Darius Bone

**Darius Bone** (*ダリウス ボン Dariusu Bon*) is a reformed dark mage who has decided to make his home in Kairos Flight, as a chance to atone for his sins and get a new beginning in life. As one of the few masters in Bone Magic, he plans to make his skills useful and bring great recognition to the branch. He has slowly been honing his skills since then to prove himself to the masters that he still has the capability of becoming a Gold Rank Mage.

## Appearance

Darius is an attractive, well-built man who is known for his unique beard and dapper attire. He has messy brown hair that is usually hidden under a white and green newsboy hat. His clothes are usually form fitting to show off his physique, and consist of a silk shirt, tie, vest, slacks, and dress shoes. He wears a unique watch that is actually a weapon stored with poisonous gas with an ignition source. This watch is maintained as his most consistent piece of clothing, considering he usually removes his shirt and vest to fight a powerful opponent, giving him easier access to his bones.

## Personality

Darius is a rather flirtatious man, whether it comes to women or danger. He is very strong headed and enjoys taking on a challenge. It is this kind of mortality that takes him on a multitude of quests, as he is always thirsty for a challenge.

Though Darius takes great pride in his duties as a mage, he gets very self conscious about his place in the Crashing Wave guild, seeing that he was formally working for a dark guild. He feels as if he gets little respect from both his guildmates and the public, and often feels overlooked or flat-out ignored. Nonetheless, Darius tries to make up for this by acting as a (self-proclaimed) senior to the rest of the guild, occasionally boasting of his power and feats from his last job. Although he is a confident man, he tends to be a bit more boastful than his nature intended, due to the fact that he is hungry for his guildmates acceptance.

Darius does often have genuine wisdom and advice to offer, and always tries to do so, but tends to leave this to those whom he sees potential in. When with someone that he trusts, he has a very kind and "fatherly" disposition; caring deeply for the safety and well being of his friends. He hopes to one day have the strength to protect his comrades, and so this is why he continues to take on job requests to test his abilities.

During battle he is rather reserved and calculated; being sure that he sizes up his opponent correctly. He sees no shame in walking away from a battle that he couldn't securely win, but will often continue to fight just for the enjoyment of it.

## History

Born to a small town in the country of Bosco, Darius was a rather happy child. He would spend his days working with his father in order to help provide for his mother. His father worked as a carpenter and wood carver, and so Darius picked up the craft and became very skilled with the fine tuned art that was needed to make such decorative pieces.

It wasn't until his 10th birthday that Darius began showing abnormal growth, reaching heights that was previous unknown in his family. He also was seen with bone spurs in uncommon areas of his body. Taking him to the doctors in a nearby town immediately for these spurs, the doctor quickly sensed Darius' magical energy and informed the family that their son was in fact a mage. It wasn't until some further testing, as well as coaching on how to channel magic, that Darius discovered his ability to manipulate his own bone structure. He easily removed the bone spurs that were forming, due to the pent up magical energy, and returned to town with his parents.

Wanting to get strong so that he could join a guild in a larger town and earn a greater income for his parent, Darius began practicing his magic any moment he could. But because of the deformed nature that his body can undergo, having bones popping out of his skin in all different directions, the people of his town found it rather disturbing and called him a "freak" and a "monster". Darius brushed it off as much as he could, but when the people became enraged at his continued practice of magic they confronted him and forced him to leave town or they would destroy his father's woodworking shop; the only source of income they had.

Not wanting to be a burden to his family, Darius left despite his parents wishes. He took a journey to Fiore to escape the ridicule of the folks of Bosco. Looking for anything that would allow him to make a dime of money that he could send back to his family he came across the group of Cinders, Onyx Lips. The guild showed interest in his unique magic and took him in as a mage. Spending the next 14 years there, Darius had come to call it his temporary home as they helped him grow to be extremely proficient with his magic. He took on almost any job he could in order to make money for his family back home as long as it didn't require him to kill.

At the age of 25, Darius managed to save up enough of his own money to be able to afford to leave the branch. Having spent so long there, and growing all the way up into a Silver Rank mage of Onyx Lips, he did feel some remorse when leaving; but overall he just didn't fit in there. He spent the next years wandering, working as in independent mage, taking on odd jobs here and there. He soon came across a poster for a branch that was looking for new members. Hoping that he would be able to fit in here, he ventured to the branch that would later serve as his rehabilitation, Kairos Flight.

## Magical Abilities

### Bone Magic

**Bone Magic** (*ブーンメイク* *Buun Meiku*): This is a rather macabre and rare form of Molding Magic that allows the user to create and mold the element of Bone in a form of Osteokinesis. Users of this magic have complete and total control of bone and the sub-elements found within it, including things like cartilage.Bone-Make is a form of Molding Magic that is rare to see among mages today, the macabre and creepy form of maker magic normally only being seen in use by dark mages and occult members who believe the magic to be a gift from the Gods. In reality, Bone-Make is simply a magic that allows the user to manipulate Hydroxylapatite and collagen as well as many other trace minerals in their bodies to create bone. Unlike other maker magics where the user can simply hold out their hand and create their desired object, the bones formed through the usage of Bone-Make must be created within the user's own body, normally protruding from another bone before piercing the flesh of the user which allows them to pull the object out. As such, the process of creating through the use of this magic is often painful, requiring the user to build a tolerance for pain over time. Depending on the creation, these bones can take upwards of .35 to five full seconds to create.

