Kazumi Ametsuchi

Kazumi Ametsuchi, as of the Eighth Epoch, is the High King of Izana, the third of her mother's children, and is one of the few remaining Umushi. Apropos to her royal epithet, she is highly beloved by her populace. As the current matriarch, she is wildly successful in comparison to the prior King, though where her public image is the subject of much admiration, her private self is power-hungry, cruel and unstoppable in the pursuit of fulfilling her God complex.

As a High King, she lives in Izana, part of the High Kingdom and at large the Empire, of Neo.

## Early Life

Born to Kana Ametsuchi and an unknown donor, and thus part of the main branch of her family's legacy, she was raised in great prosperity and privilege, even while the kingdom rotted outside the front-door. As a child, she stood stark against her elder siblings for being both free-spirited and benevolent. While confident and prone to the arrogance that comes naturally to the rich and powerful, she had the emotional intelligence to treat her subjects kindly, even from youth, that earned from them an affection that was not afforded to her sisters.

However, as the third-in-line, as well as not being an Oracle, she was unlikely to ever see the throne. This created a one-sided rivalry with her older sisters, both far more eligible than she, which grew into a great resentment when they began to disrespect their own power. Her younger, and final, sister, came into the world when she was four. She was named Yumi, and her birth coincided with the death of the former Oracle, and thus took on the roleーelevating her in stance and esteem even above Kazumi and Hideko.

For a time she disliked her younger sister, too, but the younger's good nature, timidity and inherent responsibility warmed the irritation away, and instead she grew protective, even fond, of her.

Kazumi was, while not outright treated cruelly, rather neglected. Even Hideko, who was useful only as a secondary heir, was treated with more affection by their mother, if only because she enjoyed her personality.

She was quite a solitary child, devoted to her studies. Intellect was perhaps her crux; in absence of what she deemed to be true power, she made up for it in amassing incredible amounts of knowledge. Of her siblings, she was the most musically inclined, though not out of "natural-born talent": she worked hard, steadily and devotedly, hardly ever resting. What time was not spent learning, was spent socialising. Not at political galas or balls, though she spent time at them too, but with the common-folk, often easing the troubled moods of the Izana folk her sister, Amaya, had upset in her drunken tempers.

At the age of eighteen, the world headed into the Eighth Epoch. A turning of the age would prove to be the turning of the tides for Kazumi's luck, too.

## The Coup D'etat

She was twenty, now fifth in place after Amaya bore two children, and her good behaviour had begun to be deeply appreciated by the people. High King Kana, always eager to break the mould, had put in place what would be a ground-breaking alliance between planets. Kazumi's sister Hideko was engaged to be bethrothed in an arranged marriage to a noble off-planet, from Hive, in order to bind the planets together in a way that had never been done before by either.

Unfortunately for Hideko, her spouse became infatuated with Kazumi. She courted Skor underneath her sister's nose, who told her all about his planet's cultural beliefs and their devotion to the God-Spider, Goliath, and the Genesis Collapse. Enamoured with it, Kazumi and Skor sought to introduce the beliefs insidiously into Neo through Izana. However, Kana and her other daughters were unlikely to convert, nor were they particularly interested in any sort of bettering, spiritual or otherwise, for the common people. Supposedly, Kazumi had no other choice but to stage a coup d'etat.

To avoid the gruesome details, the coup d'etat began with the murder of her sister, Hideko, and ended with the head of her mother tossed to the people. In such troublesome times, where the agitation towards the High King and her arrogant heir was turning to aggression, the defeat of the High King was welcomed. Despite her connections to the family, her good reputation and stark contrast in behaviour quickly warmed them, and the people turned a blind eye to her violence, for during the reign of High King Kana, violence had become quite the norm among the denizens of Izana, particularly in the capital. It helped, also, that she had spared the children of the heir in what was seen as an act of mighty compassion and forgiveness, and that she had refused to harm the Oracle, who was also seen as benevolent and well-liked, despite her timidity.

