Ash" to take a tougher path. He had thus far been unsuccessful at actually casting the magic, though he had suffered much for it, and had picked up the language faster than expected. He took him to the edge of the forest and told him to go in there and hunt. His progress would be monitored, but he would not be protected or saved. The plan was for a guide to take him to a specific area of the forest where the most dangerous animals lived, and then force him to survive and find his way back on his own. Not having mastered his magic at all, he was terrified to try such a thing, and after he was dropped off, he didn't move for a bit, trying hard to get something, anything to work. Then, he heard a scream. Serinia had followed him into the forest and, thinking that he was alone at last, had tried to approach him, only to be caught by his monitor. "HELP!" She screamed, and this time, Ash recognized her voice. It was Serinia. She was in danger. It was the push he had needed.

A rune appeared under his feet and the language of the Yakuma peoples that he had been forced to learn slipped from his tongue naturally, an expression of poison-like anger. Before he really understood what he himself had done, a keening shriek of sound flashed through the forest in a burst of the amorphous ball of sound that epitomized yakuma magic, stunning both Serinia and the man who had caught her. Another set of words, and for a brief second, he could see the whole of the forest clearly, though without color. He raced forward and freed Serinia of the man. Geilig's lackey was a user of Command, the powerful ability to force one to do what you say, even against their will. Although he was still in his teens, and not very strong, he recovered tolerably from the burst of sound and commanded Ash to "Come here." Ash complied without even trying to fight it, but on his way, he grabbed a rock and clobbered the man in the leg. When he hopped one leg in surprise and fell down to Ash's level, the kid clobbered him hard on the head, certainly enough to knock him out and perhaps enough to leave permanent damage. Zechariah had had enough. He turned and walked away, fully aware that the Yakuma clan would probably hunt him down after this, but not caring.

Crying and clinging to him, Serinia apologized profusely, also slightly still frightened, and explained to him how the Yakuma clan had tried to kill her, and how she had escaped. How sorry she was. He said nothing for a while, just a small boy with his small cat, walking through the forest. Tearfully, she asked him, "Are you crying?" And she turned to look.

He was not crying, nor did he look at her. He put his good hand on her soft head and said in a voice that felt too calm and cheerful to be real, "No. I'm never going to cry, again. I've already cried all my life's worth of tears. Besides, I have you. What do I have to be sad about?" And he smiled calmly. True to his word, he never cried again. The two of them wandered the forest and mountains for a long time, hiding from the Yakuma clan, muddling along on their own. He learned how to perform a few more spells, and learned how to hunt with his magic. It was a dangerous and uncertain way to live, but no matter what happened, Zechariah never wavered.

Home is Not Where Your Heart is, but Where Your Feet Always Take You Back To Eventually, the two of them found themselves walking out of the mountains and finding themselves in a more civilized area. They met travelers at the foot of Mt. Hakobe and the then-eight-year-old was at first extremely wary of them, but they proved to be harmless people and convinced him and Serinia to go into Oshibana with them. For the first time, he was introduced to the concept of money, and people, civilization. Without thinking about it, he selfishly stole the money the travelers had on them and made off with it, making his way through the towns, where he started hearing stories of "guilds" where mages gathered together. He was a mage, too. He must be. It was clear not everyone could use magic. Not even most people. There were even two close by, Red Dawn and Hiraeth Seis, or something. He listened closely to the gossip of others, and discovered the differences between Dark Guilds and normal ones, the pillars, various forms of magic. He saw that wizards were thought of as oddities, anomalies, and so learned to hide that part of himself. He was curious. He wanted to see a guild, see if there were others like him out there, and what they did, how they lived. On a whim, he decided to go to Hiraeth Seis, see what it was like. He walked into the guild's beautiful green halls, unawed by what he could not see, and after a few weeks there, decided it was as good a place as any.

Since joining, he has taken on quite a few random wizard jobs, finding his niche in the "retrieval" area. Most people are disappointed, at first, to find him blind, but he has never failed at one of these jobs, and has earned a quiet reputation as a hunter of men. The Blind Hunter. While it is not a well-known title among regular people, members of on either side of the law have quite a few of them heard of him. His unseeing grin as he returns the lost object, or entraps the fugitive, have also given him the name, the Cheshire Cat. There are stories that he's not a person at all, but a ghost, that he cannot actually use magic, or that he has followers who back him up and make his conquests possible. Really, how ridiculous. When he introduces himself, he has always been very straightforward. "My name is Zechariah, but you can call me Ash. I'm a mage of Hiraeth Seis, and I can find anything or anyone you want. For the right price."

