A former knight of the Order of the Sword in Fortuna. Lucan operates as a solo devil hunter. He is the result of a Devil Arm - demonic weapons that are the manifestation of a demon's soul and power - being transfered into a human host. He has no memory of his life as a demon, but he retained his magical ability which lay dormant in this new human identity. Lucan was raised to follow the tenants of the Order while training his latent ability until the Order's collapse. He now slays those who threaten to assert their power over others.

Lucan is a young man of below-average height and medium build. He has unkempt dyed hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. He bears a scar on his left cheek and keeps a closely-trimmed beard along his chin.

Lucan initially appears as calm, reserved, and somewhat distinguished. His coolheaded nature masks his sarcastic and cavalier nature, which further conceals inner turmoil. Lucan refuses to show deep emotion and deflects often. All the same, his sense of humor and impishness stops him from coming off as too serious. Lucan is solitary and views relationships as transactional due to a past of only conditional altruism afforded to him. He often frames his alliances as him “using” the other party for his personal goals. His instinct is to keep others at bay so they do not have the opportunity to hurt or disappoint him. To this end, Lucan establishes inaccessibility. Lucan enjoys violence perhaps as a condition of his previous life as a demon. While inclined to find a peaceful solution first, when words fail he does not hesitate to hurt others. Despite this, Lucan is genuinely compassionate and believes in second, third, chances. Lucan does not believe that anyone “deserves” cruelty, but this view is at odds with his experiences. As he does not believe in good and evil, Lucan can sympathize with beings who do harm- but condemns their wrongdoing if it affects him and loved ones. Lucan has a strong belief in equal opportunity and a right to live by one’s own code.

Nico's Reports

Lucan was originally known as the Demon Knight Tianshi. He was part of a sect of warriors of the Underworld, almost analogous to a band of mercenaries who fought in many battles. He was acquainted with Sparda’s apprentices Baul and Modeus, and was unable to understand why Sparda abandoned the demon world, or why Modeus gave up swordsmanship. He fought with a yanyuedao, a polearm comparable to the naginata or glaive. This weapon would be known as Devil Arm Tianshi later.

When the Temen-ni-gru was raised, Tianshi came to the tower to observe Arkham’s scheme as well as Sparda’s sons, hoping to judge them by their father's merits and determine who was worthy of Sparda's power - and what that truly meant. While he observed Dante, he more closely encountered Vergil on several occasions and questioned his motivations. The young darkslayer was intrigued by this knight's supposed connection with his father, and an unspoken sense of honor formed between the two. When Vergil was defeated and sealed himself in the Underworld, it was clear Dante was the victor and the new bearer of Force Edge, but Tianshi could not feel satisfaction from these events, no closer to understanding what power truly meant. The demon disappeared to parts unknown.

At some point, whether by defeat or otherwise, Tianshi’s soul became one with his weapon. Devil Arm Tianshi was later uncovered by the Order of the Sword in Fortuna. As part of their Ascension experiments, they sought to explore the union of human flesh with demonic materials. Was it possible to transfer a demon’s soul into a human body to create something new? Devil Arm Tianshi rejected many subjects before finally imparting its soul onto a young child. The results were considered imperfect - both the child and the demon warrior lost their previous identities and skills, but the child seemed to gain some latent superhuman qualities, mainly the ability to use dark magic. It was decided to raise this child closely within the Order in order to cultivate these abilities.

This was the birth of Lucanus.

Lucan was, perhaps understandibly, considered an oddity among others. He was raised with a degree of separation from the other children of the city but had some friendship with the younger children Nero and Kyrie. Lucan could be seen burying himself in science, history, and demonology texts, as well as developing his skill for artwork. He did not believe Sparda was their savior, but was nonetheless active in the faith due to wanting a sense of belonging and acceptance. He seeked this further during his time as a Knight, training dutifully. However, his treatment as a mere asset continued. He gained some respect if he did his duty well, but was otherwise dismissed.

With no real family or friends, the lonely soul began to rebel. His attitude became selfish and pessimistic, and he believed that people had no inherent compassion or righteousness in their hearts. Wasting his talents and no longer training diligently or accepting the Order’s authority, the few times he felt motivated was during spars with Nero.

Lucan’s standoffish behavior meant he never became a higher rank. However, the inherent nature of his existence made him privy to some of the deeper plans of the Order.

When the time came to awaken the Savior, Lucan was reigned in by his own fear of what would become of him if the Order no longer needed him. Out of desperation and the events surrounding him, he awakens his latent ability to Devil Trigger. His new ability made him worthy of the Order's cause, but while he tried to follow all of his orders diligently, he was defeated by both Nero and Dante on separate occasions. His Devil Trigger seemed to awaken a strange sense of purpose that was buried within him, and he felt compelled to stand down to Sparda’s bloodline.

After the fall of the Order, Lucan was unsure how to lead his life. He recovered the remnants of Devil Arm Tianshi, of which he felt a strange magnetism towards, but could not yet re-awaken its power. Many Order documents pertaining to it and himself were lost. He assisted in rebuilding Fortuna, but decided to leave as he no longer held attachment to the city. He occasionally remained in contact with Nero, Kyrie, and Dante. Lucan became a solo devil hunter, traveling the world and eventually settling in Redgrave nearby...

