Sariel Shadowlight

"*墮落的守望者 / 援引他的保護權力 / 觀看精神罪惡的天使,*

*Duòluò de shǒuwàng zhě / yuányǐn tā de bǎohù quánlì / guānkàn jīngshén zuì'è de tiānshǐ.*"

**Sariel Shadowlight**, the Relic Guardian, "Watcher of the Waning Moon," "Angel of the Sky," is a legendary name amongst the Order of Demonslayers. He is said to be the reincarnation of the mythical "Relic Guardian," an angelic figure who guarded the Supreme Sword, due to his resemblance to said figure in both general appearance and combat style.

## Background

### The Relic Guardian

It is rumored that the present day immortal Sariel is actually a reincarnation of the now deceased Relic Guardian of the Supreme Sword.

The Supreme Sword is a mythical weapon wielded by a Stagerius, the Supreme Scion, a warrior so mighty he was said to be capable of bringing about the next age should he return.

No one knows what happened to Stagerius, or his powerful relics, which include the Supreme Sword and his God Armet.

What we do know is that the supposed "Relic Guardian" is supposed to be guarding the Supreme Sword, which myth says would render its wielder absolutely invincible.

The stories say that the Guardian was killed by daemons seeking for the location of the Supreme Sword. But the Guardian's spirit is not so easily vanquished; it traversed the Netherworld to resurrect itself.

### Bandits

But, something (the legends say it's Crizox but now that's debatable) stopped the spirit and managed to drop it into a faraway, backwater desert land where it could cause no more trouble.

So the Guardian is now an ordinary person with no memories of his time as the Relic Guardian.

The "Guardian", now human, becomes a leader within a group of bandits. Sariel got along pretty well amongst the bandits. Admittedly they attacked and robbed people and that sort of thing, but it was mainly to survive.

### Arrival of the Demons

However, as time passed, various types of demons (both Western and Eastern) began to sense the presence of the so called Relic Guardian around this area, so they travel there to hunt the Guardian down and force him to reveal the location of the Supreme Sword. However, none of them know that Sariel doesn't have those memories now. In fact, while they do know that the Guardian is dead, they do *not* know that the Guardian has already been reincarnated. So they flock towards that desert to await the arrival of the Guardian's reincarnation.

The first arrivals are a pair of Eastern demons -- yaoguai -- called Talons of Sher'aluin and Shadow Specter. Both of them resemble beautiful women in their human form, but are really terrifying monsters. Talons is called Talons for her monster form, which none have survived long enough to make out the form, only managing to describe the huge "talons," while Shadow Specter is a zombie/ghost sort of demon.

The two of them show up at the bandits' base to wait for the Guardian and carry out their plans. At first the bandits laugh at the sight of two beautiful women coming to a den of scruffy dirty bandits, but realize that they are extremely skilled warriors. Especially after Talons beats up all of them for peeping on her while she takes a bath.

At that time Sariel was practically the leader of the bandits, and he was pissed with them but decided to tolerate them as really all they wanted was to hang around.

Sariel asked, "How long are you planning to stay?"

Talons replied, "Maybe 3 or 4 days . . . or maybe 300 or 400 years."

Talons told them she was looking for a very specific person, and to tell her immediately if a strange person shows up. It is unclear what specifically features this person (Guardian) should have, supposedly to some kind of birthmark but that detail is currently unknown.

So Sariel decided to treat the two demons as guests of honor rather than enemies. None of the bandits knew that the two women were demons though. During this time, Sariel warms up to them -- especially Shadow Specter -- as he is actually quite charming despite his coming off as rude initially.

The Guardian's reincarnating is not an event known only to daemons, it is also known to many magic circles as well. (*This part of the story is quite convoluted.*) Sariel's right hand man is revealed to actually be a Demonslayer assigned to monitor the area in case demons show up. He overhears the demons' plans and also sees their true forms when they start arguing. He attempts to warn Sariel, but the demons see him and give chase. Talons also goes berserk and goes on a rampage through the camp in her demon form, during the time which Sariel and the other bandits manage to fight her off. However, when the Demonslayer tries to tell Sariel that monster was really the woman (Talons), he waves it off. Talons also puts a spell on the Demonslayer to prevent him from saying anything else later.

