The Archmage, Noel

Hey everyone and welcome back to The Realm! Today's article is dedicated to the most powerful warlock in history, The Dragonlord, Merlin...and no, not the Sin of Gluttony. Oh yeah, you read that right, but you're probably wondering about the title of this article. I will explain that momentarily. For now it is introduction time!

Second Commander of the Shield Corps, The Archmage of the Blood Guard, The Dragonlord. He is Noel of the Prism Guard and he is her wisdom.

Now to answer the questions that are undoubtedly burning in your mind...or is that just me? First question...his name. Noel is the name of a character that starred in the Final Fantasy franchise, his debut being Final Fantasy 13-2. He continued his role in Final Fantasy: Lightning Returns as the mysterious Shadow Hunter. Now what does this character have to do with the greatest warlock that has ever lived?

In both of the previously mentioned Final Fantasy games is a character known as Yuel. She was a young teenage girl cursed with the Eyes of Etro. In the Final Fantasy 13 universe, Etro is known as the Goddess of Death and her realm, untouched by time, is Valhalla. Yuel was a seeress that existed in every era of history, each one having a soul of their own yet almost completely identical. Their visions of the future were not without a price. Each new future they saw, the more they were drained of their life force. None of them made it to adulthood and always died in their early teen years.

Again what does this have to do with our beloved Archmage?

This is Noel, a hunter that lived in the distant future and was one of the few remaining survivors of the human race after Cocoon had fallen onto Gran Pulse. He was drawn into Valhalla through a time gate, was given the moogle named Mog, then sent into the past to retrieve Serah, Lightning's younger sister to aid her in her battle against Caius, a man hell bent on warping the timeline to prevent the deaths of all the Yuel's throughout time. 

Noel had grown up with Caius and the last seeress to bear the name and visage of Yuel. Caius became the Guardian of Chaos and companion to all of the Yuel's in the past, leaving Noel as the only protector of the last seeress. She died in Noel's arms, neither having told the other about what was in their hearts for one another.

Their story was so brief yet so heartfelt, so when I gave Morgana her name within the Guard, Yuel...I made Merlin's name, Noel. In the TV series, I always sensed some underlying connection between Morgana and Merlin, honestly believing that they would pair up and get married. This never occurred and instead Morgana was twisted and warped into her darkest form, very much like the timeline in Final Fantasy 13-2 that depicted such a bleak and hopeless future.

I had always intended for Morgana and Merlin to be an item almost straight out of the gate with Mordred being their biological son because seriously, this kid looked so much like a mix of the two that I thought some weird, funky magic had given birth to him or they had a super secret affair no one knew about before Merlin's actual arrival in Camelot...unlikely but fun to think about sometimes.

Now then, moving right along to his profile. His origin story, like his beloved Yuel's, is a heavily revamped version of the TV series from whence he came; however, there are some deviations...specifically his childhood in Ealdor. This small village just beyond the borders of the Kingdom of Camelot was far more prosperous than its appearance would have you believe. In the show, it held the appearance of a poor farming village trying to scrape by a living and keep their children from starving.

The true visage of the town was concealed within the forest, beneath ground as well, and the village normally seen is a well crafted facade. Why because Ealdor was one of the places that swore loyalty and under the protection of the Blood Guard. Many so called villages, camps and towns were also aligned with the Blood Guard, these places becoming temporary sanctuaries for those deemed unnatural or evil by the surrounding kingdoms.

Merlin was not actually born in Ealdor, but within a crystal cavern because his mother had fled with her husband, Balinor. He was the last Dragonlord and father to the Archmage and Druid King. The King of Camelot, Uther Pendragon, had given orders for the man to be executed on site and any that aided him, their lives were forfeit. In an attempt to conceal the knowledge of his wife, neither knowing that she was already with child, he took her to the crystal cavern that lay just within the Valley of the Fallen Kings.

Balinor placed his wife into an enchanted sleep, knowing she would follow him otherwise, and laid her to rest deep within the cave, knowing its magic would protect her. He left the cave to lead the hunting parties away, not knowing that the very essence of life itself was reacting to the shifting of fate itself. When Balinor returned, he discovered that his wife was gone. 

He had not expected her to wait for he had been gone for almost three and a half weeks, but he did discover something very unusual contained within one of the crystals. Contained within was the image of two small children bearing a remarkable resemblance to both himself and his beloved wife, Hunith. He looked into the surrounding crystals and saw many more images, all out of order but filling him with such a profound hope that it could not be contained.

The children, a boy and a girl, were to be born with magic. The boy was a defender, a healer, a conveyor of wisdom and an unwavering kindness. The girl was a fighter, she was a powerful combat mage, a natural born leader, and possessed a deep respect and reverence for life in all its forms. He knew who they were, both had been prophesied long ago...The Archmage and The Druid King.

The destiny of the Archmage was to protect the Once and Future King that would unite the lands and bring forth a lasting piece, but that was only the first segment of his multifaceted destiny. His sister was destined to become the leader of the Druids, uniting the magical kingdom under a single ruler, the High Priestess of the Old Religion. There was a problem, a great evil was trying to revert the path of the world back to its original course. A course that led to the destruction of Albion, the death of Arthur Pendragon, and magic itself would disappear, the balance forever broken.

The Dragonlord sent word to his friend, the physician of Camelot's royal court, and Gaius sent a courier to the northernmost kingdom of Rozarria, requesting assistance from his former mentor and long time friend, the Star Child. She set a plan into motion, using her gift of probability mapping to successfully counteract every attempt to sway the timeline. It was not an easy task and had taken a great deal of effort and planning in order to retain the current balance and insure the best possible future.

The so called devastation caused by magic users to the kingdom was actually the work of her Illusionist working in tandem with other divisions and the result was remarkably accurate and very believable, especially once Emma put things into motion. The First Mage de-aged herself so that she could pretty much super glue herself to the terrified child that was Morgana that was coming into her gift of prophecy. 

As for the twins of Balinor and Hunith, their parents having returned to the crystal cave for the duration of her pregnancy, were constantly surrounded by the pure essence of life, untainted and thus making them quite powerful...especially when they were together, acting as natural amplifiers for each other. Thus the reason why the twins had to be kept apart, neither knowing of the other's existence but still feeling the connection they shared as twins.

The boy was given the name, Merlin, in honor of his godmother...which turned out to be Mystic of all people and this caused quite a lot of hysterical laughter from most of the Prismata in later years. The infant Archmage was to remain with his mother in Ealdor. His twin sister and future King of the Druids was granted the name of Emrys in honor of the Star Child's sister and truest believer...the irony was not lost them in the slightest.

