Clark Netsuma

**Clark Netsuma** was a peasant of the Kingdom of Elphegort. Hated for his distinct hair and eye color that marked him as a member of the Netsuma Clan, Clark suffered harsh discrimination in his village. He later found an ill Eater laying by the Millennium Tree and nursed him back to health, the two becoming close friends. After his foster mother's death, the two moved to Aceid and began working as servants for the Freezis Family.

## History

### Early Life

Born in the Kingdom of Elphegort in EC 479, the boy's father and mother died soon after and left him an orphan; he was subsequently adopted by the shaman Oyuun and given the name "Clark". As he grew up, Clark was physically and emotionally abused by several of the Elphe villagers living in Yatski, eventually learning that it was because of him being a Netsuma, marked by his white hair and red eyes. During this time, Oyuun taught him how to read and write.

As the years progressed and the abuse continued, Clark eventually began to feel guilty for even being alive. When he came of age, he began working the nearby farmlands, helping to grow and harvest the crops to pay his family's land taxes to Earl Quentin Felix. Struggling to earn enough money to pay this, the village chief sometimes had Clark work for him to make it up. One day, Oyuun contracted the Purio Disease, leading to Clark monitoring when and how much she ate.

### Forest Spirit

In January of EC 499, Clark entered the Millennium Tree Forest to pick trauben fruits; as he did so, he noticed a fox fighting with a small black bear, severely injuring it. Rushing through the trees, Clark rescued the poor animal and attempted to bandage its broken leg before having to hurry back to work. After finishing for the day, Clark returned home; as his mother welcomed him, he chastised her for not getting more rest before learning that the bear had found its way to their house. She then fed it some of her trauben fruit from earlier, waving aside Oyuun's suggestion that it was the avatar of a forest spirit.

The next morning, Clark fed and bonded with the bear he had cared for, deciding to name it "Schwarz" after its pure black fur. As time progressed, the man began opening up and talking with Schwarz about his problems; from then on, Clark made this a habit in order to let out the pain he felt from the constant abuse he suffered.

Two weeks later, as he plowed the fields, he looked over at Chester and Alma conversing nearby and worked up the courage to approach them. Hoping to befriend them, Clark nervously invited Chester to come over and have dinner, only to have his offer harshly rejected. Retreating into the forest immediately after, Clark broke down in tears. Once he returned home, this sadness was compounded when he learned that Schwarz had left after fully healing from their injuries.

Clark left early the following morning and headed straight for the Millennium Tree; kneeling before it, he relayed how he had been persecuted and scorned, how he had befriended Schwarz only for him to disappear, and how his mother didn't have much longer to live. He then addressed the earth god Held, praying for him to bring the man a friend.

### First Friend

Over a month after this, Clark was on an errand in the Millennium Tree Forest when he found an unconscious Elphe man laying under the great tree. Carrying him home and tending to him until he regained consciousness, Clark gently explained how he had collapsed due to a fever. As he apologized that he had to be treated by a Netsuma, the man thanked him for his care, surprising Clark. After learning where he was, the man introduced himself as "Eater" and Clark introduced himself in turn, before asking why Eater was in the forest; they then talked about how the man was trying to get to Aceid.

Suddenly, Clark stood up and rushed to the kitchen, having to stop Oyuun from adding worms to the soup they were making. When someone knocked on the door soon after, Clark saw as the village chief arrived with his nephew Eugen, coming to collect their rent. As they bullied him, Eater interrupted and offered to pay the money they owed as thanks for their help. However, after the cheif and his crony left, Eater told Clark that he would only do this in exchange for the man and his mother offering him a place to live for the time being.

Days later, Eater insisted on learning how to work the fields like Clark, accompanying him to work. As the two worked, Clark noticed how his new companion drawed the other villagers' attention, happily getting to know them over the next several months and becoming popular. During this time, the chief's daughter Ava began approaching Clark and talking to him.

