Alaster Mentari

**Alaster Mentari** is a Sylphakonian mercenary and the rival of Leon Wolfhard. A skillful yet temperamental warrior, he was rejected to become a knight despite graduating from the Skysword Imperial Academy due to his arrogant, reckless and unpredictable nature. His self-serving nature is fueled by his childhood dreams of becoming Edeneaura's best warrior.

## Profile

### Appearance

Alaster is a teenager with short blond hair and blue-green eyes. He has a scar that runs across his forehead and nose that was received from a duel with Leon, with the scar being a mirror opposite of his rival's.

As a mercenary, Alaster wears a black vest along with a long white coat with blue collars. He wears black gloves, pants and boots. His vest is layered with metal plating, and he wears metal vambraces underneath his coat.

### Personality

Unlike his rival, Alaster is brash, loud and outspoken. While Leon is a strict and no-nonse follower of the rules, Alaster is a rebel by nature and constantly butts heads with his superiors. He is a temperamental individual, and is guided by his emotions and personal motivation. Alaster is largely driven by his personal dream to become the greatest warrior in Edeneaura. Due to this, he greatly revels in battle, and views every victory won as a step closer to achieving his dream.

Being an orphan, Alaster has had several foster families during his childhood, but he never formed any lasting attachments with any of them. He finds loyalty and obedience to be weak individual morals, and is only interested in serving himself and his dream. This attitude is reflected as he never values relationships and bonds with his peers, except for, ironically, his rivalry with Leon. He has an unspoken respect for his rival, and views him as his equal.

## Background

### Childhood

Alaster was born on Vartiid 21st. He grew up in the Empereal Orphanage and was considered a problematic child by the orphanage's staff due to his impulsive nature and tendency to bully other orphans around him. He had to go through several foster families, none of which he called home, before eventually always ending up back at the orphanage.

His aptitude for combat was first observed at the orphanage, and staff members enrolled him into the Skysword Imperial Academy upon seeing his talent. It was here that Alaster formed his dream to become the best warrior in the continent, but he silently resents the orphanage as he believes that they merely wanted to find an excuse to "get rid of him once and for all."

### Time at the Academy

Upon his enrolment into the Skysword Imperial Academy, Alaster's loud and assertive nature made him popular throughout the institution. He formed a posse amongst his peers who were drawn to his rebellious nature, but Alaster himself never considered the members of his gang to be genuine friends. Alaster's posse was notorious for bullying younger students and for pulling pranks against Academy staff and students. Despite his troublesome behaviour and constant reprimands by his superiors, Alaster was a top-ranking student in his batch as he displayed excellent academic and practical performances.

Alaster and Leon's rivalry developed when the latter constantly refused to join his posse and would always find a way to defy the posse's many antics. Having never been directly challenged before, Alaster took an interest in finding ways to peg Leon down a knock, and his strong performance in the Academy was motivated by him always desiring to be better than Leon. Their competitive nature and rivalry spurred both Alaster and Leon into greater heights, and they would constantly trade victories, whether it be from examination scores or during duels. Although the two would never admit it, they have a begrudging respect for each other. This rivalry with Leon would define Alaster's time in the Academy, and would eventually culminate in a morning duel with his rival.

Both rivals verbally agreed for a weapons-only duel that was unsanctioned by the Academy, and Alaster went into the fight with a defensive-minded approach. Although he managed to disarm Leon during the opening stages of the duel, he only taunted his rival and gestured for him to pick up his weapon and fight again. Alaster was alarmed by Leon's renewed vigor and was on the verge of defeat until he was forced to cast a fire spell at his rival, which knocked Leon down to the ground. Having disregarded their agreement entirely, Alaster continued to advance on his rival's downed form and slashed his face across with his sword, revelling in Leon's humiliated appearance. He let his guard down as he failed to notice Leon picking up his own sword before slicing Alaster across his own face. The duel ended in a stalemate as the two were rushed to the Academy's infirmary.

It was only after their duel did Alaster begin to regard Leon as his equal. It renewed Alaster's long-standing dream of becoming the best warrior in the continent, and he swore to himself that he will become a better swordsman than Leon. It left a great impression on Alaster, as he realized that he was still far from attaining his dreams.

Alaster graduated around the same time as Leon, being at the young age of 18 when he did so. However, he refused to become a knight as he felt that it would hinder his dreams, and found the idea of tying oneself down to serve a nation as a foolish and childish idea. He was silently disappointed to see Leon accept his ranking as a knight, and so Alaster decided that he would become a mercenary for hire. With his loyalty for sale to the highest bidder, Alaster has no qualms in doing dirty work as long as it involves battle and glory.

## Equipment

### Weapons

Alaster's signature blade is Knightfall, a saber with a dark blade that he acquired through his many misadventures. Knightfall itself is known for its unbreakable quality, and the blade does not show any signs of wear or tear despite its prolonged use by its wielder. The sword itself is light enough to be held in one hand, and Alaster normally wields Knightfall on his right hand with his own peculiar stance; the sword is held up till shoulder level with the blade pointing towards his foe. On his own, Alaster is a remarkable swordsman that can easily hold his ground against even the most proficient wielder of the blade.

Not only is Alaster a skilled swordsman, but he is also a renowned spellcaster as well. He has a natural affinity for fire, and his Grimoire Spirit, Vulkan, allows him to infuse Knightfall with the power of fire. Essentially, he can ignite his sword with flames and even use it to cast spells as if it were a staff. With his grimoire, Alaster can also surround himself with a cloak of fire and his powers with any flame-based spells are amplified.

### Summon Spirits

Alaster's summon spirit, Efreet, complements his aptitude for fire. The Efreet is able to launch flame-based attacks and only further hones Alaster's casting strength when it comes towards his flame-based spells.