Name of Character in The World- Anima Shadow

Name of Real World Player- Erin Adair

Age- 17

Class- Twin Blade

Clothing- Wears a formfitting suit of black sleeveless scale mail. Each scale is lined with silver, allowing observers to count the individual scales. Over this is a cut-off jacket, ending inches above the waist with sleeves reaching to just above the elbows. The jacket is white, with light blue patterns of Celtic nature adorning the sleeves and a Celtic knot emblazoned on the back. Anima wears a pair of decorative bracer’s, likewise etched with Celtic signs. The pants Anima wears are designed to match the upper attire, whatever color and patterning that entails, ending just above the ankles. Anima goes barefoot.

Appearance- Anima’s skin is unmarked, smooth. The face neither masculine nor feminine.

Eye color- One Pink, One Forest Green

Height- 5’4”

Hair Color- Anima’s hair is a soft red, falling straight back, ending above the shoulders by a few inches, where it curves out.

Personality- Erin is a studious person, he goes to school, does his work, and comes home to do whatever homework he may have been assigned. If he has any projects he’ll work on them for a while, and then read. He'll smile brightly at anyone he meets. He loves to make friends, though sometimes his girlish dress sometimes makes it hard. He'll defend his friends, but he also believes that sometimes the problems they face must be overcome alone.

What makes him unique is his Anima and Shadow.

His Anima, who christened herself Kaie, is an intelligent, charismatic person. She is empathetic, but at these times, she becomes unsure of herself. Wanting to reach out, she questions whether or not the other person wants to be consoled. She is fiercely protective of those she cares for, facing off against those stronger than her, forcing them down with her wit and passion.

His Shadow, christened Carden by Kaie, was his darker side, repressed weaknesses and all that according to Jungian psychology, and Kaie wasn’t one to disagree. He never spoke, never truly focused on one thing, his gaze forever roaming. Except, for when he drew; reaching out through Erin’s limbs. Dark portraits, empty expanses, forests of moving shadow; each one pristine in its quality but eerie in its contents.

These two inhabited Erin’s unconscious mind, forever silent in each other’s presence. It was only on rare occurrences, when Erin had pushed himself past his limit with school that they surfaced; Kaie gently leading him to rest, and the Shadow roughly tossing him aside. The World is a unique case, an attempted resting place that he was too exhausted to reach fully.

Weapon/Armor-
Weapon: Amateur Blades
Head – Bandanna
Arm – Wristbands
Body – Leather Coat
Feet – Sandals

Skills- Saber Dance (10)
Repth (10)
Juk Rom (10)
Gan Zot (20)

GP: 1600

((The Events of this story are somewhat in debate as to their canonical nature, so for now, ignore this in regards to Anima's storyline))

“Dong, Dong, Dong.” The bell rang dismissing the school to go home. It had been a long day. An assembly had been cut short by someone hacking into the alarm system. It had taken the Tech class thirty minutes to shut it off, and another fifteen to locate the source.

“Alright, you may go, but remember. I want your portfolio’s done by next Friday. This is for the semester grade, there’ll nothing after this until you get back from winter break.” The teacher shouldn’t have bothered, half the class was already out the door. Eventually, only a few students remained. Among them was Erin. As much as his silent ways worried him, there was no denying the boy’s talent. Approaching the boy, Mr. Wright observed the painting. Erin had been working on it for the past few weeks, coming in during lunch, even staying after school to add details. Two figures opposed each other, standing atop opposite cliffs, overlooking a battlefield where three figures fought against one another. Their details were lost in the distance, but one could make out the carnage that resulted from their eternal struggle. Erin had yet to detail the two on the cliffs.

“Mr. Adair… Mr. Adair.” The boy did not respond, only continuing to mix the colors, staring intently at the scene. “Erin!”

“…”

That seemed to get his attention. Erin turned to the teacher, his eyes vacant. His fingers were covered with smudges of paint, and he even had a smudge under his eye. He blinked a few times before his eyes focused. “Mr. Wright?” He looked at the clock. “Oh! You had class at the college today, didn’t you?” He packed up his stuff, rinsing the palette at the sink.