During the summer of EC 499, Clark tried to call out to an exhausted Eater, only for Chester to talk with him instead. Following the two to the work shed, he listened in as Chester told false rumors about him to the Elphe man. Returning to the fields, he tried to approach Eater later that day, only to give up after seeing how close he was with the other villagers. Along the way, Ava greeted him and the two spoke casually until Eater arrived and joined them. After Ava left, Clark spoke with Eater about how well he got along with women and how Ava may have feelings for him. When Clark heard him say he wasn't interested in women, he was pleased and revealed that he felt the same.

When they got home, Chester angrily called out to Clark and dragged him to the back of the house, accusing him of "leering" at Ava and warning him to stay away from her. Right as Chester prepared to hit him, the two were shocked as Eater intervened and warded the bully off. As Clark thanked him for this, the two quickly embraced.

### Uncertainty

Over the next several months, Clark started spending more and more time with Eater; during this time, a doctor came to check on his mother and diagnosed her as having reached the late stages of Purio, not having much longer to live. As the disease was currently uncurable, Clark was ordered to treat her with painkillers and sleeping pills. In November of that year, he was randomly approached by Chester, who suggested that Eater only hung out with him in order to make himself look and feel better.

One night, Clark noticed that Eater was sneaking out, following him to a nearby cliffside and watching in amazement as he began to sing. Addressing him directly, the two sat together and talked about village life, Clark's suspicions that Eater was a noble, and the worsening condition of Oyuun. Eater then asked him about the mansion in the distance that belonged to Keel Freezis, with Clark describing his vast wealth and monthly dinner parties. Though Clark admitted his jealousy of the merchant being so popular, he continued by saying that his relationship with Eater was enough, unable to voice his true concerns.

After returning home, the two found Oyuun dead, having vomited blood and collapsed; after Eater fetched the village chief, Clark silently stared as he prepared to move her corpse. Over the following days, Clark lapsed into a deep depression, attending her mother's funeral soon after; as she looked upon Oyuun's grave alongside Eater, he thought over the gossip that everyone had exchanged about her and Clark.

As the two returned home from the funeral, they discussed what to do now; during this conversation, Clark broke down and voiced his concerns about what Chester had told him. As he questioned if Eater was just friends with him for his own benefit, Eater hugged him and said that Clark was a wonderful person. Realizing that he was telling the truth, Clark returned his embrace and cried in his arms. They later calmed down and decided to move to Aceid and start a new life, only for Ava to burst in looking for them. As the two men watched her in shock, Ava explained that Eugen had been murdered and the chief was accusing Clark of killing him.

The three villagers then fled Yatski and escaped into the mountains. Afterwards, they traveled to Aceid and checked into an inn whose owners were close with Ava. Over the next week, Clark and Eater searched for jobs while staying at the inn. One day, after returning from another failed job search, Clark found Eater speaking with Mikina Freezis. After studying the Netsuma man's features, Mikina agreed to hire him, only hiring on Eater as well after Clark insisted. The two then moved to the Freezis Mansion and began training to become proper servants for the Freezis Family.

### Freezis Servant

A few nights after being hired on, Clark was assigned to take care of the couple's eldest daughter, Yukina. Over the next month, he struggled to learn his duties while playing with Yukina and reading over her writings, meeting with Eater in the garden after dinner each night to chat. At the end of their probationary month, both he and Eater were accepted as full-time junior servants.

On December 28 of EC 499, Clark played with Yukina before joining Eater and a few other servantss to help with the laundry, startled by how cold the water was. Suddenly, the two were summoned by the head servant Gerda to serve Earl Felix, who had specifically asked for them. Though confused, they obediently served the earl as he instructed and realized that he was accompanied by Ava. Once Keel entered, Clark, Eater, and Ava were all made to leave the room so the two nobles could meet privately.

Outside, Ava explained that she had heard of their new job and purposely accompanied the earl to see them, revealing how her father had been arrested and that she had inlisted in Elphegort's army; their discussion was soon interrupted as Keel and Quentin exited the room. As Ava and the earl left, Clark thanked her for everything she had done. That night, Clark put Yukina to bed before joining Eater in the garden; there, they spoke about Yukina's writing prowess before Clark reassured Eater as he admitted his jealousy of the attention the former was giving his charge.

