Laiyan

Story and NPCMonster

Laiyan
Title	Captain
Hometown	Erimos
Current Residence	Erimos
Gender	Male
Race	High Flora
Affiliations	Ypsilon Khali (formerly) Rasha (formerly)
Minions	Khali (formerly) Rasha (formerly)
Enemies	Khali Rasha
Status	Deceased

Laiyan is the captain of the Ypsilon Zealots of Erimos.

Story

Chasing Tasha

Laiyan was the captain of the Zealous - the city guard who served Ypsilon, the Lord of Erimos. Laiyan and his soldiers often chased after Tasha, a commoner who used her physical gifts to defeat Priests during Syamans - honor duels reserved only for those who had magic.

On one such occasion, Laiyan attempted to arrest Tasha near the outskirts of Erimos for repeatedly attacking several Priests, whom he called her ‘betters'. When Tasha claimed that Syamans between High Flora were justified, Laiyan replied that Syamans was reserved only for Priests and Gods. However, Tasha retorted by asking why they they had all agreed to fight her if the restrictions on Syamans were so strict, and why they had all lost if they really were her ‘betters'.

Tasha then challenged Laiyan to face her in a Syaman. Upon seeing his anger at her insolence, she laughed and asked if he was afraid of losing to a commoner like herself, who had no magical powers. Laiyan replied that she had grown quite arrogant for winning against a few Priests, claiming that anyone could become a Priest if they had even a drop of magic inside them.

He then claimed that his magic was on a much different level from the Priests whom she had encountered, and that no matter how talented she was at martial fighting, there was no way that a commoner with no magical power could defeat him. Tasha replied that if he was so confident, then he wouldn't have a problem agreeing to face her in a Syaman.

Laiyan accepted her challenge and immediately moved to attack, though Tasha dodged his sword strike by leaping into the air and jumping atop a rock formation. Laiyan continued pursuing and attacking, but to his surprise, Tasha appeared behind him and held a Chakram to his throat before laughing that a member of the Zealous wasn't much of a challenge after all.

Tasha then asked if he was beginning to question the caste system after seeing that she was much stronger than him. She explained that he was a Priest because he had been born with magical powers, and that she was a commoner because she hadn't. However, she claimed that even if she had been born with magic, she would have been killed, not made into a Priest, simply because she would have been born with magic to two commoners.

She then asked Laiyan whether he truly thought that it was right, though Laiyan merely claimed that she had won through trickery. However, Tasha replied that she hadn't used any tricks, and that he had lost simply because he was that much weaker than her. As the Zealots began rushing to the scene, Tasha laughed that luck seemed to be on his side before fleeing.

Soon after, Tasha halted her activities and went underground after becoming pregnant with her child. One year later, Tasha died in childbirth, with her daughter - who had inexplicably been born with magic - sent to be raised by Anan, a High Priest and a friend, as commoner children born with magic were killed as mutants. With all public records stating that Tasha and her child had died, Laiyan decided to close the case on Tasha, as her child was dead and her husband, Jad, kept to himself.

The Test of Faith

Many years later, Tasha's daughter - Khali - passed the Test of Faith to join the Zealous alongside her sister, Rasha, who had been born to Anan. Laiyan congratulated Khali on her victory, noting that her speed, in particular, was commendable, as he had only once met someone as fast as her. Khali asked if that person had been a Zealot, though Laiyan quickly changed the subject and handed her a uniform to put on before her appointment ceremony.

Laiyan and Khali then entered the palace, where Khali was pleasantly surprised to find that Rasha had also been selected for the Zealous. Laiyan was impressed to learn that they were both sisters, pointing out that they had matching scarves, and noted that their parents must be honored. In the audience room, Khali and Rasha kneeled before Ypsilon, who asked them to pledge an oath of eternal loyalty to both him and the city of Erimos.