Like with most maker magics, what a user can create is limited only by their own imagination and the amount of magical power they wield. Swords, spears, daggers, hammers, and much more are possible to create through the usage of this magic. Armor and shields are also popular creations, a user's ability to add trace metals found within their own bodies into the bone they create allowing them to make bones harder than steel and capable of blocking powerful attacks, absorbing shock better than most other elemental armors. An ability that Bone-Make users are known for is the ability to hollow out their own bones, making them similar to that of birds, decreasing their weight. Such a strategy is one of risk and reward, choosing to abandon their ability to defend for increased speed and agility. Dynamic Bone-make creations are also possible, these normally much larger creations needed to be assembled outside of the body. They are normally created in parts that will fall out of various spots of the user's body before assembling to create their desired monster. Like with all dynamic maker magic spells, the creation has no will of its own and is instead given a simple directive during its creations via a telepathic link between it and its creator. This simply directive can be anything from "kill the target" to "shield me", anything that gives the creation a purpose and once that purpose is fulfilled it will fall apart.

Less obvious abilities utilized by Bone-Make users is the ability to create explosive bone bombs similar to grenades, building the pressure in the spongy bone until it cracks and splinters out to create dangerous and sometimes deadly projectiles. Blood cells created within bone marrow are also easily manipulated by Bone-make users. Users are capable of utilizing the lymphocytes (a form of white blood cell), injecting them into their target through cutting them with a bone created by the user and commanding those lymphocytes attack the cells of the victim. This effectively begins breaking down the opponent from the inside, a process that can only be stopped through the command of the user or the death of either the victim or the caster.

#### Static Spells

* **Bone Make Sword**: One of the most basic spells of any maker magic allows the user to create a sword made from their respective elements. Swords created through the usage of bone-make are no different. They can make several different swords ranging from short swords to great swords and depending on the sword they may or may not use different bones in their bodies as the basis for said sword. Most longer swords are created through the use of the spinal column or Vertebral column as it is also known. The blade begins growing out of the already existing column from the top of the Thoracic curve, growing and until it protrudes from the skin between the shoulder blades. The user will then reach behind them, slowly pulling out the rest of the sword as it forms while being careful not to pull too quickly and possibly damage the already existing spinal column. The column maintains its shape as the bones of the column fuse together, a bone rod created to take the place of the spinal cord and further held keep the shape of the blade. Shorter swords are normally created from either the humerus or femur depending on the desired length. These blades will protrude from the hip or shoulder of the user. Extra aesthetic accessories such as guards can be created once the blade has exited the body. These blades are often as sharp as a razor's edge and can be harder than steel if the user chooses to add trace elements of metal found in their body during the sword's creation.