After a short silence, Clark requested that Eater sing a song and listened to his subsequent performance; he was then stunned as Keel revealed that he had overheard and intended on hiring a singing instructor for Eater to refine his talent. Two weeks later, in January of EC 500, Clark accompanied his friend in the banquet hall as Keel prepared to show his singing off to the merchant's business associates. Backstage, the servant supported Eater as he dazzled the audience; however, he grew jealous as the "Divo of Elphegort" became increasingly popular and attracted many female suitors.

### The Golden Princess

After Eater's performance at one of Keel's monthly banquets, Clark saw Princess Riliane Lucifen d'Autriche from the neighboring nation of Lucifenia speak with the divo in the drawing room, questioning him about it immediately after. Noticing the shell pendant Riliane gave him, Clark realized that the royal was trying to romance Eater as well and tried to warn him about it. When he was forced to admit his fears of Eater leaving him, he apologized and went to attend Yukina.

Several weeks later, Clark overheard a conversation between Keel and Eater as they discussed Riliane, learning that the princess was engaged to King Kyle Marlon. Horrified at this news, he vowed to protect Eater from the apparent seductress; when Riliane suddenly approach Clark, having visited on business matters, the servant told him he was off at the market. As Riliane left to go speak with him, another servant came to send Eater off to the market for real, with Clark mentally cursing them.

Days after this, as he sat in the kitchen and lamented over his predicament, Eater approached and told him that they had been ordered to deliver liquor to Keel, Thorny Elphen, and Riliane after their meeting. After becoming drunk off the small taste he had, Clark stormed into the meeting room and yelled at Riliane. The two servants were then scolded harshly for this, and with Clark fleeing into the mansion gardens to sulk. Eater then arrived and tried to cheer him up and told him to be more open about his feelings. As he did, Clark suddenly asked Eater if he would marry him, with Eater replying that he would have to think about it.

On one occasion, Clark became worried when Eater took a long time to return from the market; when he finally returned and apologized for getting sidetracked, Clark noticed the servant girl who accompanied him. He then directed Eater to join him for doing laundry, later chatting with him in the garden that night.

### Green Hunting

The next day, Clark was among those summoned by Keel and listened as his butler, Ward, explained that Princess Riliane had retracted her engagement with King Kyle due to having a lover in Elphegort. As Keel speculated on how Eater may be this mysterious lover, Clark was horrified to learn that this meant that he may send soldiers to find and kill him.

A week later, Clark watched as part of the Millennium Tree Forest burned and prayed to Held to protect the forest. The next day, as the Green Hunting began, Clark prepared to follow Keel's directions to flee with Eater to a safehouse, comforting Yukina when she cried over his departure. After Keel gave Eater a cloak to hide his green hair, the two left for Yatski Village; along the way, they saw the corpses of women scattered across both Aceid and Yatski.

To Clark's surprise, they managed to reach his old home, and he quickly grabbed some of his mother's sleeping pills before leaving. Hurrying south, the two were suddenly surrounded by Marlon soldiers; as they noticed Eater's green hair and prepared to kill him, Ava miraculously arrived and gave them a chance to escape. As they fled, Ava caught up with them after luring the soldiers away.

As he heard the soldiers approaching them once again, Clark told Eater to give him his cloak, planning to distract them while he ran away to safety. The two men then hugged before Clark confessed his love to Eater and shared a kiss with him; as he did, he used the chance to slip a sleeping pill into Eater's mouth. After he lost consciousness, Clark thanked Ava and had her take Eater to the nearby well safehouse while he would distract the soldiers. He then dashed off and was subsequently captured and taken to the city of Toragay for questioning.