Eventually the siblings would cross paths when Arthur and Merlin begin their search for the last Dragonlord, Balinor, because the Great Dragon, Kilgharrah, was attacking Camelot but in the Blood Guard universe, Kilgharrah is not in control of his actions and actually begging the young warlock to stop him. As it turned out, the blade needed to free Kilgharrah from the mystical chains that bound him in the underground cavern beneath the city...was enchanted. 

When the blade struck the chain, the enchantment activated, forcing the Great Dragon to react violently and by violently, I mean he was in utter agony. He could barely discern anything and he just wanted the pain to stop and because of this enchantment, it allowed a powerful sorceress to take control of his body and used him to wreak havoc on Camelot, the very kingdom that he had promised a young Arthur to protect. So when Arthur and Merlin finally find Balinor, he initially refuses, claiming to have a greater obligation that could not be neglected.

Arthur was more than a little angry and the power he had kept hidden for so long erupted from his body, his eyes flashing a molten gold and sent a blast wave of magic towards the man. A young woman with similar features to Merlin appeared in front of Balinor and sent a greater wave of magic to rebound Arthur's which forced Merlin's hand and he projected a magical barrier around him and Arthur, but also around Balinor and the woman, forcing the clashing magicks to cancel each other out.

The barriers disappeared and the Crown Prince of Camelot immediately apologized to the Dragonlord for his magic reacting so violently. Balinor demanded to know why the son of Utter Pendragon would use magic at all and Arthur admitted that he had asked Kilgharrah, actually mentioning the Great Dragon by name, to teach him everything about magic, about the Old Religion, and about the enormous amount of history that the dragon had lived through in the hopes of not repeating past mistakes...that he honestly wanted to build a kingdom that respected the Old Ways, embraced the new, and protected the balance between the life of creation and the destruction of man.

To say that the Dragonlord was surprised would be a very big understatement and the young woman with him said that the prat was speaking the truth which had Merlin laughing because he always referred to the prince as a prat, a clotpole, or a royal ass. This drew the woman's attention to him and the moment their gazes met...they knew. Both Balinor and Arthur were taken off guard when their companions ran toward each other and hugged one another tightly, relief and joy being heard in their laughter.

Balinor was the first to understand why and cleared his throat, both siblings looking at him instantly...thus ensued a three way hug and a somewhat lengthy explanation for Prince Prat since he had no idea what the hell was going on. The group of four started their journey to Camelot and just like in the show, Balinor took a hit meant for his son which resulted in three forms of magic being directed at the one responsible. Emrys stayed behind to keep their father a proper burial and told her twin brother what he needed to do about the Great Dragon.

Imagine Merlin's surprise when he visits his mother after he rescued Kilgharrah and finds his father at the dinner table, having supper with Hunith. When asked how, his father simply pulled out a fob watch emblazoned with the mark of the Dragonlord and gave it to his son, saying that the watch was to passed on until it came to rest in the hands of its proper owner...Merlin...and not answering His son's question at all. His father then explained that the Dragonlords were members of an ancient civilization that spanned countless eons. 

The first to receive the ability to command dragons was given that watch and was passed down through the ages, absorbing all the knowledge and wisdom of each bearer to better aid the true owner in the future. The Archmage asked him why he believed that he was the owner of the watch and not Emrys. Balinor told him that only three people were capable of opening that watch; The Archmage, The Truest Believer and The Star Child. 

Merlin knew that Artz was the Star Child, her sister Yuna was the Truest Believer, which left only the Archmage, but that wasn't him. Kilgharrah had said that he was the most powerful warlock that had ever existed, but the Archmage was supposed to possess a power far greater than the combined might of his magic. What that something was, he had no idea so he just placed the watch on the table in front of his father and began to leave, only to be nearly toppled over by the woman that he could never stop thinking about, that was always in his dreams, and made his heart feel like it was about to burst out of his chest...the Lady Morgana.

When their eyes met, she smiled at him and he kind of forgot how to breathe. She was absolutely beautiful and he was so grateful that his friend, Artz, had been so pushy about him spending more time the Seeress. There was something there, something connecting them, and it was so strong. He didn't even notice his father getting up and handing the fob watch to the new arrival and nodded in his son's direction. Morgana asked him to open it for her so she could see what was inside and he did so without realizing what he was actually doing until a melody reached his ears, making him look down.

The watch that he had been so sure that it would remain closed to him forever...it was open. It wasn't a watch at all but a musical watch, playing a familiar melody and he looked up from the watch in his hand to the woman that made his life both heaven and hell simply by breathing. It was in that moment that the young warlock finally understood what the Great Dragon had tried to tell him. The power that possessed a force far greater than anything magic could ever produce...it was love. 

He loved Morgana and that revelation rendered him entirely speechless. Fortunately for him, the Seeress knew exactly what she wanted and was quite stubborn as well and one day, the First Oracle and the Archmage... with a little bit of help from two gingers, a blonde, and a rather nosy prince...finally got their act together and agreed to get married, sadly the official wedding couldn't occur until after Arthur became king, considering that Uther would have executed him for even touching her in the first place, but thanks to a certain Druid King, they did at least have a soul binding ceremony, tying them together forever and always.

It would take several more years and one more visit to a certain crystal cavern for Merlin to actually accept the fact that he was indeed The Archmage spoken of in countless legends and prophecies. When Merlin finally joined the battle at Camlann, his true potential unleashed by the restoration of his magic...the tide of battle swiftly turned, for with his arrival came the dragons, Kilgharrah and Aithusa...not to mention that his twin sister got one hell of a power boost and literally started blowing shit up while cackling like a maniacal witch.

The Archmage sought out his brother-in-law and best friend, Arthur, only to freeze in shock upon seeing the Star Child use herself as a shield to save the Once and Future King. Merlin tried to reach them, that perhaps maybe his magic could save her, only to be deflected by a powerful barrier. His sister, along with a woman with eyes of the purest amethyst, approached him and he was forced to wait, the new arrival telling him of the vision his wife in the future had.

He watched helplessly as his closest and dearest friend died in Arthur's arms. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as his brother-in-law let out a soul wrenching scream of agony, losing himself completely within the raw power and might that was the life force of the world, the core essence of all magic both light and dark. The two women each took one of his hands and he didn't have to look at them to know that they were crying too. Their hands tightened as they watched the King of Camelot forcibly rip out the corrupted life force of the sorceress, Morgause, and then willed it into the Star Child's body which had dire consequences.

