Shrine Maiden

The **Shrine Maiden** is a character in *Magical Girl Policy*. Other titles include the shortened form "Maiden", "Sister" or "Priestess" from before she achieved her rank in the Church of the High Spirits, and "Lady" from before and after her time in the clergy. She lived in the Ardent Empire thousands of years ago and died in the Ardentia Civil War, but is present in visions granted to the Spirit Guard and Kunapipi. Her name is unknown due to the visions rendering it as the unintelligible "⌬⎅Ϣ₪⍝" for reasons unclear. She was a member of the Church of the High Spirits's Tranquil Discipline and was renowned for her zealous devotion and a strong connection to the High Spirits, but was later removed from the clergy by her close friend, the Princess, in order to commit herself to the plan to protect Earth. She requested the High Spirits reincarnate the Princess's team as humans when their powers would be needed, with said humans becoming the Spirit Guard. The Shrine Maiden is succeeded by Rob, though this is said to be due to an error. The Shrine Maiden is the viewpoint character during Rob's visions in Chapters 25 and 50.

## Appearance

The Shrine Maiden was a young woman with large breasts and long wavy hair a red color called scarlette in Kessia City. Her hair was styled using an empathokinetic charge, causing it to move with a waterlike flow and cover one of her eyes, with her strong empathokinetic perception compensating for her hindered vision. Unlike Spirit Guard Serenity, however, the Maiden can move her hair away from her eyes without issue. Her appearance is compared to Robynne's. During her time as a Shrine Maiden, she wore robes associated with the Tranquil Discipline.

## Personality

The Shrine Maiden was very serious and of incredibly strong composure. She was a devout member of the Church of the High Spirits, possessing a strong connection to her gods, an intolerance towards the Church's growing corruption, and became the Ardent Empire's youngest Shrine Maiden in 700 years. When uncertain, she would pray to the High Spirits and credited their influence in helping her make difficult decisions. She was a stickler for her religion's traditions, often verbally or internally berating herself and others for doing things frowned upon by the teachings, and preferred old-fashioned foci that were operated via emotions that had fallen out of style in the declining Empire. She was often polite and formal to others, but preferred to hide her background as a noble as it affected how others treated her. She had little loyalty to her increasingly morally bankrupt country, giving up on it entirely once even the Church's power structure was corrupted. She is said to have been tightly focused on the Princess and friends' plan to save Earth from the Empire and would keep the team motivated through the struggle, even though she was uncomfortable with having to resign from the clergy and deal in lies to achieve their goals. Her hobby was playing the barauta, an instrument resembling a violin.

## Abilities

The Shrine Maiden had an aura with serenity as its main component. She had great control over her emotions, could shut out outside influences, and adhered to her religion's teachings by only channeling their approved emotions whenever possible.

She had an extremely keen empathokinetic perception, which had been honed through her training in the Tranquil Discipline, and the Spirit Guard believe her EKP was the best among the Princess's team. She could detect invisible or otherwise hidden individuals with little difficulty to the point where, for example, she was used to being able to identify visitors with just her EKP before they made their presence known in any way.

She had a large Investiture primarily composed of serenity.

The Maiden was trained in empathokinesis by the Church of the High Spirits's Tranquil Discipline, a branch that taught abilities useful for tasks like high-speed combat, reconnaissance, and espionage. One such ability is conjuring an empathokinetic mist to turn herself invisible, which matches the description of Spirit Guard Serenity's Placid Mist. She also used her powers to enhance her physical capabilities, particularly in regards to agility. She fought using a dagger in each hand, which she could instantaneously summon from and return to a dimension called the Empathic Plane. Her ambidexterity is implied to have been the result of training.

Her incredible faith allowed her to have a strong connection to her religion's gods, the High Spirits. She could sense them emotionally guide her when making difficult decisions, and any claims she made of receiving visions from them went largely unchallenged by her peers. Through a ritual, she directly contacted the High Spirits and received the requested favor of reincarnation from them, despite the gods being notoriously selective in granting miracles.