### Marlon Revolution

For the next two months, Clark was questioned by General Daniel Ausdin on Eater's whereabouts, but refused to disclose the required information. The interrogation was then interrupted by Evens Corpa, who was ordered to liberate him. As he discussed this with Daniel, Clark learned that Eater had been confirmed dead and bit his tongue out of shock. Falling into a hysterical fit as he bleed from his mouth, he fell unconscious and was given medical treatment.

Clark was then sent to the Corpa Mansion in Rolled, Lucifenia, learning that the Freezises were staying there as their mansion had been destroyed. Upon his arrival, he warmly greeted both Yukina and her mother Mikina. Once the latter confirmed that Eater was dead, Clark collapsed and broke down, being comforted by the woman. After recovering, Clark went to greet Keel, meeting his guest Germaine Avadonia before being subsequently recruited.

From there, Clark learned about the Marlon Resistance that planned to initiate a revolution in Marlon, and how Germaine was traveling with a unit of soldiers to secretly aid them. He then stated that he would consider the soldier's offer and Germaine threatened him to not betray her. As Keel calmed her fears and Germaine left with her comrade York, the former servant left to go rest.

Several days later, he was approached by Keel who talked with him about his future plans, telling Clark that he intended to provide financial aid to the revolution. Affirming that Clark had decided not to join them, Keel offered to keep him hired on as a servant as his family moved to Lucifenia, but the man refused due to being unable to cope with Eater being gone. Keel then suggested that he work for an understaffed monastery on the western coast of Lucifenia, with Clark accepting this as a means to begin processing Eater's death.

For a short time, Clark was used as an intermediary between Keel, the volunteer soldiers for the resistance, and the actual resistance leaders themselves. During this period, he arrived at a Lucifenian tavern to relay to Germaine how Keel agreed to financially back the resistance. Although once again being offered to join her, he refused and stated that he was too weak and already had a place to work. After wishing Germaine well with her plans, he then left the tavern and began packing to travel to the monastery.

### Starting Over

For the next four months, Clark worked at the Held Monastery near the coast of the Hark Sea, taking care of the orphaned children who lived there, working in the fields, and praying in the church. During his time, he wrote a letter to Keel conveying his experiences there, and was told by the abbess about a legend of the sea. One day, Clark was visited by the sorceress IR and her apprentice Lich, being given a potted sapling.

IR explained that the sapling housed the soul of Eater, who was originally a forest spirit that had been magically incarnated as a human. Unsurprised by this, Clark further learned that Eater had been chosen as the successor of Held and would become the new Millennium Tree; in the meantime, someone would need to guard her sapling until it grew larger and strong enough. Although Clark was glad to know that Eater was alive in some form, Lich stated his reluctance to give up his friend to him before summoning his spirit.

As he saw his love appear before his eyes, Clark spoke with Eater and was disappointed to find out that this summoning spell would not last long. Finally understanding that he needed to move on, the two reaffirmed their love for each other before the ritual ended. As the illusion ended, Lich gave the sapling to Clark after threatening him to defend it with his life; before departing, he also informed the man that Eater had been avenged since the "Lord of Evil" had been executed.

### Message of Regret

A week later, Clark discovered a man collapsed on the ground and found he was suffering from hunger; though the man begged him not to leave, Clark called for someone to help carry him back to the monastery. There he learned that the man, Kay Viwirtz, had nowhere to go and he was subsequently allowed to stay at the monastery.

Although he showed an overly submissive and self-depricating attitude, Clark continue to treat him kindly after remembering how he himself was once like that. Slowly, Kay began to open up and become more confident, even asking Clark for cooking and tea-brewing advice. During that time, they talked about their respective religious beliefs; when Kay asked if he would still treat him the same if he knew he was a terrible person, Clark told the man that he would.

Over the years, Clark began to move on from Eater's death and was eventually baptized as a monk. In EC 505, Clark lost a wooden bracelet from his mother after leaving it in a confessional; remembering where he left it, he rushed to the confessional booth, only to find it occupied. Listening in, he heard Kay describe the atrocities he had been involved in and beg God for forgiveness, with Clark realizing that Kay was actually Kyle. Overcome with anger, he began plotting to kill him for good, borrowing the knife that was rumored to be a "holy relic".