A monk also shows up to warn Sariel, and with the help of a mirror he finds out that the two women actually are demons.

### The Greater Daemon

The heavy presence of so many powerful beings attracts the attention of a greater daemon (presumably Crizox himself). But Crizox's lore and abilities states it is extremely difficult for him to attain a physical form, so this is highly unlikely. So for now records simply refer to it as the Greater Daemon.

This Greater Daemon finds out that the Guardian is still alive, in the form of a human and intends to capture him. In the meantime, Sariel is freaked by the presence of the two demons so he tries to kill them (or at least seal them) with the monk's help. But the brainwashed Demonslayer is forced to sabotage the whole operation so hilarity ensues.

The Greater Daemon attacks that night, tearing the entire camp apart searching for the Guardian. Sariel reveals that he's the Guardian, (which he didn't know, just to troll cause he thought the Greater Daemon would be scared off), but instead the Daemon attacks. Talons and Specter fight the Daemon and are badly defeated, though they manage to escape, taking Sariel and the Demonslayer with them to their cave base.

### Unnecessary Drama

Now by this point, Shadow Specter and Sariel have fallen in love with each other, ~~because Sariel's one heck of a charming guy~~ due to the suspension bridge effect.

However, they somehow realize that Sariel actually is the Guardian, to which he doesn't get, but this coupled with this crazy love triangle subplot results in a fight, where Talons poisons Specter and she locks herself with Sariel in an inescapable prison in the cave.

It turns out that when she's stressed, Specter turns into a mindless zombie monster at night. Sariel finds this out and tricks Talons into releasing them from the outside, by pretending to be attacked. When it works, he kicks Talons back into the prison to lock her up, but then Specter actually does turn into the monster. Sariel panics and drops back into the prison, so both he and Talons are locked up with each other.

Meanwhile, the Demonslayer who has been forced to dote on the two demons by serving them food and such comes across the transformed Specter. At the time though, Talons doesn't realize this and is threatening Specter to open the prison otherwise she'll rape the man Specter loves (aka Sariel).

The Demonslayer manages to subdue Specter and also unlock the prison, just as Talons is about to use a mesmerizing spell. The Demonslayer breaks in and the whole thing is messed up, ending with Talons ending up pregnant with the Demonslayer's baby instead.

Now, that plot point isn't resolved in Sariel's story, and quite frankly I'm not sure what to do about it either, but it's not relevant to Sariel's backstory

### Pain and Sorrow

Specter wakes up from her monster trance and she and Sariel escape into the wilderness.

They live together during that time. I think Sariel tells her something offhandedly that makes her realize that he actually does love her or something of the sort. (*Author note:* I don't have a lot of experience writing romance mind you lol.)

Sariel notices that her poisoned condition is getting worse, but Specter refuses to ask Talons for the antidote (Talons is pretty much the only person who has an antidote to her poison). Sariel waits for Specter to fall asleep one night and returns to the cave to get the antidote from Talons. Specter wakes and thinks Sariel has lied to her, so she jumps off a cliff (her days are numbered anyway).

But the Greater Daemon finds her, and uses his immense qigong to forcibly purge the poison from her body, in exchange for Specter leading him and his army back to Talons' cave. Meanwhile, Talons follows Sariel back to the place where he made camp from before, but Specter is missing, so she takes him back to the cave and throws him in the prison until she knows what's going on.

While in the prison, Sariel attempts to tunnel out under the dirt but conveniently finds a time traveling relic. He tries to use it, but instead suffers a hallucination where he sees the chamber of the Relic Guardian a voice telling him about the Guardian's past.

~~Note that I haven't said that he *is* the Guardian; I haven't decided if it's just a coincidence he's so closely associated with the Relic Guardian or if he is the Guardian.~~

 Specter returns to the cave with the Greater Daemon and his army, but halfway inside she runs off and disappears since she knows the area better than the Daemon. Specter corners Talons who is with the Demonslayer, and she's given birth to a baby already. When she gives birth, the Greater Daemon and his army hears it and believes that it's the Relic Guardian being reincarnated.

