Zain Vaerpath



"The world is made of precious seconds: of smiles, and laughter, and butterflies sputtering off into the sunset. It's made of those things we choose to hold onto, rather than push away; its made of the things we do when we realize we only have so much time to do them. We hold onto those memories because we already know everything you were saying, Naux... we already knew that nothing mattered. That without a God, or some force out there writing divine laws, there was nothing that made anything we did or said, or believed, mean anything at all anymore. And you know what? We're changing that. We decided it matters, and honestly, for me? That's more than enough.

You want our future so bad? Come on! Take it from me."

- Zain, to the Naux Avatar, just before the Final Battle


 * -|Summary=

Zain Vaerpath is the primary protagonist and main character of Hero's Path, among the most well-known stories in the Ultimaverse series. Tempestuous and bold, he awakened from a several millenium-spanning coma to discover that his voice was taken from him, and soon learned that he ought to collect the Genesis Eggs, scattered about the post-apocalyptic remains of the world he had grown up in. As his quest progresses, he continuously meets new allies, overcomes immense hardships, battles and defeats countless Qlippoth (demon-like beings borne directly from the negative thoughts and emotions of sapient beings), grows ever-greater in power, and ultimately faces the source of the present calamity overtaking his world.

In the "True" ending of the story, in which he develops the entirety of his own potential and uncovers the True Tiphareth within himself, Zain takes it one step further. Confronting even the architect of his tormentor's torment, and bringing a true end to the malady afflicting all of life itself.


 * -|Backstory=

Prior to Birth
Magic and the existence of the Yesod, another plane of being where the powers of one's dreams and subconscious can Manifest in the physical world, was still a relatively new discovery as of the year 2172, yet the mega-corporations that all but owned the world had already managed to industrialize and privatize its production and distribution. Demand for mana shards skyrocketed as the opposing armies of the heated World War III: the Western Alliance and the United Eastern Powers: innovated with this new technology, developing more clever and brutal means of combating one another as time went on, costing the lives of millions.

Among the greatest heroes of this time was the sword-saint Keiwa Arotsuna, wielder of the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi (among those fabled weapons thought to be of the Old World) and among the chief heroes of the globe-spanning hero organization Farwatch, as well as public spokesperson for the betterment of society, mentor to Tessera, and friends of Zain's parents, Andre and Marie Vaerpath. The former, a half-Haitian immigrant to Colorado whose father fled the country for fear of some disturbing event he was unwilling to disclose to his son, had at last broke down when similar incidents spread en masse from the region, and explained to Arotsuna the horrors he had fled: people swallowed by their own dreams, wandering the islands like zombis spreading their psychic pathogen to those they touched... how the whole company he had traveled to remote parts of the island with all collapsed beneath the ruins there. Keiwa Arotsuna, then, of course traveled to investigate... and tragedy struck. It was Marie who had returned to her husband's father's grave, and who uncovered a tear- one of an increasing many latent in the world.

Keiwa, moments too late to save her, lost his blade to the void that opened up and swallowed that moment, that space and time, into the Binah to be reborn... but with the blade's presence, a peculiar instance came about: with the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi's unfathomable true power accumulated from its status as a former weapon of Samael's able to express itself in the empty medium, it fused the mother's soul to her unborn son's, at once "killing" her (and thus not contradicting the cosmic law of the Binah sphere) whilst granting the child unborn a chance at life (as it, not yet born, could not be recognized as a being to kill.) Inadvertently, Keiwa had tricked the Binah itself into being Zain's mother...

Early Life
It was on a stormy, November night, in the midst of war, that Zain, the child, was first introduced to the world, wandering down from the mountains in a trance alike those suffered by those under the influence of that curse that arose in Haiti some many years later. Amidst the gunsmoke of bombs and ruin wrought by magic upon the Colorado countryside, Arotsuna: again, present to recognize by memory the magical malady thought extinct: ensured the child found safety, bringing him at last to the doorstep of his aunt Martha and uncle Jordain, who still bereaved the loss of his sister (Marie) and his own son as a consequence of this World War III. Not wanting the child to suffer, they quickly took him in and resolved to raise him as their own: noting his abnormal mana levels, they also sought to hide him from the horrors of the war they knew too well for their own good... to no avail.

Zain, too, was driven even at the young age he was first found at by a burning, passionate curiosity, a demand upon the world to understand not "What?", but "Why?" His headstrong and stubborn nature revealed itself early on, and his reputation as a firebrand that loved to take charge of things he was passionate about (unfortunately, his teachers noted, this seldom included academics) made him well-known among the other children, for better and for worse.

Martha and Jordain, however, feare the loss of their newly adopted, and only, child, yet could not bear to crush his doomed, fiery passion and kindness. Their compromise was the adoption of a second son: the prodigal child Abram, whose irresponsible parents, falling into lifestyles stained with drug use and poverty after a foreign metahuman of the United Eastern Powers destroyed their home, could no longer afford to care for their very dignified and well-to-do child. Stoic, polite, firm, and possessed of an even greater abnormally immense latent magical potential than Zain, Abram very quickly assumed dominance over the household, determined to fulfill his dream of taking revenge against the U.E.P. by joining the Western Alliance as a member of Dragonwood University's "Knights of Lazarus", so named for their investment in developing magics that restored and preserved their immortal order, rendering them famously troublesome to face on the field of battle.

Confronting Abram
Left in the shadow of his brother, Zain grew to resent the "perfect, pure" child and his perceived condescending attitude towards such basic brotherly things as sparring, discussing interests, and spending time together as human beings. He loathed, too, that his foster parents' attentions were stolen from him: from the moment he was born, abandoned in the dark amidst the cosmic vacuousness of the Binah, he grew sensitive to his gnawing loneliness. Even further still, as they grew, Zain's young nerves flared as Abram's tacit attitudes impressed themselves into the minds of his peers, further isolating him from those whose admiration he once reveled in.

When at last Zain confronted Abram about the matter, Abram's expression of frustration with Zain's jealousy in the face of more important matters: justice, vengeance against those who'd wronged him and his people in the past led to Zain demanding to understand the nature of Abram's hypocrisy, leading to an escalating chain of scorching personal indictments... and, at last, to blows, as Abram sought at length to crush Zain's immature dreams of heroism. The battle was short and brutal: Zain, in his anger, at last parried Abram's paralytic needles with his own blade, rather than risking being pricked... yet, the force of the blow was vastly underestimated: Abram's needles shattered, and Zain found that he had at length landed a mortal wound upon his own brother, who had yet to master the Knights of Lazarus's' regenerative arts.

Abram, at last, relinquished his truest rationale with his dying breath:

""The strong must protect the weak, at any cost... you, my brother, are weaker than me. I couldn't let you march to your death, to see your dreams crushed out there in the red haze of war- Mother and Father wouldn't forgive me for that. ...so, I hoped to sway you before it was too late. To take your place. I have failed you, and for that... I'm sorry... so very, very sorry...!""

- Abram, to Zain

...and died in his brother's arms.

Isolation
Zain, in a numb, speechless trance, carried his brother back down the mountain to his horrified aunt and uncle. Though they could not press charges, they were too distraught to bear to see their murderous son as part of their life before, and so disowned him from the family altogether the next day; Zain, truly and utterly alone for the remainder of his high school years, was left to fend for himself. Zain grew increasingly despondent and bitter in the face of a world whose validation he desperately sought, a world that had come to understand him as a murderer: despite no formal charges having been pressed against him, word of what had happened, in many cases void of context or else exaggerated, had quickly spread.

Zain's resolve to enlist in the Dragonwood University Knights of Lazarus, and prove everyone wrong about him mounted further and further: correspondingly, a new sort of energy signature gradually built up within him. Intrigued, local and national authorities studied this new power in secret, while also encouraging Zain to continue enrolling in spite of the bad PR it gave both him and the University, while also devoting additional effort to deflecting the assorted harassments he received in that time. With the promise of the public's forgiveness for what he had done hanging before the unwitting Zain like an apple on a stick, he eagerly accepted the authorities' proposals, and, resolving to make right what he had wronged, trained himself intensively for the position of Knight of Lazarus, the dream his brother did not live long enough to actualize.

At last, these private researchers: direct operatives under a man named Azel Tenebris, head of the Supernatural Investigation and Elimination Division (or, S.I.E.D.): observed in their test subject Zain a peculiar phenomenon: in times of stress, some foreign, unknown energy, flowed into Zain's mana signature, dramatically warping and amplifying it in subtle and seemingly erratic ways: the only observable constant was that it seemingly grew in proportion to the degree which Zain responded that the event felt important to him. "It's as though the magnitude of his willpower translates into an amplifier for his powers," a thesis published by one S.I.E.D. operative noted. Believing that they had uncovered a breakthrough in Neuroscience as surely as they had in Eldritch Studies, the researchers at once returned to report to their superiors...

Invasion
Zain himself, meanwhile, reveled briefly in his hard-earned accomplishments before at last being contacted by Azel Tenebris, himself. Though he proved amiable enough in their initial encounters, Zain quickly grew suspicious of Azel-

Yet, whatever was to come of such on investigation from there was for naught, as it was too late- Zain was taken discreetly as a prisoner when he stumbled upon Azel and his forces, in actuality the Faceless Lord Ruin and his elite servants on Earth, deep beneath Dragonwood University's Phrenic Disciplines Building. There, Ruin prepared to use residue and leftover phenomena recovered from incidents like the one that had taken Zain's mother, as well as immense quantities of crystallized mana stolen from the world's treasuries, their own hellish technological devices, and finally the Lazarus Emblem: the prototype upon which the first enchantment to create an undying soldier was cast and discovered: to attempt to call forth a power that would enable them to conquer the world at its weakest, in the midst of their battle-

Only, Master Arotsuna had kept his eye on Zain discreetly, not seeking to alarm him or influence his behavior. With the rest of Farwatch alert [including his young student Tessera, much to his chagrin], they were able to scramble in order to successfully intercept the forces that emerged: then, subsequently, the utter catastrophe that followed, as Ruin inadvertently summoned a true anomaly: a tear into the true form of the realm of the Yesod, a calamity evoked by Naux, who sought the chance to act through his agents in order to end the earth once and for all. Master Arotsuna, devoid of the Totsuka, could not cut the void in half, and in the ensuing chaos Ruin laid waste to them along with hordes of Qlippoth...

Last Chance
But Zain, left alone, felt a tug in the core of his being... an inner voice, the voice of Abram and Martha and Jordain and all of those friends who had abandoned him, every living being... they were on his side, for once. They wanted help. They wanted a hero. Zain, picking up his tortured, crippled body to break out of his captivity and move into the anomaly, reached out for the golden light within the rift, his Will and his mana holding him together just long enough for it to reach out back to him, to his origin within the Binah...

And so, the rift closed, the world damaged: beyond repair, seemingly, and shrouded in a deathly fog: but able to cling to what meager hope remained. Six thousand years past this way... until, at last, Zain Vaerpath awoke, in a far different world than the one he left behind. His memories in fragments, his voice torn from his lungs like dust in the wind, the young knight discovered, from the blade buried in his heart, that he too had inherited the Legend of the Knight of Lazarus in some profound, meaningful way that he didn't yet understand: and so the quest to rediscover himself, to find answers, to save this new world and its innocents' suffering, all at once began...!


 * -|Appearance=

Base Form
Zain appears as a healthy young man with tanned skin and turquoise eyes. He usually wears his long, unkempt golden-brown hair with a beige bandanna that matches his signature armored coat, which bears on its back the Vaerpath crest, in deep blue. Beneath this, he wears a black button-up shirt (usually left partially unbuttoned, as Zain dislikes "the feeling of being suffocated, or restrained" by tight collars) and pants, each with golden diamond trim along the bottom edges. He tends to prefer simple brown leather boots and fingerless gloves, which are often also fitted with plating akin to the pauldrons on his coat. Several burgundy belts with silver caps help to keep the ensemble together.

Verethragna Form
In this form, Zain's flesh darkens into a burnt, bronze color, and his jawline, lower and outer torso, and forearms acquire golden metallic plates bearing wave-like engravings. His coat and headband flush with sanguine reds, the belts with inky blacks, and the belts' silver caps a burnt gold alike Zain's metallic growths. Zain's hair in this form flushes a subdued pink, and feathers of flame are kicked up with each of his footsteps.

Aeon Form
As the Aeon, Zain's metallic flesh sharpens, becomes platinum, and folds into draconic scales, with the plates on the sides of his head growing into flat, wing-like spikes. The eyes morph into orbs of crimson, with slit pupils akin to a cat's, and his longer, brilliant white hair is broken by the growth of a set of small curled horns alike a dragon's from his brow. The headband and coat run with deep blacks and violets as the pants and undershirt flush red with white wind motifs along the hems. A dark aura crackles about his new form, as well, as the metal plates on his fingertips file into golden claws, and the fiery spirit burning from his coat erupts wholly into wings of blue flame.

Demiurge Form
Assuming the form of the Demiurge encases Zain in a suit of dark armor resembling medieval plate mail, engraved with jagged symbols in scorched brass. An ominous crimson light seems from the gaps in the plate, hinting at the semi-solid red and black smoke that replaces Zain's skin lying beneath. A violet plume drifts from his helm, along with a white cape and faulds from his shoulders and waist.

Aeon Form
The Pleroma Form bestows upon Zain a crimson full-body suit akin to those worn by superheroes, along with black gloves decorated along the forearms and hands with esoteric glyphs in snow white. Worn over the suit is a black cloak decorated with stars, galaxies, nebulae, stellar clouds, and other cosmic phenomena that seemingly shift and dance across the fabric on their own. His flesh in this form blends into, and is a part of, the same star-stuff as the cloak itself, with only glowing orbs stationary amidst the cloak's dancing celestial bodies to resemble eyes, his ability to see and understand the paths that tie together the individual spheres of reality made manifest.

Monad Form
The Monad Form, Zain's Final Form, is ironically barely distinguishable from his Base Form in spite of its nature being to encompass "Consciousness itself". Other than a gentle turquoise afterimage following his radiant eyes and a fierce, silver aura of flickering Kether that on occasion shapes itself into ephemeral wings upon Zain's back, only the ludicrous increase of power betrays any change in his state of being.

True Monad Form
The "true", fully realized shape assumed by the Monad Form appears still similar to Zain, but now wields the Sephiroth in their true shapes rather than contained within the shells of their Genesis Eggs as aspects.

The nimbus of lights that personify Malkuth become an aura surrounding Zain's lower half- a "ground" to stand upon and tread towards the unknown upon. The Yesod is the sash of Humanity's hopes and dreams, worn in order to bind together the silhouette of Consciousness. Four wings alight the True Monad's back: Hod the Intellect as the lower right vibrant orange wing, Netzach the Victory as the lower left emerald green wing, Binah the Understanding as a wing of inky blackness on the upper right, and Chokmah the Wisdom as a brilliant silvery grey on the upper left. Geburah is wielded layered atop Zain's weapon of choice (or his fist) as the exacting sword of Severity, an ever-shifting mercurial red field of energy, and Zain's left hand shines with the blue radiance of Chesed the Mercy. Tiphareth the Beauty, made whole at last, rests within his heart as surely as it rests with the hearts of the people that grant the True Monad its power- the Daathe, or Nothingness, exists as the words he gives utterance to as much as what might correlate to his metabolic systems, and the Kether at last as a halo of light about his head- looped and eternal, alike the power of the Kether itself to govern the Consciousness he embodies and wields against its nemesis.


 * -|Quotes=

""Huh...? What do you mean, I'm some kind of pretentious showoff? I have to dress for the job, since I'm technically military. What's wrong with looking cool while I'm at it...?""

- Zain, while attending Dragonwood University

""What are you...? Countless years, unending vigil... I saved you. I forced you to leave. Why are you trying so hard... to make it all have been meaningless?""

- Tessera, to Zain

""What? Are you really this pitiful, that you can't take action even now? Are you feeling to heroic to tolerate regret? Look at me: I am king, here, and in my kingdom the only law is that the strong take from the weak as they choose. Her people cursed mine. They stole the Sun, the surface, the warmth of home and family from us. This tainted traitor will pay the price as my bride, and will remake my people anew.

And yet, even now, I see myself as superior to you. You're that pathetic... I, at least, have ideals for which I fight!! You fight for yourself, your frail and finite flesh: and your selfishness will die with you, just like every other pitiful human left on this Earth, when the Starfall comes.""

- Metenros, to Zain

""What a selfish, deluded little knight... keeping me from that which will save your world. Look around you- rampant death, destruction, unspeakable disorder. Yet, you continue to cling to that cruel illusion of yours, that just wanting something really hard will make it appear before you on a silver platter.... Fuckin' pampered BRAT-!""

- Ruin, to Zain

""Don't you remember? Once, this place was your home. You were at peace once, here. Yes, like this. Slowly... relax... and stop to breathe. Your Shells performed unspeakable, depraved acts in your Daathe. They hurt you to see, did they not? You shouldn't worry, then, that it was you to blame for having those demons in you. You are human, too... your thoughts, and feelings, can be cast over by shadows like any others'. The price of knowledge is this sadness. Didn't Tessera warn you as much?

But, in knowing that in spite of it all, you keep going... you keep finding even the smallest reasons to believe that we're worth fighting, and dying, and fighting again for. I feel, as though... that says a lot about the kind of person you truly are: that you chose to be. I think, too, that other people should know. Go on... and do your poor, sad master proud. There's a great big world out there, and they've been waiting for a very long time to hear your voice again.""

- Master Keiwa Arotsuna, to Zain

"...that's it. I get now... what Will is. Every moment- every heartbeat, every breath, every single drop of sweat and blood I shed. It's dying, and coming back... It's just like Tess said- it's dying, as many times as it takes to make the world right worth living in!! That we can change: that we can wake up, and see the world, and decide that something more is worth fighting for... that's who I am. Who I decided to become.

The world doesn't need Gods like us, standing over them and pointing down, commanding they throw themselves away for a nightmare they don't believe in! Human beings, no, nothing was meant to live like that! Nobody deserves to suffer like you have... not even you.

So, I'll die, here. And I'll die again. I'll die countless times more, each time more torturous and painful than the last, I'm sure. Eventually, you think, I'll decide that I'd rather have you- I'd rather have Nothing. But if I just throw up my hands?! If I decide that everything I've been through, if everything Tessera, Magus, that the entire world has been through just doesn't matter?! ...haha, you're a fool. Infinity: you: cannot be true, if you've Manifested like this. So even you have to have a limit, and it's not as high as mine. I'll die as many times as it makes to make you understand that we're here to stay."