The next morning, Khali arrived at the palace in order to begin her first mission as a Zealot. She and Rasha met with Laiyan, who asked them how they felt about their first day. Khali replied that she was excited, while Rasha admitted that she was nervous, causing Laiyan to laugh that they were complete opposites. He then ordered them to defeat the Suspicious Outlaws and Enraged Outlaws outside the city. After they finished their mission, Laiyan congratulated them and asked them to keep growing stronger, adding that he would call on them when the time came.

The Special Mission

Over the next year, Khali and Rasha continued taking on missions and growing stronger. One day, Laiyan called the two back to the palace. Khali, who had grown frustrated that she had only been assigned monster elimination missions for a year, believed that there had to be a reason that Laiyan had called them back to the palace.

She and Rasha reported to Laiyan, who greeted them and noted that it had been a while since they had last seen each other. He asked whether they had adjusted to the life of a Zealot, noting that they had exceeded his expectations with how many successful missions they had completed over the last year. He reminded them that he had promised to call on them when the time was right, adding that that time was now.

He explained that their missions had been as Initiates, and that in order to become true Zealots, they would need to complete a special, sacred mission. However, he warned them that once they completed the mission and became proper Zealots, there would be no turning back. Khali immediately accepted and nudged a hesitant Rasha into doing the same. Laiyan then ordered them to not only defeat the Menacing Outlaws, but to bring them back alive. Before he headed out, Laiyan reminded them not to forget their oath.

The two then captured the Menacing Outlaws and returned back to Laiyan, who told them that Ypsilon himself would receive their mission report. At the audience room, Khali reported that they had brought back the enemies alive, just as he had requested. Ypsilon replied that they had done well, after which Rasha cautiously spoke up and told him that she wanted to ask him something, surprising Khali.

Rasha asked Ypsilon why he had asked them to bring in the enemies alive. In response, Ypsilon reminded her that she had sworn her eternal loyalty to him. He then asked her whether she had made that pledge without knowing what that allegiance meant. He explained that allegiance was something that came from the deepest, most sincere part of one's heart, adding that the fact that she would question her mission made him doubt her sincerity. He then told her that if what she had offered to him that day hadn't been allegiance, then she should surrender her uniform immediately.

Rasha admitted that she had nothing but the sincerest respect for him, but just as she began voicing the reason for her doubts, Khali interrupted her and told Ypsilon that Rasha's doubts came from allegiance, swearing that what they had sworn to him that day had been nothing less than the truest feelings that they felt towards him. Satisfied with her answer, Ypsilon then began extracting the life force from the outlaws, shocking both Khali and Rasha.

Rasha immediately began asking him what he was doing, though Khali quickly cut her off. After Ypsilon killed the outlaws, he explained that in their duties as Zealots, they had taken the lives of many of their enemies. He asked them what their reason for doing so was, to which Rasha answered that it was for the safety of their people.

Ypsilon explained that they had killed their enemies for the greater good, and that he was doing the same thing, adding that there was no difference between them slaying their enemies and him extracting the life out of them. He then told them that the dirty work of staining their hands with the blood of the unenlightened was the duty of the Zealous.

He admitted that they might be confused, explaining that they now understood why such missions were kept from the Initiates until they were ready to know. However, he warned them that he wouldn't be so understanding next time, adding that he hoped that their oath of eternal loyalty would not turn out to be false.

Broken Wings

The next day, Rasha met with Laiyan and told him that she was quitting the Zealous, unwilling to serve Ypsilon after what she had seen. Laiyan reminded her that she couldn't leave the Zealous alive after having completed her special mission. Rasha replied that she would rather lose her life than to work for the sake of someone else's greedy self-interest. A furious Laiyan then drew his sword when Khali rushed in and stood between them.

Laiyan ordered Khali to stand aside, claiming that her sister had chosen her path. However, Khali refused and promised that she would take responsibility for Rasha's actions, and that in exchange for sparing her sister's life, she would ensure that Rasha wouldn't reveal Ypsilon's secret to anyone. Laiyan put away his blade and told Khali that he would give her an opportunity because he trusted her. He then ordered Khali to tear out Rasha's wings with her own hands.

