I have purpose in this life.
My purpose is to serve my Lord in all things;
to be his sword and shield, to destroy any before us.
I am prepared to do anything in Death's name.
Let all who stand in my way perish,
and all return to Lethias' peace...
Diaval has never known the love of a pack; taken from his litter before he had even opened his eyes, the wolf came to know the Kurai demons and Death's cruelty as all that amounted to life. From a young age, he was trained and tested by a member of the Silus Clan, before being presented to the Lord of Death at the pinnacle of his training. Infused with the soul of a Reaper, he is a silent killer without remorse, barely tempered by the counterpart that exists behind his eyes.
Nothing is left of the pup once taken from the Myrlands of Felnova. Cold and emotionless, Diaval obeys his current Lord without question - he is a merciless and unforgiving opponent, unnerving to both friend and foe. He does not speak at all, and doesn't communicate but with the Reaper within - the spirit of Rulei. His loyalty is unquestionable, and he would go to any lengths for his leader and Kingdom.
In contrast, Rulei, his bonded Reaper, was a demon known for not how many lives he had taken - but his indomitable adherence to a strict code of honor, one that led him to refuse his Lord on many occasions in life. An honorable assassin in service to the Kingdom of the wolf goddess, this demon held morals and ethics above all, and often counseled his friend in many dealings. He is soft-spoken and calm of mind and heart, rarely roused, and very strategic.
To friends, he was gentle and kind; he could pass as a human in many instances, and often traveled as the eyes and ears of the Zeishin where others could not go. He was altruistic and determined, but fierce and defiant in battle, especially against those who had broken his moral code. As a Reaper, he was conflicted in many things that the Zeishin did, and often asked his Lord for mercy on those that were innocent.
In his current state, he acts as a voice of guidance for Diaval, and usually only takes over when the need is dire or soul-hunger overrides them both.
Born a sunset-colored pup with speckled markings, Diaval was changed into his current form when he was taken from his parents and forged by the Death Kingdom into one of their Reapers. As a Demonic Reaper, he appears quite different from what he had been born as; his black pelt shades white in a gentle gradient that spans from his torso to his tail, crisscrossed by broken white stripes down his sides. Dark red spots speckle his fur here and there, becoming more numerous on his tail. Three are present beneath bi-colored eyes, along with a singular white stripe beneath each eye and down the muzzle, with a circle just behind. Each ear has a long white stripe on the top edge, and his eyes are different colors: the right silver, and the left gold.
His entire build has changed greatly from what he was born as to what he became. Long and lanky, he has a slender muzzle with very long, thin ears, as well as a tail nearly twice the length of his body that flows and twists behind him as if caressed by an ever-present wind. His hind legs are that of a bird's, covered in black scales with long talons and a sharp spur, while his forepaws sport twin tufts and a similar, smaller spur in white. Most noticeable are his 'quills' - a handful of long, hard spines, black in color, that rise from his back and hindquarters and can be raised and lowered in a threat display.
Given to him by the Lord that created him are several red rings, thin ribbons, and pieces of scarlet jewelry; he almost never takes them fully off, though he is known to remove bits and pieces depending on what job he undertakes at any given time. The piece on the left side of his face is sacred to him, and even if he removed all other jewelry, this piece he will not.
When Rulei takes control, Diaval's white and black colors reverse; the stripes down his sides and the soft gradient turn black as night, while his base coloration turns white as snow. The insides of his ears remain black, as do his forepaw spurs. In this form, his nose and paw pads take on a pinkish hue, and his eye color and red markings remain the same.
In his Reaper's form, his claws and spurs become longer, and he appears to be thinner in both build and pelt. More spikes sprout from either side of his face and his shoulders, while other, much smaller ones may be hidden just beneath his neck and tail fur. His eye color remains the same, and he retains any jewelry he wore before the transformation.
In life, Rulei was a tall demon who appeared mostly human; he had long black hair that fell around his face, the rest of it tied back in a high ponytail, and sharp golden eyes. He wore a traditional kataginu in blacks and golds, and always carried an assortment of weapons on his person (though the only visible one was a long sword commonly referred to as a nodachi, often thought to be a ruse for opponents to mistake him as a War samurai).
Tainted by the transformation, his inherent abilities have become a nearly constant effect with limited control. Those that are near him may find their magic disrupted and uncontrolled, spells may go awry, and reiatsu may react in unexpected ways. The effect is stronger with greater proximity, and touch sometimes results in a burst of magical power. This effect is unable to be turned fully off, and if used in any great degree for long enough may drive Diaval to soul-hunger madness, and Rulei may take over.
Otherwise, he is very fast, but has little in the way of physical defenses or strength.