Before Mr. Wright could even respond, Erin Adair was out the door, hurrying home. He had no homework tonight, and there was something he felt like trying out before he turned in early. Mr. Wright only shook his head as he followed the boy out the door, turning towards the teacher parking lot. The boy was brilliant, but… There were times when he seemed like a completely different person.

Erin stopped running at the bike rack, setting down his bag, he stooped to unlock his bike. Normally, he would’ve taken the bus to and from school, but today had been perfect, the sun gently beating down, a slight breeze languidly pushing the fallen leaves along. A shadow fell across his back. Looking up, he found that it was Cody West.

“Got my homework?” he asked with a leer.

“Homework?” A look of puzzlement crossed Erin’s face, before realization hit him. “Oh, you mean that scrap of paper you pushed into my pocket? I thought you mistook me for a trash can, so I threw it away for you.”

“You what?!” Cody bellowed. He sounded just like an ox, stereotypical bully. Cody was swinging his fist.

“Just step away,” Erin thought. However, as he did so, darkness descended over his conscious. “I got… hit?”

When Erin came to, he was still standing, and Cody was on the ground, out cold, his face bruised. “The hell…?” Something wasn’t right, but there was nothing he could do about it. Placing his lock into his bag, he shouldered it and mounted his bike, leaving Cody to regain conscious alone.

“Dad, I’m home!” Erin called out as he walked in from the garage, a noncommittal grunt coming from the sink as he walked past. “Any luck?” he asked, crouching next to his Dad’s form. Pulling himself out, Mr. Adair glared at his son.

“No. Now leave me alone.” He said gruffly and pulled himself back under the sink, swearing loudly as he hit his head. Erin smiled softly, his dad was so stubborn. The sink had been broken for the past week, but still they had not called a plumber, instead choosing to let Mr. Adair to try his hand at it, with only some websites to help him.

“You should really call a plumber.” Erin called as he made his way to his room, laughing gently at his father’s stubborn cry of ‘Nevermore!’ His dad was a poet, staying at home, stringing words together, and then taking them to a publisher until he had enough for a book of them. His mother was a corporate businesswoman, and as such was often away, but she still took the time to visit them every now and then, coming out from downtown.

Entering his room, he booted up the PC, not bothering to watch as Altimit loaded itself up. Placing his bag at his bedside, he lay down. There was a ding, signaling he had some new mail. He got up and sat down at the desk. Clicking on the mail icon, he viewed the sender. CC Corp. Probably a notice of his registration to that new game. Opening it up, he nodded. He closed the message and exited to his desktop, where he booted up The World, which he had previously installed the week before.

From what he had heard at school, The World was huge, with something over 2 million player worldwide. Its allure was in its realism, and the open nature of its story. There was no one way to play. One could be a famous adventurer, taking on quests and slaying monsters, or a hunter of rare treasures, following even the slightest of leads. He’d tried online games before, but they’d never captured his interest. Maybe this one would be different. Stifling a yawn, he looked at the clock. 7:30. He’d play for an hour, and then turn in so he could get an early start tomorrow. As he moved through the registration process, his vision began to dim, he could hear a voice, incoherent as he stopped and stumbled over to bed. He’d finish in the morning.

“Really Carden, did you have to knock out Cody? Erin was taking care of it just fine. Taking over like that exhausts him, its bad enough in art class, where you’re simply guiding his limbs and influencing the image.” Kaie sighed as Erin slipped into unconsciousness. Sometimes she couldn’t stand his Shadow. Making sure he wouldn’t be disturbed by Carden, Kaie slipped into Erin’s conscious, testing the hands to see if she had control.

Getting up, Kaie, made her way over to the desk. ‘Please Enter Name’ the screen read. “So, what shall we name ourselves?” No response, but that was expected. Thinking back, she recalled the term for her and Carden. Anima Shadow she typed in, hitting the enter key. Picking up the HMD from where it lay, she switched away from monitor display. Several hours later, after much consultation with Carden, she finally had Erin’s character ready. It would be his to use, but Kaie wanted to try it out first; it was the only place she would truly exist.

Welcome to The WORLD.