Mibu Hikaru

CANON HISTORY:
(Setting and history overlap with Novus Laetor publishorperish, with permission! Setting document is here!)
When humankind reached for magic, they ended the world. The paper-thin veil that had separated a world of magic from the world of man tore and burst apart, and the world and people in it rendered forever changed.

After the world ended, the survivors of the cataclysm were forced to rebuild. They formed nations, kingdoms of sorts, out of the ruins and the few pockets of the old world left at least partially intact. Each of these nations came to their own conclusions about the spirits and monsters released from the other side, In the nation of Izumo, a single family rose to deal with it, a family with no Links. Lacking magic, they were considered more...resilient than Links to the siren song of magic and it’s disasters, and so the Mibu family served--as intermediaries, and assassins. As the millenia passed, the Mibu developed their techniques, and founded the Archivists, a part of the Akashic Union that specializes in cataloguing and collecting information on magic, relics, and spirits. But the Mibu kept part of their library private, forever keeping the secrets of the spirits settled in the Kingdom of Izumo secret, and guarding furthermore three relics of surpassing strength, said to have predated even the Old World’s experiments. With the rise of the AU, the Mibu stepped back from the spotlight of leadership in Izumo, although rumors persisted they still performed their duty as mediums between humans, Links, and spirits.

Twenty-five years ago, one of the more powerful spirits of Izumo, the Thunderbolt Fox, was in talks with the head of the Mibu family. Ten years ago, he, along with the entire family home, as sealed away in a giant bubble, through which no one can enter--or exit. Speculations as to why and how the Mibu and the Thunderbolt have been sealed range from the cynical to the fantastic, but most figure that the only people who would know the truth are sealed inside that same barrier.
This is not entirely true.

Mibu Hikaru is the daughter of the Thunderbolt, Seijirou, born by him and the head of the Mibu, Hotaru, 20 years ago. To the surprise of both of her parents, their child was born a Universal Link--a mythical type of Link able to connect with and use any type of relic they came across. Realizing the danger of Hikaru’s nature being widely known, her birth was kept secret, and Hikaru was raised in isolation on the Mibu estate until she was ten years old.

That day, three separate employees of the household erupted into AKs, and their condensed magic began to turn Seijirou into one as well. In a desperate bit, Hotaru used one of the Mibu’s sacred relics, sealing the entire property into a bubble of stopped time--and pushed Hikaru outside of it, with two of the other relics. Hikaru was taken in by the Archivists, and trained as a Link, although she was careful to conceal her abilities, as per her mother’s warnings. As she grew older, Hikaru became obsessed with data on AKs, searching desperately for a way to reverse the disaster on her family, particularly in saving her father. By the time she was 16, Hikaru had decided to switch to active duty as one of the Akashic Union’s relic hunters, convinced she could find some relic that would save her family. In the meantime, she continued to move from Archivist outpost to outpost, in order to avoid suspicion of her true nature, and the nature of the relics she carried. Luckily, Hikaru excelled at Archivist work, and her frequent transfers were considered a boon to the Archives she visited.

It took three years of intense training and bureaucratic hoop-jumping, but Hikaru finally managed to gain permission to begin active relic hunting. On her very first assignment, she was sent to a small town in the middle of the Broken Continent, a town beleaguered by constant rains...and an AU station staffed by only one man--Novus Laetor. After their first job turned out to be much more dangerous than initially anticipated, she found out quickly that her new partner had secrets of his own--specifically, that he, too, was slowly becoming an AK. With a bond forged of mutual life-destroying secrets, the two of them soon moved on to more assignments.

Several months after their initial meeting, Novus and Hikaru ran across a similar pair of links on a mission to escort a train carrying classified cargo. They befriended the other two links--Seiji and Kaoru--before the mission took a turn for the disastrous. The train was stopped by an unnatural sandstorm and came under siege...and then subsequently the cargo itself broke free, a half-turned Link who had been pushed into an AK by the battle around them. Instead of fleeing, Novus overused his own relic to protect his friends, and would have become an AK then and there himself, turning the disaster into a full-blown catastrophe, if Hikaru had not used her abilities on his own relic, turning it into a limiter that could keep his corruption under control.

