Shinda Shihaisha

Physical Appearance

• Waist-length slate colored hair, front/top swept from left to right with the rest tied back into a ponytail; hair was black in life
• Red eyes; silver in life
• Fair skinned, very pale in complexion unless he has recently fed; slightly more tanned in life
• Black leathery wings that he can hide/reveal at will
• Tall in height
• Physically fit with strong muscles and a quick/graceful frame
• Numerous scars across body, usually covered up by clothing; most notable on chest, arms, and back

Clothing Style

Shinda tends to wear a combination of Japanese and medieval inspired clothing, although he more heavily leans toward the Japanese styled look. When out and about when he could wind up in combat, he tends to wear a metal chest piece composed of multiple bladed plates. Under that he wears mahogany colored leather chest piece, and under that a black high collared long sleeved shirt. Around his waist he wears a belt for his sword cases and a red cloth sash along with a torn piece of what might have been tabard at some point. He wears mahogany colored gauntlets, shoulder guards, and neck guard. His leather legguards are also mahogany colored with metal kneepads, and wears black boots with gray straps. A strap around his right thigh is sometimes used to hold a spare knife, and his legs are wrapped in gray cloth. The band he uses to tie back his hair is also mahogany colored.

When in more relaxed situations like while he's in the Phoenitis palace, he wears more traditional Japanese styled robes/Kimono with some medieval motifs, although the designs are not entirely accurate to the source material (because it's a completely different planet, so duh the culture wouldn't be exactly the same). (exact design TBD)

Personality

Shinda is an ancient vampire who has mastered the art of swordplay and rifting over the ages. The culture he comes from along with the sword techniques he has mastered is similar to that of a samurai, and as such he has a strong sense of honor and loyalty to his allies and the people of his former homeland. He has a tendency to be protective toward others, although he is very aloof and prefers to not be seen and acknowledged by others. He'll act in the background without others noticing him, and he would rather be detached and unknown to the world. He is dedicated to his cause and morals, and his strong sense of justice can make him rather self-deprecating when he is unable to help others or is forced to act against his values. He spent a long time under the control of the woman who turned him into a vampire, and he's very sensitive about being manipulated or having to view others being oppressed. He feels that certain situations should play out without his interference since he "no longer has a part to play in the world," yet he will intervene to protect those who cannot do so themselves. Although he is a vampire and requires blood to survive, he has made it a point to never turn his victims into vampires. He will either kill his victims if they could prove to be a threat to others or he will only take what he needs from the victim and leave them alive and untainted.

Shinda is a rather quiet and calm man who follows his instincts and is fearless in combat. Although he doesn't like to interact with others more than necessary (mostly because people tend to fear him, since he doesn't dislike socializing or anything), he is a natural leader and can take charge of a situation or groups of people he needs to look after, since he was raised to ascend the throne in life. In life he was a down to earth and headstrong young prince who was eager to learn and serve his people. There are sometimes hints at the spirit and enthusiasm he had before, but years of serving Shana has killed the innocence and optimism in him, so he can come off as very cynical at times. He tends to be very reserve with his emotions now and rarely reveals himself to anyone, and even to those he does interact with he can be rather closed off. He always seems to maintain a serious and leveled headed demeanor, but he can lose his temper when encountering Shanan forces or when dealing with tyranny or subjugation of others.

The only person he seems to have opened up to in recent years has been Hikari, who he is currently married to and has a family with. Although uncertain about the repercussions of such a relationship, he seems to be more open to letting down his emotional walls to her and trying to pursue happiness again. He and Hikari can be a little competitive with each other in swordplay, and although he has many, many years more experience than her due to his long lifespan, she still provides him with a welcome challenge. Their sparring matches are frequent and usually playful while still intense, and when they're not focused on swordplay Hikari can coax him into being affectionate and sometimes a little goofy with her too. Due to the treatment he received from Shana while enslaved by her, Shinda is very hesitant and uneasy with having intimacy, so Hikari tends to be very gradual and gentle with him to make sure he's comfortable. He can sometimes flinch at being touched too suddenly or become overwhelmed if not eased into physical affection carefully enough, and he gets very anxious if put into a submissive state. Despite being rather detached and distant in most cases, Shinda does enjoy and desire closeness and intimacy and often gets frustrated at himself for allowing Shana's treatment of him still affect him to this day. 

