Luficia
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
- This is a mix between Live on Virtue as well as her adventures on Homecoming in the Everlasting server. If you want the actual Everlasting version of Luficia and her legacy, check out Solarguard! -Aymeigh
Contents |
Two Halves of Luficia
Mal'Gorath
The legend goes about the great and powerful Mal'Gorath. Mortals of young and old sold their souls for a mere taste of the demon's power. His power was unique in nature for he could not crash down the heavens with a murmur of a spell nor could he summon his brothers from the deepest depths of hell. No, he held the greatest honor of being gifted with the power of knowledge.
He knew everything in the ways of the magical realm. So many sought out for just a mere piece of his knowledge of the arts only to be consumed by the little details Mal'Gorath left out. After so many years, he grew tired of his game. For all the knowledge he had, he lacked true power itself. So, by Mal'Gorath's will, he used his knowledge to attain the power he knew of. He rose up as one of the strongest demon lords in hell itself.
There was a flaw in his logic; the more power he attained, he noticed the strain it put on his sanity. With sanity, brought the loss of knowledge. Without knowledge, he couldn't wield his power. In desperation, he sought a means to have both power and knowledge without the unfortunate crux of insanity.
... that was then Mal'Gorath noticed an untapped power; humanity.
His kind scoffed at them but observing them, he realized the untapped potential of the human mind and spirit. With his will enfused with the best of humanity, he could breaks the chains that was holding him back. He would be more than just a demonic lord. Mal'Gorah could become something greater!
He wrote the Book of Mal'Gorath and dropped it in the world of man. Whoever picked it up would be granted knowledge and power but in exchange, they must follow Mal'Gorath's will; one human strong in mind and spirit. That was the will of Mal'Gorath. It cannot change. It cannot be broken.
Emily Engel
In Paragon City, there was a family of witches and warlocks. Emlyn Engel immigrated from Germany to the United States back in the 1940s during World War II. Since then, he used his magic and wealth to establish a foothold in the first big heroic boon. He married, had kids and retired to settled with the grandkids.
One of his granddaughters was a girl named Emily. Every Engel was given a test to see which line of magic they would study. In her case, she was the first witch of divinity in over a hundred years. Her gift was staggering and she sought to one day surpass her grandfather. There were even rumors that she would have taken over as the family head instead of the oldest son.
Whatever the future would have been, it all came to a tragic end. A family rival with the Book of Mal'Gorath slaughtered the entire family, trapped Emlyn's soul in a gem and kidnapped Emily to enact Mal'Gorath's ritual in his name.
Rebirth
The ritual took over nearly ten years to perform. Magic was used to keep Emily in suspended animation throughout the entire process. Emlyn was forced to watch the entire process, listening to Mal'Gorath goad him the entire time. However, Emlyn was a powerful warlock with as much knowledge as the demon lord.
Just as the ritual completed the fusion of the pair, Emlyn linked himself into Emily's mind and called out to her. Even in her broken mental state, his voice was louder than Mal'Gorath's. In an explosion of power, who stood in its place was not Mal'Gorath or Emily Engel. It was an entirely new entity with no memory of either past life.
The only thing they had was a mysterious voice guiding them from underground. Stepping outside, seeing light for the first time in over ten years, brought a new being into existence.
Luficia.
Personality
Back in her early years, they became the embodiment of positive reinforcement. They were the cheerleader; when someone was down, they brought them back up. A smile was never far from Luficia's face and they believed in everyone. They were making quips at a villain's expense, almost child-like with their movements. Being excitable, they bounced around and was almost exhausting for some of their heroic partners.
Behind that smiling face was that of a lonely person who didn't identify with either man or woman. They fell in love with many heroes in their time but seeing them go for someone else, like a beautiful woman, and leaving them to stand alone. The loneliness is pushed back with a bright smile and supporting those.
Now older and in a whole new dimension, the child-like personality matured to an excitable but knowledgeable hero. She's very talkative with a snack addiction. People mistaken her for acting superior with her lectures when she's just a bonafide nerd when it comes to magic and knowledge.
Powers & Abilities
History
Era of Virtue
Luficia took up a sword, linking Emlyn's soul to the blade and letting him take on the persona of Seiken; a holy blade.
Her career spiked with her power in dark magic, wielding some arts others would deem forbidden while carrying a positive front for their teammates. They would become part of a motley crew called the Steadfast Pact; with notable names such as Mr. Tiny Tiger, XM Radio, Robotic Spectre, and True Silver. They fought together to save Paragon City with many adventures with even rumors of having Ghost Widow assist them at some point. Exactly what the heroic group had the alliance from one of Arachnos' greatest is left to be seen.
