Akura Mercy

Sacred Arts
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## Appearance

Same age as Lindon and Yerin, roughly. Slim, dark hair, violet eyes. Goldsign looks like her hands were dipped in tar up to the forearms. She flips her ponytail frequently and often leans on her Lordlevel bow — Suu, (Eclipse), like it’s a cane. In battle, she’s always working with shadows and strings.

> She was slender and a little taller than Yerin, with her hair pulled back into a long black ponytail. She wore white-and-black sacred artist's robes, with a breastplate of smooth purple armor over her chest. The armor matched her eyes, which were a startling, vivid purple. The eyes looked human.. .(Skysworn, ch 14)
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## Personality

Mercy is known for her selflessness and cheerfulness. She embodies the concept of friendship. She’s merciful, warm-hearted, compassionate, kind, loyal, generous. Generally bubbly and the first to cheer on another’s successes. Brilliant understanding of the sacred arts, but not a proud bore. Rich, powerful, and well-connected, but not a snob. She will sacrifice herself for others, and she won’t take from those less fortunate than her. She is a walking pharmacy. A helper and hard worker — she helps rescue the people of Sacred Valley and occasionally helps with the Twin Star Sect.

Throughout the series, Mercy shows inner conflict regarding her mother, the powerful and ruthless Akura Malice, Monarch of Western Ashwind Continent, and overlord to the Blackflame Empire. She loves her mother, but doesn’t like her.

## Family

Mercy’s family is central to the series, beginning with book four Skysworn. She has major mommy issues with ruthless Akura Malice, Monarch of Western Ashwind Continent. She has good relationships with her brother Akura Pride and her much older half-brother/uncle Akura Fury, Herald. She is also on good terms with her aunt/niece, Akura Charity, Sage of the Silver Heart. Mercy is actually Charity’s aunt, because Charity is Fury’s son. But Mercy is so much younger than Charity, she calls her an aunt, not a niece, and she calls Fury an uncle, not brother.

## Her Power Sealed Off

When we first meet Mercy, she is a contradiction. Awkward and clumsy, always tripping over her own shadow. Only a Lowgold, but resourceful, knowledgeable, and confident beyond her years. This is because she left the Akura home, and her mother reduced her down to Lowgold without benefit of her Iron body, to teach her a lesson:

> Akura Mercy was the family genius, who set records at every turn. She bonded the book her mother, Akura Malice, had crafted, and was following the Monarch's idea of a perfect shadow Path. However, she found herself disgusted by her family's lack of regard for those weaker than themselves and blind willingness to debase themselves to those who were stronger. Determined to be different, she made an effort to try and change that in herself. She was succeeding, earning a reputation as kind-hearted and respectful, until she discovered her Underlord revelation and was confronted with the fact that she too craved approval of her Monarch mother. Disgusted with this fact, Mercy made a bet with her mother that she could survive outside the family without their help and in return, she would be free of them. In order to make it as if she were truly without the help of her family, Mercy's power was sealed and reduced to Lowgold and the benefits of her Iron body taken away. As long as she could survive under said conditions, she would have no responsibility. But if she died, she would have to return to the clan as their heir.-(Underlord)
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In book 6, Underlord, Mercy sacrifices herself for her friends, throwing herself on the sword of Underlord Seishen Daji. When her mother restores her to health, she removes all the restrictions and Mercy returns to Iron body at Underlady status. She promises to come home and fulfill her duties as the heir apparent.

## Path, Powers, Techniques

Path of the Seven Pages, a shadow-aspect Path in the family's Book of Eternal Night. Strings of Shadow technique: “It's the central technique from the Path of the Chainkeeper,” Mercy said. “Strings of Shadow.” (Ghostwater ch 13). Puppeteer’s Iron body. Goldsign black hards and forearms.

“My Puppeteer's Iron body gives me great control over my body” (Underlord ch 6). Mercy's Puppeteer's Iron body provides increased flexibility, precision, and control, so the body can maintain control even when encased in expanding armor (see Iron body list)

From an early age, Mercy showed herself to be a prodigy on the Path of Seven Pages, created by the Monarch, Malice. She advanced to Underlady before she turned. . .about 16-ish, but then her mother brought her back down to Lowgold. She advanced to Underlady at the end of book 6, Underlord. She advanced to Overlady in book 10, Reaper after facing her mother’s memory down, and learning from the memory of a brilliant archer deep in the Labyrinth. Her Overlord Revelation was “She’s Malice. I am Mercy”

She is skilled with Eclipse, Ancient Bow of the Soulseeker, which she calls Suu. Until it’s being used, it looks like a black cane with a violet-eyed dragon head. She even flies around on her Suu.