An angry Rasha claimed that she would rather die than have her wings removed, to which Laiyan threatened to do just that. Realizing that there was only one way to save her sister's life, Khali quickly tore Rasha's wings out. A satisfied Laiyan told her that he would remember her wise judgement and unwavering loyalty before walking away.

Adjutant Khali

Over the next year, Khali continued undertaking missions and proving her loyalty to the Zealous. One day, after reporting back to the palace, Laiyan noted that he was pleased by her work and added that it had been two years since she had joined the Zealous, laughing that time quickly flew. He asked Khali how Rasha was, to which Khali quickly noted that she was fine and thanked him for his concerns.

Laiyan explained that between the loyalty that she had shown, despite her sister being reduced to such a state, as well as her many achievements, she had made him quite impressed. Because of this, he explained that he had gotten permission from Ypsilon to make her his adjutant, adding that her father must be proud too. He then arranged a special ceremony, in which Ypsilon promoted Khali to become Laiyan's second-in-command.

Interrogating Kinan

Some time later, Laiyan learned that someone in the city was spreading rumors about the existence of a mutant in Erimos. Upon investigating the rumors, he discovered that the person spreading the story was Kinan, Tasha's old friend and accomplice. Laiyan immediately arrested Kinan and began interrogating her about the identity of the mutant in prison. When Kinan remained silent, Laiyan promised to spare her life if she revealed the identity of the mutant. Kinan asked him whether his offer was legitimate, to which Laiyan noted that she at least seemed to value her own life.

However, Kinan replied that she doubted that he would spare her, even if she were to tell him, claiming that she had seen her share of Priests like him. In response to her words, Laiyan offered her a choice to die painlessly after revealing the mutant's identity, or to remain quiet and experience a pain worse than death. Kinan merely retorted that his magic didn't scare her, causing Laiyan to angrily draw his sword.

Just then, Ypsilon entered the room and ordered Laiyan to stand down. He then asked Kinan what she hid her secrets with, to which she replied that she didn't understand what he was asking. Ypsilon clarified by asking whether she hid the truth because she believed it to be right, whether it was for a greater cause, or for morals, explaining that he was asking what it was that kept her from telling the truth.

Kinan laughed at his words and asked why he was curious about such a thing, adding that she could never understand what went on in the minds of those who had magic. Ypsilon replied that it was just a question, and that he was merely curious. Kinan answered that she had her beliefs, a greater cause, and morals. However, she explained that she had long since decided to stop risking her life for such things and told Ypsilon that she kept silent out of loyalty.

Satisfied with her answer, Ypsilon declared that she simply needed to be stripped of her loyalties before using his powers to extract loyalty itself out of her. He then asked her what the mutant's name was, to which Kinan replied that she didn't know their name, though she admitted that it was Tasha's child. She explained that the child had been born with magic, and so they had pretended that it had died along with Tasha, adding that the child was still alive.

Arresting Tasha's Family

Soon after, Khali was called to the palace at Laiyan's request. There, Laiyan explained that he was giving her a very important mission. He asked her whether she recalled how he had once mentioned that he had met only one person as fast as her and explained that the person whom he had been referring to was a woman named Tasha, who had been quite powerful, despite being a commoner.

A surprised Khali asked if he meant to say that she possessed magic, to which Laiyan explained that thought Tasha had no magical power, she had been gifted with exceptional physical abilities, which had made her stronger than even some Priests. He told Khali that Tasha was someone who had sown the seeds of dissent in their society, and that she had targeted the weaker Priests in order to challenge them to Syamans and flaunt her strength, which she had used as proof that the caste system ought to be abolished if a commoner could defeat Priests.

He explained that he had tried to eliminate her for the sake of their peaceful society, and after a pause, he claimed that he hadn't done so because there was no longer a reason for him to intervene when she had died soon afterwards. He told Khali that Tasha had disappeared one day, and that there had been rumors that she was carrying a child. After her disappearance, she hadn't been seen for a year until she had unexpectedly resurfaced after dying, with her child having apparently met the same fate soon afterwards.