* **Bone Make Shield**: A defensive spell and one of the most basic of bone-make magic that allows the user to create a shield from their own bones. The most simplest casting of this spell involves the user focusing their magical energy into either one or both of their forearms, the user activating this spell and fusing the radius and ulna together before allowing it to grow outwardly both forward to protrude out from the flesh of the forearm vertically to become a small circular shield capable of protecting the user from attacks. Despite the shields size, the shield may be capable of stopping heavy attacks and even bullets in their tracks if the user decides to infuse the created bone with the trace metals found within their bodies. Even if they do not, the shield is normally capable of withstanding most lighter attacks such as punches and kicks, even blocking swords depending on the power behind them. While the most common version of this spell is that which utilizes the radius and ulna, the spinal column may also be used, creating a rear shield to protect them from surprise attacks from behind. However, due to the fact that the spinal column must temporarily fuse together to create this shield, it limits the movements of the user. This can be fixed via the use of one's ribs rather that the spinal column, the ribs growing backward, protruding out of the user's back to fuse together behind them like a shell. While this does still constrict movement, it is said to be much less inhibiting than the spinal shield.
* **Bone Make Shishi**: This spell allows the user to grow out additional appendages from anywhere on his body. These new limbs are actually extension of the bones in the user's body, that protrude and maneuver as if they were arms. With these extra limbs, the user is able to perform an extensive combination of attacks as well as being able to block attacks from different angles. This spell allows the user to be incredibly versatile in battle as he is able to strike, block, grapple, or throw his opponent.
* **Bone Make Bullets**: One of the few spells that allow the user to attack from a distance, this spell is another basic one that allows the user to create bone bullets that can be shot at targets at high speeds. The bones commonly used during the casting of this spell are the ones found in the hand, more specifically the fingers. They user will aim their hand at the target, the number of fingers extended being equal to the number of bullets that will be fired. The caster will then focus his magic in the tips of his fingers, triggering the growth of distal phalanges from the already existing ones. These newly formed "bullets" will begin to protrude from the fingers, the tips being the only visible part of them before they are fired. During the casting of this spell the user will have been storing pressure inside of the newly formed bone, purposely making the one end of the bone weak so that once it has been fully create the back of the bone will shatter and release the pressure and send the bone bullets forward toward their target. One drawback to this attack is that it normally completely blows the flesh and muscle from the time of the fingers used in the attack. However, due to a bone-make user's enhanced healing abilities, the lost flesh and muscle will only take a minute or two at most to fully heal. These bullets are often slower than those found to be shot from a regular gun but are still capable of causing massive amounts of damage to targets depending on where they hit, being able to puncture skin and organs with easy, only meeting resistance when hitting other bones which they will often crack. Regardless, once the bullet has entered the body it has a tendency to splinter, causing more damage once it has reached inside the target.
* **Bone Make Armor**: An intermediate spell of Bone-make that allows the user to create armor to protect them in combat. The user begins the casting of this spell by focusing their magical energy into the sections of their bodies they wish to become armored. The bones in these sections will then begin to grow outward, protruding from various places on the body as they begin to coat the body, fusing together to create anything from helmets, gauntlets, greaves, and chassis to protect the user's body from both physical and magical spells. The types of armor created through the use of his spell is entirely up to the user, the traditional knights armor is the most common but others are possible with a bit of imagination. The molding of the armor is guided by the user and as such, normally requires the user to have at least some basic knowledge of the structure and creation of the armor they are molding lest they end up with something as useless as an eggshell surrounding their body. As stated before, the armor can be created in sections to fit the user's needs, creating strong bone gauntlets without the need to create the other pieces. The strength and all around usefulness of the armor depends heavily on the design, however, trace amounts of metal in the user's body can be infused into the bone to improve sturdiness and decrease the likelihood of it shattering when hit by a powerful force of some kind. When utilized to create a full set of armor, it is described to be the most painful spell in bone-make's arsenal, users describing the feeling as being ripped apart from the inside out as the bones rip through the skin from all over their bodies.
* **Bone Make Lotus**: The user creates two blades grown from the palms of their hands, as well as several secondary bones grown from the elbows, knees, and shoulders. These bones are not removed, but merely extensions of those in the body. The user then is able to combine this with close range combat in order to maximize damage done, by repeatedly striking, slicing and stabbing the opponent with the blades.
* **Bone Make Forest**: With a strike to the ground, the user is able to use the calcium found in the soil to construct a field of bone like spikes that shoot up out of the ground.
* **Bone Make Whip** :The user can modify and pull out his own spinal column, and quickly regrow a new spine to replace it. Now it must be mentioned that due to the users manipulation of bone, the bones separate and reform while being removed to avoid damage to the central nervous system. Between the vertebrae there is cartilage that allows flexibility, which makes it possible to bend smoothly. The transverse process on the vertebrae are modified to make them stronger and sharper, giving the whip a spike like appearance.
* **Bone Make Tears**: This two part attack can be highly useful in both offense and defense, and relies heavily on the user's osteokinesis. The first part in this attack comes with the creation of a rather large mass of bone that its ripped out of the area in front of the user, pulling up the trace mineral in the earth and leaving a crater that spans 65.45 cubic feet in volume; making the sphere five feet in diameter. Filling in the gaps in the sphere with more dense metal of their own ethernano creation, the sphere becomes extremely dense and able to act as both a defensive tool, as well as offensive. This mass can easily withstand a barrage from that of a dragon slayer’s roar with only slight indentation to its mass; it can also easily be used as a blockade for projectiles coming in from a frontal assault. With that aside, the user will then perform the steps needed to turn the mass of rock into a form from where the spell derives its name. The user will clap his hands together to initiate the quick expansion of the ethernano that he put into the molecular gaps within the sphere, causing the mass to break apart into what looks like a floating mass of ball bearings dispersed in between a cloud of metallic dust. These thousand or bone shards are both jagged and sharp, making them highly destructive when they come towards a target at speeds reaching up to 45 miles per hour. These tiny bullet-like constructs are not nearly as fearsome as the dust cloud they are suspended in however. Before sending the wave of bone particulates towards his opponent, the user can spread out the metallic dust to make it appear almost invisible to the average human eye. This way he can move the dust around to reform into a thicker mass in the blind spot of his opponent for a deadly surprise attack. Spreading out the particles will also increase the chances of his opponent inhaling the particulates, allowing him to damage their lungs greatly by moving the matter back up through the windpipe to help them lose their will to fight. Over all this attack functions as both a barrage of tiny spearheads, as well as a powerful osteo-sand blaster that can cause severe lacerations and damage to the user’s target.