- Zain, to Naux

"So... this is the end, huh? My best friends, a drow lord, an alien invasion, a living planet, Tessera's old man, and now a talking tree with God himself inside. Heh!... I guess there's nothing more fitting I could think of. I'm glad I was able to spend these last few moments with you all, gang... if I don't see you again after this, I want you all to live the best lives you can manage, with what's left of this.

It's time to go, now. Ready?"

- Zain, having sundered the Paroketh and preparing for the true Final Battle


 * -|Personality=

Zain adopts the persona of a chipper, confident go-getter in day-to-day life, choosing to do what needs to be done or to take on what everyone else is afraid of- this often extends to accepting daunting or even foolhardy challenges, on the principle that someone, somewhere in the world needs to challenge the notion of what is possible. Sometimes, this results in him rushing off with undue haste into situations that he knows in all likelihood he should think about more thoroughly. For Zain, accepting that mistakes will be made at times is part and parcel of being the sort of "hero" he aspires to become: the sort of person that can stand before the horrors of the world unafraid, with a smile that can inspire others to follow him. Taking action and failing, after all, he believes, is better than languishing and doing nothing at all...

This tempestuous nature of Zain's translates often into a stubborn and unyielding refusal to abandon what he sees as the best course of action, in times of crisis. He is generally self-aware, regarding this, and attempts to do his best to take into consideration the desires and thoughts of others. However, when push comes to shove, hesitating in such times of crisis costs valuable time: time that could be spent taking action. Combined with his learned understanding of the external world as his enemy, and his showoff nature manifesting as a need to solve the problem himself as much as he is capable, as he sees it, there is rarely time to be anything but assertive in going to right a wrong- acknowledging of the opposition and the merit to be found in its reasoning, but nonetheless carrying on with what he believes is the best course of action.

The assertive personality Zain exhibited in combination with his unusual powers naturally nominated him for the role of leader, though at first he didn't desire such a role. For Zain, it both reminded him of his past poor experiences with trying to lead and inspire others, and wanting to be responsible for himself alone in trying to face the world's evils. Over the course of the story, however, Zain warms up, and re-accustoms to, his mantle.

This all said, however, Zain is still fundamentally a kind-hearted person, even if a stubborn one that often undermines his own attempts at being such. Often, hearing of the problems the world faces, Zain is halfway through the act of working out a solution for whatever woe they face, acting almost as if possessed. This doesn't seem to bother him very much, however: he draws a distinction between acting based on one's own primal impulse, devoid of the ego naturally, and actively being forced to act against, or in spite of, one's own ego by some external actor.

Ultimately, the motivation for all of Zain's mannerisms: his compulsory desire to help those facing hard times, the firebrand demand for the spotlight, his easy-going demeanor and tendency towards the behavior of a daredevil and showoff: all stems from the primordial, fundamental loneliness that has pervaded his entire life. Zain was born stranded in a higher reality- fed only the cosmic dread of the finality of fate, the emptiness of a world in which consciousness dissolved away into nothing and was rewritten as new individuals- before at last escaping through the latent power of the Hero's Path, the Mystery of "Zain", the path of the Lovers Arcana that unites and brings together the hearts of disparate things. His childhood and coming of age, characterized by ascending to have the love he longed for only to have it taken away, and then to worsen the situation with his own actions, sharpened this pain to an acute point, as the feeling that the world had turned against him grew and grew.

As Zain sees it, the very meaning to be had in life is derived from the connections you choose, voluntarily, to make with others and the world. So at the end of the day, he desires merely to form meaningful connections with other people; perhaps, it could be said, a rather common desire for a young adult trying to make his way in the world, outstanding circumstances aside.

Near everything he does, he does to fuel his own desire to see himself as a savior... yet, being rejected by the very people he sought to save: punished, even, by the Gods (or so he'd say) by stripping him of his agency, more literally his voice: a more sullen and bitter side of his personality, one more akin to Tessera's, comes to the forefront more in the beginning of the story. Even so, it begins gradually ebbing away after meeting new allies, and after reimposing itself when he finds new evils inside of himself to conquer and expunge, finally takes a backseat after Zain finally regains his voice, restoring him to his more confident and friendly self.


 * -|Personal Stats=

Date of Birth: Unknown

Birthplace: The Binah

Height: 1.82 meters/5'11.7"

Weight: 77.0 kg/169.8 lbs.

Likes: Sunsets/sunrises, Emotional honesty, Good-spirited competition, Spicy foods

Dislikes: Winter, "Pretentious Assholes", Being ignored/brushed off, Being alone/dejected, Peas

Hobbies: Hanging Out with Friends, Fencing/Martial Arts/Basketball, Philosophy Club, Playing Video Games, other assorted young adult things

Values:
 * "Be honest with those around you- that always brings about the best in the end."
 * "Loyalty's a heavy burden to bear, sometimes, but it's worth more than its weight in gold."
 * "Secrets and Back-handedness waste time; just respect me enough to tell me what needs to be told. I'll do the same for you."

Martial Status: Single

Status: (Dead in the Standard Ending; Ambiguous in the True Ending)

Affiliations: New Farwatch, Dragonwood University (formerly an undergraduate), The Knights of Lazarus (formerly: disbanded), S.I.E.D.'s nemesis (formerly test subject/accomplice)

Alignment: Chaotic Good

MBTI:  ENFJ

Color Identity: Red, White, Black, Gold (in roughly that order)

Powers and Stats

 * -|Act I=Tier: Low 7-C, possibly higher

Name: Zain Vaerpath, The False Envoy, Whitecoat, "Stubborn Bastard"

Origin: Hero's Path

Gender: Male

Age: 20

Classification: Human, Envoy, Knight of the Kether

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Self-Sustenance (Types 1 and 2), Martial Arts, Weapon Mastery, Magic, Willpower Manipulation, Can interact with disembodied abstracts and intangible entities, Gradually increases in power in combat relative to the strength of the opponent, Flight, Energy Manipulation, Regeneration (Low-Mid, Low-Godly over time via Tiphareth Shell), Immortality (Types 3 and 4; mandated by the Narrative to remain a "Slave to Heroism", disallowing for any permanent obstruction to his Quest beyond the depletion of his Will), Elemental Manipulation of the Fire, Wind, Astral, and Holy varieties, Time Manipulation, Attack Reflection, Can create memoryforms of his weapons, inflict status effects and amplify attributes, Teleportation, Super Mode, Healing, Limited Telekinesis, and Limited Fate Manipulation capable of negating some types of higher-dimensional resistances; Resistance to Ailments and to Fire, Holy, Mind, Soul, Concept, Fate, and Willpower Manipulation. Via the Sephiroth: Gains Time Paradox Immunity and Resistance to, and can undo, Matter Manipulation, Transmutation, and Death Manipulation on a conceptual level.

Attack Potency: Small Town level+, possibly higher (Swung his sword at speeds sufficient to generate this level of energy in his Base Form, can fight on par with the likes of Cpt. Darte Jones and Tessera)

Speed: Massively Hypersonic (Can fly to New York in under half a minute from the other side of the U.S.) with Sub-Relativistic reactions and combat speed (Parried the Skyweave's lightning-speed cannonballs)

Lifting Strength: Class 25 (Lifted a crystallized giant overhead and threw them)

Striking Strength: Small Town Class+

Durability: Small Town level+, possibly higher (Survived several impalements and blast attacks from Tessera, as well as Magus's Teleportation mishap)

Stamina: Peak Human (Trained himself to this level as part of the Admissions progress to becoming a Dean's List Royal Knight at Dragonwood Academy)

Range: Extended melee range with Virtum Aeternam, varies from several meters to several kilometers with powers

Standard Equipment: Includes a number of weapons and tools:
 * Virtum Aeternam: A daamasc longsword, and Zain's favored armament. Though relatively simple on its own, aside from daamasc's high elemental-energy conductivity, it has a high capacity for Dreamweaves, or weaves of kether that can attach themselves to physical objects to allow them to damage Qlippoth and furthermore to apply highly customizable effects to them.


 * Peace Walker: A long, ebonwood bo staff, and Zain's primary backup weapon. Though it has a limited capacity for Dreamweaves, it lowers Attack in all enemies it hits, blunting and blurring their negative emotions and killing intent- in the story, Zain tends to wield it against humans so that he can end the fight non-lethally.


 * Vaerpath Coat: A lightly armored, two-tailed beige coat, possessed of a high capacity for Dreamweaves but otherwise not notable.


 * Auxillary Tools: Includes scrolls for applying Metamagic effects to his spells (or casting spells he doesn't know), miscellaneous tools for mundane tasks, maps, a cell phone, and a few other items.


 * The Genesis Eggs: Crystallized essentia drawn from the higher Sephira of the Tree of Life, which grant mastery over one's inner Manifestation of these Archetypes. These are the object of much of Zain's quest as The Envoy. Used in combat, they can be metamorphosed into near any shape the user can imagine, and fly around to attack from all angles. Out of combat, they are useful for undoing what are known as "Idea Fractures": irregularities and alterations from the "true" state of the Archetype as they appear in the physical world.
 * Malkuth: The Tenth Sephira, an incarnation of Archetype "Kingdom". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to the physical realm.
 * Tiphareth Shell: What is left of the Sixth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Beauty", following the incident in the depths of the Dragonwood Eldritch Arts research facility. Embodying the conceptual Human Soul as it relates to connecting to the world without, it permits Zain a measure of power to mend and guard against Idea Fractures that impose themselves upon death- in combination with his artificial tethering to both the Binah and the Tiphareth themselves, his Soul will always find a way to return to the world, and reconstitute a new form, albeit with time.

Intelligence: Gifted. Managed to keep up with multiple rigorous academic courses whilst also receiving tutelage from Keiwa Arotsuna, along with other master warriors.

Weaknesses:
 * Hotheaded, stubborn, and somewhat narrow-sighted.
 * Refuses to drop a matter he cares about until it is decisively resolved.
 * Has a limited supply of Kether with which to use some of his special abilities with.
 * Cannot speak.
 * Somewhat vulnerable to wind and darkness-type attacks.
 * Although Fate Break boasts high potential in that it forces beings beyond fate to face a fair fight, it does not guarantee that whatever attack they would otherwise escape will automatically defeat them, if they have other means of resisting.

Feats:
 * Cut a magic-equipped mech the size of a two-story house in half with nothing more than a rusty sword and his learned powers after having been in a coma for six millenia
 * Survived for over a minute in direct contact with Banemist-saturated rainfall
 * Defeated Cpt. Darte Jone's vessel with a pair of his ship's own reflected cannonballs
 * Died several times to Tessera in order to prove the sincerity of his desire to better the world, awakening the first of his own Inner Truths in the process of doing so
 * Using the Malkuth, mended the Idea Fracture in the clouds overhead, in order to help Tessera disperse the Banemist over Dragonwood

Notable Attacks and Techniques
Martial Styles


 * Sword Style: Vaerpath: The signature sword style of the Vaerpath family, taught to him by friend of the family Keiwa Arotsuna in adolescence. Wields the blade in a forward-pointing, two-handed grip near the head, focusing on persistent offense and trapping opponents in subtle patterns of defensive maneuvers before switching tactics to land decisive blows. Considered "unique" to the Vaerpath line due to the immense amount of discipline it requires proving impossible to muster up for most individuals.


 * Sword Style: Rowdy: A loose, "style-less" style that uses wild abandon, perversion of expectations, and youthful energy to overwhelm and confound foes. Utilizes plenty of rough tactics, such as headbutts, shoulder checks, kicks, toe stomps, snagging clothing, and other unconventional tactics.


 * Sword Style: Florentine: Traces a memoryform of the wielded sword to assume a dual-wielding stance, combining offense and defense with each movement. Its techniques require considerable exertion as a trade-off for their efficiency.


 * Polearm Style: Von Tag: A "high guard" stance that focuses on menace and balancing patience with agressive high blows.


 * Polearm Style: Olber: A "low guard" stance that specializes in swift, light movements applied skillfully at the proper moment to disrupt an enemy's flow.


 * Polearm Style: Wild Monkey: A dramatic and flashy combat art that favors trickery and whirling attacks.

Spells


 * Fire: A Tier 1 fire-based attack spell.
 * High Fire: A Tier 2 fire-based attack spell.


 * Wind: A Tier 1 wind-based attack spell.
 * High Wind: A Tier 2 wind-based attack spell.


 * Astral: A Tier 1 astral-based attack spell.


 * Holy: A Tier 1 holy-based attack spell.


 * Metamagic: Blade: Targets the caster's weapon, allowing it to apply the spell at a fraction of its strength with each hit.

Archetype Armiger: "Envoy to the Kether"

Zain's Archetype Armiger is "Envoy to the Kether": his Legend is shaped by his status as having been chosen by Naux to assume the mantle of messenger for his divine dictums, and then to destroy the world. In the act of defying this before the beginning of the story's events, by encountering and choosing to bear the Tiphareth Sephira in order to seal the gate to Yesod, the Land of Dreams, Zain unwittingly unlocked a unique skill "Fate Break."

Zain's unique skills, overall, are a well-rounded and versatile toolkit befitting a leader, albeit with a slight focus on an aggressive style of Zone Control combat that reflects his personal preference for fast-paced, rush-down tactics.

Zain's unique resource is Kether. Unlike many resources, he starts battles with his Kether empty, but gradually gains it over the course of a battle, with dealing, blocking, and dodging blows expediting the process.


 * Fate Break: A wondrous, unique power that Zain discovered that allows him to be free of his pre-ordained destiny, borne unconsciously of his initial act of defiance. He subconsciously shares this power with those whom he forms a strong Bond with, their Legend saturated by his own.


 * Isacoslash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Fool Arcana. Focuses upon the conceptualization of a swung blade intently in a myriad of ways, turning one blow into twenty at the last second. Deals moderate (Weapon) damage.


 * Zero Wave: A technique derived from the Legend of the Magician Arcana. Slashes forward, tracing the blow in his consciousness to Manifest it as a turquoise wave of sharp light. Long ranged and fast, dealing minor Holy damage and increasing his Endurance parameter.


 * Mind Over Matter: A passive skill derived from the Legend of the Priestess Arcana. Reduces the duration of all Ailments Zain suffers from.


 * Flourish: A technique derived from the Legend of the Empress Arcana. Imbues an area with preservative resonance, increasing the Defense of allies within and slowly healing them.


 * Kingdom Come: A technique derived from the Legend of the Emperor Arcana. Imbues an area with destructive resonance, increasing the Attack of allies within and causing them to regain their stamina more quickly.


 * Cross Slash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hierophant Arcana. Swings twice, dealing (Weapon) damage each time, before punctuating the second swing with a burst of light that deals Holy damage in a small area. Increases his Wisdom parameter upon use.


 * Hero's Path: A unique technique derived from the Legend of the Lovers Arcana. In particular, the Hero's Path is the Legend of the "Zain" path upon the Tree of Life, whose name Zain shares, the path connecting the conceptual "Womb of the Cosmos" Binah and the "Dionysian/Martyred Hero" Tiphareth. Zain himself, then, is the embodiment of the will to pierce the Daathe, which separates the uppermost spheres from even those among humanity that might be "heroes" (e.g. Tiphareth's vessels) in the act of choosing to seek out "his truest self."
 * Improves upon (and replaces) Rush entirely, increasing the power of his other Archetype techniques with each use. In its aspect as "The Path to People's Hearts", it also reveals information about the past life experiences and combat attributes of his targets, and enables allies who utilize analysis skills to uncover even more new information.

Inner Truths

These are powerful transformations, unlocked within a person upon a revelation regarding one's true self. Activation alone partially restores lost health and Kether, in addition to throwing back enemies nearby: each also unlocks a skill. Inner Truth skills are each usable once per transformation.


 * Verethragna Form: The first of Zain's Inner Truths, drawn out from his revelation regarding his own hypocrisy and stubborn refusal of self-improvement as pointed out by Tessera during their first battle. Assumes an imagined form of the "demon that smites resistance" to overcome his own resistant pride, and thenceforth capable of cultivating true Will. Increases all Attributes.
 * Nephesh: The Verethragna's unique Skill unleashes the first Soul- its "animalistic" aspect- to sharpen his instincts in correlation to the flow of the physical world that, for the four seconds, time effectively stops for him.


 * -|Act II=Tier: 6-C

Name: Zain Vaerpath, The False Envoy, Whitecoat, "Stubborn Bastard"

Origin: Hero's Path

Gender: Male

Age: 20

Classification: Human, Envoy, Knight of the Kether

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Self-Sustenance (Types 1 and 2), Martial Arts, Weapon Mastery, Magic, Willpower Manipulation, Can interact with disembodied abstracts and intangible entities, Gradually increases in power in combat relative to the strength of the opponent, Flight, Energy Manipulation, Regeneration (Low-Mid, Low-Godly over time via Tiphareth Shell), Immortality (Types 3 and 4; mandated by the Narrative to remain a "Slave to Heroism", disallowing for any permanent obstruction to his Quest beyond the depletion of his Will), Elemental Manipulation of the Fire, Explosion, Wind, Smoke, Darkness, Light, Astral, Gravity, Holy, Spirit, and Void varieties, Time Manipulation, Attack Reflection, Can create memoryforms of his weapons, inflict status effects and amplify attributes, Teleportation, Homing Attack, Limited Postcognition and Precognition, Super Mode, Healing, Telekinesis, and Limited Fate Manipulation capable of negating some types of higher-dimensional resistances; Resistance to Ailments and to Fire, Holy, Mind, Soul, Concept, Fate, and Willpower Manipulation. Via the Sephiroth: Gains Time Paradox Immunity and Resistance to, and can undo, Matter Manipulation, Transmutation, Dream Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Empathic Manipulation, Time Manipulation, Memory Manipulation, and Death Manipulation on a conceptual level.

Attack Potency: Island level (Capable of damaging and seriously wounding Metenros)

Speed: Massively Hypersonic+ (Can fly halfway across the world in under half a minute) with Sub-Relativistic reactions/combat speed

Lifting Strength: Class T (Lifted the cap of a large mountain overhead and threw it)

Striking Strength: Island Class

Durability: Island level (Withstood numerous attacks from Metenros, who raised mountains and threw halves of them into one another at great speeds)

Stamina: Superhuman

Range: Extended melee range with Virtum Aeternam, varies from several meters to several kilometers with powers

Standard Equipment: Includes a number of weapons and tools:
 * Virtum Aeternam: A daamasc longsword, and Zain's favored armament. Though relatively simple on its own, aside from daamasc's high elemental-energy conductivity, it has a high capacity for Dreamweaves, or weaves of kether that can attach themselves to physical objects to allow them to damage Qlippoth and furthermore to apply highly customizable effects to them.