As her husband had been ordinary and hadn't done anything suspicious, even after his child's death, Laiyan had seen no reason to take further action, leaving Tasha forgotten for many years. However, he explained that he had recently heard someone spreading strange rumors around the city and causing quiet dissent amongst the people. Upon investigating, he had discovered that the perpetrator was Kinan.

He told Khali that while Tasha had challenged Priests to Syamans, Kinan had supported her by opposing and criticizing the Priests openly. He explained that after Tasha's death, Kinan had laid low and stayed out of sight. Khali asked why Kinan would resurface after so long, to which Laiyan explained that Kinan had been spreading rumors about a mutant living amongst them in Erimos.

Khali asked Laiyan who the mutant was, to which he explained that it was Tasha's child, who was not only alive, but still had its magic intact. As they couldn't allow someone like Tasha to emerge again, he declared that they needed to discover Tasha's child immediately. He then ordered Khali to arrest Tasha's husband and mother-in-law - the last members of her family.

Interrogating Jad and Ritan

Following Laiyan's orders, Khali traveled to Jad's weapon shop and arrested both him and his mother, Ritan, before escorting them to the palace prison. There, Laiyan ordered Khali to guard the door from outside. After she left, Jad demanded to know what they had done to be arrested, claiming that they were merely commoners managing a humble weapon store. He claimed that they hadn't committed any crimes and asked Laiyan why he was treating them in such a way.

Laiyan repeated Jad's claim that they hadn't committed any crimes in disbelief, to which Jad asked whether they had been arrested merely for being Tasha's family. He retorted that an honorable Priest such as Laiyan would never arrest them for such a reason, to which Laiyan laughed that he had once thought them to be innocent before reminding them that the magic within a mutant was ‘impure'.

A shocked Jad asked Laiyan whether he had a child, explaining that his own child was dead. He told Laiyan that they had announced the child's death alongside Tasha's and began telling Laiyan to check the records when Laiyan grew impatient and slashed Jad with his sword. Laiyan noted that with Jad having lived in a peaceful city under the protection of the Priests all his life, it must be his first time being attacked in such a way.

Laiyan then asked Jad whether he felt like talking, to which Jad maintained his story that his child had died many years ago. Laiyan then declared that he would be joining his wife soon when Ritan begged him to stop, promising to speak on her son's behalf. She revealed that Tasha had indeed given birth to a magical child, and that after seeing that it had been born with wings, they had sent it away to be taken in by a High Priest.

In pain, Jad weakly asked his mother to stop, though Laiyan merely ignored him and asked Ritan for the Priest's name, which she revealed was Anan. A surprised Laiyan then demanded to know the child's name, to which Ritan explained that she didn't know. When Laiyan angrily asked her if she was mocking him, Ritan explained that after they had sent the child away to Anan, the only one who had spoken with him had been Jad, as she had deliberately decided not to know the child's face or name in order to protect it.

Laiyan then declared that if she didn't know, then he would simply get the information out of her son. Ritan immediately begged him to stop and revealed that though she didn't know who the child was, she knew of a way to identify it. She explained that on the child's birthday, when the child had become an adult, they had given her a scarf that had once belonged to Tasha, her birth mother, upon which was Tasha's mark.

After Laiyan left the prison, he met with Khali and began inspecting her blue scarf for Tasha's mark. A confused Khali asked him if there was something wrong, to which Laiyan recalled that her sister also had a similar scarf. After finding no mark, he told Khali that he needed to speak with Ypsilon and ordered her to guard the prisoners while he was gone.

Khali then entered the prison, where Ritan immediately begged her to spare their lives. Khali reassured her that they wouldn't take the lives of innocent civilians and asked Ritan to tell them everything that she knew. Ritan insisted that she had already revealed everything that she knew before begging Khali once again to spare their lives.

Just then, Ypsilon entered the prison with Laiyan and declared that the prisoners were no longer of any further use. Khali immediately stood between him and the prisoners, to which Laiyan reprimanded her for blocking Ypsilon's path. Khali ignored his words and demanded to know what Ypsilon meant, causing Laiyan to grow furious. However, Ypsilon told Laiyan to stand down, claiming that it was alright.

