Hyde
Overview Lore Relationships Gallery
| Hyde | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Alternate Names | Empyrea |
| Pronouns | She/her |
| Species | Tempered |
| Role | Mercenary |
| Height | 5'7” |
| Age | 74 (at time of death; appears 24) |
| Birth Date | Nova 6, 1071 (February 15) |
| Death Date | Reaping 31, 1145 (August 8) |
| Zodiac | Arrogant Siren |
| Aspect | Water (born), Law (corrupted) |
| Family | Unnamed mother Unnamed father |
| Creator | HIRATELIER |
| Artist Credits | HIRATELIER |
“Ruru...promise me that you'll find a world beyond pain and suffering in my place, okay?”
Hyde was a former sword dancer turned mercenary who was feared for her exceptional swordsmanship without ever relying on Aether. In Ruairi Cromwell’s early years, she was his mentor up until her passing.
Appearance
Hyde appeared to be in her early 20s, and has a sleek but slightly muscular build, pale complexion, long white hair tied up in a ponytail, heterochromatic eyes (yellow on the right, beige gray on the left as a result of Law corruption), and dark blue scales, horns, and tail.
She wore a white collared shirt with a chest harness, black pants, a pair of long gray boots, and a red skirt cape and poncho.
Personality
Hyde was confident and headstrong, and she refused to show any kind of weakness or vulnerability unless she was comfortable enough to do so. Due to her upbringing and certain life-changing events, she was described as too stubborn for her own good, especially when it came to physical strength and how superior it was to Aether – in her opinion, that is. Despite this, she didn't outright hate Aether, and she respected those who can use it well.
Ever since Hyde was afflicted with Law corruption, much of her remaining life was full of endless combat and survival. Perhaps to her, fighting was proof that she was still living and that every break she took was for the sake of improving in combat, all while she forgot about the other joys in life - one that she would have regrets about in her last moments.
Biography
Hyde's family records, or at least what's left of them, indicate that she comes from a small but somewhat reputable family of sword dancers who were known to incorporate aether into their performances. While much of Hyde's early childhood was spent training on becoming what her family did best, the constant exposure to performances from her other family members using aether to create such lively shows lead to Hyde believing that aether was just a cheap trick to making something spectacular, but she refused to believe that the person behind the sword dancing would be boring without aether. This led to her refusing to even utilize aether in her performances, and when she became a mercenary and put her swordsmanship to good use in combat, she still had the same mindset from before.
How Hyde got corrupted is something that she slowly forgot over time, at least in her memory. From her journal, there are details about her dance troupe en route to an upcoming performance on their schedule. However, the path they took was soon overcome by Law corruption. Despite her efforts to protect her troupe, Hyde lost all of them to corruption. She did survive the ordeal, at the cost of her being corrupted herself. That next performance would never happen, and Hyde, devastated by this loss and knowing deep down that she could not go back to her past life, would turn to the life of a mercenary later on.
In her time as a mercenary, Hyde has won plenty of duels against opponents who relied on aether to fight, only to be bested by a swordswoman who relied on pure strength to win. She of course did lose at times, but this only motivated her to become stronger without relying on Aether.
Due to her family's small reputation for sword dancing, Hyde became a rather well-known (but not very popular) performer as she grew up as Empyrea, as her swordsmanship in dancing impressed her audiences. Becoming a mercenary was some kind of whiplash to her already-established reputation as a sword dancer, and some even doubted that she would fare well knowing her background. However, Hyde worked her way through to become an exceptional swordswoman in combat with training and dedication and pre-existing knowledge of basic sword skills, and became a powerful mercenary in the process, still bearing the codename of Empyrea.
While neutral towards the Guild, she did help out Wayfarers should they request her assistance. Her exploits may have reached the Guild down the line as a result of these interactions.
25 years after the death of her entire troupe, Hyde rescued a young Kindred by the name of Ruairi from the fiery wreckage of the Bellvué Grand Library, taking him under her care. He idolized her exploits and journeys across the world, and aspired to be like her, much to Hyde's surprise. From there, Ruairi would grow to become a mercenary just like his mentor.
A couple of decades later, Hyde and Ruairi duelled for the last time, with the latter emerging victorious as he finally managed to control his Fire aspect and incorporated it into his blades. The day after, Hyde succumbed to Law corruption and passed away, her body having transformed into a crystalline structure at the site of the final duel.
On Hands
Equilibrium
Hyde’s main weapon of choice, which is a daisho consisting of a wakizashi, an odachi, and a sheath. While her family used a short sword for their dancing performances, Hyde opted to use an additional, larger sword as well.
As of her passing, Equilibrium marks her memorial site.
Sheath
The sheath is magnetically attached to her belt, and can be taken off at any time. Hyde used this as a shield to block enemy attacks or to deliver blunt blows. It holds both the wakizashi and the odachi.
Wakizashi
A short sword that Hyde used for combat. She tended to use this for her dancing performances.
Odachi
A long sword that Hyde used for combat. She tended to use this in high-risk situations, but also use it during the more energetic routines of her dancing performances.
Abilities
Swordsmanship
Hyde's swordmanship was regarded as excellent from those who fought her or witnessed her sword dances in person.
Notably enough, Hyde's style of swordsmanship in combat involved her dual wielding her swords.
Trivia
- Was proud of her long hair and refused to cut it at all.
- Hyde's family is still alive.