They had many heroes they admired; Xanatos, Ascendant, The Imperial and many more. They strove to stand as tall as them, taking the lessons imparted to heart. There was even rivalries, such as Karnal Sin, for the love of one man that they were destined to lose.
When Praetoria came to invade, Luficia answered the call as one of many against the Praetorian Invasion. They became one of the Incarnates as called on by Prometheus, the slow process allowing them to heed the call of the goddess of the sun, Sol; a surprise since the Engel Family worshipped Mani from Germany to the United States. Luficia took it as a means to wield light and darkness in perfect harmony. Just as Tyrant was defeated and the Praetorian War came to an end...
So, too, did the world.
A Mender In-Between
The end was not expected and it was abrupt. The world was surrounded in darkness, Luficia found themselves falling since the end did not bring a demise to their own being. It was as if Mal'Gorath's magic bindings prevented them from such a fate. Drifting in the dark, did Luficia find a light and a hand reaching out to them. They took it, and was brought to the same place where everything had started on their incarnate journey.
As far as Luficia knew, according to the Menders, they were the only survivor of that dimension's destruction. They were not the main timeline as was previously thought. With nowhere to go and with their vast knowledge, the menders offered Luficia a spot to help them manage time.
There was nothing left for them so they took the offer. Thus, they took the moniker; Mender Engel.
They became very good at tracking loose timelines that weren't part of the official timeline or others that were cut short just like theirs. There were pocket dimensions that were formed, with unstable timelines that had no other choice but to be destroyed. Mender Engel was in charge of this. They were dubbed the 'Assassin of Time', though Luficia found that name very insulting. For some reason or another, the Menders would not let Luficia assist with matters relating to the main timeline crystal. They didn't think much of it and would continue their work.
But it was through this that Luficia found one man's action from the main timeline spawned an unusual amount of unstable pocket dimensions with what-ifs.
The destruction of one pocket dimension of Lukas' victory leading to the end of reality itself for one dimension showed Luficia their own daughter. Both Luficia and Emlyn knew that this shouldn't be possible; the fusion made them infertile. A child wasn't possible, unless...
Against the Mender's wishes, Luficia went to the timeline they weren't allowed to be.
Everlasting Era
Immediately, Luficia found so many things different from the Paragon City they knew of. There were familiar faces while whole new heroes they never saw in their timeline. Xanatos didn't exist but Ascendant had, once. There were other variables that they couldn't comprehend but then noticed their own counterpart; a Luficia who gave in to their loneliness and chose the only way out of their immortality.
Perfecting the art of homunculi and the creation of a soul, Everlasting-Luficia used themselves to create a self-proclaimed granddaughter; Audel Huxley, raised by their son.
The revelation did not last for long before Luficia calculated that the dimensions spawned from their granddaughter and her friends would collide into the main one and cause them to merge, grow unstable and bring a similar end much like their own. They got in contact with the then-New Defenders, Direct Control and Ghost Eyes, about the situation at large. It was against policy but Luficia needed the hands. Instead of assassinating the anomaly, they rejected the prospect with a whole new one. It was... odd, to be defied, exhilarating even. They followed with the plan they made for the dubbed Mayoral Dimension, completing the pocket by making it into its own separate timeline.
The action anchored Luficia from the Virtue Dimension to the new one... Everlasting. It wasn't the intention but it gave them another chance at life; a new purpose.
There was no Xanatos here but there was a chance for new and old friends alike, reforging bonds while making whole new ones.
Everlasting life, and now, Everlasting free.
Today
Luficia has taken their name, Emily Engel, in this new timeline and sticking with the lie the counterpart left behind; that they went into the Shadow Shard on a mission except, this time, they came back. This was done mostly to stop Arachnos from hunting their granddaughter and dispel the homunculi rumors. With them reclaiming the Engel Estate and going on a press tour, Luficia was offered from many magical colleges to go on a teaching tour. They took up the offer, figuring they could teach the lessons they've learned throughout the years and help create a new generation of heroes.
While they are still a Mender, they aren't pleased with the turn of events. Still, finding Luficia too valuable, the Menders allowed this new arrangement.
They have a new costume now though with a few extra spikes. when someone asked about it, Luficia smiled and said, "Someone used to tell me that bad girls always stay bad so I wear this to honor her." When asked who they meant, Luficia refused to elaborate.
They enjoy being an ally for the Accord, helping them with whatever they need. After all, the motley crew reminds them of their own past and they want to protect Audel's smile as well as feeling they owe the Accord for everything.
Luficia has returned and they are here to stay.