#### Dynamic Spells

* **Bone Make Thestral** (ブーンメイクセストラル *Buun Meiku Sesutoraru*): These horse-like creature have quite a sinister and spooky appearance, and will strike fear into those who are on the receiving end of their stampede. This is because they take shape as large bony figures that stand at seven feet from hoof to pinna. Their faces are quite different from that of a normal horse however, as it takes on more of dragon-like features which "bear white, glittering eyes that lack both expression and pupils." These faces also draw the eye due to their powerful beaks that are used for tearing flesh and breaking down bones for these carnivorous beasts. Being a type of winged horse, however Thestral's wings do not possess any feathers at all, and are instead made up of a thin collagen that give them a leathery appearance similar to those of bats. Their skeleton appearance actually takes on a lustrous sheen from the secretions of their unique "coat". These secretion actually serve to help take down their target, as these creations seem to have a strong desire for the skin of others. These beasts follow the will of their creator and will pursue their target until they fill their desire for flesh, being highly versatile in combat. Their wings allow the caster to board these creations for flight, as well as use them for a horse mounted battle. The beasts themselves can reach land speeds up to 70.76 km/h (43.97 mph) at a light canter, where as their air speeds can reach up to 169 km/h (105 mph) for continuous flight, with diving speeds nearly twice that; making them formidable creatures in both terrains.
	+ **Neutrophil Coat** (好中球上着 *Jaketto no Kōchūkyū*): These winged beast’s marrow covering possess a unique and detrimental immune function, in which they use to attack their prey unknowingly as soon as contact is made. The dense neutrophil covering of the Thestral helps give it a shiny appearance, as neutrophils are the predominant cells in pus, yet their function is far more than just aesthetics. Neutrophils are highly mobile cells that can enter parts of tissues that other molecules wouldn’t be able to, moving seamlessly through blood vessels and interstitial tissues. The way this unique coat works come when the neutrophils, of the seemingly invisible pus, are left over on the target; giving the user an army of a million cells just from a passing touch of the Thestral. These immune cells will attack anything not of the same genetic make-up of their caster, and their devastating effects can be activated on command by the caster.
		- **Phagocytosis** (食作用 *Shoku Sayō*): This first method required initial contact form the Thestral to work, as the neutrophils need to be in contact with the target’s skin to work. Once activated the microscopic cells will begin to form a phagosome, or a vesicle that takes shape around the target cell. This can take place in two various scales. The first scale **Phagocytosis Parvus** (), is of a much smaller affected zone, typically only starting out at the area of contact and then slowly spreading out to the rest of the body. This appears as a numerous welt-like bubbles on the skin caused from the formation of phagosomes around the cells of the skin and underlying muscle tissue. Once the phagosome is formed, the neutrophils will release hydrolytic enzymes and reactive oxygen species into the cell. The reactive species will consume oxygen and causes what is called a “respiratory burst” of the cell; something that is then cleaned up by the enzymes secreted into the phagosome. This completely destroys any evidence of the preexisting cell, and due to the lifespan of the neutrophil being that of five days, even the slightest drop of the excretion from the coat of the Thestral will cause serious tissue degradation to the target during that time. The power of the neutrophil’s effect is equivalent to one milliliter of a Thestral’s “pus” can do five cubic centimeters of damage on the skin of a human; making the damage of an area five times that of what was initially contacted! The second form of this attack has been deemed **Phagocytosis Magnum** (), as the initial phagosome is created by the Thestral itself and then cast towards the target, as if it was blowing a bubble. The name of this rendition comes from the fact that the phagosome is large enough to encapsulate the target in a single phagosome, causing degradation from all exposed surface area of organic matter.
		- **Degranulation** (脱顆粒 *Datsu Karyū*): Manipulating the secretion of their neutrophil coat, the Thestral will form numerous vesicles that contain various cytoxic granules within them. This process is similiar to the phagosome creation process, in the fact that the pus-like secretion is shaped into a bubble form that will contain it's more deadly mode of attack. The formation of these vesicles can occur at any point on the body of the Thestral, however, they tend to favor the creation of these six inch diameter vesicles from the secretions of their wings; as it gives them the power to push forth these deadly bubbles with a higher speed from the beat of their wings. The viscous properties of the puss allow them to withstand the air currents up to speeds of thirty miles per hour, making them useful as a projectile attack. These vesicles can also be set out like a floating mine field, where bubbles of neutrophil granulocytes hover in mid air to prevent their opponent from maneuvering effortlessly through the battlefield. Once these bubbles are touched, regardless of if their more deadly content is released, the pus will adhere to the object due to its viscous nature. Should a mage continue to maneuver through the mine field without popping the bubbles, they will be rendered immobile or likely to suffocate, as the adherence of the pus will form a film over any possible airway or mode of transportation that could occur without popping said vesicle. Once these vesicles pop, they release a medley of cytotoxic granules that will eat away at any foreign organic substance by causing apoptosis of the cells. Those who have experienced this attack have described it as a feeling similar to that of an acidic burn at first, and then a numbness that washes over. This is because the granules themselves will make their way through the nervous of the tissues and render the target completely void of pain, unfeeling of the sensation of their body being physically destroyed.
* **Bone Make Flute**: Darius is able to use his radius to construct a flute out of bone that releases unique sounds that can activate certain effects within a mages brain.
	+ **Song of the Lily**: Hearing this progression of notes causes a mage to feel extremely drowsy and practically fall asleep.
	+ **Song of the Lotus**: This song causes overwhelming nausea that is extremely debilitating. Its effects have been described as being as severe as a Dragon Slayers motion sickness.
	+ **Song of the Rose**: This song causes an overwhelming sense of euphoria and attraction. It can be used to trick your opponent into a false sense of lust and desire, disarming them from attacking.

## Physical Abilities

**Grandmaster Hand-to-Hand Combat**: Coupled with his natural agility and acrobatic prowess, his current fighting style is reminiscent of a blend between Aikido, Capoiera, and American Kenpo, mixed with brawler techniques and the usage of elbows and knees. By combining his great strength with his punches, he is more than capable of sending his opponents flying. He can also change the flow of his fighting style, making it an aggressive and straight forward attack style using bone breaking blows and powerful jabs, to fluid and acrobatic motions while using pinpoint accuracy and lethal strikes. What's an interesting note is that he'll even generate a bone sword in the middle of hand to hand combat, to use as a rising slash and forward lung, to quickly deliver more devastating damage.