 * Peace Walker: A long, ebonwood bo staff, and Zain's primary backup weapon. Though it has a limited capacity for Dreamweaves, it lowers Attack in all enemies it hits, blunting and blurring their negative emotions and killing intent- in the story, Zain tends to wield it against humans so that he can end the fight non-lethally.


 * Vaerpath Coat: A lightly armored, two-tailed beige coat, possessed of a high capacity for Dreamweaves but otherwise not notable.


 * Auxillary Tools: Includes scrolls for applying Metamagic effects to his spells (or casting spells he doesn't know), miscellaneous tools for mundane tasks, maps, a cell phone, and a few other items.


 * The Genesis Eggs: Crystallized essentia drawn from the higher Sephira of the Tree of Life, which grant mastery over one's inner Manifestation of these Archetypes. These are the object of much of Zain's quest as The Envoy. Used in combat, they can be metamorphosed into near any shape the user can imagine, and fly around to attack from all angles. Out of combat, they are useful for undoing what are known as "Idea Fractures": irregularities and alterations from the "true" state of the Archetype as they appear in the physical world.
 * Malkuth: The Tenth Sephira, an incarnation of Archetype "Kingdom". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to the physical realm.
 * Yesod: The Ninth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Dreams". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to the dreams and both the conscious and subconscious mind.
 * Hod: The Eighth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetypes "Heart". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to emotions, impulses, and feelings.
 * Netzach: The seventh Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Eternity". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to time, space, or memories that are inexorably etched into such.
 * Tiphareth Shell: What is left of the Sixth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Beauty", following the incident in the depths of the Dragonwood Eldritch Arts research facility. Embodying the conceptual Human Soul as it relates to connecting to the world without, it permits Zain a measure of power to mend and guard against Idea Fractures that impose themselves upon death- in combination with his artificial tethering to both the Binah and the Tiphareth themselves, his Soul will always find a way to return to the world, and reconstitute a new form, albeit with time.

Intelligence: Gifted. Managed to keep up with multiple rigorous academic courses whilst also receiving tutelage from Keiwa Arotsuna, along with other master warriors.

Weaknesses:
 * Hotheaded, stubborn, and somewhat narrow-sighted.
 * Refuses to drop a matter he cares about until it is decisively resolved.
 * Has a limited supply of Kether with which to use some of his special abilities with.
 * Cannot speak.
 * Somewhat vulnerable to wind and darkness-type attacks.
 * Although Fate Break boasts high potential in that it forces beings beyond fate to face a fair fight, it does not guarantee that whatever attack they would otherwise escape will automatically defeat them, if they have other means of resisting.

Feats:
 * With the help of Magus and Asha, tracked down Metenros after he abducted Tessera and fled to the other side of the world
 * Endured Metenros's spiders' nerve-wrecking poisons enough to escape captivity himself, temporarily
 * Learned how to unleash the Aeon Form mid-battle in time to defy his own capture and turn the tables on Metenros

Notable Attacks and Techniques
Martial Styles


 * Sword Style: Vaerpath: The signature sword style of the Vaerpath family, taught to him by friend of the family Keiwa Arotsuna in adolescence. Wields the blade in a forward-pointing, two-handed grip near the head, focusing on persistent offense and trapping opponents in subtle patterns of defensive maneuvers before switching tactics to land decisive blows. Considered "unique" to the Vaerpath line due to the immense amount of discipline it requires proving impossible to muster up for most individuals.


 * Sword Style: Rowdy: A loose, "style-less" style that uses wild abandon, perversion of expectations, and youthful energy to overwhelm and confound foes. Utilizes plenty of rough tactics, such as headbutts, shoulder checks, kicks, toe stomps, snagging clothing, and other unconventional tactics.


 * Sword Style: Florentine: Traces a memoryform of the wielded sword to assume a dual-wielding stance, combining offense and defense with each movement. Its techniques require considerable exertion as a trade-off for their efficiency.


 * Polearm Style: Von Tag: A "high guard" stance that focuses on menace and balancing patience with agressive high blows.


 * Polearm Style: Olber: A "low guard" stance that specializes in swift, light movements applied skillfully at the proper moment to disrupt an enemy's flow.


 * Polearm Style: Wild Monkey: A dramatic and flashy combat art that favors trickery and whirling attacks.


 * Unarmed Style: Aikido: A martial arts style that lets all motion flow about and around it without greivously harming the foe. Minimizes offense in favor of deflection and defense.


 * Unarmed Style: Capoeira: A dance-like martial style with an emphasis on exaggerated form, unpredictability, and mobility.

Spells


 * Fire: A Tier 1 fire-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand Fire: A Tier 2/3/4 fire-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Blast: Increases the area of effect with an aftershock that deals reduced damage, but over a wider area, and knocks enemies over.


 * Wind: A Tier 1 wind-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand Wind: A Tier 2/3/4 wind-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Smoke: Deals extra damage per fire spell that has been cast in the area recently.


 * Astral: A Tier 1 astral-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand Astral: A Tier 2/3/4 astral-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Gravity: Knocks down and/or Disarms all damaged targets.


 * Holy: A Tier 1 holy-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand Holy: A Tier 2/3/4 holy-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Spirit: Attack becomes homing; summons a Lesser Shell for each enemy defeated by this attack.


 * Metamagic: Blade: Targets the caster's weapon, allowing it to apply the spell at a fraction of its strength with each hit.


 * Heal: A Tier 1 Healing spell.


 * Amp: Temporarily amplifies a single attribute, based on the spell used.
 * Might Amp: Amplifies the target's Might attribute.
 * Agility Amp: Amplifies the target's Agility attribute.
 * Fortitude Amp: Amplifies the target's Fortitude attribute.

Archetype Armiger: "Envoy to the Kether"

Zain's Archetype Armiger is "Envoy to the Kether": his Legend is shaped by his status as having been chosen by Naux to assume the mantle of messenger for his divine dictums, and then to destroy the world. In the act of defying this before the beginning of the story's events, by encountering and choosing to bear the Tiphareth Sephira in order to seal the gate to Yesod, the Land of Dreams, Zain unwittingly unlocked a unique skill "Fate Break."

Zain's unique skills, overall, are a well-rounded and versatile toolkit befitting a leader, albeit with a slight focus on an aggressive style of Zone Control combat that reflects his personal preference for fast-paced, rush-down tactics.

Zain's unique resource is Kether. Unlike many resources, he starts battles with his Kether empty, but gradually gains it over the course of a battle, with dealing, blocking, and dodging blows expediting the process.


 * Fate Break: A wondrous, unique power that Zain discovered that allows him to be free of his pre-ordained destiny, borne unconsciously of his initial act of defiance. He subconsciously shares this power with those whom he forms a strong Bond with, their Legend saturated by his own.


 * Isacoslash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Fool Arcana. Focuses upon the conceptualization of a swung blade intently in a myriad of ways, turning one blow into twenty at the last second. Deals moderate (Weapon) damage.


 * Zero Wave: A technique derived from the Legend of the Magician Arcana. Slashes forward, tracing the blow in his consciousness to Manifest it as a turquoise wave of sharp light. Long ranged and fast, dealing minor Holy damage and increasing his Endurance parameter.


 * Mind Over Matter: A passive skill derived from the Legend of the Priestess Arcana. Reduces the duration of all Ailments Zain suffers from.


 * Flourish: A technique derived from the Legend of the Empress Arcana. Imbues an area with preservative resonance, increasing the Defense of allies within and slowly healing them.


 * Kingdom Come: A technique derived from the Legend of the Emperor Arcana. Imbues an area with destructive resonance, increasing the Attack of allies within and causing them to regain their stamina more quickly.


 * Cross Slash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hierophant Arcana. Swings twice, dealing (Weapon) damage each time, before punctuating the second swing with a burst of light that deals Holy damage in a small area. Increases his Wisdom parameter upon use.


 * Hero's Path: A unique technique derived from the Legend of the Lovers Arcana. In particular, the Hero's Path is the Legend of the "Zain" path upon the Tree of Life, whose name Zain shares, the path connecting the conceptual "Womb of the Cosmos" Binah and the "Dionysian/Martyred Hero" Tiphareth. Zain himself, then, is the embodiment of the will to pierce the Daathe, which separates the uppermost spheres from even those among humanity that might be "heroes" (e.g. Tiphareth's vessels) in the act of choosing to seek out "his truest self."
 * Improves upon (and replaces) Rush entirely, increasing the power of his other Archetype techniques with each use. In its aspect as "The Path to People's Hearts", it also reveals information about the past life experiences and combat attributes of his targets, and enables allies who utilize analysis skills to uncover even more new information.


 * Bladestorm: A technique derived from the Legend of the Chariot Arcana. Summons a field of ethereal swords around himself, each of which deal Slash and Weapon damage both to enemies that attack him in melee and continuously in an aura around himself, in addition to deflecting weak projectiles automatically and reducing the damage he takes. He may dispel this ability early to throw a storm of force blades, either surrounding a single target or in a simple directional blast.
 * In the story, Zain used this technique against Tessera and later Keiwa Arotsuna more creatively than simply throwing the blades: using the flats as footstools to reposition more swiftly than his flight would afford in midair or upside down or surfing them into enemies, and trapping Keiwa's coattails in a interconnecting lock of blades.


 * Defiant Challenge: A technique derived from the Legend of the Strength Arcana. Inflicts Rage upon all enemies in a wide, long cone, and increases his Endurance and Charisma parameters.


 * The World Within: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hermit Arcana. After a short windup, dispels all Ailments on himself, powering up briefly per Ailment dispelled.


 * Burning Wheel: A technique derived from the Legend of the Fortune Arcana. Swings his weapon radially, dealing minor Weapon damage to nearby enemies and afflicting them with a random Ailment. After a delay, that same area of effect (even if Zain has since moved) is blasted with moderate Fire damage.


 * Caduceus: A technique derived from the Legend of the Justice Arcana. Casts forth a double helix of blasts: one golden, one black: that deal Holy and Dark damage to enemies they pass through respectively. The targeted area leaves a restorative field in a line, gradually healing Zain and allies who remain within it.

Inner Truths

These are powerful transformations, unlocked within a person upon a revelation regarding one's true self. Activation alone partially restores lost health and Kether, in addition to throwing back enemies nearby: each also unlocks a skill. Inner Truth skills are each usable once per transformation.


 * Verethragna Form: The first of Zain's Inner Truths, drawn out from his revelation regarding his own hypocrisy and stubborn refusal of self-improvement as pointed out by Tessera during their first battle. Assumes an imagined form of the "demon that smites resistance" to overcome his own resistant pride, and thenceforth capable of cultivating true Will. Increases all Attributes.
 * Nephesh: The Verethragna's unique Skill unleashes the first Soul- its "animalistic" aspect- to sharpen his instincts in correlation to the flow of the physical world that, for the four seconds, time effectively stops for him.
 * Aeon Form: The second of Zain's Inner Truths, drawn out by the crisis of Tessera's kidnapping at Metenros's hands and the reaffirmation of why he fights. Assumes the form of the "raging dragon that defies time" to change the seemingly impossible. Further increases all Attributes.
 * Ruach: The Aeon's unique Skill unleashes the second Soul- the "spirit" that distinguishes one's wrong from right. Undoes himself such that the previous ten seconds cease to have happened, for him, undoing sustained wounds and maladies as well as returning to his previous location.


 * -|Act III=Tier: Low 5-B

Name: Zain Vaerpath, The False Envoy, Whitecoat, "Stubborn Bastard"

Origin: Hero's Path

Gender: Male

Age: 20

Classification: Human, Envoy, Knight of the Kether

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Self-Sustenance (Types 1 and 2), Martial Arts, Weapon Mastery, Magic, Willpower Manipulation, Can interact with disembodied abstracts and intangible entities, Gradually increases in power in combat relative to the strength of the opponent, Flight, Energy Manipulation, Regeneration (Low-Mid, Low-Godly over time via Tiphareth Shell), Immortality (Types 3 and 4; mandated by the Narrative to remain a "Slave to Heroism", disallowing for any permanent obstruction to his Quest beyond the depletion of his Will), Elemental Manipulation of the Fire, Explosion, Wind, Smoke, Darkness, Light, Astral, Gravity, Holy, Spirit, and Void varieties, Time Manipulation, Attack Reflection, Can create memoryforms of his weapons, inflict status effects and amplify attributes, Teleportation, Homing Attack, Limited Postcognition and Precognition, Super Mode, Healing, Telekinesis, Death Manipulation, and Limited Fate Manipulation capable of negating some types of higher-dimensional resistances; Resistance to Ailments and to Fire, Holy, Mind, Soul, Concept, Fate, and Willpower Manipulation. Via the Sephiroth: Gains Time Paradox Immunity and Resistance to, and can undo, Matter Manipulation, Transmutation, Dream Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Empathic Manipulation, Time Manipulation, Memory Manipulation, Death Manipulation, Power Nullification/Absorption, Morality Manipulation, Law Manipulation, and Chaos Manipulation on a conceptual level.

Attack Potency: Small Planet level (Seriously wounded Ruin, who survived being shot through the heart with the same chakra lightning bolt that obliterated the Starfall)

Speed: Sub-Relativistic+ (Can travel to the Moon in under 30 seconds) with FTL reactions/combat speed (Tagged Ruin several times, who parried Tessera's chakra thunder with his bare hand following the Starfall's Destruction)

Lifting Strength: At least Class T (Superior to his Act II self)

Striking Strength: Small Planet Class

Durability: Small Planet level (Withstood hits from Ruin)

Stamina: Superhuman

Range: Extended melee range with Virtum Aeternam, varies from several meters to dozens kilometers with powers

Standard Equipment: Includes a number of weapons and tools:
 * Virtum Aeternam: A daamasc longsword, and Zain's favored armament. Though relatively simple on its own, aside from daamasc's high elemental-energy conductivity, it has a high capacity for Dreamweaves, or weaves of kether that can attach themselves to physical objects to allow them to damage Qlippoth and furthermore to apply highly customizable effects to them.


 * Peace Walker: A long, ebonwood bo staff, and Zain's primary backup weapon. Though it has a limited capacity for Dreamweaves, it lowers Attack in all enemies it hits, blunting and blurring their negative emotions and killing intent- in the story, Zain tends to wield it against humans so that he can end the fight non-lethally.


 * Vaerpath Coat: A lightly armored, two-tailed beige coat, possessed of a high capacity for Dreamweaves but otherwise not notable.


 * Auxillary Tools: Includes scrolls for applying Metamagic effects to his spells (or casting spells he doesn't know), miscellaneous tools for mundane tasks, maps, a cell phone, and a few other items.


 * The Genesis Eggs: Crystallized essentia drawn from the higher Sephira of the Tree of Life, which grant mastery over one's inner Manifestation of these Archetypes. These are the object of much of Zain's quest as The Envoy. Used in combat, they can be metamorphosed into near any shape the user can imagine, and fly around to attack from all angles. Out of combat, they are useful for undoing what are known as "Idea Fractures": irregularities and alterations from the "true" state of the Archetype as they appear in the physical world.
 * Malkuth: The Tenth Sephira, an incarnation of Archetype "Kingdom". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to the physical realm.
 * Yesod: The Ninth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Dreams". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to the dreams and both the conscious and subconscious mind.
 * Hod: The Eighth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetypes "Heart". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to emotions, impulses, and feelings.
 * Netzach: The seventh Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Eternity". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to time, space, or memories that are inexorably etched into such.
 * Tiphareth Shell: What is left of the Sixth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Beauty", following the incident in the depths of the Dragonwood Eldritch Arts research facility. Embodying the conceptual Human Soul as it relates to connecting to the world without, it permits Zain a measure of power to mend and guard against Idea Fractures that impose themselves upon death- in combination with his artificial tethering to both the Binah and the Tiphareth themselves, his Soul will always find a way to return to the world, and reconstitute a new form, albeit with time.
 * Geburah: The Fifth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Severity". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to powers and strength- such as the nullification of such, for example.
 * Chesed: The Fourth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetypes of "Kindness". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to humanity's moral concepts- good, evil, order, and chaos- even undoing the definitions of such scribed by divine law, should their "true" state prove dissonant with the Will of a single Godform.

Intelligence: Genius. Has grown considerably under Tessera's guidance as a leader and a scholar, and has learned much of the world's history- managed to briefly outwit the far more experienced Ruin.

Weaknesses:
 * Hotheaded, stubborn, and somewhat narrow-sighted.
 * Refuses to drop a matter he cares about until it is decisively resolved.
 * Has a limited supply of Kether with which to use some of his special abilities with.
 * Cannot speak.
 * Somewhat vulnerable to wind and darkness-type attacks.
 * Although Fate Break boasts high potential in that it forces beings beyond fate to face a fair fight, it does not guarantee that whatever attack they would otherwise escape will automatically defeat them, if they have other means of resisting.

Feats:
 * Helped Darius "Rune" Freeman find resolution when confronted with the truth of his brother's betrayal of Earth
 * Willed himself back into human form after turned into a common radish by The Chartreuse Sage
 * Continued fighting after half of his flesh was burnt off
 * Distracted Ruin long enough, while impaled, crucified, and falling into the Daathe, for Oni Form Tessera to land a finishing blow with Requiem, while also invoking the Apsu technique to impose a concept of death upon him

Notable Attacks and Techniques
Martial Styles


 * Sword Style: Vaerpath: The signature sword style of the Vaerpath family, taught to him by friend of the family Keiwa Arotsuna in adolescence. Wields the blade in a forward-pointing, two-handed grip near the head, focusing on persitent offense and trapping opponents in subtle patterns of defensive maneuvers before switching tactics to land decisive blows. Considered "unique" to the Vaerpath line due to the immense amount of discipline it requires proving impossible to muster up for most individuals.


 * Sword Style: Rowdy: A loose, "style-less" style that uses wild abandon, perversion of expectations, and youthful energy to overwhelm and confound foes. Utilizes plenty of rough tactics, such as headbutts, shoulder checks, kicks, toe stomps, snagging clothing, and other unconventional tactics.


 * Sword Style: Florentine: Traces a memoryform of the wielded sword to assume a dual-wielding stance, combining offense and defense with each movement. Its techniques require considerable exertion as a trade-off for their efficiency.


 * Sword Style: Knightly: A refined, regal style of swordplay that maintains a level head with a focus on deft, in-an-out maneuvers and tricks.


