Marcello Zephyr

**Marcello Zephyr** (マルチェロ ゼファイル, *Maruchero Zefairu*) is an orphan boy raised in a village outside the town of Zakuro on the west coast of Hylion. Receiving a scholarship through a recommendation to Mimisbrunnr Academy of Magic during his High School education, Marcello was taught to harness his weak magical power to his advantage in combat. Proficient in the usage of Lightning Magic, he wears his Branch Colors with pride, knowing that it was many hands more than just his own that lifted him this high.

## Personality

During his youth, Marcello was known by his fellow orphans and the townspeople of his small village as a crybaby. Even the smallest things sending the rivers of tears flowing down his cheeks. This reputation made many see him as weak or cowardly but that couldn't be further from the case. Despite his consistent crying he rarely ever whined or complained over anything even as their orphanage struggled to feed and clothe them. His tears being more of an uncontrollable reaction rather than any sort of statement of his wellbeing or how he felt about any given situation. He still did his best to pull his own weight at the orphanage, even more so than many of the other children. His dedication coming from a feeling of debt not only to the Church but to a singular nun who during his eighth year of life spent multiple days and nights using her healing magic to help him overcome a flu that would no doubt have ended his life.

His crybaby ways continued until the age of eleven, at which point a great tragedy befell not only Marcello but his entire village after a bandit attack saw many lives lost. It was on that day, the one in which he experienced a loss greater than anything he had ever experienced before saw his eyes dried of tears. Not only for that single night but ever since then Marcello has never let a single tear of neither joy or sadness fall from his eyes. Whether it is a medical condition or caused by the mental trauma of that night is anyone's guess. Ever since that night, Marcello has carried with him an air of stoicism, working harder than ever to achieve not only his dream but the dreams of the person he lost that night. Sometimes from dawn until dusk, until he's run out of magic and collapsed on the ground, until he simply cannot stand on his own two feet, Marcello trained without complaint.

His change in demeanor did worry his caretakers and family members, all of them with the courage to do so having tried talking to him about it at some point. All to be met with a smile that never quite reached his eyes and an affirmation that he is indeed alright, that he just needed to get stronger. In the face of all that hardship, whenever anyone worried about him he would simply smile at them and tell them that he would be okay. Even so the smile would soon fade from his lips and they would return to an apathetic, almost robotic position that gave away nothing about what he actually felt on the inside. It was easy to tell that he was lying, that he was not alright, but even so, there was little more that his church family could do other than support him in his goals.

Now that Marcello has stepped onto the starting line of his goals by joining a branch, his cold and stoic demeanor has not changed in the slightest. Perhaps even boosted by the new level of responsibility he must carry, he strives to get results, carrying little for how he has to go about doing it. He will complete every mission he is given, attend every meeting, fight anyone or anything that stands in his way. Not for the money or power that brings, Marcello cares little about his rank or riches, sending the majority back to the Church he was raised in. His only wish being to fulfill the dreams of his fallen friend by becoming a Beast Saint.

Being raised at a Church, even if the faith there is unpopular, Marcello is a rather devote man. Going about his duties while maintaining his vows to the church, such as never striking someone who isn't hostile, and never touching alcohol or other recreational drugs. He hopes that his faith and hard work will help him push through the difficult road ahead of him.

## History

Marcello was raised in an orphanage in a small nameless village outside the town of Zakuro on the West coast of Hylion. Surrounded by children both older and younger than him, Marcello never once felt alone in the small church that he called home. However, being an orphan, even one raised by a loving and supportive group of people, Marcello and his family saw more than their fair share of hardship. The townspeople more often than not looked down upon the orphans of the church for one reason or another, the church being one of a small and unpopular religion saw that very few donations were given and as such, they lived their lives in poverty. During the winter food and warmth were scarce, medicine even more so and were one of the caretakers not a healer the church would have seen more than its fair share of casualties. Marcello himself would likely have been one of them, having fallen gravely ill with the flu during his eighth year of life, Marcello found himself with a single foot in the grave. Had one of the nuns not risked her own life healing him for several days straight he would not have survived that cold and ruthless winter.