* **Capoiera**: Being a fast and versatile martial art, this style emphasizes using the lower body to kick, sweep and take down an opponent, while the upper body is used assist those movements and occasionally attack as well.The series of complex positions creates an uninterrupted flow, in order to strike, dodge and move without breaking motion, giving it the characteristics of unpredictability and versatility.The defense is based on the principle of non-resistance, meaning avoiding an attack using evasive moves instead of blocking it. This fighting strategy allows quick and unpredictable counterattacks, giving the mage with the fastest reflexes the upper hand.
* **Aikido:** Aikido is often translated as "the way of unifying (with) life energy" or as "the way of harmonious spirit." Practitioners are able to use this style to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury. Aikido techniques consist of entering and turning movements that redirect the momentum of an opponent's attack, and a throw or joint lock that terminates the technique. Darius has picked up knowledge of many different joint locking maneuvers, which aids him greatly in battle.
* **American Kenpo:** This is a martial art characterized by the use of quick hand strikes in rapid succession. The multitude of fast strikes has a dual purpose, perhaps overwhelming an opponent, while attempting to ensure that at least some strikes effectively hit their target, akin to a striking combination.
* **Ki no Michi (**木の道, *Ki no Michi lit. "The Way of the Tree"*) is a martial arts style created by the monks of the Minstrel Mountains. It is said that the monks created it to be an integration of their martial arts practices and the personal expression of their philosophy to "live like that of a tree. Staying sturdy with deep roots, even in the face of a growing storm or scorching sun." This fast paced, flexible style of martial arts focuses on neutralizing an attack early on or using the users momentum and predicted trajectory to dodge said attack for a counter. It emphasizes a majority of throwing techniques and joint manipulations, although the use of a mages *Ki*, later realized to be ethernano, is of great importance when delivering an effective block or counter. Also of particular importance is the timing of a defensive technique, either to blend or to neutralize an attack's effectiveness and to use the force of the attacker's movement against him. This means that a mage must be of fast body and mind in order to read an opponents intentions and movements in order to effectively block.
	+ **God Cedar Cranial Descent** (神杉頭蓋降下, *Kamisugi Tōgai Kōka*): Working best as in immediate counter move to follow an opponent's momentum, however, this move does require a great deal of strength to aid in the execution. As an opponent comes in for an attack, the mage will target the leading foot and scoop one the opponents thighs with their free hand. Using the opponents momentum to aid in their ascension, the mage will lift their opponent upside down so that their head is the closest point of contact to the earth. The mage will then proceed to drop to their side or back, driving the opponent into the earth on their neck and shoulders, or on the top of their head. If executed properly this move will follow one fluid motion and can leave the opponent with severe dizziness, a concussion, cracked cranium, paralysis, or even death if the opponent happens to land in such a way.
	+ **Great Banyan Dance** (大きなガジュマルの踊り, *Ōkina Gajumaru no Dansu*): Beginning with an ethernano pulse from a low rise kick to the opponent's sternum, a mage is effectively knocked up into the air. Afterwards, the practitioner's moves will differ based on the opening they see. They will typically swivel gracefully to land a kick to the left side of their opponent. This will shift the opponents center of gravity on their fall to cause them fall on their side. On the opponents decent, a backhand strike to the face will shift the opponent's body to be parallel with the ground. It finishes with a ethernano infused punch to the gut upon the opponents impact with the ground. This final blow has been seen to break ribs, and never fails to knock the wind straight out of their lungs. Mages have been seen infusing their own magic into the hits to make this dance much more lethal and powerful.
	+ **Jaya Sri Maha Kick** (ジャヤスリマハキック, *Jayasurimahakikku*): Once the practitioner is able to see an opening, they focus a great deal of ethernano into their leg for power, while also maintaining their center of balance and delivers a kick at the opponent's weak spot. The only major weakness of this technique is that the user has to focus a great deal of ethernano into their legs, forcing them to lower the power given to their arms; this can be covered by an X guarded stance, or use the free leg to block as well. With the swiftness and power concentrated into the leg, this is easily break bones if an opponent holds no defensive protection. This is also a versatile skill that can be used to launch a practitioner into the air with a vertical distance of 45 feet.
	+ **Jōmon Sugi Thrust** (縄文杉の推力, *Jōmon Sugi no Suiryoku*): This technique begins with an open palm uppercut to the opponent's chin at close range. Once the hand is placed against the opponent's chin, the free hand is then used to strike the connected elbow. The force created from both hands is now behind a single point that's in contact with the opponent's chin. Since the hand is already in contact with the opponent's chin, they won't be able to evade the second hit. This is a skillful move to evade a grasp, as your opponent is within range and would not be able to stand the backward force to their spinal column without releasing their hold.
	+ **Chankiri Revenge** (チャンキリ復讐, *Chankiri Fukushū*): With one arm cocked back, and the other extended forward, the practioner throws a punch from the drawn-arrow stance. The mage delivers an swift punch forward to the chest, using a pulse of ethernano to knock the wind out of the chest. A swift turn of the hips will send the other hand to dig into the heart with wrist bent and elbow facing downward. The end result can lead to cardiac arrest from blunt trauma to the heart. This move does take a great skill of precision to deliver the second blow through the spacing of the ribs.So a mage must practice on a multitude of targets before delivering such a fatal blow.
	+ **Kannimara Chord Cut** (カニマラコードカット, *Kanimara Kōdokatto*): while in a fighting stance, the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended. With fingers extended outward, the user covers their hand in a coat of ethernano; at the moment of impact, the pronated hand is generally held in a horizontal orientation with the palm facing the ground. The power of this attack comes from it's ability to cut the vessels of it's opponent when executed with enough force. Using two fingers can cut off blood flow until the pressure is released, three can cause severe bruising, four fingers can cut superficial nerves and vessels, and 5 finger can damage muscle fibers.
	+ **Tembusu Mania Blitz** (テンブスブリッツマニア, *Tenbusu Burittsumania*): This strike follows a downward push of the target's own strike by applying fierce pressure to the joint's of the target's striking limb and causing it to lose it's consecutive momentum. Afterwards, fighter had to stiff his body to it's utmost limits on the moment of impact. When the practitioner uses it at the right moment in a strike, all of his joints will be fixed. Although difficult, if done correctly,they will strike with the weight of their whole body. When the strike is covered in ethernano, and comes in contact with the water that makes up the human body, it sends a shock wave through the body that can temporarily paralyze the target.

**Elite Swordsman**: Through years of training, Darius has been able to conquer the art of swordsmanship with use of his bone sword. The speed and precision of his strikes are able to inflict a lethal blow on his opponent without hitting a single bone. His power with a sword is also able to produce shockwaves from his strikes to intercept enemy attacks. The tremendous cutting power of Darius' sword strikes are capable of effortlessly slicing through defenses while pushing them to their absolute limits. His defenses when blocking seems unmatched, and his offense is capable of tremendous precision. Utilizing evasion techniques, with effortless counterattacks, Darius tends to use his speed to overwhelm the opponent and create an opening for himself.