Turning a blind eye would become quite a pattern for the people of Izana in regards to Kazumi's actions, for it was no secret that other Ametsuchi members, particularly those of the branch families, were disappearing over the following years, with little said officially of why they were suddenly no longer around. The rumour, and thus what became accepted both as truth and a justification, was that they were rebels, loyal to Kana, who sought to bring back the way the Kingdom had been before. Kazumi had her coronation at twenty-one, too not long after she beheaded her mother. The only thing that seemed suspicious was the total lack of grandiose battles that had become expected of fights within the Umushi, for they had more bodies than one, and killing of the mortal body only provoked a far more terrifying body to emerge. Kazumi had, supposedly, easily defeated them.

Skor and she did not marry, but remained lovers and accomplices until his death several years later.

## Reign as High King

What happened to the other Ametsuchi was no mere punishment of rebels. In fact, there was little to no argument against her reign at all in the internal machinations of the Umushi. Rather, Kazumi had higher plans for her family.

Sometime during her reign, she was contacted by a creature who asserted that she was in allegiance and confidence with the Spider-God, and the creature was named Weaver. Weaver said that Kazumi's actions, in the name of the Spider-God, had pleased Goliath greatly, and so she was invited to understand one of the secrets of the Spider-God's powers. This power was known as Chaos Magic, and it was a terrible thing. In exchange, Kazumi would give unto the Goliath one of her children, so that they could understand the secrets of the Umushi. She obliged.

Empowered by her newfound knowledge, she began to perform experiments on the Ametsuchi. Most of these ended in death, and never peacefully. These experiments took a toll on her mind, broadening it, but desensitizing it to cruelty of tremendous extremes. Yumi was disturbed, and Skor was unaware; he was doing his duties on Hive, as they had agreed, and she had kept the Weaver's visit from him a secret.

Some years later, when Kazumi's experiments had near-wiped out her people, Yumi, her sister, would stand against her, arguing against her methods. This was to protect the children of Amaya, who were the obvious choices in Kazumi's future experiments. Unfortunately, Kazumi had already seen to the children, and their survival had gifted them greatly in power, cementing their loyalty. It was a mark of Kazumi's power that neither had perished. Unwilling to have an Oracle who threatened disobedience, and thus her ultimate goal, Kazumi aligned the birth of her first child with the murder of her sister, allowing her nieces, Hato and Karasu, to practise their newfound mutated abilities on her. In this act, Kazumi rid herself of all extra weight, having chosen Skor to be her donor for Hitomi, and upon fathering the child, Skor was killed, and the relationship between Hive and Neo was severed.

The Living Sea obliged in choosing Kazumi's firstborn, Hitomi, as Oracle, though whether this was because Hitomi was deserving of it or whether they knew that Kazumi would simply murder any other rival to it until she succeeded, is unknown.

She would go on to bear an heir, Kimiko; a third child, who she did not name, nor publicize, and a fourth child, whom she gave obediently to the Weaver, who had come to collect her. What came of the fourth child is unknown.

Kazumi was a tyrant to her own children, and her experiments did not stop; soon, she mutated Rainotori, Yumi's only child, and then her own children. At this point, she had all-but-mastered the art, and saw no death and hardly any superficial change. But what change there was, was internal, and magnificent: she had gifted unto them unique abilities.

## The Cult of Metamorphosis

When Kimiko turned twenty-one, Kazumi informed her heir about the nature of her plan, which had already been communicated to her nieces, each of them older than any of her daughters. Her plan was this: utilizing both Chaos Magic and her knowledge of Hive's fundamental beliefs, all of which encouraged a welcoming of the End Times, she would take advantage of her new abilities to paint herself as a God-King solely responsible for the causation and ending of the Apocalypse, forcing people to obey and appease her to keep the end at bay. Her most devout followers are her nieces, Hato and Karasu, and Ryuko Ametsuchi is involved.

