Amane Sakurai

**Amane Sakurai** (also known as Sakurai Amane in his native name arrangement) is a demihuman swordsman and graduate of Silai's Imperial Skysword Academy. He comes from the Sakurai clan of Silai, which grants him an exemption from being knighted as a mage knight.

## Biography

### Overview

Amane is the older of two children from the swordsman Kaito Sakurai and the healer Amelia Edelberg. His younger sister, Yukina, was born two years after him. As the sole male child of his father, Amane was expected to inherit the clan's various sword techniques. He was also expected to have a male heir to inherit the sword techniques that would be passed to him.

Amane was named by his father Kaito, who was always more absorbed in training and self refinement than trivial things like names. Because Amane had a beautiful and refined appearance even as a baby, Kaito gave him a girl's name without further consideration and wrote this name in the family register. He didn't actually realize Amane was male until he actually checked Amane thoroughly after finishing his routines. Kaito Sakurai was too lazy to change Amane's name or rewrite the family register, hence Amane's name has stuck with him since his birth. Amane's mother never objected to his name as she doesn't understand Kitsune naming conventions or language.

As with all mages, Amane possessed Mana Sense from birth, allowing him to feel and move his own internal mana. Furthermore, as a Tenko, Amane already born with the ability to percieve the flow of magic.

### Earlier Years

Amane was born on a snowy night, with his exact birth date being Vinhorst 8th, as the first child of his parents. He was healthy from birth, as most Nine Tailed Foxes were. Amane was quite precocious as a child and learned how to walk and use the toilet himself quite early. Amane learned to read earlier than he could speak and in fact suffered from a minor speech delay for unknown reasons.

As Amane grew older, it was quite apparent to his parents that he had quite a remarkable intellect and memory. He was able to memorize many things without trouble even as a child and could do fast mental sums without the aid of paper or an external aid. Hence, Amane's father allowed him to start learning the family's magic improving techniques, known as the Nine Lights technique, when Amane was just five years old. Amane moved on to studying reinforcement when he was seven and soon, his father started imparting basic swordplay to him using a wooden sword.

Amane's childhood became quite rough given his father's very strict training in swordplay. He didn't have time after school to make friends, hence his sole close friend became his sister Yukina, who grew up alongside him without all the pressure from their parents and became one of the people who consistently encouraged him to do better. Amane wasn't allowed to neglect his studies, though, which meant he had virtually no time left for himself. Despite the pressure from his family environment, Amane figured out that the best way to create time for himself was indeed to get stronger and more learned, so he could study and train less.

Amane's Grimoire Spirit was awakened by him when he was eight years old, and by ten he already had a sword constructed as the vessel to hold the Grimoire Spirit. When Amane got the sword he would use as an adult, his father switched his training over to using real swords and started truly imparting the Clan's advanced sword techniques. Amane also started learning unarmed techniques to build up his body and the art of archery for targets that magic would be too slow to reach. Amane suffered quite a bit during this period of his life, but he figured out that he could ease the pain of his suffering if he advanced in the Nine Lights technique his family passed down.

Amane therefore acquired his first drawn Vitakinetic Channel when he was eleven years old, giving him the total of four that was needed to maintain his body's peak once he reached it. Amane's father then took him to train in the forest alone when he was thirteen whenever he had breaks from school, where he was forced to survive without outside help with just his sword. Amane therefore learned how to identify poisonous and edible plants, putting his knowledge to use. He also learned the habits and weaknesses of the Spirit Beasts he was forced to fight during these training sessions.

Amane was never permitted to skip any levels in his primary education although his teachers strongly recommended it to help him graduate faster. His father refused to allow him to take on a higher workload because of the skills he had to learn at home. Hence, Amane progressed at the same pace compared to the students of his year, although he actually had far more advanced knowledge compared to them.

### Going to Skysword Imperial Academy

Amane would later acquire his fifth Vitakinetic Channel at the age of fourteen, which began healing all the scars and damage that his body sustained. He graduated from his lower education and was eventually enrolled in the Imperial Skysword Academy for the excellent performance he showed in both grades and practical knowledge. Amane continued his studies alongside the future knights of Silai. His memory and mental abilities allowed him to consistently score the maximum possible marks for subjects that required such, including mathematics, magical theory and the sciences. Amane had only a single subject he always did poorly in, which was literature. Amane dropped his study of literature once he had the opportunity to do so, given he strongly disliked the subject.

Amane acquired his pet Dawnlight Viper, Hakuryu, when he was fifteen years old, during one of his forest training sessions where he convinced Hakuryu's mother to give the then weak snake to him rather than leave the young snake to die in the wild. Amane has constantly cared for Hakuryu since then and fed him spirit beast cores whenever they were obtained to help Hakuryu mature faster. The snake also became a helpful assistant for all of Amane's future training in the forests and serves as his mount when he needs to travel long distances through flight.