* **Master Iaijutsu**: One of the principle sword techniques Darius has at his disposal, this technique is by far his most proficient. Iaijutsu is a combative sword-drawing art, but not necessarily an aggressive art, because iaijutsu is also a counterattack-oriented art. Iaijutsu technique may be used aggressively to wage a premeditated surprise attack against an unsuspecting enemy. This fits in well with Darius' style of attack, as he naturally draws forth a sword at unexpected moments as they spring from his body.

**Incredible Intelligence**- Darius has an impressive understanding of how many magic abilities work, and how to counter them. He is an excellent strategist and knows how to use the environment to his advantage. He can easily pinpoint weaknesses, and mold the environment to be able to strike his target quickly with his sword. He is able to stay a few moves ahead of his opponent, and able to quickly calculate new battle plans as the fight is taking place.

**Immense Strength**: Perhaps his most astonishing physical attribute, Sloane possesses a truly monstrous level of strength, to such a degree that it was thought to require no less than 40 years to achieve such status without the use of magical enhancements. Sloane possesses a greater number of slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers; maximizing his strength to the utmost abilities. Slow-twitch fibers specialize in long-duration, low-intensity movement, where as fast-twitch fibers create high-intensity actions lasting fewer than 30 seconds. He has developed a unique training regime that focuses on harnessing the inner power of the body through meditation, exercise, and diet. His program is well rounded, focusing on maximizing both slow and fast twitch muscles, which is why he can be called one of the most versatile warriors. Once a training program is complete, a mage possess extreme explosive power in his hits and agile endeavors; while also having the stamina to persist in this power for hours. At the lower end of the spectrum, Sloane can easily lift full grown adults with a single hand and with no effort. In fact, with his enormous strength and lethal precision, his martial arts can deal extreme damage, easily capable of shattering bones even with a glancing blow. Even solid material is no match for a man of his power. He can easily rip apart logs with his bare hands, heave massive amounts of weight over his shoulders, punch through soft metals, and even punch through concrete. His punches and kicks can be delivered with much force that he releases shockwaves with every action, either knocking back his opponents or destroying the area.

**Accelerated Bone Growth**: Users of this magic have the innate ability to control the production and function of osteoblasts within their body, allowing them to grow bones at will. The osteoblasts of Bone Make user are highly advanced and are able to perform functions outside of the normal scope of these cells. Increasing the osteogenisis of the user’s bones allow them to generate bony protrusions and constructs that can be removed and used as weapons or defensive shields. Users can even accelerate the deposit and genesis of bony additives to allow their bones to grow out of their skin, acting as an armor that can be fluid with the movement of each joint.

**Accelerated Healing**: One of the most useful benefits of a Bone Make user’s abilities is the ability to enhance the process of wound healing. One of the major biological components that is used in would healing is that of fibroblasts, a cell whose precursor is made in the bone marrow. Initially myofibroblasts pull the edges of a wound close together, to immediately reduce the size of a gash. Then fibroblasts utilize the fibrin cross-linking fibers to migrate across a wound, subsequently adhering to fibronectin, another substance secreted by fobroblasts. Fibroblasts then deposit ground substance into the wound bed, and later collagen, which skin can adhere to for migration and full recovery. Due to their modified physiology, a Bone Make user has a high concentration of these cells, something that is useful in closing up wounds from the bony protrusions they create in seconds. Wounds such as that are closed with in fractions of a second after the bone is removed, whereas knife and sword wounds require a bit longer time to recover from. This enhanced healing factor has extended to the body’s connective tissues, integumentary system, and muscular system; allowing them to replace damaged cells in a wound fairly quickly and make a complete recovery without any visible scar or damage left from the initial laceration.

**Enhanced Durability**: A great deal of this enhancement in durability comes from the enhancement of the cortical bones of the body, or the outer shell of most bones. This is because cortical bone is much denser than cancellous bone, or spongy bone, which is the other type of osseous tissue. Furthermore, it is harder, stronger and stiffer than cancellous bone and contributes about 80% of the weight of a user’s skeleton. The enhancement of these cortical bones comes from the manipulation of the bone’s osteoblasts, the main cells in charge of bone synthesis. Normal osteoblasts synthesize very dense, crosslinked collagen, and several additional specialized proteins such as osteocalcin and osteopontin, which compose the organic matrix of bone. However, the user’s osteoblasts, aside from producing a calcium and phosphate-based mineral (hydroxyapatite), the user can also incorporate other minerals found in the body, such as iron, to make their bones far more durable. They can also incorporate ethernano in a highly regulated manner to deposit into the organic matrix, forming a very strong and dense mineralized construct that can withstand a multitude of organic and magical forces.

**Enhanced Immunity**: Due to the fact that bone marrow is one of the major sites of immune cell production, Bone Make users can drastically enhance the production of these cells to combat a variety of toxins that can find their way into the body. On average, bone marrow constitutes 4% of the total body mass of humans, but with the creation and modification of existing bones, Bone Make users can increase this to upwards of 12% of their total bone mass. Red marrow, the type of marrow where immune cells are produced, is found mainly in the flat bones, such as the hips, sternum, skull, ribs, vertebrae and scapulae, and in the cancellous bone of the heads of long bones such as the femur and humerus. Bone Make users are actually able to revert the inactive marrow, yellow marrow, within the bones back to red marrow at their own will to also increase the production of immune cells. This fact has given them immunity to all common sickness, and also allows them to combat and overcome any poison that enters their system with a matter of minutes, making any and all chemical warfare null and void against them.

