Raistlin Ambros

[Raistlin Ambros]

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CASE FILE: Alkahestrist

Eternal Decay
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       FULL NAME:
       → Yamasaki Raistlin (Goes by Raistlin Ambros)

       AGE:
       → 22

      SEX:
       → Male

       BIRTH PLACE:
       → Takayama, Aerugo

       RACE:
       → 50% Aerugese, 13% Ishvallan, 37% Amestrian

       DATE OF BIRTH:
       → September 11th, 1990

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       HEIGHT:
       → 180.5 cm (5'11)

       WEIGHT:
       → 72.6 Kg (160 lbs)

       PICTURE:
       →

Spoiler:

      DESCRIPTION:
       → Some might describe Yamasaki Reisutorin, better known as Raistlin Ambros, as the very shadow of enigma; his very visage an incarnation to dark, silent secrecy of which things unspeakable lie beneath. Raistlin is a young man with a youthful body, yet his appearance gives no real feeling of age outside of his physical health. In some aspects, one may say that his projection is ill defined by age at all, and gives a cold, deathly feeling, like a cold body walking amongst the living. Of physical stature, Raistlin is neither imposing or overwhelming. His height is about average for a man of his background and his weight indicates optimal health and fitness, clearly indicated by the lack of excess fat and the smooth sculpture of toned muscle and flesh visible. This state of near physical perfection is not at all a result of hard work and training, but rather the base manipulation of flesh and genetic code itself, leaving even his healthy figure seemingly unnatural to those who would observe it so closely. Raistlin’s facial profile, however, has hardly been altered alkahestrically, either because of contentment with his appearance or due to a lack of interest in aesthetic changes. His skin is smooth and free of any sign of stubble and his bone structure and high cheekbones gives way to a somewhat sharp, yet dashing appearance. His lips are thin and only slight of colour; nearly always fixed into a permanent expression of apathy. The most noticeable aspect of Rai’s face would most certainly be his eyes-- dyed dark crimson with Ishvallan heritage. They’re cold beacons of chilling focus, his eyes; so callous and calculative, and made sharp of shape by his Aerugese blood. Devoid of emotion, his gaze is often unsettling for the weak-hearted and uncomfortable for the wary.
Raistlin’s skin is a hue of near ghostly pale alabaster, a clear indication of his Amestrian descendancy and perhaps an aversion to the outside world. In his youth, Raistlin has been sickly and his pale and deathly tone had only worsened the stigmatization of his appearance for his peers and elders, but despite the animosity it had caused him, he had chosen to keep his pale skin tone even after reclaiming his health, if only a reminder of bittersweet times long past. Another distinguished feature that defined him in his boyhood was his raven black hair, which he kept long and untamed since he could choose his own hairstyle-- a fitting mess of long, layered black locks that snake down to his back. Despite caring little for style, and understanding the disadvantages of long hair, Raistlin had always elected to wear it long for one simple reason: Harumi said she liked it.
Long dark hair, blood red eyes, and pale white skin-- observing these things, one might easily associate Raistlin with being a stylistic fan of metal, emo, or visual kei. Perhaps he would indeed have the feel about him if he was not already defined by the cold inhuman aura that drained the colour from the air about him. Somehow, despite all abnormality about him, Raistlin is just never one to stand out. Perhaps its a talent or a choice of all else around him to ignore his presence, but he tends to flit about like a ghost.
As for Raistlin’s voice, it could easily be said that its befitting of him: deep, even, unfaltering, and low pitched. His manner of speaking is so apathetic and measured that it becomes impossible for anyone to imagine the sound of laughter, crying, anger, or any other human emotion attached to it. His voice rings hollow of emotion and heavy with consuming will. But since his encounter with Spade Aeries, that will and purpose has since been purged from his voice, leaving it resonating with a cold hollowness.
Raistlin’s typical manner of dress is a tight black modified military style field uniform. While it has no camo pattern to it, being only solid black, its still made of the same durable material and tailoring with mostly the same unhindering design which makes it ideal for most situations. The waist is secured by two thin black leather belts, one parallel and atop of the other, and the front of the jacket is fastened by five evenly spaced horizontal leather straps with silver, cross-in square shaped buckles starting above the waist and ending at the the collar. In complement to this dark uniform, Raistlin wears standard issue black combat boots along and on his right hand, a thick, near elbow length black glove: also a modified military issue.  In his times as a commanding general in Aerugo’s Imperial Armed Forces, Raistlin took to wearing a crimson cloak-cape to make him more easily identifiable as a central authority figure when such was necessary of his position, but after his encounter with Spade and his subsequent departure from the service of the Aerugese government, Raistlin wears it no longer.