 * Sword Style: Oldcastle: Manifests a memoryform of a shield that analogues to the wielded sword, assuming a reactive stance that sacrifices mobility in place of heightened reflexes and countering potential.


 * Polearm Style: Von Tag: A "high guard" stance that focuses on menace and balancing patience with agressive high blows.


 * Polearm Style: Olber: A "low guard" stance that specializes in swift, light movements applied skillfully at the proper moment to disrupt an enemy's flow.


 * Polearm Style: Wild Monkey: A dramatic and flashy combat art that favors trickery and whirling attacks.


 * Unarmed Style: Aikido: A martial arts style that lets all motion flow about and around it without greivously harming the foe. Minimizes offense in favor of deflection and defense.


 * Unarmed Style: Capoeira: A dance-like martial style with an emphasis on exaggerated form, unpredictability, and mobility.


 * Unarmed Style: Krav Maga: A brutal, yet efficient martial arts discipline practiced by the Israeli Commandos prior to and throughout World War III. Learned from Tessera as a means of thanks following the Metenros incident in Act II.

Spells


 * Fire: A Tier 1 fire-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Fire: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 fire-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Solar: Boosts damage against Undead, and healing for allies in the area.
 * Metamagic: Blast: Increases the area of effect with an aftershock that deals reduced damage, but over a wider area, and knocks enemies over.


 * Wind: A Tier 1 wind-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Wind: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 wind-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Vacuum: Inflicts Stun on enemies hit.
 * Metamagic: Smoke: Deals extra damage per fire spell that has been cast in the area recently.


 * Astral: A Tier 1 astral-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand Astral: A Tier 2/3/4 astral-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Gravity: Knocks down and/or Disarms all damaged targets.


 * Holy: A Tier 1 holy-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand Holy: A Tier 2/3/4 holy-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Spirit: Attack becomes homing; summons a Lesser Shell for each enemy defeated by this attack.


 * Metamagic: Blade: Targets the caster's weapon, allowing it to apply the spell at a fraction of its strength with each hit.


 * Heal: A Tier 1 Healing spell.
 * High/Great/Grand Heal: A Tier 2/3/4 healing spell.


 * Amp: Temporarily amplifies a single attribute, based on the spell used.
 * Dream Amp: Amplifies the target's Dream attribute.
 * Might Amp: Amplifies the target's Might attribute.
 * Agility Amp: Amplifies the target's Agility attribute.
 * Fortitude Amp: Amplifies the target's Fortitude attribute.

Archetype Armiger: "Envoy to the Kether"

Zain's Archetype Armiger is "Envoy to the Kether": his Legend is shaped by his status as having been chosen by Naux to assume the mantle of messenger for his divine dictums, and then to destroy the world. In the act of defying this before the beginning of the story's events, by encountering and choosing to bear the Tiphareth Sephira in order to seal the gate to Yesod, the Land of Dreams, Zain unwittingly unlocked a unique skill "Fate Break."

Zain's unique skills, overall, are a well-rounded and versatile toolkit befitting a leader, albeit with a slight focus on an aggressive style of Zone Control combat that reflects his personal preference for fast-paced, rush-down tactics.

Zain's unique resource is Kether. Unlike many resources, he starts battles with his Kether empty, but gradually gains it over the course of a battle, with dealing, blocking, and dodging blows expediting the process.


 * Fate Break: A wondrous, unique power that Zain discovered that allows him to be free of his pre-ordained destiny, borne unconsciously of his initial act of defiance. He subconsciously shares this power with those whom he forms a strong Bond with, their Legend saturated by his own.


 * Isacoslash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Fool Arcana. Focuses upon the conceptualization of a swung blade intently in a myriad of ways, turning one blow into twenty at the last second. Deals moderate (Weapon) damage.


 * Zero Wave: A technique derived from the Legend of the Magician Arcana. Slashes forward, tracing the blow in his consciousness to Manifest it as a turquoise wave of sharp light. Long ranged and fast, dealing minor Holy damage and increasing his Endurance parameter.


 * Mind Over Matter: A passive skill derived from the Legend of the Priestess Arcana. Reduces the duration of all Ailments Zain suffers from.


 * Flourish: A technique derived from the Legend of the Empress Arcana. Imbues an area with preservative resonance, increasing the Defense of allies within and slowly healing them.


 * Kingdom Come: A technique derived from the Legend of the Emperor Arcana. Imbues an area with destructive resonance, increasing the Attack of allies within and causing them to regain their stamina more quickly.


 * Cross Slash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hierophant Arcana. Swings twice, dealing (Weapon) damage each time, before punctuating the second swing with a burst of light that deals Holy damage in a small area. Increases his Wisdom parameter upon use.


 * Hero's Path: A unique technique derived from the Legend of the Lovers Arcana. In particular, the Hero's Path is the Legend of the "Zain" path upon the Tree of Life, whose name Zain shares, the path connecting the conceptual "Womb of the Cosmos" Binah and the "Dionysian/Martyred Hero" Tiphareth. Zain himself, then, is the embodiment of the will to pierce the Daathe, which separates the uppermost spheres from even those among humanity that might be "heroes" (e.g. Tiphareth's vessels) in the act of choosing to seek out "his truest self."
 * Improves upon (and replaces) Rush entirely, increasing the power of his other Archetype techniques with each use. In its aspect as "The Path to People's Hearts", it also reveals information about the past life experiences and combat attributes of his targets, and enables allies who utilize analysis skills to uncover even more new information: he defeated the Qlippoth Lord Astarte by using Hero's Path to uncover the means of undoing her creator's inner darkness, and in doing so severing Astarte's Manifestation from its source of power.


 * Bladestorm: A technique derived from the Legend of the Chariot Arcana. Summons a field of ethereal swords around himself, each of which deal Slash and Weapon damage both to enemies that attack him in melee and continuously in an aura around himself, in addition to deflecting weak projectiles automatically and reducing the damage he takes. He may dispel this ability early to throw a storm of force blades, either surrounding a single target or in a simple directional blast.
 * In the story, Zain used this technique against Tessera and later Keiwa Arotsuna more creatively than simply throwing the blades: using the flats as footstools to reposition more swiftly than his flight would afford in midair or upside down or surfing them into enemies, and trapping Keiwa's coattails in a interconnecting lock of blades.


 * Defiant Challenge: A technique derived from the Legend of the Strength Arcana. Inflicts Rage upon all enemies in a wide, long cone, and increases his Endurance and Charisma parameters.


 * The World Within: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hermit Arcana. After a short windup, dispels all Ailments on himself, powering up briefly per Ailment dispelled.


 * Burning Wheel: A technique derived from the Legend of the Fortune Arcana. Swings his weapon radially, dealing minor Weapon damage to nearby enemies and afflicting them with a random Ailment. After a delay, that same area of effect (even if Zain has since moved) is blasted with moderate Fire damage.


 * Caduceus: A technique derived from the Legend of the Justice Arcana. Casts forth a double helix of blasts: one golden, one black: that deal Holy and Dark damage to enemies they pass through respectively. The targeted area leaves a restorative field in a line, gradually healing Zain and allies who remain within it.


 * Hero's Inheritance: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hanged Man Arcana. Zain suffers half of the damage that would be suffered by all of his targeted allies, and makes them immune to Ailments that would result from being struck.


 * Apsu: A technique derived from the Legend of the Death Arcana. Imposes a conceptual 'Death' upon the target, dealing them continual Water and Dark damage, inflicting Acedia and Decay upon them, and increasing the power of everyone that deals that target damage.
 * In the story, Zain used this technique to kill Ruin, who having merged with the Qlippoth Lord Asmodeus, who as the anti-Geburah lacked a concept of "being destroyed" altogether, was effectively unstoppable otherwise.

Inner Truths

These are powerful transformations, unlocked within a person upon a revelation regarding one's true self. Activation alone partially restores lost health and Kether, in addition to throwing back enemies nearby: each also unlocks a skill. Inner Truth skills are each usable once per transformation.


 * Verethragna Form: The first of Zain's Inner Truths, drawn out from his revelation regarding his own hypocrisy and stubborn refusal of self-improvement as pointed out by Tessera during their first battle. Assumes an imagined form of the "demon that smites resistance" to overcome his own resistant pride, and thenceforth capable of cultivating true Will. Increases all Attributes.
 * Nephesh: The Verethragna's unique Skill unleashes the first Soul- its "animalistic" aspect- to sharpen his instincts in correlation to the flow of the physical world that, for the four seconds, time effectively stops for him.
 * Aeon Form: The second of Zain's Inner Truths, drawn out by the crisis of Tessera's kidnapping at Metenros's hands and the reaffirmation of why he fights. Assumes the form of the "raging dragon that defies time" to change the seemingly impossible. Further increases all Attributes.
 * Ruach: The Aeon's unique Skill unleashes the second Soul- the "spirit" that distinguishes one's wrong from right. Undoes himself such that the previous ten seconds cease to have happened, for him, undoing sustained wounds and maladies as well as returning to his previous location.
 * Demiurge Form: The third of Zain's Inner Truths, evoked upon coming to grips with his own pride and carelessness after it resulted in the death of New York during Ruin's incursion upon the world. Channels the form of the arrogant creator-god and re-imagines it as something able to stand tall and proud, a being capable of wielding its dark half for something beyond itself. Like other Inner Truths, increases all Attributes.
 * Neshameh The Demiurge's unique Skill unleashes the third Soul- the intuition that powers mankind's Will as surely as it grants it fallibility. Siphons Will away from, and in effect lowers all Attributes of, one target in order to bestow it to another, increasing all of their Attributes and allowing them to use the bestowed Will in place of expending their standard resource.


 * -|Act IV=Tier: 4-A

Name: Zain Vaerpath, The False Envoy, Whitecoat, "Stubborn Bastard"

Origin: Hero's Path

Gender: Male

Age: 20

Classification: Human, Envoy, Knight of the Kether

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Self-Sustenance (Types 1 and 2), Martial Arts, Weapon Mastery, Magic, Willpower Manipulation, Can interact with disembodied abstracts and intangible entities, Gradually increases in power in combat relative to the strength of the opponent, Flight, Energy Manipulation, Regeneration (Low-Mid, Mid-Godly over time via Tiphareth), Immortality (Types 3 and 4; mandated by the Narrative to remain a "Slave to Heroism", disallowing for any permanent obstruction to his Quest beyond the depletion of his Will), Elemental Manipulation of the Fire, Explosion, Wind, Smoke, Lightning, Ice, Bio, Darkness, Light, Astral, Gravity, Holy, Spirit, and Void varieties, Space and Time Manipulation, Attack Reflection, Can create memoryforms of his weapons, inflict status effects and amplify or reduce attributes, Teleportation, Homing Attack, Limited Postcognition and Precognition, Super Mode, Healing, Telekinesis, Banishment to and Summoning from the Daathe, Death Manipulation, and Limited Fate Manipulation capable of negating some types of higher-dimensional resistances; Resistance to Ailments and to Fire, Holy, Mind, Soul, Concept, Fate, and Willpower Manipulation. Via the Sephiroth: Gains (Type 2) Acausality and Resistance to, and can undo, Matter Manipulation, Transmutation, Dream Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Empathic Manipulation, Time Manipulation, Memory Manipulation, Death Manipulation, Power Nullification/Absorption, Morality Manipulation, Law Manipulation, Chaos Manipulation, Existence Erasure, Fate Manipulation, Soul Manipulation, Probability Manipulation, and Willpower Manipulation on a conceptual level.

Attack Potency: Multi-Solar System level (Defeated and destroyed the Vesper Core, and held up against its strongest attacks)

Speed: Massively FTL, possibly higher (Can fly to the edge of the Solar System in under half a minute and evade Outer Vesper's Solar System-spanning Perish Cannons, albeit from a distance)

Lifting Strength: At least Class T, likely Class P (Greatly superior to his Act III self; while living within Inner Vesper, learned to replicate his prior feats of strength in spite of its immense gravity)

Striking Strength: Multi-Solar System Class

Durability: Multi-Solar System level (Took hits from, and defeated the Vesper Core- survived its self-destruction and high-point blank range, as well, which was powerful enough to wipe out a significant portion of the entire Milky Way, albeit somewhat with Odin's aid)

Stamina: Virtually Inexhaustible (Remained active and conscious for the entirety of his imprisonment within Vesper)

Range: Extended melee range with Virtum Aeternam, varies from several meters to Interplanetary with powers

Standard Equipment: Includes a number of weapons and tools:
 * Virtum Aeternam: A daamasc longsword, and Zain's favored armament. Though relatively simple on its own, aside from daamasc's high elemental-energy conductivity, it has a high capacity for Dreamweaves, or weaves of kether that can attach themselves to physical objects to allow them to damage Qlippoth and furthermore to apply highly customizable effects to them.


 * Peace Walker: A long, ebonwood bo staff, and Zain's primary backup weapon. Though it has a limited capacity for Dreamweaves, it lowers Attack in all enemies it hits, blunting and blurring their negative emotions and killing intent- in the story, Zain tends to wield it against humans so that he can end the fight non-lethally.


 * Vaerpath Coat: A lightly armored, two-tailed beige coat, possessed of a high capacity for Dreamweaves but otherwise not notable.


 * Auxillary Tools: Includes scrolls for applying Metamagic effects to his spells (or casting spells he doesn't know), miscellaneous tools for mundane tasks, maps, a cell phone, and a few other items.


 * The Genesis Eggs: Crystallized essentia drawn from the higher Sephira of the Tree of Life, which grant mastery over one's inner Manifestation of these Archetypes. These are the object of much of Zain's quest as The Envoy. Used in combat, they can be metamorphosed into near any shape the user can imagine, and fly around to attack from all angles. Out of combat, they are useful for undoing what are known as "Idea Fractures": irregularities and alterations from the "true" state of the Archetype as they appear in the physical world.
 * Malkuth: The Tenth Sephira, an incarnation of Archetype "Kingdom". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to the physical realm.
 * Yesod: The Ninth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Dreams". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to the dreams and both the conscious and subconscious mind.
 * Hod: The Eighth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetypes "Heart". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to emotions, impulses, and feelings.
 * Netzach: The seventh Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Eternity". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to time, space, or memories that are inexorably etched into such.
 * Tiphareth: The Sixth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Beauty." Made whole, it's power to mend and guard against Idea Fractures correlating to death and the causal body are restored to their full capacity, allowing Zain to not only "mend" his death of his own volition, restoring himself to reality via an exertion of Will, but also to do so from even a state that defines him as the cause of his own death: "because he is dead, he died" and related transitional causes from one state of being to another are unraveled.
 * Geburah: The Fifth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Severity". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to powers and strength- such as the nullification of such, for example.
 * Chesed: The Fourth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetypes of "Kindness". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to humanity's moral concepts- good, evil, order, and chaos- even undoing the definitions of such scribed by divine law, should their "true" state prove dissonant with the Will of a single Godform.
 * Daathe: The False Sephira, an incarnation of the Empty Archetypes- of "Nothing". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to Manifestation, or "Demanifestion"- erasure. It's power is such that to "exist" and "not exist" become a single state of being, with Zain becoming a self-actualizing body unreliant upon the recognition of others to validate his existence in his own real world- Zain's Will must first be broken, or changed, in order to overcome this permanence.
 * Binah: The Third Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Understanding". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to Fate, and to souls.
 * Chokmah: The Second Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Revelation." Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to Will.

Intelligence: Genius. Has grown considerably under Tessera's guidance as a leader and a scholar, and has learned much of the world's history. As of the end of Act IV, has additionally learned several revelations regarding much of the nature of the conflict he and his world are embroiled in.

Weaknesses:
 * Hotheaded, stubborn, and somewhat narrow-sighted.
 * Refuses to drop a matter he cares about until it is decisively resolved.
 * Has a limited supply of Kether with which to use some of his special abilities with.
 * Somewhat vulnerable to wind and darkness-type attacks.
 * Although Fate Break boasts high potential in that it forces beings beyond fate to face a fair fight, it does not guarantee that whatever attack they would otherwise escape will automatically defeat them, if they have other means of resisting.

Feats:
 * After overcoming his own Shell within the Daathe, fought his way back into the Malkuth with the help of the Hero's Path technique, effectively willing himself back into existence
 * Reunited with his pre-War mentor, Keiwa Arotsuna, within Vesper, and completed the last of his training, in addition to learning much of the world's history in a short period of time
 * Led a significant chunk of a complex plan to defeat Vesper while imprisoned inside of its immense cityscape
 * Eventually incarnating at a fraction of his true strength to help his friends free his true physical body from non-existence within Vesper
 * Vesper, a hole into the Daathe the size of Saturn, was constantly attempting to erode his body, mind, and spirit, while simultaneously drawing the Willpower of those within it back into the non-existence of the True Daathe itself, on top of its immense gravity as a massive physical body
 * Aided the other members of New Farwatch in defeating the Vesper Core, and in freeing the World's souls by pulling them back into the material world from it's portal to the Daathe before it collapsed

Notable Attacks and Techniques
Martial Styles


 * Sword Style: Vaerpath: The signature sword style of the Vaerpath family, taught to him by friend of the family Keiwa Arotsuna in adolescence. Wields the blade in a forward-pointing, two-handed grip near the head, focusing on persitent offense and trapping opponents in subtle patterns of defensive maneuvers before switching tactics to land decisive blows. Considered "unique" to the Vaerpath line due to the immense amount of discipline it requires proving impossible to muster up for most individuals.


 * Sword Style: Rowdy: A loose, "style-less" style that uses wild abandon, perversion of expectations, and youthful energy to overwhelm and confound foes. Utilizes plenty of rough tactics, such as headbutts, shoulder checks, kicks, toe stomps, snagging clothing, and other unconventional tactics.


 * Sword Style: Florentine: Traces a memoryform of the wielded sword to assume a dual-wielding stance, combining offense and defense with each movement. Its techniques require considerable exertion as a trade-off for their efficiency.


 * Sword Style: Knightly: A refined, regal style of swordplay that maintains a level head with a focus on deft, in-an-out maneuvers and tricks.


 * Sword Style: Oldcastle: Manifests a memoryform of a shield that analogues to the wielded sword, assuming a reactive stance that sacrifices mobility in place of heightened reflexes and countering potential.


 * Polearm Style: Von Tag: A "high guard" stance that focuses on menace and balancing patience with agressive high blows.


 * Polearm Style: Olber: A "low guard" stance that specializes in swift, light movements applied skillfully at the proper moment to disrupt an enemy's flow.