## Personality

To those who know her impersonally, such as her subjects, she is known as charming, polite and accepting, in contrast to her less likable sisters. She never speaks disrespectfully, and is more open-minded to other species. This is shown in her first appearance in the Prologue, when she first meets Lord Pious Skor, who encounters fear and, at times, disgust from other species members according to his narrativeーbut she only looks at him with curiousity and mild fascination. She laughs often, and is diplomatic enough to ignore subtle insults. Kazumi is sensual and well-aware of her beauty, as well as being highly intelligent and a quick-learner.

In her personal relationships, she still retains her diplomacy and charm, but makes no secret of her brutality, and her temper is far more likely to be triggered. Over the span of the story, her self-control wavers, developing into a full-blown God Complex with terrible rages. She is incredibly abusive to her daughters, both emotionally and physically, and manipulates them in order to prevent emotional intimacy between any of her family. She holds nobody in high regard, aside from herself, and while is capable of manipulating others into perceiving a good relationship between her and others, has no true love for anybody.

She is dramatic and braver than some, undaunted by even the most terrifying prospects, as well as being optimistic in nature.

## Appearance

### Glamour

Kazumi is noted to be strikingly beautiful. She has a long, oval face and high cheekbones, though not as gaunt-looking as her eldest daughter's. She appears regal in appearance, with dark hair likened to water in its fluidity and shine. Though not as tall as her daughters, she appears statuesque and powerful, holding herself with power. Her eyes are onyx in colour, and in the 'phoenix' shape. Notably, while her mouth is beautiful and plump, and though her personality attempts to defy it, it is described as undeniably 'cruel'. She has a penchant for wearing white, and when she experiments on herself with Chaos magic, her hair becomes white as well.

## Abilities

### Sonokinesis

She is notably the most proficient manipulator of sonokinesis of the existing Ametsuchi, and even over-powered her own family during the Massacre, having the considerably rare ability to rely solely on her own voice, rather than an Instrument. Immediately in her introduction, she is shown to display throwing her voice.

### Aquakinesis

Like all Umushi, aside from Ryuko, she is a highly capable inter-aquakinetic, due to her connections and blessings from the Living Sea. Due to the fact it is inter-magic, she can generate it externally, but not internally, and can manipulate large bodies of water.

### Chaos Magic

She is capable of manipulating and splicing Chaos Magic into others, albeit not without precautions and various failures. She has successfully spliced herself, all of her daughters, her niecesーthough theirs is less gracefully integratedーand her favoured Ryuko. Her own Chaos mutation grants her the ability of Chaotic Cryokinesis, the manipulation of ice and cold. This integration alters her appearance in subtle ways, but also affects her physiologically; she is freezing to the touch, cooling the air around her, and is sensitive to heat and warmth. This includes emotionally, gradually becoming more aggressive when surrounded by or faced with emotional warmth and compassion.

### Flight

As another genetic ability, Kazumi is capable of flight through thin slits on her back which sever the barrier between her True Body and her Glamour, allowing wings to come forth. Her avian traits are clearly influenced by swans, which seem to be her favourite.

## Trivia

* Kazumi is written using the kanji 一実, meaning "one, truth".
* Ametsuchi is written using 天地, which can also be read as Tenchi, and is derived from Ametsuchi no Uta, or Ametsuchi no Kotoba, a piece of work which is considered to be the earliest example of a "perfect" Japanese pangram. The word is comprised of two symbols meaning Heaven and Earth, though it can be interpreted as meaning the Universe, realm, nature, and top and bottom.
* In Western Astrology, she would be a Scorpio Sun, a Leo Rising and a Gemini Moon.
* Her Enneagram is Type 3: The Achiever. According to the Enneagram, her Basic Fear is being worthless, and her Basic Desire is to feel valuable and worthwhile.
* She is sexually attracted to all genders, and it is rare for her to be genuinely romantically attracted to anybody. However, her romantic attraction to Lord Pious Skor was genuine, at least initially.