Lucian

> *"I came back because you showed me that **life** is more important than **death**,"*
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> -- Lucian to Hope as to why he came back to fight in New Buckingham
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**Lucian**is a main character who was born after the outbreak in the '*New Age*' Extension of *The Walking Dead by EDStudios*. Introduced as a serial killer hunting bandits and raiders in New York City, Lucian was taken back to Freedomtown and was treated with heavy suspicion. He eventually formed a bond with Hope Edwards and brought out her bisexuality. Lucian became a soldier for the independent Columbian Commonwealth, fighting against the New Buckingham Corps, until the war ended with the Corps defeat. He decided to stick by Hope, settling down with her as the Columbian isolated itself from the rest of the country. Numerous reports say he is both co-leader and head of the militia of the Columbian, and he settled down with Hope and had a child with her.

## Overview

Lucian is a tall, slender young man who does not like to show his face to people he does not know well. As a result, he typically wears a mask to cover the lower half of his face when in public. He also cuts his skin to mark each of his kills.

### Personality

Lucian is a darkened survivor who prefers to keep himself distant from others. He is a highly intelligent, caring, cautious and formidable man who is a strong, determined survivor. After losing all of those close to him, he has become a highly-trained killer. His training and survival skills have shaped him into a formidable combatant. He is highly adept with firearms and hand-to-hand combat.

Lucian is also shown to be a skilled torturer with extensive knowledge of interrogation techniques and is willing, albeit reluctantly, to use this skill when he feels it is necessary. Lucian, however, does not appear to be pleased with the past atrocities he has committed or was forced to commit, and regrets being the monster that he was forced to become; so affected by the kills he commits, he uses his skin as a scoreboard, cutting himself to mark each of his kills. Lucian is extremely cautious around those he does not trust, such as Denver, and appears to be highly skilled at identifying a potential threat from body language and social cues.

It is later revealed, however, that Lucian's murderous prowess was harnessed by his father, who began psychologically and physically abusing his son after the death of his mother in order to harden him to the world and set him on a path of killing those who would cause harm to others. This abuse resulted in Lucian's final challenge in training: killing his own father.

Despite his dark exterior, Lucian is shown to be highly subconscious, preferring to keep his face hidden to all those except those he cares about. He says he feels guilt over those he kills, no matter how bad they may have been, and forces himself to remember all of them by marking his skin. As he says to Hope, one of his biggest fears is becoming as bad as those he kills by forgetting his victims.

After being told, however, that Hope loves him, Lucian begins to devolve into his old self, convinced by a hallucination of his father that a future with her will make him weak. After initially fighting the sentiment, Lucian is overcome with fear and departs the group. However, as he makes his way out of New Buckingham, he cuts his skin one last time and prepares to stab himself, viewing himself as "pure evil" and "scum". He is stopped by a hallucination of his mother, who shows him a child in a crib. As he cradles the child, he realizes how much love he feels for it before it and his mother disappears. Lucian reaffirms his commitment and returns to the battle, finally opening himself up and declaring his love for Hope.

With the war over and the Columbian free, Lucian decides to stand by Hope and remain in the Columbian to lead its new army, in order to keep the Columbian's borders secure and protect it from outside threats, finally putting his past behind him.

## Post-Apocalypse

Lucian was born just over 30 years after the outbreak. When he was a child, he stole some cans of food from bandits. When the bandits came to the camp for revenge, Lucian showed himself, resulting in the bandits killing his mother. Lucian flew into a rage and killed them all. His traumatized father decided to direct his son's murderous rage against those who hurt others, while also inspiring him to remember each of his kills in some way. Lucian's final test would be to kill his father, which he succeeded. He then went out into the world with his mask, killing any bandits and raiders he came across. At some point, he made his way to New York City.

### Ending

*"Lucian, having abandoned his murderous crusade, settled down with Hope after the Columbian's declaration of independence from the rest of the country. His wandering spirit, once the sole driving force of his being, had been quenched as he led the Columbian alongside the woman he loved, and became a beloved, if stern, father. He reportedly uses his exceptional skills to lead the Columbian's militia, keeping the Columbian secure from outside forces who would seek to establish contact,"*

## Killed Victims

* His mother *(caused)*
* His father
* 112 unnamed people
* Ben Stanton *(alive)*
* Florence
* James
* Kristine
* Joel *(caused)*
* 12 unnamed bandits
* 7 unnamed members of the New Buckingham Corps
* Numerous counts of zombies and possibly unnamed people

## Relationships

### Hope Edwards

Lucian and Hope initially had a cautious relationship, with neither sure they could trust the other. However, once Lucian begins bonding with the group and getting involved in the fight with the Corps, it becomes clear they have some chemistry. The day after learning of Florence's betrayal, the two sleep together, although Hope sees this nothing more than a rebound.

As the weeks pass, however, Lucian begins developing a connection to Hope and subconsciously makes efforts to keep her safe. As their trust and attraction grows, Hope attempts to see beneath his mask, which he refuses. After he saves her from Ben Stanton, he takes off his mask and kisses her. From then on, their relationship begins and strengthens.

## Quotes

* *"I don't like to show my face. The last time I did, I lost someone close to me,"*

## Trivia

* Lucian currently has the highest confirmed direct kill count out of anyone in *The Walking Dead by EDStudios* universe with at least 130 living people killed directly.
	+ Antony Eden has the overall highest kill count, with around 450 living people killed by his command.
* He keeps trophies of each of his kills by using his skin as a 'scoreboard', cutting himself per person he kills.
	+ As a result, he has the greatest number of physical scars on his body of any character.
	+ Since the death of Nathan, Lucian has stopped this habit.
* Lucian uses a wide variety of weapons but prefers his throwing knives, a silenced IMI Micro-Uzi and his iconic spear. He has demonstrated to be one of the most agile, skilled fighters in the series.
* Lucian was Hope's first kiss and relationship with a man.
* An older, more sombre Lucian returns alongside Hope and Martha in the Extended Universe.