PERSONALITY

"T-tell your boyfriend, if he says he got beef, that I'm a vegetarian and I ain't fucking scared of him."

You can't exactly call Zechariah a sadist, because he doesn't actually take pleasure in other people's pain. Contrary to the belief of anyone he's ever done a job for or against, any and all work he takes on is strictly business, not a hobby. The reason why this rumor is perpetuated largely has to do with the fact that he'll always watch the consequence of his actions on anyone who gets in his way, and do it with a very pleasant smile and sometimes even a cheery little wave. No, the truth is that the boy just decided a long time ago, that 1. one should always take responsibility for your actions and 2. it's important to smile no matter what you're feeling. That probably sums him up. He doesn't trust people, but he is not prone to anger and is fairly cheerful a person. Just as not much seems to anger or concern him, not much seems to frighten or faze him either. He is extremely calm under pressure, a little absent-minded especially about other people, and oddly reckless in some ways. He does not like people much more than he trusts them, and almost always works alone, yet can occasionally show bursts of altruism that are mostly due to a whimsical pleasure in eliciting reactions out of others.

RELATIONSHIPS

「友達がない人間は敵を作る勇気があるかな。」

Serinia - Reader

When Serinia met Zechariah, she was a newly hatched Exceed whose family had disappeared before she hatched (unbeknownst to her, her parents had been eaten in the forest). Her most important function, currently, is to read for him, but in truth she is also his beloved companion. She seems like a bit of a quiet, timid soul at first, quick to get depressed and deeply empathetic towards others, but she largely wears the pants in their relationship (figuratively speaking), because she cares deeply about him and believes she knows what's best for him. That, plus Zechariah likes to give her her way. Part of her protective instinct towards him is that she's known him for most of her life, but there is also the underlying indefinite insecurity that it is her fault that Zechariah went through what he did with the Yakuma. It is an insecurity that Zechariah understands, but knows he cannot assuage with words. He is kind to her in a way he is not with others.

Serinia is the largest departure/difference between the two versions. In the initial version, Zechariah did not have an Exceed companion, but instead used a Celestial key for the extremely minor constellation Coma Berenices, which has no attack or defense power, and takes almost nothing to summon. Her name was Mia, and he used her exclusively to read for him. He did not use any other keys, and therefore never considered himself a Celestial Spirit Mage. She is about the height of the length of one's hand and does not have wings. She navigated by using her extremely long black hair, which can do things like turn pages, and act as her legs for distances difficult for her. Most of the time, however, she just sat on Zechariah's shoulder. His relationship with her was basic and need-based, unlike his extremely close, nearly familial relationship to Serinia.

The Ashkews - Lost Memories Although Zechariah was old enough to remember his true parents before they died, he remembers largely only snippets and moments. His quiet, happy memories of those two people, and as a matter of fact, all of the people in his village, have been overwhelmed by the more vivid and terrible memories of his time in the Yakuma clan and everything thereafter. Nowadays, he never thinks of them, as the concept of parents has become obsolete for him.

The Yakuma Clan - Mildly Disgusting Parental Figure To an extent, Zechariah considers the yakuma clan his "origin." His "family." In his head, they are the ones who taught him magic and made him who he is today. At the same time, some might think he's a sadist, but he is not a fool. He does not think that the abuse he received in the pursuit of magic was at all normal, and he finds their practices absolutely loathsome. On top of which, he thinks of them as a small-minded people, clinging on to their old glory and power, unaware of how the world works now. Ensconced in their little bubble of isolation, he is certain they will one day self-destruct. Only this time, for real, not just in the eyes of the rest of the world. Still, no matter how much you dislike them, family is family, and he has loyally kept the secret of their village to himself.

Hiraeth Seis - Mother Guild (?) Zechariah is not what one would consider a fanatic and loyal member of the guild, but that does not change the fact that the guild is now his home. It is the place you come flying back to when you have become tired of your travels and your work. While, even after all this time, he may not have very close relationships with his guild members, he thinks of the place as "where he belongs" and feels most comfortable within its halls.