 * Polearm Style: Wild Monkey: A dramatic and flashy combat art that favors trickery and whirling attacks.


 * Unarmed Style: Aikido: A martial arts style that lets all motion flow about and around it without greivously harming the foe. Minimizes offense in favor of deflection and defense.


 * Unarmed Style: Capoeira: A dance-like martial style with an emphasis on exaggerated form, unpredictability, and mobility.


 * Unarmed Style: Krav Maga: A brutal, yet efficient martial arts discipline practiced by the Israeli Commandos prior to and throughout World War III. Learned from Tessera as a means of thanks following the Metenros incident in Act II.

Spells


 * Fire: A Tier 1 fire-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Fire: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 fire-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Solar: Boosts damage against Undead, and healing for allies in the area.
 * Metamagic: Blast: Increases the area of effect with an aftershock that deals reduced damage, but over a wider area, and knocks enemies over.


 * Wind: A Tier 1 wind-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Wind: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 fire-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Vacuum: Inflicts Stun on enemies hit.
 * Metamagic: Smoke: Deals extra damage per fire spell that has been cast in the area recently.


 * Astral: A Tier 1 astral-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Astral: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 astral-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Time: Inflicts Slow on damaged targets.
 * Metamagic: Space: Randomly teleports damaged targets.
 * Metamagic: Gravity: Knocks down and/or Disarms all damaged targets.


 * Holy: A Tier 1 holy-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Holy: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 holy-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Spirit: Attack becomes homing; summons a Lesser Shell for each enemy defeated by this attack.


 * Metamagic: Blade: Targets the caster's weapon, allowing it to apply the spell at a fraction of its strength with each hit.


 * Heal: A Tier 1 Healing spell.
 * High/Great/Grand Heal: A Tier 2/3/4 healing spell.


 * Amp: Temporarily amplifies a single attribute, based on the spell used.
 * Dream Amp: Amplifies the target's Dream attribute.
 * Might Amp: Amplifies the target's Might attribute.
 * Agility Amp: Amplifies the target's Agility attribute.
 * Fortitude Amp: Amplifies the target's Fortitude attribute.


 * Spike: Temporarily decreases a single attribute, based on the spell used.
 * Dream Spike: Decreases the target's Dream attribute.
 * Might Spike: Decreases the target's Might attribute.
 * Agility Spike: Decreases the target's Agility attribute.
 * Fortitude Spike: Decreases the target's Fortitude attribute.


 * Reflect: Reflects the next instance of damage back to the one who attacked him.

Archetype Armiger: "Envoy to the Kether"

Zain's Archetype Armiger is "Envoy to the Kether": his Legend is shaped by his status as having been chosen by Naux to assume the mantle of messenger for his divine dictums, and then to destroy the world. In the act of defying this before the beginning of the story's events, by encountering and choosing to bear the Tiphareth Sephira in order to seal the gate to Yesod, the Land of Dreams, Zain unwittingly unlocked a unique skill "Fate Break."

Zain's unique skills, overall, are a well-rounded and versatile toolkit befitting a leader, albeit with a slight focus on an aggressive style of Zone Control combat that reflects his personal preference for fast-paced, rush-down tactics.

Zain's unique resource is Kether. Unlike many resources, he starts battles with his Kether empty, but gradually gains it over the course of a battle, with dealing, blocking, and dodging blows expediting the process.


 * Fate Break: A wondrous, unique power that Zain discovered that allows him to be free of his pre-ordained destiny, borne unconsciously of his initial act of defiance. He subconsciously shares this power with those whom he forms a strong Bond with, their Legend saturated by his own.


 * Isacoslash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Fool Arcana. Focuses upon the conceptualization of a swung blade intently in a myriad of ways, turning one blow into twenty at the last second. Deals moderate (Weapon) damage.


 * Zero Wave: A technique derived from the Legend of the Magician Arcana. Slashes forward, tracing the blow in his consciousness to Manifest it as a turquoise wave of sharp light. Long ranged and fast, dealing minor Holy damage and increasing his Endurance parameter.


 * Mind Over Matter: A passive skill derived from the Legend of the Priestess Arcana. Reduces the duration of all Ailments Zain suffers from.


 * Flourish: A technique derived from the Legend of the Empress Arcana. Imbues an area with preservative resonance, increasing the Defense of allies within and slowly healing them.


 * Kingdom Come: A technique derived from the Legend of the Emperor Arcana. Imbues an area with destructive resonance, increasing the Attack of allies within and causing them to regain their stamina more quickly.


 * Cross Slash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hierophant Arcana. Swings twice, dealing (Weapon) damage each time, before punctuating the second swing with a burst of light that deals Holy damage in a small area. Increases his Wisdom parameter upon use.


 * Hero's Path: A unique technique derived from the Legend of the Lovers Arcana. In particular, the Hero's Path is the Legend of the "Zain" path upon the Tree of Life, whose name Zain shares, the path connecting the conceptual "Womb of the Cosmos" Binah and the "Dionysian/Martyred Hero" Tiphareth. Zain himself, then, is the embodiment of the will to pierce the Daathe, which separates the uppermost spheres from even those among humanity that might be "heroes" (e.g. Tiphareth's vessels) in the act of choosing to seek out "his truest self."
 * Improves upon (and replaces) Rush entirely, increasing the power of his other Archetype techniques with each use. In its aspect as "The Path to People's Hearts", it also reveals information about the past life experiences and combat attributes of his targets, and enables allies who utilize analysis skills to uncover even more new information: he defeated the Qlippoth Lord Astarte by using Hero's Path to uncover the means of undoing her creator's inner darkness, and in doing so severing Astarte's Manifestation from its source of power.


 * Bladestorm: A technique derived from the Legend of the Chariot Arcana. Summons a field of ethereal swords around himself, each of which deal Slash and Weapon damage both to enemies that attack him in melee and continuously in an aura around himself, in addition to deflecting weak projectiles automatically and reducing the damage he takes. He may dispel this ability early to throw a storm of force blades, either surrounding a single target or in a simple directional blast.
 * In the story, Zain used this technique against Tessera and later Keiwa Arotsuna more creatively than simply throwing the blades: using the flats as footstools to reposition more swiftly than his flight would afford in midair or upside down or surfing them into enemies, and trapping Keiwa's coattails in a interconnecting lock of blades.


 * Defiant Challenge: A technique derived from the Legend of the Strength Arcana. Inflicts Rage upon all enemies in a wide, long cone, and increases his Endurance and Charisma parameters.


 * The World Within: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hermit Arcana. After a short windup, dispels all Ailments on himself, powering up briefly per Ailment dispelled.


 * Burning Wheel: A technique derived from the Legend of the Fortune Arcana. Swings his weapon radially, dealing minor Weapon damage to nearby enemies and afflicting them with a random Ailment. After a delay, that same area of effect (even if Zain has since moved) is blasted with moderate Fire damage.


 * Caduceus: A technique derived from the Legend of the Justice Arcana. Casts forth a double helix of blasts: one golden, one black: that deal Holy and Dark damage to enemies they pass through respectively. The targeted area leaves a restorative field in a line, gradually healing Zain and allies who remain within it.


 * Hero's Inheritance: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hanged Man Arcana. Zain suffers half of the damage that would be suffered by all of his targeted allies, and makes them immune to Ailments that would result from being struck.


 * Apsu: A technique derived from the Legend of the Death Arcana. Imposes a conceptual 'Death' upon the target, dealing them continual Water and Dark damage, inflicting Acedia and Decay upon them, and increasing the power of everyone that deals that target damage.
 * In the story, Zain used this technique to kill Ruin, who having merged with the Qlippoth Lord Asmodeus, who as the anti-Geburah lacked a concept of "being destroyed" altogether, was effectively unstoppable otherwise.


 * Phoenix Rising: A technique derived from the Legend of the Temperance Arcana. After launching an enemy away, chases after them with a blur of weapon blows that leave a trail of fiery kether waves in their wake, dealing heavy Weapon and Fire damage to the enemy and all enemies between them and Zain. Increases Zain's Strength parameter after use.


 * Pazuzu: A technique derived from the Legend of the Devil Arcana. In the fashion of a true malicious trickster that punishes those that accept gifts, Zain dispels all positive enhancements/buff effects from all enemies in a wide radius, dealing them Psychic damage per buff dispelled this way.


 * Event Horizon: A technique derived from the Legend of the Tower Arcana. Opens a great cosmic abyss that swallows up and devours matter and energy it contacts. Deals continuous Blunt and Astral damage to enemies in a wide area and pulls them to the center, while also inflicting Restrain and Defense Down, and cancelling projectiles that pass through. Can potentially erase those it harms from existence.


 * Shooting Star: A technique derived from the Legend of the Star Arcana. Throws a concentrated clump of stellar energy suffused with kether that explodes upon reaching its target point, dealing Astral and Fire damage to enemies within its radius, and dispelling ailments upon allies within the same radius.


 * Eclipse Heart: A technique derived from the Legend of the Moon Arcana. Casts an area into the primal darkness of the empty Daathe to deal continual Dark and Ice damage to enemies within the wide target area, in addition to Slowing and Blinding them.
 * For each enemy damaged by this ability, Zain summons a Lesser Shell of them automatically, a Manifestation that borrows their Legend to mimic every power, ability, and mannerism of the target, but without the "social mask": they effectively function as bloodlusted, socially uninhibited copies of the target character. Extremely powerful entities with the ability to use Willpower, that "don't exist" and thus have no Legend to duplicate (ex. many stronger Qlippoth), and enemies that are simply immune to Dark and Ice damage do not generate a Lesser Shell for Zain to direct, however.


 * Psionic Flash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Sun Arcana. Manifests a profound truth as a solar flare-like flash from the head and/or hands, dealing heavy Psychic damage to enemies nearby and increasing his Logic parameter.


 * World's Bones: A technique derived from the Legend of the Judgment Arcana. Pulls the primal streams of life from the world itself up towards him, inflicting heavy Bio and Lightning damage across a massive area, as well as afflicting those hit with Curse and Decay, and suffuses targets hit with the world's energy. Targets so suffused restore the attacker's vitality with each successful hit.

Inner Truths

These are powerful transformations, unlocked within a person upon a revelation regarding one's true self. Activation alone partially restores lost health and Kether, in addition to throwing back enemies nearby: each also unlocks a skill. Inner Truth skills are each usable once per transformation.


 * Verethragna Form: The first of Zain's Inner Truths, drawn out from his revelation regarding his own hypocrisy and stubborn refusal of self-improvement as pointed out by Tessera during their first battle. Assumes an imagined form of the "demon that smites resistance" to overcome his own resistant pride, and thenceforth capable of cultivating true Will. Increases all Attributes.
 * Nephesh: The Verethragna's unique Skill unleashes the first Soul- its "animalistic" aspect- to sharpen his instincts in correlation to the flow of the physical world that, for the four seconds, time effectively stops for him.
 * Aeon Form: The second of Zain's Inner Truths, drawn out by the crisis of Tessera's kidnapping at Metenros's hands and the reaffirmation of why he fights. Assumes the form of the "raging dragon that defies time" to change the seemingly impossible. Further increases all Attributes.
 * Ruach: The Aeon's unique Skill unleashes the second Soul- the "spirit" that distinguishes one's wrong from right. Undoes himself such that the previous ten seconds cease to have happened, for him, undoing sustained wounds and maladies as well as returning to his previous location.
 * Demiurge Form: The third of Zain's Inner Truths, evoked upon coming to grips with his own pride and carelessness after it resulted in the death of New York during Ruin's incursion upon the world. Channels the form of the arrogant creator-god and re-imagines it as something able to stand tall and proud, a being capable of wielding its dark half for something beyond itself. Like other Inner Truths, increases all Attributes.
 * Neshameh The Demiurge's unique Skill unleashes the third Soul- the intuition that powers mankind's Will as surely as it grants it fallibility. Siphons Will away from, and in effect lowers all Attributes of, one target in order to bestow it to another, increasing all of their Attributes and allowing them to use the bestowed Will in place of expending their standard resource.
 * Pleroma Form: The fourth of Zain's Inner Truths, unlocked after inheriting the last of Keiwa Arotsuna's powers and completing his training. Signifies his "totality" and "completeness" after escaping the Daathe and learning many great truths about the world within Vesper, assuming the form one may expect of an archetypical "superhero." Increases all Attributes.
 * Chiah: The Pleroma's unique skill unleashes the fourth Soul- the Transitional Essence, with which Zain fully heals and revives himself and incapacitated allies, in addition to curing their ailments and restoring their energy via an infusion of Will.


 * -|Act V (Standard Ending)=Tier: At least 3-C, possibly 3-B. High 3-A via Ahura Mazda. | Low 2-C, 2-A via the Paroketh

Name: Zain Vaerpath, The False Envoy, Whitecoat, "Stubborn Bastard"

Origin: Hero's Path

Gender: Male

Age: 21

Classification: Human, Envoy, Knight of the Kether, The Collective Subconscious of all Sapient Life

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Self-Sustenance (Types 1, 2, and 3), Martial Arts, Weapon Mastery, Magic, Willpower Manipulation, Can interact with disembodied abstracts and intangible entities, Gradually increases in power in combat relative to the strength of the opponent, Flight, Energy Manipulation, Regeneration (Mid-High, Mid-Godly over time via Tiphareth), Immortality (Types 1, 3, 4, and 8; by attaining the Monad Form, Zain became linked to Consciousness itself even while not channeling its power, becoming unable to die as long as Will exists), Elemental Manipulation of the Fire, Radiation, Water, Bio, Ice, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Nature, Smoke, Darkness, Magnetic, Weather, Blood, Light, Holy, Acid, Astral, Gravity, Spirit, and Void varieties, Space and Time Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Attack Reflection, Can create memoryforms of his weapons, inflict status effects and amplify or reduce attributes, Teleportation, Homing Attack, Limited Postcognition and Precognition, Super Mode, Power Nullification, Healing, Telekinesis, Banishment to and Summoning from the Daathe, Death Manipulation, and Limited Fate Manipulation capable of negating some types of higher-dimensional resistances; Resistance to Ailments and to Fire, Holy, Mind, Soul, Concept, Fate, and Willpower Manipulation. Via Ahura Mazda: Can sever the contents of a sphere of existence (dimensional layer) from the other spheres, effectively annihilating any being occupying that sphere of reality across all of the rest of the spheres in the process. Via the Sephiroth: Gains (Type 2) Acausality and Resistance to, and can undo, Matter Manipulation, Transmutation, Dream Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Empathic Manipulation, Time Manipulation, Memory Manipulation, Death Manipulation, Power Nullification/Absorption, Morality Manipulation, Law Manipulation, Chaos Manipulation, Existence Erasure, Fate Manipulation, Soul Manipulation, Probability Manipulation, and Willpower Manipulation, as well as potentially far more via the Kether, on a conceptual level. | As before, plus Abstract Existence (Type 2, by virtue of being Consciousness Itself; includes the ability to automatically use the power of any sapient entity without an Archetype Armiger, and freely steal, suppress and bestow powers upon sapient beings), and perfect control of his own Will such that he can properly wield Ahura Mazda without destroying himself.

Attack Potency: At least Galaxy level, possibly Multi-Galaxy level (Held back Naux Avatar's galaxy-sized hand while in Demiurge Form, without allowing the backlash force to destroy any more of Earth than a single mountain range- Zain entering Verethragna Form was enough on its own to shake the entirety of the universe). High Universe level with Ahura Mazda. (With the power to unravel Infinity, this special attack would destroy all things in the universe without the Yechidah skill to contain and aim it; however, this would also destroy Zain.) | Universe level+ (Attained effectively infinite power via the Yechidah skill of the Monad; defeated the Naux Avatar, which would have devoured the timeline after reaching Earth's Core if not stopped), Multiverse level+ via the Paroketh (Sundering himself on the Paroketh sealed away the Fading, and reset the infinite possibilities of the lower spheres back to their previous states from 50 millenia ago)

Speed: Massively FTL+ (Flew to the Great Sloan Wall in under half a minute- Tessera managed to parry the Naux Avatar's Morphegael Blazing in Shinigami Form)

Lifting Strength: Galactic (Pushed back the Naux Avatar's galaxy-sized hands for an extended period of time) | Galactic

Striking Strength: Galactic, possibly Multi-Galactic. High Universal with Ahura Mazda. | Universe Class+

Durability: At least Galaxy level, possibly Multi-Galaxy level | Universe level+

Stamina: Nigh-Infinite | Infinite

Range: Extended melee range with Virtum Aeternam, up to Universal with powers. Multiversal via the Paroketh.

Standard Equipment: Includes a number of weapons and tools:
 * Virtum Aeternam: A daamasc longsword, and Zain's favored armament. Though relatively simple on its own, aside from daamasc's high elemental-energy conductivity, it has a high capacity for Dreamweaves, or weaves of kether that can attach themselves to physical objects to allow them to damage Qlippoth and furthermore to apply highly customizable effects to them.


 * Peace Walker: A long, ebonwood bo staff, and Zain's primary backup weapon. Though it has a limited capacity for Dreamweaves, it lowers Attack in all enemies it hits, blunting and blurring their negative emotions and killing intent- in the story, Zain tends to wield it against humans so that he can end the fight non-lethally.


 * Vaerpath Coat: A lightly armored, two-tailed beige coat, possessed of a high capacity for Dreamweaves but otherwise not notable.


 * Auxillary Tools: Includes scrolls for applying Metamagic effects to his spells (or casting spells he doesn't know), miscellaneous tools for mundane tasks, maps, a cell phone, and a few other items.