When his friend tried to attack the man that had just saved her life, both he and his sister channeled the entirety of their combined powers into the amethyst eyed woman while she created a reflective barrier strong enough to keep the Lady of the Blood Guard contained. So much sorrow and pain followed, along with countless other emotions...then one day, she was gone. The Star Child had disappeared not long after the corrupted life force had been fully extracted and with her departure, the bright colors that had once been so vivid and vibrant became dull and muted.

For months it had remained this way until Lancelot and the other elite knights sought him out. Why because strange crests had emerged on their hands and they asked him if he knew what it meant. Sir Leon also informed the Archmage that a similar crest had appeared on their King's hand as well. He was about to answer them when an explosion of glass occurred, the sound originating close to where his and Morgana's personal chambers were. 

He immediately transported himself to his wife who was gripping a piece of furniture with one hand and holding her swollen stomach, a puddle of fluid on the floor around her. Her water had just broken and judging by the high intensity bursts of magic comijg from every time she experienced a new wave of pain...well it meant only one thing...he was about to be a father. All hell broke loose as several people helped prepare for the birthing, dashing about all over the place and people barking orders.

The Archmage would have remained with his wife had it not been for the vision that flooded his mind...Artz was in danger and and she was alone. He was forced into making a choice; his wife or his friend. He called out to Morgana within their minds but she couldn't hear him, the pain from the contractions preventing a stable connection. He was surprised when another answered his call and in his mind's eye, there was a vision of a young boy, no older than ten years of age.

His physical features resembled both he and his wife...was this their child, their son, the one that his wife was trying so desperately to bring into this world? The boy told him that he needed to leave, to rescue the currently powerless Star Child, and if he didn't then the entirety of the past and future would be unwritten. Merlin was blindsided by the sudden surge of images, a timeline without the Star Child, without the Blood Guard, without Emma...his wife would have been his enemy; the darkness to his light, the hatred to his love.

Morgana would have been converted to evil by the vile Morgause, twisting and warping her into most darkest and purest evil form, becoming the instrument that would lead Albion to ruin, destroying magic, killing Arthur...she would have died by his hand, holding her in his arms as she took her final breath and leaving a gaping a hole within his heart. Without Artz, her daughter would never be born. Without Emma, Morgana would have grown up believing herself to be a monster, so lost and confused and afraid. 

Without them, Arthur would never have befriended the Great Dragon. Without them, Merlin would have lived a life that was nothing but lies, always wanting to tell Arthur about himself and about his magic, barely managing to reveal it at the end and have Arthur die in his arms too. If he didn't leave right now then that very future would come to pass and with it, the deaths of his father, his love, his best friend, and his sister would never be born at all either.

He turned and left and was stopped by Arthur. Once the words Artz is in trouble left his mouth, the King of Camelot and the elite knights bearing their new crests joined the Archmage in rescuing the Star Child, but she held no memory of being the Lady of the Blood Guard, her mind having temporarily reset itself... roughly nine months ago and the only reason why she had been anywhere near Camelot at all was because she had been following the image of a boy matching the one that Merlin had seen.

His son's essence had been calling to her, guiding her home, and she had been instinctively following that instinct. They managed to convince her to come with them to Camelot, that she would be safe there, but as they tried to leave, they were ambushed by the remnants of Morgause's fake Blood Guard and one of them managed to latch a silver band around her neck, making her crumple like a rag doll and her eyes fogging over, essentially rendering her blind and whatever power she might have had access to was now locked within by the magical device.

I'm gonna stop it there for that part of his story...why...because I haven't written it out yet. You're probably wondering what all of this has to do with the most recent chapter of Stardust on fanfiction.net and if not then you might want to go read it first then come back.

As I was saying, within the chapters of Book One are two references to everyone's favorite warlock. The first is when Anna meets a strange man bearing a remarkable resemblance to the Archmage. The second instance is in regard to the most addition to the Zimmerman family.

This cute little guy is found by Doctor William Zimmerman and ends up picking up the cat, fully intending on taking their furry new friend home with them, but there is something rather odd with the suspiciously intelligent feline. This fact is proven true when Will witnessed an unusual event...fortunately his sister had been preoccupied at the time so she hadn't noticed. Will had been zapped by electricity and was still dealing with the pain, when all of a sudden...

The kitten's eyes flashed gold for a moment and the lingering pain in his hand had instantly disappeared. He did not have a chance to tell his sister because she had distracted him with new information about the items they had been searching. These items were procured separately; one the previous night by Will and the other today by Anna. The items in question...fob watches...more specifically, music boxes in the shape of a fob watch, each containing a specific song acting as the bearer's personal theme tune. I'm gonna list off the ones mentioned in the story...though Light's is still undetermined at this time so you'll be getting the list of candidates. I'll start off with the confirmed theme tunes.

The Third Captain, Poseidon Jones - Song: Blackheart aka Pirate Love Song

The Fourth Captain, James Hook - Song: The Davy Jones theme (with lyrics)

The Profiler, Durga Zimmerman - Song: Ain't No Rest For The Wicked

The Punisher, Preacher - Song: Thrown Away

The Star Child, Artz Lanaria - Song: Shot In The Dark

Did you know that the Blood Guard as a whole has their own theme as well?

The Blood Guard - Song: Hair Up

Seriously, this song inspired an entire performance scene. A group of members predominantly from the Prism Guard are dressed in dark suits, wearing dark fedoras, some with black sunglasses and the leader of the Guard, the First Captain has a cane. He just stands in the middle of the group, looking like a total badass, while the other captains and a few others do the main vocals and doing a dance routine around the First Captain. He does sing, mainly the deeper vocals. Anyways, the chorus is done by the rest of the group and most of the dancing and clapping. Off to the side is the sound mixer that takes care of the instrumental parts and moving spotlights above and a light fog floating along the floor. Sweet Menti Celesti, I wish I could take the scene out of my head and make it into its own music video because I am so not doing justice to what's in my head right now.

That being said, Yuna's theme tune is entirely up to her. I am personally leaning towards this song; The Daughter of the Moon.

Now comes the mother of all ice cream headaches that is this guy's theme.

The Second Captain, Light Zimmerman - Song(s): Sabotage, Immigrant, The Wanderer's Lullaby, The 12th Doctor's guitar solo, I See The Light, Powerful Magic, and recently thought of...I Think it's Called Clara.

The 12th Doctor's Guitar Solo is the very first one in Suite. Sorry couldn't find one with just the first part.

In several scenes, Light is seen reclining on a couch in Henry's workshop. He has his electric guitar in his hands and he plays this song almost absent-mindedly. I think it puts him at ease, calming his lightning fast mind, it's one of Artz's favorites, and so it kind of ended up as his 'thinking song'.