The Shrine Maiden is assumed to have had the same set of empathokinetic powers as Rob's Spirit Guard Serenity form.

## Biography

### Background

The Shrine Maiden was born the daughter of a duke in the Ardent Empire. During her childhood, she became best friends with the Princess. The two considered rebelling against the corrupt Empress and the declining Empire in some way, but nothing came of this before the Maiden left to join the Church of the High Spirits. While training as a sister in the Tranquil Discipline, the Maiden befriended fellow trainee the Scholar, who was the granddaughter of the order's Vice-Archon that the Maiden idolized. The Scholar later recanted from the order to take up empathokinetic research instead, and the year after saw the Maiden attain the rank of Priestess. Three years after that, the Maiden became the youngest person to be promoted to Shrine Maiden in seven centuries and had a stellar reputation among the Church.

The Maiden's shrine was stationed at a remote area to monitor the movements of Platicore's troops and the Other Power, with the Maiden disappointed to be stuck at a place of little consequence. After sending her report of yet another uneventful day, the Maiden's barauta playing saw her sense an invisible presence enter the safe house. She attacked the intruder, only to find it was the Scholar. The two catch up, with the Maiden devastated by the news of the Vice-Archon's death. He was assassinated two months prior as part of a conspiracy, which also made sure the Maiden, stationed away from the capital and warzone, wouldn't be notified until the vote for his successor was completed, as she would've been the only candidate popular enough to defeat the conspirators' choice, Liff. With the High Archon's open secret affair with the Empress and three of the six Vice-Archons too corrupt to oust him in a vote, the Maiden lost all hope that the Ardent Empire could ever be reformed. The Princess shared this sentiment, and for this reason she had sent the Scholar to request the Maiden join a secret scheme to sabotage the Empire's planned relocation to Earth and let it die in the Ardentia Civil War in order to protect the planet's young peoples. The Maiden agreed, was given information the Scholar had managed to acquire on the Other Power, and told to return to the capital city with her shrine and claim the intel was granted in visions with the High Spirits. The shrine's unannounced return was seen as desertion, so its members were detained in empathic isolation cells for questioning. The Princess then appeared with the Soldier to pardon the Shrine Maiden and deal with Liff, claiming she and the Maiden were in contact via confidential reports that also ordered her return. The Princess also removed the Shrine Maiden from the clergy, appointing her as her lady-in-waiting to keep her close.

The Shrine Maiden was recruited to the Princess's plan due to her strong connection to the High Spirits, as only one of incredible faith could ever hope to be granted the miracle of reincarnation the plan required. The Maiden performed a ritual to contact the High Spirits and requested the Princess's team be reincarnated as humans when their powers were needed for Earth's defense, which was approved. During the Empire's final battle for the nearly ready gateway to Earth, the Empress fought Platicore directly at the front while the Princess's group was paired with the Knight's to defend the gateway itself. While the Mender created a barrier around it and the Scholar stored the Spirit Sticks in the iris and began to sever the connection to Earth's gateway, the Maiden and the others struck down intruders and turned away impatient Ardentia by claiming the Atsah hadn't quite finished setting up their gateway. The battle devolved into chaos as the lie was discovered and the Other Power began to overtake the area. The Empress also found out of the Princess's betrayal at that time and returned to battle the team, killing all of them. The team had already accomplished their goal however, as the warp to Earth was disabled, though a gravely wounded Platicore managed to get through at the last moment. Everyone else on the Ardentia homeworld is assumed to have died either in battle or to the Other Power.

Thousands of years later, the request for reincarnation is granted, with the Shrine Maiden succeeded by Robert Dreese.

