Characters list

Aribeth Mitchell

She’s the heroine of the story, the main female character and a constant discovery. Majoring in archaeology at the University of Cambridge, she’s been having the same nightmare every night for a long time, leaving her puzzled and disoriented. A dream about a mysterious man whose beauty and charm make her head spin, but something darker is hidden underneath all that perfection and she’ll soon discover a big mystery. Passionate about metal music, she loves to wear gothic clothes when she’s not at school. A bright mind, wild at heart, sometimes goofy and highly empathic. She doesn’t have any recolection of her past, except that she grew up with her aunt and uncle, who own a farm in the British countryside, but those are just scrambled memories and not entirely what can be labelled as reality.

Alter-ego coming soon!

Shinya Kagase

He’s the main male character of the story. A dark soul, hot tempered and highly protective towards the one thing he’s after: Aribeth. They briefly meet for the first time while Aribeth is out for the night in a pub in London with her best friend, and classmate, Marika. Enchanted by his well-mannered behaviour and charming aura, she’s completely overwhelmed by such strong attraction and runs away, not knowing if she’s going to meet that mysterious creature of her dreams again. He’s six feet tall, with a sculpted hulking body, broad-shouldered, with long thick raven hair and almond midnight blue eyes. On his back, a tattoo resembling a black dragon with ruby red eyes has been meticulously inked. He’s a fighter, a true warrior ready to do whatever it takes to protect Aribeth.

Alter-ego: Kuragari

Kuragari

He’s Shinya’s alter-ego, but in an extra-large size. With a great deal of magical powers, he can also speak through Shinya’s mind and partly appear on the surface, interacting with the outside world without putting Shinya through a complete transformation, if this last one is not necessarily needed. If Shinya is hot tempered, Kuragari is to the tenth power. A wild beast nobody would dare to bump into. Apparently, whatever Shinya feels, Kuragari’s essence heightens it. He’s the God of chaos in Japan, that makes him highly volatile, but extremely determined to get what he wants. His origins are not crystal clear. He says to be born in the Izumo region, Japan, but his half-dragon features state otherwise. Raven horns, curving and lightly spiralling backwards, majestic obsidian wings popping out from his back, one icy pale blue eye and one crimson red, say that maybe he’s not entirely true about his background. Pointed fangs and long claws are an essential part of this portrait. His weapon is a long spear with a double-edged sword on top, showing an etching pattern on the blade surface, and a sharp axe at the other end. He’s the Black Dragon.

Ken

He’s the other main male character of the story. The specular image of Shinya. A tall, slim silhouette, chiselled with firm, toned muscles. Slightly taller than Shinya, Ken is a total mystery. A cold-hearted soul, placid and reserved. Apparently, he’s Shinya’s nemesis, but also a close friend of his. Or so it seems. With butt-long, silvery blond hair and icy blue eyes, he first seems to be interested in Aribeth’s best friend, but later actions prove otherwise. Also well-mannered and highly cultured, Ken is a prototype of elegance and selfishness. A scar crosses his left cheek, from the eyebrow down to the corner of his lips. Who did that or why is nothing he is willing to share with the people around him, yet. Like Shinya, he also bears a tattoo: a white dragon with golden eyes, curled up around his left shoulder, spitting fire right above his pec and engulfing the nipple in flames, where a glimmering ring hangs down.

Alter-ego: Takemikazuchi

Takemikazuchi

He’s Ken’s alter-ego and the real Kuragari’s nemesis. He’s the god of thunders and storms in Japan, sent after Kuragary to keep an eye on him. As tall as the Black Dragon, he’s the white version of it, with golden, penetrating eyes, long white horns and wide wings. He also has a huge amount of magical powers, but will be better shown later on in the story. Aribeth sees him for the first time while they are at The Ancients’ temple. A creature wrapped up in mystery with an obscure past. His weapon is a long halberd with two crescent-shaped axe blades, connected to the spearhead with two iron bars and topped with a spike, mounted on a long rod. He’s the White Dragon.

Marika

A secondary character in the story, nonetheless equally important. She’s Aribeth’s classmate and best friend, the typical “girl-next-door” kind of girl. Half Japanese and half British, she was born in London and raised with good morals and politeness in her heart, proper of a real Japanese like her mother. She never studied in a Japanese school, so her Japanese is only verbal, she cannot read it nor write it. Being the anchor on earth to Aribeth’s everlasting mind-above-clouds state, she’s reflective wisdom to her best friend’s pure impulse and nerve, making them a perfect match in perfect balance. Keen on fashion and formal attires, she always tries to put some colour into Aribeth’s monochromatic outfits, but not always rarely succeeding.

Hinote

The first real villain of the story. The one who has Aribeth discover about her powers, triggering the incidents that will make the story evolve into an intricate sequence of unpredictable events. A vicious soul capable of the most atrocious acts to obtain power and supremacy. A tall creature, with the reddest hair and amethyst eyes, wrapped up in a dark aura of evil powers and deceits, that will try his best to succeed in preventing others to get what he’s after. But at what cost? A charming trickster Aribeth & Co. meet for the first time while in Kyoto, but he will make a greatest appearance later on in the story.
The japanese name Hinote (火の手) literally means “hand of fire”.

Alter-ego: Apopi

Apopi / Apophis

The ancient Egyptian deity, embodiment of darkness, evil and chaos. Opponent of Maat, the egyptian goddess of truth and order, Apopi is the greatest enemy of Ra, the God of the sun. Legends say that Ra was meant to kill the sneak everyday at dawn in order to let the sun rise. To accomplish that incredibly tricky task, a great God came to his help: Seth, God of storms, deserts and disorder.

The Ancients

Based in a temple on the top of a mountain in the depths of the Japanese Alps, these three entities are a total mystery to our Heroine. Apparently, both Shinya and Ken already know them, but let’s leave that other story to another time, shall we? Three tall, slender figures, each with knee-long hair and penetrating, shining coloured eyes, that act simultaneously, with fluid and coordinated moves. Their voices are a mix of high pitches and low tones, perfectly synchronised in a somehow satanic chant. It’s said that their unparallel power is something to be afraid of, and Aribeth will soon discover that also them are after a precious item.

A mysterious creature lurking in the dark…

There was a crackling sound coming from a bunch of trees behind me. I hastily turned my head towards the source of that noise and my eyes caught a movement in the pitch blackness of the forest. Something was lurking there. Suddenly, deep zaffre blue eyes were looking at me. Two shining orbs, like blue flames, were flickering in the darkness. That stare froze the blood in my veins. A dreadful shiver coursed through my entire body. The creature stepped forward and the dim light of the moon partially uncovered its features. Long, pointed ears twitching upright and a long, tapered muzzle, of the deepest black, emerged from the gloom. Lips peeled up over long, white fangs and a low deep growl echoed in the back of its throat. Startled, I jumped back and bumped into Kuragari who promptly grabbed me…

To be continued…