I know this turned into quite the spectacle and let me assure you that there will be more articles that will undoubtedly follow this trend. Also there are other themes already set in stone, but I also have some songs that I want to use as theme tunes but I haven't found the right characters for them. Then there are the characters that are supposed to have very recognizable theme tunes but I keep coming up with a great big blank.

Hook: Translation - she hasn't found one for the very person this article was about...The Archmage, Noel.

Artz: *whines* Captain!

Hook: *chuckles* Quit your belly aching, wench. I was only teasing. I'm perfectly aware of how busy you've been lately; posted several chapters for His Guiding Star, completely overhauled some of your older posts, literally made up this article on the spot, spent several hours a day for the last month scouring the internet for both images and transcripts, started a new blog called ouatscripts.blogspot.com just so Anna could read them since she usually doesn't have time to actually watch the episodes, and on top of all that, you've got your job and the ridiculous amount of work to do at home.

Poseidon: it's a bloody miracle that she hasn't collapsed from exhaustion.

Light: It's called burning the candle at both ends.

Hook: Something has got to give, Sparky.

Poseidon: Yeah...her.

Noel: Umm...would now be a bad time to mention that...*twenty minutes later*...I was going to say fall asleep but she stopped typing and took a short nap instead.

Artz: *groggy* Sorry, everyone but it's time for some shut eye. Goodnight. *is carried away by her Captain*

The Punisher, Preacher

Hey everyone and welcome back to The Realm. As the title suggests, we are now doing the other half of Nicholas D. Wolfwood aka Preacher. There is some serious irony with this guy. He is one of the most important and pivotal characters in Book One of The Star Chronicles, yet he lacks a proper introduction.

With that being said, allow me to introduce Preacher of the Prism Guard and he is her heart.

Much of Preacher's origin is supposedly depicted in Death Toll's profile, but there is a lot of history connected to his actual soul along with a fair bit in another's personal history. His soul was that of a child that had their soul ejected from their original body. Under normal circumstances, a soul like this would have unraveled, said soul disappearing from existence and never to be seen ever again. The hiccup comes not from the Star Child but from the child's father. His father loved him so much and so deeply that when his soul was ejected from its body, it was pretty much launched at the person that, at the time, his father held the strongest bond with but was also capable of actually helping said soul.

Thus the soul of this poor, lost infant found itself in the Star Child's possession. In fact, many souls are carried within her and over time, each one finds a new home, commonly in unborn children that are about to be miscarried because there wasn't a soul to maintain its life force. Now you're probably wondering who the father was, right? It's a majorly big spoiler and by all rights, I shouldn't reveal it so early on, but considering said father remains blissfully unaware that his son's soul was shoved into the ultimate killing machine that was Death Toll...I'm gonna spoil it anyways because I can't keep my mouth shut. Fell free to scream What the fuck?!

Say hello to Goldeneye, better known to the Oncers as Rumple aka Mr. Gold aka Detective Weaver. Did you honestly believe that the bloody Dark One wasn't going to be a member of my Guard? I'll do his profile later, but this rendition of him has a somewhat skewed version of his fictional counterpart. In this version, his son Baelfire had his soul ejected by a parasitic demonic organism calling itself Balthazar. Not much is currently known about the parasite's history but this won't be the last time you'll hear about him. He's quite the pest and quite the escape artist. Now as I was saying, Goldeneye has no clue that his son's soul had survived nor did he know that Artz had unintentionally shoved it into Death Toll while her heart was shut off. Heck even she doesn't know that her beloved Preacher/Death Toll has the soul of the son that her Dark Savior had lost mere minutes after his birth and it comes as quite the shock later. I still haven't decided when Goldeneye eventually finds out so that's something to look forward to.

Death Toll's profile went a bit hazy at the end and that's because he wasn't aware of what was actually occurring; however, when Preacher becomes the dominant persona, he doesn't entirely know how to feel because he remembered everything he had done while being soulless...though he didn't actually know was soulless until later. He doesn't even bother to resist when she forcefully brands him with his crest, the silver cross bound in black chains. Death Toll's is essentially the same thing but the color scheme is reversed, the black cross bound in silver chains.

Unfortunately for both him and DT, Artz's heart is still shut off and her logical mind deemed it necessary to beat the hell out them so that they would know their place and that she had complete and total power over them. What can I say, heartless Artz is fucking terrifying because her heart, all that love and kindness, it defines her and without it, she's even more dangerous than the former Killing Perfection. She really does beat the hell out of them before the fourth captain orders her to stop and technically she does but then starts beating the crap out of him. It doesn't help that the Second Sin of the Order of the Seven Deadly Sins sides with the Star Child and helps her during the fight.

Second Sin and Captain of the Order, the Dragon Sin, the Sin of Wrath, the Dragonborn. He is Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins and he is her dragon.

As you have probably guessed, you are going to see characters and people from a wide range of media and entertainment... including all seven of The Seven Deadly Sins. Wrath does indeed possess his Full Counter ability and when he is paired up with his partner, Greed, a shit ton of destruction is sure to follow and a lot of hysterical laughter from the Star Child because their antics reminded her of her favorite wizard guild, Fairy Tail, but when he is paired up with Artz herself, not even the raw power and might of the seasoned fighter that is the Fourth Captain can possibly compare. In fact, Hook goes down pretty quickly and is fully incapacitated, making it impossible for Poseidon to take control of their shared body. Wrath will never stand against the Star Child and if she walked the path of a soulless murderess, he would always be by her side because he was her dragon, just as she would always be his Elizabeth.

Same can not be said of the First Sin, she simply doesn't get involved, knowing that Artz would sort herself out on her own and bring her heart back online by herself. She just stands off to the side with her arms crossed and eyes closed. She is considered to be the second most powerful member of the Blood Guard but that's only because the one known as Durga had yet to be born then they tied for second place because they didn't want to wreck a few realities to figure out who was stronger.

First Sin of the Order, The Boar Sin, The Sin of Gluttony, The Sorceress of Creation. She is Mystic of the Seven Deadly Sins and she is her wonder.

This is turning into quite the showcase, isn't it? Not to worry, dearies, you will get their profiles at some point or another. There are quite a few Guard Members that have fully flushed out origin stories already and are involved in quite a lot of events. Anyways, I made a recent alteration to this character. She goes by three different names, depends on who is addressing her or who is speaking about her...Mystic, Merlin, and Esmer. More on her at a later date because she has one hell of a story. Now back to my beloved Preacher or more specifically, what happens shortly after the Fourth Captain has his ass handed to him by the woman he loves and the dragon that would always choose her side without fail.