Other Guilds - Unrelated Uninteresting Organizations Zechariah knows that Hiraeth Seis has rivalries with a number of other guilds, but honestly...? He doesn't care. The guild's feuds are not his feuds, and what real point is there in holding a grudge against a large group of people whom he has never met before, and who have never done him any harm? It feels... stupid. Like a waste of time, and there are actually times where he forgets, altogether, that such things exist.

MAGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

"The idea that magic is the solution to problems is rather equivalent to the idea that breaking a light bulb will make fixing it less difficult because now someone more qualified will have to change it."

Ability Little to nothing is known about the ancient Yakuma clan. What kind of a people they were, what led to their downfall, and how they developed their magic. The only thing they are known for is eighteen immensely powerful magics spoken in their language known as the Yakuma 18 War Gods Magics. While not formally considered a Lost Magic, the use of these magics is extremely rare, and few can boast that they know even how one learns such a thing, though some say that no matter which of the eighteen one chooses, one cannot learn any of the Yakuma magics unless the mage has endured deep suffering.

Of the 18, Zechariah was trained only in the one referred to as "Contact." All of the Yakuma War Gods magic follow the same pattern, but each one focuses on a different major factor in war. Such as Territory: representing the land controlled by each opposing force, users of the Territory magic have the ability to manipulate space. One can manipulate space to form heat and generate explosions, teleporting people and/or objects of their choice, and granting the user the ability to switch places with other people who are in close proximity. While Zechariah cannot use Territory, the nature of Contact is much the same.

The user is able to conjure a kind of wave-like bubble of sound in the approximate shape of an ethereal sphere, which allows them to manipulate the sound within their hearing. One can manipulate sound as a means of defense and offense by means of vibrating molecules at such high speeds that the material bursts into flame, or disorienting them with loud noises or others’ voices, even cause mild hallucinations, etc. However, its true potential is found in defeating multiple enemies at once. The more organized a force, the easier it is to control it with sounds, imitating command patterns and voices. It is one of the more subtle of the War God powers, but is nonetheless extremely useful. It’s greatest drawback, however, is that only one who is blind from a very young age can use this power. As with all the War God magics, it can be used to summon a god-like entity that has an inordinate amount of power over this element, and uses enchantments in the language of the ancient Yakuma tribe. The god-like entity is the most cooperative for contact, as it is the only category for which the being has more than one potential use. It also allows the user to understand and utilize all forms of language, though summoning this entity is the most advanced form of this magic and attempts to summon any of the Yakuma War Gods have resulted in stupid mages' deaths.

The above, however, mentions only the POTENTIAL. The level reached by each mage is, as for every magic, determined by the individual.

Spells 1. Imitation - The ability to precisely replicate a sound from any direction you choose. 2. Echo-Vision - Basically a form of echolocation so precise that it is possible to act as a replacement for vision except for in terms of flat things (art, color, and letters). 3. Amplify - The ability to multiply the volume of an ongoing sound, making it much louder. 4. Silence - Blocks the source of a sound in something of an invisible bubble so that no one outside the radius of the bubble can hear it. 5. Sound Cage - Creates a cage where the bars are made of such intense sound waves it would cause anyone extreme pain to try leaving through the bars, which, though visible, are not solid. 6. Sound Burst - Causes an extremely loud burst of sound from the caster that can temporarily stun or disorient those around them.

Magic Use

Zechariah has told no one but his guild master what his magic is, and has never openly displayed or explained it in front of the other members of his guild. He prefers to work alone, most often taking "bounty hunter" or "finder" jobs. The only condition he ever gives his clients is that they take no part in the hunt and leave him to his own devices, and those who have attempted to watch him have been met with a "goodbye, and good riddance." "The Cheshire Cat" and "The Blind Hunter" are monikers that have become associated with him outside of the guild, and few know that the two are the same. He does not believe that any of his guild mates knows that either moniker refers to him, but he does not much care if they did.

