Paul Seckendoff

*"For a long time, I've wondered why life made me like that. No matter where I was, the world was burning around me. I thought myself to be cursed. With that body unable to hold, only to destroy, with that heart full of hate. But now I know it. No matter where I go, the world ends ... but that's a blessing in disguise. I love violence. I love destruction. So I'll fight through every single apocalypse I'm confronted with, the only way I can be myself without restraint. That's the purpose They chose for me."* -Paul Seckendoff

**Paul Seckendoff** is a french Catholic Priest who has partially Glimpsed the Veil.

## Story

### Wandering in Reality

In the middle of the nineteenth century, Paul was raised in an average family. Sensing a lack of purpose in his life, he first studied medicine, then switched to philosophy, then to history, then finally, to theology. Becoming a Priest, Paul was eventually sent to a strange town to exorcise a demon, alongside Malva Malebranche. The demon turned out to be the very real Elizabeth Liddle, which Malva stopped with Paul's support.

This however caused Paul to be affected by an unknown phenomenon, causing him to get lost in time, existing in all points of time without distinction, essentially putting him out of sync with the entire world. This even further reinforced Paul's impression of being out of place, incompatible with the world, as though he could not entirely comprehend what he was.

### The Wish and the Ruined World

Thanks to his disruptive existence, Paul perceived a catastrophic event coming to him, and resolved to prevent it. Participating in a Magus War, he summoned Onyx Scala of Gemini, being himself treated as a Divine Servant of Ophiuchus. However, even with his full powers and planning, he could not overcome Pyrrha Nikos's wish and was defeated, seemingly fading away while cursing the divine.

Paul thus, without transition, returned to his life, where he was shot and sent to the hospital. As he woke up, he find himself into the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Due to his supernatural endurance and great charisma, he directed an entire group of survivors to safety, struggling against his inner demons and desire to escape the nightmare.

### Once More, Apocalypse Now

Paul found himself this time in yet another Timeline, in America, where he was attacked by Valea, Horseman of Pestilence, who sought to end him, acknowledging him as a Malevolence of Doubt. With the help of Summer Lagann and Raphaelle Primeverre, he managed to escape, then ran back to France, drawn there by an unknown purpose.

After confronting the angel Zachary in France, Paul reaffirmed himself as 'one who fights through apocalypses'. He then resolved to find Boushra Nesaiti, Vassumati Haitu and Seishiru Omoide, three women he had been attracted to in the previous apocalypse. Rushing against Zachary, he successfully saved the three of them, but almost died in the process.

Boushra however saved him, while Vassumati convinced Seishiru, under the influence of Zachary, to support him as well. As she did, Paul found enough strength to kill Zachary, then ran away with the three women, who managed to accept him as he was. Paul had three Future Children with them : Jaya Seckendoff with Vassumati, Leila Seckendoff with Boushra, and Madeleine Seckendoff with Seishiru.

## Appearance

Paul was seen under a variety of appearances. Although he always wears a priest's garb, he was seen as an elderly priest during his confrontation with Elizabeth, as a 35-year-old man during the zombie apocalypse, and as a young, 25-year-old man during Lucifer's rise. He is brown-haired, brown-eyes, and extremely well-built.

## Personality

Paul's perception of life is extremely bleak; as he was unable to find purpose in himself or mankind no matter what he was, he came to hate both himself and the world. After being cursed by Elizabeth, his hatred even grew, and as he obsessively turned to God to attempt to become a better man, he only saw something behind the notion God that even further fed his hatred - the concept of individuals who would see him suffer for their own enjoyment.

Destructive, sadistic, ruthless and nihilistic, Paul nevertheless hides his torment behind the facade of an impeccable and loving priest, perhaps due to the belief that if he pretends long enough, he will manage to become as he appears. In fact, he probably does genuinely loves people such as Boushra, Vassumati or Seishiru, and was shown to care for others, but he is probably too tormented to notice.

## Powers

* **Supernatural Physical Abilities:** Nothing yet explains how powerful Paul is as a human - able to punch through zombies with frightening ease and being able to expertly using firearms without any known training.

* **Meta Awareness:** Paul's Meta Awareness appears in his mental conversations with "God" - that is, the story's author. He knows things he should normally not know, and does not seem to clearly differentiate between timelines - as shown when he saved Boushra, Vassumati and Seishiru, despite never encountering them in that Timeline.
* **Meta Destruction:** Paul's most frightening power who earned him the title of Malevolence is his ability to ignore the rules of writing. As an example, he is able to kill someone the author wanted to see live, thus transcending the very boundaries of narration.
* **Double Existence:** Paul was able to be seen as a Divine Servant in a Timeline - perhaps, as he said, due to the fact that he is "almost dead".

## Storylines

* Magus Wars : Loyalty features him as an antagonist.
* Survive the End features him as the main protagonist.
* Lucifer Rising briefly shows his redemption.

## Trivia

* His theme song, as chosen by his creator, is Pray (Put 'Em in the Dirt) by Hollywood Undead.
* His name comes from Octavia von Seckendoff, a character in the Madoka Magica series embodying a cursed existence, and the doubtful apostle Paul.
* He bears some resemblance to Fate's Kirei Kotomine, although such a thing is fortuitous.
* He calls the one he worships as God "They" because he knows Akashic0 is more than a single person.