Seiji and Kaoru agreed to keep Novus condition a secret, as he had saved their life, and Kaoru told Hikaru of a relic that might be the very miracle she had spent her life searching for. Kaoru’s mother had possessed a Relic, the Memory of Sunlight, that could cure any ill, heal any injury, and banish despair from the hearts of mankind. Such a relic could probably heal even an AK, but the [name] was taken by the Mibu family after the user’s death.

Hikaru resolved then to seek out the Memory, both for her family’s sake and for Novus’, but to get there, they would have to travel all the way back to Izumo, without alerting any other treasure-hunters to what it was they sought, or Novus’ condition. While in transit, Novus pressed her to reveal what she planning, and under intense scrutiny (and after several arguments), Hikaru revealed that at best, she could use the Memory only a single time before she would become an AK herself--and with the Relic’s user dead, there was no telling if anyone else who could use the Memory was even alive. Anyone else who attempted to use an ill-synched relic would naturally become an AK themselves, or die, most likely before they’d even finished using the Memory.

Novus refused to let Hikaru simply give up on her family, and Hikaru refused to simply leave Novus to his fate, but neither of them could come up with an alternate solution. They reached Izumo and the dome without an answer, but before they could find one, they found a new disaster. An unknown Link had arrived at the Mibu Dome and broken the barrier open, releasing the horror inside--a monstrous AK, ten years in the incubating. The rogue Link and Novus were immediately forced into battle with the beast, with Novus struggling not to accidentally murder Hikaru’s father before she could find the Memory. Even as she found it, Hikaru also found her mother, also turned, and willing to fight her own daughter in defense of the Thunderbolt. In the ensuing struggle, Hikaru dropped the Memory, which rolled over to Novus’ feet. For reasons known only to Novus himself, he discarded his own relic, shedding the limits it placed on him, and used the Memory--to save both of Hikaru’s parents, at the cost of his own humanity.

Horrified and grieving, Hikaru made one last, desperate gambit, unwilling to accept that she would lose someone she love to save her family, and took up Novus book, one last time, unconsciously writing into the fabric of the universe that AKs could somehow, be saved. And in that moment, the miracle she wished for occurred--Novus reverted, his corruption receding, back to a regular Link, if one drained and wounded from the day’s battle. The Memory was spent, a mere shell of the power it had once had, but even so, Hikaru and Novus made the decision to keep it with them, in case the world had need of another miracle.

In the aftermath, Hikaru made the decision to return to the Broken Continent and the AU with Novus--he would be on leave for recovery for quite some time, after all, and, Hikaru reasoned, would need someone to look after him. Hikaru’s parents merely suspected she’d get in a little less trouble with someone to keep an eye on her.

CANON PERSONALITY:
Hikaru is a very driven young woman, above almost all else. To most of the world, that is the only image she will allow them to see--a mysterious young woman wholly focused on her goals, which just happen to be the betterment of the human condition. No, no, no need to thank her, she does this by pure magnanimous grace. If Hikaru had her way, she’d hold the world at arm’s distance, no one ever knowing more than the bare minimum about her. Her desire to remain separate and mysterious is driven by a need to keep from getting attached to other people--Hikaru knows that it will be difficult for her to put her goals over people she has grown to care about, and since her goals, particularly her desires to reverse the AK process, and prevent people from discovering her nature as a Universal Link, are so direly important to her, Hikaru works hard at keeping herself isolated from a genuine human connection.

Unfortunately for Hikaru, she’s very bad at isolating. Her desire to do so wars intensely with an inherently curious and compassionate nature; Hikaru simply can’t help herself from trying to meddle and intervene in the lives of others. While she genuinely wishes to help the people she messes with, her isolation has left her ignorant of the idea many may not enjoy her capricious and seemingly laissez-faire approach to other people’s thoughts and feelings. She’d be upset if she was confronted with people she’d genuinely hurt, but through luck or design, she’s never yet had to deal with that kind of consequence. Hikaru is like a maladjusted social lightning bolt--she strikes fast and then moves on to the next project before anyone has time to register what she’s done.