 * The Genesis Eggs: Crystallized essentia drawn from the higher Sephira of the Tree of Life, which grant mastery over one's inner Manifestation of these Archetypes. These are the object of much of Zain's quest as The Envoy. Used in combat, they can be metamorphosed into near any shape the user can imagine, and fly around to attack from all angles. Out of combat, they are useful for undoing what are known as "Idea Fractures": irregularities and alterations from the "true" state of the Archetype as they appear in the physical world.
 * Malkuth: The Tenth Sephira, an incarnation of Archetype "Kingdom". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to the physical realm.
 * Yesod: The Ninth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Dreams". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to the dreams and both the conscious and subconscious mind.
 * Hod: The Eighth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetypes "Heart". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to emotions, impulses, and feelings.
 * Netzach: The seventh Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Eternity". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to time, space, or memories that are inexorably etched into such.
 * Tiphareth: The Sixth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Beauty." Made whole, it's power to mend and guard against Idea Fractures correlating to death and the causal body are restored to their full capacity, allowing Zain to not only "mend" his death of his own volition, restoring himself to reality via an exertion of Will, but also to do so from even a state that defines him as the cause of his own death: "because he is dead, he died" and related transitional causes from one state of being to another are unraveled.
 * Geburah: The Fifth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Severity". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to powers and strength- such as the nullification of such, for example.
 * Chesed: The Fourth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetypes of "Kindness". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to humanity's moral concepts- good, evil, order, and chaos- even undoing the definitions of such scribed by divine law, should their "true" state prove dissonant with the Will of a single Godform.
 * Daathe: The False Sephira, an incarnation of the Empty Archetypes- of "Nothing". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to Manifestation, or "Demanifestion"- erasure. It's power is such that to "exist" and "not exist" become a single state of being, with Zain becoming a self-actualizing body unreliant upon the recognition of others to validate his existence in his own real world- Zain's Will must first be broken, or changed, in order to overcome this permanence.
 * Binah: The Third Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Understanding". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to Fate, and to souls.
 * Chokmah: The Second Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Revelation." Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to Will.
 * Kether: The First, ultimate Sephira, a sublime incarnation of the pinnacle of Conscious existence. Normally, communion with such a force would obliterate its wielder, yet Zain bypasses this by becoming one with the willpower of all sapient things in the world, distributing the burden, sharing the enlightenment, and championing their right to exist against the Unmanifest. Defines all undesired phenomena within oneself as Idea Fractures, and thus allows the Will to function as an "absolute defense" against any and all irregular phenomena.

Intelligence: Genius. Having reached the end of the harrowing Hero's Path, Zain is nearly as wise and as intelligent as a human can be. | Supergenius- as the Monad, Zain is the vessel for every Conscious being to be, have ever been, or ever will be, meaning that he knows nearly everything there is to know in the world.

Weaknesses:
 * Hotheaded, stubborn, and somewhat narrow-sighted.
 * Refuses to drop a matter he cares about until it is decisively resolved-
 * (Though, with the rest of the world's knowledge at his disposal, this is usually barely noticeable.)
 * Though his Kether supply is unlimited with the Monad, he is still only capable of metabolizing as much of it as the totality of sapient life is collectively capable of at any given time.
 * Although Fate Break boasts high potential in that it forces beings beyond fate to face a fair fight, it does not guarantee that whatever attack they would otherwise escape will automatically defeat them, if they have other means of resisting.

Feats:
 * Held back the Naux Avatar's galaxy-sized hands while on Earth, barely allowing of any collateral damage on the planet
 * Zoomed across the surface of the Earth (with Tessera and Magus's help) to repel homing attacks that were created mere inches away from all sapient life that inhabited the planet
 * Learned the Yechidah skill of the Monad Form in order to fire Ahura Mazda without destroying himself, severing the Naux Avatar from Naux itself while also tearing open a rift into Naux's Kingdom
 * Defeated Naux
 * Sacrificed himself via the Paroketh to reset the world's timelines whilst sparing them from Samael's influence, and search for a new host to bear the Tiphareth Shell

Notable Attacks and Techniques
Basic Techniques

Available to all characters simply by training/reading scrolls. Technically, as the Monad, Zain has accepted a Bond with all of Mortal Consciousness, and thus wields the collective physical and magical prowess of all existent or once-existent beings. However, as he is still primarily Zain, he would most likely favor his own techniques the majority of the time (some of which are listed here):

Martial Styles


 * Sword Style: Vaerpath: The signature sword style of the Vaerpath family, taught to him by friend of the family Keiwa Arotsuna in adolescence. Wields the blade in a forward-pointing, two-handed grip near the head, focusing on persitent offense and trapping opponents in subtle patterns of defensive maneuvers before switching tactics to land decisive blows. Considered "unique" to the Vaerpath line due to the immense amount of discipline it requires proving impossible to muster up for most individuals.


 * Sword Style: Rowdy: A loose, "style-less" style that uses wild abandon, perversion of expectations, and youthful energy to overwhelm and confound foes. Utilizes plenty of rough tactics, such as headbutts, shoulder checks, kicks, toe stomps, snagging clothing, and other unconventional tactics.


 * Sword Style: Florentine: Traces a memoryform of the wielded sword to assume a dual-wielding stance, combining offense and defense with each movement. Its techniques require considerable exertion as a trade-off for their efficiency.


 * Sword Style: Knightly: A refined, regal style of swordplay that maintains a level head with a focus on deft, in-an-out maneuvers and tricks.


 * Sword Style: Oldcastle: Manifests a memoryform of a shield that analogues to the wielded sword, assuming a reactive stance that sacrifices mobility in place of heightened reflexes and countering potential.


 * Polearm Style: Von Tag: A "high guard" stance that focuses on menace and balancing patience with agressive high blows.


 * Polearm Style: Olber: A "low guard" stance that specializes in swift, light movements applied skillfully at the proper moment to disrupt an enemy's flow.


 * Polearm Style: Wild Monkey: A dramatic and flashy combat art that favors trickery and whirling attacks.


 * Unarmed Style: Aikido: A martial arts style that lets all motion flow about and around it without greivously harming the foe. Minimizes offense in favor of deflection and defense.


 * Unarmed Style: Capoeira: A dance-like martial style with an emphasis on exaggerated form, unpredictability, and mobility.


 * Unarmed Style: Krav Maga: A brutal, yet efficient martial arts discipline practiced by the Israeli Commandos prior to and throughout World War III. Learned from Tessera as a means of thanks following the Metenros incident in Act II.

Spells


 * Fire: A Tier 1 fire-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Fire: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 fire-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Solar: Boosts damage against Undead, and healing for allies in the area.
 * Metamagic: Blast: Increases the area of effect with an aftershock that deals reduced damage, but over a wider area, and knocks enemies over.
 * Metamagic: Hellfire: Reduces a random Attribute of targets hit.


 * Water: A Tier 1 water-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Water: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 water-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Luna: Boosts damage against Demons, and reduces mana costs for allies in the area.


 * Earth: A Tier 1 earth-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Earth: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 earth-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Crystal: Boosts Defense of allies in the area, and potentially Petrifies targets damaged.
 * Metamagic: Mud: Slows and reduces Power of targets damaged.


 * Wind: A Tier 1 wind-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Wind: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 fire-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Vacuum: Inflicts Stun on enemies hit.
 * Metamagic: Smoke: Deals extra damage per fire spell that has been cast in the area recently.


 * Lightning: A Tier 1 lightning-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Lightning: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 lightning-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Magnet: Knocks down and/or Disarms enemies hit.


 * Ice: A Tier 1 ice-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Ice: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 ice-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Blizzard: Leaves a field that doesn't deal damage, but Slows/Petrifies targets that remain in it for too long.


 * Psychic: A Tier 1 psychic-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Psychic: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 psychic-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Dream: Inflicts Amnesia on damaged targets.


 * Bio: A Tier 1 bio-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Fire: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 bio-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Nature: Inflicts Restrain on damaged targets.
 * Metamagic: Nuclear: Inflicts Decay on damaged targets.
 * Metamagic: Corrosion: Reduces the Defense of damaged targets.


 * Astral: A Tier 1 astral-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Astral: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 astral-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Time: Inflicts Slow on damaged targets.
 * Metamagic: Space: Randomly teleports damaged targets.
 * Metamagic: Gravity: Knocks down and/or Disarms all damaged targets.


 * Holy: A Tier 1 holy-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Holy: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 holy-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Spirit: Attack becomes homing; summons a Lesser Shell for each enemy defeated by this attack.
 * Metamagic: Exorcise: Increase damage against Demons, heal for each Demon defeated by this attack.
 * Metamagic: Dust: Increases damage against Undead, heal for each Undead defeated by this attack.


 * Dark: A Tier 1 dark-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Dark: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 dark-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Void: Inflicts Severance upon self to inflict Severance and Paralysis upon all damaged targets, in addition to increasing the damage dealt.
 * Metamagic: Blood: Inflicts Pain on damaged target and deals continual Pierce damage.
 * Metamagic: Entropy: Increases damage against Mortals, inflicts Acedia.


 * Metamagic: Blade: Targets the caster's weapon, allowing it to apply the spell at a fraction of its strength with each hit.
 * Metamagic: Field: Targets an area with a continual variant of the spell that deals increased damage over its lifespan, gradually over time.
 * Metamagic: Burn: The spell deals continual damage over time of the same type used to cast the initial spell.
 * Metamagic: Anima: The spell doesn't directly attack, but rather creates an elemental or cluster of elementals from the energy used to cast the spell.


 * Heal: A Tier 1 Healing spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Heal: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 healing spell.
 * Metamagic: Mend: Also cures all physical ailments the target is suffering.
 * Metamagic: Tranquil: Also cures all mental ailments the target is suffering.
 * Metamagic: Expel: Also cures all spiritual ailments the target is suffering.
 * Metamagic: Rewrite: Also cures all conceptual/archetypical ailments the target is suffering.


 * Amp: Temporarily amplifies a single attribute, based on the spell used.
 * Body Amp: Amplifies the target's Body attribute.
 * Mind Amp: Amplifies the target's Mind attribute.
 * Soul Amp: Amplifies the target's Soul attribute.
 * Dream Amp: Amplifies the target's Dream attribute.
 * Might Amp: Amplifies the target's Might attribute.
 * Agility Amp: Amplifies the target's Agility attribute.
 * Fortitude Amp: Amplifies the target's Fortitude attribute.
 * Intelligence Amp: Amplifies the target's Intelligence attribute.
 * Wisdom Amp: Amplifies the target's Wisdom attribute.
 * Charisma Amp: Amplifies the target's Charisma attribute.
 * Luck Amp: Amplifies the target's Luck attribute.


 * Spike: Temporarily decreases a single attribute, based on the spell used.
 * Body Spike: Decreases the target's Body attribute.
 * Mind Spike: Decreases the target's Mind attribute.
 * Soul Spike: Decreases the target's Soul attribute.
 * Dream Spike: Decreases the target's Dream attribute.
 * Might Spike: Decreases the target's Might attribute.
 * Agility Spike: Decreases the target's Agility attribute.
 * Fortitude Spike: Decreases the target's Fortitude attribute.
 * Intelligence Spike: Decreases the target's Intelligence attribute.
 * Wisdom Spike: Decreases the target's Wisdom attribute.
 * Charisma Spike: Decreases the target's Charisma attribute.
 * Luck Spike: Decreases the target's Luck attribute.


 * Reflect: Reflects the next instance of damage back to the one who attacked you.
 * Analyze: Augments a keen, intelligent analysis of a target with preternatural insight, granting one advanced knowledge of their capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses.

Archetype Armiger: "Envoy to the Kether"

Zain's Archetype Armiger is "Envoy to the Kether": his Legend is shaped by his status as having been chosen by Naux to assume the mantle of messenger for his divine dictums, and then to destroy the world. In the act of defying this before the beginning of the story's events, by encountering and choosing to bear the Tiphareth Sephira in order to seal the gate to Yesod, the Land of Dreams, Zain unwittingly unlocked a unique skill "Fate Break."

Zain's unique skills, overall, are a well-rounded and versatile toolkit befitting a leader, albeit with a slight focus on an aggressive style of Zone Control combat that reflects his personal preference for fast-paced, rush-down tactics.

Zain's unique resource is Kether. Unlike many resources, he starts battles with his Kether empty, but gradually gains it over the course of a battle, with dealing, blocking, and dodging blows expediting the process.


 * Fate Break: A wondrous, unique power that Zain discovered that allows him to be free of his pre-ordained destiny, borne unconsciously of his initial act of defiance. He subconsciously shares this power with those whom he forms a strong Bond with, their Legend saturated by his own.


 * Isacoslash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Fool Arcana. Focuses upon the conceptualization of a swung blade intently in a myriad of ways, turning one blow into twenty at the last second. Deals moderate (Weapon) damage.


 * Zero Wave: A technique derived from the Legend of the Magician Arcana. Slashes forward, tracing the blow in his consciousness to Manifest it as a turquoise wave of sharp light. Long ranged and fast, dealing minor Holy damage and increasing his Endurance parameter.


 * Mind Over Matter: A passive skill derived from the Legend of the Priestess Arcana. Reduces the duration of all Ailments Zain suffers from.


 * Flourish: A technique derived from the Legend of the Empress Arcana. Imbues an area with preservative resonance, increasing the Defense of allies within and slowly healing them.


 * Kingdom Come: A technique derived from the Legend of the Emperor Arcana. Imbues an area with destructive resonance, increasing the Attack of allies within and causing them to regain their stamina more quickly.


 * Cross Slash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hierophant Arcana. Swings twice, dealing (Weapon) damage each time, before punctuating the second swing with a burst of light that deals Holy damage in a small area. Increases his Wisdom parameter upon use.


 * Hero's Path: A unique technique derived from the Legend of the Lovers Arcana. In particular, the Hero's Path is the Legend of the "Zain" path upon the Tree of Life, whose name Zain shares, the path connecting the conceptual "Womb of the Cosmos" Binah and the "Dionysian/Martyred Hero" Tiphareth. Zain himself, then, is the embodiment of the will to pierce the Daathe, which separates the uppermost spheres from even those among humanity that might be "heroes" (e.g. Tiphareth's vessels) in the act of choosing to seek out "his truest self."
 * Improves upon (and replaces) Rush entirely, increasing the power of his other Archetype techniques with each use. In its aspect as "The Path to People's Hearts", it also reveals information about the past life experiences and combat attributes of his targets, and enables allies who utilize analysis skills to uncover even more new information: he defeated the Qlippoth Lord Astarte by using Hero's Path to uncover the means of undoing her creator's inner darkness, and in doing so severing Astarte's Manifestation from its source of power.


 * Bladestorm: A technique derived from the Legend of the Chariot Arcana. Summons a field of ethereal swords around himself, each of which deal Slash and Weapon damage both to enemies that attack him in melee and continuously in an aura around himself, in addition to deflecting weak projectiles automatically and reducing the damage he takes. He may dispel this ability early to throw a storm of force blades, either surrounding a single target or in a simple directional blast.
 * In the story, Zain used this technique against Tessera and later Keiwa Arotsuna more creatively than simply throwing the blades: using the flats as footstools to reposition more swiftly than his flight would afford in midair or upside down or surfing them into enemies, and trapping Keiwa's coattails in a interconnecting lock of blades.


 * Defiant Challenge: A technique derived from the Legend of the Strength Arcana. Inflicts Rage upon all enemies in a wide, long cone, and increases his Endurance and Charisma parameters.


 * The World Within: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hermit Arcana. After a short windup, dispels all Ailments on himself, powering up briefly per Ailment dispelled.


 * Burning Wheel: A technique derived from the Legend of the Fortune Arcana. Swings his weapon radially, dealing minor Weapon damage to nearby enemies and afflicting them with a random Ailment. After a delay, that same area of effect (even if Zain has since moved) is blasted with moderate Fire damage.


 * Caduceus: A technique derived from the Legend of the Justice Arcana. Casts forth a double helix of blasts: one golden, one black: that deal Holy and Dark damage to enemies they pass through respectively. The targeted area leaves a restorative field in a line, gradually healing Zain and allies who remain within it.


 * Hero's Inheritance: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hanged Man Arcana. Zain suffers half of the damage that would be suffered by all of his targeted allies, and makes them immune to Ailments that would result from being struck.


 * Apsu: A technique derived from the Legend of the Death Arcana. Imposes a conceptual 'Death' upon the target, dealing them continual Water and Dark damage, inflicting Acedia and Decay upon them, and increasing the power of everyone that deals that target damage.
 * In the story, Zain used this technique to kill Ruin, who having merged with the Qlippoth Lord Asmodeus, who as the anti-Geburah lacked a concept of "being destroyed" altogether, was effectively unstoppable otherwise.


 * Phoenix Rising: A technique derived from the Legend of the Temperance Arcana. After launching an enemy away, chases after them with a blur of weapon blows that leave a trail of fiery kether waves in their wake, dealing heavy Weapon and Fire damage to the enemy and all enemies between them and Zain. Increases Zain's Strength parameter after use.


 * Pazuzu: A technique derived from the Legend of the Devil Arcana. In the fashion of a true malicious trickster that punishes those that accept gifts, Zain dispels all positive enhancements/buff effects from all enemies in a wide radius, dealing them Psychic damage per buff dispelled this way.


 * Event Horizon: A technique derived from the Legend of the Tower Arcana. Opens a great cosmic abyss that swallows up and devours matter and energy it contacts. Deals continuous Blunt and Astral damage to enemies in a wide area and pulls them to the center, while also inflicting Restrain and Defense Down, and cancelling projectiles that pass through. Can potentially erase those it harms from existence.


 * Shooting Star: A technique derived from the Legend of the Star Arcana. Throws a concentrated clump of stellar energy suffused with kether that explodes upon reaching its target point, dealing Astral and Fire damage to enemies within its radius, and dispelling ailments upon allies within the same radius.


 * Eclipse Heart: A technique derived from the Legend of the Moon Arcana. Casts an area into the primal darkness of the empty Daathe to deal continual Dark and Ice damage to enemies within the wide target area, in addition to Slowing and Blinding them.
 * For each enemy damaged by this ability, Zain summons a Lesser Shell of them automatically, a Manifestation that borrows their Legend to mimic every power, ability, and mannerism of the target, but without the "social mask": they effectively function as bloodlusted, socially uninhibited copies of the target character. Extremely powerful entities with the ability to use Willpower, that "don't exist" and thus have no Legend to duplicate (ex. many stronger Qlippoth), and enemies that are simply immune to Dark and Ice damage do not generate a Lesser Shell for Zain to direct, however.


 * Psionic Flash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Sun Arcana. Manifests a profound truth as a solar flare-like flash from the head and/or hands, dealing heavy Psychic damage to enemies nearby and increasing his Logic parameter.


 * World's Bones: A technique derived from the Legend of the Judgment Arcana. Pulls the primal streams of life from the world itself up towards him, inflicting heavy Bio and Lightning damage across a massive area, as well as afflicting those hit with Curse and Decay, and suffuses targets hit with the world's energy. Targets so suffused restore the attacker's vitality with each successful hit.