Eternally grateful for what she had done for him, Marcello spent a great majority of his time trying to make it up to her such as running errands or helping with chores much more than even some of the older children. Eventually getting teased by the other children for his attachment to the Sister. He was unamused and defensive about this, often crying as a result which would lead to one of the other caretakers intervening. As a result, teasing Marcello became a rather frequent pastime for the other children which would end immediately when the tears began to flow. For much of his young life, Marcello was a crybaby who found himself shedding tears at the smallest of things. Every mistake, every joke at his expense, at the slightest scare, and even during moments of extreme happiness. The tears seemed to flow from his eyes as casually as two people might hold a conversation. It eventually became a staple of his personality, one that made plenty of children avoid him altogether and a target for the older kids. Despite this, Marcello never felt hated or disowned by his fellow orphans but did grow to hate himself for his inability to hold back the tears that seemed to push almost everyone away.

His self-loathing kept in check by his closest friend, a young girl two years his senior by the name of Rebecca Zephyr. Unlike himself, who had been left on the doorstep of the church at six months old, Rebecca had lived with her parents until the age of nine when then they were killed during a battle with a Cinder who had escaped a prison a few towns over. Having no family of her own to claim her, she found herself at the orphanage. Marcello envied her as much as he looked up to her. Not only having had parents of her own until recently but also for the fact that unlike him, who had very little talent for magic, Rebecca was brewing with overwhelming magical talent. Her personality as fiery as her magic, she was popular among the townsfolk due in part to her late parent's reputation as knights of the Kingdom but also as a result of her great abilities and control over her magic.

Marcello saw Rebecca as someone to strive to be like, even if he did not possess the talent or confidence in his own abilities as she did. Something Rebecca picked up on and saw fit to help teach Marcello to use his magic to the best of his abilities. Having an attribute for lightning magic, Marcello could do little more than create sparks at first, but after over half a year Marcello had learned to channel his magic into objects. Allowing him to throw them at greater velocities than he could without the use of magic. Using small stones to shatter glass bottles at before eventually graduating to splintering wood with his throws. Rebecca not only helping him grow magically but in his confidence as well. Even if his crying continued with very little in the way of change.

At the age of eleven, Marcello would find his entire world turned upside down when a group of bandits attacked their small village. Using an armored troll to easily cut down the three knights that had been stationed in their sleepy village they began to pillage the town and take whatever they pleased valuables and women alike. Seeing this as an opportunity to live u to the names of her parents, Rebecca sprung to defend her fellow villages despite their and the priests' protests. Catching the bandits off guard she used her magic to incapacitate a small few before being forced into cover by their own magical attacks. Pinned down without a chance to fire back, Marcello knew that she wouldn't be able to hold out for long. So, despite the fear in his heart and tears that blurred his vision he ran in to help. Using anything from small rocks to bottle caps to get the attention of the bandits from their flank. Now having to cover their front and their sides, there were more openings for both he and Rebecca to fight back. It was then that Marcello witnessed Rebecca, distracted by the bandits, cut down by the armored troll that had been making its way through the village.

Horrified, shocked to see his friend, who had been so filled with dreams and ambition taken out so quickly that she likely hadn't even realized she was gone until it was too late. As he watched the crimson flow from her broken, lifeless body, something within him snapped and the tears dried from his eyes in an instant like a drop of water swallowed by the ever-shifting sands of a vast and endless desert. It was then that the troll noticed him, coming at him with the same thirst for blood that had ended the life of the person he respected most in the world. With little in the way of skill or talent to call his own, he was sure that he would meet the same gruesome fate Rebecca had. Even so, the tears did not flow. Not for his friend, nor for himself. Gripping hold of the final rock he held in his hand after rolling clumsily out of the way of the troll's giant spiked club. He aimed his rock, holding it atop his thumbnail with his index finger holding his thumb down. He flicked the rock with the sound of thunder that made his own ears ring in pain, the rock flew from his hand and hit directly between the eyes of the troll.

At that moment, only the ringing in his ears and the sound of his heart beating him his chest cut through the night air before the troll let out a final gasp and fell to the ground dead. The bandits looked upon the sight with utter shock for several moments before they readied themselves for battle once again. Marcello, in this moment of loss and triumph, did not have time to process either. He did not have the power to continue fighting nor the ammo to do so. He was as good as dead despite it all. However, fate had other plans and the sound of hooves on the ground echoed through the night as several Cambium Knights on horseback arrived with weapons ready. The bandits were captured and the flames that had been eating the town were extinguished. By the dawn the bodies of the lost had been buried, Marcello on his knees before the grave of his best friend as though still trying to process his loss. His fellow orphans and the caretakers of the church were not far behind him, none had the courage to try to move him from the spot.

