Aurelius

Aurelius dedicates himself wholeheartedly to his newfound research, immersing in work whenever he finds a moment alone. Beyond that, he is remarkably affectionate and caring, ensuring everyone around him feels at ease and expressing gratitude to those who lend a hand—earning him the occasional label of a people pleaser. Pinning down Aurelius' personality proves challenging, as it seems to shift with each interaction, likely a consequence of his previous position. Ultimately, as the day winds down, the most authentic Aurelius emerges—a tired, serene Hellian yearning to cuddle up with his pillow and drift into sleep.

Despite significant personal growth, Aurelius remains a troubled individual, grappling with past trauma. He often finds himself pondering his identity, questioning whether the person he is today is truly his own creation or merely an amalgamation of the roles he had to fulfill in the past. In a world that feels too vast, he's determined to prove to himself that he can survive independently, navigating the complexities of self-discovery.

Presently, Aurelius collaborates with Valente to enhance the relationship between Terrum and Hellians, guided by Zeneath's research on the subject. He shares a home with Valente but is genuinely terrified of venturing outside, only doing so when accompanied by someone. Despite this fear, he prefers to keep his struggles to himself and avoids discussing the issue with others. He rarely uses his shapeshifting abilities as they really drain him after years of constantly using them.

Aurelius was born as the result of his father's lifelong project to create a Terradis species strong enough to face a Hellian. His mother served as a shapeshifting Hellian surrogate, although it seems the only thing inherited by Aurelius was her esther. In the early stages of his life, he was neglected by his father and instead raised by the staff that assisted the surrogate in recovering after childbirth. It wasn't until Aurelius could retain taught information that his father finally took interest in him, grooming him as a future agent for his shadow company, which was determined to sever communication between Exilium and Terradis. His teenage years were spent undergoing intense training in his newfound magic, pushing him to the brink of exhaustion. Despite being only half-Hellian, his esther proved to be incredibly powerful once it manifested.

He continued to undergo training and was occasionally sent on undercover missions as a spy, shapeshifting into completely new personas to avoid detection. He was expected to be flawless, and any mistake on his part would result in severe consequences. The constant switching of personalities and the flow of information proved to be too much for teenage Aurelius. One day, he broke down and sent himself into a spiral. As a result, he was put on hold from any missions for at least a year—though the exact duration isn't certain, as Aurelius spent that time locked in his room, only emerging for necessities. His father rewarded him for his years of work with a singular 'ice-cream day'.

All his years of training were finally put to the test as Aurelius faced his biggest mission yet—going after the man most vocal about cooperation between Hellians and Terrum: Valente. Aurelius was assigned to incapacitate Valente's trusted assistant - Zeneath - and hide them until he could transport them back to Terradis. The assitant unexpectedly put up more of a fight than anyone anticipated. Before Aurelius knew it, he was standing before the unconscious body, shell-shocked and disoriented. He could only think about his next objective, which was to hide the hellian. Little did he know, they would never leave that hiding spot. With little time to process what happened, he had no time to get into character as he was promptly requested to visit the boss himself. From day one, he knew this mission wouldn't go as smoothly as he had hoped.

The mission was supposed to last only a couple of months, gathering enough information about Valente and having his father's company take care of the rest. However, Aurelius found himself forgetting that he was there to play a role and instead started developing a quite intense connection to his target. Valente, being such a charming and caring gentleman, not too much older than Aurelius, would become an attachment. And that was his second mistake.

The third mistake proved to be the most life-shattering one. Growing sick of being his father's puppet, Aurelius decided to distance himself as far as possible from him. Just before he left for good, he stumbled upon classified information regarding his last mission. Hoping to find Valente's current location within, he took it without thinking. Aurelius then moved to another town, hoping to start his life anew, but reality quickly caught up to him. He noticed strange figures following him everywhere he went, eventually receiving a surprise visit from his father. While his dad hoped to persuade him to return to his old life, it only motivated Aurelius to move even further away—to Exilium.

He rented an apartment on the outskirts of Pulmontis, discovering that the papers he had stolen belonged to Zeneath. They discussed the idea of bonding the two worlds together, and it quickly became apparent why his father wanted Aurelius back so badly. His father went as far as hiring an assassin to simply get rid of the headache that was his son. To this day, Aurelius isn't quite sure how he survived being a target for a specialized hitman, but feeling absolutely powerless in a world of so much danger, crawling back to Valente seemed like his only hope.