>  A bow. It was a bow, almost as tall as Mercy was. Mercy drew the string back, Forging a jet-black arrow as she did so. The point emerged between her weapon’s jaws. “This is Eclipse, Ancient Bow of the Soulseeker.” She loosed, and the arrow stuck in the dragon's palm. “It was my mother's weapon from Lowgold to Archlord. Made from the Remnant of a shadow dragon who became a Sage.”-Ghostwater
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She manifests the clan Bloodline Abilities. The Akura bloodline legacy is their ability to call up expanding armor of purple crystal on some or all of their body (full body only supposed to be used after Underlord). The armor can grow huge, and so does the body as Mercy demonstrated against the Titan Dreadgod in Bloodline. The bloodline armor causes their eyes to look like solid purple crystal, while using the armor.

In her Path, Mercy bonds with The Book of Eternal Night, an ancient seven page book covered in complex scripting and possibly containing multiple bindings. Monarch Akura Malice created this, and so far, only Mercy has shown such early genius in understanding it. Each page represents one technique for each advancement level, starting at Lowgold. A user may call upon a page above their current advancement level but only for a short period of time. They have their soulspace opened early.

## Book Summaries

### Skysworn

Akura Mercy, a teenager, is from the Akura homeland, temporarily in the Blackflame Empire to supposedly learn some lessons. She is first introduced during the Skysworn (Organization) low-gold application contest where she helps heal an applicant that Lindon injured in a squabble. Despite her kindness, the other applicants are afraid of interacting with her due to recognizing her as an Akura, the ruthless rulers of the vassal states. She ends up taking first place in the low-gold application race/contest by riding her bow through the obstacles. Later after the contest she is left with Lindon and Yerin during squad formation, seen as a troublesome and unwanted Skysworn appointee. She remains friendly and understanding during this and tries to form familiarity with Lindon, Yerin, Bai Rou, and Renfei. Soon after the Dreadgod The Bleeding Phoenix rises she is the one who saves Yerin from being thrown off Stormrock by also jumping off the cloud-fortress after Lindon. She helps fend off the bloodspawn while Yerin and Lindon wrestle for control over the bloodspawn within Yerin. Her techniques are shown to be using shadow madra which she uses mostly to bind and tangle foes with. Lindon comments that he is unsure of her advancement as her spiritual pressure fluctuates during combat. She reveals the giantess fighting off the phoenix is in-fact her mother and that she is the heir of the Akuras though the circumstances as to why she joined the Skysworn are still left unsaid. Once Eithan finds the squad and Mercy is alone not allowed to see Eithan’s inherited vision left by Ozriel however Eithan promises to support her future in the group. Throughout the book Mercy shows empathy and kindness to all she meets, a quality which so far is unseen in any other character in Cradle.

### Ghostwater

Mercy continues to be a member of Lindon and Yerin’s Skysworn squad helping those affected by the aftermath of the phoenix and her mothers’s fight. She travels along with her squad to the island with the portal to the Ghostwater facilities. After the portal is destroyed she restrains Yerin from killing Bai Rou since she noticed the several hidden cloudship presences on the island. After travelling to the Akura’s cloudship she is forbidden from entering as this would be possibly violating her agreement with her mother. Once Yerin returns alone she travels with her despite concern for Bai Rou. While she travels with Yerin she charitably shares survival gear and medicine and practices advancement with Yerin when they are stalled by dragons. During this training she shows off her acrobatic and dexterous fighting style only to fumble the landing. She hints that before she had no issues with her coordination and balance. She tells Yerin that her bow’s name is Eclipse, Ancient Bow of the Soulseeker, or as she colloquially calls Suu. She also reveals to Yerin her path of the Book of Eternal Night which combines techniques from seven different shadow aspected paths. Once they engage in battle with an enraged gold dragon Underlady SopharanatothMercy temporarily advances to high gold and uses her Akura Bloodline Abilities armor ability to shield Yerin from the underlady’s striker technique. During this most of her hair is scorched off and she is severely burned. Yerin retreats with Mercy’s unconscious body and uses Mercy’s scripted tent and medical supplies to treat their injuries despite Mercy objecting to treatment for Yerin’s sake. At Yerin’s askance she explains she can temporarily advance to a higher advancement of the same tier. Still injured Mercy backs Yerin up when Yerin seeks a fight to push for advancement. After being saved from Sophara by Ziel, a stranger, Mercy happily introduces herself. After Lindon escapes a collapsing Ghostwater Mercy hauls him and Orthos off a cliff they were climbing to land, shocking him with her new Yerin cropped haircut. During their travels across the island she and Yerin form a bond of trust and more of the Akura clan is revealed to the reader.