Amane acquired his sixth Vitakinetic Channel at the age of seventeen, which was also around the time he finally completed learning his family's sword techniques. He continued his yearly training sessions in the forest and increased his magical talents through consistent practice. Essentially, he had passed his entire childhood with hardly a semblance of normalcy, unlike most other children. This was why he developed his rather distant personality, as he stopped caring about what those his age would normally bother about. Amane rarely involved himself with matters in the Skysword Imperial Academy and didn't join any social circles in particular. He also didn't have time for clubs or interest groups, which made his school life rather dull.

Amane would later graduate from the Imperial Skysword Academy with good reviews from his alma mater, given his all round exemplary performance.

## Traits

### Appearance

Amane Sakurai is a Demihuman, so he has some animal like parts on his otherwise human body. This is limited to his nine white tails and his unremarkable foxlike ears, which sit atop his head. Amane has straight, silver - white hair that he keeps cut to a manageable length. Amane's hair always covers the parts of his head where a human would have their ears, so it is unknown if he has a second pair of ears or not.

Amane has bright blue irises in his eyes, with a pupil that isn't perfectly circular but somewhat slit like, as his eyes share some commonality with that of a fox. Amane's eyes have a slight reflective property in the darkness, but they do not shine as bright as a cat's or dog's in the darkness. His feminine looking eyes are large for a male and he has double eyelids along with long, white eyelashes.

Amane has high cheekbones, a slim jaw and rounded cheeks on his oval face, giving him an overall youthful appearance. His chin isn't wide and is quite sharp. His nose has a narrow bridge and a pointed tip, giving it a slight aquiline appearance. As Amane's hair is silvery - white, his facial hair doesn't contrast with his skin much and he normally is clean shaven.

Amane's skin is fair and free of blemishes of any kind. His body has no scars because of the nature of the magic he practices. Amane's skeletal build would be rather average for a male of his height, but his muscles are larger and more defined than the average because of his rigorous training.

### Personality

Amane is known to be an overall quiet individual who does not actively seek out social interaction on his own terms, but he is not adverse to it and will respond accordingly to others. He does not favor taking immediate action and prefers to observe the situation. Amane still remembers his duty to Silai, though, so he will go out of his way to protect the citizens of Silai, if only as an obligation rather than because he really has any heart to help.

Amane's temperament is rather tepid and flat. While he doesn't seem to get angry easily, he does not smile often or express sorrow. In fact, he can keep a straight face relatively easily no matter what he is actually feeling. Amane seems to respond to most matters in a relatively uninterested manner. His interactions with most can be considered as mostly neutral. This has given him a very withdrawn attitude when it comes to his interactions with others, given he does not like to actively participate in any group events.

However, it is possible for Amane to show a different side of himself. He can transition from his expressionless manner to one that is somewhat more expressive, shown when he casually teases Aya after she attempted to tease him. Amane doesn't seem to have anything against sharing embarrassing things about himself and he freely talks about most subjects if prompted.

Amane is naturally not someone who would go out of his way to break rules, because he does not like trouble and will not go looking for it. However, he does have a certain level of dignity and pride which he will not compromise on no matter the situation, forming the basis of his personal creed. In situations such as a duel, Amane strongly dislikes involving a third party unrelated to the original incident and he also tends to disagree with the harming of innocents. However, Amane fully expects his opponent to be underhanded and he himself will pull no punches in that area either.

Amane innately seeks power only because he wants to end fights faster and because he hates actually having to fight others. His aim towards being powerful is so that no one would dare to challenge him. He also does not like immediately using his full strength in combat, reasoning that it is more efficient to use just enough of his abilities to defeat the opponents quickly while also keeping them in the dark about the full extent of his abilities. As Amane's innate swordplay is designed for killing, using it in a non lethal fashion makes it troublesome for him and he tends not to modify it unless there is a strong reason for him not to kill the other party.

Amane's training in the wilds when he was younger has made him rather fearless when it comes to facing bandits and Spirit Beasts. This is not because of courage, but simply experience and apathy. He does not get frightened by combat situations and is decisive when fighting and killing antagonistic individuals. Amane has no hesitation when it comes to taking the lives of his fellow Near-Humans, although he does not go out of his way to murder people and in fact dislikes taking lives unnecessarily. He has no sympathy for those who break the law or opposes his personal ideals, so he has no issue in dealing with such individuals in a decisive manner.

Amane is an avid reader and he enjoys reading fiction. He generally has books and comics with him in his dimensional storage to help him pass time when he is bored. He tends to frequent bookstores when he is in Emperal.