**Extreme Flexibility**:By reverting their bones back to its predecessor, cartilage, Bone-Make users are capable of extreme physical feats. By shifting their skeleton in that of a cartilaginous structure, they are able to withstand forces such as frictional, compressive, shear and tensile loading actions. This makes users highly resilient in withstanding physical feats, and can even be used against their opponents, due to the fact that cartilage can display viscoelastic properties. It’s viscous properties, displayed in areas such as the cartilage between joints, can resist shear and strain when a stress is applied. The elastin fibers present in elastic cartilage, like that of the ear, gives a user great flexibility so that it is able to withstand repeated bending and can quickly return to their original state once the stress is removed. This elastic property can be used as a special defense that can send projectiles and physical attacks back towards an opponent, saving the users body from serious harm.

**Extreme Endurance**: Through his years of training Darius has built his body to withstand hours upon hours of exertion without visible fatigue. Darius’s lung capacity is of that of a deep sea freediver, giving him about a 40% greater lung capacity than that of a normal human. This is because of the glossopharyngeal insufflations he performs during his exercises, a practice that stretches the membrane of the alveoli, allowing a person to expand their total lung volume. He was able to overcome the tears in his alveoli by a unique manipulation of his ethernano to help heal them rapidly. His body has also become accustomed to the high altitude climate where old village was located, giving him more hemoglobin to carry oxygen to his muscles. Despite the large sums of oxygen Darius is able to take in to supply his metabolic needs, long days training in the ways of martial arts has conditioned his muscles to thrive under anerobic conditions as well.

**Great Reflexes and Flexibility**: Darius has a high degree of flexibility and extremely sharp reflexes. Having practiced day and night he developed a very heighten sense of spatial awareness. His reflexes and his flexibility are extremely well intertwined, often dodging an attack at the last possible second using extreme flexibility. He can perform any complicated sequence of gymnastic stunts with ease. Darius is extraordinarily limber and his tendons and connective tissues are twice as elastic as the average human being's, making feats such as flips and springs as easy as breathing. He has the combined agility and acrobatic prowess of the most skilled acrobats and easily incorporates this into his fighting style. He has impressive personal strength and phenomenal equilibrium, making him one of the most lethal assassins; as accomplishing feats such as scaling a wall, evading trip wires, and leaping from roof support beams is easily accomplished with little to no discomfort.

**Immense Speed and Reflexes**: Darius's speed and reflexes gives him the upper-hand in combat, easily dodging surprise attacks from behind, and disappearing like a flash of light, only to reappear for a deadly attack. Honed from experience fighting different enemies, this mage hosts pre-determined actions to undertake when certain movements are being used against him; making it almost impossible to hit him with traditional style fighting moves. Although, Darius is able to apply this accelerated understanding of his opponent's movements even to fighting styles he has not seen before, adjusting his patterns accordingly. Having trained his body in conditions such as high altitude and long distance, Darius's muscle operate at peak performance, giving him the stamina to run at speeds up to 28 MPH without the aide of eternano. When in battle though, he is able to manipulate the eternano in his body to give him burst of speed, up to 51 MPH at take off, making it extraordinarily difficult to hit him with longer range attacks.

**High Pain Tolerance and Heightened Sensation**: His bloodline show excessively high pain tolerance, with markedly decreased endogenous concentrations of nociceptin (pain-activating neurotransmitter) and extraordinarily high levels of enkephalin and anandamide (natural biologically-occurring pain relievers), which both serve to decrease pain reception. Furthermore, their thalamus show super-threshold afferent and efferent innervation, especially to the eye, ear, nose, and somatosensors, thus increasing the ability of their central nervous system to receive and integrate external sensory stimuli. This increased perception time has given him a reaction time of 0.047; a time twice that of the average human

**Magical Prowess:** Darius has a great deal of magical power at his disposal, being considered S Class at his time spent in his dark guild. He can use very destructive and powerful spells, but feel little to no fatigue. When exerting his magical aura, he can damage the earth around him, and even stop weaker spells simply by giving off magic energy greater than the attack. His magical aura is a white color, and while Darius usually keeps his magic under control, when sufficiently angered, he can release it to its full extent. Darius's magical power is unlike anything ever felt before. The presence it exudes is completely in tune with his maniacal persona; as the magical pressure itself has a feeling equal to that of Darius's emotions. When released his magic aura can take on the appearance of a demonic skeleton figure, striking fear into those who have the misfortune of being on the receiving end of his attacks.

