1. Zephyr Mor:
Age: 22 (true age 32... mentally)
Birthday: May 14th
Height: 5'8
Reasoning for his name: His grandmother had named him Zephyr at birth as she'd been a part of (referred to in the coming chapters) and wanted him to be free of any heavy meanings. Yet, his parents and almost all those around him kept calling him Zane due to the religious implications of the name. Thus, he prefers if people just call him Zane, given that hearing his actual name sounds weird to his ears when it comes out of anyone else's mouth but his grandmother's.
Physical description: Has a lean build overall, with black hair that always curls at the ends no matter what he does to stop it.
+ Has a warm, honey skin tone given that he lives close to a desert
+ Soft forest green eyes with gold specks and a mole just under his eye (refer to Rhian's description in chapter 23)
+ Has severe scarring on his back from when he'd been whipped as part of the illegal slave trade circle
+ Has multiple ear piercings (no earrings as of now), which he'd done himself as a teenager after seeing his brother get a tongue piercing (until the current chapter, he wears no jewelry).
Likes: playing the piano, visiting old ruins, slipping into museums/monuments past curfew, plucking fruits from his family's garden and eating them, swordsmanship, reading, and sketching.
Dislikes: the heat, tomatoes, being forced to do anything, seeing others bleed, animal cruelty, people pointing at his scars or touching them unprompted, and the system.
Family: Is the second son of the Lord and Lady of the Amber Court, which is a backend for the Dukedom of Dalaznun. He is the middle child between his brother (older) and sister (younger). He looks like an exact copy of his mother, except for the straightness in his hair, which he inherited from his father. Furthermore, he has a fairly good relationship with his mother and sister and a rocky one with his brother and father, who looked down on his choice to choose a passive suite.
Education: He graduated with one of the highest honors, known as the Scholar's Plight, given his contributions to research on the ruins, an expedition sponsored by the Duke himself, who wished to rid merchants of the worry of being attacked by technology buried in the dunes. He managed to extract an old nanochip, which found a grid system where the old techs were placed. Additionally, he has received awards for archeological feats as well, given his accidental discoveries while searching for the chip.
Fears: water bodies (can't swim, never tried even in the oasis), the death of others, any form of intimacy (given he never felt it and is pretty touch-starved), and repeating the past mistakes.
Sexuality: (I leave that in your hands; think as you will.)
Habits: always taps his foot to some beat that is going on around him unconsciously, picks at his wounds, wears light/loose clothing to not trigger oversensitivity of his scars, and loves to gnaw on the inside of his cheek or his knuckles when in thought.
Author's note: If you desire to have a song associated with him, here are some of the following: "Forwards Beckon Rebound" (Adrianne Lenker), "White Ferrari" (Frank Ocean, especially the outro), "Nuvole Bianche" (Ludovico Einaudi), "Just Pretend" (Bad Omens), "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" (Tears for Fears), "Can't Catch Me Now" (Olivia Rodrigo), "Play With Fire" (Sam Tinnesz), "Sonne" (Rammstein), "One More Night" (Maroon 5), "In The End" (Black Veil Brides), etc.
2. Rhian Amren (Hua Xiaoshi)
Age: 27
Birthday: January 2nd
Height: 5'11-6'0
Reasoning for his name: His mother's last name is Amren, as you might've noticed. It's also that he holds distaste for his father as he had not allowed Rhian to join the others in mana training. Aside from that, he was not fond of people treating him differently just because of his birth name, thus, when he read the name 'Rhian' in one of his uncle's journal entries, he decided he liked the sound of it.
Physical description: Has a lean, muscular build, with unevenly cut black hair that reaches to his shoulders, which he usually ties.
+ Has a pale and light skin tone caused by the years he spent trapped in the Celestium
+ Grey-hazel eyes, which used to appear as though he was blind as a child
+ His body is also subjected to horrid scarring caused by the punishments he'd endured in the Celestium for misbehavior
+ Has a mole near the corner of his mouth and another near the side of his eye. He also has a piercing in only one ear because he didn't go through with it as a kid (customs of the Hua Sect demanded boys and girls alike be pierced)
Likes: reading, exploring abandoned ruins, walking around in the rain, fighting with swords, and studying ancient array formations.
Dislikes: whips, the smell of things burning, being alone, and people.
Family: His father, Sect Leader Hua Huiliang, has three wives. One of whom is dead. He is the son of Esmeray Amren, who belongs to the Psamtic Knights, which are part of the Sekhet Kingdom, which is near the Xiaoluo-Vaelrun border. His parents marriage was for diplomatic means. Hua Huiliang's other wife, Wang Liuxian, has two daughters, namely, Hua Anhe (older) and Hua Yi (younger). Rhian is fairly close to them in comparison to his parents.
Education: He has studied in the Hua Recesses and has attained most of his mana usage knowledge from Huang Delan, most of which is unorthodox. He is book smart, given Hua Huiliang had tried to prevent him from joining the other disciples when they were being trained about using their mana cores because he was scared Rhian would end up dead like his half siblings.
Fears: needles, small spaces (claustrophobia), being alone, excessive blood, dead people (revenants/bodies), teeth, etc.
Sexuality: (I leave that in your hands; think as you will.)
Habits: Is hypervigilant whenever it comes to checking on those around him, prefers to act than speak, yet somehow ends up bickering with Zane. If he fights with anyone, he tends to write small letters of apologies that he never sends but makes so he understands the conflict, which he resolves on his own accord through actions.
Author's note: If you desire to have a song associated with him, here are some of the following: "Anything" (Adrianne Lenker), "Merry Christmas, Please Don't Call" (Bleachers), "Romantic Lover" (Eyedress), "Dear Arkansas Daughter" (Lady Lamb), "Take Me Away" (Austin Farewell), "HUSH" (Ari Abdul), "Psychosocial" (Slipknot), "One for the Money" (Escape The Fate), "Black Balloon" (The Goo Goo Dolls), etc.
A note on their current relationship:
They haven't regarded each other as friends yet, but rather as partners who have had an unnamed agreement to stick it out until the end of the war. Beyond that, they have continued their journey together because they are technically bound by the Player's Tryst until they complete at least four main trials.