A week later, Clark set his plan in motion and followed Kay to the nearby coastline, watching as he took out a message bottle and set it adrift. As a voice began to whisper to her, Clark determined to kill Kay before he could harm anyone else, unknowingly connecting with the voice whom he believed to be Eater. As he prepared to stab Kay, however, a ghostly girl appeared and stopped him. After a moment of struggle, he realized that the patient voice could not be Eater's and came to his senses, noticing that Kay was now calmly watching him.

The next day, Clark brought him to the Millennium Tree Forest to plant Eater's sapling. As they arrived at the site of the current Millennium Tree, the two prayed before it; once their work was done, Clark promised to help Kay atone for his past sins before the two prayed once again. After Kay broke down and apologized, Clark did the same and the two bonded over their shared pain and anguish. Following this incident, Kay was directed to dye his hair green to fit in with the several Elphes at the monastery.

### Life at the Monastery

Over the next six months, Clark would receive occasional visits from Mikina, with the woman donating some of Yukina's novels and speaking with him about his search to find the "Vessels of Virtue". During one of these visits, Clark noticed that Mikina looked dazed before she left, learning soon after that she had been missing from home. Four days later, he found Denis interrogating two visitors, quickly noticing that they were Germaine and Yukina. After cheerfully reuniting with his former charge, Clark brought them inside and took them to the guest meeting room.

When Germaine left the room, Clark privately caught up with Yukina; he then recounted Mikina's string of visits before stating that the young girl could stay at the monastery as long as she needed. The two then chatted about Yukina's adventures over the past five years until noticing that they were out of tea. Summoning Kay to replace the teapot, he told the man to do the same for the other rooms in the monastery and have the cooks prepare extra meals for their guests.

Clark then watched as Kay and Yukina became acquainted, noticing the former's shock when he learned that Germaine was in the next room over. Quickly remembering his friend's past, Clark prepared to deal with the tea himself and tried to hurry Kay away, only for them to run into Germaine right then and there. Watching as the two shared a tense moment, the swordswoman left after stating it was nice to meet the man. He then left the room and announced that dinner would be ready shortly to ease the tensions.

### Later Life

Much later, when Germaine and Yukina had moved on from the monastery, a young Netsuma boy was abandoned at the monastery's orphanage, with Clark adopting him into the orphanage and naming him "Aveza" as an homage to her friend Ava, who had given her life to save him. Sometime after EC 529, becoming incensed by the continued discrimination of his people, Clark left the monastery and founded his own order: the "Children of Held". Campaigning to eliminate discrimination from society, Clark directed his followers to care for the poor and orphaned throughout the Evillious region; during this time, he also remained in contact with Kay.

During the EC 530s, after the former Millennium Tree's death and the discovery of Eater's sapling, Clark published a discourse about the new Millennium Tree, declaring it as a protector of humanity and worthy of their love and care. He then inspired the Children of Held to advocate for widespread acceptance of the tree and forbade it from being damaged. As part of this protection, Clark established a church at one of the main entrances to the Millennium Tree Forest, examining those who would sought to enter the forest and issuing them travel permits; he later gave permits to IR and Lich upon their request.

A few years after, Clark wrote an autobiography of his life, how he discovered his faith, and the hardships he faced before and after the Marlon-Elphegort War. During this time, he reconnected with his former charge and now friend, Yukina Freezis, having her assist with the writing process. Clark later passed away sometime around EC 536, with a small and private funeral being held by his closest friends.

### End of the World

Following the destruction of the Third Period in EC 999, Clark's soul returned to the ground world. Reuniting with Eater in the ruined Millennium Tree Forest, he learned about Mora Viwirtz's task of meeting with the previous contractors of the Angels of Virtue. When the Lady of Light's poisonous Gift began spreading through the ground world and caused the afflicted souls to pass out, Clark was ordered to rescue Kyle and bring him back to Elphegort, where Eater and the Angels of Virtue were to gather. There, the angels would the former king their power in stopping the Lady of Light's rampage.

