Layona Hevensare

Layona as illustrated by smillerbee2 on Fiverr.

Layona Hevensare is one of the main characters in The Lunar Blessing and serves as the main love interest of protagonist Echo Brimson. She is part of the Raven Cleansers Corp and aids the helpless citizens of Ravenyen from enraged beasts. She meets Echo and the gang during a dangerous encounter in the city and becomes part of their crew for both, her own reasons, and to help Echo avenge her family.

## Appearance

Layona is described as having large, warm, topaz-colored eyes and waist-length, black hair, some of which is pulled up into two curly ponytails. She is about 5'6" and has a medium brown skin tone and freckles on her cheeks. Layona wields a spear and often carries it on her back when she isn't using it. She typically dresses in black and white and wears clothing items that don't restrict her movement, including her signature ripped shorts that have small chains dangling from them and a cross-top. paired with her signature ankle boots and long white socks.

## Personality

When Layona is first introduced she is seen as mysterious and noble, friendly and willing to help Echo, Quil and Angel cross Ravenyen in one piece. Though it is quickly discovered throughout the story that she more openly expresses sadness, warmth and compassion than most of the people in the party. Despite things that have affected her in the past, she believes in never losing spirit and taking advantage of life's joys and sorrows while she's alive. Many people in the party look to her for comfort and guidance and become somewhat protective of her.

Layona is occasionally stubborn and has a jealous side that only comes out later in the book when Echo is reminiscing of her ex-boss that Quil joked about her having a crush on. As the story progresses and she falls in love, her desire for a happy ending becomes her main goal and she consistently tries to persuade Echo into choosing humanity despite the consequences this could have on the world.

Overall, Layona is viewed as a very passionate, very human character. Her views and personality are one of the main factors that drive The Lunar Blessing's story and moral, as well as Echo's personal journey.

## Story

#### Childhood

Layona was raised in Ravenyen with her parents, being an only child. Her parents owned a small business in South Ravenyen and the family stayed in a home nearby the school, so that Layona could easily commute in the morning. Layona was a well behaved child though when she was a teenager she began learning how to fight beasts with her friends. At this time, the beasts in all parts of Ravenyen were beginning to run rampant and she didn't want to be left helpless. She kept this a secret from her parents up until one night, during a closing shift when they got trapped in their shop due to beasts surrounding the building. Layona and her friends arrived to scare them off and protect her parents but not before the shop was partially destroyed. Her dad, though grateful, warned her to stay away from the beasts and to stop going out to intentionally fight them. She rarely disobeyed her father's orders but this time, she didn't comply.

#### The Raven Cleansers Corp

When she was seventeen, Layona's parents were struggling to keep their business afloat as the amount of beasts surrounding South Ravenyen was driving many citizens away. She snuck out one night to train and ended up being overpowered, wounding her leg before she crawled into an abandoned building for safety. She was discovered by Remmi and Valten Vorsmal who treated her wound and introduced themselves as the owners of the Raven Cleansers Corp, an organization of skilled fighters that helped protect citizens from beasts. Layona stayed friends with them and began training with them and on her eighteenth birthday they made her an official member. Her parents weren't pleased and wanted their daughter to pursue something safer but Layona had already found a passion in helping innocent civilians. When she began making good money she told her parents to retire and move to Hoffee, a much safer city a continent away. She moved to Central Ravenyen and got an apartment in the high-class building where the other members of the Raven Cleansers Corp resided.