Kushiel

**Kushiel** was a Seosten, the daughter of Metatron, the wife of Puriel, and the mother of Theia.

## Biography

### Early Life

Kushiel participated in the Summus Proelium Project. As part of the project, she was subject to extensive genetic modifications that granted her the power to transfer the physical harm that she has suffered to people within her line of sight.

### Olympus Years

Kushiel was assigned to the *Olympus* under the command of her husband, Puriel. Serving as a logistics officer, she tracked ammunition, fuel, and other supplies. She came to loathe the fact that Puriel respected the opinion of his assistant, Aletheia, and had several arguments with him about her.

More interested in the results and potential benefits than the risks, Kushiel began to send people out on her personal pet projects. An unspecified number of the people that she sent out on these missions died.

#### Brush With Death

Sometime within the first fifty years after the *Olympus* was launched, Asmodaeus attacked and nearly killed Kushiel before he faked his death.

### Rysthael Years

#### Infiltrating The Greeks

The *Olympus* was assigned to travel to and investigate Rysthael in order to discover how Humans could genetically bond with other races, the identity of the mysterious force that had spoiled the Seosten Empire's plans with the Egyptian Empire, and whether or not the Seosten Empire could use Humans in their war against the Fomorians. To that end, Kushiel helped infiltrate Greek civilization, after taking on the identity of the goddess Hera, worked to make the Greeks more powerful as part of a plan to subjugate the Egyptian Empire.

#### The Trials Of Heracles

Kushiel became enraged when Puriel took an interest in and started to train Alcaeus and, soon after, began to send Alcaeus on errands that were designed to kill him. Alcaeus would later take on the name "Heracles" to show that it was his errands brought on by Kushiel that would make him famous.

#### Casting The Bystander Effect

After Greece merged with Rome, it became increasingly clear that the Olympus was not going to be able to contain Humans for much longer. Later, in an attempt to avoid the potential future that was delivered to them, the Seraphim decided to cast a powerful memory spell to block Humans off from all other species so that they would continue to serve as their weapons on their terms.

### After Rysthael Years

Kushiel was charged with coming up with a solution to the Seosten's birthrate issues. She subsequently began to artificially inseminate Seosten criminals and traitors.

Kushiel gave birth to a Seosten with Sticky Possession Syndrome. Unable to accept the fact that her child was a Lie, she forbid Lies to call her "Mother" until she learned how to control her possession power, and preformed various experiments on her in an attempt to fix her.

Following Puriel's transport through the Banishment Orb, Kushiel brought Puriel to a medical room in her facility so that she could watch over him. Puriel would often ask her if the people who had taken him in after he has lost his memories were alive, leading Kushiel to tell him that they had not, but would forget asking soon after.

Kushiel brought Nihil with her when she went to visit Puriel, telling her to sit in the corner and be silent, and told Puriel that Nihil was ready for the first experiment. When Puriel questioned Kushiel, she told him that she had ideas for experiments that she would not preform on Lies but would feel no guilt on preforming on Nihil. Puriel told Kushiel that she couldn't hurt Nihil, making Kushiel tell him that he had to let go of his guilt over the orphans, before turning around to find Puriel in front of Nihil. Kushiel told Puriel to get away from Nihil but, before she could stop him, he possessed her. When Puriel asked Kushiel what happened, she realized that he had been in one of his fugue states, and complained about having to find another specimen for her experiments.

### Battle Of Kushiel's Laboratory

Kushiel met with Jophiel when Jophiel, possessing Counselor Elisabet, travelled to her laboratory after she requested access to it. Jophiel saw that Abaddon and Radueriel were also present and then questioned whether there was a reunion that she had not been invited to. Shortly afterward, as an alarm began to blare and a voice on the intercom warned of approaching spaceships, Kushiel smiled and stated that their company had just arrived.

#### Confrontation With Apollo

Apollo when he appeared in front of Kushiel in a burst of fire before he used a spell to throw Kushiel backward off a ramp. Kushiel produced a short sword and dagger and threatened to transfer the damage that he inflicted to the students. Apollo called her a coward and then, after he used a spell to paralyze and hold her in place, held the spell as she tried to use her magical strength to break it.

In the following struggle, Kushiel taunted Apollo about how hard he must have taken Sariel's betrayal. Apollo revealed that he had given the code that the students had used on Radueriel to Sariel before he had left and that, while he had been disappointed when she hadn't left with him, he had known that she would come to decide to leave on her own. Kushiel told him that he would have to wait for his reunion with Sariel, asking him if he had noticed that transport had left with Sariel and her twin children, and mentioned that she looked forward to dealing with Sariel's twin children. Apollo said that he had noticed her expression when the transport had left and, knowing that it would take time for Kushiel's force to reach it, expressed his belief that the students could take care of themselves until he found them before insulting her.

Kushiel threatened to take everything from Apollo before Athena entered the room. Athena assured Kushiel that Abaddon and Radueriel would show themselves once they finished licking their wounds before she moved to kill Athena. Jophiel intervened, dispelling the spell holding Kushiel, and took hold of Kushiel before teleporting them out of the laboratory.