Like all Demonic Reapers, Diaval has the ability to tear away and devour spiritual energy, as well as to catch and eat spirits that have fled their earthly bodies. To capture a spirit, he must bite it; his claws, spurs, and spines may inflict small damage, but are not enough to hold a soul long enough to consume. Therefore, he will often watch and wait while others have worn down an enemy, and then deliver a swift killing blow to enable the bite and capture of a fleeing soul.
Born to two Vystrian wolves on the outskirts of the Myrlands in a small pack known as the Qwehls, little is known about what precious moments of puphood he had; Lore, his mother, was known to have shared his original sunset hues and wide, bright wings - while his father, Beast, was black as the night sky above.
He was taken from his parents, siblings, and pack before his eyes were ever opened, and given to the Silus Clan for experimentation by an aspiring member who had his sights set on Clan leadership. Trained in the art of warfare, it was quickly noted that he never spoke, though he was taught both Common and Demonic; he would yelp or cry out in pain, but never communicated with words.
Upon becoming an adult, Diaval was turned into a Demonic Reaper - soulbound to the assassin spirit Rulei, his pelt changed color and his anatomy shifted to what he appears to be today. Used as a weapon of Death, he serves Lethias' purpose to the utmost degree - though unlike his bonded spirit, he has no mercy for enemies, no matter what they have or have not done.
Rulei was an assassin for the Death Kingdom in life; a member of the Zeishin and a Ki-Kamishio Reaper, as well as a best friend to the Lord Izanuki, himself. Unlike many of his fellows, he was a prodigy that retained much of his humanity, and never killed without honor or reason; he would seek out and destroy those who broke his own moral code, but usually released lesser offenders even against the wishes of his fellow assassins. However, none retaliated against him - holding the Lord's friendship was a thing of exceptional honor, and made him virtually untouchable.
After many years of service, he was allowed by Lord Izanuki to open a dojo and fall into the appearance of a simple master who taught War techniques to any Death demon who desired his schooling. One such demon was a young n'vaen named Mizashi, who quickly became enamored of Rulei's skill with a sword. Years passed with relative peace in the Realms - Rulei took on Mizashi as an apprentice, and taught him everything he could. The two became fast friends, though unbeknownst to the Reaper, dark desire burned within the younger demon, a jealousy that smoldered in the unseen darkness of his inner soul.
When Mizashi achieved mastery, he went on to become one of the Kenshi, tested by Lord Izanuki himself. More years passed when a letter came, born upon the wings of a skree to Rulei of a meeting with his former student, a proposed friendly duel to show how much he had improved. Rulei sent the scalebird back, pleased to accept - the location would be a small island off the northern coast, set around midday. The Reaper left his dojo in the care of another and set sail immediately, arriving not an hour before their duel was to start.
But Mizashi was late; the young demon didn't show for hours, and when he did, the moon was setting on the opposite horizon. Having worried about his former student, he was incensed when Mizashi told him that his delay could have been avoided - he'd gotten sidetracked by a woman, and hadn't left until late. As they talked, Rulei waved aside his tardiness and drew his sword; he wanted to see the young n'vaen's skill and how much being a Kenshi had affected him.
The former student, however, commented that they should take a moment to admire the moonset; he climbed out of the boat with an oar in hand, and came to stand beside his teacher as the red moon shimmered, already half below the horizon. Relenting, Rulei agreed that it was indeed beautiful, and sheathed his sword once more. He talked about the dojo and apprentices that came and went - how none had matched Mizashi yet, and perhaps none would. He hadn't noticed in his reminiscing that the younger demon had drawn a few steps back - he didn't see the gleam of hunger in his former pupil's eyes.
He didn't see the betrayal until the oar slammed into the base of his skull, knocking him into the water. He didn't know, until in the dizzy beginnings of a Tri-akun-haze, that it was Mizashi... until his former student's blade ripped across his throat.
His blood stained the water scarlet as the dying demon heard Mizashi's words; words that still echo with him to this day. "I've killed the great Reaper Rulei," the younger demon had said. "I have bested you, and I will be known throughout the land as your better. The Lord will accept me as a Reaper in your place, and my legend will grow where yours grew stagnant. I am better than you, Rulei! And I will always be..."
Then, Rulei's spirit fled, as his life came to an end. His soul wandered the Spirit Realm aimlessly for hundreds of years, and not even watching Lord Izanuki execute Mizashi for his treachery brought him true peace. Only recently has the assassin been given new purpose, new direction, in being bonded with a Demonic Reaper, forever in service to this Kingdom of Death.
Coding (c) Verridith; art (c) MischievousRaven, Amnirus, Therbis, and Xayazia!
Diaval is originally a Quilldog, a deviantART species, and will be treated as such if ever written outside of BTACD! <3