Given the extensive history of the Blood Guard, they have witnessed countless eras of history. Much of the Earth's history has been destroyed by wars, by cataclysms, and by time itself. As such...guns are a thing that happens repeatedly throughout the entirety of the past. Why...because I said so. Anyways, the group is attacked by a contingent of soldiers. Artz is still emotionless so she kills them all...except one. This one person, whom I have yet to find a decent character for...correction; while doing an image search, I found a character and I'm pretty certain that you'll recognize him...becomes important later on down the road and even in her heartless state, she senses that importance and stops herself from killing him. She doesn't even injure him at all, but the poor guy is scared shitless because she single handedly took down dozens of soldiers...so he shoots her with less than two feet between them and literally empties an entire clip into her abdomen, given that he was on the ground at the time.

She falls backwards and she is pretty much bleeding out. Preacher is the one that jumps right into panic mode and rushes over to her, trying desperately to staunch the flow of blood in a vain attempt to save her life. He is yelling at Mystic and Wrath to help him save her, but they just stand there. Wrath refuses to leave the currently incapacitated Third and Fourth Captains, knowing that his Elizabeth would never forgive him if anything happened to them. Mystic simply gives him a cold look saying that Artz wouldn't be in this condition if her heart hadn't been turned off...then says that if she dies, he only has himself to blame because she locked away her heart just to save him. Her blood would be on his hands because it was entirely his own fault. 

Preacher couldn't honestly believe what he was hearing. He understood why Wrath wasn't getting involved, acting as protector and defender for his injured comrade, but Mystic wasn't even going to lift a single finger to help the Star Child. He couldn't understand why she was being so cruel, why she simply allowed events to unfold when she had the power or means to change them...and then Artz's heart stopped beating. 

For a moment all he could do was stare... stare at the body of the very woman he had been hired to kill. His recently acquired soul reacted violently to the sudden loss of the woman's life force, something that had been a constant presence for said soul. Preacher's heart and mind flooded with a grief so profound that he jumped straight into a vengeful fury. He did not attack the soldier that had shot her, but the Sorceress of Creation that had done nothing to save the Star Child. 

Even with a soul, he still possessed the gift of empathic clarity and although clouded by his own raw yet powerful emotions, it still allowed him the ability to effectively predict the First Sin's moves, but she was able to hold her own against him. She was fortunate that he had yet to learn every aspect of his empathic power because he could literally put someone down with their emotions alone. She had met a future version of the man and she had been more than a little shocked and whole lot pissed off when the smug bastard smirked at her before she suddenly blacked out. Upon waking, he informed her of the true range and spectrum of his empathic clarity, stressing that she needed to literally pull an eleventh doctor and figuratively say Look at me! I'm a target! Otherwise someone very important was going to be ripped apart with his bare hands...thus resulting in the current situation.

Meanwhile the soldier that had killed the Star Child was watching the former assassin attack the First Sin, all that pain and sorrow, grief and despair, hatred and revenge...and all for a woman he had only just met and who had quite literally beaten the crap out of him mere moments ago. He looked down at the weapon in his hands then at the blood stained corpse of the woman he had just murdered. He threw away the gun and crawled over to her body. He felt true and honest remorse for taking her life and he wanted nothing more than to turn back time and stop his idiot self from ever pulling the trigger, so he did the next best thing...calling on an ability that he had kept secret and hidden for his entire life.

This ability is what allowed him to undo what he had done...well to at least get the woman breathing again. When the soldier managed to restart her heart, it ironically reawakened her emotions. The sudden surge of life force and intense emotions completely overwhelmed the grief stricken Preacher and he lost consciousness because of it, landing in Mystic's open and ready arms. He wouldn't find out for a long time about how she had hugged him to her chest and shed silent tears, knowing that he would hate her for several lifetimes and breaking her heart in the process, causing an issue within her that would never fade away. The Blood Guard protect their own, even if they hate them for it, because above all else...they were family.

Moving forward, Preacher awoke to find the Star Child asleep next to him. She was gripping his shirt, crying a steady stream of tears even while she was asleep. He realized just how much she cared, how far she was willing to go to save him despite all the atrocities he had committed against her and the Blood Guard. He knew that it was highly unlikely that the Guard would ever embrace him as one of their own. He had killed so many people and all because he was trying to ensnare the Lady of the Blood Guard in a trap to kill her once and for all. No, they would never accept him after everything he has done, but watching the woman crying in her sleep and clinging to him like he was about to disappear...it didn't matter, so long as he would get the chance to learn more about this mysterious goddess of mercy...they could all go to hell for all he cared.

He would gladly bear their hatred and spend his life as the outsider, the enemy within their ranks, because he honestly believed that she might be worth it. He was proven right of course. He was definitely not going to win any popularity contests anytime soon, and his goddess of mercy was proving to be a walking contradiction. She was impossible yet she existed and don't even get him started on how deep the rabbit hole was for that woman's heart. She felt everything so strongly, her emotions carrying a much greater impact due to how intensely she felt things...talk about a headache. 

For the first few decades, he felt like he was constantly drowning but when she left his sensing range, he felt so empty like she had somehow expanded his own emotional capacity and he was struggling to compensate. This proved to be quite the challenge, but that space was soon filled because he was bloody terrified of his other half. Death Toll was nothing like him; wild, crass, extremely dangerous, highly manipulative, and did not give a shit about anyone or anything. Preacher honestly believed that should his counterpart ever gain awareness of the outside world that he would seek out the Star Child and kill her...or worse because he knew that there were fates worse than death and he adamantly refused to allow the assassin to hurt her anymore.

He spent over a hundred years keeping his alter ego fully contained and partially dormant, a light slumber but was easy enough to maintain without having to exert too much effort. During that century, he spent a great deal of time with the crimson haired woman whose sapphire eyes shined with a light from within. They had predominantly stayed away from the more populated areas of the Realm. Why because she didn't like how the rest of the Guard, with the exception of her inner circle known as the Prism or Prismata, were treating him. In fact, it made her quite angry but also incredibly disappointed. Angry that someone she cared for was hated so much and disappointed that her beloved Guard were still so close minded.

The former assassin had been utterly floored by this admission from her. This was due to the fact that he was constantly struggling to understand what the hell he was feeling and he couldn't seem to wrap his head around the fact that this woman, who by all rights should hate his guts for what he did, cared for him so much. It didn't make any sense to him. She was contradictory to everything he knew about human nature and their emotional reactions. He asked her once...why didn't she hate him...the look on her face and the feelings he was sensing with his gift...she was confused...why? What didn't she understand about such a simple question? He voiced his own confusion in response to her own and her answer...it broke his heart.

'How can I hate someone when I'm too busy hating myself.'