Khali pointed out that the prisoners had told them everything that they knew, which Ypsilon acknowledged, to which Khali explained that their lives then ought to be spared. However, Ypsilon merely asked her why, causing Khali to exclaim that they were innocent civilians, and that they ought to be set free if they had already revealed everything that they knew.

Ypsilon agreed that her words would be correct if the prisoners were, in fact, innocent civilians. However, he explained that she had misunderstood the situation, as the prisoners were actually sinners who had hidden the existence of a mutant born in their family. He pointed out that it was a serious felony, as a mutant was the mark of a sin. However, Khali protested that they had already revealed everything that they knew about the mutant, and that the prisoners were their very own people, not members of other races, to which Ypsilon told her that those who hid the truth about a mutant were no longer their people.

When a furious Khali asked him how he could say such a thing, Ypsilon replied that it was simple logic. He noted that to be a mutant was a sin, and that as the prisoners had hidden the existence of that sin, they had committed a sin themselves, which meant that they needed to be punished. He then asked her whether that was so difficult for her to understand.

Khali retorted by asking what was so impure about the magic of a mutant, noting that the prisoners hadn't willfully been trying to conceal something evil in their society, but rather, they had only been trying to save their child, which made them valued members of their society. Ypsilon coldly told Khali that she was questioning the very idea of a mutant with her words and asked whether she was really claiming that there was nothing impure about a commoner possessing magic. As Khali began stammering out her defense, Ypsilon pushed her aside and extracted the life force out of Jad and Ritan, immediately killing them both.

Arresting Rasha

Following the incident, a horrified Khali grew disillusioned with Ypsilon and returned back home, where she told her father everything. Unwilling to run and endanger her family, Khali and Anan agreed that they would all run away together. After Khali reconciled with Rasha, the three decided to covertly plan their escape over the next several days.

While Khali was finishing up her mission, Erimos and Laiyan met in the audience room, where Laiyan told him that he had no doubts that Rasha was Tasha's child. He explained that from his interrogation, he had learned that the child had been given Tasha's scarf, and that Khali's scarf didn't have Tasha's mark on it.

He also pointed out that Khali was the one who had arrested Tasha's family, and that Khali would have sent them away into hiding instead of arresting them if she had truly been Tasha's daughter. He added that he wasn't defending her merely because she was his adjutant, but because he knew Khali to be someone who treasured her family greatly. He also added that Tasha's family hadn't recognized Khali either, but rather, they had merely clung to her and begged for their lives.

Furthermore, he pointed out that Khali was a devoted Zealot, while Rasha was a traitor who had rejected that duty. He told Ypsilon that there was no question of who amongst the two would have the blood of a rebel who had rejected their society's values. Ypsilon conceded that Laiyan's words were logical, though he nevertheless told Laiyan not to rule out the possibility that Khali was the mutant.

Laiyan then took the Zealous to Anan's house, where Rasha asked him what was going on, explaining that both her father and sister were away. Suddenly, Laiyan grabbed her throat and pushed her into a wall before grabbing her scarf, upon which he immediately saw Tasha's mark. Concluding that Rasha was indeed Tasha's child, Laiyan explained that he shouldn't have had her wings ripped out, as he had always been curious about just how powerful a mutant could be, though he had thoughtlessly stripped her of her magic and wasted that potential.

He asked Rasha if she had ever thought it to be strange, as magical power was mainly passed down through bloodlines. He noted that aside from Ypsilon himself, her father, Anan, was undoubtedly the strongest person in Erimos. Rasha asked what it was that he was trying to say, to which he told her that she wasn't Anan's daughter by blood. Struggling in his grip, Rasha asked what proof he had, to which he explained that her mother's name was Tasha - a societal outcast just like her. Looking closely at her scarf, he told her that he was reminded of how the scarf had always fluttered in the wind with every movement that Tasha had made, adding that the sight of it had disgusted him.