Talons is weakened from giving birth, and the Demonslayer is in no shape to fight Specter as she wants payback. To "disarm" her I guess you could say, Talons claims that her baby is with Sariel.

The Demonslayer confirms it due to his compulsion from Talons, so Specter believes her and she has an ~~existential crisis~~ breakdown and Talons and the Demonslayer escape.

Talons and the Demonslayer are cornered by the Greater Daemon though. Talons manages to kill off several of the weaker warriors, but is overpowered by the Greater Daemon, who himself is also an extremely powerful warrior, obviously, since before both Talons and Specter couldn't even scratch him during their first fight

Meanwhile, Sariel had managed to teleport outside the cave with the time-traveling relic and returns inside to find out what's happened. He finds Specter dead, having killed herself due to grief. Using the relic, he goes back in time multiple times to prevent Specter from killing herself, which he succeeds in doing. However, it comes to nothing when she and Talons sacrifice themselves to hold the Daemon back while the cave seals itself, leaving only Sariel and the Demonslayer (and the baby) as survivors.

### The Guardian Returns

Furious, Sariel uses the box to go back in time, but it's already proven itself to be extremely wonky. Instead of sending Sariel back in time, it sends him to the Flying Mountain of Desire, aka the Demonslayers' base. And as a bonus, the relic itself vaporizes due to overuse.

Sariel is crushed, but he is found by the Demonslayer's head, Galen, who would later become one of Sariel's closest allies. Considering that he is the Demonslayer's head, Galen is not the type to simply ignore a worn, dirty "bandit." Not sure what transpires around here, but Galen offers to take in Sariel, an offer which Sariel accepts.

An undetermined amount of time passes, during which Sariel meditates and mentally and spiritually enters the chamber of the Relic Guardian

He takes up the Guardian's Amulet and learns most of the Guardian's fighting skills, which he combines with the other skills he learned as a Demonslayer.

### The Second Campaign

During this time the Disciples war is a full blown conflict somehow

As part of his duty as a Demonslayer, Sariel is one of the key players in starting the battle that would end in the destruction of the Disciples. So Sariel is one of the few people who know exactly who Caeos Essence is.

### Journey

Some time later, Sariel learns that Shadow Specter, his old love, was really killed by the Greater Daemon. He was never able to find that cavern where that took place again, but he found out that her soul has been shattered, so that she exists as multiple entities. So part of his main goals is to find all the entities.

### The Armiger Guardian Angels

Although Sariel often claimed he is not an "angel" or anything of the sort, this assertation was profoundly shaken when from the sky descended Shateiel, Angel of Silence, and her brethren: Zaquiel, Watcher of Purity; Phanuel, Angel of Truth; Kokabiel, Watcher of Stars; and Penemue, Watcher of Written Word. Although Sariel did not recognize them, all five angels recognized Sariel immediately, with Shateiel declaring him her long lost counterpart, Zaquiel embracing him as a brother, and Phanuel proclaiming him "Watcher of the Waning Moon." The six of them together formed the Armiger Guardian Angels, the last of the Order of Yahweh who guarded the relics of the Supreme Scion.

## Appearance

Sariel has unnaturally pale skin, sharp features, and sometimes bloodshot eyes with dark red irises, which have brightened "cracks" when angered. His shoulder-length hair is jet black, somewhat uneven (especially at the ends), spiky, choppy and messy, and there is sometimes a long braid as well. This ruffled hairstyle has been compared to an eagle's head feathers and "permanent bed hair". Oddly enough, his hair would be down to his waist if his braid were untied, but it simply disappears and reappears as his hair gets longer or shorter. Sariel's canines are slightly longer than normal, thanks to vampiric infection. Sariel has good musculature but is on the slimmer side.

His otherworldy appearance only enhances his already good looks. One of the four bishounen of the West, alongside Rukan, Caeos, and Nero.

Usually, he wears black pants, black boots, a white or black shirt, and a tattered white hooded robe with wide sleeves. During his travels, he looks pretty much the same as before, except he wears assorted armor or exotic clothing and armed with weapons head to toe. His hood is usually up and shadows much of his face.