Zechariah is not capable of all of the things Contact allows. If he continues to grow in his powers, his magical abilities may expand to include putting out fire, levitating objects, making things catch fire/destroying them, turning sound into electricity, causing physical pain through pure sound, causing mild hallucinations or trouble breathing, and syncing vibrations to heal/calm.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

「俺は何も見えない。だからこそ、俺以外の人間がちゃんと見えるのは一分でも忘れられない事実だ。」

Appearance Zechariah has very soft black hair with some streaks of white in it. He keeps his fluffy black hair short, and largely keeps it clear of his ears, so that he doesn't have to brush it back all the time to hear anything, but refuses to get buzz cuts. His skin is slightly on the pale side, but is a little rough in general. His features are somewhat sharp and a little petite in some ways, and he has a largely skinny, and ever so slightly lanky figure that still does not fail to display some of his natural strength. Although nearly fully grown, his features retain a childish edge that makes it difficult to forget that he is still in his teens. Thin lips, a very straight nose, well-defined eyebrows, and a slender neck combine to make him a moderately attractive guy. His fingers are long, but bony, and his vibrant blue eyes, fairly wide, not that it does anything for him. He stands at about 5'6.

Defining Traits • Zechariah does not bother covering up his eyes, and instead blinks and looks around with them as most normally would. However, they are clearly blank and they typically rest just a little bit off their intended target, as he turns his eyes to look, but can't actually see.

• His left hand and forearm he typically wraps in clean white bandages, because the flesh there is very badly burned and mangled. He doesn't really need to do this, as either way his left hand is permanently useless (though he can still move his left arm, trying to use his fingers causes him extreme pain and his grip is neither strong nor precise), but he does so because he knows it makes his disability seem more horrific to others to show off the puckered red flesh, and he's gotten tired of being treated like a complete invalid most especially by his clients.

• He has pierced ears.

Clothing Style Blind though he might be, Zechariah somehow manages to stay fairly fashionable. His current style involves a loosely buttoned jacket with a collared shirt underneath. When he's feeling fancy, he will occasionally go with some hats, as well. His earrings, however, are almost always very simple black studs, and it is a wonder why he keeps them pierced at all. He rarely otherwise accessorizes.

Guild Mark His guild mark is sunset colored, and covers the area of his left eye when it's closed, but because he largely keeps his eyes open, for the most part, you can only see the outer edges of it.

Fighting Style While not incredibly weak, Zechariah is normally exceptionally clumsy and cannot use weapons that require two hands. All he's really got are his feet and his wits, when it comes down to it. As a result it would be difficult to say he has a fighting style outside of his magic. The rest of it would really just have to be called a "running style." Take away his magic and thwart all his dodges, and you've got an easy fight on your hands.

Weapons While he does not carry any kind of weapon with him, as they aren't much use to him, he keeps a couple of bangles around his belt that he can easily unclip and fling at people. This is largely used to distract or annoy them, though, not do actual damage. This is his full stash:

OTHER

"No matter how much I pray- no, even if this dream were to come true, if I have to let go of it, I'd rather leave it myself..."

「痛みから逃げるために。」

Strengths Immense Willpower Exceptional Hearing Good Reflexes High Stamina Quick Learner Fast Runner Immune to Visual Illusion Magics or Magics Requiring Eye Contact

Weaknesses Blind Cannot use left hand Clumsy Slicy Stabby Thingies Finding Places (Houkou-onchi) Purely Physical Fights

Likes Cool, Quiet Things Chocolate Solid Script Rain (but not storms) Plant Life High Places Throwing Things (like skipping stones)

Dislikes Extremely Noisy Places HEAT (He's a melter) Statues (There's something just really weird about them) Short Things (Short doorways, short buildings, short steps. They are really easy to trip over or smack into) Stairs

Talents Making everything taste horrible Tracking Things Down (this apparently extends to people, animals, and vegetables, but not locations themselves) Climbing (yes, one-handed) Reading Tones

Fears FIRE

Inabilities Reading Cooking Swimming Reading Body Language

Extra Without using his magic, Zechariah has found that by making a certain kind of clicking sound with his tongue, he can still get a general, if slightly vague idea of approximately where things are.

Since he was so young when he went blind, he would not be able to read even if he were to regain his sight.

Zechariah does not care for animals. While he doesn't hate them, he's not in love with them, either. The reverse, however, does not appear to be true. Animals love him. Domesticated animals will instantly gravitate towards him, and while this is not so magical a thing that wild ones will follow him around, it takes little for him to win one over. This is something he himself does not appear to notice, though Serinia most certainly does.