It was the first time that he had ever been physically rough with her. He actually slammed her back against a nearby tree, birds flying away from the sudden disruption. He started yelling at her about all the things he had done before they met, all the members of the Guard he had slain, how he massacred entire towns and villages simply because he had walked into them. He yelled at her about how he brutally murdered the Third Mage, the Magi of the Air, her beloved Van...sharing every detail about each life he took and the thought processes of each person he tortured, treating it all like it was nothing more than a series of experiements to see what worked and what didn't.

By the time he had finished, they were both sitting on the ground. His forehead resting against her chest as his fingers gripped the fabric of her cloak, he was crying...the deeper emotions, that he had no idea were even there, were erupting from his being; his guilt, his shame, his sorrow and self-hatred, all the pain and loneliness...it all came out at once. She never said a word and simply let him drown her in tears. When he finally released her cloak, his body sagging in exhaustion, he still had just enough energy to be surprised when she wrapped her arms around him in a gentle embrace and said she was sorry. He lost the battle and fell asleep, wondering what the hell she had been apologizing for.

When he awoke in his room, he discovered the Second Hollow was sitting in a chair near his bed. The name given to him after he became the Hollow of Death was Crow and he was her servant.

Preacher was never quite sure how to act around the one called The Demon of the Blood Guard. The Second Hollow had always been cordial, polite, and one of the few members of the Guard that actually treated him like he was actually one of them. Crow was always a grey area for his empathic clarity. He knew how to conceal his emotions from others both physically and mentally which always rubbed the former assassin the wrong way, probably because he was used to feeling others emotions all the time. 

The Hollow of Death apologized for his intrusion and promptly stated why he had gone against etiquette and entered his room without his permission. He wanted to explain the words and actions of his mistress, the Star Child. According to the demonic servant, Artz was well aware of what was transpiring on Sol side even though the Prismata had tried to shield her and refrained from action despite wanting to intervene. Preacher called bullshit saying that she would not allow others to die like that. The Hollow's next statement really rattled the poor guy, echoes of Mystic. 

'The only way to overcome a gift such as yours, one must be without emotion; for my mistress, this state of being is a fate worse than death, but for you, my mistress would scorch the earth, blacken the sky with smoke, blanketing the ground with ash, and the waters of the world would run red with the blood of her victims...and all for you.'

The former assassin didn't know what to say to such ominous and rather foreboding words, but it would seem that Crow was not finished with him yet. He explained his previous statement as a causality born from her heartless state which was very much like his soulless state. This was when Preacher learned that he had been born without a soul and that during his fight with the Lady of the Blood Guard, she unknowingly shoved one of the lost souls she held within her, into his body. Thus the creation of both himself and his alter ego, Death Toll.

This revelation made him question a great many things after the Hollow of Death had left. He had learned so much from their rather lengthy conversation, more like a glorified Q&A on steroids. He went to find his goddess of mercy only to cross paths with the last person he had killed before his confrontation with the Star Child...Van. He damn near bolted, but instead held his ground. Surprise was the flavor of the day when the Third Mage playfully flicked his forehead, his eyes stormy and his emotions contradicting themselves.

His jaw actually dropped when the wind mage apologized for attacking him on Sol side. It had been his first time as a mentor and he failed to protect her. He had known that the Perfect Assassin of the Black Death Bell Toll Church had been commissioned to kill Artz, and yet still chose to remain on Sol side because his student wanted to visit her family before returning to the Realm. He had taken a walk to clear his head because it wasn't easy being someone's teacher. He never should have left the town because when he returned, everyone was dead...his student left naked and drained of blood on some sort demonic altar.

Preacher opened his mouth to say something, but Van shoved a jelly filled pastry in his mouth. The Magi of the Air didn't blame him for what happened because he knew that the man before him would never take the life of an innocent and most certainly would not kill one of their own. The former assassin choked down the pastry to speak, only to have another one shoved in his mouth, making him glare at the Third Mage. 

'You are Preacher of the Prismata, a member of the Blood Guard. You are not the empty being I fought before and me, as well as the rest of the Prism, don't blame you for what he did. Why because he died in that cathedral and you can't be held accountable for the actions of a dead man.'

Having said his piece, he plopped the bag with the remaining pastries into the stunned man's arms and told him that he had gotten them to try and cheer up Her Ladyship because she was guilt tripping herself into the next age about forcibly branding him. Preacher nearly breathed in the remaining bit of the pastry, coughing a bit as he realized why the crimson haired woman had been apologizing to him and why she hated herself. The wind mage smirked at him then walked away while giving him a lazy wave goodbye.

He sought out the Star Child and found her sitting at the base of the very tree he had slammed her into the previous day, her head buried into her lap and her arms were wrapped around her legs. He didn't need his empathic clarity to tell him that she was crying, her body language practically screamed countless feelings; guilt, remorse, shame, and a not so healthy dose of self-hatred. This woman...he honestly believed that she would feel guilty for something that wasn't even her fault. She definitely seemed like one of those selfless types, but based on his interactions with her thus far...she was both, selfless and selfish. Selfless by constantly giving so much of herself to so many and selfish because she hoarded all the negative emotions and tried to carry the burden alone.

He loved hearing her squeak in surprise when he ruffled her hair all over the place. He spent the rest of the day trying to make her smile, but she barely spoke a handful of sentences before drifting off into a solemn yet shameful silence. He remembered what Crow and Van had said, so he thanked her and boy did her emotions surge. She became more animated then, trying to comprehend why he would thank her for basically shackling him to her and forcing him to join her Guard against his will...she fell silent again when he kissed her forehead, a soft blush appearing on her face.

'Thank you for being you because you are enough.'

Preacher did indeed become waterlogged again but he could tell that it was from relief this time. He knew the guilt would always be there...for both of them, but it didn't stop him from trying to help her sort out all the emotional junk that had apparently been piling up for a while... which was why the Hollow of Death had paid him a personal visit and essentially warned him about what would happen if her heart were to shut down which was quite possible given how strong her emotions were. 

Though the creepy butler still rubbed him the wrong way and Van was just an asshole with some major emo bullshit that made him want to punch the jerk in the face. Did he mention that his idiot self fell in love with the most impossible being in the whole of creation...why was his life so damn complicated and did he honestly want it to be any other way? For her, he there was no price that he wouldn't pay just to keep a smile on her face and even though it took a few decades, he eventually got his wish and seeing that smile every day made his heart soar...and he pretty much didn't give a shit about anything or anyone else. All he needed was her because she was enough for him, sometimes even too much...par for the course.

