Ciaran

It was here that Ciaran started to get a lot more egotistical. It started slowly, when he started to join more clubs and activities.

He also started talking back more at home, which he always said he needed to, with how rude his brothers could be to him. His mother never stood in, she was too tired to.

At school, his grades were good, so a lot of people didn't send him a second glance. Everyone overlooked Ciaran as nothing more than a smart kid.

So when, at age 17, he sat in the head's office, covered in bruises and cuts, it shocked everyone. Especially his parents, who instinctivly thought someone had started on him.

While that wasn't entirely wrong, when he admitted to instigating and insulting the boy who beat the crap out of him, it was almost harder to hear.

He spent a good few years talking to a counsellor, but it did no good. Except teach him how to lie and how to pull an impressive poker face.

He was diagnosed with anixety and depression at age 19. It was a weird turning point for Ciaran, who viewed these things as some sort of weakness.

He spent a lot of time reading books, mostly by his lonesome. He became quite the recluse for a while, reading as many books as he could.

And the day he found the fear book was probably the worst day.

He saw it, locked behind glass in the library, and was instantly drawn to it. And from the little he could read, from the pages that had been opened to the same two for years, he was hooked.

It took him a year and a half to plan out what he was going to do with this information. He planned and planned until he was practically dizzy from planning so much.

And when he was 21, he did what he never thought he could, and stole the book right from the library.

The book was, to him, the blessing he didn't realise he had been needing. He felt like he was dreaming with how much his life changed.

His anxiety was no longer an issue, and he spent his time growing out his hair and getting his ears done. He even considered a tattoo, but that would've been a lot harder.

At the start, he found it hard to hide the corruption - it gets very warm when you have to keep covering your hands and arms all the time. He got used to it.

He also built up a reputation as someone who, despite being weird, was generally well-mannered and well-meaning. He was good at lying, why stop now?

Nowadays, he spends his time trying to learn more about fear magic, through whatever means necessary. If that means planning and carrying out the murder of a "friend," so be it.

He loves his life now, and wouldn't change it for the world. That, and he doesn't have a lot of time to change it anyway. He still wouldn't.

Another one of Ciaran's passive abilities is his understanding of the fears of people around him. He's likened it to reading minds, but it's more similar to being able to see people's aura.

He would, outwardly, claim there are no downsides to this power. After all, knowing exactly what makes people tick, what gets them the most scared, it makes his life a lot easier - and the corruption much stronger.

However, in large groups especially, having all of those fears bombard him can be incredibly overwhleming. That much fear in one place can easily set off his own anxieties before the corruption has time to use it for energy.

He'd never admit that though.

The corruption produces a noxious gas, which is scentless and fast acting. This gas can be expelled from Ciaran's mouth, causing anyone who comes in contact with it to become riddled with fear.

He finds this one more of a necessary downside of the corruption more than anything, not that he would admit that. The gas is stored in his lungs, and gets quite irritating if left too long, so it mostly comes out in coughs.

That's not to say he's never used it for his own goals, though, as he has blown it in the face of people who annoy him more than once, leaving them to break down wherever they happen to be. It amuses him.

Overall, he's neutral on this one.

Controlled by a mix of hand gestures and thoughts, constructs are a part of any magic track. He likes to believe his are the best, however.

If he's not trying to scare people with them, they often take the shape of purple snakes. He claims it's because snakes have many abilities, and are good to use as rope.

If he's attempting to scare others, they'll take the shape of whatever that person is afraid of most. Usually this works just fine, as most people are afraid of a tangible thing - if it's more metaphorical, it's harder. It's a little hit or miss somtimes.

He can also wrap the constructs around his body to act as makeshift armour, allowing him to deal more damage and take more hits.

Projectiles are no easy feat to pull off. They're very strong, but very taxing attacks that takes pure energy and expells it towards a target.

Ciaran hates these things, he's done it all of about 3 times, and every time he's tried, it failed horribly. His accuracy and aim are pitiful, and because of this he finds no use in an attack that is ranged.

That's not adding that projectiles take a lot of energy from the user and corruption, leaving them weakened and tired. He hates that feeling more than anything in the world.

This one sucks.

relationship

Mother.
In an uncharacteristic first, Ciaran has quite the soft spot for his mother, not that he'd show it much mind you. He appreciates the fact she raised him, and admits it wasn't easy for her. The most tolerable part of his family - aside from her drinking.

Sullivan.
Sullivan, or simply Sully for short, is Ciaran's oldest brother. The two have never gotten along at all, and fight like cat and dog. Ciaran tends to get the final word in these arguements, mostly because he'll stop listening to Sullivan speak if he's getting bored of him.

Ruairi.
Ciaran's middle brother, they don't butt heads as much as him and Sully do - which really isn't saying much. Ruairi mostly stays to his own lane, but will sometimes join in on teasing either brother. He's hit or miss as a person, and as exciting to talk to as a brick wall.

Danny.
Danny and Ciaran's friendship was considerably short, but Ciaran sees great importance in it. Not for who Danny was, but for what Danny gave him. After he supplied Ciaran with the book he was after, he didn't live long enough to tell the tale.