 * Ahura Mazda: A technique derived from the Legend of the Universe Arcana. Zain, invoking and unraveling the primal name of the archetypical creator deity, raises a gesture akin to a finger gun heavenward, and generates a massive cross-shaped glyph that emanates immense power, Slowing and reducing the Attack of enemies within. After a somewhat lengthy wind-up, Zain pierces the heavens themselves, dealing immense Typeless damage to all targets in an area centered on him, and inflicts both Severance and Fatigue even upon enemies normally immune- effectively, Ahura Mazda destroys every aspect of every being unlucky enough to be caught within its range. Its body, mind, soul, powers, Archetype, even its very existence are sheared away wholly by the overriding power of the Archetype of "The Creator" unraveling.
 * Since this attack draws upon a tiny piece of the true Kether itself, it can target the bodies, minds, souls, powers, and existences of beings that inhabit even the eleventh layer of reality itself, so long as they are present in some capacity within the same layer of reality that Zain inhabits. Because Naux himself was not present within the physical (3-dimensional) reality that Zain inhabited, for example, and because Samael separated him from his avatar via the Primal Daathe using his (then-)superior power over the Kether, Zain could not harm him directly with this technique, though he was able to destroy Naux's avatar and use it as a doorway into the "World Before Time" that Naux inhabited.
 * In the story, Zain targeted the entirety of the universe itself with this attack in order to effectively defeat Naux's avatar. With the Yechidah skill of his final Inner Truth, however, Ahura Mazda can exclude targets he wishes not to harm: including, for example, the planets that innocent bystanders occupy, or his allies. Were he not to have used Yechidah in conjunction with Ahura Mazda (ex. one non-canon bad ending), he would simply obliterate himself and the universe he occupied as part of using the attack.

Inner Truths

These are powerful transformations, unlocked within a person upon a revelation regarding one's true self. Activation alone partially restores lost health and Kether, in addition to throwing back enemies nearby: each also unlocks a skill. Inner Truth skills are each usable once per transformation.


 * Verethragna Form: The first of Zain's Inner Truths, drawn out from his revelation regarding his own hypocrisy and stubborn refusal of self-improvement as pointed out by Tessera during their first battle. Assumes an imagined form of the "demon that smites resistance" to overcome his own resistant pride, and thenceforth capable of cultivating true Will. Increases all Attributes.
 * Nephesh: The Verethragna's unique Skill unleashes the first Soul- its "animalistic" aspect- to sharpen his instincts in correlation to the flow of the physical world that, for the four seconds, time effectively stops for him.
 * Aeon Form: The second of Zain's Inner Truths, drawn out by the crisis of Tessera's kidnapping at Metenros's hands and the reaffirmation of why he fights. Assumes the form of the "raging dragon that defies time" to change the seemingly impossible. Further increases all Attributes.
 * Ruach: The Aeon's unique Skill unleashes the second Soul- the "spirit" that distinguishes one's wrong from right. Undoes himself such that the previous ten seconds cease to have happened, for him, undoing sustained wounds and maladies as well as returning to his previous location.
 * Demiurge Form: The third of Zain's Inner Truths, evoked upon coming to grips with his own pride and carelessness after it resulted in the death of New York during Ruin's incursion upon the world. Channels the form of the arrogant creator-god and re-imagines it as something able to stand tall and proud, a being capable of wielding its dark half for something beyond itself. Like other Inner Truths, increases all Attributes.
 * Neshameh The Demiurge's unique Skill unleashes the third Soul- the intuition that powers mankind's Will as surely as it grants it fallibility. Siphons Will away from, and in effect lowers all Attributes of, one target in order to bestow it to another, increasing all of their Attributes and allowing them to use the bestowed Will in place of expending their standard resource.
 * Pleroma Form: The fourth of Zain's Inner Truths, unlocked after inheriting the last of Keiwa Arotsuna's powers and completing his training. Signifies his "totality" and "completeness" after escaping the Daathe and learning many great truths about the world within Vesper, assuming the form one may expect of an archetypical "superhero." Increases all Attributes.
 * Chiah: The Pleroma's unique skill unleashes the fourth Soul- the Transitional Essence, with which Zain fully heals and revives himself and incapacitated allies, in addition to curing their ailments and restoring their energy via an infusion of Will.
 * Monad Form: The fifth of Zain's Inner Truths, unlocked just before the final battle with the Naux Avatar. Manifests as "the true self", Mankind and God made one to as to preserve Consciousness in the face of Naux, a man-made Avatar of grief and rage. Increases all Attributes (especially Body, Mind, and Soul), fully restoring all of missing health and Kether upon activation.
 * Yechidah: The Monad's unique Skill unleashes the final Soul, the highest quintessence of humanity's potential- "self-actualization." This divine spark is the ultimate weapon for sundering God's Shell- in practice, it allows for the skill's wielder to perfectly control all of the power they wield in alignment with their self. In this way, Zain's unique manifestion of the Universe mystery, Ahura Mazda, is free from external shaping by the world around him, and can be focused upon specific targets to avoid ending the world.

Key: Base | Monad

Note: The Paroketh is less a weapon, and more an anvil Zain can access and weaponize: though somewhat situational, Zain always has access to it due to the nature of the Monad Form. Using it will destroy him without fail, but was capable of overriding even the fate Samael set for the world. Nonetheless, one may choose to specify he is not permitted to use it in a Vs Battles matchup, if they wish.


 * -|Act V (True Ending)=Tier: High 2-A | High 1-C

Name: Zain Vaerpath, The False Envoy, Whitecoat, "Stubborn Bastard"

Origin: Hero's Path

Gender: Male

Age: 21

Classification: Human, Envoy, Knight of the Kether, The Collective Subconscious of all Sapient Life

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Self-Sustenance (Types 1, 2, and 3), Martial Arts, Weapon Mastery, Magic, Willpower Manipulation, Can interact with disembodied abstracts and intangible entities, Gradually increases in power in combat relative to the strength of the opponent, Flight, Energy Manipulation, Regeneration (High-Godly via True Tiphareth), Immortality (Types 1, 3, 4, 5, and 8; by attaining the Monad Form, Zain became linked to Consciousness itself even while not channeling its power, becoming unable to die as long as Will exists. The True Monad further transcends the every idea of "death", or being permanently removed from a state of being), Elemental Manipulation of the Fire, Radiation, Water, Bio, Ice, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Nature, Smoke, Darkness, Magnetic, Weather, Blood, Light, Holy, Acid, Astral, Gravity, Spirit, and Void varieties, Space and Time Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Attack Reflection, create memoryforms of his weapons, inflict status effects and amplify or reduce attributes, Teleportation, Homing Attack, Postcognition and Precognition, Super Mode, Power Nullification, Healing, Telekinesis, Banishment to and Summoning from the Daathe, Death Manipulation, Fate Manipulation, Abstract Existence (Types 2, by virtue of being Consciousness Itself; includes the ability to automatically use the power of any sapient entity without an Archetype Armiger, and freely steal, suppress and bestow powers upon sapient beings); Resistance to Ailments and to Fire, Holy, Mind, Soul, Concept, Fate, and Willpower Manipulation. Via Ahura Mazda: Can sever the contents of a sphere of existence (dimensional layer) from the other spheres, effectively annihilating any being occupying that sphere of reality across all of the rest of the spheres in the process. Via the Sephiroth: Gains (Type 2 and 3) Acausality and Resistance to, and can undo, Matter Manipulation, Transmutation, Dream Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Empathic Manipulation, Time Manipulation, Memory Manipulation, Death Manipulation, Power Nullification/Absorption, Morality Manipulation, Law Manipulation, Chaos Manipulation, Existence Erasure, Fate Manipulation, Soul Manipulation, Probability Manipulation, and Willpower Manipulation, as well as potentially far more via the Kether, on a conceptual level. | As before, plus, by merging with the Tree of Life itself as the True Monad, can wield the Sephiroth's powers as though all things were, potentially, an Idea Fracture within Consciousness Itself- effectively, he can apply the above Manipulations towards anything, as opposed only to irregularities/defensively.

Attack Potency: High Multiverse level+ (Sundered the Paroketh, the Seal barring the Tiphareth, or fifth sphere of reality, from bridging the gap between the four lower spheres and the upper six. Defeated the Yggdrasil avatar, capable of wielding an infinite array of inert Genesis Eggs [or spare universal continuums] as weapons and of holding the Paroketh in place just by existing.) | High Complex Multiverse level (Fought and defeated Samael, a primordial Qlippoth that had subsumed the Tree of Life itself, and all eleven spheres of reality along with it. Afterwards, restored the Tree of Life, himself becoming a new, 11th-dimensional reality for it to generate.)

Speed: Immeasurable (Exists entirely beyond the Netzach, all of time, the fourth sphere or dimension of reality; can perceive Yggdrasil's true form, an entity born before time) | Immeasurable

Lifting Strength: Immeasurable | Immeasurable

Striking Strength: High Multiversal+ | High Complex Multiversal

Durability: High Multiverse level+ (Can take the Yggdrasil Avatar's strongest blows without having to reconstitute, albeit with difficulty) | High Complex Multiverse level (Could takes from and match blows with Samael, including his All Must Die Unique Power that destroyed all of the Kether's infinite "worlds")

Stamina: Immeasurable

Range: Multiversal

Standard Equipment: Includes a number of weapons and tools:
 * Virtum Aeternam: A daamasc longsword, and Zain's favored armament. Though relatively simple on its own, aside from daamasc's high elemental-energy conductivity, it has a high capacity for Dreamweaves, or weaves of kether that can attach themselves to physical objects to allow them to damage Qlippoth and furthermore to apply highly customizable effects to them.


 * Peace Walker: A long, ebonwood bo staff, and Zain's primary backup weapon. Though it has a limited capacity for Dreamweaves, it lowers Attack in all enemies it hits, blunting and blurring their negative emotions and killing intent- in the story, Zain tends to wield it against humans so that he can end the fight non-lethally.


 * Vaerpath Coat: A lightly armored, two-tailed beige coat, possessed of a high capacity for Dreamweaves but otherwise not notable.


 * Auxillary Tools: Includes scrolls for applying Metamagic effects to his spells (or casting spells he doesn't know), miscellaneous tools for mundane tasks, maps, a cell phone, and a few other items.


 * The Genesis Eggs: Crystallized essentia drawn from the higher Sephira of the Tree of Life, which grant mastery over one's inner Manifestation of these Archetypes. These are the object of much of Zain's quest as The Envoy. Used in combat, they can be metamorphosed into near any shape the user can imagine, and fly around to attack from all angles. Out of combat, they are useful for undoing what are known as "Idea Fractures": irregularities and alterations from the "true" state of the Archetype as they appear in the physical world. While his ability to directly control and manipulate the concepts keyed to each Genesis Egg is limited, with his ascending to the role of the True Monad Zain becomes able to wield the spheres of reality themselves, that the Genesis Eggs mimic, in their place. In other words, as a result, while channeling the True Monad he acquires an absolute command over the Archetypes that make up the Tree of Life.
 * Malkuth: The Tenth Sephira, an incarnation of Archetype "Kingdom". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to the physical realm.
 * Yesod: The Ninth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Dreams". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to the dreams and both the conscious and subconscious mind.
 * Hod: The Eighth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetypes "Heart". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to emotions, impulses, and feelings.
 * Netzach: The seventh Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Eternity". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to time, space, or memories that are inexorably etched into such.
 * True Tiphareth: The True form of the Sixth Sephira that unifies the whole Tree of Life, made whole with Zain's plumbing the depths of the Daathe and the revelations he uncovered with his allies. Now linking the Malkuth and the Yesod (the realms of the Material and Dreams, respectively) to the Kether itself, Zain can circumvent the Daathe altogether, gaining total mastery over his shadow and the shadows of all sapient life. While the Tiphareth persists, Zain will, as well- he, and Consciousness with him, become the very conception of the world itself. To destroy Zain in full would be to destroy Consciousness and Will themselves, those things that drive all entities to act, or carry out acts of their own volition or the volition of others. Hence, for as long as anything holds sapience, the Tiphareth will reconstitute its Chosen Hero to champion its Will to exist.
 * Geburah: The Fifth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Severity". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to powers and strength- such as the nullification of such, for example.
 * Chesed: The Fourth Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetypes of "Kindness". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to humanity's moral concepts- good, evil, order, and chaos- even undoing the definitions of such scribed by divine law, should their "true" state prove dissonant with the Will of a single Godform.
 * Daathe: The False Sephira, an incarnation of the Empty Archetypes- of "Nothing". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to Manifestation, or "Demanifestion"- erasure. It's power is such that to "exist" and "not exist" become a single state of being, with Zain becoming a self-actualizing body unreliant upon the recognition of others to validate his existence in his own real world- Zain's Will must first be broken, or changed, in order to overcome this permanence.
 * Binah: The Third Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Understanding". Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to Fate, and to souls.
 * Chokmah: The Second Sephira, an incarnation of the Archetype "Revelation." Mends and guards against Idea Fractures that correlate to Will.
 * Kether: The First, ultimate Sephira, a sublime incarnation of the pinnacle of Conscious existence. Normally, communion with such a force would obliterate its wielder, yet Zain bypasses this by becoming one with the willpower of all sapient things in the world, distributing the burden, sharing the enlightenment, and championing their right to exist against the Unmanifest. Defines all undesired phenomena within oneself as Idea Fractures, and thus allows the Will to function as an absolute defense against any and all irregular phenomena.

Intelligence: Supergenius- having sundered the Paroketh, Zain inadvertently fused himself to the Monad, such that he passively channels its power even when not actively using it, functioning as the Collective Subconscious of all sapient life. | Supergenius

Weaknesses:
 * Hotheaded, stubborn, and somewhat narrow-sighted.
 * Refuses to drop a matter he cares about until it is decisively resolved-
 * (Though, with the rest of the world's knowledge at his disposal, this is usually barely noticeable.)
 * Although Fate Break boasts high potential in that it forces beings beyond fate to face a fair fight, it does not guarantee that whatever attack they would otherwise escape will automatically defeat them, if they have other means of resisting.

Feats:
 * Defeated the Naux Avatar... without killing him
 * Afterwards persuaded him that the world was justified in existing: that his nihilistic emptiness and rage were directed at the wrong target...
 * With Naux's help, broke the Paroketh without needing to truly sacrifice himself, having recovered the True Tiphareth and experiencing a rebirth
 * Defeated the Yggdrasil Avatar, tricking Samael from beyond into 'killing' Tessera, in order to travel directly into the Kether itself
 * Subsequently weaponized the three pieces of Samael's own Shell: Tessera, Naux, and the Tree of Life itself: to surpass his "Archetype Armiger: Infinite", transcending infinity
 * Destroyed Samael on such a level as that he was remade into the fabric of the destroyed world, his own Consciousness unwound and merged with "all of Consciousness": effectively, absorbing Samael and becoming the new Tree of Life

Notable Attacks and Techniques
Basic Techniques

Available to all characters simply by training/reading scrolls. Technically, as the Monad, Zain has accepted a Bond with all of Mortal Consciousness, and thus wields the collective physical and magical prowess of all existent or once-existent beings. However, as he is still primarily Zain, he would most likely favor his own techniques the majority of the time (some of which are listed here):

Martial Styles


 * Sword Style: Vaerpath: The signature sword style of the Vaerpath family, taught to him by friend of the family Keiwa Arotsuna in adolescence. Wields the blade in a forward-pointing, two-handed grip near the head, focusing on persitent offense and trapping opponents in subtle patterns of defensive maneuvers before switching tactics to land decisive blows. Considered "unique" to the Vaerpath line due to the immense amount of discipline it requires proving impossible to muster up for most individuals.


 * Sword Style: Rowdy: A loose, "style-less" style that uses wild abandon, perversion of expectations, and youthful energy to overwhelm and confound foes. Utilizes plenty of rough tactics, such as headbutts, shoulder checks, kicks, toe stomps, snagging clothing, and other unconventional tactics.


 * Sword Style: Florentine: Traces a memoryform of the wielded sword to assume a dual-wielding stance, combining offense and defense with each movement. Its techniques require considerable exertion as a trade-off for their efficiency.


 * Sword Style: Knightly: A refined, regal style of swordplay that maintains a level head with a focus on deft, in-an-out maneuvers and tricks.


 * Sword Style: Oldcastle: Manifests a memoryform of a shield that analogues to the wielded sword, assuming a reactive stance that sacrifices mobility in place of heightened reflexes and countering potential.


 * Polearm Style: Von Tag: A "high guard" stance that focuses on menace and balancing patience with agressive high blows.


 * Polearm Style: Olber: A "low guard" stance that specializes in swift, light movements applied skillfully at the proper moment to disrupt an enemy's flow.


 * Polearm Style: Wild Monkey: A dramatic and flashy combat art that favors trickery and whirling attacks.


 * Unarmed Style: Aikido: A martial arts style that lets all motion flow about and around it without greivously harming the foe. Minimizes offense in favor of deflection and defense.


 * Unarmed Style: Capoeira: A dance-like martial style with an emphasis on exaggerated form, unpredictability, and mobility.


 * Unarmed Style: Krav Maga: A brutal, yet efficient martial arts discipline practiced by the Israeli Commandos prior to and throughout World War III. Learned from Tessera as a means of thanks following the Metenros incident in Act II.

Spells


 * Fire: A Tier 1 fire-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Fire: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 fire-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Solar: Boosts damage against Undead, and healing for allies in the area.
 * Metamagic: Blast: Increases the area of effect with an aftershock that deals reduced damage, but over a wider area, and knocks enemies over.
 * Metamagic: Hellfire: Reduces a random Attribute of targets hit.


 * Water: A Tier 1 water-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Water: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 water-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Luna: Boosts damage against Demons, and reduces mana costs for allies in the area.


 * Earth: A Tier 1 earth-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Earth: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 earth-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Crystal: Boosts Defense of allies in the area, and potentially Petrifies targets damaged.
 * Metamagic: Mud: Slows and reduces Power of targets damaged.


 * Wind: A Tier 1 wind-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Wind: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 fire-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Vacuum: Inflicts Stun on enemies hit.
 * Metamagic: Smoke: Deals extra damage per fire spell that has been cast in the area recently.


 * Lightning: A Tier 1 lightning-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Lightning: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 lightning-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Magnet: Knocks down and/or Disarms enemies hit.
 * Metamagic: Thundercloud: Leaves a field that inflicts Fatigue on targets inside.


 * Ice: A Tier 1 ice-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Ice: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 ice-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Blizzard: Leaves a field that doesn't deal damage, but Slows/Petrifies targets that remain in it for too long.


 * Psychic: A Tier 1 psychic-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Psychic: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 psychic-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Dream: Inflicts Amnesia on damaged targets.


 * Bio: A Tier 1 bio-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Fire: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 bio-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Nature: Inflicts Restrain on damaged targets.
 * Metamagic: Nuclear: Inflicts Decay on damaged targets.
 * Metamagic: Corrosion: Reduces the Defense of damaged targets.