A confused Rasha repeated his words that the scarf had belonged to a woman named Tasha, causing Laiyan to laugh that she would call her birth mother by name. Nevertheless, he confirmed that Tasha was her birth mother, and that her scarf had been left for Rasha, her daughter. Rasha asked him what had happened to her birth family, to which Laiyan explained that Khali had delivered them to him, not knowing that Jad was Rasha's birth father.

Rasha immediately realized that they had been killed, though Laiyan ignored her words and ordered her to come with him quietly for Anan and Khali's sake before asking if she was going to try to insist that the scarf didn't actually belong to her. Though Rasha realized that the scarf had originally been given to Khali, she nevertheless lied and admitted that the scarf belonged to her in order to protect her sister.

Soon after, Anan returned home and Nile, his servant, immediately rushed to tell him that Rasha had been arrested. Furious, Anan stormed into the palace, where Laiyan greeted him. Anan demanded to know where his daughter was, to which Laiyan asked if he had meant to say the child whom he had raised. He offered Anan to see for himself, explaining that Ypsilon was waiting for him.

Inside the audience room, Anan was devastated to find Rasha dead at Ypsilon's feet. He weakly began asking Ypsilon why he had killed Rasha, to which Ypsilon reminded him that mutants were sinners, and that though Rasha's wings had been torn out, it was better to be rid of the threat completely. He then added that for the crime of having hidden and raised a mutant, Anan would need to be punished accordingly as well. However, he noted that his blood daughter, Khali, was considerably loyal, and so he pondered on what to do with Anan.

Facing Khali

Meanwhile, Khali finished her mission and returned back to the palace, where she reported her success to Laiyan. Before she could give the details of her mission report, Laiyan interrupted her and explained that there was something that he thought better to reveal sooner rather than later. He asked her whether she remembered Jad, the weapons merchant whom they had interrogated, and revealed that Rasha was his daughter.

A confused Khali asked him what he meant, to which he reminded her that commoners born with magic needed to be killed without exception, causing Khali to slowly process the realization that Rasha had been killed. Laiyan added that for hiding the existence of a mutant, Anan was guilty of a similarly grave sin, though Ypsilon had decided to spare his life. Khali immediately began yelling and asked what he was talking about, adding that Rasha was her sister.

Laiyan told her to lower her voice and conceded that it must be difficult for her to believe, since he knew how much she cared about her sister. However, he explained that he had proof of his claims, which Khali demanded to see. Laiyan revealed that Rasha's scarf had once belonged to Tasha, and that Jad had gifted it to her, likely because he had wanted Rasha to have something that her mother had owned. He then laughed that Jad had no idea that his actions would cause his daughter's ruin.

Khali was suddenly horror-struck upon realizing that she herself had given the scarf to Rasha. Laiyan acknowledged her disbelief, though he explained that Rasha herself had confessed to it, as she had undoubtedly understood the debt that she had owed to her adoptive father and sister. He then gave Khali permission to rest at home in order to give her time to calm herself, though he urged her not to let her loyalty waver because of it, reminding her that he trusted her a great deal.

As the realization began to sink in, Khali declared in quiet fury that the scarf had actually belonged to her, explaining that if the owner of the scarf was Tasha's daughter, it meant that the mutant wasn't Rasha, but herself. Taking out her Chakrams, she began fighting Laiyan with lightning speed. Though Laiyan managed to stab her, he was shocked to find that he had merely attacked a sand clone of Khali, while the real Khali appeared from the shadows and declared that just as he had said, she would become a symbol of sin and judge him for his crimes. She then fought Laiyan, and after a fierce battle, managed to kill him before storming into the audience room.

NPC

Erimos

Drill Hall

Laiyan
Location	Rasha's Room

1st Floor Corridor

Laiyan
Location	1st Floor Corridor

Gallery

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  NPC Portrait of Laiyan
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  NPC Portrait of Laiyan
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  NPC Portrait of Laiyan
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  NPC Portrait of Laiyan
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  NPC Portrait of Laiyan