## Abilities

### Innate

As a Tenko (Nine Tailed Fox), Amane has innately improved parameter regeneration, allowing him to recover stamina, mana and vitality faster than a normal person. He also has an enhanced body with three inborn vitakinetic channels (giving him a maximum of nine) that can become even stronger and faster the less vitality he has remaining. Amane is also able to control magic that originates from his mana after firing it and he learns magic fast. He also has an innate absolute light affinity with no affinity for the other elements

Amane also possesses the Celestial Eyes of the Tenko and is able to see magic, magic paths and spells being constructed before they are cast. This also allows him to see mana signatures, allowing him to see invisible entities concealed using magic or where mana rises from the land. It is not really possible to hide from him because of this.

Like all Kitsune, both normal and Tenko, Amane can use hot blue flames in the form of Fox Fire and he has more efficient use of mana and magic that is not mediated by a spirit. Tenkos have an innate ability to levitate and fly even without learning the magic for it and hence Amane is able to do this as well.

### Foundational

Amane practices a skill known as the Nine Light Manual with regards to soul modification and self enhancement. This is a comprehensive technique that is meant to enhance and refine the magic system in the soul, granting one incredible magical output, capacity and efficiency. It also contains the necessary techniques to create and refine vitakinetic circuits in the body. As a skill optimized for Tenko, it has nine levels and creates new vitakinetic circuits when levels 1,2, 4, 5, 7 and 8 are reached, for a total of nine vitakinetic circuits at the end of the process. Lastly, it contains the techniques to master highly advanced soul and mind defense, which Amane possesses.

Amane has mastered the True Flowing Water Scripture with regards to reinforcement and mana manipulation. This is a comprehensive technique that is meant to enhance the flow of mana through the magic system to its limit. It grants high level static and dynamic reinforcement to push Amane's physical strength to the absolute limit possible for a mage. It also allows Amane free access to mana manipulation abilities such as mana needle and helps to optimize the movements of his body. Amane's steps are very light because of this and they do not make much sound or trigger pressure plates. It is a prerequisite for other skills.

Because of these techniques combined with his bloodline, Amane's innate mana recovery is much faster compared to a normal mage. It also unlocks a strong base for high level techniques in both magical and physical fields. It grants him strong stamina and health recovery from the effects of the Vitakinetic Channels. The Vitakinetic Channels also prevent Amane from aging (granting him biological immortality) and keeps his body scarless.

Amane has mastered perfect homeostasis and hence his body is always cool to the touch. He does not sweat and his body will not lose water through such channels. Amane is also unable to get hypothermia or heatstroke because of this.

### Physical

Amane uses the high speed swordplay of his family, which is specialized for violent assassination and fast killing, not honorable combat. This technique is known as the Sky Demon's 108 Chaining Swords. It requires several prerequisites to be met before it can be studied fully:

* Mastery of the Sakurai Clan's Nine Basic Sword Stances and all their transitions
* Mastery of Dynamic Reinforcement
* A light based Spirit Beast with a light based movement skill like the Dawnlight Viper's light escape
* A sufficiently rigid male body, as a female body lacks the required musculature or rigidity for some of the moves.

The 108 Chaining Swords is split into three levels:

* 36 lower swords: The basic stances for the sword moves, which women can also learn
* 36 upper swords: Modified versions of the lower swords meant for a male body alone
* 36 special swords: Special techniques with full unification of magic and blade
	+ 18 Dawnlight swords: Techniques that require a Light Spirit Beast, preferably a Dawnlight Viper, women can also learn this.
	+ 12 Dual swords: Techniques that require a second sword in the left hand. Male only
	+ 5 Pinnacle swords: Techniques that defy common sense, requiring a Light Spirit Beast. Some moves also require two blades.
	+ Absolute Sword - Sword Intent: Technique to truly unlock the power and origin of a blade.

Amane also practices the Sakurai Clan's unarmed combat skill, the physical portion of the Sky-Earth Reversing Technique. This is a primarily defensive technique that is based on redirecting blows and chaining into counterattacks. It also has movements that are meant to slip around enemy defenses and places a strong emphasis on controlling the battle. The offensive techniques within this skill are not weak despite its mainly defensive use, having deadly attacking techniques that can pass shockwaves through solids to damage what is on the other side.

Amane is also skilled at physically throwing knives and he practices traditional style archery that grants him high accuracy, although his speed of drawing, aiming and firing a bow isn't very high. Amane generally combines this with his ability to conceal his movements for sneak attacks.

### Magical

Amane has the ability to use a Dimensional Storage and hence doesn't carry his equipment outside of one. He is also skilled at conjuring and controlling spectral weapons, such as swords and knives, which he can form in thin air and control with his mind alone. Amane also can perform the techniques of telekinesis and as a Tenko, he is capable of flight and levitation. Through control of his breathing, metabolism and movement, Amane can reduce his presence to a bare minimum and allow himself to become difficult to detect without direct visual identification.