As a father, Shinda is protective toward his sons and treats them as the most cherished people in his life alongside Hikari. He does tend to be a bit aloof since he tries to avoid being seen by others in general, so what time he does spend with him is always private and rather intimate. He tends to worry about whether or not he's a good enough father figure toward them, but they all seem to look up to him, and he tries his best to be a good role model and protector of the family. He tends to spend more time with his eldest son, Shima, simply because he is the most interested in inheriting the throne and Shinda wants to mentor and teach him as much as he can to prepare him for the future. In terms of swordplay though, Shinda tends to spend more time with Takahashi, since they share a much more similar style and use the same types of blades. However, Shinda is extremely protective and affectionate toward Rai, especially since Rai spent the majority of his childhood suffering from illness. In recent years, Rai has managed to become more healthy and is eager to learn to wield a sword and practice his rifting, so Shinda tends to be a little overbearing at times since he worries about his son overexerting himself or suffering any injuries.

Abilities

• Eterniti rifting - rank 5/5
• Fyre rifting - rank 5/5
• Iyce rifting - rank 5/5
• Darc rifting - rank 5/5
• Deyth rifting - rank 5/5
• Flight by wings
• Demonic strength, stamina, and agility
• Hairline reflexes
• Mastery with swords, particularly his dual bladed katanas
• Skilled in hand to hand combat
• Extremely high pain tolerance
• Accelerated regeneration from demonic aura
• Skilled at horseback riding, although it has been a while since he’s done so

Strengths

• Focused, instinctive, and unmatched in swordplay (or combat in general)
• Experienced and wise from his long life, and a perfectionist in his passions
• Honorable, protective, loyal, and dedicated
• Just, a strong leader, cunning, and resourceful

Weaknesses

• Aloof, slow to trust, tends to distance himself from society, and somewhat socially awkward from his long isolation
• Cynical, a bit jaded from his past of servitude, and has trouble feeling comfortable with intimacy due to past trauma
• Somewhat sensitive to light and holy energies, although he's trained to be more resilient than most vampires
• Has lasting corruption from his vampiric curse than binds him to Shana, allowing her to bend him to her will

Backstory

His name was chosen from a prophecy predicting he would never take the throne before his death. Shinda Shihaisha, known as the Dead Prince of Dracone, grew up sheltered by his parents fearing his untimely death as foretold. Shinda studied the way of the sword for years, but he was forbidden from entering battle and to only use his skills as a means of defense. Shinda often went against his father's word, practicing intensely with his personal guard and friend, Gaddrandal Endrenean. At age seventeen, Shinda secretly joined the ranks of Dracone soldiers to intercept the approaching Phoenitis army. His efforts through his swordplay and especially his rifting skills contributed greatly to Dracone's victory, and the king begrudgingly allowed Shinda to continue advanced sword and rifting studies out of secret.

Shinda later met a young beauty of mysterious origin named Shana, and the two's relationship bloomed over the years until they were to be wed. A few weeks before their wedding, Shinda was attacked by a rogue Draconen Veira that would have killed him if the Anadican, Idramae Fiaran, had not intervened and subsequently befriended him. Idramae also later intervened on Shinda's wedding, revealing his to-be bride as a doppelgänger to the Goddess of Death, Yashana. Shana later returned to Dracone with her Army of the Dead, razing the kingdom and inflicting Shinda with the vampiric curse to serve as her slave and consort. He reluctantly carried out her will until her defeat at the conclusion of the First War. He returned to a slowly rebuilding Dracone to linger in the shadows and watch the kingdom rise under the first rule outside the royal family.

After years of honing his skills alone in the wilds of Shiwahono, Shinda returned to the flourishing kingdom of Dracone generations later to find the crown princess, Hikari Yakuhoshi, and the crown prince of Phoenitis, Kaji Honoha, being arranged into marriage to unite the kingdoms after ages of conflict. Something about the princess perplexed Shinda, since she did not share the same aura the previous Dracone rulers had, so he watched her from afar for a time before unintentionally crossing blades with her. The two befriended each other afterwards and grew rather close over time, and Shinda assisted her when she set out to rescue Kaji from rising Shanan forces Seeking to occupy Shiwahono once again. After saving her life while escaping the prison caverns, Shinda was surprised by Hikari's discovery she was of the Phoenitis bloodline instead and her subsequent proposal to him, which he accepted despite his worries about the consequences.

Shinda reigns as Phoenitis's king, yet he prefers for Hikari to hold all power and interact with their people to avoid anyone knowing about having an ancient vampire on the throne. The two are currently raising their young, triplet princes to carry the kingdom into the future, and to Shinda's relief they are unaffected by his vampiric curse due to the purifying blessing of the Phoenix from Hikari's bloodline.

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