### Return to Rysthael

#### Meeting With Jophiel

After she abandoned the remains of her laboratory to the Aelaestiam, Kushiel met with Abaddon, Radueriel, and Jophiel. Kushiel stated that the final destination of her transport had been set to Rysthael because it was the last place those attempting to liberate Sariel would have looked and that it would have been shielded from tracking spells. Kushiel went on to explain how the premature activation of her transport had led to the transport ending thousands of miles from her prepared facility, but said that her soldiers should have been able to contain the situation if the children hadn't managed to free Sariel.

Jophiel questioned Kushiel about what she intended to do on Rysthael and Kushiel stated that she had seen that Human-Seosten Hybrids were capable of developing Seosten powers. Jophiel told Kushiel that she couldn't be so desperate and that the Seraphim would never see Human-Seosten Hybrids as a solution to their birthrate issues. Kushiel agreed with Jophiel, but stated that it could be possible to add Human genetics to a Seosten fetus to slow down the fetus' development of the possession power until after it had been born. Kushiel stated that between the subjects that she had moved to her new facility and the subjects she would acquire on Rysthael, it would be enough to start her project.

Abaddon and Radueriel revealed that Metatron had tasked them with the capture and transport of Sariel and Lucifer to Kushiel's new facility. When Jophiel stated that meant they were coming to the Rysthael, Abaddon confirmed that they would bring Sariel and Lucifer there one way or the other before Radueriel said that they wouldn't want to distract her from her own missions.

Shortly afterward, Jophiel stated that it had been a long time since Kushiel had visited Rysthael. Kushiel stated that it hadn't been nearly long enough and that she looked forward to being there as short a time as possible before she left once and for all. When Jophiel asked Kushiel if she felt comfortable leaving Puriel alone, Kushiel assured her that she would visit Puriel when he could while she continued to work on a cure for his affliction.

#### Infiltrating The Auberge

Kushiel learned that there was a second entrance into Hieronymus Bosch's Blood Vault inside of the Auberge and then travelled to the Auberge with Abaddon and Radueriel.

Kushiel interrupted Mennin Tombs, asking him whether or not he was the son of the current owner of the Auberge, before Radueriel possessed him. When Radueriel stated that he should head downstairs, Kushiel told him to attempt to not get himself killed and force the rest of them to abandon their missions to solve his problems. When Abaddon offered to make Flick pay for Manakel's death, Kushiel reminded him that Metatron had ordered them to leave her alone until they could figure out how she had killed him.

#### Confrontation In Hieronymus Bosch's Blood Vault

Kushiel then entered Hieronymus Bosch's Blood Vault with Abaddon and Radueriel. There she cut her legs with a sword and transferred the damage to Flick before she started to disable the security spells placed around the pedestal. During this time, Abaddon noted that he had seen Flick fight and that it would be a shame to kill her. Realizing that Abaddon was attempting to recruit Flick, Kushiel asked him what he thought he was doing.

Kushiel taunted Flick, asking Flick if she felt accomplished for having delayed the Seosten for so long, and claimed the book that contained Liesje Aken's Spell. When Flick managed to steal the book, Kushiel shot her an unimpressed look and asked her what the point of her defiance. Flick taunted Kushiel back, telling her that every second that she was still a loser was worth it, infuriating Kushiel. Kushiel snapped, telling Flick that no one was coming to save her, and that she would die there in Hieronymus Bosch's Vault.

Abaddon told Flick that he would like to see what she could do for their side but asked her to give him a reason to speak up for her before Kushiel killed her. Flick told Abaddon that Kushiel wanted to kill her because she could look at the Seosten child possessing her and know once and for all. When Radueriel asked for clarification, Flick stated that Kushiel had imprisoned, tortured, and tried to destroy Sariel, Sariel had still managed to beat her. Kushiel vehemently denied this before she moved to drive her sword into her chest to kill Flick.

#### Confrontation With Lies And Death

Kushiel turned to face Lies, telling her that she should not have shown herself and that she was not her child, before the Seosten child within Flick took hold of the book and recalled back into Flick. Kushiel lunged at Flick, told her that she would rip Sariel's spawn out of her corpse, shoved her into a wall, and began to choke her.

When Lies called out to Kushiel again, Kushiel told her to never call her "Mother". Lies refuted this, telling her that she could hate the fact that she was her daughter, and that she was the flesh of her flesh and the blood of her blood. Kushiel said hat she should never have allowed Lies to have taken a single breath after she had had learned that Lies was a Lie, stating that she believed that Lies could learn to overcome her handicap, and then stated that she had been a failure at birth and would remain so until death. Demanding that Lies leave her host so that she could see that death, Kushiel shoved Flick to the side and hurled a dagger at Lies' host.

Kushiel slumped to her knees when Lies transferred the fatal damage that her host had taken to her before Lies stated that Kushiel couldn't transfer something that had already been transferred. Lies told Kushiel that her name was Aletheia before she drove a dagger into her throat and transferred the damage to Kushiel, killing her.

## Physical appearance

Kushiel is described as a regal-looking woman, with long black hair that falls to the middle of her back and is kept in a tight braid. She wears a black silt shirt, dark red pants, a golden choker, and an ornate diadem with several red and violet gemstones.

## Abilities and skills

* **Damage Reflection**: Kushiel had the power to reflect damage. She could use this power to reflect any damage caused to herself back to its source.
* **Possession**: Kushiel had the power to possess living creatures and gain complete control of their actions by doing so.

## Appearances

* *Heretical Edge (webserial series)*

**Olympians**