 * Astral: A Tier 1 astral-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Astral: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 astral-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Time: Inflicts Slow on damaged targets.
 * Metamagic: Space: Randomly teleports damaged targets.
 * Metamagic: Gravity: Knocks down and/or Disarms all damaged targets.


 * Holy: A Tier 1 holy-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Holy: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 holy-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Spirit: Attack becomes homing; summons a Lesser Shell for each enemy defeated by this attack.
 * Metamagic: Exorcise: Increase damage against Demons, heal for each Demon defeated by this attack.
 * Metamagic: Dust: Increases damage against Undead, heal for each Undead defeated by this attack.


 * Dark: A Tier 1 dark-based attack spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Dark: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 dark-based attack spell.
 * Metamagic: Void: Inflicts Severance upon self to inflict Severance and Paralysis upon all damaged targets, in addition to increasing the damage dealt.
 * Metamagic: Blood: Inflicts Pain on damaged target and deals continual Pierce damage.
 * Metamagic: Entropy: Increases damage against Mortals, inflicts Acedia.


 * Metamagic: Blade: Targets the caster's weapon, allowing it to apply the spell at a fraction of its strength with each hit.
 * Metamagic: Field: Targets an area with a continual variant of the spell that deals increased damage over its lifespan, gradually over time.
 * Metamagic: Burn: The spell deals continual damage over time of the same type used to cast the initial spell.
 * Metamagic: Anima: The spell doesn't directly attack, but rather creates an elemental or cluster of elementals from the energy used to cast the spell.


 * Heal: A Tier 1 Healing spell.
 * High/Great/Grand/Supra/Ultima Heal: A Tier 2/3/4/5/6 healing spell.
 * Metamagic: Mend: Also cures all physical ailments the target is suffering.
 * Metamagic: Tranquil: Also cures all mental ailments the target is suffering.
 * Metamagic: Expel: Also cures all spiritual ailments the target is suffering.
 * Metamagic: Rewrite: Also cures all conceptual/archetypical ailments the target is suffering.


 * Amp: Temporarily amplifies a single attribute, based on the spell used.
 * Body Amp: Amplifies the target's Body attribute.
 * Mind Amp: Amplifies the target's Mind attribute.
 * Soul Amp: Amplifies the target's Soul attribute.
 * Dream Amp: Amplifies the target's Dream attribute.
 * Might Amp: Amplifies the target's Might attribute.
 * Agility Amp: Amplifies the target's Agility attribute.
 * Fortitude Amp: Amplifies the target's Fortitude attribute.
 * Intelligence Amp: Amplifies the target's Intelligence attribute.
 * Wisdom Amp: Amplifies the target's Wisdom attribute.
 * Charisma Amp: Amplifies the target's Charisma attribute.
 * Luck Amp: Amplifies the target's Luck attribute.


 * Spike: Temporarily decreases a single attribute, based on the spell used.
 * Body Spike: Decreases the target's Body attribute.
 * Mind Spike: Decreases the target's Mind attribute.
 * Soul Spike: Decreases the target's Soul attribute.
 * Dream Spike: Decreases the target's Dream attribute.
 * Might Spike: Decreases the target's Might attribute.
 * Agility Spike: Decreases the target's Agility attribute.
 * Fortitude Spike: Decreases the target's Fortitude attribute.
 * Intelligence Spike: Decreases the target's Intelligence attribute.
 * Wisdom Spike: Decreases the target's Wisdom attribute.
 * Charisma Spike: Decreases the target's Charisma attribute.
 * Luck Spike: Decreases the target's Luck attribute.


 * Reflect: Reflects the next instance of damage back to the one who attacked you.
 * Analyze: Augments a keen, intelligent analysis of a target with preternatural insight, granting one advanced knowledge of their capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses.

Archetype Armiger: "Envoy to the Kether"

Zain's Archetype Armiger is "Envoy to the Kether": his Legend is shaped by his status as having been chosen by Naux to assume the mantle of messenger for his divine dictums, and then to destroy the world. In the act of defying this before the beginning of the story's events, by encountering and choosing to bear the Tiphareth Sephira in order to seal the gate to Yesod, the Land of Dreams, Zain unwittingly unlocked a unique skill "Fate Break."

Zain's unique skills, overall, are a well-rounded and versatile toolkit befitting a leader, albeit with a slight focus on an aggressive style of Zone Control combat that reflects his personal preference for fast-paced, rush-down tactics.

Zain's unique resource is Kether. Kether, unlike most resources, only starts half-full out of combat. It is replenished over time, gradually, by dealing, blocking, and dodging blows.


 * Fate Break: A wondrous, unique power that Zain discovered that allows him to be free of his pre-ordained destiny, borne unconsciously of his initial act of defiance. He subconsciously shares this power with those whom he forms a strong Bond with, their Legend saturated by his own.


 * Isacoslash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Fool Arcana. Focuses upon the conceptualization of a swung blade intently in a myriad of ways, turning one blow into twenty at the last second. Deals moderate (Weapon) damage.


 * Zero Wave: A technique derived from the Legend of the Magician Arcana. Slashes forward, tracing the blow in his consciousness to Manifest it as a turquoise wave of sharp light. Long ranged and fast, dealing minor Holy damage and increasing his Endurance parameter.


 * Mind Over Matter: A passive skill derived from the Legend of the Priestess Arcana. Reduces the duration of all Ailments Zain suffers from.


 * Flourish: A technique derived from the Legend of the Empress Arcana. Imbues an area with preservative resonance, increasing the Defense of allies within and slowly healing them.


 * Kingdom Come: A technique derived from the Legend of the Emperor Arcana. Imbues an area with destructive resonance, increasing the Attack of allies within and causing them to regain their stamina more quickly.


 * Cross Slash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hierophant Arcana. Swings twice, dealing (Weapon) damage each time, before punctuating the second swing with a burst of light that deals Holy damage in a small area. Increases his Wisdom parameter upon use.


 * Hero's Path: A unique technique derived from the Legend of the Lovers Arcana. In particular, the Hero's Path is the Legend of the "Zain" path upon the Tree of Life, whose name Zain shares, the path connecting the conceptual "Womb of the Cosmos" Binah and the "Dionysian/Martyred Hero" Tiphareth. Zain himself, then, is the embodiment of the will to pierce the Daathe, which separates the uppermost spheres from even those among humanity that might be "heroes" (e.g. Tiphareth's vessels) in the act of choosing to seek out "his truest self."
 * Improves upon (and replaces) Rush entirely, increasing the power of his other Archetype techniques with each use. In its aspect as "The Path to People's Hearts", it also reveals information about the past life experiences and combat attributes of his targets, and enables allies who utilize analysis skills to uncover even more new information: he defeated the Qlippoth Lord Astarte by using Hero's Path to uncover the means of undoing her creator's inner darkness, and in doing so severing Astarte's Manifestation from its source of power.


 * Bladestorm: A technique derived from the Legend of the Chariot Arcana. Summons a field of ethereal swords around himself, each of which deal Slash and Weapon damage both to enemies that attack him in melee and continuously in an aura around himself, in addition to deflecting weak projectiles automatically and reducing the damage he takes. He may dispel this ability early to throw a storm of force blades, either surrounding a single target or in a simple directional blast.
 * In the story, Zain used this technique against Tessera and later Keiwa Arotsuna more creatively than simply throwing the blades: using the flats as footstools to reposition more swiftly than his flight would afford in midair or upside down or surfing them into enemies, and trapping Keiwa's coattails in a interconnecting lock of blades.


 * Defiant Challenge: A technique derived from the Legend of the Strength Arcana. Inflicts Rage upon all enemies in a wide, long cone, and increases his Endurance and Charisma parameters.


 * The World Within: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hermit Arcana. After a short windup, dispels all Ailments on himself, powering up briefly per Ailment dispelled.


 * Burning Wheel: A technique derived from the Legend of the Fortune Arcana. Swings his weapon radially, dealing minor Weapon damage to nearby enemies and afflicting them with a random Ailment. After a delay, that same area of effect (even if Zain has since moved) is blasted with moderate Fire damage.


 * Caduceus: A technique derived from the Legend of the Justice Arcana. Casts forth a double helix of blasts: one golden, one black: that deal Holy and Dark damage to enemies they pass through respectively. The targeted area leaves a restorative field in a line, gradually healing Zain and allies who remain within it.


 * Hero's Inheritance: A technique derived from the Legend of the Hanged Man Arcana. Zain suffers half of the damage that would be suffered by all of his targeted allies, and makes them immune to Ailments that would result from being struck.


 * Apsu: A technique derived from the Legend of the Death Arcana. Imposes a conceptual 'Death' upon the target, dealing them continual Water and Dark damage, inflicting Acedia and Decay upon them, and increasing the power of everyone that deals that target damage.
 * In the story, Zain used this technique to kill Ruin, who having merged with the Qlippoth Lord Asmodeus, who as the anti-Geburah lacked a concept of "being destroyed" altogether, was effectively unstoppable otherwise.


 * Phoenix Rising: A technique derived from the Legend of the Temperance Arcana. After launching an enemy away, chases after them with a blur of weapon blows that leave a trail of fiery kether waves in their wake, dealing heavy Weapon and Fire damage to the enemy and all enemies between them and Zain. Increases Zain's Strength parameter after use.


 * Pazuzu: A technique derived from the Legend of the Devil Arcana. In the fashion of a true malicious trickster that punishes those that accept gifts, Zain dispels all positive enhancements/buff effects from all enemies in a wide radius, dealing them Psychic damage per buff dispelled this way.


 * Event Horizon: A technique derived from the Legend of the Tower Arcana. Opens a great cosmic abyss that swallows up and devours matter and energy it contacts. Deals continuous Blunt and Astral damage to enemies in a wide area and pulls them to the center, while also inflicting Restrain and Defense Down, and cancelling projectiles that pass through. Can potentially erase those it harms from existence.


 * Shooting Star: A technique derived from the Legend of the Star Arcana. Throws a concentrated clump of stellar energy suffused with kether that explodes upon reaching its target point, dealing Astral and Fire damage to enemies within its radius, and dispelling ailments upon allies within the same radius.


 * Eclipse Heart: A technique derived from the Legend of the Moon Arcana. Casts an area into the primal darkness of the empty Daathe to deal continual Dark and Ice damage to enemies within the wide target area, in addition to Slowing and Blinding them.
 * For each enemy damaged by this ability, Zain summons a Lesser Shell of them automatically, a Manifestation that borrows their Legend to mimic every power, ability, and mannerism of the target, but without the "social mask": they effectively function as bloodlusted, socially uninhibited copies of the target character. Extremely powerful entities with the ability to use Willpower, that "don't exist" and thus have no Legend to duplicate (ex. many stronger Qlippoth), and enemies that are simply immune to Dark and Ice damage do not generate a Lesser Shell for Zain to direct, however.


 * Psionic Flash: A technique derived from the Legend of the Sun Arcana. Manifests a profound truth as a solar flare-like flash from the head and/or hands, dealing heavy Psychic damage to enemies nearby and increasing his Logic parameter.


 * World's Bones: A technique derived from the Legend of the Judgment Arcana. Pulls the primal streams of life from the world itself up towards him, inflicting heavy Bio and Lightning damage across a massive area, as well as afflicting those hit with Curse and Decay, and suffuses targets hit with the world's energy. Targets so suffused restore the attacker's vitality with each successful hit.


 * Ahura Mazda: A technique derived from the Legend of the Universe Arcana. Zain, invoking and unraveling the primal name of the archetypical creator deity, raises a gesture akin to a finger gun heavenward, and generates a massive cross-shaped glyph that emanates immense power, Slowing and reducing the Attack of enemies within. After a somewhat lengthy wind-up, Zain pierces the heavens themselves, dealing immense Typeless damage to all targets in an area centered on him, and inflicts both Severance and Fatigue even upon enemies normally immune- effectively, Ahura Mazda destroys every aspect of every being unlucky enough to be caught within its range. Its body, mind, soul, powers, Archetype, even its very existence are sheared away wholly by the overriding power of the Archetype of "The Creator" unraveling.
 * Since this attack draws upon a tiny piece of the true Kether itself, it can target the bodies, minds, souls, powers, and existences of beings that inhabit even the eleventh layer of reality itself, so long as they are present in some capacity within the same layer of reality that Zain inhabits. Because Naux himself was not present within the physical (3-dimensional) reality that Zain inhabited, for example, and because Samael separated him from his avatar via the Primal Daathe using his (then-)superior power over the Kether, Zain could not harm him directly with this technique, though he was able to destroy Naux's avatar and use it as a doorway into the "World Before Time" that Naux inhabited.
 * In the story, Zain targeted the entirety of the universe itself with this attack in order to effectively defeat Naux's avatar. With the Yechidah skill of his final Inner Truth, however, Ahura Mazda can exclude targets he wishes not to harm: including, for example, the planets that innocent bystanders occupy, or his allies. Were he not to have used Yechidah in conjunction with Ahura Mazda (ex. one non-canon bad ending), he would simply obliterate himself and the universe he occupied as part of using the attack.

Inner Truths

These are powerful transformations, unlocked within a person upon a revelation regarding one's true self. Activation alone partially restores lost health and Kether, in addition to throwing back enemies nearby: each also unlocks a skill. Inner Truth skills are each usable once per transformation.


 * Verethragna Form: The first of Zain's Inner Truths, drawn out from his revelation regarding his own hypocrisy and stubborn refusal of self-improvement as pointed out by Tessera during their first battle. Assumes an imagined form of the "demon that smites resistance" to overcome his own resistant pride, and thenceforth capable of cultivating true Will. Increases all Attributes.
 * Nephesh: The Verethragna's unique Skill unleashes the first Soul- its "animalistic" aspect- to sharpen his instincts in correlation to the flow of the physical world that, for the four seconds, time effectively stops for him.
 * Aeon Form: The second of Zain's Inner Truths, drawn out by the crisis of Tessera's kidnapping at Metenros's hands and the reaffirmation of why he fights. Assumes the form of the "raging dragon that defies time" to change the seemingly impossible. Further increases all Attributes.
 * Ruach: The Aeon's unique Skill unleashes the second Soul- the "spirit" that distinguishes one's wrong from right. Undoes himself such that the previous ten seconds cease to have happened, for him, undoing sustained wounds and maladies as well as returning to his previous location.
 * Demiurge Form: The third of Zain's Inner Truths, evoked upon coming to grips with his own pride and carelessness after it resulted in the death of New York during Ruin's incursion upon the world. Channels the form of the arrogant creator-god and re-imagines it as something able to stand tall and proud, a being capable of wielding its dark half for something beyond itself. Like other Inner Truths, increases all Attributes.
 * Neshameh The Demiurge's unique Skill unleashes the third Soul- the intuition that powers mankind's Will as surely as it grants it fallibility. Siphons Will away from, and in effect lowers all Attributes of, one target in order to bestow it to another, increasing all of their Attributes and allowing them to use the bestowed Will in place of expending their standard resource.
 * Pleroma Form: The fourth of Zain's Inner Truths, unlocked after inheriting the last of Keiwa Arotsuna's powers and completing his training. Signifies his "totality" and "completeness" after escaping the Daathe and learning many great truths about the world within Vesper, assuming the form one may expect of an archetypical "superhero." Increases all Attributes.
 * Chiah: The Pleroma's unique skill unleashes the fourth Soul- the Transitional Essence, with which Zain fully heals and revives himself and incapacitated allies, in addition to curing their ailments and restoring their energy via an infusion of Will.
 * Monad Form: The fifth of Zain's Inner Truths, unlocked just before the final battle with the Naux Avatar. Manifests as "the true self", Mankind and God made one to as to preserve Consciousness in the face of Naux, a man-made Avatar of grief and rage. Increases all Attributes (especially Body, Mind, and Soul), fully restoring all of missing health and Kether upon activation.
 * Yechidah: The Monad's unique Skill unleashes the final Soul, the highest quintessence of humanity's potential- "self-actualization." This divine spark is the ultimate weapon for sundering God's Shell- in practice, it allows for the skill's wielder to perfectly control all of the power they wield in alignment with their self. In this way, Zain's unique manifestion of the Universe mystery, Ahura Mazda, is free from external shaping by the world around him, and can be focused upon specific targets to avoid ending the world.
 * True Monad Form: The Monad made whole, with Zain tricking the Yggdrasil Avatar into extending itself into Zain's reach, and subsuming it to attain access to the Kether itself. Massively increases all Attributes, instantly destroys weaker foes in its presence, and gains unlimited access to all of his previous Inner Truth skills, as well as infinite Kether. If the Monad can be described as Zain "becoming all of the world's Will", then the True Monad recognizes the world in its entirety as made up of Will, effectively making him all of the world.

Key: Base | True Monad

Note: See here for lore explaining the higher-dimensional mechanics of the verse.

Other
Notable Victories:

Notable Losses:

Inconclusive Matches:

Trivia

 * The lining of Zain's armored coat contains, in small, dark blue text behind his upper back, the entirety of the lyrics to | Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven".
 * This character has gone through a multitude of reboots and pseudo-reboots: formerly, he was consciously aware of these, and could break the fourth wall.
 * Much of the character's Gnostic/Occult themes, including the connections to the Tree of Life and the work of Aleister Crowley, were inspired primarily upon my earlier childhood, during which time I had regular contact with practitioners of the Ordo Templi Orientis, Golden Dawn, and so forth. It wasn't until more recently that I began looking to other series that have handled similar material before, such as Shin Megami Tensei, for some inspiration.
 * As mentioned in his page, Zain shares his name with Path 6 on the Tree of Life, connecting Binah (his birthplace; various complicated plot things happened, but the TL,DR: is that his true mother was trapped there and became a part of it) and the Tiphareth (the bridge linking the material to the divine). This was done in part to foreshadow both his eventual role in the story as its heroic protagonist, and to hint at his origins: a self-sacrificing hero figure (the Tiphareth) that stepped directly from the Supernal Mother (Binah) rather than having been born traditionally.
 * Zain is cousins with Darius Freeman, another early character in his party. Neither bother bringing it up more than very briefly, when visiting the Ruined Vaerpath estate.
 * An explanation for the in-verse "game" terminology is coming soon: just know, for now, that the Parameters and such as presented do not mean that Zain is literally a character in some game, save as it extends to the way that Samael first wrote the world whilst penning its divine law.
 * I plan to add newer art, soon, but currently lack the means to do so.