kou

T hough he was born in Australia Kou’s earliest memories are from his home in the Okinawa prefecture, where he grew up in his family’s temple. His father was a proud blessed, and passed on these traditions to his young children. When the war reached the coast of Europe in 2035, Kou’s father was sent as one of many Sanctuary representatives. To fight for century old laws of peace, freedom and the right to believe. For their protection, the young children spent time in Sanctuary, safe from the threats of the war.

His early education was conducted in Australia, but his time in Sanctuary altered this path. It was never truly home, he never truly belonged. He would eventually return to Australia with his mother, only visiting his family’s temple in Japan, or his father in Sanctuary on rare occasions. He completed his education in Australia, but had no plans for his future.

Kou was a well-behaved child, but compared to his star-student sister, he fell into the crowd. His twin Hikari was charismatic, ambitious, intelligent, a true descendent of light. Where he spent hours understanding concepts, she grasped them upon first learning them. She excelled, and he fell behind. She truly was her father’s daughter, and when their father returned from the war, it was clear she was the favoured twin.

The war paused in 2043, but their return to Sanctuary alongside their father was only brief. He told few stories, but implored to his children that a new light blessed would be chosen soon. Naturally they argued, he was only in his 40s, and had so much life left to live, there was no need for a new light blessed. But he insisted Hikari would follow in his footsteps.

T heir father left. He passed in 2044. A new light blessed was to be chosen. Grief gave way to excitement, and finally, Hikari’s efforts would bear fruit. She would carry on her father’s legacy.

Kou did not share his sister’s excitement. Their father died in a war against a growing Empire that denounced magic. Was her fate truly to follow him? He adored his sister, living in a world without her was not an option.

At 17, Kou pleaded with their God to abandon their family, to leave Hikari be. On his knees, in their family’s temple he prayed between tears for her to be spared.

His prayer was heard and Aru answered: Kou was blessed and sent to Sanctuary. Hikari swallowed her jealousy and wished him well. He was as much a child of light as she was, after all. It was not what he wanted, but he could not argue with his patron God.

It was much later when Kou admitted to his meddling, and going against his father’s dying wishes. His family has not spoken to him since. He is no longer welcome in his family’s temple.

I n the year 2047, the Empire renewed its international war efforts. In line with his family’s teaching, Kou dedicated himself to relief efforts in the Philippines. He dedicated himself to peacekeeping, and helping those affected by the war. He delivered supplies to remote villages, repaired damage for those unfortunate enough to encounter the Empire’s wrath. He spent more than a year integrating into the villages.

He became familiar to the locals. He began speaking their language, participating in their communities. They were not unfamiliar faces caught up in a distant war, he was connected to them. When the Empire drew closer, and troops laid claim over the land he had worked so hard to free from the consequences of war, he took a stand on behalf of the people there. He wasn’t particularly powerful, or all that threatening, but his actions would headline international news.

It was caught on a phone camera. A bit shaky, but clear enough for millions of viewers to witness Kou’s display of light magic. A combination of his sunstaff training, and raw magical prowess left every single troop in the squad incapacitated. Alive, but unable to do any harm. Kou used a lot more power than even he knew he was capable of, and it left him with white hair, blue eyes, and worldwide renown. Renown that he wasn’t aware of until much later, when he returned to Japan to try and visit family, and found himself being greeted by multitudes of strangers.

W When the blessed lost their power, there was significant outrage. Known only within Sanctuary, but perhaps the biggest news spread on the island in centuries, Kou was naturally one of the first to know. He was still participating in the war, but woke without the power he had grown so familiar with.

He returned to Sanctuary, and found that it was not only he. Now only a human, he had little to offer the world, but he didn’t have it in him to return home to his estranged family. He agreed to help welcome the new blessed, on behalf of the Oracle. Awakening the new blessed was a task they hastily prepared for, as new faces filtered onto the island.

Though a burden had lifted from him, he was still young, and there was still work to do.