### Week 1

When Robert is attacked by Polygal, he glows with a blue light the Spirit Guards recognize as the Ardent Resonance of Spirit Guard Serenity, marking him as the Shrine Maiden's reincarnation. Confused by the Maiden's apparent successor being a man, they tell him they're unsure of the glow's meaning, but promise to let him know after they've looked into it. They ask Kunapipi about it, who confirms their suspicions, but adds that she's concerned about possible side effects the Spirit Guard transformation might have on Rob's body due to his sex not matching his predecessor's. When the team meets to discuss what they've each learned in their investigations of Robert, Angela worries that his attitude doesn't at all match what she thought the Maiden's reincarnation would be like, though the others assure her that his seeming coldness is nothing to be worried about and isn't unfitting for one associated with serenity.

When Robert meets the Spirit Guard at the Standridge Hill Stone Circle to learn why he had glowed, they explain the team's background and connection to the Ardent Empire. This includes Rob being reincarnated from the Shrine Maiden, which is confirmed beyond doubt when he is able to retrieve a Spirit Stick from the iris. He is also told that since the Spirit Guard transformation alters the user's body to be closer to their predecessor's and the apparent error in him being chosen as the Maiden's reincarnation, he will likely end up a woman in the image of the Maiden if he becomes Spirit Guard Serenity. At this, his hesitancy to accept the burdens of a superhero becomes a strong refusal to ruin his life for the sake of a past life he has no attachment to. He eventually ends up transforming anyway, however, to save Spirit Guard Tenacity from Day LaMode, unlocking the powers he had inherited from the Shrine Maiden, but ends up with a woman's body as predicted.

### Weeks 2-4

After Robynne's first day of classes at SAU following her transformation, during her sleep she has a vision of the Shrine Maiden's reunion with the Scholar and being recruited to the Princess's plan.

### Week 5

Following the battle with Cell-celia, that night sees Robynne have a vision of the Shrine Maiden being freed from her cell by the Princess and Soldier, as well as the encounter with Liff.

## Relationships

### Princess

The Shrine Maiden and Princess were the best of friends since childhood. They shared a disdain for the increasingly corrupt Ardent Empire and considered rebelling against the Empress in some way. The friends parted ways for several years when the Maiden left to train in the Church of the High Spirits. They reconnected after the Maiden achieved the rank of Shrine Maiden, when the Princess sent their mutual friend, the Scholar, to request the Maiden join the cause of protecting Earth. The Maiden reunited with the Princess when the latter pardoned her for suddenly returning to the capital city as asked. She was also removed from the clergy and appointed the Princess's lady-in-waiting, keeping the two close. The Maiden preferred to address the Princess in a formal manner, but the Princess insisted her friend speak to her with more familiarity.

### Soldier

Through the Shrine Maiden's close bond with the Princess, she was also familiar with the Soldier, the Princess's ever present bodyguard, from an early age. The Soldier was also part of the Princess's team in the Earth protection plan.

### Scholar

The Shrine Maiden befriended the Scholar when they were fellow trainees in the Church of the High Spirits's Tranquil Discipline, with the Scholar being the granddaughter of the then-current Vice-Archon the Maiden idolized. The Maiden adhered to the teachings much more strictly than her friend and chastised her for doing things improperly, and the Scholar would tease her for being so serious. When the Scholar left the order, she wouldn't meet the Maiden again for four years, at which point the Princess sent her to recruit the Maiden onto the plan to protect Earth. The Maiden was upset to see the Scholar recant from the order and still held it against her years later.

### Princess's team

In addition to the Princess, Soldier, and Scholar, the Shrine Maiden was joined in the cause of saving Earth by the Mender, a friend of the Princess's. The Maiden was considered the heart of the team in that she would never allow the others to falter even during the most difficult challenges they faced. The team was also aided by the Knight, though he was not let in on the ultimate goals of the Princess and friends. He and his closest lieutenants fought alongside the Princess, Soldier, and Shrine Maiden in defense of the gateway to Earth.