FULL STORY

Relationships (Canon)

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Vergil

While their emotional relationship formed during Vergil's time as V, in truth they met long ago while Lucan was still Tianshi. Lucan is remarkably more patient with Vergil than anybody else. His devotion to Vergil likely comes from his own struggles with weakness and isolation, and recognition of the self through the other. Vergil is not someone Lucan wants to "fix" - rather, he is someone Lucan already understands. In turn, Vergil feels a sense of doing right by Lucan. The parts of themselves they repressed are encouraged in each other's company, and Lucan is incredibly endeared to Vergil's more human traits while holding no foul opinion on Vergil's demonhood. Lucan isn't intimidated by the half-demon and treats him as an ordinary man, telling him jokes even if Vergil isn't always receptive to them. Vergil loves and hates Lucan's ability to see through his exterior.

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Dante

Dante and Lucan share a sense of partnerhood and respect. They get along due to their humors and nonchalant attitudes, quipping back and forth. Lucan seems to take all of Dante's eccentricities in stride and is not as bothered by his habits as he may pretend. While they seem to others as the most casual of friends, they have each other's backs - whether that means Lucan lending out his money to Dante from time after time or Dante granting temporary asylum or advice to the transient hunter. Dante shows concern about Lucan's relationship with Vergil, but is relieved that someone else wants to keep an eye on his brother. He encourages the coupling in the end, and loves giving Vergil a hard time over it. Dante apparently has very little recollection of Tianshi, but respects Lucan as a fighter and opponent. Lucan meanwhile feels that Dante's good nature and sense of justice reminds him of someone.

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Nero

The two men went through training together, although the older Lucan's isolation limited their interactions outside of training. They had enough of an impact on each other to not consider each other true enemies when circumstances pit the two knights together. Nowadays Lucan's main anchor to Fortuna is Kyrie, keeping in contact with Nero through her.
Their shared experiences in Fortuna permitted them to become better friends during the mission in Redgrave. Lucan encourages Vergil to have a better relationship with Nero, and he often acts as an mediator and a symbol of common ground between father and son.

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Modeus

Tianshi respected the twins Baul and Modeus immensely as fighters and Sparda's apprentices. The three sparred often and regarded each other as strong warriors. However, Tianshi questioned Sparda entrusting his will to Modeus when Baul was the highly disciplined soldier. He was further perplexed by Modeus putting down the sword. Modeus felt care and sympathy for Tianshi, even as the latter grew increasingly frustrated with Modeus's unwillingness to fight. Indeed, he felt a sense of envy that Modeus's compassion and will was strong enough to quell the urge for bloodshed. Still, Modeus influenced Tianshi to ponder on what power truly meant. Some of Modeus's influence lives on in Lucan, although he cannot determine where this feeling comes from.

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Kars Tetzopa

Lucan's upbringing in the Order was wrought with isolation. But according to him, there was a scientist who was "nice enough" to him. Their personality was no-nonsense and methodical to the point of being single-minded. Regardless, they had a certain respect for the finer things in life and allowed Lucan access to their study as well as other privileges. It was rare if they had a kind word for him, but they often took his side and encouraged his love of research and nature. Their current whereabouts are unknown, but they presumably perished in the fall of the Order.

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Cesare

A commander of the Underworld's forces. He was said to be a ruthless soul, corrupted into a demon as he was sent to hell. The extent of his involvement with Tianshi and his band of demon knights is unknown, but it is possible a demon as cunning as he has survived to this day and age.

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Relationships (AU/Crossover)

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Raphael Caballero

Lucan doesn't quite get why this man is so infatuated with him.

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Kay

Lucan respects Kay deeply. She has shown him a certain kind of care he's not used to experiencing, and feels indebted to her kindness and understanding. He looks forward to joining her in battle. And he loves her salted caramel brownies.

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Tilda

While they may get off on the wrong foot, Lucan and Tilda aren't so dissimilar. Along with being pursuers of demonic knowledge, they've built up walls to protect themselves. Tilda is by far the more empathetic of the two, but Lucan is willing to defend her when the time comes.

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Nora

They know each other in the biblical sense.

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Roman Laurel

Fellow possessor of warped ideas of the self, humanity, and self-preservation. They both know what it is to be on the warpath. Lucan most definitely will insult this little rodent, and then protect them from anyone else who dares.

Extra

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◈ Lucan’s namesake is the poet Lucan, who was one of the emperor Nero’s close friends until a feud began between them and Lucan joined a conspiracy against the emperor. He is encountered in the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.
◈ The exact “type” of demon Tianshi was is unknown. He is named after the concept of Tennin/Tianren, who were divine celestial beings in Japanese and Chinese Buddhism. They are similar to angels, valkyries, and nymphs.
◈ Lucan is transgender.
◈ Lucan almost always needs to do something with his hands, whether it be fiddling with something or needing to work on something. He gestures a lot while explaining.
◈ Lucan has a decent singing voice.

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