### Underlord

Mercy stays in a Skysworn squad with Yerin and Lindon after their return from Ghostwater, led by Eithan Arelius this time. She assists them on their path to Underlord, helping Lindon find his revelation and never taking any resources from them.

Towards the end of the book, Mercy - still a Highgold - is severely injured by Seishen Daji, an Underlord in the Seishen Kingdom. She then falls on his swords, but is quickly saved by her Monarch mother, Akura Malice. It is revealed why Mercy left the Akuras:

> Akura Mercy was the family genius, who set records at every turn. She bonded the book her mother, Akura Malice, had crafted, and was following the Monarch's idea of a perfect shadow Path. However, she found herself disgusted by her family's lack of regard for those weaker than themselves and blind willingness to debase themselves to those who were stronger. Determined to be different, she made an effort to try and change that in herself. She was succeeding, earning a reputation as kind-hearted and respectful, until she discovered her Underlord revelation and was confronted with the fact that she too craved approval of her Monarch mother. Disgusted with this fact, Mercy made a bet with her mother that she could survive outside the family without their help and in return, she would be free of them. In order to make it as if she were truly without the help of her family, Mercy's power was sealed and reduced to Lowgold and the benefits of her Iron body taken away. As long as she could survive under said conditions, she would have no responsibility. But if she died, she would have to return to the clan as their heir.-(Underlord)
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Akura Malice returns her powers and brings her back to life, but she requires Mercy to return to the Akura clan and compete as their main fighter in the Uncrowned King tournament.

### Uncrowned

Set in Moongrave and Ninecloud City. Mercy applauds while Lindon duels her clan’s top contenders for entry to the Uncrowned King Tournament. Mercy is a top contender herself in the Uncrowned King Tournament. At the tournament in the Ninecloud Kingdom, she encourages Lindon to find a hobby and to take Yerin to dinner.

### Wintersteel

In Ninecloud, Mercy continues to encourage Lindon and Yerin, and also Ziel now. The Tournament continues. Although Mercy has demonstrated exceptional skills and abilities, she finally loses to the cheating gold dragon, Sopharanatoth. Her mother is harsh, in response.

At the end of the book, her group is busy shepherding the Sky’s Edge mining community — an Akura vassal— away from the approaching Dreadgod Titan. Suddenly, using a portal, her entire group is ambushed by treachery from Underlord Prince Daji of the Seishen Kingdom. Her brother Akura Pride is badly injured, but Lindon and Little Blue arrive in time to save his life.

### Bloodline

Mercy takes care of her brother Pride and frets about his recovery, which is actually going fine. She presides as judge over the trial of Underlord Prince Daji of the Seishen Kingdom. She attends her brother/uncle Akura Fury’s ascension party. Then she helps Lindon and the team save the ungrateful idiots in Sacred Valley, who won’t believe a Dreadgod is coming. Her group is the Li clan, against whose stubborn ignorance a desperate Mercy must finally call up some of the ruthlessness her mother habitually displays. Towards the end of the book, she works with the team in a complicated maneuver orchestrated by Dross, wherein she uses her expanding armor Bloodline Abilities and calls too much upon her book. Finally, she encourages Jai Chen to lead a group of refugees out of the Valley, to Refuge in the Desolate Wilds.

### Reaper

Because she over-reached in the previous book, battling the Titan Dreadgod, Mercy finds herself trapped inside her book, in a virtual nightmare: “In the fifth page of the Book of Eternal Night. This whole place was built from shadow and nightmares, and the Dream of Darkness technique hung like mist in the air. Every time she let her guard down for an instant, her spirit was flogged with terror.” Lindon rescues her.

Once free and recovered, Mercy generally helps Lindon and the team with Twin Star Sect stuff, while intermittently returning to Moongrave to carry out clan duties, now that Fury has ascended. Then she goes with the team to explore the Labyrinth when it shows signs of serious tampering, revealed in the rings of Mount Samara in Sacred Valley. She goes into the Labyrinth knowing her mother will seriously disapprove. She helps the team battle Reigan Shen. She advances to Overlady while deep in the Labyrinth, after facing down her mother’s memory, and also learning from the memory of a brilliant archer. Her Overlord Revelation is “She’s Malice. I am Mercy”. Back above ground, she helps protect Jai Chen and Wei Shi Kelsa from the Stormcaller Dreadgod Cult, and scolds Yerin for taking on a lower level. She then gets a bad scold from mommy, followed by a hug when the whole world is apparently ending, followed by another scold. She isn’t with Eithan when he ascends, but he asks the team to send his regards to her.