Her strange upbringing and distance from others leaves Hikaru with very little outlet for contact and affection--by consequence, the few people Hikaru forms a genuine bond with are treated to an unceasing torrent of affection and subsequent meddling. The more she likes a person, the more she wants to help a person, and the more absolutely ridiculous her attempts to shower someone in her regard become. Be it romantic, platonic, or just sheer familial bond, nothing is too over-the-top for Hikaru Mibu, when it comes to showing her special people she cares.

The dark side of this, however, is a young woman who is deeply anxious about being liked by those she cares about, and darkly protective of those same people. Same as there is nothing too grand for her affections, there’s no low she won’t stoop to in avenging her friends and family. Hikaru sees nothing wrong with blackmail, extortion and rumor-mongering if it’s to get revenge on someone who’s harmed her friends--her vengeance is often more carefully planned and coldly calculated than her help. It’s only natural to spare no effort when it comes to protecting those you love, right?

Revenge and duty seem to be the only areas where Hikaru truly excels at forethought. An excellent improviser, Hikaru’s plans in all other aspects of life tend to be convoluted on paper and completely different in execution--she acts on her whims and what seems most likely to bring her or whoever she’s helping the best result--at that exact moment in time. It’s only through serendipity or divine intervention that she’s somehow managed to make her lackadaisical meddling work out for her.

SKILLS/ABILITIES:
Hikaru is a half-blood with fox features, including vulpine ears, elongated canines, claw-like nails, and five extremely fluffy fox tails. While these features are normally only visible while she is using a relic, I would like them to each count as separate regains for the purposes of Recolle. Additionally, she has above-human speed, and a heightened sense of smell and hearing, at all times, regardless of whether or not her fox-like features are visible.

As a Universal Link, Hikaru can use any relic she comes across, but some are easier for her to use than others. Any time she uses any relic, Hikaru will temporarily have her fox ears and tails back, but without them specifically regained, they will vanish as soon as she stops actively using the relic. The Relics she has on her at this time are:

Divine Ink: A paintbrush that functions as a magical girl’s wand, Divine Ink can create anything Hikaru can draw, from wards to dinosaurs, and bring them to life. It can also change in size and shape, and is capable of flight and carrying up to three people, although not comfortably, akin to a witchs’ broomstick.

Mirror of the Sky: A large circular mirror, roughly the size of a dinner plate, held in an ornate frame. The Mirror allows Hikaru to do two things; first, it allows her to spy on any place or person she has seen before, as long as there is a reflective surface near that place or person. She can be shown representation of her target to qualify, but only to a point--a photograph of the Golden Gate bridge would work, but a painting would not.

Secondly, she can use it to alter how people around her see her and anything she is touching. This can extend to other people, but only so long as they are physically touching her. Objects must be similarly touching her or held by her.

Memory of Sunlight : This relic allows Hikaru to lessen the pain of others. It cannot actually physically heal injuries, but allows a person to move and act as though they are not injured or in pain, for as long as Hikaru can concentrate on the effect. For larger injuries, Hikaru will experience some of the pain as her own, which hinders her concentration.
Hikaru can, in theory, pass her pain on to another with this relic, but is extremely unlikely to do so.

Heart of the Storm*: The Heart of the Storm is a strange relic, as it is not a physical object; rather, the Heart is representative of the powers Hikaru inherited from her father, and thus any object Hikaru designates as the Heart will become the physical focus for it. Designating an object requires focus and concentration, as does changing it to a new object.
The Heart gives Hikaru power over lightning, and is both extremely strong and extremely susceptible to the sort of magic overdose that could turn her into an AK. Furthermore, several of the heart’s capabilities are not fully understood by Hikaru herself, but will be noted here for completeness.

In addition to control of lighting and the weather, the Heart layers a sort of divine insulation, that Hikaru can spread to anyone she has a personal connection to. This insulation protects most against heat, cold, and electricity, and against physical damage to a much lesser extent. The insulation cannot stop a bullet, but it can give a chance to survive a wound that isn’t instantly fatal.

Finally, in accordance with her father’s nature, the Heart controls Hikaru’s inhuman aspects; her fast healing ability, her sense of hearing and smell, and her above-human agility. If used in tandem with the Mirror, Hikaru can temporarily grant these advantages to others.
*Due to the multifaceted nature of this relic, I would be breaking down each aspect of it into multiple regains if at all possible.