As Amane has many Vitakinetic Channels and the ability to use them, he actually can perform Vitakinesis skills such as healing, Death Grip, Cleanse and similar. While the magnitude of his Vitakinesis abilities is high, he lacks fine control over it and he is not considered a good healer. He also has the ability to perform minor remodelling of his body and maintain the changed shape using mana. This is generally used to hide his tails or fuse the tails into one, although it makes Amane unable to use his full magical strength when it is active. It can actually be used to hide all his Demi-Human features and appear as a normal human, although this greatly reduces the power Amane can use.

While Amane has potential to be an extremely skilled light element mage because of the affinity for light that his bloodline possesses, he does not use light magic in general and it can be said his actual skill in this area is non existent.

### Non Combat

Amane is known to possess rather strange, useless and wacky abilities besides those that are useful in combat:

* Amane can tell the time accurately, down to the second, without the need of a pocket watch or clock. He can also accurately estimate the total travel time needed and calculate distance traveled with no external aid.
* Amane is highly skilled at advantage gambling and comps hustling from gambling establishments. He rarely, if ever, makes a net loss in any betting scenario unless he is too bored or lazy to advantage gamble.
* Amane is talented at trimming bonsai and taking care of plants. He also has a high amount of botanical knowledge regarding the flora of Sylphakon.
* Amane can peel fruits with his bare hands and doesn't need a knife for such

## Spirits and Equipment

### Spirit Blade Kuzunoha

Kuzunoha is Amane's Grimoire Spirit that was born with him. She has power over cutting and severing, allowing her to enhance Amane's sword strikes to penetrate defense and cut through almost anything, with the exception of other Spirit Weapons. This allows the sword to ignore armor and destroy most forms of magical barriers. Amane can also nullify spells by cutting through them.

Kuzunoha manifests as a beautiful woman in her spirit form. She has blonde hair, bright golden eyes, a generously proportioned body and nine tails covered in golden fur. Like her master, she has the form of a Tenko. She is clothed in a white kimono and has a silver silk hagoromo covered in wavy patterns floating around herself. Her hair is adorned with multiple golden hairpins.

Kuzunoha's metal vessel in its base form is a katana like sword that has a total length of about 115 cm. The hilt of the sword has white bindings around the *Tsuka*, a golden pommel and has a rounded *Tsuba* style handguard made of golden metal, very much like a wheel with many spokes in appearance. The silvery blade, unlike that of a katana, has two edges and is straight, with wavy damascus patterns.

Amane has also morphed Kuzunoha's metal vessel into a longbow which he uses for archery. This bow is symmetrical and made mostly of silver metal with wavy damascus patterns and golden decorations. Amane is able to imbue the spectral arrows he conjures with the severing power of the sword when using this form.

Kuzunoha's metal vessel, as with any Grimoire Spirit Weapon, cannot be dulled, broken or destroyed

### Dawnlight Viper Hakuryu

Hakuryu is Amane's pet and Spirit Beast familiar. He is a Dawnlight Viper and is used as a mount by his master as he can fly quickly over long distances. Hakuryu has access to light based magic and he can produce the infamous venom of the Dawnlight Vipers which can cause combustion in affected individuals. Hakuryu freely changes the size of his body between his true size as a giant snake and a small snake that is about a meter long.

As with any Dawnlight Viper, Hakuryu is capable of humanlike speech and has human level intelligence. He has a serious personality and he does not like jokes. Like Amane, Hakuryu has his own warrior's code that he follows and takes seriously.

### Miscellaneous Spirits

Amane owns a water spirit that grants him access to a basic water spell, so he can produce drinking water using mana on demand. He also owns a light spirit able to generate a bright white light, for seeing in the dark in hazardous environments where using his Fox Fire for lighting would be inappropriate.

### Equipment

Amane has multiple sets of clothing. He generally wears the traditional clothes of the Sakurai Clan but he also owns the formal and normal uniforms of the Skysword Imperial Academy.

Amane has a tea set and multiple boxes of Clearheart Camellia tea in his Dimensional Storage.

## Trivia

* Amane's own name would roughly mean "Cherry Well Sky Voice".
* Amane's Nine Light Manual is based on the *Jiuyang Zhenjing* from "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre".
* Likewise, his Sky-Earth Reversing Technique and True Flowing Water Scripture are based on the *Qiankun Da Luo Yi* from the same series.
* Amane's Grimoire Spirit Kuzunoha is named for Abe No Seimei's mother, who is said to be a Kitsune in legend.
* Grimoire Spirit Kuzunoha's looks is somewhat based on Okita Souji from FGO, except as a Kitsune. Her Metal Vessel is also quite similar to Okita's sword, except it is not a katana.