Due to the current animosity towards him, Preacher/Death Toll did not undergo the normal training regiment which would have included a mentor with similar abilities and an opposites mentor so he could defend against the antithesis of his gift. When the Star Child suddenly vanished for an extended period of time, he was deeply concerned which progressed quite quickly into intense worry as more and more time passed, but then one day out of the blue, he was taken to one of the testing ranges which initially confused him because he hadn't picked up or fired a weapon since joining the Guard. 

His confusion intensified when the Star Child showed up carrying a cross covered in cloth and bound in buckles. She set it down with a heavy thud and he realized that it was a lot heavier than it looked. Sure his name was Preacher but did she honestly expect him to carry around a cross that apparently weighed a few tons? She lifted it up, honestly surprising him by how strong she was, and pressed the quick release, causing the buckles to disconnect and the cloth to give way. Both cloth and buckles were drawn away and stored themselves into the top part of the cross.

He was shocked into orbit when he realized that the large metal cross was, in fact, a multipurpose weapon. A gatling gun was built into the bottom of the cross, one of the sides housed several hand guns, the other side of the gun contained the ammunition for the gatling gun, but he was shocked that the top where the cloth and buckles were stored also served as a rocket launcher. Apparently the cloth and buckles weaved themselves around the center of the cross itself where the trigger system was...did she have to make the trigger look like a skull?

Now here is where the latter part of Death Toll's profile comes in. Admittedly I did forget to add this tidbit of information about the brands/crests/marks. The First Captain is the one that engineered the marks, specifically an underlying set of codes and behaviors like when they appear and disappear, how they are formed after meeting the Star Child, and more specifically, ensuring absolute loyalty to the Lady of the Blood Guard. When given a direct order from Artz, they must obey otherwise the brand will begin to generate pain. The more they resist, the fiercer the pain became. Now she did not know that he had done this and she was not happy when she did find out...his fellow Hollows had warned him and he paid the price by having her kick his butt all over the Realm.

Artz suggested that Preacher allow his alter ego, DT, to test the weapon named the Punisher, but he refused. When asked why, he told her about his fear and utter terror of his other half. She laughed, she actually laughed and said 'Just because something is dark does not mean that it is evil.'. He continued to be obstinate until she sighed heavily and ordered him to relinquish control of his body to Death Toll. For almost an hour, he struggled to overcome the brand, but the pain became so great that he had to submit. Thus ensuing the rise of DT and...ahem... punishing his smoking hot sex goddess. Preacher had been utterly appalled at how his alter ego had treated the Star Child, but settled into a gentle roar when DT swore an oath to never inflict any pain on her unless she requested it.

I know this article is going to be a long one but hang in there because this next bit will be worth it...I think. It took a few more years for Preacher to stop being so paranoid about his alter ego but eventually his fears and doubts subsided, given how the Star Child reacted to both of them. He spent several centuries pretty much wandering about as Death Toll because he honestly didn't want to be around the majority of the Blood Guard. 

DT didn't give a shit about all the glares and gossip, but Preacher had developed a bit of a complex...he was far more sensitive to their emotions than he wanted to be and although he felt great guilt and remorse for killing so many of the Guard, he didn't like them, any of them...they all got on his nerves and their stupid emotions kept his gift so damn active that he could barely think on some days. 

He was the outsider...he could tolerate the third and fourth captains, he became exhausted by just being around Wrath for less than two minutes... way too hyperactive for his tastes, he steered clear of the Hollows just on principle, the Third Mage had become a constant thorn in his side, and he straight up hated Mystic.

Serendipity...a happy accident...that was how it all started. One single chance encounter with a young boy and his life changed forever. This little boy's past contains many secrets in connection to Preacher, but for now I will simply show you who he met one day when he was actually wandering about as himself.

Now this boy is quite unique, not to mention a different species despite his humanoid appearance, but you probably don't recognize him like this so allow me to show you what he looks like as an adult.

That's right, ladies and gents! The young boy that Preacher meets is none other than his future partner, Vash the Stampede! The encounter between these two is quite different from the show and manga. The first is that Vash is a child, but in the Realm, he is very wise for someone so young. Preacher had stumbled across the boy who was watching a butterfly being cocooned by a spider. Believing that the brat would start bawling about the butterfly being killed, he tried to reach for it to free it, but Vash knocked his hand away. 

He said that if nothing ended then nothing would begin, that death is necessary for the continuation of life...though a lot of the Guard were giving their best shots at avoiding death and living as long as possible. Hell, he actually demanded that they perform the procedure to freeze his internal body clock. Why because the Star Child had already watched thousands of her loved ones be born, grow old, and die...stolen by time itself like it was punishing her. This was why the Hall of Memories was created...to preserve and protect the memories of their fallen comrades, to keep them alive in their hearts, and to learn from the past to avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

Preacher simply turned and left, but a certain little plant boy followed him, chattering up a storm. Nicholas honestly believed that if the boy hadn't been a different species, he would swear that Vash was Artz's son because that boy word vomited almost as much as Her Ladyship and had enough optimism to ignite his own sun. Eventually the boy fell asleep while using Preacher's left arm as a pillow, so the forner assassin put the kid on his back and carried him to the Star Child's home a little after sunset. 

Shortly before arriving, the boy woke up slightly and hugged him, saying I love you, Big Brother. It was that comment, just five words, that broke through to the man's heart. It would take him a very, very, very long time to consciously acknowledge that the hyperactive broom headed kid was actually someone he loved like a baby brother...which ties in to Vash's own personal history because this was a chicken and an egg paradox.

After this encounter, both Preacher and Death Toll agree to participate in the mentoring program and even though Vash was still a child, he jumped on the chance to have them be his teachers. More often than not, the little plant boy got on their nerves so they were probably a bit harsher than they should have been which led to Vash believing that they hated him, Preacher especially, but the boy never wavered in his love for them and when he was finally old enough to be assigned a partner, the Star Child gave him his signature red outfit. 

He was then partnered with Preacher, but they didn't take on any missions at first so that he could be trained in all forms of combat with heavy focus on projectile weapons and martial arts. When deemed ready by his mentors/partners, Artz presented him with a very unique gun, one that could channel his plant energy into specific forms depending on what type of shell was loaded into the barrel.

This gun is called the Caster. It is the preferred weapon of the main character, Gene Starwind, in the cult classic anime called Outlaw Star. Artz, with the help of the First Sin, created several variations of this gun so that it could work with a wide variety of energies and magicks. She was a big fan of this gun and she wanted Vash to give it a test run, asking that he use it first before reverting to his normal weapon. 