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       PERSONALITY:
       →  Everything Raistlin is now is a consequence of his experiences in his childhood and adolescence. The man ruled by his ambition was once just a small and innocent child. He was a sensitive youth, overly empathetic and in tune with the emotions of others. Because of this, he was overcome with despair from the cold shunning and loathing that the townspeople felt towards him for being so strange and different in appearance, feeling the shame and abhorring sentiment from his father too, crushed Raistlin's ability to be cheerful and happy. So from a young age, what blind and childish naivety he should have possessed had already left him, the blissful ignorance of the cruelty of the world was already unknown to him. If not for his dearest friend, Harumi, surely he would have carried the burden of his misery with him as he grew until he could no longer bear it. Now, as an adult, Raistlin is still a man of strong emotion, however, no longer does he let what he is feeling come to surface, especially not pain or sorrow. Cynical would be a good word to describe Raistlin as adult, a man with no ideal hope for the masses, no belief in the goodness within people, always expecting the worst humanity has to offer. People are driven by self-interest, and they will always put themselves first, that is what Raistlin believes, but that is a rule he follows himself in order to stay ahead in this competition of greed and strife known as life. But in a paradox of his own though, he does not apply this to his relationship with Harumi. Raistlin, perhaps, puts up the most convincing ruse of complete Apathy you could imagine, only the most strenuous situations could possible crack his cold exterior, such as something happening to Harumi, or losing everything he had worked towards. Otherwise Raistlin ignores others unless they really concern him or interest him, and he rarely seeks human interaction for anything other than for selfish reasons such as obtaining information or furthering his own ends.

But behind Raistlin's facade is a complex mixture of emotions, a turbulent cloud of diverse feelings and thoughts. Raistlin is prone to spitefulness and jealousy, of hatred and contempt for those who manage to defeat him, of those who succeed where he might fail. He can be bitterly sarcastic at times, with a bit of a sharp wit, and he can be very critical of others, almost always noticing their flaws more than their strengths. A wrathful Raistlin is a Raistlin that is best not to cross, as a fit of rage can be deadly for whomever it is aimed at. But there is also his love for Harumi, his sorrow over her death, and his bitter longing to return to how things were when they were both children, back when everything was so simple.......

As a child, before his life changing research and the tragic Takayama incident,Raistlin was sickly, he lacked the stamina to exert himself for too long due to a hereditary disease that weakened the body, that killed his mother. It was weak at first, but it gradually began to overcome him. But it was because of his physical weakness that Raistlin was driven to be strong. Not only did he push himself physically to prevent his body from deteriorating, but also enriched his mind and intelligence, something that was already natural to him. That being said, Raistlin is a brilliant individual with a talent for Alkahestry, philosophy, human anatomy and biology and other applications of science. He is as resourceful as he is clever and calculating, his mind is on par with some of the best, and what's more is his ability to think on his feet, his adaptability to handle a situation is commendable. Raistlin is an excellent physician with thorough knowledge of medicine and surgical practices, with the right tools or even a makeshift set, he is very capable of sewing up his own wounds or the injuries of others when needed, though he hardly needs to with the superior ability of his alkahestry.

Finally, the two things that define Raistlin the most, his ruthless ambitions, and his love for Harumi Tsukino.

Harumi Tsukino is Raistlin's everything. She is his best friend, she is the only personRaistlin would ever pledge loyalty too, she is Raistlin's reason, she is his love, she is his life. Even after the loss of her memories, Raistlin stood beside her, even when she became Empress, Raistlin did not leave her. For her Raistlin would protect her from everything, would kill anyone, would destroy anything, he would bring a country to its knees if it were her wish. It is Raistlin's secret wish that things could go back to what they were, that he and Harumi could return to the pine forests in the mountains, that it could be just them again, that they could live without being disturbed by the cruelty of th world forever, it is for this reason that Raistlin walks the path he does now.....

Raistlin actually feels at complete peace when he is with Haru, his mind is nearly put to rest, his cold exterior begins to melt away, the corners of his mouth can actually bend into a smile. No one has ever experienced a look of kindness from Raistlin other than Harumi, around her, he reverts to his former self, a shy little boy who is just happy to be with her, never wrapped up in feelings of hate, selfishness and power lust. Haru confides him with all of her worries and Rai takes them in, listening intently, providing her with comfort and solace. But more than all else, he enjoys listening to Harumi strum her base and sing with her captivating voice, with this, Raist is filled with warm feeling and his own soul consuming madness is washed away in a blissful melody. Yes, it was because of Haru that Raistlin likes music as much as he does. When they are all alone and she strums that Bass of hers,Raistlin closes his eyes and imagines that they are back in Takayama, practicing before the next show on a cool summers evening, he could pretend it had always been like that, and it always would be.

Perhaps as a reciprocal for the prejudice he received as a boy, Raistlin had developed a bit of a superiority complex, looking down on those who used to look down on him. Raistlin's intelligence and cunning, as well as his ability in the field of alkahestry and science are the basic platforms of general superiority for which he stands on. He often view the masses around him with disgust, thinking of them as pathetic, ignorant, and full of duplicity and hypocrisy. But because he is capable of admitting his deception and sin and bend them to his will, he believes he is superior.