* **Magical Aura:** A Magical Aura is a common term given to the exertion of magical energy into a form outside of the user's body that isn't used in the formation of spells. It has been demonstrated by various mages of varying potency, and is a common means of intimidation. A magical aura is created when the body's container of Eternano particles exceeds the limits of what it contains, or is purposefully released by the user. Upon doing so, the magical energy surges around the body and is exerted outwards in the form of an aura, which holds considerable pressure surrounding it. Depending on the level of magical power one possesses and the control behind it, it can be used as a means to intimidate another individual, or as a preparation for a powerful spell. A single magical aura can have a wide variety of effects dependent on the power an individual exerts, which will be outlined in the following sections. A standard aura is produced by mages with a moderate level of magical power within their body. By exerting it outward, it forms a thin layer of pressure that can cause one to be intimidated if they aren't a mage, or if they are a rather weak mage. This is generally demonstrated by individuals of S-Class strength when they are holding back, or when standard mages are showing that they are entering their full reserves of power. It should be noted that the density of this aura, by a S-Class mage, can cause physical attacks to be repelled with notable ease. Ryota, being that of an elite soldier and member of the Nine Elements, he is able to fend off fairly simple spells and weapon strikes, although he rarely resorts to this as it takes away his fun of the fight.
	+ **Eternano Manipulation:** From a young age Ryota had been somewhat of a protegee when it came to drawing in ambient eternano from the atmosphere; even able to do it kinetically, rather than through traditional means of meditation. He has the additional capabilities of absorbing eternano into his magical origin, as well as manipulating the eternano for offensive, defensive, and supportive purposes in any way that he wishes; although it still requires a great deal of concentration for him to harness ambient ethernano, and so it isn't used in battle frequently. Generally, a magician has an easier time collecting this stray ethernano in environments with higher concentrations of it such as the area where a vicious battle between others has progressed. He has however, been able to manipulate his own ethernano reserves with great skill, allowing him to execute attacks without excess waste of ethernano. At the absolutely highest level, a master magician's eternano prowess functions as a defense against illusions due to their sheer mastery over it, making them all but immune to everything except the strongest of fabrications.
		- **Physiological Meliorism**(生理的な改善説, *Seiri-tekina Kaizen-setsu*) :Through the use of this magic a user is able to alter the efficiency of particular cells to allow for greater efficiency of a certain physiological process. Particularly used on the endocrine system, nervous system, muscular system, and skeletal system; this ability is able to effect all anatomical systems to improve a mages performance. This is done through the manipulation of their ethernano, allowing their magic to act as a catalyst or substitute substrate in various reactions in the body. This can greatly increase the output and efficiency of cell, as the body is able to use a form that can be replenished slowly through the means of ambient absorption; which is far less finite than the traditional metabolism and production.
			* **Aldo Mena: Vigilant**- Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands; especially in conditions of stress, increasing rates of blood circulation, breathing, and carbohydrate metabolism and preparing muscles for exertion. So once the mage is able to get control of the glands that secrete adrenaline the user may experience effects such as increased blood pressure allowing the user to react faster and become faster in general. As vasoconstriction occurs, the user may feel a bit stiffer afterwards using this.
			* **Aldo Mena: Unleashed**- The manipulation of norepinephrine can be used to treat oneself and give the user on final push if the user is extremely wounded or fatigued. Once the user seems like he/she is about to faint or lose a fight due to fatigue the norepinephrine can kick in to increase blood pressure. As norepinephrine is referred to as a "stress" hormone, using an excess amount can lead to organs being worn down faster than usual.
			* **Aldo Mena: Propogate**- Using ethernano as a substitute, a Mage is able to disperse ethernano through the epimysium of the skeletal muscles and cause massive depolarization of the muscle fibers which causes the body to utilize all myofibrils during contractions. This can give a Mage an extra 20% increase in brute force, but this comes with a cost. Because a Mage is overriding the bodies natural defense mechanism of not utilizing all muscle fibers, prolonged use of this spell can result in extreme tearing of the muscles and related torque injuries.
			* **Aldo Mena: Nutriment**- but utilizing substrate substitution or ethernano catalysis on the adrenal gland, a Mage is able to increase their levels of cortisol, a steroid hormone. One this spell is in effect, the body will begin gluconeogenesis, allowing the body to have an increased supply of "fuel". Although this can increase the output of muscles, but giving it the copious amounts of energy it needs, it is one of the more risky spells to use; as prolonged use can increase water loss, increase protein and bone degradation, and decrease immune and healing functions. So this spell is best used for a quick boost in power on a final hit.
			* **Aldo Mena: Inspiration-** By increasing production of erythropoietin in the kidneys and liver, the body is signaled to begin erythropoiesis, or the creation of red blood cells. With physiological meliorism a mage is able to increase their erythropoietin levels to hypoxic condition, which is about 10,000 mU of the hormone per milliliter of blood. This increase red blood cell production by almost 1000 fold, giving the mage a greater capacity for gas exchange, allowing their muscles to perform aerobic respiration and prevent the build up of lactic acid, which causes soreness.
			* **Aldo Mena: Vitality**-  Activating this spell will increase metabolic rate, protein synthesis, bone growth and repair, and increase the body's sensitivity to hormones like adrenaline. The manipulation of these hormones, via substrate substitution or ethernano catalysis, will increase protein, fat, and carbohydrate metabolism of the mage's body and improve how cells use energetic compounds.
			* **Aldo Mena: Vigor**- Manipulating the hormone produced by adipose tissue, a mage is able to increase the concentration of Leptin going to the hypothalamus. Using this spell helps slow down appetite, speeds up lipolysis, and maintain energy homeostasis allowing a mage to fight without fatigue for a greater period of time, while still maintaining substantial enough energy to fight at peak performance.
			* **Aldo Mena: Overhaul**- Concentrating their ethernano on the anterior pituarity gland, a mage can stimulate release of Growth Hormone (GH) to stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration. This allows a mage to recover from injuries and minor wounds within a matter of seconds. The effects of this spell is only highly effective on superficial wounds, yet it can help with deep wounds by increasing the healing process exponentially related to the amount of ethernano output.
			* **Aldo Mena: Alleviate**- This is a two fold modification that helps with releasing greater concentrations of enkephalin, a pain suppressant. This is one of the more difficult spells to master if the user wishes to grant instant pain relief. This can be done as a localized spell, or a generalized spell. The user will modify their ethernano to act as a substitute preproenkephalin, a signal peptide that will cause the cells to release proenkephalin. If wishing to use this a precaution, a user can stop this spell in the first stage and allow their body to naturally create enkephalin through the post-translational modification of proenkephalin. If wanting to grant instant pain relief, the user may enter the second stage and use their magic to catalyze the proteases used to cleave peptide bonds on proenkephalin and greatly reduce the time for the opioid peptide to take effect.

## Equipment

**Poison Watch**: The watch was a momento from his time in the dark guild, Onyx Lips. Containing a potent neurotoxin, this watch can store enough of the concentrated gas for two doses. Darius has trained his body to withstand such poison by continually exposing himself to small doses.

## Trivia

* Darius' appearance is based off Kotetsu T. Kaburagi.