Given the god's temporary protection, Clark rode to Marlon Castle atop the horse Josephine. Seeing the soldiers of the Tasan Party attacking Kyle, Clark rescued him and the two fled the palace before stopping to rest sometime after. Catching up with each others' lives, Clark explained how Eater had sent him and that he hadn't attended the king's party due to his dislike of crowds. As the two reasoned that the Tasan Party was searching for angelic contractors, Clark prevented Kyle from going to search for Riliane, as she was also a contractor.

They were then interrupted by the Angel of Humility, who explained that it was only the contractors with the highest compatibility that were being hunted down and that they needed the aid of the other Angels of Virtue. The three then set out for Elphegort, with Kyle departing with the Master of the Hellish Yard while Clark stayed with Eater. Later, after the two men watched the irregularities in the sky caused by MA, Clark was tasked with watching over the angels while Eater traveled to Evil's Theater to intervene. Much later, following the sorceress' defeat, Clark participated in the ball at Marlon Castle before presumably being incorporated into the Fourth Period.

## Skills and Abilities

Due to his clumsiness, Clark was prone to making mistakes in his work and often worked slower to compensate for this; during his time as a servant and later as a monk, however, he began to improve on this. Due to living most of his life in a land-locked village, Clark did not know how to swim.

Clark was skilled at both cooking and baking and genuinely enjoyed doing so. Likewise, emulating his adoptive mother, he was skilled at interacting with children, easily earning the love and admiration of his charge Yukina. After joining the monastery, Clark perfected these skills and was even able to successfully deal with the reclusive Kay. Along with this, he was decently able to read and write, and possessed a small degree of magical ability, allowing him to sense that Eater was more than human.

Because of his past, he possessed extraordinary patience and empathy, making it easier for him to earn the respect and trust of others. This made him a suitable candidate for contracting with the Angel of Patience; through this contract, he gained the ability to poison or kill other contractors as well as dilate time in a bubble-shaped space around him.

## Character Connections

Eater: Clark's friend and love. While initially unable to believe that his friendship with Eater was real, the two grew closer over time and Clark began to heal from his years of emotional abuse. In time, Clark grew to love him to the point of being jealous of Riliane and was frantic to protect him during the Marlon-Elphegort War. While lapsing into a deep depression upon his death, Clark was able to receive closure after speaking with Eater's spirit.

Oyuun: Clark's adoptive mother. Clark was dismissive of her more spiritual beliefs, though still loving her dearly as her only family. As a result, when Oyuun became ill, Clark constantly worried over her and always insisted that she rest, deeply grieving her after she died sometime later.

Keel Freezis: Clark's employer. Before coming into his employment, Clark resented him for his immense wealth and the many friends he had; after coming to work for him, he began to regard the merchant with respect and gratitude. He eventually began to see the man as family and accepted his help to try and move on from Eater's death.

Mikina Freezis: Clark's employer. He was grateful for Mikina hiring him despite his "demon child" characteristics. He eventually came to see her as family and was comforted by her after the Green Hunting. After Clark began working for the Held Monastery in Lucifenia, he was occasionally visited by Mikina.

Yukina Freezis: Clark's charge while working for the Freezises. Becoming fond of Yukina during his employment, Clark would often play with her and help with her writing, affectionately referring to her as his little master. This close relationship continued after Clark became a monk, as he would accept visits from his former charge and trusted her to later learn the truth about his friend, "Kay".

Kay Viwirtz: A man that helped Clark at the monastery. Although initially worried by his shyness and self-deprecating attitude, he persevered in helping Kay recover, seeing his past loneliness in the man. Over time, Clark began to see him as a brotherly figure and mentored him in performing his monastery duties. He was later horrified to learn that Kay was actually Kyle Marlon, but the two remained close after Clark eventually forgave him.