Raistlin's defining ambition began as a simple interest in alkahestry developed from plenty of spare time and a book a travelling alchemist had given him. Raistlin proved talented in the study and it became his pride. It was when Raistlin's terminal sickness began to grow worse that he truly began to submerge himself in his work.Through his alchemy he sought to cure himself, to be able to stay with Haru instead of succumbing to his disease. With the Takayama earthquake and Haru's near death, Raistlin was convinced that in order to protect Haru, to never lose her, he would have to become more powerful. But there are selfish aspects to his thirst for power, and he is very aware of it, accepts it even. Through power, Raistlin exists. When everyone in the world ignored his existence, he lived through Haru, when Haru forgot him, he ceased to exist, and when Harumi died, he nearly did as well. It was because of his lack of power that Raistlin failed to survive, but through the acquisition of power, he will be alive. This has become Raistlin's thought pattern and along with his desire to exist alongside Harumi once more; his resolve for slowly losing his humanity, whether he is transcending it, or falling beneath it.

However, this mind rending will to usurp the machinations of fate would ultimately lead to his downfall. His amoral resolve drove him to bend and twist the lives and bodies of others and discard them when they were no longer of any use. The careful web of deceit and control he crafted was not careful enough, as it disregarded the invisible bonds that tied friends, family, and loves together in ways he could not understand. The lover of someone he had wronged-- a brilliant man who Raistlin overlooked because of his disregard for the cunning of others-- had sprung his own trap and in a alchemical battle over Raistlin’s metaphysical mindspace, left the dark deceiver’s mind in tatters. With his memories nearly eradicated from his mind, Raistlin emerged from this encounter as a shell of his former self. His resolve was broken and his ambition lost to him. With a blurred sense of who he was and why, Raistlin stumbled off into the world with little direction, all alone with not even memories of a dead love to comfort him. All that remained was his research and the fruits it bore: his inhuman, alkahestry infused body.

       LOVE:
       → Solitude; Power; Information; Personal assets; Secured superiority; Harumi; Music; Chemistry; Alchemy; Biology; Research; Efficiency;

       HATE:
       → Society; People; Trifling day to day activities; Government; Failure; Relying extensively on others; The corruption and hypocrisy that defines the world we live in; Personal weakness

       DEEPEST SECRET:
       → His inner emotions and feelings, the grim nature of his work in alchemy as well as his goals, his love for Harumi, which he never confessed even when she still had her memories

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       HISTORY:
       → The marriage of Raistlin's parents was an uncommon occurrence at best, the matrimony of a proud Aeruguese man, whom had lost his wife to a car accident, and a gaijin Amestrian, whom had fallen in love with the country of Aerugo and the man she met there. And thusly, Yamasaki Masato and Rosemarie Ambros were wed. Masato already had a five year old son by the name of Kenta, who was a very stubborn child with a talent for athletics. The three existed as a family that did not meet the criteria for what one would imagine as a loving family. Masato expected Rosemarie to fill how previous wife's role in their life, to cook, clean, and care for Kenta, all while respecting Masato and honoring the overbearingly proud man's position as head of household. Meanwhile Kenta hardly accepted his new mother, often giving her a hard time and outright rejecting her, as far as he was concerned, his father was his only parent, a sentiment that Masato overlooked due to his pride in his son's talents and eagerness to impress him. But Rosemarie was content.

Matters only complicated when Rosemarie conceived her own child two years later, giving birth to Raistlin Yamasaki (later to be known as Raistlin Ambros), a child that Masato had no intention of having, and on top of that, a child born with a most undesirable appearance. His skin was nearly as pale as the moon and his eyes as red as blood. Of course, Rosemarie knew about her Ishvallan grandfather and determined the reason for her son's crimson eyes as being a recessive gene, but that did not stop her husband from distancing himself from the boy, or anyone else in town for that matter.

For the first few years of childhood, Raistlin only had his mother to comfort him from the cold treatment he received from everyone he met. Why he received such scorn, he could not understand, but with his kind an caring mother there to hold his hand, he never once cried because of it. A mother was all the boy needed at such a young and tender age, and it wasn't until she succumbed to a rare and terminal hereditary condition, that Raistlin truly felt abandoned and desolate in his lifetime.

For days he did not eat, he did not speak to anyone,and no one ever cared to intervene in his despair, no one but Harumi Tsukino. Their meeting was by chance, in the pine forests beyond the town, she approached him without hatred or fear, she reached out to him, she befriended him, she had saved his life. The quiet Raistlin and the bubbly Harumi, known to each other as "Rai" and "Haru", became fast friends. They would spend their carefree days in the pine forests where Haru could be free and Rai could find sanctuary. Haru's praise (and challenges) of his natural talents encouraged Raistlin much like his mother's praise had. She was a year younger, she looked up to him, but in reality he was the one that relied on her.

Time passed and the two grew older. Harumi's interests expanded beyond just their adventures in the pine forest as she began listening to music and going to concerts, and Raistlin himself found new interest in alchemy and science. But Raistlin put his own interests on the back burner and spent more of his time helping Haru pursue her own dreams. It wasn't long before she got her own instrument and started a band, even inviting Raist to join, an invitation which he politely declined, having an acute dislike of crowds. Instead Raistlin was appointed manager of her band, TRACE, and mostly spent his time listening to the band practice and hanging around backstage since he did not want to be in the crowds. At one point TRACE was offered a gig in Edo, a chance that might have sent Haru and her friends on to fame and glory, but Haru's parents refused to let her go. Haru and Rai were dropped from the band after they hit it big in Edo, Rai tried his best to console her, but Harumi plummeted into depression.

Raistlin wanted nothing more than to stay by Haru's side and help her get through her depression, but a serious problem of his own arose. Day by day, Raistlin found his body getting weaker, his breath getting shorter and more painful. It was by the time he found himself coughing up blood that he distanced himself from Haru, hoping that his ailments would not cause her worry. He knew he was slowly dying, likely that same thing that took his mother. With no cure in medical science, Raistlin turned to alkahestry. Within weeks his room practically turned into a research center, with various vials and beakers set up on several desks, and stacks of books up to the ceiling. Raistlin hoped that if he developed an alkahestry technique based on his theory of cellular purification, he just might be able to save himself and return to Haru's side. But the during the months in which he became engrossed in his research, he had not seen her all that time, he did not want her to see him in his condition. Until one day.....

>>> Raistlin's eyes struggled to open, his eyelids feeling heavy, his head throbbing with a horrid pain. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lighting he tried to recall what happened. Had he collapsed again? His fits of coughing were taking a greater toll on him recently, however, the putrid smell of chemicals mixed in his nose, and as he looked around, he noticed the shattered glass and toppled furniture that littered the room. Raistlin struggled to his feet as the room spun around him, contorting into blurry and surreal shapes like a hideous hallucination. He stumbled forward toward the light coming from his doorway, with every step the crunch of glass under his boots broke the silence, with every second the pain in his head grew worse, a warm trickle of blood ran down from his forehead. Raistlin's thoughts slowly flooded back to him. Something heavy hit him on the head, something from his shelf, most likely. He looked around his room once more as he reached out for the wall for support. An earthquake caused this, perhaps? Raistlin's mind was still too hazy to full comprehend the scale of the disaster. A heavy cough racked his lungs, leaving blood all over his sleeve and an unimaginable pain. What was this? In all his months of sickness it had never been so terrible. He stumbled out his door and nearly fell down the stairs as he slipped on a puddle in the hallway, only saving himself by reaching out and clutching the stair's rail. He dizzily glanced back at the source of his mishap, a pool of glistening red, illuminated by the light that trickled in from the covered windows. Blood? His blood? No, not his..... His crimson eyes focused wearily on the collapsed figure which was the source. Kenta, his older brother, lied sprawled out on the floor, facing the ceiling, his eyes wide open. Raistlin crawled through the pool of blood, towards his brother and tried to focus his eyes, tried to focus on his face. Kenta was completely unmarred, not a single injury to his his body, only a stream of red the leaked from his mouth. What on earth happened to him? Raistlintried to climb back to his feet, but his body began to convulse, a sickening feeling overcame him and he fell to the ground and vomited onto the floor, blood cascaded onto the polished wood, forming a glimmering sea of red. Was he really dying? Was this it? What about....what about Harumi? Harumi!? Raistlin was overcome with new emotion, fear. Fear for the person he loved most in this world. Was she okay? He hadn't seen her smiling face for months, to die before seeing her, again, it was unthinkable. His outstretched hand grasped at the cold wooden floor and with his dwindling strength, he dragged himself as his insides felt as if they were going to explode. Slowly, he dragged himself through his pool of blood, leaving a gruesome looking trail in his wake. Through shards of broken glass and pools of liquid that stung the skin of his hand, Raistlin made his way through his room, towards a black, leather bound notebook near his bed. As all around him faded out of focus, he hastily fumbled with the pages until he reached a page with a diagram of an odd transmutation circle sketched in black ink. This was it, if this didn't work, then this would be the end. Dipping his fingers into the blood dripping from his mouth, he began to paint the circle onto his chest, and then placed his hand over it. The sensation of energy flowing into his body filled him as a red light illuminated the darkened room.

The pain....was gone.... Raistlin slowly got to his feet, the front of his clothes covered in his own blood. It did not take long for him to recover from the awe of how quickly he had recovered from whatever had afflicted him, or even from the fact that his alkahestry had worked, for he shot down the stairs without delay, stepping over the debris at the foot of the stairs and the corpse of his father, crushed under a slab of the ceiling. None of that mattered now, nothing mattered but finding Haru.

When he finally found her, Raistlin felt sicker than he had felt when he was dying. There she lied, motionless on the lawn in front of her home, which was destroyed beyond recognition. "HARU!" Raistlin screamed at the top of his lungs, sprinting to her side. She was lying in a pool of blood but with only minor injuries visible on her body, like many bodies Raistlin had seen while getting there. Without a moment to spare, he lifted her shirt past her stomach and there he used her spilled blood to etch the same transmutation circle that Raist bore on his chest. The scarlet illumination of his alchemy at work flashed again, and then there was silence. Was she okay? He suddenly noticed the quantity of blood that she had lost from whatever disease that had effected them, the amount of blood...no body could live from that. "Haru!" Raistlin screamed again, bringing his face to hers, letting her skin touch his. He closed his eyes as tears began to roll down his cheek. "Haru! I'm sorry for not being there for you! Please don't die, I can't live without you" His voice began to break as he was overcome with grief."Please....don't....die...please" As tears streamed down his face and onto Haru's, the light touch of a breath, as faint as a whisper, brushed Raistlin's cheek. She was still alive! Raistlin felt his heart skip a beat as he embraced this newfound hope. But this elation was crushed as he considered still, how much blood she had lost. Her heartbeat was growing fainter, he skin was pale. If she lived it was not for long. A million thoughts raced through Raistlin's mind, he desperately tried to think of a way to save her life. Another technique he had theorized came to mind, and he quickly flipped open his notebook he had brought with him. He found the page and retraced his notes. Blood...she needed to have her blood replaced, the blood on the ground? No, the cells were likely already dead, they would be no good to her. His own? Yes!Raistlin hurriedly dipped his fingers into the blood on the ground and traced a new transmutation circle onto the palm of his left hand and placed it firmly onto an open gash near her chest. Raistlin let the energy of alkahestry flow between them one more, this time, it was accompanied by an unbearable pain in his arm. Raistlinscreamed in agony as the blood slowly left his arm and breathed new life into Haru's body.

He sat there for an hour with Haru's head resting in his lap, watching her face intently, hoping for a sign of recovery, any sign at all. Her heart beat had returned to normal. Raistlin had even used what was left in his arm to heal up her external wounds and fix any damage to her organs, his theory worked better than expected, using the blood and tissue in his arm, he had managed to reshape the individual cells to fit the function of the tissue they were to replace. His arm was completely dead now, the skin was cold to touch and it felt like nothing but dead weight attached to his shoulder. He managed to seal it off from the rest of his body using his alkahestry so that no new blood would flow into it, it was beyond saving now. In his time waiting for Haru to awake, Raistlin had properly assessed the situation, gathered what had happened. Indeed the damage done had definitely been cause by an earthquake, but the strange deaths everyone who wasn't killed in the quake? He couldn't be certain, but he imagined that it was due to some sort of gas that could not be seen or smelt, or perhaps a highly contagious disease, a plague. Either way it was probably released from the disease treatment plant that had been operating in town. Within a few hours, hours that seemed to pass on like eons, Harumi's eyes finally opened with such tender hesitation as the sun beat down on her face, magnifying its radiance. Had he no restraint, Raistlin surely would have kissed her then, he would have embraced her until the world had ended. But those soft lips of her's parted and her voice did fill his ears with a single, heart shattering, sentence."Who...who are you?". Raistlin's weary red eyes opened wide with shock as her words shook him with bewilderment. Did she not recognize him? Had it really been so long? Had she forgotten him in her anger against him for leaving her alone? "W-wait..." her quivering voice interrupted his turbulent spiral of despairing thought, "wh-who am I?". At this, Raistlin truly was shocked. Had she really lost her memory? He had heard of such phenomenon before, but had...had this really happened to Haru? Holding back on his sorrow and shock, he decided it would be best to refrain from showing her how devastated he was, it would only frighten or confuse her. Besides, she was still alive, was she not? She was still Haru, whether she knew it or not. Raist calmly filled her in on who he was, who she was, avoiding such any details that might upset her. And after time, she fell asleep again in his arms, her warmth kept him alive.

...It was from there, that Raistlin had decided to go against better judgement to investigate the plant. His arm was dead, Harumi was left unconscious and the entire city would be left in a panic. The more the reason to protect Harumi was to investigate, make sure another round of this deadly catastrophe not to strike again, otherwise he will have to risk losing his other arm or even a leg.

With that sudden determination, he left Harumi on the floor after tending to her for a time. Harumi's head laid upon his notebook so her time spent not conscious wouldn't be an uncomforted one. He would give her that much. Leaving her there, as he would make his way to where the plant was. Happening upon a dead police officer's corpse which Raistlin looted for a firearm, a Nambu semi-automatic. He had watched enough movies to know how to properly handle one... although using one arm to aim and shoot was far harder than he'd think. Taking his time to stuff his pockets with the clips and the pistol before running off.

It was past all the scenario that Raistlin began to lose faith, was it truly the facility or just an Earthquake? There were cracks everywhere, and people are dying. It seems that it is better to just tend to Harumi and get to a hospital rather than get to a treatment plant he is almost at.

No.

He will do this all for her, leaving off with his resolve to be met by the corpses of the dead facility workers having been killed off by debris. Stepping over it as he noted his arm might need to definitely be amputated. He might suffer infection, so he should make this quick.

Entering to be met by a rather bland facility used for just what it is described to do -- treatment... but then he was met with a cracked open vault. Stepping inside the restricted room despite the red gas coarsing on top, holding his breath whilst making his way in. Much to his disgust, there were scientists, men in labcoats, slumped on the ground. Their faces were paled as veins of red were evident. It seemed like they were all dying from asphyxiation... but for what purpose?

It didn't matter, Raistlin scooped all the paperworks on the desk and placed them under his shirt within his waist band and ran off. Although... he wasn't exactly subtle, he was spotted by a few facility clean up crew from a distance, being followed.

It was just then had he made his way to Harumi once again through backtracking the same way, and much to his relief, she was alright despite his lack of attendance for that one hour. But... he was held at gunpoint by the clean up crew and taken along with Harumi off to a quarantine ward in a hospital.

Harumi's royal status is what kept her from being quarantined and interrogated... whereas Raistlin had to endure questioning with physical incentives. At this point, he couldn't suffer to see himself snuffed out, and gave out what he knew and what he was doing at the facility.

"Raistlin Ambros, an accomplice to Harumi, her royal highness. How very convenient for a cover up story. You happen to be a half-blood, Amestrian and Ishvallan might I add... and you just so happened to be at our research facility's restricted area concerning......"

And so the questioning went on in this manner, reading out more information aboutRaistlin's background, coming upon conclusions of treason. Also espionage for the Amestrians on the research's details. All these things to find out a possible motive toRaistlin's entry to the facility despite him coming out what with the truth why he was there -- 'twas all but a coincidence.

It was only that he was skilled in Alkahestry is what saved him from an instant shot to the head. A skill much needed by the researchers that they now lost, valuable researchers.

He accepted.

To Raistlin, it was a sudden death by a clean bullet to the head, or a second chance at life, medical attention and getting to see Harumi in the future.

The half-blood got what was given after being shipped out of quarantine to surgical ward, but the officials in the Kempeitai weren't generous enough to provide sufficient doses of anesthesia to dull out the pain completely. They figured he got off to easily as the amputation came along, the pain coming from the live parts of the nerves being sliced off slowly.

It was something so staggering, that to this point... to lose a part of himself had finally registered. His body, it lost everything natural because he knew he'll need automail. A single amputation had convinced him that his human body won't give out for a long time. It was too weak, too frail, his earlier sickness that he had taken time to contemplate upon only served to make him weaker. He CANNOT become weak if he is to protect Harumi. Otherwise everyone will step over him and harm her...

He was married to his work at this point as times were spent underground in a secret research facility where laws do not apply. Quickly advancing through the position as scientists were mysteriously dying off from freak accidents when experimenting. Curiously enough Raistlin was fine, as these advancements were spurred on my a sudden vacancy in positions. Of course this caused suspicions over why they were dying off considering these scientists were trained professionals. To which Raistlin anticipated, and made sure there were a couple of other scientists to advance as much as he did, so he wasn't the only suspect.

He was given his very own assistant at this point. A bubbly lass by the name of Miyuki. She was young, probably a teenager but a savant at that. She was useful for stacking up paperworks and being a luggage mule, to Raistlin, despite her potential, but nothing more, nothing less. She didn't know this human transmutation concept of soul fusions and soul bindings. Something Raistlin has been fervently researching.

It was the salvation, a second chance, everything to Raistlin. To be able to ensure Harumi lives on forever. That he will be able to not worry about her, that she will be around forever perhaps. These reasons remained disclosed to anyone but himself. Presenting his front as an interest over science rather than personal relationship with the royal blood.

Being fanatically devoted to this research. It was so closely tied to Father's researches. The concept of immortality. The Empire, Raistlin, they both need an immortal icon, a symbol of hope for themselves.

Stacks of papers upon papers piled upon his desk and room, as Raistlin entered into an isolation. Coming out only to take the food from Miyuki but otherwise spending a month not coming out. And when he did, it was from an answer over the AA research. An experiment to procure and to test all his theories involving Alkahestry.

Failure. Failure. FAILURE. He was met with so much. Some didn't come out right, they couldn't do much but become ignoble and disgusting Chimera, others were turned into mindless drones that couldn't function as anything less than a vegetable. NO. Their souls were gone, fizzled out. Not even contained in anything to transmute.

Until... Raistlin, in a sense of desperation, had decided, it was best to turn to something he MIGHT have a hint of a care about -- his assistant. Someone who was there to help him when needed. Her bubbly persona and optimism were the only things that motivated him to continue forth with his experimentation, to keep thinking about Harumi as well had worked its magic as well.

And so, lo, for on a somber and dreary night, the crimson eyed scientist had his way with Miyuki. Stripping her of clothing, he had told her he had an interest in her much to her delight. That this was a "fetishist" play he wants to do with her. A trick. A deception as her crush, her infatuation (which he had known about all along) he exploited. That she was ever so happy Raistlin would be hers...

Though on the other hand, Raistlin had his reasons to ensure no other matters interacted with her. That it was mostly because it was organic flesh he had to concentrate on, and with all unnecessary materials out of the way, his accuracy would increase.

Verily, upon a few hand gestures and a slam of palm upon a remote Alkahestry seal, does this activate the procedure. Cries of pain from Miyuki were unnerving to a common place bystander, but alas there were none to hear the cries of anguish. The cries of a pain that went beyond human comprehension, the insertion of a soul from one of the earlier test subjects, a convict, a murderer, being forcefully inserted within her. A clash of personalities ensued, a murderer's sociopathic and pessimistic persona with that of a bubbly and innocent one of Miyuki.

...

Success.

Success for once. Music to Raistlin's ears. For FINALLY, had he accomplished what he long sought. That clashing souls even though, had finally co-existed at the expense the body was turned inside out as she turned into a mass of flesh, still feeling, pained by all the suffering, that what eye that was left outside to seeRaistlin, was that of agony and a new found despair from betrayal. The FIRST successful binding with Alkahestry. Xingese Alchemy not meant for these things.

This meant he had to go more, he had to DO more. To put in compatible souls this time, to bind them. Upon series of experiments of combining souls into a single body, he just couldn't stop trespassing beyond humanity's limits on science and ethics. From combining a legion of soldiers into a single body for his delightful need to satisfy his scientific lust, all the way to switching souls of bodies from that of a monkey's to a man.

For once he had felt... he has done good. That he has done Harumi... his Harumi, a service for her future. An infatuation he explored with a contemplation that he wanted to always have her, a selfish but otherwise sincere thoughts. That the ends justify the means, even with all these inhumane experiments, he just had to bloody his hands. She has to remain pure always. Miyuki is nothing but a stepping stone for Harumi.

That eventually, he happened across Subject AA, a Chimerae. A girl sworn to protect the Empress. His Harumi... an ally. Her duty is to protect her, and he had a rare find at the time, something only HE was entrusted to do.

Soul Transmutation by turning Subject AA into something of an ultimate guardian. Never dying, never faltering, never slow.

A philosopher stone was what he was given and only an order from the Kampeitai -- transplanting it within.

Using a method of what he has done to putting a legion of souls within a single body as a catalyst, a prototype, (Brigade/ David Draper), Raistlin injected it into Subject AA. Electrical-like energy swirls out of the woman's body as a pain unlike any before got to her... until she accepted it in. That it wasn't to be taken to the last soul. Rather it was to be taken in with all intent for protecting the Blue Blood Empress of the Rising Sun; Harumi.

A success that marked the departure of Raistlin, he had no more need for this department of research. None at all. He created a perfect protector, and it was about time he becomes a part of the great cog and mesh of machinery of complexities to protect the future Empress.

Going as far as to request to becoming a general that which was personally accepted by an aide of Harumi despite the protest of other generals. That he had spent the time in peace in Aerugo studying tactics, and logistics, all sorts of military studies in such a short span of time. Because he needed to. He can't EVER afford to be weak, to show a hint of hesitation. He is the bloody hands that mustn't sully the innocent and purity of the Empress.

During Tsukino Harumi’s brief reign as Empress, much was accomplished under Raistlin’s military leadership and conduct of operations. Rebellious factions, terrorist elements, and foreign espionage and interference were eradicated with ruthless tactics and cold efficiency. Raistlin’s counter terror efforts involved instilling more terror into the militants than they wrought themselves, and his extensive information network and resources organized through Aerugo’s Imperial Intelligence Agency kept Aerugo’s research and assets more secure than they had ever been prior. Open warfare and blatant belligerence was an archaic role for a commander. In this age, attainment and manipulation of information, and small scale surgical precision operations were the new ways of war. Let the other nations throw their masses at one another in barbaric slaughter; Aerugo would pull and cut the strings from the shadows.

But Aerugo’s rise to prominence wasn’t Raistlin’s true goal. He could care less about global politics or power. What mattered to him was only the protection of Haru and the forwarding of her interests. In private, she would confide in him her innermost wishes, worries, and desires, and through his position, he would address them through whatever means he deemed necessary. It was by Raistlin’s hand and power over the secret police that opposition of the young and inexperienced Empress was controlled and silenced throughout the Aeruguese oligarchy.

Yet despite all of the control and manipulation Raistlin solidified over the inner workings of the Empire, despite all he did to increase Harumi’s power; he had failed to protect the one thing that mattered to him mosts: Harumi’s life. Members of a rogue Xingese terrorist cell had succeeded in taking the young empress’s life whilst Raistlin was away personally dealing with an incident at one of Aerugo’s classified research centers. This single mistake nearly destroyed Raistlin. All the power he had amassed, and for what? The night after Harumi’s burial ceremony, Raistlin nearly took his own life. At least in his death, he could finally see Harumi again. If it weren’t for his assistant, Akiha,the very homunculus he had taken part in the creation of, he would have succeeded in his suicide. She caught him in his brief moment of weakness. Afterwards, it did not take long for his resolve to strengthen again. With assistance from Akiha and the temporary reigning Empress, Yuuko, he would set forth a motion of plans. He cheated death before, and he would do it again. He would bring Harumi back to life, and through his power and research, he would bestow and immortal and untainted life upon them both, somewhere deep in the pine forests of Takayama.

The key to his success came to him in the form of Shula Brighton, an Amestrian officer he captured during an Aerugese mission to reclaim portions of Southern Amestris which had once belonged to it. She was tainted with death-- an incurable disease which slowly destroyed her body. With his alkahestrical expertise, he triggered the final stages of her condition early, solidifying the fear of death which already gripped her. Except now, it was his hand that held the threads of her life, and it was his hand that could return her life back to her. He alone could grant her the health and life which she never had, and she knew it. Through his extensive network of surveillance and resources, he manipulated Brighton into unearthing Central City’s deepest secrets-- secrets revolving around the incident nearly a century ago, as well as the recent one of only a few years ago. The upper brass of Central had mastered the process of creating functional philosopher’s stones, and it was through their understanding of the forbidden alchemy that Raistlin would unlock the path to human resurrection. Through threat and promise, Raist extracted all he could from the poor Amestrian officer-- his overbearing shadow driving her psyche to a point of collapse. He came close to obtaining the final sources of information he required, despite efforts by Shula Brighton to delay his progress, which he was all too aware of. He had nearly won. Or so he had thought. He had overlooked a factor he had underestimated: Shula Brighton’s lover, Spade Aeries, Commander of Central Forces. In a game of information, espionage, and planning around one another, Spade managed to close in on Raistlin’s whereabouts using Shula to get to him. Raist had failed to realize that as much as Shula feared him and the death he commanded, she loved Spade more. Using his mind state altering alkahestry, Spade was able to infiltrate Aerugo’s Central Military Command Center and access Raistlin’s personal research center in plain sight. It wasn’t until Aeries had made for his coup de grace-- an attempt to wipe Raistlin’s memories and information pertaining to the Philospher’s Stone and Shula-- That Raistlin realized the man before him was whom he was. In a last ditch effort to protect the fruits of his research and labour, Raistlin attempted to use his Alkahestry to rapidly manipulate his neural pathways to prevent the mental intrusion from succeeding in finding it’s target. But Raistlin was a master of the physical body, not the mind, and so his reactionary attempt failed, and in the process, his mind was figuratively town to shreds. Memories were disoriented and inaccesible-- perhaps even lost. Only the matters which pertained to his biophysiological alkahestry and research remained, but at the cost of his own identity and past. To add injury to insult, Spade had still succeeded and wiping away his memories of Shula and the information which she had obtained for him. Raistlin had failed again. He awoke and a ruined and descrated laboratory which he only partially recognized, with no sense of where-- or who he was. In confusion and fear, he departed from his quarters and departed from the service of Aerugo. He had no memory of ever working for them to begin with.

       ...........................................................................

     TRIVIA:
       → Though he may not seem like it, Raistlin deeply enjoys music; His Favourite food is Miso Soup; Raistlin is prone to flashbacks and intense headaches- side effects of his mental struggle against Spade Aeries.
     →]Aeruguese - #993333; Amestrian -#3333cc; Ishvallan - #cc3333

       ...........................................................................

       ALIAS:
       → Jokun; Che; YuKaraya - Take your pick

       OTHER CHARACTERS:
       → Just Raistlin for now.

      CREATOR'S COMMENTS:
       → Life is like a box of chocolates: It kills you.

       FACE CLAIM:

Code:

[b]Final Fantasy VII[/b] - [i]Vincent Valentine[/i] - Raistlin Ambros

     CUSTOM RANK:
       → Flesh Eater

     OFFICIAL TITLE:
       → Virulence

       ...........................................................................

[Jay Furor]

APPROVED~

Welcome back, Nika~ :3