### Empress

Through her lifelong friendship with the Princess, the Shrine Maiden is assumed to have been familiar with the Princess's mother, the Empress. The Maiden shared the Princess's disdain for the corrupt Empress and considered rebelling against her in some way even as children. A major part of the plan to protect Earth was to save it from the Empress by ensuring her demise along with the Empire before the planet could be conquered. The Empress was not particularly trusting of the Princess's friends, but entrusted them with defending the gateway to Earth because the Knight's squad was present to supervise them. When the Empress learned of the team's betrayal near the end of the final battle, she returned to fight them herself and killed them, though at that point the team had already succeeded in shutting down the gateway and had no need to defeat the Empress in battle, as she was now stranded to die on the doomed Ardentia homeworld.

### High Spirits

The Shrine Maiden was one of extraordinary faith all throughout her life, granting her a strong connection to the High Spirits, her religion's gods. She would often pray to them, and she could sense them communicate via feelings to guide her in making difficult decisions. She was vital to the success of the plan to protect Earth due to this connection, as through a ritual she contacted her gods and was granted the favor of the Princess's team reincarnating as humans in the future.

### Liff

The Shrine Maiden had heard about Liff through her time in the Church of the High Spirits, disliking the man for being able to keep his Shrine Steward position despite his infamy as a sinner. He became Vice-Archon of Tranquility and thus her direct superior while she was stationed far away, with the conspiracy to get him the position seeing the previous Vice-Archon killed and making sure the Maiden wasn't notified of the ensuing vote of succession until it was too late, as she would've been an extremely popular candidate. The Maiden met Liff in person while being let out of her cell by the Princess and Soldier, and while she would've preferred to kill him for his involvement in the assassination of the previous Vice-Archon she dearly loved, she let the Princess make a fool of him in pardoning the Maiden without his consent.

### Church of the High Spirits

The Shrine Maiden was a very religious person and entered into the Church of the High Spirits's Tranquil Discipline at a young age. She idolized the then-current Vice-Archon of Tranquility, and was very close to him and his granddaughter, the Scholar. She excelled in her training as a Sister and performance as a Priestess, earning the rank of Shrine Maiden at a younger age than anyone in the past 700 years. She sought to snuff out corruption in the Church and had a glowing reputation among her peers, to the point that the conspirators who murdered the Vice-Archon made sure she wasn't notified of his death because her popularity would've certainly saw her win the vote to succeed him. She had a strong bond with her deacon and initiate subordinates of her shrine, and was very confident in their abilities despite them skewing younger. She and the members of her shrine were separately detained for questioning due to their unannounced return to the capital city, but it is unknown what became of them after this and the Maiden's subsequent removal from the clergy by the Princess. The conspiracy to kill and replace the Vice-Archon she loved so much as well as the High Archon's corruption destroyed the Maiden's hopes of the Church being able to reverse the Ardent Empire's fall into moral bankruptcy, sealing her decision to join the cause of sabotaging the Empire's survival.

### Robert Dreese/Robynne Darling

Thousands of years after the Shrine Maiden's death, her wish for reincarnation when she and her friends' powers are needed to protect Earth is granted, with Robert as her successor. Rob inherited part of the Maiden's soul, including the Investiture, as well as several empathokinetic abilities, though he was not aware of any of this until the Spirit Guard explain it all to him and have him retrieve a Spirit Stick left to him by the Scholar. Robert being the Maiden's successor is said to be due to an error in the reincarnation process, however, because the Spirit Guard transformation alters the user's body into one closer to their predecessor's, which for Rob means getting stuck with a woman's body. Despite his hatred of Fate for choosing him and dismissal of any sort of past life business, he eventually relents in his refusal to transform, becoming Spirit Guard Serenity, a Champion that defends Earth with powers and instincts once belonging to the Shrine Maiden, in order to save Mallory's life. After transforming for the first time, Robynne sometimes receives visions of the Shrine Maiden's life in her sleep.