From that day forward, Marcello never once cried again, neither tears of joy or sadness fell from his eyes. Rather where tears once fell a look of determination replaced them. Marcello began to train, far harder than he had even with Rebecca there to motivate him. His bravery and actions having made him a local hero, no longer looked down on by the townspeople, something he saw as only the first step he had taken in reaching his ultimate goal. The same goal Rebecca had spouted endlessly about achieving in her lifetime, becoming one of Four Beast Saints, the most powerful wizards on the continent. His hard work and training would pay off win a scout passing through the town heard the story of his fight against the bandits and paid him a visit. Seeing how diligently he worked to perfect his own unconventional way of using his magic and the look of determination in his eye, the scout saw it fit to write a letter of recommendation to Mimisbrunnr Academy of Magic. After passing a test to see that he was indeed fit to attend the school, he was granted a scholarship.

His time at Mimisbrunnr saw him facing hardships both academically and magically. Being a kid from the sticks and a lacking in magic power saw him having to work extra hard to get through his time there without losing his scholarship. It was hard, harder than anything he had ever done before then. But the hopes and dreams that Rebecca had passed on to him kept him going through it all. After four years of climbing up a sheer cliff with his bare hands, he finally got over that first wall. Graduating from Mimisbrunnr, he went on to apply to one of the many Branches that existed all over Hylion and the rest of Ashvattha. Joining the Low-level combat branch of Midnight Dawn as a Bronze 2nd class mage, Marcello knew he was starting at the bottom but that wasn't anything he wasn't used to. He kept his eye on his goal and plans on clawing his way up to it no matter how long it takes.

## Equipment

**Metal BBs**: Carried in a small pouch attached to his belt is somewhere between two or three hundred metal bbs made of a silver and copper alloy, allowing it to conduct his lightning magic better than any other metal besides pure silver or perhaps some unknown magical metal somewhere in the world. Having so many readily available makes it easy for Marcello to simply grab one and fire. Their small size, relative to that of a pea, allows him to carry more than enough ammo for him to take care of most human-sized enemies he may encounter.

## Magic & Abilities

### Magical Abilities

**Lightning Magic** (雷系各種魔法, *Kaminari Kei Kakushu Mahō*) is a form of elemental magic which gives the user control over electrical currents, allowing them to create and manipulate them to power attacks and enhance their own physical capabilities. Possessing little magical ability or talent to call his own, Marcello is incapable of using the power of his lightning Ki nature to its fullest potential. However, with dreams and ambitions above what he is capable of and will ever likely be capable of, Marcello has had to find a unique and interesting way to get the most out of his magical abilities. This has lead to the creation of a new technique Marcello has come to refer to as "Railgunning". Charging up an object with his Lightning natured Ki before throwing it. The velocity and kinetic energy increased well beyond what a normal throw could possibly achieve. Metal objects are capable of conducting the greatest amount of his Ki and thus are the best choice of projectile to get the most out of his throws.

#### Spells

**Charge Shot**: Marcello holds an item in his right hand, channeling his ki and focusing it into his hand and into the object he intends to use as a projectile. After only a few seconds of holding the object in his hand it will be ready to fire. Marcello has two distinct ways of firing off a shot using his rail gunning technique. Throwing it the way one might throw a stone they intend to skip, the attack meant for mid-range with a distance of 300 feet being its maximum range of effectiveness. However, by using the full strength of his arm plus the magic infused within the projectile the force behind it is tremendous the blunt force of the attack capable of shattering bones if the target is hit. The speed of this throw is about 95mph on average with its max being 100mph.

The second way off shooting off a charge shot involves holding it against the nail of his thumb which is being held down by his index finger. Flicking his projectile with his magic focused into a single finger allows the projectile to shoot off with much greater speed and intensity. A crack of thunder being heard upon release, the projectile firing at 2,5000 feet per second, the speed of a bullet to be exact. While it is indeed powerful, charging a shoot with this technique too often can lead to damaging his hand through burns or broken bones. As such, he rarely uses it multi-times in a row.

Should either of these hit their mark, the electricity will be released from the projectile and discharge electricity into the body of whoever was hit. Often causing muscles to seize up and cause temporary paralysis in his targets.

**Scatter Shot**:

##### Advanced Spells

**Ricochet Volley**:

**Arc Lightning**: