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★ Valo Morei ★
Played by: Valo
Faceclaim: Final Fantasy XIII-2, Noel Kreiss

Age: 19

Gender: Male

Weight and Height: 5'5'' / 149 lbs

Appearance:


Valo is a boy of average height with jet black hair and sky blue eyes. Despite having a handsome face, his body is covered in various scars, ranging from a mark over his chest where his heart was pierced three years ago, to smaller cuts such as the one on his right temple from a more recent injury. The most notable, yet hidden one, is the stab wound that is just inches underneath his chest. His hands are also constantly covered in cuts and bandages from constantly being at work in his lab, tinkering around with new inventions.

Being the 'descendant' of nobility, Valo was still raised humble, and it reflects in his appearance. While it's well kept and he dresses nicely, he doesn't go out of his way to buy expensive clothes or anything too flashy. He wears his uniforms when required, making sure they're on properly, and even at home it's rare to find him looking like a complete mess unless it's just an off day.

Casually, he'll be commonly found in either a red zip-up hoodie and black jeans and sneakers, or a red button-up shirt with a black coat over it and some black boots. His gloves tend to vary, as he's generally making random prototypes that he can deploy quickly from his hands. Otherwise, he tends to wear black, fingerless leather gloves.

There's two things he'll almost never be found without: a dark-blue scarf, and a book on poetry by Robert Browning. Both of them belonged to someone once very dear to him.

Occupation: CEO of Morei Tech (formally the Yuy Corporation), retired(?) vigilante and former leader of Hyperion

Personality: Most people who knew Valo in his past would call him a truly heartless person. A monster who only did things under the guise of 'justice' as he took lives, believing it the means to an end. Once upon a time, they were right. Being relinquished from the control of Synkka, otherwise known as the Wraith, Valo no longer deals with a creature of FEAR that once dwelt within him. Valo didn't escape from that darkness without some consequences, however.

Valo at first glance seems like a troubled youth. But he tries to smile often, and isn't one to shy away from jokes or bad puns when he can help it. When talked to, he's generally easy to get along with. He tries to diffuse any negative situation, preferring a peaceful outcome if at all possible. He puts his friends before himself when he has to.

He's not always able to keep himself afloat, however. The mental strain of being brought back from the brink of death twice, and sharing his mind with a monster for years has left his mind damaged. He's haunted by his guilt, fully aware of the things he did under Synkka's control. He feels a responsibility to right the wrongs he committed, and the wrongs people influenced by his actions have committed. He doesn't really see any worth in his own life, feeling that it should've been forfeit when his heart was pierced and he felt himself die. Due to how he is when he's alone, he doesn't often keep contact with other people when his pain gets the better of him.

His emotional state is strained, and he does whatever he can to not be left to his own thoughts. He has trouble sleeping, still hearing Synkka's voice in his head. The loss of his sister is still fresh in his mind.

In battle or during missions, Valo remains calm and collected. He tries to observe and assess everything before making any moves. His philosophy is to get things done quickly and efficiently, not wanting to dawdle. It's a trait that, as a result of his prior training, he can maintain even under immense pressure.

He holds immense devotion and love for Vivi, who stood by him even when the world had all but turned its back on him.

Background: Adrian Taivas was born to Inari and Eero Taivas, a couple who were truly in love with each other and wanted nothing but the world for their children. They were hard working, and always did their best to provide. While they weren't the richest people, they were happy. Adrian had a single, best friend in Cassie Morei, a girl who attended his school and a member of the prestigious Morei family.

Adrian got sick out of nowhere when he was nine, and was confined to his bed. Cassie would come and visit him all the time at home, every day after school. She wanted to keep him company, knowing that he didn't have any friends who would do what she did. She started to bring him things to read, whether it was poetry books, books to help on his studies, and comic books. Adrian took a particular liking to the comic books, loving the heroes in them. He was truly envious of the fact that they were the opposite of everything he was, that they could not only walk but also do so much to help people and save lives. It was something he wished that he could do. He made a promise to Cassie that if she was ever in danger, he'd come save her, the way these heroes always saved people.

Adrian trained his mind diligently, wanting to be prepared for the day he could walk again. However, that day seemed like it would never come and his condition only continued to deteriorate, much to the dismay of his parents.

One day, a man came knocking at their door, saying that Cassie had gone missing. He were trying to see if she was at the Taivas residence. Unfortunately, they had no idea where she was, and the shock of his best friend vanishing caused Adrian's condition to only worsen. The man, Valo Morei, took a look at Adrian, stating that he knew a way to help the sick boy. Desperate for any aid at all, the Taivas family took little pushing for them to agree to an experimental procedure.

Adrian was placed into a tube, with the promise that he'd awaken after just a couple of days, good as new. As the machine turned on and he felt himself losing consciousness, he took a look at his parents, looking at him desperately and lovingly, and didn't know it'd be the last time he'd ever see them...

The tube had opened, and out stepped Adrian. He looked at his body, realizing he had strength once more. He didn't feel deathly ill. He was exuberant, excited. And yet... something felt different. Valo burst into the room, looking down at Adrian with tired eyes as he grabbed the boy's arm. 'We don't have much time.' He said, pushing Valo into some kind of pod. There were alarms going off, and explosions and gunfire could be heard in the distance. 'You're too valuable. I need you alive... Valo.'

Those words confused Adrian, and Valo pressed a button that closed the pod on him. With a few more entries on his keypad, the pod and one beside it began to launch, and Adrian was left watching in horror as he was suddenly sped away. A gas entered the pod, and before he could fight it, he was knocked unconscious once more.

After an eternity of blackness, Adrian found himself waking up on the floor of a dock in New York. The pod that encased him was nowhere to be seen, and he had visible bruises, cuts, and dried blood on his body. His head felt like it was running in circles, and his mind was hazy as he struggled to remember anything. Everything felt foreign... wrong. Looking around, he saw another person lying on the ground, and he began to crawl over to them.

It was a face he didn't recognize, and yet... "Hailey!" He called out, grabbing the unconscious girl and shaking her the best he could in his weakened state. She looked just as messed up as him. Images flashed in his head, causing a sharp pain to shoot through his entire being. As he sat there holding her, barely able to see straight, Hailey opened up her eyes, looking up at him. "I-... ahh... Valo... We're alive..." She said with a weak smile as she reached up and touched his face with her hand.

He looked down at her, nodding weakly with a smile of his own. "That's right... it's you and me, sis... let's figure this out, okay?" The two of them helped each other to their feet, starting to walk through the night together, unable to do much without the strength of the other to support them. Before they knew it, they ended up at an orphanage, spending a couple of years there, with Valo protecting his sister from harm so no one touched her. After a lot of agonizing time, and many run-ins with another girl at the orphanage, Alymira, Valo and Hailey were finally adopted by the Yuy family, taken into a life of complete luxury compared to the one that they lived.

It took many years for Valo to realize that his memories with Hailey were all a complete fabrication.

Over the next seven years, Valo lived with the Yuys, growing close to his adopted brother, Shugo. Wanting to pay his adoptive family back for all that they had done for him and Hailey, Valo did his best to make them proud. He stayed diligent in his studies, bringing home nothing but the best grades. He was responsible, proper, and everything that an heir of the family needed to be. Alas, he was not a proper heir to inherit the company, as he was not of blood. He never wanted to steal that right from his newfound brother, and always wished that Shugo would act so much more like he should, constantly pushing him to better himself. His words tended to fall on deaf ears, but he enjoyed the time he spent with him regardless.

Valo became head of the R&D department at Yuy Corporation from a young age, showing immense promise and unparalleled ingenuity for a boy of his age. He was quick, had wits, and a daring nature that few others could ever hope to possess. With the money he raised in this job, not wanting to live off of the riches of his family without working for it, he moved out and took Hailey with him. In his home, he had built a lab of his own, hidden from even his sister, where he constantly did research on trying to find their real parents, while trying to discover a cure for the illness that now riddled his sister's body. He was fixed, and yet... he couldn't remember why. What did his parents do? Why were they gone? What could save Hailey's life the way his own was saved?

His desire to find the truth, coupled with his funds and intelligence, led him to become a hooded, bow wielding vigilante, the first that New York had seen. While he struck only at night, he ran into many an odd encounter, and made many strange friendships, notably with the drug dealer, Yannick Haas. His many near death encounters eventually led Hailey to find out the truth when Valo came home beaten and battered, and she told him that she'd rather he let her die if it meant her brother could live happily. It was the first true breakdown he had ever experienced, not wanting to let go of the only family he had left.

Recovering from his injuries and putting his vigilante life aside for the meantime, Valo tried to focus on school when he wasn't looking for his sister's cure. Eventually, the feared Riot gang would attack, massacring many students in their various assaults, including friends Valo had made at the school. It caused him to harden up, realizing he had to fight or be killed. He found a place with the Lightning Gang, and two of their members, Leon and Steven, helped Valo to become a seasoned fighter, giving him more than just personal training to go off of in a fight. He felt like with them, he could have a chance of fighting back against Riot.

Eventually, Leon's vision became too radical for him, and Valo left the Lightning Gang, fighting against Riot on his own. In one of their later massacres, Valo met Vivi as he pulled her aside, stopping her from attacking one of their elite, Mikey. The situation later deescalated when Mikey's partner, Kaiser, had stabbed Shugo through with a blade of blood, running him through and fatally wounding him. Satisfied with bringing down one of the protectors of 552, Riot left and Valo was left in shock.

Encounters with Riot later came to a close, and Valo realized just how powerless he really was. Even in groups, just a single elite of Riot's was enough to keep them grounded. But somehow, they won. And Valo vowed to get stronger. Through his struggles, he eventually met a red headed woman named Stormy on the school rooftop, saving her from a supposed suicide as he thought she was going to jump. While it was a mistake, the two bonded and they ended up dating. She became his first girlfriend. And they nearly died in the battle against Riot soon after. The experience made him set his eyes to new levels of strength. And yet... such drive was short lived.

Valo and another comrade from school and a key figure in the fight against Riot, Macht, were both kidnapped in the middle of the night, waking up in strange jail cells in an unknown place. Together, they broke out of their cells, finding strange new powers along the way as they made their way through the facility. They overcame numerous guards and traps, only to come face to face with a mysterious man known as Strakh at the heart of it all. Valo and Macht fought him together, but even with their combined might, could do little to even faze the man. To add insult to injury, he brought out Hailey right in front of Valo's eyes, and she cried and begged for her brother to help.

Fueled by his anger, Valo continued to fight Strakh, but no matter what the two did, he just proved their superior. Eventually, the insanity of the battle had caused enough structural damage to the facility to cause it to start to collapse, and Strakh backed away as the ceiling began to cave in and the ground began to split. Seeing that a large amount of debris was about to collapse onto Macht, Valo quickly ran over and pushed him out of the way, immediately being struck and crushed by all of it. The wires and stone had pierced through many parts of his body, including various organs, even his heart. Gasping and choking on his own blood, Valo quietly begged Macht to just run. And as Macht reluctantly left Valo behind as he had no other choice, the last thing Valo saw before the life left his body was his sister screaming and reaching for him.

Strakh took Valo's body and placed the Wraith's Implant on his heart, revitalizing him and bringing him back to life. However, the implanted chip harnessed a terrible monster within it, and Valo's corpse found the Wraith inhabiting it. Dressed in a cloak and mask, he was made to launch an attack on the MV-Phoenix, a private ship owned by his brother Shugo, where many of his friends currently were and a bastion of AURA, one of the largest groups of defenders of the city.

The Wraith faced off against AURA, and Valo was powerless, watching everything that the Wraith did in his body. He screamed, begged for control back, but no one could hear him. In the ensuing battle, Vivi had knocked the Wraith's mask off, revealing Valo's pale face and pitch black eyes underneath. Utilizing their shock against them, the Wraith dealt heavy blows to all of the AURA members present, dealing critical damage to the MV-Phoenix and causing it to start to sink. Running and hiding within the sinking ship, the Wraith began to pick them off one by one, but a joint effort from Shugo and Vivi allowed them to overcome the Wraith and electrocute him with massive amounts of energy, causing the implant to overload and burn out. With a single, quiet 'Thank you,' Valo's body fell seemingly lifeless against the floor, and he was grabbed when everyone evacuated.

For some reason, he was still alive. And he woke up in control of himself, a great guilt and sorrow dawning over him because of the things he had done as that monster. While many looked at him differently, Vivi stood by his side, promising him that even if the world saw him as a monster, she never would. That she would fight the world if that's what it took to protect him. And although he was attached to her before, it was then that he realized she was the best thing in his life, with the disappearance of his sister, he had nothing left but Vivi.

He later came to battle with another of the implanted monsters in the city, seeing Stormy had been gravely injured prior to him getting there. He took her in his arms, carrying her to the hospital amidst all the chaos, desperate to keep her alive. They made it, and she was admitted. Later, he would go to her room, talking with her a bit as he said he was really glad she was safe. He fell asleep at her bedside, not wanting to leave her again. But when he woke up, she was gone. Vanished like she was never there.

Many events happened after that, but Valo and Vivi always stood side by side, even if it meant making questionable decisions. However, New York was no longer welcome to them after Valo founded the vigilante group Hyperion. They had done a lot for the city, but were eventually made scapegoats in the building of the District, and Valo found himself public enemy #1.

Not knowing how they survived such a hell, Valo and many others eventually made their way to San Francisco, the only place that would take them in after the country had deemed them scourges upon society. It was here in San Francisco that Valo finally caught a lead on his past. He ran into him... the older Valo. And fought him in combat, discovering that he was once a boy named Adrian who Valo experimented on and molded in his own image. His purpose was to ward off his enemies from detecting the real him, while discovering a way to get Cassie back from them. Needless to say, it worked, and it allowed him to hide for seven more years. Angry that this man took away Valo's life and even his parents, he still let him live, saying that he would go to save his daughter, because despite everything, Cassie was his best friend from childhood.

His search led him to the underwater city of Pandora, and Valo had gone there alone without telling Vivi as to not worry her. Fighting his way through Pandora's forces and discovering a fanatical cult there, he found Cassie locked away in a cell. Knowing him immediately, she embraced her friend and was brought to tears that he made good on his promise to find her if she was ever in a bind, and together they started to leave.

On their way out, they met with heavy resistance, and a lot of damage was done to Pandora that resulted in the outside water starting to pour in, drowning some sections out, including the lift to get outside. Valo quickly pushed Cassie to safety up on the lift, not having enough time to get out as the water started to pour in. Cassie screamed for him to get out too, and Valo called up at her, reassuring her that he'll be right behind her. As Cassie disappeared from sight, Valo desperately swam around, trying to find a way out of Pandora. But everything led to a dead end.

Sitting in a corridor as the water began to rise to dangerous levels, Valo sat there in the dark, facing all of his thoughts as the Wraith spoke to him. 'Why aren't you trying to get out?! You're going to get us both killed!' It shouted at him, and Valo just smiled. "Maybe this is what's best. We're not meant to be a part of this world. And if a monster like you can die here, then it's for the best." He said, and he looked up at the ceiling, towards the city as the water rose. "I just... wish I could have seen Vivi one more time. She's... not going to be happy with me..."

He wasn't sure what happened next. The water began to fill his lungs and he blacked out. He felt trapped, isolated in darkness for what felt like years... before a bright light burst through and he felt fresh air hit his lungs for the first time in god knows how long. He felt a great force leave his body as the dark energy stored within had harnessed itself and expelled forth, leaving him entirely. Gasping for air, he fell to the ground and saw there was no water in sight. Looking up, he saw Cassie, holding his bow out to him. 'No time to explain, Adrian! We gotta get outta here!' She said, and he took his weapon from her, seeing Pandora's forces closing in. His body feeling heavy, he did his best to fire arrows out as they made their retreat, making it into a nearby corridor. They fought their way through Pandora as they headed for what seemed like an exit, but were stopped by bombs as the leader of the cult made his way into the room.

'Now, now, our dear lady, why would you try to free such a curse from its coffin? Do you realize this boy is a monster that took countless lives in the world above? We're doing them a favor by keeping him contained here! You should come back to us, where you belong! You are not safe out there, my child. Surrender the boy to us, where he'll live the rest of his days in the dark and protect the world from his scourge!'

Valo was shook to his core, but Cassie reassured him, telling him that things would be okay. That she believed in him and that he was only trying to save people. With newfound encouragement, Valo charged his energy into an arrow, in shock that his energy was made of light now rather than darkness, and fired it at the cult's leader, striking a bomb in his hand and causing him to explode in place. Pandora began to crumble again, and Cassie grabbed Valo and pulled him into the nearby lift, hitting the button as they both started to move up to the surface again.

Cassie explained that nearly a year had passed since he had rescued her from Pandora, and in his shock, he looked down at the collapsed part of the city that was a large distance away, the ocean having decayed over where the initial explosion all that time ago had taken place. "Eight... months... but Vivi..." He said quietly, and Cassie took him home once they reached the surface level.

Cassie encouraged him to get back on his feet and to do the right thing again, and he set out into the city to find any trace of Vivi. Soon, he had met Soile Nyland, a woman who would go on to change his life forever. They bonded over poetry, had midnight runs to fast food places, and met and pet stray animals together. They talked a lot, and Valo found himself falling in love with her the more time they spent together. He later ran into Soile in a mall that was attacked by gunmen, and together, they managed to get out alive just barely, being the only reason the others even survived. To pay him back for helping her, Soile invited Valo on a date in the mountains, and they went up there together. Before they knew it, they were caught up in a snowstorm and had to find shelter in an abandoned cabin together. They huddled together for warmth under an old, torn blanket, falling asleep together in front of a small fire.

Eventually, the day came where Soile's past caught up with her, and she had to go into hiding as there were pursuers who were after her in the city. Valo reluctantly let Soile go, and proceeded to cause a mass ruckus within the city to get their attention so that Soile could escape. After running from a sniper and several hitmen, Valo eventually got Soile to safety before narrowly escaping with his own life. It would be many months before the two were reunited, and Valo would take Soile to Hyperion's old fortress, Helios, to keep Soile safe. They spent their days there together, happily, but it seemed peace was not destined to last.

Soile received a call from her caretaker, and she told Valo she needed to go home to them. He let her go, kissing her one last time before she left. He didn't think it'd be the last time he ever saw Soile.

In the days to come, he had never heard from her. He didn't know if she was okay. He was worried sick. Helios soon came under siege, giving him no time to figure things out. An assassin, sent by the Wraith, appeared before Valo, laughing maniacally. Valo fought with her, and she revealed herself to be Alymira, the girl who bullied him back at the orphanage all those years ago. The Wraith, who she called Synkka, offered her a chance to take Valo, which she happily agreed.

'You see... Hyperion killed my father. He was a shitty person, but I wanted to do it myself... and when you were publicly unmasked to be the leader of Hyperion, I realized then that you were the kid from the orphanage. You took my revenge from me. And for that, I can never forgive you. You're mine now, Valo.'

Using Valo's weaknesses and post-traumatic fears of water and the dark against him, which she had learned from Synkka, Alymira proved victorious against him, and she would drag him off. Sometime after she took him for herself, she presented him to Synkka, a dark being who looked just like the Wraith who had once fought Vivi. He smirked at Valo as they knocked him unconscious again.

Waking up in a comfortable bed, Valo was dazed and confused, looking over to find a woman with red hair laying next to him. 'Oh, you're awake. Hey, babe.' She said with a smile, kissing Valo on the lips. Kissing her back, Valo smiled. "Stormy Paxton. I will never tire of waking up next to you." He said, and she returned his smile. Getting out of bed, she would hurry to the shower and he would get out of bed and start to get dressed. Immediately, his head began to hurt and his vision would flash static as he heard ringing in his head. The room before him flashed temporarily, turning into a hospital room before quickly reverting back to his bedroom. Confused, he finished getting dressed and would look at the nightstand. A picture of him and Stormy was there, a poor girl who landed a boyfriend with rich connections. They were to get married in a week, and Valo looked at the picture fondly. His first girlfriend, and his true love. He never felt luckier.

His vision flashed again, and a flash of him with a darker haired woman appeared temporarily, causing him to drop the picture as the glass shattered. Stormy walked back in, covered with a towel as she asked what happened. In a daze, Valo regained his composure and told her he was just clumsy, and she walked over and kisses his cheek, saying they could get a new frame later. As Stormy pulled away from him, a temporary flash appeared once more, and he saw her bloody and broken for just a second before reverting to her regular self. Valo looked shocked, but he quickly tried to push the image from his head as he nodded.

Memories of another life started to enter his mind, meshing with everything that he knew. He walked outside his house, getting attacked by muggers suddenly. Before they could hurt him, a purple haired girl showed up and beat them down effortlessly, and Valo looked at her in surprise. "Vivi?!" He asked, and she looked at him confused. 'Aren't you that rich boy? How do you know me?' She asked, and Valo tried to explain that they were close friends. She thought he was crazy and told him to stay away from her and just left, and Valo stood there confused.

They ran into each other several times in various places in the city, and Valo soon discovered she had a secret lab underneath the city where she operated as a vigilante. She arrived there after he did, holding him at arrowpoint as she asked how he found the place. He tried to explain that it was his lab, and that something was wrong because where he was from, Vivi helped him out and they worked together. Still believing him to be a fool, Vivi told him to leave and never come back, or she was sticking an arrow in his head. Valo obliged, leaving, still unsure of what was going on.

Soon, the day before the wedding arrived, and Valo and Stormy were to attend a celebratory party held by his parents. Prior to the party, Valo approached Stormy, holding her face in his hand as he looked upon her. That's right... she was gone in the life he remembered. He couldn't dare lose her again...

"Stormy, this kind of life doesn't suit us, huh? What do you say we leave together? Just the two of us? We don't need to get married. We don't need my mom and dad here. I just... I'm really worried about tomorrow." He said, unable to get rid of the image of her bleeding out from his mind. Stormy was confused, but after talking things out with Valo, she agreed. The two of them would leave together on his motorcycle. Stormy held him close, laughing about how much more free this decision felt, and Valo smiled. They were going to have a new life together, and they would escape whatever this world was. He wasn't going to lose her again... or so he thought.

The Sentinel, the monster that had brutally injured Stormy in his memories, swooped down immediately and attacked them, causing them to crash into a nearby tree as they flew from the bike. Valo landed, breaking his leg and getting badly hurt from the impact. Rolling over on his side, he saw Stormy on the ground nearby, and he crawled over to her desperately. Trying to wake her up, he saw she was bleeding badly and was in awful shape. He grabbed her, lifting her onto his back as he struggled to limp towards the city. He didn't dare let her go. Not again.

Somehow, he'd make it to the hospital with her. And as the emergency paramedics came out to get them, Valo fell to the ground and lost consciousness.

Valo woke with a start, finding himself in a hospital bed. One he recognized all too well. Looking over, he saw Vivi sitting nearby, and Valo desperately asked her if Stormy was okay. Confused, Vivi explained that Valo was found near his crashed bike and he was all by himself. He was confused, and Vivi got up, looking Valo dead in the eyes and asking where Stormy was. He swore to her that he brought her to the hospital, and she continued to look at him before backing away slightly.

'It's weird... ever since I ran into you, I've been having these flashes. Like memories I'm not supposed to have... somehow, I feel like you've been telling the truth this entire time.' She said, shaking her head. 'But I still don't believe a word of this. I need proof. And I need you to come with me. There's something strange going on here.'

Valo was discharged from the hospital strangely easily, and Vivi would lead him outside, pointing to a building in the distance. 'That's Morei Tech, your family's building, right?' She asked, and Valo nodded. 'All of these images and articles I've been finding refer to the place as the Yuy Corporation... but no matter what other digging I do over there, I can't find any record of it. It makes no sense. I feel like that place has something to do with your... possible memories.'

She would take Valo to her lab, making sure they were both armed. She gave him a sword, one he recognized as the Dragon Talon, and equipped herself with a hammer. Together, they'd make their way towards the building. As they got closer however, something seemed amiss... the city seemed to get emptier, and the atmosphere around them just seemed to feel heavier. Darker. They felt like they were being watched from every direction, and it made the hair on the back of Valo's neck stand up.

A laugh rang out, and Synkka would walk up from in front of them, congratulating them for coming this far. Vivi took one confused glance from Synkka to Valo and back again, noting their resemblance, as she kept her eyes trained on the man before them. He said he underestimated Vivi, calling her 'impressive, even for a fake.' She grit her teeth, not sure what he meant, but the guy was definitely pissing her off. He raised a hand and snapped, and suddenly, people began to pour in from all sides. They were people they both knew, and yet... they seemed dead. Lifeless. They began to converge on Valo and Vivi, and Synkka grinned as he watched. 'Leave him alive, but as for her... Off with her head.'

They attacked, and the two immediately began to defend themselves. Every strike of Valo's impaled his enemies with a blade of lightning, as every strike of Vivi's was brutal, taking her enemies out with reckless abandon. The two worked together perfectly as a team, despite them supposedly not knowing each other well. Pushing her enemies aside, Vivi rushed Synkka, determined to put an end to things. The two fought, exchanging fierce blows that made it feel as if the entire city was shaking. Valo jumped in to help her, and they double teamed Synkka, seemingly gaining the upper hand. Immediately, he swung his own sword into the ground, creating a wave of darkness that sent Valo and Vivi flying in different directions. Landing on her feet, Vivi immediately looked in Synkka's direction, but he swerved in quickly, parrying her hammer before impaling her through the spine.

The world shook as a bright flash enveloped everything for just a second, and Valo looked up in shock to see Synkka's blade protruding from Vivi's body. Pulling the sword from her, he pushed onto the ground as he took a step back, and Valo quickly ran over to Vivi's side, taking her in his arms. She reached up to touch his face, crying as she coughed up blood. 'Valo... I... I remember now, oh god... I remember...' She said, 'I've... been so cruel to you, I'm so sorry...'

"Vivi! Vivi, no! Save your strength, please don't talk!" Valo said frantically, keeping pressure on Vivi's wound and holding her tightly as tears streamed down his face. "Don't you die on me... don't you die on me, damn it... we're getting through this, you got that? We're supposed to be by each other's sides no matter what, you can't... you can't leave me... Vivi..."

She looked up at him, opening her mouth as if to speak, before her hand fell limp by her side. Holding her closely, Valo began to scream, and the world around them began to crumble slowly as the buildings and people all began to vanish, replaced with nothing but white space. At the end of it all, Vivi too began to vanish, slowly fading from Valo's embrace. Her body was replaced with that of Soile's, and soon, all that was left was Valo and Synkka, who looked down on him with that same grin.

'Looks like you forgot someone very important to you this entire time...' Synkka said, and Valo watched in horror as Soile faded away from him too. Valo stood to his feet, wiping his tears away as he glared at Synkka angrily. Grabbing his sword, Valo charged at Synkka, swinging at him with all of his might.

The lid flew from the pod that Valo was in, and he leapt from it, landing on the ground of Morei Tech. An aura surrounding him, he looked up and saw Synkka standing nearby. 'Wanting to leave even a world that was perfect for you. Impressive. You truly are more heartless than I gave you credit for.' Valo charged Synkka, and their blades connected with one another. 'Now you know what it feels like to watch Vivi die... I'm going to make it a reality so you can live it again.'

The two of them fought, and Synkka knocked Valo into the nearby conference room, giving them more space to fight. In the middle of their battle, Alymira arrived, and the two relentlessly barraged Valo with attacks. Fueled by his anger, he parried Alymira's blows and sent her flying through the nearest window, slamming her into a wall and knocking her unconscious. He and Synkka then began to fight with everything that they had, but Synkka possessed the upper hand, overpowering Valo and knocking him against the wall. Raising his blade, Synkka grinned as he charged Valo, and Valo closed his eyes, prepared for the worst.

Blade met flesh, and Valo grimaced at the blade piercing through his torso. And yet... it didn't feel like it had much force to it. Opening his eyes, he saw Synkka's blade had gone through something else first... and both of them widened their eyes as they realized Hailey had jumped in front of the attack, taking it full on. With all the strength she could muster, she took her knife and shoved it straight into Synkka's heart, and he looked at her face in shock before he fell to the ground dead, pulling the sword away from Valo and Hailey.

She gasped in pain, and Valo held his sister in his arms, both of them knowing the wound was too fatal. Tears started to stream down his face, and Hailey looked at Valo as she shook her head weakly with a smile. 'Protecting you... was all I ever wanted to do... I... I know we're just... experiments... and not really siblings, but... but I...' She coughed up blood, and Valo begged her not to speak anymore. 'I loved you more than anything, and in the end... I'm... happy I... got to be your... sister...'

She shut her eyes, that smile still on her face as she lay in Valo's arms, motionless. He sat there, holding her as he sobbed uncontrollably. They would be together for hours, before some strange people had arrived. Finding he and Alymira to be the only survivors in the building, the two were detained and taken to a facility in Melbourne, Australia. And Valo was too broken at the loss of Hailey to resist anymore.

Skills and Weaknesses: Valo is perceptive and intelligent, having trained his eyes and his mind for years as a result of his upbringing. He tries not to let anything get by his sight, and he tries to think of every possible variable to any situation he finds himself in. He's very calm and it's difficult to cause him to lose his composure. He's also very fast, covering distances quickly whether he's attacking or retreating. Combining his speed and perception, he uses them in tandem in an attempt to control the battlefield to his benefit, and to strike when the moment is right.

Valo's weaknesses lie in his weaker constitution. The final battle with Synkka left him without most of his previous power, and as such, he cannot take as many hits as he used to. He also loses a lot of his effectiveness when grappled. Even though Valo remains calm in battle, if one attacks those he cares for, he's more likely to put himself in harm's way to protect them, leaving him open to an attack he otherwise wouldn't have taken. In a straight up brawl, he's also not as much of a threat as he used to be, and if one can prevent him from zoning, then it's a matter of whittling down his defenses until victory is at hand.

Gifts:

Primary: Nyyrikki's Blessing: Harnessing the power within his body, Valo is able to accelerate his own cells, enhancing various attributes and granting him abilities that were previously impossible for him to perform. Putting his body in this 'accelerated' state allows him to do unusual things.

Level 1: Empowering his body, Valo's movements feel lighter and he can move at a faster level than before. Increases Valo's Agility by one tier.


Secondary: Kuu's Touch: Having always been stuck between the light and the dark, Valo retained some of the dark energy that was born as a result of Synkka inhabiting his body. He is able to harness both the light and the dark to his advantage in combat, weaponizing it. He can utilize it in various ways. When utilizing abilities of the light, he takes on a brilliant glow and his appearance becomes more angel-like, the form of the Lightbringer. When utilizing darkness, a dark aura surrounds him and a grim mask covers his face, the Darkwraith.

Level 1: Channeling his energy, Valo is able to create a bow of either light or dark power, firing a single large arrow-shaped projectile towards his opponent. When in melee range, Valo is instead able to manifest his old sword, the Dragon Talon. He's able to use the sword to fight with or for utility's sake when it comes to the environment.

Third: Luonto's Protection: Valo is able to manifest his energy to take on another form within a short distance. This allows him to either play mind games with his opponents, offer an ample distraction for him to take advantage of, or even look as though he's appearing in two places at once. The things he manifests are not without their dire limits, however.

Level 1: Valo is able to project his energy to create a doppelganger of himself. The doppelganger is nearly foolproof, acting like Valo as though of its own accord. However, when interacting with anything physical, this doppelganger can only perform a single action, such as striking at one of Valo's opponents, shielding him from an impact, or using it to reach areas he normally wouldn't be able to reach.


Statistics:
Strength - B
Agility - S
Endurance - C
Perception - A