The gun proved to be quite effective during their first three missions and the duo worked seamlessly together, but it was their fourth mission together that would change everything, their entire friendship turning on its axis. The story of this mission is derived from multiple sources that some of you will undoubtedly recognize. These sources include, but are not limited to; Ghost Rider, Dragon Age: Origins, Trigun, and ironically Sailor Moon.

I apologize to those that would just love to know how I mixed all those forms of entertainment to create an absolutely incredible yet extremely emotional series of events, but I won't be spoiling that just yet. More than likely it will either be an article all its own or be a part of Vash's profile considering a good chunk of it has to do with him personally. 

This series of events really defines or should I say redefines how Nick and Vash interact with each other and with other people and surprisingly, keeps them very close to how the originals had been portrayed...so bonus for all you die hard Trigun fans *points to self before moving on*. Now for a brief showcase to show off the cross shaped weapon called the Punisher and the man that wields it.

Yeah, Nicholas D. Wolfwood is a fucking badass which is why he is a member of my Guard. He is one the most important characters in The Star Chronicles, has one of the most emotionally impactful origin stories, somehow managed to remain in character with his Trigun counterpart, and he still doesn't have a full introduction despite how much of his history has already been flushed out. 

Preacher becomes very important in Book One: Stardust and he's not the only one either. A good chunk of the beginning of Stardust takes place from either Yuna's or Durga's POV, but as we delve deeper into the mystery of their forgotten past, other POVs will begin to be used as more information comes to light and thus making it easier to use these other points of view without dropping the mother of all expositions dumps which is something I am trying to avoid with The Star Chronicles.

One of the hardest things for me to do is, in fact, the beginning. The start of the story is the most vital piece contrary to popular belief. The beginning has to be able to catch the reader's attention, yes, but also hold it, make them want to come back and read more. Readers will often become bored with stories because it drops too much information on them all at one go. 

The key is to keep things ambiguous, mysterious, and really spark their curiosity...a trail of bread crumbs so to speak which is not my forte because there is simply so much that is either going on or is about to happen and i get a little too impatient because I want so badly for everyone to see this realm I've created and get to know some of their favorite characters but see them in a completely new light.

The origin story of Death Toll and Preacher and subsequently Vash the Stampede was quite enlightening for me because I love the dynamic between the Humanoid Typhoon and Nicholas D. Wolfwood, but one line in the anime struck me as wrong because it didn't sound like something that Vash would say and because of this one line, this singular comment, out popped one of the most heart wrenching plot twists I have ever done and every time i reread it, I still cry because it felt real, plausible, and made a lot of sense for these particular characters which really surprised me. Take this quote from Wolfwood for example.

This line applies to the series of events that so irrevocably changed everything about their friendship and partnership. These events gave a logical and believable reason for why the Realm's version of Vash the Stampede acts and feels the way he does yet keeps him in character with his Trigun counterpart. The point is that you shouldn't be afraid to experiment with your characters so long as there is a clear and defined reason as to why specific behavior patterns change from the original source material. This is why so many readers scream that a character is too OOC, out of character, or a Mary Sue, the perfect character that can do no wrong and is perfect for absolutely everything.

I've tried very hard to show that my self-insert original character, Artz, is in fact flawed and does make mistakes. Yes, she is capable of doing impossible things, has incredible powers, and a seemingly endless supply of kindness and love, but she is also human. She spent her life being beaten down by countless people, even falling into a severe persistent depression that takes her years, decades even, and even then she never runs right again. She does her best, stays out of trouble, always tries to help, but more often than not, it eventually backfires which is why she was abandoned by every friend she ever made until she met Anna and Erin. 

She fought to keep her head above water, to be someone that her friends and elder brother could be proud of, and when the end came, she fought back, she refused to surrender. She dared to believe in the unbelievable and as the stars went out one by one, she finally saw and felt what her friends and brother had been telling her for years; that she was special, that she was unique, that she was a genius, that she shined with the light of her very own star and that she touched the heart of every person she met. When the world cried out in despair, she became a beacon of hope, of light, of the possibility of miracles, but it was too late...she failed and she alone survived the end of her reality, universal entropy and I don't know about you, but you don't just get over that and it effects everything she does.

So many times, she is incredibly reckless, trying to save as many as she can and not giving a damn about herself, because she failed when it mattered most and she tries her best to never let anyone suffer even remotely close to how she had suffered. She would rather die an infinite number of times, experiencing all the pain and agony of all of them at the same time, just to spare a single individual from even the smallest amount of pain. 

This is why Preacher, Death Toll, and the entirety of The Prism Guard are so important, why the forming of The Prismata was such a vital necessity, because Artz is too busy trying to save everyone else that she forgets that her life is important too. The Prism was forged to not simply protect the Star Child, but to more often than not, to save her from her greatest enemy...herself. 

She may appear to be a Mary Sue but she is far from it, for it is her very own heart that is her greatest flaw, her greatest weakness, that causes her to make mistakes because she loves everyone so much that it can and will cloud her judgement. This is one of the main reasons why both Death Toll and Preacher are so vital because unlike everybody else, she cannot hide her true emotions from them. 

She acknowledges this fact and chooses to embrace it rather than fight against it, knowing that she is very much like her personal hero, The Doctor and that sometimes she needs to be stopped, to prevent her from going too far...she needs them to temper her kindness, to redirect her emotions, and sometimes to simply and quite bluntly tell her to stop being so damn selfless and worry about herself for a change.

Hook: Enough, wench.

Artz: *blinks* Enough what?

Preacher: You kind of want off topic at the end.

Artz: No I didn't. Why because your gift is empathic clarity which is why you are vitally important, but they needed to understand her a bit more so that they can fully comprehend your true significance.

Durga: *mumbles* Land war in Asia.

Yuna: *whispers* More like hello rock meet hard place.

Wrath: *pops up in between Durga and Yuna* Hey Elizabeth!

Mystic: *hits him in the head* Keep it down, idiot.

Light: More like keep it up, you mean.

Hook: Are you trying to get killed, Sparky? *to Mystic* And when did you start going by Mystic? I thought that was your....*suddenly bound in duct tape by the Zimmerman siblings*

Yuna: That...is one spoiler that we are trying to keep under wraps....

Durga: *snorts*

Yuna: *rereads previous comment and starts snickering*

Artz: *pushes all of them out of the article* Since I've descended into having yet another conversation with my characters, I will end it here; however, there is a fan made music video on YouTube that is a tribute to Wolfwood. Click on the play button below to watch it for yourselves. I absolutely fell in love with the song and is, I think, going to be Preacher's theme tune.

Death Toll: Let me guess, mine is Bodies Hit the Floor, right?

Artz: *punts him back to Stardust*